Blindspot Review: Any Wounded Thief (Season 1 Episode 16)

In this week’s episode of Blindspot, ghosts in the form of Taylor Shaw and David Wagner haunt the FBI. Also, in “Any Wounded Thief” Jane’s tattoos lead the team to an armored truck heist where containers of sarin gas were stolen.

That sentence should be an everyday occurrence for the Blindspot crew, and yet every week, the team always seems surprised that a routine case is something more insidious. Have Jane’s tattoos ever led to something good and philanthropic? (Or, for that matter, have they ever led to something the team can take at face value?)

Didn’t we establish there is some big government conspiracy afoot that Oscar “can’t” tell her about? Isn’t Orion supposed to be this big, scary monster? Yet, every week they seem to take the tattoo as superficially as possible.

You’d think they’d have learned by now!

Still, you have to be glad that someone with such foreknowledge thought to tattoo an attractive woman and send her to the FBI. How would we get through our week without scenes like this?

DID YOU JUST SEE THAT?! #Blindspot pic.twitter.com/gYND30C165

— Blindspot (@NBCBlindspot) April 5, 2016

In the midst of all this high action we find that it’s a very important day: Jane’s birthday. Well not Jane’s…Taylor Shaw’s. Kurt hands her a jewelry box with a necklace in it that Taylor’s mom bought for her when she was born. When she died, Kurt bought it, and now it’s Jane’s.

The real revelation for Jane’s character comes in the form of a flashback showing Jane at a memorial for Taylor. We see her looking at a crowd of mourners, including Kurt, who confronts his father about his presence.

We have some suspicions as to whether or not Oscar has been Jane telling the truth in regards to her identity and this scene didn’t help matters. If Jane knew that she was Taylor Shaw, why didn’t she come home? Why hide behind a tree?

The details in this scene do not add up and we’re starting to wonder if Jane really is Taylor Shaw. How much of her memories are influenced by her interactions with the team and Oscar?

Can anything we see in Jane Doe’s flashbacks really be considered the truth?

But the most interesting plot this week goes to Patterson, who gets a call from her and David’s favorite restaurant. They had a reservation for their one-year anniversary, and this throws Patterson for a loop. You can’t really blame her. She’s buried herself in work and hasn’t really dealt with David’s death. As a result, between the confirmed reservation and David’s last crossword being published, Patterson is dealing with a really big P.S. I Love You moment.

She’s encouraged to go to the restaurant anyway and celebrate David. She reluctantly goes and ends up having a conversation with his ghost, who challenges her to try and solve his last crossword by dessert.

Patterson and David were all about puzzles, so when Patterson mentions the publication of his last crossword puzzle, we thought there had to be something hidden in there. Of course, there is. Three clues line up to say: Got one Patterson. Patterson interprets this as David solved another tattoo.

And that’s where it ends, to be picked up next week. The clue in the crossword is a little cliché, but taking into account that this is David and Patterson, it’s also fitting. However, just like that tattoos, he only revealed enough to get her interested and that may not bode well for Patterson in the next episode.

Stray Thoughts:

• Oscar and Jane? Not sure how to feel about this. Still don’t trust Oscar.
• Reade broke up with Sarah to protect her, Kurt doesn’t seem to get that. He was mad that Reade was dating his sister and now he’s mad that he hurt her. Was there ever a happy ending to be had there?
• Can Reade and Zapata just find a room and talk about how they are both being blackmailed?
• Patterson needs more people to solve the bigger mystery of the tattoos.  More people like David.
• Patterson also needs a first name! Okay, she’s so awesome she probably doesn’t need one, but we’re going to start thinking her first name is Peppermint if we don’t find out soon.

What did you think of this episode of Blindspot? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Blindspot airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC.

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