Blindspot Review: One Begets Technique (Season 1 Episode 18)

Call the FBI, because this episode has been stolen! “One Begets Technique” is the first time Blindspot has revisited a criminal from a previous episode: the megalomaniac Rich DotCom.

In a maximum-security prison after he attempted to sell the Wit Sec list on the black market, Rich is now coming to the FBI with information on a wanted fugitive named Akhtar. The episode plays out with a sorted web of lies and deceit that only become clear at the very end.

First, we have to commend Blindspot for a well-scripted hour. Not only does this episode deliver action with a healthy spoonful of comedy, it also roots the plot in fact—at least at the start.

Rich comes forward talking about the Gardner Museum heist. This is a real unsolved art heist that occurred on March 18, 1990. A dozen paintings were stolen including one Vermeer, three Rembrandts, and five Degas. After thousands of leads and a $5 million dollar reward, the paintings still haven’t been recovered.

“One Begets Technique” imagines these priceless and sought after painting in a private gallery in the perpetrators home. The paintings are kept under such lock and key that getting in includes a smart watch, a heat-sensitive palm print, and an iris scanner.

Oh, and did we forget to mention, that the paintings are rigged to the wall by five wires? Try to take one off the wall and a gun goes off, killing any would-be-thief and blowing a hole through the painting at the same time. Really well thought-out security system there.

When the swordfight accidently shoots a hole in the corner of the Vermeer, the FBI needs to call in an art restorer to help them fix it. This is another area we have to commend Blindspot on.

Restoring a masterpiece is an art in itself. Centuries old paint ages differently, particularly if the canvas is subjected to any sort of advanced screening or imaging, so if you want the painting to look intact, you need someone with knowledge. That’s where Boston Arliss Crabbe comes in. Not only is he Rich DotCom’s former flame, but he takes his art really seriously.

Boston: I need at least a week!
Patterson: You’ve got ten hours.
Boston: That is MUCH less time!

The real star of this episode is Rich DotCom. We met Rich once before, and we expected him to be sneaky, but this episode takes him to a new level.

While it’s hard to trust him, his dialogue still makes us laugh. One line describes Allie as “the coppest cop that ever copped,” in another he calls prison sex “surprisingly vanilla.” When he chides Jane and Kurt on how they are made for each other it’s hard to pay attention to the series regulars – we’re just too focused on what Rich DotCom is saying!

That’s not a bad thing. Rich was an enjoyable character and we wanted to see more of him. By the end of the episode, when he’s standing on the ledge of a skyscraper ready to jump, it’s hard not to like him—even if just for a moment. Rich quickly became a villain that you could love and hate at the same time, and the thought of him dying like that just didn’t seem right.

Thankfully, Rich has an escape plan in his tuxedo. When he jumps he releases a parachute and floats down to the pavement. There’s a moment when we curse him out, but at the same time, we’re glad he lives to see another day.

That’s not all. Not only did he escape FBI custody, but he is working with Crabbe to switch the paintings. The real Gardner paintings are in the trunk of his getaway car.

Who wants to put money on Team Weller and Rich DotCom crossing paths again?

Stray Thoughts

• Not liking where Jane is going. It’s no secret we have some Oscar trust issues, but now he’s asking Jane to fabricate her own memories. That can only backfire, and in more ways than one.
• This episode milks the girl power for all it’s worth! The Allie and Jane fight scene is amazing.
• Is there such a thing as a Reverse Chekov’s Gun? The guy dancing at the party seems to be a good example of that. Guns run out of bullets, dude!

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

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Blindspot airs Mondays at 10/9 on NBC.

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