Blindspot Season Finale Review: Lepers Repel (Season 2 Episode 22)

Here’s a word problem for you: if Blindspot raises my blood pressure by a factor of two during its airtime how much chamomile tea do I need to drink to restore it to normal?

Let’s mull that over while we discuss everything that went down in Blindspot Season 2 Epissode 22 “Lepers Repel.”

Overall, this is a strong Blindspot episode: it’s got action along with Jane/Kurt moments, Zapata being stubborn, Patterson saving the day, and a few geeky jokes along the way.

It’s when I start to think about the finer details that I start to see problems.

In this episode, there’s really only one, and that has to do with The Truman Protocol. While Kurt is down in the “Phase II Bunker” I keep asking myself one question–how does The Truman Protocol work with the line of succession?

This fact really bothers me because the line of succession is comprised of the cabinet, and the premise is that the Truman Protocol is enacted because the full cabinet is meeting at The White House to discuss strategy.

The meeting precedes a multi-pronged terror attack on several federal buildings in Season 2 Episode 21 “Mom,” so naturally the entire line of succession is going to meet at a building that’s a huge target? Wouldn’t it make more sense for them to meet in a more secure location? Or, leave one cabinet member out so that the line of succession can be preserved, like they do with the State of the Union?

Fortunately, that’s my only hangup with this episode, and I don’t have time to unpack it, because within the first few minutes Kurt is out of the bunker, back at the FBI, and getting a hug from Jane.

So begins the plot to track and stop Shepherd, which ends just as you think it would.

It wouldn’t be a season finale if we didn’t “take down” the main villain. While I fully expected Shepherd’s death, I’m really happy that she made it through Season 2 alive. It’s no secret that I love how Michelle Hurd plays Shepherd, and I really want her to come back down the road.

Sure, I find myself questioning her sincerity sometimes, but lets consider exactly how Shepherd was able to get an entire team behind her. She has to be a master manipulator of some kind, and an adversary like that is too good to kill off, even if this is her second “brush with death.”

And it pays off in spades when Nas comes back into the picture with the scary ring apparatus first introduced in Season 2 Episode 1 “In Night So Ransomed Rogue.”

As the door closes and Shepherd is left with what I am sure will be a really uncomfortable interrogation, I desperately want to see her back at some point. Yes, her plot has been foiled, but I don’t think that she’ll take her confinement lying down.

Ashley Johnson also has a chance to shine as Patterson. She’s a powerhouse when it comes to cleaning up Sandstorm’s mess, and it had me saying “I want her on my team for the zombie apocalypse.”

The fast-talking technobabble is offset by softer, more subdued scenes that show just how much of a toll the events of this season have taken on the scientist. The down-to-the-wire save didn’t help matters much, and we end up watching Patterson have a celebratory drink as she considers leaving the FBI.

Patterson’s revelation comes on the heels of Reade asking for a transfer to Quantico, and Zapata being offered a position with the CIA, and Jane offered a ticket to anywhere she wants to go after they apprehend Sandstorm. So, it feels like the band is breaking up, but that can’t happen because there’s a Season 3, so how do they fix this?

Of course, we can’t ignore the payoff for all the Jeller shippers out there. After apprehending Shepherd, driving a lead-lined fire truck kamikaze-style through D.C., and giving Shepherd the biggest shock of her life, Weller passes out from blood loss, but not before declaring his love for Jane.

A day later, they’re celebrating in Weller’s apartment when Jane comes over, tells him that she won’t be leaving, and the team proceeds to have zero chill as they depart to give them some alone time.

Personally, I’ve been torn about Jane and Kurt’s relationship, Weller spends some of the earlier episodes in this season holding a grudge against her for not being Taylor Shaw. Seeing them get together feels a little sudden, but there have been breadcrumbs leading up to this, so I can’t say it is entirely out of the blue.

What is out of the blue: the two years later reset.

Just when it seems like there’s a happy ending, the show flashes forward two years, to Jane Doe scaling a mountain to have a philosophical discussion about going home. In the short moments that pass, it’s clear that Jane is filled with regret, until Weller finds her.

We don’t know what happened in the two years. Apparently Jane and Weller got married, Jane has been on the run (or she left), and Weller has been looking for her. We also find out that Tasha, Reade, and Patterson have been kidnapped, and that someone is trying to get Jane’s attention with a special key that lights up bioluminescent tattoos.

So, Blindspot left us blinking and with our jaws hanging open. And after that five-minute setup, I have never been happier about renewal news! There are so many questions I have regarding how the last two years played out, and now I have to wait until they’re answered in September!

It’s going to be a long hiatus!

Stray Thoughts:

• The CGI space shuttles/stations were really pretty cool. I am glad they incorporated a few CGI shots that were effective and visually stunning while still keeping up the pace of the episode.
• Zapata is a badass. I will leave it at that.
• Does it seem like Reade really found his commanding leadership voice overnight? He seems to have such a handle on things this episode. I could see him in charge, someday.
• Jane couldn’t shoot Roman. She let him get away, and then Weller lied for her. I’m looking to unpacking that relationship in the future.

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

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Blindspot will return this fall on Fridays at 8/7c on NBC.

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