Blindspot Review: Enemy Bag of Tricks (Season 3 Episode 2)
Okay, let’s take a deep breath because Blindspot Season 3 Episode 2 “Enemy Bag of Tricks” is not holding back at all!
I don’t expect anything less from Blindspot; this show has always delivered fast-paced plot-driven episodes that also give the characters time to develop a bit with their own storylines.
In reviewing Blindspot Season 3 Episode 1 “Back to the Grind,” I talked about how I have high hopes for this season because the time jump gives us so many unknowns the writers can use to create tension, and so far, they’re delivering.
The first tattoo of the season puts the fate of the world in jeopardy when North Korea tries to shut down a missile defense shield that keeps their nukes from reaching California. If it sounds like that plot may be a little too close to home, you’re not alone.
As much as this the tattoo-of-the-week case makes for an interesting storyline, given the news of the last several months, it’s a little scary to think about.
It also brings to mind the question of, “if this is Episode 2, what are they going to do the next twenty episodes?” It makes me excited about these upcoming twenty episodes.
If Blindspot keeps up this pace, I will be happy because not only does this episode have a great case-of-the-week, but they also give us some glimpses into how these characters have changed, and what they’ve been doing since we saw them last.
Roman, for instance, is attending a PTSD support group, where he meets a guy named Tom. At first, it seems like the two are just talking and bonding like friends, but it quickly turns into a murder.
Roman drugs and kills Tom in order to get information that will allow him to access his bank accounts, which contain millions of dollars.
Now, this shouldn’t surprise me given Roman’s upbringing. Not to mention, when we were introduced to him at the beginning of Season 2, he pretty quickly beat two people up.
If the last eighteen months have done anything, they’ve made him more cunning and less of a blunt instrument.
This is the first time I recall that we’ve seen Roman kill in such a way that didn’t involve a weapon of some kind.
He drugs Tom using truth serum and hemlock, and instead of intimidating him as he dies, he speaks to Tom softly. Roman says that he actually likes Tom, but in some way, it feels like Roman has matured and acquired some patience that he didn’t have before.
It only serves to make Luke Mitchell’s character spookier, and I am loving it. It’s compelling to watch, and I hope the writers keep giving us these brief and obscure glimpses into what Roman is doing.
As far as the rest of Team Weller goes, the writers have also begun filling in the eighteen-month holes in the team’s timeline in a slow, and yet satisfying, way.
Obviously, we won’t get all of our answers at once, and we shouldn’t, but adding in little details like the fact that Jane’s gone vegan and that Reade has a girlfriend now, go a long way to coloring that lost time.
But I think one of my favorite bits about Team Weller this episode is seeing Patterson back in her lab. Her petulance over the changes that have been made to her lab and Stuart’s new “one tattoo” approach is so relatable and lovable at the same time.
Plus, I love that she’s proud of making an app called Wizardville that was number one in the app store for seven weeks. Patterson has always been great at what she does but hearing about her accomplishments in the private sector is just a nice touch.
I am a little worried about Patterson’s presence in Stuart’s apartment though. If Zapata was right and he was attracted to Patterson, that makes three people who have ended up dead around her.
How much do you want to bet that Reade sees that as an issue next week?
What did you think of this episode of Blindspot? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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Blindspot airs Fridays at 8/7c on NBC.
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Lauren Busser
Lauren Busser is an Associate Editor at Tell-Tale TV. She is a writer of fiction and nonfiction whose work has appeared in Bitch Media, Popshot Quarterly, Brain Mill Press Voices, and The Hartford Courant.