Blindspot Review: Clamorous Night (Season 3 Episode 18)
Roman sets assassins on Team Weller, and actually expected them to succeed? Blindspot Season 3 Episode 18 “Clamorous Night” sets in motion a Roshoman-style episode where each of the team members encounters their assassins in turn.
While it’s pretty clear that no one from the team is going to die in this episode, but the episode does give each of the characters the chance to showcase their personal lives as well. It’s one of the benefits of telling the story this way and sending the characters into their own spheres outside of the lab.
The genius of the setup is that it originally doesn’t seem like it was going to unfold this way. The teaser ends with Jane in the back of a truck listening to Roman over a video call. But when the episode comes back from a commercial break, it quickly switches in Reade’s point of view.
This is a smart decision, on writer Eric Buchman’s part because it balances the character-driven aspects of the plot with the assassination action.
Separating the team, like four acts do, also gives us more chances to see them interact one on one with characters outside of their everyday work lives. Instead of rapid-fire scenes that toss a lot of information at us all at once, we get some more intimate scenes that vary in tone and content.
Running as an intermediary through the entire episode is Rich DotCom. He arranges Jane and Kurt’s night out, he makes sure Zapata doesn’t follow Reade, and he even gives Patterson a few words of encouragement before she goes on her date. In fact, it might be a little suspicious.
More importantly, he puts his hacking skills to good use in this episode. Earlier this season, it felt like Rich wasn’t being used to his fullest potential, but we are really seeing him start to take actions that are in line with his character. Especially at the very end when he shreds Millicent’s letter.
Patterson and Jack’s first date has to be the best, and worst, segment from this episode. Picking up on the events of Blindspot Season 3 Episode 14 “Everlasting,” we actually get to see Patterson go out on a date. It wasn’t a match, but it was fun to watch if a little cringe-worthy.
Still, it’s good to see Patterson getting back out there and into the dating game! She deserves that.
It is also a nice change of pace with a bit of Zapata’s backstory. The funeral is emotional but also gives us some of her past and what shapes her. In a show that is so plot-driven it can be really hard to get these moments of backstory and “Clamorous Night” does a great job of giving us this insight while still keeping pace.
In the end, the ultimate takeaway from “Clamorous Night” is that the relationship between Roman and Jane has shifted and if it continues like this, then we’re in for an explosive few episodes as we head towards the Blindspot Season 3 finale.
Stray Thoughts:
- Can we agree that Jack is a jerk for hacking Wizardville and getting the premium content for free? Patterson has a point, and you have to applaud that her first thought was for the content creators.
- Molecular Gastronomy would actually be a fun date! I mean, if you aren’t Jack and Patterson, and you actually got along with your date.
- I was actually starting to like Millicent during her conversations with Reade. She was still investigating him but at least she was starting to appear human.
- It kind of gets me that Roman wouldn’t have better-skilled assassins on the payroll? Isn’t wiring a communications system into a truck’s main electrical kind of a rookie mistake?
What did you think of this episode of Blindspot? Share your thoughts 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.