Blindspot Review: Mum’s the Word (Season 3 Episode 17)
Oh boy! Things are going down on Blindspot! The events of Blindspot Season 3 Episode 17 “Mum’s the Word” make all the questions from the last season almost it.
For the first time this season, Blindspot has put all of our characters into the same space, and let them interact on a level where not only is “Mum’s the Word” a case-of-the-week episode, but it also gives us some juicy character developments.
Blindspot has consistently been at its best when the characters and their relationships are involved and invested in the plot. When an episode deftly layers the conflict and story while still giving us a good case to latch onto is always good in my book.
On “Mum’s the Word” there isn’t a single relationship that is unexplored at the gala, and it puts so many of the current conflicts, plaguing the team into the forefront.
One standout is Jane and Avery’s mother/daughter relationship. There is no question that this relationship has been strained ever since they found that Avery was alive, but Jane has slowly made an effort to get to know Avery.
The decision to use her in this world and to have her be the vehicle that aids the team is a smart one. It gives Avery’s character more to do and gives us a chance to see how she interacts with her father’s friends. Plus, seeing her usurp the plan by moving the tracking device was a smart move that I didn’t expect. She is starting to show some interesting characteristics that are very similar to Jane.
There was also a share of Reade and Zapata drama. A lot of it is rooted in Zapata’s history with the CIA and the secrets she kept regarding Borden in Blindspot Season 3 Episode 16 “Artful Dodge,” but that doesn’t explain away the awkward when they have to pretend to be engaged.
As adorably awkward as the setup was, it does set the stage for what’s to come with Reade’s wedding and Zapata’s involvement as best man. It’s heartbreaking watching Zapata admit that she will have to miss Reade’s wedding because she’s still in love with him. While Zapata is likely making the right call, it is sad to watch this unfold.
Perhaps one of the most interesting relationships is Blake and Roman. This is the first time Roman and Blake have been in the same place as the team, and these moments are worth the wait.
Blake doesn’t meet Jane and the rest of Team Weller, but her moment with Tom towards the end is so sweet and enlightening. The fact that Roman does a complete 180, presumably for Blake is a twist that I didn’t anticipate.
When Roman decides to blow the FBI’s operation and side with Crawford, it feels like a punch in the gut. However, it also feels like the kind of big shift the show needed. Roman went through a lot of trouble putting those tattoos on Jane’s body in an attempt to bring Crawford down and I am still lost as to how that ties into hurting Jane like he mentioned in the premiere.
Yet, what hurts even worse is how Roman is activating assassins to take the team. Anyone care to guess who the different hands were that answered their calls?
Stray Thoughts:
- Blake has no idea what her father does? And yet she masterminded that scheme to get into a poker game, which got her kidnapped? Has she really not asked any questions?
- I also won’t lie, I half expected Blake’s speech to Tom to end with the words: “I’m pregnant.”
- Am I to gather that Roman isn’t dying or anything like that? Or is he sick, and we just don’t know it yet? Really, the whole hospital sequence from last week has been on my mind, and I am really concerned about Roman. Although, I probably shouldn’t be given where this episode ended up.
- Reade is a groom-zilla who complete geeks out over the person who wrote the holy grail of wedding planning books. I don’t think I have ever liked a fictional character more in my life.
What did you think of this week’s Blindspot? Let us know in 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.