Blindspot Review: Frequently Recurring Struggle for Existence (Season 4 Episode 15)
Finally, we’re getting to some of the quandaries that have been bugging me ever since Jane and Remi’s personalities merged, but it still leaves something to be desired. Blindspot Season 4 Episode 15, “Frequently Recurring Struggle for Existence,” builds up to the moment that Jane meets someone from her past, and then things really let loose.
When Jane and Remi merged in Blindspot Season 4 Episode 9, “Check Your Ed,” the first thought that I had was about the weight that must have on Jane’s memory. Remi did some unspeakable things, and now that Jane remembers them, what does that mean for her?
“Frequently Recurring Struggle for Existence” peels back one layer of that complicated question and shows us exactly what happens when Jane runs into someone from Remi’s past.
Blindspot made the choice to skip over finding the Sandstorm hideout, and I am not sure that was a wise decision. While we get to see what was in the hideout, by the end of the episode it’s clear that this is more important than just the contents inside.
Sandstorm is still out there and that means there are potentially more people who Jane can run into.
Between that revelation and the meeting with Cameron Gibbs, we get a couple of sobering reminders that Jane can’t just walk away Remi. Earlier in the series, it seemed like Remi’s circle was so small it only included Sandstorm, but of course, there were other people she interacted with.
It’s interesting to see Jane interact with people with Remi’s past, but it also calls into question what Sheppard was planning. The revelation that the items in the Sandstorm hideout were significant to Remi’s past and could have functioned as a recovery room is a shocking thought.
Why it’s coming from beyond the grave, is another question entirely. It feels like this revelation should have more weight, like we should be scared for Jane, that she could snap back into Remi, but this sequence doesn’t accomplish that.
Jane isn’t the only character grappling with a duality of self. Zapata still has to clear her name when the CIA comes calling. Fortunately, Keaton’s woken up from his coma and has a file that will exonerate her.
Audrey Esparza plays it very close to the vest, but she brings through Zapata’s uncertainty very well. Being in his house where he lives with his wife and daughter and acknowledging that Keaton is a family man, is a big step for her.
She’s starting to realize that there are people involved in all of this and that her actions have consequences. It looks like she’s actually starting to value the people that have her back, but it could be too little too late.
All things considered, it’s interesting that this episode begins with Rich Dotcom debuting a game he developed with each of the team members as characters. The game is a correlative to the games everyone else is a part of like Shepherd’s clues from beyond the grave and Madeline hunting Zapata.
It puts the stakes in a trivial form, but it’s also so intricate that it shows a caring side of Rich. I would actually be curious to see the rules to this game, and how they stake up against some of the villains the team has encountered in the past.
One thing I am certain of, Madeline is not sitting around playing board games.
What did you think of this episode of Blindspot? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Reviewer Rating:
User Rating:
Blindspot airs Fridays at 8/7c on NBC.
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
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.