Blindspot Review: We Didn’t Start the Fire (Season 5 Episode 2)
Team Weller has been reunited but they aren’t out of the woods yet. On Blindspot Season 5 Episode 2, “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” the team attempts to take the first step towards clearing their name by trying to find a phone stashed during the Season 4 finale.
While this episode is trying to move us towards a satisfying conclusion, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” is more an episode of loss and mourning than anything else.
The full reality of the team’s situation hasn’t really hit the audience yet. We’ve seen Kurt talk about how he misses Bethany and doesn’t want to miss her birthdays on Blindspot Season 5 Episode 1, “I Came to Sleigh,” and we’ve spent so much time in the unknown that was Jane’s past that it’s easy to think of the team as a contained unit.
The fact is that they’ve all had their own experiences and traumas and set in the procedural setting of the field office, there isn’t always time to deal with that. Now if they aren’t on an op there is a pause and they can delve into what they can delve into some of those consequences.
This comes through in Rich DotCom’s demenor. Rich’s comments about nudes and wanting to make Archie a little more home-y are a symptom of the time he spent being tortured on The Boat.
After the premiere when Jane said that Zapata didn’t have the right to decide when they went after Rich because she hadn’t been held at a black site, I figured there would be some comisseration.
Having Zapata bring Rich a poster because she realizes that he’s essentially traded one prison for another is a strong way to punctuate it. It doesn’t fix it, but it acknowledges what this character is going through, and brings a touch of humanity to a usually bright and charismatic character.
On another level we have Patterson’s father.
Bill Nye’s return to the final season is a welcome addition. The reveal that he was Patterson’s father was a brilliant move by the writers and his chemistry with Ashley Johnson is perfect.
That all shines through on this episode, but also leaves viewers wanting more.
Bill Nye is a natural way into the conference the team needs to get to, but it makes sense that Patterson wouldn’t want to endanger him that way. (Considering what a fanboy Kurt is, I can’t imagine he would either if there wasn’t a chance to get that phone back.)
The 30-second call through the game server is a heartwrenching scene. Listening to Nye want nothing more than to know his daughter is okay, and for Patterson to want nothing more than to talk to her dad is absolutely heartbreaking.
Patterson’s really the only character who seems to have a solid relationship with her family. Leveraging that connection on this episode tugs at our heartstrings.
Both times Nye appeared on Blindspot in the past, he’s been largely in a lab setting. The conference setting setting gives Nye and Johnson a chance to work together on a grander scale.
Nye’s save when he finds Patterson holding the bomb is one of the best father-daughter moments I’ve seen in a while, and the way they work together to save the day is inspiring.
The problem with how this episode ends, is that as much as I want the team to be okay by the time the season ends, I also want Bill Nye to be okay. If he doesn’t make a second appearance, even if it’s just a cameo to hug Patterson, that will be a huge disappointment for this season.
While the team is able to meet with Weitz at the conference and talk to him about the phone, getting all the information by the second episode of the season would have been too easy.
Madeline has proven to be a cunning adversary and her employment of Ivy Sands is no exception. We don’t know much about Julee Cerda’s character, and honest the story is better for it.
Cryptic messages about what they’re planning and what Madeline promised her are working for this character. That tension can be drawn out for a few more episodes and is especially perfect when you consider how ruthless they are.
Between blackmailing Brianna’s family and pinning the attack on the team, there are some tricks that are going to take a while to unfold.
The scenes in the FBI field office, while few and far between have me hopeful that Afreen and Weitz will have more allies as the season progresses.
Overall, this is a very solid episode of television that ties in so many points that longtime viewers will recognize. As much as this season’s return has been awaited, with each episode it’s getting harder and harder to say goodbye.
In fact, it might actually be say that the end of this series will leave us feeling liget.
Stray Thoughts:
- We got to know Patterson’s first name and it’s William. That doesn’t seem so bad honestly. She could have gone by Billy growing up if she really wanted to. Of course, now I want to know her space camp name.
- Billy Nye getting out of a security detail confescating his comms by talking about climate change is classic Bill Nye.
- The concern about A.I. finding them is very valid and the chore wheel is actually a smart idea.
- Did anyone else’s heart swell at the mention of David?
- Listening to Bill Nye explain little-known words would be my new favorite podcast. (See what I did there?) Anyone know how we can make that happen? If anyone wants to read up on the word liget you can do so here.
- Kurt’s beard: I have no words for that disguise.
What did you think of this episode of Blindspot? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Blindspot airs Thursdays at 9/8c 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.