Blindspotting Review: The Rule of Three (Season 1 Episode 3)
Blindspotting Season 1 Episode 3, “The Rule of Three,” decides to shine the spotlight on its supporting characters, Trish and Sean. It’s a necessary shift of focus, especially to gain a better understanding of the often unpredictable Trish. We’re privy to a day in her life as she tries to get a bank loan for her strip club, and receives a browbeating from her white male boss.
Trish (Jaylen Barron) is already the volatile hurricane to Ashley’s (Jasmine Cephas Jones) grounded, calm waters, but she injects Trish with a layer of vulnerability that we haven’t seen until now. As a Black woman, Trish has had to steel herself against the heavily ingrained systemic racism and white supremacy in this world. We see that version of Trish crumble when her boss, Carl, cuts her down to size.
CARL: Technically, you’re not the house mom. You’re actually temp house mom, all right?
Blindspotting excels when it comes to cinematography and its use of music to convey a character’s mental state. The show expertly showcases Trish at her most vulnerable via musical montage as she’s preparing to go on stage to dance with her girls. She doesn’t like to dance because she wants to be in charge. She craves power.
Additionally, Trish’s day takes a turn for the worst when she’s rejected for a bank loan. This series touches on the racism that’s embedded in our banking system, and the disparity between Black people securing a simple loan versus white people.
But it all comes to a head when a verbal spat with Ashley almost morphs into a fistfight.
Trish notes that Ashley acts like a “white girl” trying to fit in with the neighborhood when, in reality, she’s an outsider. Trish’s no-holds-barred philosophy clashes with Ashley’s level-headedness in a way that’s engaging for us as viewers. Both Barron and Cephas Jones give it their all in this tense scene.
Their collective chemistry doesn’t lie in their ability to mesh well as characters, but their inability to connect. Rainey’s (Helen Hunt) decision to slap Trish at that moment is an unexpected plot twist. While Trish and Ashley frequently butt heads and spew vitriol at one another, it’s clear that they have each other’s backs no matter what.
ASHLEY: Pops would slide a knuckle across my eyes and chin, and against my mother’s grin, till we grim, till her light dimmed.
Ashley grapples with violence and physically disciplining Sean after he kicks both her and Trish behind the kneecap. Sean’s a kid whose current obsession is karate. Of course, Ashley’s abusive childhood with her father plays a role in her stance against getting physical.
She spends the majority of “The Rule of Three” seeking advice about how to discipline him. Thankfully, Sean’s inherently sweet demeanor and self-awareness force him to apologize to his mother by the episode’s end.
Besides Blindspotting giving us more time with these supporting characters, we also get to see the blossoming friendship between Sean and Earl. It’s incredibly sweet. The final scene is my favorite in the whole episode. Normalize illustrating wholesome male friendships on TV!
Overall, “The Rule of Three” is a thought-provoking examination of violence, systemic racism, and the way we raise our children. Is physical disciplining the way to go? Blindspotting always asks tough but necessary questions. In addition, the show organically fleshes out its characters and ensures that we fall head over heels for them.
Stray Observations:
- Anthony Ramos, Jasmine Cephas Jones’ fiance, makes another delightful appearance as Yorkie.
- Great line alert: “It’s like a spanking of the face.”
- The fourth-wall-breaking is, hands down, the highlight of this show. The poetical verses flow so well.
- “This ain’t Cirque du Ho-leil,” is another fantastic line.
- The intermittent utilization of Miles as Ashley’s conscience is a nice detail.
What did you think of this episode of Blindspotting? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
Blindspotting airs Sundays at 9 pm on Starz.
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Melody McCune
Melody loves TV. Maybe too much. Besides being a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV, she's the Managing Editor for Geek Girl Authority, an Independent Contractor for Sideshow Collectibles, and a Senior Writer for Eulalie Magazine. Additionally, she has bylines in Culturess, Widget, and inkMend on Medium. To top it all off, she's a critic for Rotten Tomatoes and CherryPicks.