S01.E06: Cede Your Soul

[Tara Ariano]

A hazardous app designed to track government vehicles must be taken down, and the app's creator winds up helping the team with this task. Meanwhile, Jane and Weller try not to blur the lines of their working relationship; and Zapata faces an ethical issue.

[paigow]

Team Scorpion would just blow up the satellite. Is the government procurement contract number tattooed? Because the guy's name would just be...simple.

[paigow]

Tree tattoo man = 4th person that knows about Operation Daylight?

[miracole]

All of the Wellers are weird.

[bmoore4026]

Y'know, besides Tech Girl's boyfriend, every guy on this show has a stubbly beard.  Might be a fetish, of which I don't mind.

 

Speaking of Tech Girl, we just need one Tech Girl.  We don't need another one with an irritating personality.

 

Tasha sold out Jane to pay off gambling debts?  That's low.  I would have found it better if she had used the money on Candy Crush instead, but that's not that kind of show.

 

We're probably gonna find out that Jane is tattooed on the inside of her skin, too, somehow.  I wouldn't put it past this show and I would still find it intriguing.

 

Kurt's dad has an ugly-scary cry face.

 

So, how many episodes do you give it before Jane and Kurt start going at it like rabbits?

Edited October 27, 2015 by bmoore4026

[Sakura12]

I hope tree tat guy is TaylorJane's boyfriend/husband, because Weller is just so dull. Does he have any other facial expressions besides mopey?  I can't tell if he likes her because he stares at everyone the same way. I suppose because he stares at her longer means he does. 

 

The fact that Mayfair knows that Weller is obsessed with her, is enough to get him kicked off of her case. He shouldn't get to decided that.  Also if he's so sure Jane is Taylor why is he still mad at his dad? Was there some clue that proved he had something to do with it? Was Weller senior as creeply obsessed with Taylor as Weller Jr?

 

The cases are so paint by numbers that I'm almost falling asleep watching them. I get that they needed to be a procedural because those are the ones that last. But what happened to Jane is the far more interesting story. I'd rather we start getting some info on the child assassin ring, then following Jane's latest boring tattoo case. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

The cases are so paint by numbers that I'm almost falling asleep watching them. I get that they needed to be a procedural because those are the ones that last. But what happened to Jane is the far more interesting story. I'd rather we start getting some info on the child assassin ring, then following Jane's latest boring tattoo case. 

 

That firefight over the truck full of guns was practically A-Team levels of ridiculous with the hundreds of bullets flying and people were standing around in the clear.  Some bad guys got killed -- and no good guys even picked up a scratch.  Weller throwing the grenade into the truck was beyond ridiculous -- he could have ran and likely caught up to that truck.

 

Case of the week wraps up with 10 minutes left in the hour -- so we can get more quality Weller family time and gambling drama.  No one cares.

[DEM]

Jane's therapist is the worst.  He was doing so great until tonight when he leapt to the conclusion that the shadowy guy in Jane's dream was Weller. The "*I* didn't say that!" manipulation was terrible.  I was relieved and laughed mockingly when it turned out Tree Dude is an actual, other person.

 

I liked the case of the week -- I mean the character and the actor.  The plotting was stupid as hell, but she was engaging.  When she helped crack one of Jane's tattoos, it reminded me of the case from last week's The Player, where the 17-18 year-old hacker kid was on the run from both the Feds and mobsters, and in the end he decoded part of a personal mystery for Other Guy from Strike Back.

 

I'm noticing a pattern in Jane's and Weller's interactions where they go back and forth taking alternate sides of an argument. It's dizzying and ridiculous.  I do hope Jane finds another friend or something to help with her loneliness.

 

Finally, I really want. Weller to. change up his speech. pattern Itisawful.

Edited October 27, 2015 by DEM

[Free]

Y'know, besides Tech Girl's boyfriend, every guy on this show has a stubbly beard.  Might be a fetish, of which I don't mind.

 

Maybe that means he's suspicious, he did seem too interested in the tattoo clues.

 

I hope tree tat guy is TaylorJane's boyfriend/husband, because Weller is just so dull. Does he have any other facial expressions besides mopey?  I can't tell if he likes her because he stares at everyone the same way. I suppose because he stares at her longer means he does.

 

Finally, I really want. Weller to. change up his speech. pattern Itisawful.

 

He's stuck on 1 expression all the time, i can't tell what he's feeling at all.

 

Case of the week wraps up with 10 minutes left in the hour -- so we can get more quality Weller family time and gambling drama.  No one cares.

 

Agreed, just boring subplots all around.

[Amethyst]

Kurt's dad has an ugly-scary cry face.

 

Seriously, that cry face was terrifying.  I had to look away.  Of course Weller doesn't give a rat's ass that his father may be innocent because he's too wrapped up in his own drama.  

 

More Jane/Weller angst.  Yawn.

 

It took six episodes but Mayfair finally figured out that Weller might be the wrong guy to lead this case.  No shit, Sherlock.  I knew it wouldn't lead to anything but at least it was acknowledged.

 

RME at Jane's "I'm not an FBI agent!" only for Weller to shoot back that Jane wanted a gun and to be treated like the other agents so she really can't complain.  For once, Weller was right.  Can't fault him there.  

 

New thing to add to the Blindspot Bingo board: when Reede looks skeptical and Tasha asks him why.  Happened several times now.  

 

DEM, I too was relieved that Tree Guy was real and not some version of Weller.  Was the Tree Guy from The Borgias? 

 

Always happy to see the yummy Dr. Borden, but is there a reason why his office is in this blinding white security room?  Aren't therapists' offices supposed to be welcoming?  I would feel like I was being interrogated if I was in there.

[Trini]

Seriously, where is Shadowy Conspiracy getting all this info?? If we believe Hacker Girl, the owl was only between her and her brother, and fairly recent.

 

Weller needs more facial expressions besides stoic, angry, and longingly at Jane.

 

Speaking of Weller, I wonder what kind of paperwork he has to fill out for blowing up a suspect and truck with a grenade.

 

A little humor would help this show. I wish they'd change the visual style, the closeups and handheld-cam are getting annoying.

 

Patterson is still a bright spot here.

Edited October 30, 2015 by Trini

[Cranky One]

I like the show, but why do they only send 3 FBI agents out (and Jane)? That used to bug me with The Following, too. Send the extras in the office out in the field!

[bmoore4026]

Weller needs more facial expressions besides stoic, angry, and longingly at Jane.

 

He only has one expression.

 

Also, this is yet another thing I've seen or listened to that referenced the "dark web" or "deep web".  I'm so fucking sick of the dark web, I could scream.  After watching videos on YouTube on the kind of shit that's on the dark web, it makes me think the writers don't know what the fuck they're talking about.  Seriously, I watch a countdown about the horrifying shit on the dark web and I feel the need to cry or throw up or both and then tell my mother I love her very, very much.

[thuganomics85]

At this rate, Jane is going to have a tattoo covering another tattoo, but all this is hiding another tattoo!  Hey, I guess you got to find some way to keep those things relevant, if you are going to blow through a tattoo each week, and you are planning on going past one season.  I almost want this show to last four or five seasons, just to see what other inventive ways they would find message's on Jane's naked body.

 

So, Mayfair finally notices that maybe Weller is the best choice to be leading this task force due to his, well, obsession with Jane.  She's doesn't actually say that, but I'm reading between the lines!  But instead of actually doing that, she... leaves the decision to Weller, himself?  Is that how that works?  Anyway, Weller instead decides to apparently just take that as a message to not be as chummy with Jane as he usually is, but instead be an absolute dick to her!  Brilliant idea, Weller!  I just don't get it.  Do these writers want me to like him on any kind of level?  Because I really don't find anything redeemable about him.  Even if I looked past the Jane stuff, he really doesn't seem friendly to his colleagues, disrespectful to his boss, and doesn't seem like the best son/brother either.  He just doesn't seem like a pleasant person.  Which, hey, there are a lot of those in real life, but it's hard to care about a TV character when he's this much of a downer.

 

Case of the week was another typical one, where it feels like I've seen in various others shows, but at least the hacker girl was kind of fun.  I would certainly rather see her and Jane develop a budding friendship compared to whatever the hell they are trying to do with Jane and Weller.

 

So, Zapata went through with the bribe and used it to pay off her gambling debts.  I guess this means she is going to spy for the CIA or something.  It does look like Reade realizes something is off with her, so hopefully he'll get on it.  I still wish he was the lead agent, since he doesn't suck and Rob Brown understands the concept of usming more then one facial expression and that you don't have to growl all of your lines.  Someone needs to tell Sullivan Stapleton that.

 

The more I see of Patterson's boyfriend, the more I think there will be more to him then just a quirky guy trying to out-quirk Patterson.  Something is up with him!

 

Mysterious dude with a tree tattoo has now showed up, and apparently he and Jane had some kind of relationship, if her sex dream was any indication.  At least it wasn't Weller!

[Free]

A little humor would help this show. I wish they'd change the visual style, the closeups and handheld-cam are getting annoying.

 

It would, it's just very annoying and distracting.

[Netfoot]

He only has one expression.

 

Yeah.  Constipated.

[Artsda]

I liked the 17 year old hacker more than most of the cast.

[Happy Harpy]

Rocket launchers and grenades. Gotta love this show's brand of OTT. Just when I was thinking that it was low on pure action, this week. LOL.

 

I had what I wanted last week, a talk about boundaries and Jane and Weller trying to establish boundaries, plus Jane trying to find friends elsewhere -to no avail yet, poor dear. Of course, Weller still doesn't know how to behave without going to the extremes. I'm glad that Jane saw through it, I'm glad that they talked and that he explained. I also like that he proposed that she bond with the team, or his sister, and not him; and also that he tried to find a "middle" by proposing her a ride home, but respected her wish and gave her space. He isn't good at relationship, but he tries.

I do agree that the shrink being all Shipper on Deck was a bit much, but I think it also could be a way to indicate that he isn't attracted to Jane, and there's no risk of inappropriate patient/doctor flirtation or relationship or, God forbids, a damn triangle with Weller.

I think that the writers and J.Alexander do a good job at conveying Jane's loneliness and need for connections.

 

For me, the show does a rather good job with giving everyone a POV, with Jane and Weller and Reade and Zapata.

Talking about POVs, I understand the sister's, especially since their father is ill,  but I find her too pushy. I hope that Weller will tell her, in no uncertain terms, that Jane isn't ready to deal with their family drama. I come to wonder whether he doesn't have a reason to doubt to his father, something he was the only one to witness, but didn't say anything about because it's still his father and/or it wasn't proof. Weller sounds to be the type who doesn't give up easily on "his" people, and this kind of inner conflict would also add another explanation to the fact that Taylor's kidnapping burdened him so much.

 

There's something else I liked about Weller. It's obvious that he agrees with Patterson and finds Mayfair's attitude weird, but he kept it to himself instead of undermining his boss in front of a subordinate.

 

I didn't think I'd ever say that about a 17-year-old hacker walking TV cliché on the paper, but I liked her. I liked her bonding with Jane, and I loved her scene with Patterson. I wouldn't mind if she popped up from time to time. She and Jane can relate and she could be a friend out of the team, but someone Jane wouldn't have to lie to.

She could also be a Chekov gun. For example, I wonder whether Carter could gun for Patterson, or have her kidnapped: The team would have a go-to hacker to help find her in time. Same if Patterson's cutie turns out to be a bad guy but embroiled in something else than, although for now I'm more worried about him getting killed. Because they're just so cute and this show definitely sounds like a Kill the Cutie/Break the Cutie one.

 

Reade is definitely not about middle ground. I like how he realizes that something is wrong with Zapata, it gives him something more than being the eternal Jane naysayer. I also like his honesty, but at the same time I have the feeling that she might have confided in him if he looked more accepting of shades of grey. I say "look", because I find that often, people with deep moral principles aren't unable to understand that people make mistakes, especially when those people are friends; I know she's going to have regrets, she didn't give the money immediately so it's a given, and I feel she'll end up turning to him anyway. I actually wonder if the show would get her killed at some point during the season.

 

Finally, I liked the pace of this episode. I couldn't pinpoint it, but it gave me  less the feeling of a procedural, in spite of the case of the week.

 

I see, they killed Bearded Man and we get Tree Guy to take over. So I say, this one will look like a good guy but will be a bad guy.

Edited October 27, 2015 by Happy Harpy

[GaT]

It's the same thing every week, Jane asks the suspect of the week if they know anything about her, she gets a few flashbacks, Patterson figures something out about a different tattoo, while her boyfriend does something suspicious, there's a case that means nothing, & Weller glowers. Booooooring.

[dwmarch]

So Homeland Security has a bunch of heavy weapons to move around. They move them around in a regular semi for which the only protection is a GPS tracker. Gus Fring had better security on his truckloads of fried chicken!

 

Jane should have known her sex dream wasn't about Weller because he wasn't grouchy and judgmental enough. Weller would actually be like "You're neglecting the balls Jane. If you want to be treated like an FBI agent don't ever neglect the balls!"

 

I like that Zapata hasn't really quit gambling at all, she's just raised the stakes to a whole new level.

 

I was not a fan of Ashley Johnson as a recurring character in Joss Whedon shows but I love her in this. Patterson is my favorite character of them all.

[bmoore4026]

Yeah.  Constipated.

 

I can handle that better than "dull surprise".

[Agent Dark]

At this rate, Jane is going to have a tattoo covering another tattoo, but all this is hiding another tattoo! 

I was really hoping for Patterson to bust out a "yo dawg, I heard you have some tattoos so we found some tattoos inside your tattoo so you can tattoo while you tattoo"

[Free]

It's the same thing every week, Jane asks the suspect of the week if they know anything about her, she gets a few flashbacks, Patterson figures something out about a different tattoo, while her boyfriend does something suspicious, there's a case that means nothing, & Weller glowers. Booooooring.

 

Exactly and they sort of backtracked on the Taylor Shaw front, where they made it vague either way.

[Primetimer]

A teenage hacker helps crack a case while Jane and Weller try to avoid Doing It until sweeps.

Read the story

[Bruinsfan]

I'm not convinced Jane and Weller will do the deed. If he were a motormouthed nerdy authorial insert it would be written in stone, but I don't see Gero identifying with gruff, manly Agent Neckbeard enough to automatically pair him up with the hot naked asskicker fantasy babe.

[Amethyst]

So, Mayfair finally notices that maybe Weller is the best choice to be leading this task force due to his, well, obsession with Jane.  She's doesn't actually say that, but I'm reading between the lines!  But instead of actually doing that, she... leaves the decision to Weller, himself?  Is that how that works?  

 

Had Mayfair brought this up earlier, like episodes 2 and 3, I could understand her actions.  She trusts Weller and he's (supposedly) a capable, efficient agent.  Mayfair may have wanted to give Weller a chance to back out of the Jane case on his own.  

 

But now, Weller's obsession with Jane has become pretty obvious.  It's no longer personal, just inappropriate, and it's been clouding his judgement since the beginning.  Of course Jane and Weller don't see a problem with him leading the team, because they only see their perspectives and no one else's.  

 

At this point, Weller shouldn't have been given the option to walk away, Mayfair should have made an executive decision and just taken him off the case.  He can still interact with Jane without being the lead.  But that can't happen because apparently, the world belongs to Weller and Jane, and everyone else is just living in it.

 

That said, this reflects more on Mayfair than Weller, imo.  She's so busy panicking about Project Daylight so she isn't focusing on the day-to-day stuff with her team.

[paigow]

He only has one expression....

Am I taking crazy pills here????

[blackwing]

I'm still liking the show.  I thought the firefight was awesome.  I do wonder though, didn't that truck contain all sorts of surface to air missiles, rocket launcher rockets and other ammo?  Did all of that get removed when Weller threw the grenade in the back?  Was the explosion big enough if all of that was still in there?

 

I honestly couldn't care less about Weller Dad, his horrible cry face, and Weller Sister's unrelenting campaign to get Weller and Dad to reconcile.

 

And I actually do want Weller and Taylor Jayne to get together.  "Tell it to my heart, tell me I'm the only one, is it really love or just a game?"  Because it would at least make him a little more interesting.  Disappointed that Sullivan Stapleton is stuck in the ultra serious role.  Was hoping they would lighten him up a bit now that he thinks Jane is Taylor, but apparently not.  He still thinks she is Taylor despite the African tooth, right?  Why aren't they having more conversations about their childhood?  Clearly he's like a stranger to her so she probably doesn't care what he did from age 10 to 35, but she should at least be more curious about Taylor's childhood.

[jaytee1812]

I liked the 17 year old hacker more than most of the cast.

I love Aimee Carrero in Young and Hungry and she was great here.

Also I love any show that can give me two women arguing then communicating through code.

[Free]

I can handle that better than "dull surprise".

 

I can't tell, it all looks the same.

[ottoDbusdriver]

At this rate, Jane is going to have a tattoo covering another tattoo, but all this is hiding another tattoo!  Hey, I guess you got to find some way to keep those things relevant, if you are going to blow through a tattoo each week, and you are planning on going past one season.  I almost want this show to last four or five seasons, just to see what other inventive ways they would find message's on Jane's naked body.

 

Have they checked her mouth for tattoos yet -- like a horse ID lip tattoo ?  And if they found any did they double check for UV mouth tattoos as well ?  And if they found any UV light mouth tattoos did they also check for steganography ?

 

Seriously, it could go on forever

 

So Homeland Security has a bunch of heavy weapons to move around. They move them around in a regular semi for which the only protection is a GPS tracker. Gus Fring had better security on his truckloads of fried chicken!

 

Ain't that the truth, just think if Gus had been running guns instead of crystal meth.

[Dowel Jones]

...didn't that truck contain all sorts of surface to air missiles, rocket launcher rockets and other ammo?

 

That's what I thought.  You're throwing a grenade into an ammunition dump on wheels?  Don't worry about shrapnel or igniting propellant on an RPG or anything like that.  And did those guys have 1000-round magazines on their weapons?

 

Let me get this straight.  Patterson discovers she's being hacked, and figures out that the hacker is the only one who could do it.  So they spend 15-30 minutes looking over the computer only to discover she's working from her apartment, which is where they found her working before.  Would have made sense to head there right away, but then maybe they would have met the cardboard Russians in the hallway, instead of a semi-deserted industrial area. 

 

Why create an app to follow GPS tracking when that is exactly what GPS tracking does anyway?  Wouldn't she have seen through that ruse?

[Free]

At this rate, Jane is going to have a tattoo covering another tattoo, but all this is hiding another tattoo!  Hey, I guess you got to find some way to keep those things relevant, if you are going to blow through a tattoo each week, and you are planning on going past one season.  I almost want this show to last four or five seasons, just to see what other inventive ways they would find message's on Jane's naked body.

 

We already have tattoos with multiple meanings this early on, so yes.

[LisaM]

I liked the teen aged hacker and hope that they bring her back. The scene where she and Patterson communicated through code was very good. It would also be worthwhile for Jane to have a confidante.

[Free]

It would also be worthwhile for Jane to have a confidante.

 

That's what she should've had to begin with instead of being stuck with Weller.

[TheRabbi]

I really wish The Player had survived over this.  Both shows have incredibly ridiculous plots-of-the-week, but The Player embraces its cheesiness.  And both shows use the same format of 5 minutes of real story - 50 minutes case of the week - 5 minutes real story, but this show takes itself so dreadfully serious, despite being so utterly ridiculous, that I'm finding it hard to take.  Thinking of fast forwarding the case of the week from here out.

[Sasha]

I was ready to throw in the towel on this show. It sucks. Then tree tattoo guy turns around and hot damn! Francois Arnaud aka Cesare Borgia. He is smoking hot and can act. He is on a completely different playing field than this Weller dude. Frankly he is way too good for such a below average production but now I am very interested in what's going to happen.

Edited October 28, 2015 by Sasha

[Free]

I really wish The Player had survived over this.  Both shows have incredibly ridiculous plots-of-the-week, but The Player embraces its cheesiness.  And both shows use the same format of 5 minutes of real story - 50 minutes case of the week - 5 minutes real story, but this show takes itself so dreadfully serious, despite being so utterly ridiculous, that I'm finding it hard to take.  Thinking of fast forwarding the case of the week from here out.

 

Definitely, it's too serious for its own good and the cases of th week aren't interesting.

[paigow]

And did those guys have 1000-round magazines on their weapons?

21st century Dirty Harry: I know what you're thinking...did he use 1000 shots or 999? 

[Latverian Diplomat]

The hacker actress was fine, but some of the hacking she was doing was quite silly (though not unusual for TV). Did she spot the steganography by eye? Because the whole point of steganography is that it's too subtle to see. And 17 is not a prime age for hackers. Experience and education are actually helpful, and most hackers that age are called "script kiddies" because they are just using software tools that older hackers have written and put out on the net. Lastly, there's no such thing as a "fast hacker". Hackers look for weaknesses in a painstaking process hoping to get lucky. How long it takes and whether it's even possible depends on things that they can't know in advance (how the target systems are set up, how well they are maintained, etc.)

[tomatoflyer]

So Jane knows all this stuff only a highly to individual could know but she doesn't know how to holster her gun?

I liked this episode and all the explosions. The bad guys are so subtle with their grenades!

I definitely chuckled at Jane telling the psychologist about her sex dream, I certainly would have kept that to myself. Though I appreciated their reactions because it seemed like a genuine human interaction, without all the irritation of her "relationship" with Weller. I really hate their end of episode talks.

When are we going to find out about Jane's tattoos where the sun don't shine?

[Kromm]

Have they checked her mouth for tattoos yet -- like a horse ID lip tattoo ?  And if they found any did they double check for UV mouth tattoos as well ?  And if they found any UV light mouth tattoos did they also check for steganography ?

 

Seriously, it could go on forever

I'm gonna call one now (that they wouldn't find until lets say.. Season 2.

 

There's a reason she has this short yet sassy wedge hair cut. She had her head shaved and is tatooed under there. Now admittedly the regrowth rate on that hair might be about a year, and we know the rest of her tats are more recent, but so what?  It's already been established she was "away" for years, and the planning on her tats was very elaborate (and lets be honest... it would take months to tattoo what she's got, even if she had an amazing pain threshold, or they knocked her out and did it all while she was unconscious).

[dr pepper]

Ok, it's a load of weapons. Presumably nothing is loaded, so the ammo isn't set to be triggered. I can see a simple antipersonal frag grenade as having a chance of setting something off. But a chain reaction seems very unlikely.

They say the Mythbusters are on their last season, i think we've found the test they should go out on.

[Netfoot]

When are we going to find out about Jane's tattoos where the sun don't shine?

 

The only reason this show is retaining it's audience is because everybody is waiting for that reveal!

[Texasmom1970]

Jane should have known her sex dream wasn't about Weller because he wasn't grouchy and judgmental enough. Weller would actually be like "You're neglecting the balls Jane. If you want to be treated like an FBI agent don't ever neglect the balls!"

OMG, love it, I so needed to laugh tonight been a rough day! I am also tiring of Weller's one note expressions. Would hate to get into a staring contest with him, definitely no chance of winning.

[jhlipton]

Also if he's so sure Jane is Taylor why is he still mad at his dad?

 

If he's so convinced she's Taylor, why doesn't he call her that?

 

Of course Weller doesn't give a rat's ass that his father may be innocent because he's too wrapped up in his own drama.  

 

He  doesn't give a rat's ass that his dad is dying; why should he care if he's innocent?

 

 

Case of the week was another typical one, where it feels like I've seen in various others shows, but at least the hacker girl was kind of fun.  I would certainly rather see her and Jane develop a budding friendship

 

I'd rather see a friendship between Patterson Python and Hacker Perl.  Jane has forgotten how to convey emotion along with everything else.

[Kromm]

If he's so convinced she's Taylor, why doesn't he call her that?

Bad writing.

 

You can't even write it off as a character choice (denial), because he (and everyone else) was calling her "Jane" ever after they got the DNA results, but before Tech Geek Lady got that other evidence she might not be Taylor.

[Bruinsfan]

The only reason this show is retaining it's audience is because everybody is waiting for that reveal!

Not in my case. I'm fast-forwarding each week in the vain hope that Stapleton will incorporate some of his Strikeback trademark nudity into that muttering, glaring cardboard performance.

[Netfoot]

I'd rather see a friendship between Patterson Python and Hacker Perl.

 

I think that should be Patterson Perl and Hacker Python.  And that is a debate that should be continued!

[Free]

Bad writing.

 

You can't even write it off as a character choice (denial), because he (and everyone else) was calling her "Jane" ever after they got the DNA results, but before Tech Geek Lady got that other evidence she might not be Taylor.

 

The worst part is that they backtracked on their early reveal, now it's just a vagueness yes/no answer that they're dragging along.