S02.E18: Senile Lines

[thewhiteowl]

Quote

Under investigation by an old rival, the team struggles to defend itself. Meanwhile, a tattoo leads them to a mysterious death at a foster home.

[paigow]

Who is the bad guy?? Robin Thicke??

[paigow]

There should be enough bio-hazard material in the good old US of A for Phase 2. Why import from Thailand? Ya gotta pay extra duty and taxes....

[omgsowicked]

I was thinking they should put Reade and his actor out of their misery and let him go but I'm actually glad that he's not the one who left. As shitty as his plot has been, I thought it would be tacky to basically replace him with Roman, now that he's in the field. I was worried that the veteran was actually a plant, trying to get details from Reade in relation to the coach's death and Freddie's disappearance. I thought Freddie's cokehead (on the weekends only, duh-doy) girlfriend was undercover as well but they both seem to be for real, at least for now. I'm glad Reade's finally watching the tape, so hopefully we can move on from this lackluster plot (for a little while, anyway; pretty sure what Reade and Zapata did re: the coach and Freddie will bite them in the ass later). Actually, wait a minute... didn't Reade or Zapata put the tape back? Since the police were investigating the coach's death and it would have been suspicious if his tape was missing?

Not too surprised that Nas took the bullet for the team, as she's been on the periphery ever since she arrived (and we could never lose Weller). It also leaves the door open for her return, if she's exonerated after whatever happens with Sandstorm. Not at all surprised that next week's promo teases Weller and Jane... not gonna waste a second getting back to that, huh? Blegh. I'm with Weitz, why is Weller so important? I really want to know why he's so crucial... he should try going into hiding, see what Sandstorm does when he goes MIA.

Roman going out with the team was refreshing but the orphan story was on the nose. So Jane's bank account was being loaded with money from shell accounts and stuff... I'm guessing they faked Jane's death to access the money for their plans? Why wouldn't she take it out before she wiped her mind, she knew what she was planning to do.

And we end with mustache-twirling Shepherd, buying tons of explosives, I guess? It seems like things are coming to a head now... I've been wondering what the show plans to do, defeat Sandstorm and continue following Jane's tattoos, or have Sandstorm blow up the US and follow the aftermath. The latter would be unexpected, turning into a post-apocalyptic type thing, haha. But I think it'll be the former, with Sandstorm threatening to come back every once and a while.

[mandigirl]

I hate these ' bureaucrat threatens the team' episodes. Blindspot seems to have a lot of them! Isn't this at least the third time a bureaucrat has gone after them? Out of all the previous ones, I found Matt and his 'mwah-ha-ha-ing' to be the most laughable. Glad to see the show re-focus on the tattoos and the terrorist plotline in the teaser. 

1 hour ago, omgsowicked said:

I was thinking they should put Reade and his actor out of their misery and let him go but I'm actually glad that he's not the one who left. As shitty as his plot has been, I thought it would be tacky to basically replace him with Roman, now that he's in the field.

ITA 100% on all points.  I like Reade and Rob Brown. It looks like they're ending whatever the heck detour they were doing with his character and I'm all for it! Also, Garrett Dillahunt is welcome on my tv ANYTIME. He actually made the ridiculous 'mystic veteran' cliche sorta palatable. Do I believe that a few words from a grizzled veteran would be enough for Reade to do a 180? No, but at this point, as long as this story line is resolved, I don't care how the writers wrap it up. 

'Sorry not sorry' to see Archie Panjabi go. I can only hope that she gets on a show that truly utilizes her talents. Looking forward to seeing her next role. 

1 hour ago, omgsowicked said:

Not at all surprised that next week's promo teases Weller and Jane...

I was bummed to see that. Don't get me wrong. I ship Weller and Jane. I like them together. But for some reason the timing of this is just... flat. They've both been in other relationships. I would have liked to see a somewhat slow build again on their romantic front.  I guess we'll see...

[dwmarch]

As much as want to hate the smarmy investigator he does have some good points. This task force is some crap-ass cops and coloring outside the lines has gotten several people killed so I can't blame him for drawing the wrong conclusions.

Garrett Dillahunt! I loved him in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles in which he played not one but five (!!) separate characters! And he was great here, especially with his advice that Reade should face his real fears instead of letting his imagination take the lead. I hope we see him again and I will kick someone in the nuts if he turns out to be a Sandstorm plant. If we need a Sandstorm plant in this plot let it be the happy to share her coke bag girlfriend.
 

3 hours ago, paigow said:

There should be enough bio-hazard material in the good old US of A for Phase 2. Why import from Thailand? Ya gotta pay extra duty and taxes....

That wasn't bio-hazard, it was radioactive material. I suppose Sandstorm is planning to launch a big-ass missile (we've already seen it) loaded with a radiation-salted warhead that is going to turn all of North America into a wasteland for years to come. How the bad guys are so sure this will help them remains to be seen.

6 minutes ago, mandigirl said:

Do I believe that a few words from a grizzled veteran would be enough for Reade to do a 180?

Funny you should mention that. The 180 came up on Billions in which a character described it as doing the opposite of what one has been doing since what one has been doing is obviously not working. So when Reade heard this advice and appreciated it, I cheered.

[LisaM]

I was pretty sure that the "one person is leaving the Team" tease didn't refer to Reade. I think that Archie Panjabi just did a pilot for a new show so I figured that she was on her way out here even if the pilot doesn't sell. 

I hate the "bureaucrat chases the Team" story lines and FF through all of the depositions. Hopefully didn't miss anything. 

Roman leading the children to safety was gold. 

[saber5055]

Quote: "That wasn't bio-hazard, it was radioactive material." There is radioactive waste stored all over the United States. Just ask anyone who lives in Nevada. As Paigow wrote, one doesn't need to go to Thailand and BUY it. Sandstorm should be able to rig up a radioactive heist. And next week ... Weller + Jane = Yuck. I'd feel differently if I didn't dislike Weller with all my being. Jane rocks, Weller sucks.

[NWoww99]

This show is so dumb.  Every episode is the same as the one before it.  How many times is Jane gonna ask of Roman can go into the field?  She asks, Nas says no, Weller says yes.  Then the next week it's vice versa, Nas says yes, Weller says no.  And so on and so forth.  And each and everytime he is allowed to go, so why in the hell have they bothered caging him up?  

I wish Reade, Roman and Shepherd could all leave before Nas but on the bright side I don't have to watch this drivel anymore 

[HunterHunted]

Of course we'd all think that Garret Dillahunt's wise vet was a plant because 1. the character is being played by Garret  Dillahunt; 2. he's doing a lot of talking for a throwaway; and 3. Dillahunt is married to Michelle Hurd, who plays Shepherd. 

I'm glad that Reade is finally doing something in the molestation story. He's been treading water for so long and for no real reason either.

[LisaM]

Quote

 Dillahunt is married to Michelle Hurd, who plays Shepherd. 

I didn't know that. Nice looking couple. 

I would have given up Reade for Nas even though she was sidelined for the last few weeks. 

[saber5055]

No one knew that Reade was in the hospital? If you are an FBI special task force employee, you don't have to call in sick or take a vaca day, you just don't show up for work and no one notices ... or cares? And are all IA guys snarky jerks? (Reference Shades of Blue.) And maybe I missed it, but where is Shepherd/Sandstorm getting billions of dollars to toss around buying stuff. I'll predict Reade watches that "molestation" tape and there's nothing on it other than the coach throwing him a birthday party with all the kids there. And yeah, Reade's partner snuck back in that house to put that tape back, didn't she? Heck, I don't know.

[paigow]

I think she put it back...NYPD dumped everything into evidence...then she stole it from NYPD

4 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Reade's partner snuck back in that house to put that tape back, didn't she? Heck, I don't know.

[mandigirl]

1 hour ago, saber5055 said:

If you are an FBI special task force employee, you don't have to call in sick or take a vaca day, you just don't show up for work and no one notices ... or cares?

Reade quit last episode so he didn't have to explain his absence. And Zapata and Weller definitely cared given how they were blowing up his phone!

 

1 hour ago, saber5055 said:

maybe I missed it, but where is Shepherd/Sandstorm getting billions of dollars to toss around buying stuff.

I was wondering that too. They look like they have a very expensive operation going. Remi's inheritance or whatever wouldn't be enough to cover all that. 

[blackwing]

15 hours ago, omgsowicked said:

I was thinking they should put Reade and his actor out of their misery and let him go but I'm actually glad that he's not the one who left. As shitty as his plot has been, I thought it would be tacky to basically replace him with Roman, now that he's in the field.

I'm disappointed that Archie Panjabi is leaving.  I wish it had been Reade.  I don't like the character, even with all the drug stuff, I find him boring.  I'm not sure why him leaving the team and getting replaced by Roman would necessarily be tacky... because a minority character gets replaced by a white man?  Not sure if I agree.  How is it any better that we lost an Indian woman instead of a black man?  This show is actually way more diverse than many shows on TV.  Yes, the team had four white characters (Weller, Patterson, Jane, Roman) but also had a black man, a Hispanic woman, and an Indian woman.  And the Big Bad is a black woman.  In the past, this show also featured a black woman (Mayfair), a black man (Borden), and a part-Asian (?) man (Patterson's boyfriend).

I would have been 100% OK with Reade leaving.

[Latverian Diplomat]

14 hours ago, dwmarch said:

That wasn't bio-hazard, it was radioactive material. I suppose Sandstorm is planning to launch a big-ass missile (we've already seen it) loaded with a radiation-salted warhead that is going to turn all of North America into a wasteland for years to come. How the bad guys are so sure this will help them remains to be seen.

 

That's a lot to expect from one warhead. Even if if it were a heavily concentrated batch of the most dangerous isotopes, which random cans of radioactive waste are not going to be.

North America is big, winds are unpredictable, and warheads can only be so heavy.

[calipiano81]

3 hours ago, saber5055 said:

And yeah, Reade's partner snuck back in that house to put that tape back, didn't she? Heck, I don't know.

Actually, Reade left the tape in the coach's VCR so Zapata went back to the house to get the tape OUT.

The item that Zapata had put BACK into evidence (by sneakily leaving it in the car of one of the employees) was the knife used to kill the coach. She thought it was Reade's knife at first, but it turned out to be Freddie's.

[paigow]

1 minute ago, calipiano81 said:

Actually, Reade left the tape in the coach's VCR so Zapata went back to the house to get the tape OUT.

The item that Zapata had put BACK into evidence (by sneakily leaving it in the car of one of the employees) was the knife used to kill the coach. She thought it was Reade's knife at first, but it turned out to be Freddie's.

Thanks

[omgsowicked]

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

I'm disappointed that Archie Panjabi is leaving.  I wish it had been Reade.  I don't like the character, even with all the drug stuff, I find him boring.  I'm not sure why him leaving the team and getting replaced by Roman would necessarily be tacky... because a minority character gets replaced by a white man?  Not sure if I agree.  How is it any better that we lost an Indian woman instead of a black man?  This show is actually way more diverse than many shows on TV.  Yes, the team had four white characters (Weller, Patterson, Jane, Roman) but also had a black man, a Hispanic woman, and an Indian woman.  And the Big Bad is a black woman.  In the past, this show also featured a black woman (Mayfair), a black man (Borden), and a part-Asian (?) man (Patterson's boyfriend).

I would have been 100% OK with Reade leaving.

Tacky probably wasn't the right word, sorry. What I meant was that I would have been a little disappointed if it turned out Roman was brought in to replace Reade, who's been on the show from the start. I'm not a big fan of Reade's and wouldn't have been upset if he left, but I would rather they try to do a better job with the characters they have than to ditch them for new ones. However, perhaps this coach/addiction plot is them trying to do a good job with Reade, and in that case... nah. LOL.

[thuganomics85]

Ah, Wyatt.  Smug as always, I see.  He had some decent points, actually, but as usual, he tends to not focus on the stuff the team really is screwing up or is questionable, and just making mountains out of mole hills instead, so therefore, he is "wrong."  But at least he can unit the team, because everyone hates him!

So, it ends up being Nas that is leaving.  Not surprised.  I had honestly thought she was going to die in the cliffhanger episodes ago, because it seems obvious that the show doesn't know what to do with her anymore, and Archie Panjabi certainly can find better work elsewhere, I suspect (or hope.)  Granted, it is set up in a way that I can easily see her coming back in the future, but certainly not as a regular.

Always great seeing Garrett Dillahunt, even if he was here to just finally push Reade's story forward.  But I'm glad something is finally happening and Reade is watching the damn tape.  Hopefully this will get wrapped up soon, because the whole thing has dragged his character down, and also messed up Zapata somewhat.

Tattoo of the week was variation of the old "Evil doctor is using unwilling subjects to test medicine on for the greater good!" story.  Roman is along for the ride this time, and acquits himself well.  Enjoy it while you can, folks!  Because I'm sure this season will end with him finding out Jane was who wiped his memory, and fun times will be over.

Finally check back in on Shepherd and it seems like Phase 2 is almost done!

[MissLucas]

Not this season's best outing. Patterson not being able to pronounce a Polish name correctly felt like a weird attempt for comic relief. Reade getting better due to some advice by trope veteran is hardly believable but as others have said if it puts his weird arc to bed I'm here hand-waving like there's no tomorrow.

Even Roman's plot was boring and that's saying something. Nas leaving was sad but this show really never made the best use of Panjabi's talents, I hope her new pilot gives her better opportunities to shine.

[Johnny Dollar]

For having a Polish uncle, Weller butchered the doctor's surname worse than Patterson. 

[pkincy]

This episode was easy to watch.  The throwaway "Investigation" was simple to FF through.   It is like they had only enough material for one show and brought in an "investigation" to stretch it to 2 or 3.  I presume the Series Finale is coming soon and if it doesn't get better it will be a Last Episode Finale.

Edited April 8, 2017 by pkincy

[dwmarch]

On 4/6/2017 at 0:53 PM, Latverian Diplomat said:

That's a lot to expect from one warhead. Even if if it were a heavily concentrated batch of the most dangerous isotopes, which random cans of radioactive waste are not going to be.

North America is big, winds are unpredictable, and warheads can only be so heavy.

Sure but think back to that episode where they were up against someone using DIME bombs. DIME is Dense Inert Metal Explosive, a bomb that throws micro-shrapnel that shreds soft squishy things (like people) but stops cold at a distance of a few meters or versus anything solid (hence why DIME victims have their limbs shorn off at the joints). But on this show DIME bombs were like C4 on steroids with giant fireball explosions and mass casualty potential which is the exact opposite of what they were built for. If you're expecting actual rocket science from these writers, don't hold your breath.

[Trini]

Can't really muster up much comments on this one. This was sort of a transition episode. Like some of you, I'm glad that they seem to be wrapping up Reade's coach/drug storyline. I'm neutral about Nas leaving; I think she'll probably be back for one or two episodes later (my speculation).

[greyhorse]

Well, I'm way behind on catching up, but it seems like there haven't been any new episodes so I guess all is good.

What a messed up episode.  I'm starting to tire of this show and am losing interest, but will probably just watching now because I'm too invested.

Bring Roman into the fold and officially make him part of the team already.  Did anybody seriously think for a moment that he was going to take off and run away?  Just silly.

I'm disappointed that Nas is leaving, but it was the easiest way out for everybody.  She and Weller were a thing for a brief moment, no?  Thought there would have been a little more wrap up then instead of just the "Give em hell" comment while grabbing his arm.

And didn't Jane and Weller sleep together at least once?  Or am I just making that up?  So when they were both asked by that investigator about any romantic relationship, and they both said no, then obviously they were both lying, right?

Much like all the other comments, I'm sick of the investigator against the team plot lines.  The team is trying to do good and take down some terrorist.  Yet this pencil pusher is more concerned about taking them down.

Tired of Reade and his mopey face.  Yes, childhood sexual abuse is no laughing matter.  But this storyline has dragged on way too long.  It takes a PTSD war guy as his hospital roommate for him to finally muster up the courage to watch the tape?  Hopefully this will be the last mention of it.  Seeing how this show is written, it very well could be.

[MissLucas]

On 24.4.2017 at 8:09 AM, greyhorse said:

And didn't Jane and Weller sleep together at least once?  Or am I just making that up?  So when they were both asked by that investigator about any romantic relationship, and they both said no, then obviously they were both lying, right?

IIRC Jane and Weller are still in will-they-won't-they limbo.

[Beatriceblake]

Nothing about this episode worked for me.

So Matthew Weitz reappears (having apparently decided he's done being grateful to Jane and Weller for saving his daughter) and investigates the team. Aside from retreading the first season episode with John Hodgman that was significantly better, drawing attention to what the team are doing and how they are run isn't great when trying to supend your disbelief. And it doesn't particularly make sense that Nas can take this one for the team and that Weitz accepts this deal with her. If she takes responsibility for making bad decisions that still raises the question of why Assistant Director Weller went along with her bad judgement calls. And I'm not sure how Nas can take the fall for the fact Weller has a personal relationship with Jane and frequently does stuff like letting Roman out and about to make Jane happy.

The foster kids plot seemed to be designed to say "look the team stop seriously bad stuff happening" but didn't make a massive amount of sense to me either on quite a few counts. Firstly it was one hell of a risk for Carol and the pharma company and the doctor to be taking. Secondly how useful is it to test a new drug on a small group of children anyway (as opposed to a larger trial with adults)? Thirdly it seems like they had outside friends/adults in their lives that the kids might have mentioned this messed up situation to such as the music teacher or their friends online or people at school.

And then we had Reade in the hospital getting repeatedly hit over the head with the message that drugs and drink are bad ('mkay). A plot that was alternately boring and distracting because the casting of Dillahunt meant I kept expecting Travis to be Sandstorm and start choking Reade or something.

Edited April 27, 2017 by Beatriceblake