S03.E16: Artful Dodge

[thewhiteowl]

A CIA source threatens to tear the team apart.

[snuffles]

Another Sandstorm agent turned whistle blower? 

[twoods]

I actually felt sorry for Borden being double crossed, but that’s because I like the actor so much. I’m still mad that they had to turn Borden instead of let Patterson have her happy ending. I can see him escape and go after the CIA for double crossing him. 

So I guess Zapata told Reade she loved him now instead of the night before the wedding. And is Roman going to turn on the FBI and save Crawford? He’s finally getting the “family” he wanted. 

Very happy that the team vouched for Rich.com. 

[mxc90]

5 hours ago, twoods said:

So I guess Zapata told Reade she loved him now instead of the night before the wedding.

She took the duties of the best man to another level!

Edited March 24, 2018 by mxc90

[MissLucas]

Hmm, show? Don't make Roman cry, please. It does all sorts of weird stuff to me, thanks. Are they going to give him a medical crisis that throws a wrench in the works of his end-game? Are we supposed to think that Crawford's fatherly number will turn Roman? Or is Roman's crisis a ruse feeding on Crawford's wish for a son? Mitchell and Morse are great together`- you never know who's playing who.

As for Crawford's master-plan: who's supposed to command that giant peace-keeping force?

I'm afraid I'm over the whole Borden drama and hope the show is too (nothing against Ukweli Roach - he did a great job). Loved Rich and his 'Room of Requirement' and I also love cheerful new Nemesis who's definitely channeling some Dolores Umbridge (going with the theme here). Does she even have a name? Couldn't find anything on IMDB.

Zapata and Reade - yeah, that's not going anywhere good. I wish they'd drop that. Zapata could be an interesting character without all the romantic weight around her neck. Patterson was right, she's someone who can act objectively which depending on your POV makes her a great asset and/or a horrible human being. 

Edited March 24, 2018 by MissLucas

[paigow]

Zapata must die...She has nothing to live for and too much guilt...Suicide mission to take down Crawford or Roman...

Naz also knew about Borden...See if Patterson / Weller threatens to kill her...

If the CIA knows so much about a terrorist fortress on Staten Island...why is it still there???

[meira.hand]

4 hours ago, MissLucas said:

I also love cheerful new Nemesis who's definitely channeling some Dolores Umbridge (going with the theme here). Does she even have a name? Couldn't find anything on IMDB.

Lauren Stamile (I usually find a better listing of guest stars on TVmaze - http://www.tvmaze.com/episodes/1370134/blindspot-3x16-artful-dodge)

[Dowel Jones]

And why is the FBI the lead agency in attacking this fortress, with all of six people on the force?  I liked how Reade said "no weapons", even though they were silenced and a fistfight causes a lot more noise. 

3 hours ago, MissLucas said:

As for Crawford's master-plan: who's supposed to command that giant peace-keeping force?

Ummm, nominations, please?  Whoops, they're closed, sorry.  Crawford's ploy is so transparent, it's laughable, which leads me to my perennial question about mad dictators.  Why the hell would anyone want to be in charge of the entire world?

Show of hands, here.  Anyone else think the fountain pen that Crawford gave to Roman is either a bug, a tracking device, an explosive that can be detonated remotely, or some other deceitful purpose that doesn't have anything to do with the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle?

[romantic idiot]

I don't get the headache thing at all - was it Roman? Or Crawford? It was definitely not natural, so to speak.

They'd better not be neutering my Roman.

[djinn]

In the Roman-Crawford storyline, I had no idea if Roman is playing Crawford, or Crawford is playing Roman, or neither and it's all genuine. I'm waiting to see how it all unfolds. Good thing Roman sent the encrypted information about the gala before hisfainting spell.

I loved Patterson's line to Zapata about her being able to be objective without worries about friendships or emotions. In fact, I just loved how Patterson handled herself and everything that came in this episode.

[saber5055]

3 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

Show of hands, here.  Anyone else think the fountain pen that Crawford gave to Roman is either a bug, a tracking device, an explosive that can be detonated remotely, or some other deceitful purpose that doesn't have anything to do with the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle?

*raises hand*

[Loandbehold]

8 hours ago, MissLucas said:

I'm afraid I'm over the whole Borden drama and hope the show is too (nothing against Ukweli Roach - he did a great job). Loved Rich and his 'Room of Requirement' and I also love cheerful new Nemesis who's definitely channeling some Dolores Umbridge (going with the theme here). Does she even have a name? Couldn't find anything on IMDB.

 

4 hours ago, meira.hand said:

Lauren Stamile (I usually find a better listing of guest stars on TVmaze - http://www.tvmaze.com/episodes/1370134/blindspot-3x16-artful-dodge)

I remember her from guest arcs on both Community and Burn Notice. I enjoyed her performances on those shows, and liked her here as well. I hope we see her again. 

Ashley Johnson continues to be the MVP of the series. I love all of Patterson's scenes. 

[alvajon]

5 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

And why is the FBI the lead agency in attacking this fortress, with all of six people on the force?  I liked how Reade said "no weapons", even though they were silenced and a fistfight causes a lot more noise. 

Ummm, nominations, please?  Whoops, they're closed, sorry.  Crawford's ploy is so transparent, it's laughable, which leads me to my perennial question about mad dictators.  Why the hell would anyone want to be in charge of the entire world?

Show of hands, here.  Anyone else think the fountain pen that Crawford gave to Roman is either a bug, a tracking device, an explosive that can be detonated remotely, or some other deceitful purpose that doesn't have anything to do with the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle?

If the pen is bugged, or whatever, I’m hoping Roman truly has the sense this time to checkout it out--not like he failed to do when Crawford offered him the whiskey and he slurped that right down.  I, like some of us, didn’t like Roman at the beginning, but he’s edging his way into my favors. 

[saber5055]

Who gifts anyone with a fountain pen these days? in 1980, yeah, classy. But 2018? No way. We'll see that pen again me thinks.

[willco]

Maybe I am imagining it, but when Roman had just woke up in the hospital bed & was talking to Crawford, he sounded completely American. I got home late last night and turn on the tv right at that scene & I thought something had happened in his brain & he forgot to talk Austrailian ! Right at the end of the scene, I heard a hint of the accent. If Crawford is so smart, I'd think he would notice it also.

 

Sometimes things happen so fast on this show & they like to use dark scenes, so it's hard to tell what has actually happened. Why did that thing at the end not blow up ? To me, it looked like Reade stepped on a burning det cord, is that what really happened ? If so, is that realistic ? Maybe the terrorist couldn't get the right parts and cobbled something together, but it just seems so easy to foil. I saw him click a timer ( I guess) but I'm not sure I saw what I think I saw ! I guess it's a moot point now.

[Dowel Jones]

The terrorist had a deadman's switch, requiring constant pressure to keep it from activating.  By the time he activated it, Reade and Jane had pulled all the detonators off of the boxes (conveniently labeled "high explosive" in case the USAF didn't already know), and the det cord went off relatively insignificantly.  What I didn't understand was why he wanted to blow up that little island.  I didn't hear of any plan to transport the individual missiles to various sites (beyond the map), and it looked like that was Plan B.

[jaigurudeva]

18 hours ago, djinn said:

In the Roman-Crawford storyline, I had no idea if Roman is playing Crawford, or Crawford is playing Roman, or neither and it's all genuine.

What exactly is Roman's end-game here? In the beginning of this arc, Roman told Jane that the whole deal with her new florescent tattoos were all about "punishing" her for betraying him. The tattoos have pretty much all been (practically clairvoyant) clues into terrorist activity (because New York in eminent threat of annihilation every other week) and hints into Crawford's fiendish plot, including outing the corrupt former FBI director.  His getting closer to Crawford has thus far been show like Roman is playing him, since he's been feeding incriminating Crawford intel to the FBI, and he all but stares deadpan into the camera whenever Crawford's back is turned. Basically, Roman has been helping them save the day this whole time? I just don't understand his motivations.

I'm pretty sure Roman was drugged somehow by Crawford, so that Crawford himself could run his own battery of tests and see if "Tom" checks out. The pen is very obviously a bug, which Roman will probably use to his advantage. I also got the impression that Roman might use the pen to kill Crawford, because the camera seemed to dramatically zoom in on the sharp point of the pen. But the camera loves to dramatically zoom in on everything, so maybe it wasn't that significant.

Edited March 25, 2018 by jaigurudeva

[MissLucas]

1 hour ago, jaigurudeva said:

What exactly is Roman's end-game here? In the beginning of this arc, Roman told Jane that the whole deal with her new florescent tattoos were all about "punishing" her for betraying him. The tattoos have pretty much all been (practically clairvoyant) clues into terrorist activity (because New York in eminent threat of annihilation every other week) and hints into Crawford's fiendish plot, including outing the corrupt former FBI director. 

Roman's end-game makes as much sense as Sheperd's did.  Not to mention how he got all that intel and the resources necessary to pull off the whole operation (before he took over Tom's assets)? As for NY being under constant threat of annihilation - that's nothing compared to Hawaii if you watch Hawaii-Five-0.

[djinn]

12 hours ago, jaigurudeva said:

What exactly is Roman's end-game here? In the beginning of this arc, Roman told Jane that the whole deal with her new florescent tattoos were all about "punishing" her for betraying him. The tattoos have pretty much all been (practically clairvoyant) clues into terrorist activity (because New York in eminent threat of annihilation every other week) and hints into Crawford's fiendish plot, including outing the corrupt former FBI director. 

 

Not sure yet. Perhaps it is Roman's attempt at atonement, by bringing someone like Crawford down. Crawford and Mommy Shepherd both have/had plans of a mega level of "world restructuring", and this could be Roman's way of making up for a lifetime being loyal to such a personality. Perhaps the reason Crawford came into Roman's radar is because he reminded Roman about Shepherd. Roman was also all about "punishing" Jane in the beginning because he felt betrayed, but of late, his interactions with the team have seemed quite benign.

Edited March 26, 2018 by djinn

[mandigirl]

On 3/23/2018 at 10:47 PM, twoods said:

I’m still mad that they had to turn Borden instead of let Patterson have her happy ending. I can see him escape and go after the CIA for double crossing him. 

ITA. I was more annoyed than surprised when they had Borden be the traitor. He was an interesting character and I liked him and Patterson together.  I'm glad he's back, because I suspect he's going to escape at some point too. He has too much unfinished business with Patterson which will have to be explored in another episode.

10 hours ago, jaigurudeva said:

What exactly is Roman's end-game here? In the beginning of this arc, Roman told Jane that the whole deal with her new florescent tattoos were all about "punishing" her for betraying him. The tattoos have pretty much all been (practically clairvoyant) clues into terrorist activity (because New York in eminent threat of annihilation every other week) and hints into Crawford's fiendish plot, including outing the corrupt former FBI director. 

Roman is running the mission Shepherd always SAID she was running, while she was really just planning a mass murder. The reason Roman and Remi joined Shepherd to begin with was to take down bad people and corrupt politicians. Roman is still loyal to that mission.  IMO, screwing with Jane and the taskforce is just a distraction and a bonus.

Is Roman working with someone?? He was talking on the phone at the beginning. He said "There has to be another way." He lied to Crawford saying it was his doctor and something about headaches. Minutes later, Roman conveniently passes out. We know he wasn't talking to his doctor, so who was he talking to? Was he just setting up the con, or is he planning the mission(s) with someone? 

[LisaM]

Was Roman's collapse real or did he fake it in order to get even closer to Crawford?

[Shades of Scarlet]

22 hours ago, mandigirl said:

ITA. I was more annoyed than surprised when they had Borden be the traitor. He was an interesting character and I liked him and Patterson together.  I'm glad he's back, because I suspect he's going to escape at some point too. He has too much unfinished business with Patterson which will have to be explored in another episode.

Roman is running the mission Shepherd always SAID she was running, while she was really just planning a mass murder. The reason Roman and Remi joined Shepherd to begin with was to take down bad people and corrupt politicians. Roman is still loyal to that mission.  IMO, screwing with Jane and the taskforce is just a distraction and a bonus.

Is Roman working with someone?? He was talking on the phone at the beginning. He said "There has to be another way." He lied to Crawford saying it was his doctor and something about headaches. Minutes later, Roman conveniently passes out. We know he wasn't talking to his doctor, so who was he talking to? Was he just setting up the con, or is he planning the mission(s) with someone? 

Hm, not so sure as he said "Nothing is irreversible."  He could have been talking to a doctor.  

[Writing Wrongs]

On 3/25/2018 at 1:12 PM, MissLucas said:

As for NY being under constant threat of annihilation - that's nothing compared to Hawaii if you watch Hawaii-Five-0.

This drives me nuts. It's the same every week. Terrorist threat. NY. Got it. Maybe the bad guys would succeed if they spread out over the whole country.

 

On 3/25/2018 at 11:20 AM, jaigurudeva said:

What exactly is Roman's end-game here? In the beginning of this arc, Roman told Jane that the whole deal with her new florescent tattoos were all about "punishing" her for betraying him. The tattoos have pretty much all been (practically clairvoyant) clues into terrorist activity (because New York in eminent threat of annihilation every other week) and hints into Crawford's fiendish plot, including outing the corrupt former FBI director.  His getting closer to Crawford has thus far been show like Roman is playing him, since he's been feeding incriminating Crawford intel to the FBI, and he all but stares deadpan into the camera whenever Crawford's back is turned. Basically, Roman has been helping them save the day this whole time? I just don't understand his motivations.

Yeah, I've lost the plot too. 

[twoods]

I don’t think Roman faked that collapse. He looked freaked out when he realized he was at the hospital, and then was looking for his encrypted phone. Crawford probably decrypted that phone and knows that Roman is double crossing him, hence the likely bugged phone. They are both fascinating together.

[paigow]

Since Roman has been steps ahead of Crawford - e.g. Secret Treasury Bunker - it seems that the endgame is to remove former Sandstorm allies...and take over the criminal 1%...while breaking up the "Fed Family"...

[romantic idiot]

Except Crawford has now gotten one over him thrice and with the hospitalisation and pen, a possible 5 times.

[thuganomics85]

So, Zapata's big secret was that she not only knew Borden was alive this entire time, but helped Keaton recruit him to CIA to go inside a terrorist cell.  Well, I guess that is one way to lose friends!  Well, actually, Jane and Weller already seem over it, but Patterson clearly won't be talking to her again for a while.  And then Zapata finally tells Reade she loves him, so he's now pissed at her as well.  Not a great episode for Zapata, to say the least!

Glad everyone stood up for Rich and he won't be going anywhere.  But now mean lady is gunning for Reade?

Wait, so Crawford's grand plan is to buy up all the land in order to create his own military force that will dwarf the armies of every other nation?  How is he going to get enough volunteers for that?  And I still don't know what to make of him and Roman.  Are they both playing one another or are they actually sincere, now?

[Beatriceblake]

On 25/03/2018 at 7:12 PM, MissLucas said:

Roman's end-game makes as much sense as Sheperd's did.  Not to mention how he got all that intel and the resources necessary to pull off the whole operation (before he took over Tom's assets)? As for NY being under constant threat of annihilation - that's nothing compared to Hawaii if you watch Hawaii-Five-0.

No, it all makes perfect sense. Roman escaped Jane and the FBI, became omniscient and his omniscience meant he jumped up a hundred IQ points so coming up with all the new tattoo clues and codes was super simple for him ;-)

I didn't really enjoy this episode. It felt quite by the numbers. Normally when a show brings a character like Borden back, he'd get in everyone's heads and start manipulating things to his own advantage but here he was just a source of whiny exposition. I'm glad Patterson didn't speak to him but for once I'd like to see one of these action adventure shows bench somebody when it looks like they might be confronted with someone who had attempted to kill them in the past.

I'm glad they just had Tasha tell Reade she's in love with him rather than having her do it at the wedding or try and get Meg deported or something.