There cannot be many who would not appreciate finding a nude, tattooed, Jaimie Kennedy in a giant equipment bag in Times Square. Blindspot, about an illustrated woman found nude and disoriented with no idea who she is, comes from Stargate Atlantis producer Martin Gero. This Bourne-like thriller with Aussie actor Sullivan Stapleton (another import from down-under a la Longmire star Robert Taylor) as the other half of this mystery double act, starts off brilliantly.
Directed by Mark Pellington, the pilot episode comes out of the gate at a swift trot. Giving us Kennedy as victim; memory wiped clean, except for procedural memories. The example given that “Jane Doe” understands music but has no idea who The Beatles are. As the episode moves into gear, it turns out that “Jane” also has some pretty spectacular muscle memory as well.
Before the more “Jason (Jennifer?) Bourne” elements come about we meet FBI Special Agent Kurt Weller (Stapleton) who qualifies as an agent somewhat smarter than the average perp. A hostage situation is controlled when Weller proves he can think outside the box. After using door charges to capture the bad guy, by blowing the floor right out from under him, Weller is called to the office.
The Jane Doe found naked in Times Square has Weller’s name tatted on her back.
Kennedy’s character is scanned, printed and has DNA samples take and in every database on record, she does not exist. As Jane gets more involved with trying to learn who she is, skills begin appearing. In a scene with Agent Patterson (Ashley Johnson) Jane sees Chinese lettering on a tattoo she has not noticed before.
Patterson tells her it is behind her ear and Jane Doe reads the tattoo revealing that she can read and speak Chinese. The characters are a date and an address. The illustrated woman begins to actively help the FBI and as the episode progresses, her first memory is triggered.
The concept of the show is that Kennedy is a female SEAL; she has a SEAL tattoo deliberately covered up by another tattoo. This seems to indicate that she was/is special ops which could well explain her absence on any databases.
Writing on this pilot episode is tight and comprehensive. There are a number of scenes which stand out. For instance the “coffee/tea” scene. Dr. Borden brings in a cup of coffee and of tea. Jane Doe tries each.
Taking a sip of first one cup and then the other, she holds up one and says, “I like this one.” Putting the other cup down she says, “This one tastes like grass trimmings.” Borden responds that woman now has learned two things. One, that she knows what grass trimmings taste like and two, she has figured out that she is is a coffee person.
The doctor gives Jane Doe a little pep talk and finishes by telling her “You can still find yourself.” This scene does many things, but overall what is does is show the care the writers took to set up the scenario of enforced memory loss and its aftereffects and the skill, not just of Kennedy, but of Ukweli Roach as performers. This piece feels real and convincing.
As exhibited by the hostage scene, Weller is a “think outside the box” type of guy who figures out that all the ink on Jane Doe is a series of messages. After the date and address reveal a bomb plot, which is done very nicely in the episode, the viewer now knows that this will be a “mystery of the week” scenario with Jane learning more about her abilities as the series progresses.
The pilot has plenty of action, a bomb on the subway and a plot to blow up the Statue of Liberty. It is all very exciting and quickly paced. The bit where Weller pulls off some of the plastic explosive is a bit farfetched but this is fiction after all.
NBC have got a winner on their hands and one that does not require a cannibal serial killer. This may mean that Blindspot can continue until Jane Doe (who does have an identity we learn in the pilot) runs out of tattoos.
Blindspot airs Mondays on NBC. This is cracking television. Action, mystery, thrills and another Australian who can flawlessly speak American along with “Lady Sif.” What more could you want?
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