BLINDSPOT Review: Trust is the Key in “Sent On tour”

Trust Me, I know My Tattoos

We’ve been teased all week by Executive Producer Martin Gero that this installment was going to be huge, and it really delivered. We started out the episode six months in the past, with the man with a tree tattoo digging a hole, and dropping a box into it. When questioned by a man helping him if it’ll be found, Tree-man assures him the right people will find it.

Back in present day, we see Patterson and her boyfriend, David, discussing the possibility of him moving in. She’s very reluctant, but David keeps pushing. Ashley Johnson is brilliant in this scene, and really brings levity to it, as we can all sense there’s something behind David’s pushing. (Discussions on Twitter started immediately about the pushiness of David, questioning what he was really up to.)

Back at headquarters, Weller confronts Mayfair about the case Patterson found within Jane’s tattoos, and Mayfair finally gives some information. The case involves Saul Guerrero, who was an FBI informant for over a decade, and she was his handler. However, upon learning about a possible indictment, he went dark, and no one had heard from him in over 2 years. The file had been heavily redacted because Guerrero was an embarrassment to the FBI, and Mayfair didn’t want to risk bringing it up again. Weller wants to know more, but is interrupted by Patterson, who has solved the tattoo from last week’s episode. The tattoo is a Petoskey stone, which is the official stone of Michigan, and part of the design just so happens to lead to a specific county. The area is notoriously dangerous and very non-welcoming to government agencies however, so Weller decides the best way in, is to go in under the guise of looking into a cold case.

On the flight to Michigan, Jane shows us her first real fear – that of flying, and has almost a full blown panic attack. This might be something to file away as an interesting note about Jane’s backstory that could come into play later on in the season. Upon arriving in town, the team meets the county sheriff, who immediately seems suspect. He questions why the team would be looking into a cold case, but allows them to investigate. He does warn them however, the people in the area won’t recognize their authority, and they should be careful, because the cell phone companies don’t even bother with service in the area anymore. Even he avoids going out there whenever possible. Our team ignores him, and head out to the address Patterson found in the tattoo. Upon arrival, they find a man working on his garden. When he turns around, the team is surprised it is Guerrero – the second most wanted man on the FBI’s list, leaving the team, and us, wondering if whoever tattooed Jane is trying to help the FBI. While the team talks to Guerrero in his house, their truck has its tires slashed, and all equipment within stolen. Recognizing the risk of danger, and needing to keep moving, the team heads out with Guerrero, but is quickly shot at, so they race to a clearing to try to decide where to go. Jane sees three oil derricks over the tree line, and since they’re the same as the ones on her neck, she knows that’s where the team must go.

Patterson meanwhile, calls David to apologize for her actions earlier in the morning, and discovers he has hunted down the location of the landmark found in one of Jane’s tattoos he had been studying all morning. Turns out, it’s the Brooklyn Historical Society, and Patterson races to meet him, completely disregarding any kind of protocol. Upon meeting David, the two figure out the numbers within the tattoo is an ISBN number, and at the library, find a book called Faculty Decisions in which a page is marked with various letters circled in pencil. David is really excited about their find, which only caused fans to become even more suspicious as to his intentions. As the two work to solve the code, Patterson suggests it’ll be easier to use her computer, and remotely logs in to run the code. However, her computer screen back at headquarters shows her being logged in, and when Mayfair comes looking for her, she spots the remote log in, eventually tracking Patterson down, and catching her with David.

Back in Michigan, the team finds their way inside one of the derricks and hunts for the next clue. Unable to find anything , Jane notices that some of the floorboards look newer than the others, and Weller pries them up, finding the box we saw being buried by Tree-man. The lock on the box is a four letter alphabet lock, and after trying the names associated with Jane (Jane, and Shaw), Zapata suggests they try Kurt. The lock opens, and inside the box, the team finds guns, ammo, bullet-proof vests, and a map. They’ve found their way out. The team finds a tracking device on Guerrero however, and Weller decides to split up the team to throw off Guerrero’s men. He and Zapata head out to drop the tracker, while Jane and Reade head out towards an old ranger station. Within the ranger station, Jane sees a map she recognizes as one of her tattoos, and when Reade places it over her leg, he notices there’s a red X on her leg which isn’t on the map. Jane figures that’s where they need to go, and at the location, they find a helicopter. We all know it needs to be Jane who flies the helicopter, but with her fear of flying, even she’s wary of the task, but Reade, for the first time this season, breaks down his guard around Jane, and convinces her she can do it.

Jane however, doesn’t want to leave the other two behind, so she, Reade, and Guerrero head back to the ranger station, only to find themselves under fire. We finally see the trust Reade has in Jane when he covers her as she risks her life to go outside to try to clear some of the shooters. Weller and Zapata make their way back, and Weller and Jane manage to finish off the shooters. However, Zapata is taken by one they missed, who demands the team to let Guerrero go. All looks lost until the shooter is shot by a very unexpected appearance of the county sheriff. The sheriff holds off Guerrero’s men, allowing our team to escape to the helicopter, which Jane finds she can in fact, fly.

Back at headquarters, Patterson is reprimanded by Mayfair about her actions with David, who is currently in holding, pending an assessment of his threat level. Patterson is (thankfully) not fired, but told she has used up her one mistake. Thankful for her job, Patterson goes to retrieve David, who wants to celebrate. Patterson however, tells him she doesn’t think she can make it work with him because she loves her job too much, and can’t be distracted. He leaves, and we’re all wondering if it’s for the best.

Our team arrives back to headquarters with Guerrero in tow, to a standing ovation. Once Guerrero is in holding, Weller tells Mayfair to go in to talk to him since she was his handler. She hesitates, but finally goes in. The talk doesn’t go well, and she leaves almost immediately. Weller confronts her because he senses something is off, and calls her out that she’s never even met Guerrero before. He wants her to stop lying, and finally tell the truth. Desperate to salvage Weller’s trust in her, Mayfair finally tells him about Operation Daylight.

NEXT: The Truth … It’s Called Daylight