BLINDSPOT “In Words, Drown I” Recap

By Pauline Perenack

Jane vs. Devon

Last week on Blindspot, Jeller fans were treated to an episode that brought Weller and Jane closer together. Meanwhile, the Coach Jones storyline altered the lives of two team members. While Reade finally accepted his past, and began to think about what that meant for his future, Zapata found her future becoming just as murky as she was placed under arrest.

Not much more was learned about Sandstorm, leaving fans wondering if was this was going to be the week Shepherd began Phase Two and if the team be able to help Zapata.

Let’s recap this week’s episode to find out.

Going Undercover

Satisfactorily, tonight’s episode, “In Words, Drown I” was one of the best episodes of the season, and finally got back to the close combat fighting that was so successful in season one. The beginning of the episode continues the final developments of last week, with Zapata being booked in prison, and then lining up for basic amenities. Guest star Rhonda Rousey’s character of Devon is quickly introduced as she hands over her items to an intimidating inmate. Trying to make nice, Zapata gives Devon her own toothbrush, but is shut down. Soon after, in defense of Devon, and to try to gain her trust, Zapata takes on the intimidating inmate, who can fight shockingly well.

Weller visits Zapata and seeing her battered face, asks what happened, and tells her the mission isn’t worth her life. Turns out, the cliffhanger from last week had nothing to do with the Coach Jones mess, but rather, Zapata is in prison undercover after the team determined that Devon is a possible link to Sandstorm. Knowing that Devon would never talk if brought in to headquarters, Jane offered to go undercover. However, she’s too recognizable, so Zapata stepped up to the plate.

As Zapata navigates her way through prison, the other members of the team are having their own difficulties. Weller confronts Patterson upon the discovery she’s been spending nights at the office, and books her an appointment with Dr. Sun. Turns out, the appointment is just what Patterson needs, as she begins falsely accusing her own team members of sabotage. At the same time, Roman and Jane continue to debate the pros and cons of telling Weller about Roman’s memory of killing Emma Shaw.

After much thought, Jane finally relents and tells Weller about the memory, and as expected, he’s not happy about being kept in the dark. He tells her that keeping the information from him was a breach of their trust, and compromised the mission against Shepherd.

Patterson meanwhile, has been digging further into Devon, and discovers she used to work at a gun-range owned by an ex-con, Hartley. When brought in for questioning, Hartley admitted he didn’t know much about Devon because he hadn’t seen her in years, but did identify her boyfriend, who just so happens to be Parker, Shepherd’s right-hand man. It’s determined that the only way to get to Parker is through Devon, so the team plans a jail break.

Weller goes into the prison undercover to cut the power, giving Zapata and Devon time to get out and climb over the electrified fence. Jane provides them an assist by taking out the backup generator, and the two make it over the fence and into the getaway car. Devon calls Parker for help, but assumed the phone could be tapped, so tells Parker to meet her at a warehouse in the Bronx by using the code of meeting at the deli. Listening in and not knowing the code, Weller erroneously sends the backup teams to the deli to intercept.

Forced to face Parker on her own, Zapata tries to play it cool, but Parker immediately recognizes her, and knocks her unconscious before throwing her in the trunk of his car. He knows she could be used as a bargaining chip to get to Weller, and as such, keeps her alive. Zapata however, is able to send out an alert as to where she is, and Weller and Jane take chase.

They find Zapata tied to a chair on a pressure-based bomb, and using a trick from Indiana Jones, Weller pulls Zapata off, and replaces her weight with an old refrigerator. Jane meanwhile, is in a fight with Devon, and manages to get the upper hand when she pulls Devon in front of her as Parker shoots in their direction. With Parker distracted, Weller knocks him out, and the team finally has a Sandstorm operative in their custody.

Not to be outdone by last week’s cliffhanger, this week finished in a similar heart stopping manner. Frustrated with the slow momentum of their Sandstorm case, Zapata is prepared to work outside the rules, and starts plotting with Reade. Across town, Jane and Roman are making dinner when Roman cuts himself, and as Jane tends to his wound, he remembers her being the one who drugged him, and lunges at her with a kitchen knife.

Threatening Memories

Ok, ok, so I fell for the red herring at the end of last week’s episode, and completely thought Zapata was being arrested for her connection to the Coach Jones case. Kudos to the Blindspot writers for making that ruse so believable, but I feel like Zapata isn’t off the hook for that quite yet.

Tonight’s episode was one of the best of the season, and had a quick pace that kept the tension levels high. Usually I’m wary of stunt casting, especially during Sweeps, but I have to admit, Rhonda Rousey did really well with her role. It was a character that moved the storyline along, and wasn’t super out of place, so was interesting to watch.

The team itself seems to be falling apart from the pressure of the Sandstorm mission. Weller has lost all trust in Roman, who is not too happy about remembering that Jane was the one who drugged him. While Jane is presumably fighting for her life, Zapata is plotting with Reade about the best way to go around the system to take down Sandstorm, and Patterson is realizing how deeply Borden’s betrayal has affected her.

And finally, there’s Sandstorm itself. Again, not much was revealed about what they have planned. The team managed to get a tiny bit closer with the capture of Parker, but until he talks, they’re no further ahead than they were before. At this point, Zapata has the right idea – the only way they’re going to get ahead of Sandstorm is to start bending the rules. Until next week!