Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Blindspot: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Tattoo You

Reviewed by Michael Reuben August 4, 2016

NBC's Blindspot is a tribute to creative thievery. Cheerfully stealing elements from such diverse sources as The Blacklist, Prison Break, Total Recall, The X-Files, 24 and Alias, the show's writer/producers retool and synthesize what they borrow with such inventive flair that the result is both new and compulsively watchable. Like the tattoos covering its heroine, Blindspot is laced with puzzles, hints, clues and misdirection, and because it's played at breakneck speed by a skilled cast, you quickly cease to care that credibility has been checked at the door. One can almost hear series creator Martin Gero and his writers cackling as they see just how far they can push an audience's suspension of disbelief without breaking it, dealing out one improbable development after another but keeping you glued to your set because (damn it!) you have to know what happens next.

Blindspot's mysteries begin with an unidentified woman found naked in a duffle bug in the middle of Times Square, who is promptly christened "Jane Doe" (Jaimie Alexander). Although her identity and memory have been erased with experimental drugs, Jane has retained an impressive array of fighting skills, consistent with Navy SEAL training. She also speaks multiple languages, including Russian and Chinese. Her most distinctive feature, however, is the tapestry of fresh tattoos covering her body from head to toe, a multi-layered puzzle of apparently random shapes, symbols, numbers and text that, when studied and decoded, yields clues pointing to nefarious activities of which law enforcement is unaware (or has chosen to ignore). Whoever gave Jane her tattoos has provided a coded catalog of terrorist plots, massive crimes and government corruption—a blacklist written in body ink.

One tattoo needs no decoding. Prominently displayed on Jane's back is the name of FBI Agent Kurt Weller (Sullivan Stapleton), who heads an elite crisis team under Bethany Mayfair (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), assistant director of the Bureau's New York office. Why Jane has been "addressed" to Weller is one of Blindspot's many mysteries, along with who sent her, how they get their information, and why they are feeding it to the FBI in such a flamboyantly roundabout manner.

Clues teased from Jane's tattoos supply the lead storyline for each episode, as Weller and his team investigate and eliminate an impressive array of villains. Blindspot's writers enthusiastically plunder current events and pop culture for their plots. Cyber-terrorism, chemical weapons, human trafficking, rogue militia, drone warfare, police corruption, Russian sleeper agents and school shootings are just some of the threats identified and defused. One investigation (episode 9) requires Weller and Jane to go undercover in a glamorous lair straight out of a Bond movie; another (episode 18) involves an intricate heist that plays like an episode of Mission: Impossible. The action proceeds at a breathless pace, irresistibly pulling the viewer along for the ride.

Underlying the individual plots—and intersecting them at often unexpected points—is the series' larger mythology, in which Jane's identity is not the only question mark. Nearly every main character has trouble in their past or secrets in their present (or both), and all of it ends up somehow feeding into the mystery of Jane Doe. Weller struggles with family relations, as his sister (Jordana Spiro) urges him to reconcile with his estranged father (Jay O. Sanders), whom Weller cannot forgive for a childhood trauma. Asst. Dir. Mayfair was once involved in a covert operation code-named Daylight, which she and CIA officer Thomas Carter (Michael Gaston) have done their best to bury, only to find themselves threatened with exposure by Jane's tattoos. Team members Edgar Reade (Rob Brown) and Tasha Zapata (Audrey Esparza) are both concealing aspects of their personal lives, which will eventually erupt into their work. Science wizard and tech guru, Patterson (Ashley Johnson), is in the throes of new love with boyfriend David (Joe Dinicol), who shares her passion for cyphers and crossword puzzles; she lets him work with her on decoding Jane's tattoos, even though sharing classified material with an outsider threatens her career (and yes, there are consequences). Even Jane Doe, whose daily existence is already a riddle, finds herself leading a double life after she is approached by a mysterious "handler" named Oscar (François Arnaud), who claims to know her identity but refuses to divulge it, insisting that keeping her in the dark is part of a master plan.

Only the resident FBI psychiatrist, Dr. Borden (Ukweli Roach), who is trying to help Jane recover her memories, appears to lack a hidden dimension, but in the world of Blindspot, that may mean he's hiding one of the biggest secrets of all.

Blindspot wouldn't work without its uniformly excellent cast, all of whom manage to deliver tongue-twisting mouthfuls of dense exposition while remaining relatable and emotionally credible even in the most outlandish of circumstances. Alexander's Jane Doe displays a unique combination of strength and vulnerability, with haunted eyes that belie the lethal weapon accompanying them. Stapleton's Weller is a commanding figure, whose devotion to his team inspires loyalty (though not without occasional questions). Among the supporting players, Ashley Johnson's Patterson stands out for her sunny disposition and lack of field experience, which inspires protective instincts in the rest of the team. Her anniversary dinner with boyfriend David (episode 16) will break your heart.

Blindspot: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Cinematographer Martin Ahlgren (House of Cards) established Blindspot's visual style in the pilot, with subsequent episodes photographed by a revolving team of cameramen. Captured on Alexa, the digital imagery is ideally suited to the series' high-tech milieu, with scenes in government offices dominated by cool blues and sterile whites. The agents' homes and private lives favor warm tones of brown and red, and the far-flung locales to which Jane's tattoos lead them reflect a kaleidoscopic palette covering everything from deep blue uniforms in a police station to leafy greens in a remote country town. The frequent night scenes feature deep and shadowy blacks, often accentuated by the city's bright lights. Jane's fragments of recovered memory appear in crisp black-and-white, while others characters' flashbacks are sepia-toned.

Contrary to early reports that the set would be limited to three discs, Warner has spread the twenty-three episodes of Season One over four 1080p, AVC-encoded BD-50s. The image is consistently sharp and detailed, allowing the viewer both to follow the fast-paced action and to study the mysterious imagery in Jane's tattoos and on Patterson's array of display screens. Colors are bright without oversaturation; contrast and black levels are excellent; and shadow detail is plentiful. Motivations and allegiances may remain murky throughout Blindspot, but the image is always clear, even more so on Blu-ray than in the broadcast versions I watched.

Warner's TV division continues to employ low bitrates, with the average on Blindspot hovering around 16 Mbps, although the rate routinely spikes upward as the action accelerates. The encoding appears to be capable, and the image is free of visible artifacts, but Warner should follow Sony's example and expand its full TV seasons to five discs.

Blindspot: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Blindspot arrives with an aggressive DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack that reflects the ambition of the show's creators to compete with traditional action films. Gunfire, explosions, blazing structures, vehicular mayhem and physical combat register with broad dynamic range and movie-level intensity. A hum of underlying activity accompanies scenes in the FBI offices, and subtle environmental cues enhance the menace of an array of threatening environments. The rapid-fire dialogue remains clear and properly localized, even during the most frenetic scenes. Blake Neely's (Arrow) pulsing score underscores the overriding sense of urgency. Blindspot has one of the best audio tracks on TV, and the Blu-ray set delivers its flawlessly.

Blindspot: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Pilot Episode Commentary with Series Creator Martin Gero and Director Mark Pellingham: Gero and Pellingham speak in depth about the show's initial conception, the pilot's development and the style of the series.



• Deleted Scenes (1080p; 1.78:1): Gero introduces each scene with an explanation of why it was removed.
• Disc 1
• 1. Pilot (0:52)
• 2. A Stray Howl (5:36)
• 6. Cede Your Soul (5:38)
• Disc 2
• 7. Sent on Tour (1:27)
• 8. Persecute Envoys (2:19)
• 9. Authentic Flirt (3:35)
• 10. Evil Handmade Instrument (1:36)
• 12. Scientists Hollow Fortune (1:45)
• Disc 3
• 14. Rules in Defiance (2:43)
• 17. Mans Telepathic Loyal Lookouts (1:32)
• Disc 4
• 21. Of Whose Uneasy Route (1:24)



• Casting the Team (disc 4) (1080p; 1.78:1; 9:54): Creator Gero and producers Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schecter discuss the casting process. Also interviewed are Alexander ("Jane Doe"), Stapleton ("Weller"), Jean-Baptiste ("Mayfair"), Rob Brown ("Reade"), Audrey Esparza ("Zapata") and Ashley Johnson ("Patterson").



• Oscar: The Handler (disc 4) (1080p; 1.78:1; 5:15): François Arnaud describes his evasive character, with contributions from Alexander, Gero and writer/producers Christina M. Kim, Brendan Gall and Alex Berger.



• Weller Takes Action (disc 4) (1080p; 1.78:1; 3:23): Stapleton and stunt coordinator Stephen Pope discuss the actor's enthusiasm for Weller's many action scenes, with input from Gero, Esparza and Alexander.



• Double Vision (disc 4) (1080p; 1.78:1; 3:39): A look at the symbiosis between Alexander and her stunt double, Ky Fourneaux, who have worked together for ten years.



• Rich Dotcom (disc 4) (1080p; 1.78:1; 4:43): Interviews with actor Ennis Esmer and others probe the eccentric tech billionaire who first appears in episode 9 and proves to be one of the team's most unpredictable adversaries.



• Make it GO Boom! (disc 4) (1080p; 1.78:1; 4:55): Special effects coordinator Drew Jiritano provides an overview of the series' copious pyrotechnics.



• Tattooed Clues (disc 4) (1080p; 1.78:1; 7:08): Jane's tattoos were inspired by Gero's love of puzzles and had to be designed before the show was written. Gero and others describe the process.



• Blindspot! 2015 ComicCon Panel (1080i; 1.78:1; 15:27): The participants are Jaimie Alexander and producers Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schecter and Martin Gero. Topics include shooting the Times Square opening, the logistics of Jane Doe's tattoos and Jane's secret back story.



• Bound and Gag Reel (disc 4) (1080p; 1.78:1; 4:26): SWAT cops who fall down, getaway cars that are locked, parking brakes that slip and dialogue that doesn't flow.

Blindspot: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Blindspot may be made for TV, but it's as engaging a popcorn entertainment as anything in the multiplex. One reason for the show's success is that Gero and his writers accent nearly every episode with some new "reveal" that both advances the plot and discloses another fragment of the underlying mystery. In the final episodes, revelations come fast and furious, but they are accompanied by hints that Gero has much more up his sleeve. Indeed, he suggests in the Blu-ray extras that he has already mapped out the show's trajectory for at least two more years. Here's hoping that he and his writers' room keep their edge. Meanwhile, the Blu-ray set of Blindspot's inaugural season is excellent and the episodes are so densely layered that they're worth multiple viewings. Highly recommended.