Not a lot of freshman shows piqued my interest last fall but NBC’s Blindspot and ABC’s Quantico seemed interesting enough. However, I’ve been trying to be more selective when it comes to adding more TV shows to my watch list, so I opted for Blindspot since I recognized Jaimie Alexander from the MCU and she’s a total badass.
Fast forward to mid-season, and several of my friends were completely hooked on Quantico while I remained on the fence about Blindspot. I didn’t dislike it enough to jump ship, but I decided that if the back half of the season wasn’t any more satisfying I’d quit watching and possibly marathon Quantico over the summer.
By the time May Sweeps rolled around I liked the show, but I wasn’t in love with the show. I dug the characters, and for me that’s crucial, but Blindspot’s plot seemed to perpetually run on coincidence. Every time they figured out one of Jane’s tattoos it was just in time to catch the bad guy of the week. To be honest, my favorite episodes were the ones that had nothing to do with the tattoos or Jane’s mysterious background and that seemed like a red flag. Why should I keep watching something if the execution of the central premise is the part I have a problem with?
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t find the tattoo riddles or Jane’s backstory interesting, it’s just that I wanted more. By the time the season finale concluded we still hadn’t learned Jane’s real name or why exactly she willingly got inked and wiped her memory in the first place. Like what is her ‘real’ mission? What is the shady organization trying to achieve?
Needless to say I was annoyed at the end of the first season. I’d watched 23 episodes and still didn’t have the answers I wanted. But then it hit me, Blindspot still has more stories to tell. Unlike a lot of rookie shows, the series didn’t blow up its central premise or burn through every conceivable storyline (see: The Family). And there’s something to be said for that.
In the age of binge watching and season orders of all shapes and sizes, it’s hard not to be an impatient viewer. But that’s where I went wrong. I should have re-calibrated my expectations for Blindspot given that it’s a broadcast show with a long episode order. The fact that they paced things out as well as they did is pretty damn impressive. Where there’s normally pressure for shows to have those water-cooler moments or shocking twists on a weekly basis, Blindspot just chugged along content on telling its story at its own pace and I’ve come to respect that.
When I tune in for the second season premiere on Wednesday September 14th I’ll be watching with a new found perspective and a renewed hope for some more answers. And as I begin to sample the new crop of fall TV shows I’ll remember to be more patient with how their stories unfold, and I hope you will be too.
