It’s part of NBC’s big new summer line-up (and one of the first shows to get called for a full 22 episode season) and will be the third show in four weeks to fill the 8:30pm Wednesday timeslot for Seven.
Is BLINDSPOT all that?
The promo/opening 5 minutes of the series is pretty compelling. A bag is found in Times Square by a Police Officer & that turns one of New York’s busiest precincts into a ghost town. Cue Bomb Squad.
As the kevlar-clad defusal agent reaches for the bag it moves – then starts to open by itself. An arm comes out and opens the bag the rest of the way to reveal a heavily tattooed naked woman who has zero memory of who she is or how she got there.
After that… it’s pretty predictable.
Our Jane Doe (Jaimie Alexander) is functional with all motor memory but zero recall memory – she can walk, talk & dress herself but can’t remember beyond Times Square. That is until something prompts her to respond or act and then, as if due to muscle memory, she beats someone to a pulp or shoots someone with pinpoint accuracy.
The tattoos on her body are all clues to cases that need solving, and the first one is finding Agent Kurt Weller (Sullivan Stapleton) to understand why his name is inked across the centre of her back.
The rest is filled out with intrigue you’ve seen before (redacted Government files, flashbacks to Jane’s training) and plot twists you’ve seen before (EVERYTHING IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS AGAIN OF COURSE SIGH).
For Seven to initially promote it as fast-tracked and then sit on it for over a month has to suggest it’s not great. And it’s Not. Great. If you’ve seen Guy Pearce in Memento you pretty much know what to expect as far as remembering things and doing things and being trained for things.
It’s worth checking out if you’re interested in an hour of TV you don’t have to think a lot through, which may suck you in. It’s also unlikely to hold fast in its launch timeslot so be prepared to go hunting for it if you do decide add it to your viewing schedule. Expect an “all-new” time within a couple of weeks.
The series isn’t bad – It’s just more Blandspot than Blindspot.
Co-Creator and Viewer’s Advocate for TVBlackbox.com.au, Steve Molk is sharply focused on the business of TV in Australia across all its formats – FTA broadcast, commercial, subscription, BVOD, catch up & SVOD.
Based in Brisbane he’s a passionate advocate for Australian-made programming, particularly drama and comedy. He loves podcasting, gaming & watching too much TV.
Twitter – @SteveMolk
Media Enquiries – +61 401 709 405