BLINDSPOT: WOE HAS JOINED {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The first in this dramatic suspense series about the FBI's investigation into an amnesiac woman covered in strange and meaningful tattoos. In this episode, a large bag is found abandoned in Times Square with a tag reading "call the FBI." When a bomb squad is called in, the bag is found to contain a nude and heavily tattooed woman. Elsewhere, in Kentucky, Special Agent Kurt Weller defuses a tense stand-off with an armed man and then is hurriedly summoned back to New York. Dr. Borden informs FBI Director Bethany Mayfair that the "Jane Doe" was given a huge dose of zeta interacting protein to cause serious and permanent amnesia, and Weller, who does not recognize her, is stunned to learn that his name is inscribed on her back. He orders his team to investigate her identity as he tries to track down the van that left the bag behind, and Jane repeatedly explains that she remembers nothing about her life or the present day. They discover that her tattoos were all applied at once and recently, and Weller speculates that they are "a treasure map" of sorts. Jane, frustrated with the interrogation, demands to speak to Weller, and she tries desperately to recall any memories of him. Realizing that she has nowhere to go, he leaves her at a safehouse for the night and returns home, brooding over photographs of her mysterious markings.
Later, Dr. Borden kindly assures her that she will be able to re-define herself with her choices, and Weller notices that she appears to have had an earlier tattoo that was then covered up when the others were applied. Jane then finds that she can read and speak Mandarin and that one of her tattoos bears that day's date and an address in Chinatown. She demands to accompany Weller as he searches for the apartment occupant, Chao Zheng, and serves as an interpreter when the residents at the address state that he has disappeared. Weller and his team find a lab and guess that Zheng has been constructing explosives, and back at headquarters Mayfair learns that Jane previously had a Navy SEAL tattoo, despite the fact that there have never been any female SEALs. Jane finds that she also has advanced combat skills as she confronts the building's landlord for beating his wife, forcing a startled Weller to intervene. They find a recorded message from Zheng, and Jane tells them that he is planning to attack "the mother of exiles" as revenge for the "atrocities" committed by the American government within hours. They guess that he is targeting a certain senator, and an unknown bearded man watches as Weller and Jane hurry to track down Zheng.
As Jane wonders if she was "chosen" because of her unusual skills, Weller spots Zheng heading into a subway, and Jane begs them to take him alive so that he may provide her with answers. Weller and Agent Reed chase Zheng onto the subway, but he plants a bomb and escapes by uncoupling the cars, and Weller "reduces" the bomb's charge before hurling it down the tunnel, where it explodes harmlessly. The team learns that Zheng's mother died in a Chinese prison camp, and they realize that "the mother of exiles" is actually the Statue of Liberty. Weller learns of Jane's SEAL training, and when they chase Zheng into the Statue, she is grazed by a bullet but ends up saving Weller's life with an expert shot and experiences a flashback to a training session in the woods with the bearded man. Weller concludes that she was formerly Special Forces and wonders if the "unsub" who tattooed Jane is actually trying to prevent major crimes, albeit in a very roundabout way. Mayfair then examines the heavily-redacted file #Z81899Z, observing that the number is also written on Jane's body. Weller checks on Jane and attempts to comfort her, noticing an odd scar under one of her tattoos. At the hospital, the bearded man visits a recuperating Zheng and kills him for failing in his mission, and a flashback reveals that Jane in fact agreed to let the same man "erase" her with the protein, stating that it is her "only choice." Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: November 30, 1999 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:43:43
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 124018
- GENRE: Drama, mystery/suspense
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, mystery/suspense; Drama, action/adventure; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Women's Collection - Drama
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 2015-2020
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Sarah Schechter … Executive Producer
- Greg Berlanti … Executive Producer
- Mark Pellington … Executive Producer, Director
- Martin Gero … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Howard Griffith … Producer
- Jennifer Lence … Co-Producer
- Carl Ogawa … Co-Producer
- Sarah Rath … Associate Producer
- Blake Neely … Music by
- Sullivan Stapleton … Cast, Supervisory Special Agent Kurt Weller
- Jaimie Alexander … Cast, Jane Doe
- Rob Brown … Cast, Edgar Reed
- Audrey Esparza … Cast, Tasha Zapata
- Ashley Johnson … Cast, Patterson
- Ukweli Roach … Cast, Dr. Borden
- Marianne Jean-Baptiste … Cast, Bethany Mayfair
- Johnny Whitworth … Cast, Ruggedly Handsome Man
- Yung-I Chang … Cast, Chao Zheng
- Dave Quay … Cast, Polygrapher
- Angel Rosa … Cast, Beat Cop
- Mickey Solis … Cast, Bomb Tech
- Trevor Long … Cast, Boyce
- Ashley Trawinski … Cast, Allie Rapport
- Galway McCullough … Cast, Young Agent
- Carl Li … Cast, Wai
- Michael G. Chin … Cast, Super
- Kenny Wong … Cast, Jun
- Joanna Lu … Cast, Super's Wife
- Samantha Rivers Cole … Cast, Patricia
- Nicole Quintero … Cast, Rebecca