'Blindspot' Season 5 Episode 8 Review: Is Madeline more murderous than the 'suicidal' team of rogue agents?
Spoilers for 'Blindspot' Season 5 Episode 8 'Ghost Train'
It's almost as if everybody just wants to blow themselves up ever since Madeline Burke (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) blew up one of her own in an attempt that was supposed to blow the whole team up. After eight weeks of trying to combat the new and sinister FBI director's motives at gaining control over the planet, the team has indulged in battling more fatal life risks than they were supposed to. Especially Tasha Zapata (Audrey Esparza), who just seems to be on danger's bad side for no good reason at all. And then there is Kurt Weller (Sullivan Stapleton) with his signature machismo where he says he is doing what he can to be reunited with his young daughter, but honestly just seems like a poor attempt at affirming his lead in the team. The episode ends on the worst possible cliffhanger and no, this isn't us guessing if Edgar Reade (Rob Brown) actually got buried in a pile of debris or not. Both Rich Dotcom (Ennis Esmer) and the audience had to sit through watching one of our favorite characters' fate get sealed and after all this time, it's simply unfair.
Episode 8 of Season 5, titled 'Ghost Train' opens to the joyous celebration of yet another tattoo getting registered. Rich is ecstatic, it feels like the old days. But his excitement is shared by Patterson (Ashley Johnson) only. The rest of the team, jaded and marred by whatever has happened to them in the recent past doesn't quite participate in Rich's celebration. Even with Patterson insisting that the tattoos meant things were under control, the team wasn't having any of it. They were too focused on the ZIP they had been able to track with Madeline and keep tabs on when she might use it to see the tattoo for what it really was.
Madeline plans on unleashing the ZIP to people who will be automatically turned into drones with basically no control over their bodies, relying on her whims and desires for their basic needs. And given the murderous extent of her plan, it makes sense why it was only Tasha who showed some interest in the tattoo and that comes only after Patterson was able to trace it back to a location that was familiar to her from her days in the CIA.
Realizing this was the very same location where Jake Keaton (Chad Donella) had been exiled, Tasha decided she was helping them and it was time to hunt her former boss down to warn him about Madeline's true motives and plans. She almost succeeds too, but traveling all the way to Italy exposes her to the Interpol and Madeline gets wind of where Tasha is currently. With not much time in her hands, Tasha makes it to Keaton and the two discuss their agendas briefly, but something seems off. Keaton seems to be walking funny and the overly suspicious man's laptop webcam isn't covered with an electrical wire like it always is. Sure enough, Tasha's worst fears are confirmed when Madeline storms in with her men and Tasha realizes this was all a trap. Keaton sacrifices himself for her, but Tasha isn't the only one who needs saving.
Back in their bunker where the team is hiding, Patterson gets wind of this and asks Kurt and Jane Doe (Jaimie Alexander) to hide but they too are trapped. Realizing there isn't enough time and they can't clear out all the data in the bunker, while also not allow it to go to Madeline's hands, Patterson and Rich decide it's best to blow the entire building up. Trust this to be one of those days where nothing seems to work in their favor. The automatic switch to blow up the building doesn't work and Patterson has to venture in to do the deed manually. And that's when all falls apart. Trapped inside when the bomb detonates, Patterson most likely dies at the end of 'Ghost Train'. Rich watches it with his own eyes and so do we as viewers and it's easily one of the most crushing scenes 'Blindspot' has ever aired.
What's interesting is where things go from here, after an entire episode of making actively suicidal decisions and now Patterson gone for good, the team's imminent arrest is being credited to Matthew Weitz (Aaron Abrams), thus offering us a glimmer of hope. Weitz might have been forced to switch sides but perhaps seeing his former friends one more time might propel him to ignite that fire of right and justice within and that will be the murderous Madeline's fall, once and for all. Or, he might choose to remain a sucker and not do anything, in which case our actively suicidal team's hidden wishes will come true. In all of this, our only respite was that one scene where Tasha fights back and almost strangles Madeline. Pure cinematic masterpiece.
'Blindspot' airs on Thursdays at 9 pm only on NBC.