Blindspot pilot
Like most people I know, I think, I mostly checked this out because I like Jaime Alexander.
A naked, amnesiac woman is found in a bag in times square, and is taken to the FBI. Her entire body is covered in tattoos, one of which is the name of an FBI agent, Kurt Weller. It's quickly discovered that the tattoos are new, and that at least one refers to a crime that hasn't occurred yet.
While the trailers for the show were all"nekkidchicknekkidchicknekkidchick lookit nekkid chick" the show, at least, portrays it as traumatic (waking up with no memories with multiple strangers viewing your body and the possibility that someone covered you with tattoos without your consent) but they had her undress way too much. I mean, she doesn't have to be naked multiple times to show that she's traumatized. Hopefully they got that out of their system with the pilot. (Another thing I hope they got out of their system is some of the painfully over-earnest dialogue they had Jaime Alexander spout. I mean, the character's painful earnestness makes sense, but some of the dialogue got so into it that I cringed a bit.)
The FBI characters are also treating her as a trauma victim with possible PTSD, as opposed to a suspicious figure. I mean, I do thing they're suspicious of her, but depsite the poking and prodding and photographing of tattoos, they're treating her more carefully and respectfully than TV has lead me to expect in recent years. That's a good thing.
Alexander's character is given the name "Jane Doe" by the FB but, uhm, I wonder if anyone bothered running names by her? It's established that, when presented with something specific and familiar, she can recognize it in a general way (she remembers languages when presented with them, has tactile memories, etc) so you'd think these people so eager to help her remember things and feel safe would at least let her choose what to be called.
Also, the main dude is 100% generic Super FBI Agent. Like, the pilot doesn't even try to give him any distinguishing characteristics, aside from not making him as jerkish as the type is in other shows. They're already going "look, UST!" between Weller and Jane, and I'm not really comfortable with having a future romance for Jane even lightly pushed when so much of the episode focused on her trauma and vulnerability. Hopefullly, they'll let Jane heal and find herself some before pushing her into any kind of romantic relationship.
There are lots of POC in the cast, but the pilot also had a lot of racefail re: Chinese people. And also realizing that Mandarin and Cantonese aren't the same language.
I should also warn that, after the opening scene in which Jane comes out of the bag naked and is forced to her knees by a police officer at gunpoint, the show cuts to Weller being introduced in an operation where women (at least 2, maybe more) are abused and kept chained in a house. Either scene is rough, but the two in combination might be too much for some viewers. It almost was for me.
I've seen comparisons to both Person of Interest and The Blacklist. I have'nt touched POI since they did that one thing in season three (and then comments one of the creators made about that thing) but the "clues to solve crimes before they happen" aspect is certainly there. Never watched The Blacklist though.
Verdict: I like it enough to keep watching, as long as they do a good job with Jane as a character, don't have awful race stuff every episode, and the mystery/conspiracy unfolds in a way I like.
A naked, amnesiac woman is found in a bag in times square, and is taken to the FBI. Her entire body is covered in tattoos, one of which is the name of an FBI agent, Kurt Weller. It's quickly discovered that the tattoos are new, and that at least one refers to a crime that hasn't occurred yet.
While the trailers for the show were all"nekkidchicknekkidchicknekkidchick lookit nekkid chick" the show, at least, portrays it as traumatic (waking up with no memories with multiple strangers viewing your body and the possibility that someone covered you with tattoos without your consent) but they had her undress way too much. I mean, she doesn't have to be naked multiple times to show that she's traumatized. Hopefully they got that out of their system with the pilot. (Another thing I hope they got out of their system is some of the painfully over-earnest dialogue they had Jaime Alexander spout. I mean, the character's painful earnestness makes sense, but some of the dialogue got so into it that I cringed a bit.)
The FBI characters are also treating her as a trauma victim with possible PTSD, as opposed to a suspicious figure. I mean, I do thing they're suspicious of her, but depsite the poking and prodding and photographing of tattoos, they're treating her more carefully and respectfully than TV has lead me to expect in recent years. That's a good thing.
Alexander's character is given the name "Jane Doe" by the FB but, uhm, I wonder if anyone bothered running names by her? It's established that, when presented with something specific and familiar, she can recognize it in a general way (she remembers languages when presented with them, has tactile memories, etc) so you'd think these people so eager to help her remember things and feel safe would at least let her choose what to be called.
Also, the main dude is 100% generic Super FBI Agent. Like, the pilot doesn't even try to give him any distinguishing characteristics, aside from not making him as jerkish as the type is in other shows. They're already going "look, UST!" between Weller and Jane, and I'm not really comfortable with having a future romance for Jane even lightly pushed when so much of the episode focused on her trauma and vulnerability. Hopefullly, they'll let Jane heal and find herself some before pushing her into any kind of romantic relationship.
There are lots of POC in the cast, but the pilot also had a lot of racefail re: Chinese people. And also realizing that Mandarin and Cantonese aren't the same language.
I should also warn that, after the opening scene in which Jane comes out of the bag naked and is forced to her knees by a police officer at gunpoint, the show cuts to Weller being introduced in an operation where women (at least 2, maybe more) are abused and kept chained in a house. Either scene is rough, but the two in combination might be too much for some viewers. It almost was for me.
I've seen comparisons to both Person of Interest and The Blacklist. I have'nt touched POI since they did that one thing in season three (and then comments one of the creators made about that thing) but the "clues to solve crimes before they happen" aspect is certainly there. Never watched The Blacklist though.
Verdict: I like it enough to keep watching, as long as they do a good job with Jane as a character, don't have awful race stuff every episode, and the mystery/conspiracy unfolds in a way I like.