While such cable dramas as The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad strive for relative realism, network dramas like The Blacklist and Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. seem to be going more for escapism. Take the action movie-esque Blindspot, which isn’t just unrealistic, but unapologetically so. But whether you’re a fan or just someone looking for a cryptic good time, the Blindspot The Complete First Season Blu-ray and DVD is the best way to watch this gripping thriller.
For those who didn’t see it on NBC, Blindspot kicks off by having a naked woman covered in intricate tattoos crawl out of a large bag that was left in Times Square. She has no memory of who she is, what her tattoos mean, or where she got them. But when someone notices that the name on her back is the name of an FBI agent, and then another tat leads the FBI to a crime, it’s decided that the tattooed lady, dubbed Jane Doe, will help the feds solve crimes while they try to solve her mystery.
As ridiculous as Blindspot may sound in the above description — and it actually gets more outrageous when a conspiracy starts to reveal itself — the show is actually rather compelling. A big reason for this is the cast, which includes Jaimie Alexander from Thor and Thor: Dark World, who’s equal parts tough and sympathetic as Jane; Sullivan Stapleton (300: Rise Of An Empire), who matches Alexander shot for shot as her FBI handler; and Without A Trace‘s Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who’s commanding as the head of this FBI unit (pun intended).
Though it also helps that the scripts, while outlandish and unrealistic, are as intricate and clever as Jane’s tattoos. Most episodes of Blindspot play like mini action movies, kind of like a Bourne flick if it was driven by the kind of intricate conspiracy that usual involves planes crashing on mysterious islands.
Which is why Blindspot is a great show to own on Blu-ray or DVD. Not only is it fun to go back and rewatch episodes so you can see deeply layered it all is, but it will be even more fun, when the show is done, to watch from the beginning to see how it all worked out. Y’know, like you did with The Sixth Sense after learning that Bruce Willis was, well, you know.
As for how these episodes look on the Blindspot The Complete First Season Blu-ray and DVD, obviously they look better on the former than the latter, but both look better than they did if you watched them on NBC or some streaming device, given how spotty your wi-fi can be sometimes. On Blu-ray especially, they look crisp and clean, and they sound great as well, especially if you have a good surround sound system. Even better, there’s no commercials, and don’t have those distracting on-screen promos for other NBC shows.
Complementing the twenty-three episodes, the Blindspot The Complete First Season comes with a bunch of interesting extras. For starters, there are seven making-of featurettes that cover various aspects of the show, including the actors (“Casting The Team”), the fight choreography (“Weller Takes Action” and “Double Vision”), the special effects (“Make It GO Boom!”), and, of course, the tattoos (“Tattooed Charm”). But they also delve into some of the show’s more enigmatic characters (“Oscar: The Handler,” “Rich Dotcom”). Most, as you might expect, feature the usual interviews with the cast and crew, and give good insight into how the show came together and is filmed.
Blindspot The Complete First Season also has a running commentary on the first episode by Creator/Executive Producer Martin Gero and Director Mark Pellington. Which is kind of interesting, but clearly not as good as it would’ve been if Alexander, Stapleton, or other members of the cast were involved, since actors usually bring humor to commentaries, and keep them being like film school lectures.
This is followed by nineteen deleted scenes, most of which are short, though some are rather substantial. Even cooler, they’re in the same menus as their respective episodes, and come with with intros in which Gero explains why the scene was cut and where in the episode it would’ve gone. This is a welcome change from what we see on so many TV DVDs and Blu-rays, which inexplicably lump all of the deleted scenes onto the last disc, and without any context.
Next, the Blindspot The Complete First Season presents fifteen minutes of the show’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2015, which covers the introductions of the producers and Alexander, and a bunch of questions by the moderator, and none of the Q&A session. Though having sat through Q&As as Comic-Con, this is probably for the best.
Lastly, the Blindspot The Complete First Season has a gag reel. Or, as they call it, the “Bound And Gag Reel.” Like most, it has footage of the cast screwing both up and around, and it’s very entertaining if you’ve watched every episode of this rather serious show. It’s just too bad they bleeped all the curse words.
As for what’s missing from the Blindspot The Complete First Season Blu-ray and DVD, honestly, not much. Yes, it would’ve been cool if every episode had a commentary, and those commentaries featured members of the cast. It also would’ve been good if this included a teaser for the second season, though given that this collection was released August 2nd, it may be too early for such a thing to exist.
But while the special features on Blindspot The Complete First Season Blu-ray and DVD are actually special — and, best of all, well-placed — it’s the show itself that’s the real reason to pick this up. As I said, it’s over-the-top and outlandish, but oh so much fun…especially when you realize it’s not just about a naked tattooed lady someone left in a bag in Times Square.
SCORE: 8.5/10
