Blindspot- Season 5 (Final)

9/10

NOTE: There are no spoilers for this season, but there is a brief reference to the events from last season setting off this one.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was one of the best seasons.  

The gang find themselves framed and on the run from the law, taken away from their resources and forced to work off the grid. This total reversal of fortune and raising of the stakes really brought an energy to the show. The characters deal with constant tension as all parties are trying to obtain their goal. Gone are the more episodic stories. To clarify, there are plenty of stand-alone missions, but they all tie into the story.

This season also benefits from being the final one. The show has nothing to lose things can get dark. The lives of all characters, both regular and recurring, are fair game and the show does a good job of keeping you guessing who'll live and die.  

The show's weak spot remains the main villain Madeleine Burke (played by The Abyss' Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). She's used more sparingly and written a little better, but she's still extremely frustrating. She's just in-your-face nasty and too-over-the-top nasty in her actions and not in a love-to-hate-her way. Mastrantonio's lack of facial expressions doesn't help any.  

The finale is really ambitious. The way it ends may tick off a lot of people. However, I give the show credit for going out big and taking chances. 

The cast remains good and all the characters go through some effective emotional wringers. I haven't been the biggest Zapata (Audrey Esparza) fan, but the writers finally found a good groove for her story-wise. Rich Dotcom (Ennis Esmer) remains the MVP, and I'm still so glad they made him a regular last season. Not only does he balance darker elements with some good jokes, he also serves as the most human of the group. Aaron Abrams also continues to do a great job as pragmatic, ladder-rising FBI director Matthew Weitz as he's forced to make difficult moral choices. 

The writers make a really concentrated effort to exploring the characters, including paying attention to the recurring ones. Lab techie Afreen (Amie Sheth), who's mostly just been a background character brought in from time to time when they needed an extra pair of hands, actually gets a subplot and stuff to do.

Despite my issues with Burke, this is just a pretty solid bunch of episodes, and I recommend this to to all Blindspot viewers.