Written by John Edward Betancourt
Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season Two Finale of ‘Blindspotting’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
December 31st, and January 1st, are two supremely important days in our lives. For those two days, signal the end of the old year and the beginning of the new and that matters to us… because that simply is the perfect time… to reflect. For now, we can take a moment between the parties and the champagne and the ball drop, to really ponder upon the past year and take inventory on what went well for us and what was a rousing irritation. All so we can either reinforce what kept us in motion in the new year or course correct to ensure a smoother 365 days, and well, that important time for reflection is top of mind today, simply because it was on display in the season two finale of Blindspotting on STARZ. For ‘Return to Ithaca’ took place on December 31st, and well… there was plenty for everyone in this story to reflect upon. For Earl received a desperate request from his father, one that asked for him to work alongside his dad at the very restaurant where he was dragged out in cuffs. Forcing him to reflect upon his experiences in prison again and his powerful PTSD revolving around that ugly moment. Not to mention, Miles was struggling with life on the outside as well. In part because it was a shock to the system to have the charges dropped and be home and also because… his marriage was now officially on the rocks and being around his son or no, there was just so much for him to ponder upon regarding the past year. Speaking of his marriage, well Ashley was also in her own reflective place. Because she didn’t know how to reconcile the worst mistake she had ever made in her life, and all she could do was hide and hope to not do anymore damage, despite Rainey’s suggestion that she stand tall and talk to Miles and make it right and be the family member she had become and well… all of those stories informed us what this episode wanted to accomplish from a thematic standpoint. In that, it wanted to explore how sometimes, our year end musings are tough. So tough in fact, that we simply cannot see a way forward and all we can do is sit there and catch our breath and live in the moment and hope that we find inspiration to do something worthwhile when the new year approaches. But there is a way forward when our end of year musings is so sour and so scary… and the show explored that as well through some powerful and brilliant musings. For instance, by pointing out that we need to be honest with ourselves when we reflect. So that we are objective with our failures and objective with how they made us feel, for that will provide some clarity, and that was accomplished by having Ashley finally speak aloud to the fact that she screwed up and that yes, she did have to own it and fix it, somehow. And Earl and Miles… both had to acknowledge the horrors they endured at the hands of law enforcement and in prison. To understand that they were wounded and needed to heal and that then allowed for the story to explore how we do indeed move forward when we use objectivity to find clarity, and well… the solution happened to be far simpler than expected. In that… we just forge ahead. We face what we need to face head on and just see where it takes us. Which for Earl… involved going back to that restaurant and working in the kitchen alongside his father (played brilliantly by screen legend LeVar Burton), for doing what he loved in this place, would help him heal and move forward and well… for Ashley and Miles… that meant being near one another again. To feel that connection and to come to understand that they were in fact, both quite broken this past year, so broken that their mental health was deeply damaged, and that prison bars, and the screwed-up system, helped create that damage. And that perhaps the best path forward in this instance, was to let mistakes lie in the past, and just move forward and work to heal and work to rebuild what that year cost them. All of which made for a bittersweet and hopeful tale. One that reminds that life and the ordeal it can be, isn’t always filled with quick answers and easy fixes. Sometimes… we just forge ahead and do our best and figure things out along the way. And that lesson really was applied to everyone in this tale. Since Janelle just forged ahead to Bali, and Trish accepted what Jacque wanted, and even Collin, returned home to just… keep moving forward and well, that also made this finale quite brilliant. Since so many shows work to resolve everything in a neat and tidy manner, as opposed to showcasing the messiness of life. So, it was just wonderful to see such realism here and see these characters push ahead like the rest of us and hopefully, STARZ greenlights a third season of this show… so we can continue to learn about the majesty and the folly of life, from a television show that puts it on display, in the most realistic and honest manner possible. Until next time.
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