‘Blindspotting’ Recap: ‘The Four Hustlateers’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Four of ‘Blindspotting’.
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It is definitely safe to say, that mankind tends to look upon the past with sorrow and regret and it is understandable as to why. After all, yesterday is often filled with sour memories, the kind that remind us of some of the scariest moments in our lives and some of the most painful. For it is in our memories that we recall the hurt we experienced when our parents informed us, they no longer loved one another or how hard it was to say goodbye to someone we love or a relationship we thought would last forever. As for the regret, well that comes forth by way of memories of all the paths not taken and all the wrong choices made in the moment and while these are solid reasons to want to shed the past, in the end it is something that we should in fact… embrace and celebrate at every turn.
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For those tough moments brought us to the point we are today and well, it’s not all bad in there. Because for every weeping memory, there are ten more wonderful ones waiting in the wings for us, making the past nothing more than a bittersweet symphony. One that moves us in magical ways and deserves our awe when the time is right and really, yesterday is important to our conversation today, simply because last night’s episode of Blindspotting took the time to examine the power of the past and why it is in fact important to celebrate its wonder. And ‘The Four Hustlateers’ accomplished this particular feat by slowing things down a bit storytelling wise, since this fascinating trip down memory lane took place on a quiet evening for Ashley and Rainey.

Because Trish basically disappeared from home after getting her third and final smack from The Rule of Three and Sean was off enjoying a fun night of watching Reservoir Dogs, because Ashley somehow thought that it was a kid’s movie, so what better time than to kick back and have a few drinks and partake and stroll down memory lane. Which is precisely what they did and in doing so, both Ashley and Rainey were able to really focus upon the wonder of the journey that is life and how that can in fact lift us up when the going gets tough since it helps us to remind us of what is important to us and why we need to hold onto it. Which in this case, is Ashley and Miles’ love affair since their bond is crazy strong and knowing that a lifetime of memories awaits them when this tough time ends, did indeed help Ashley cope with the overbearing nature of her situation.

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But a series that keeps it this 100, also knows exactly when to add a little honesty into the mix and it accomplished that by way of Janelle and Earl’s journey in this tale. For they too had a little downtime on this night and that allowed for them to reflect upon what’s brought them to this point in their lives and that didn’t exactly leave them in a great mood. Since neither of them are where they want to be because of their choices. But taking the time to be honest with ourselves about that and pondering upon what brought us to where we are, good or bad, is a healthy thing to do as well. Since it hopefully teaches us how to not make the same mistakes twice and motivates us to be better than yesterday so we can finally find ourselves on the path we’ve always wanted to walk.
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However, while all of those lessons were earnest and powerful, they both paled in comparison to Rainey’s journey in this tale. For it was revealed that Rainey is suffering from a form of cognitive decline to the point where she keeps labeled photos in her closet to remind her daily of who she is dealing with and who is that foggy form in the recesses of her mind and well, this particular twist worked to teach us… that the past can also heal us. Because by having all of those memories handy, she can replace the missing ones in her brains and hang onto the wonder of yesterday, just a little bit longer and while that may not last… there is a real beauty to be found in what Rainey is doing. Since her push to hold onto every bit of yesterday, outright makes it clear that she refuses to let go of what has defined her and shaped her and that’s quite the powerful message to be found in a painful revelation. 

If anything, all of these elements make this a supremely beautiful and moving episode. One that truly resonates with the viewer on a powerful level by hammering home the fact that our lives are nothing more than a collection of moments that will never come again, and that it is supremely important that we cherish every last one because of that and it really is quite stunning to find that kind of commentary about life in a television dramedy. Simply because television usually leaves that kind of philosophy to the literary world. But Blindspotting is clearly working to change that, by way of episodes that are filled with incredible depth and truly, it will be quite amazing to see what unique exploration of the human condition awaits us, when we settle in to watch this phenomenal series once again, come next Sunday. Until then.

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