The Season 2 finale of Blindspot will leave the FBI to cope with the recent tragedy that Shepherd (Michelle Hurd) brought right to their door, while Weller (Sullivan Stapleton) finds himself at the center of Phase Two of Sandstorm’s big plan. And with Roman’s (Luke Mitchell) mental stability in question, Jane (Jaimie Alexander) faces an uncertain future.
Because things are ramping up more than ever, Collider got on the phone with actor Luke Mitchell to find out where it all goes from here. During this 1-on-1 interview, we talked about what might have happened in the fight between Roman and Jane had gone even further, getting injured for real during their big fight scene, the choice that Shepherd presented him with, Roman’s mental state, and the life-threatening season finale. Be aware that there are some major spoilers discussed.
Collider: That knife fight between Roman and Jane was very intense. Do you think he would have killed her, if she hadn’t been able to stop him?
LUKE MITCHELL: That is a great question, and I have to say yes because he was unthinking in his actions. Depending on how the fight played out and if Jane was able to get through to him, in some way, than maybe she could have stopped him. If it was just pure animalistic actions, then he absolutely would have killed her, but he would have completely disintegrated, if he had done it. It would be one of those things that, if it had happened, he would have completely crumbled and had great guilt and remorse.
What was that fight scene like to shoot? Do you prefer the hand to hand combat, like in that scene, as opposed to using a gun or other bigger weapons?
MITCHELL: It’s all pretty fun because, most of the time, I’m learning a new skill set. This was actually the first knife fight I had to do, and unfortunately, it became memorable because this was the fight where I cut my hand pretty badly, in real life. I severed my tendon and had to be rushed to the hospital. So, it’s a weird one for me to look back on and it will be weird to watch the episode because it was an ouchy. It was very intense, obviously, to film. Getting in the head of Roman and being like, “Holy crap! I’m actually trying to kill my sister! That’s mental!” I had to wrap my head around that, and the way to do it was to realize that it’s just animalistic behavior. In that way, it’s really interesting because there’s so much behind every swing of that knife.
With this episode, we finally get the chance to see Phase Two of Sandstorm’s plan start to unfold, and it puts Roman in a position to chose sides, in a definitive way. Do you think he had any hesitation about going with Shepherd? Do you think he would have preferred to just be left alone?
MITCHELL: Absolutely, to both questions. I think he goes with Shepherd, in the first place, because she presents him with the option. She’s infiltrated the FBI and is going to blow the place up, so if he doesn’t go with her, he’s going to be dead. If they don’t blow up the place and he’s still at the FBI, he’s lost out. He’s tried to kill his sister and he doesn’t trust her, so he doesn’t want to be there. Going with Shepherd is the most active choice he could make. He’s so shaken to the core by these recent memories that he’s really just winging it. Shepherd presents him with an option and he takes it, but the whole time he’s with her, he’s questioning himself and questioning her. He’s watching her really closely because this is the first time that he’s spending time with his mother since the memory wipe. He’s so curious about her. Who is this woman? Can I trust her? Can I believe in her? Can I follow her? Is she just a bad person with bad intentions? He’s going along with her because it’s the better of two bad options, but I don’t think he’s convinced of Shepherd’s plan. He’s not in a good spot, but that’s the theme of the season for Roman.
The relationship between Roman, Jane and Shepherd has become so fractured from what it was when Shepherd set this whole plan in motion. After all of this, do you think Roman is more or less fragile than he was when we first met him?
MITCHELL: That’s a great question. I think he was incredibly fragile, and I think he’s a different kind of fragile. It’s so interesting, having the season split up with old Roman and new Roman. He had his memory wiped and he’s still the same person, but with the set-up of the season, you get to see that there’s good in him. Everything that he’s developed, as a character, in the back half of the season has been laid on top of the trust that he built with Jane, but that’s also because of the lie that Jane told, that Shepherd erased his memory. He’s really an unstable character. Once that bottom layer is removed, he’s a mess. He doesn’t know who he is, and he doesn’t have any time to work out who he is because everything is happening. Shepherd takes over the FBI and Phase Two is being enacted, and it’s literally life and death for a lot of people, so he’s just gotta go along with it for now.
What can you say to tease what’s still to come in the finale, and the role that Roman and Jane will play, before it’s all said and done in the finale?
MITCHELL: They’re both going to be in extreme danger. I can’t guarantee that they’re gonna make it out alive. Based on what happens in the season finale, there are multiple events that are life-threatening for both of them, and for other people. Whatever bond they had, it will be interesting to see, beyond Roman’s action, whether there’s any bond left or not, and if that will be severed. And if that happens, does that mean it’s the end for one of them?
Blindspot airs on Wednesday nights on NBC.