Blindspot Season 2 revealed why Jane Doe tattooed herself, and it made a lot of sense story-wise. Created by Martin Gero, the hit action thriller series from NBC follows the story of a mysterious woman with a lot of tattoos who was discovered naked inside a duffel bag in Times Square in New York City. Jane Doe (played by MCU actress Jaimie Alexander) has no recollection of what happened to her, and she must work together with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to unpack the meaning behind her tattoos, leading to a massive revelation tied to a secret criminal organization.
Aside from Alexander, Blindspot boasts a star-studded cast headlined by The Last of Us alum Ashley Johnson, Sullivan Stapleton, Rob Brown, Audrey Esparza, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. Blindspot premiered on NBC on September 21, 2015, and it ran for five seasons before airing its finale on July 23, 2020.
Why Did Jane Doe Tattoo Herself In Blindspot?
While Jane's tattoos helped the FBI solve some of their cases, Blindspot Season 2 revealed that the character's ink has a far deeper meaning than the protagonists realize.
The show's sophomore run introduced Ellen "Shepherd" Briggs (Michelle Hurd) who was later revealed to be the leader of a sinister terrorist organization, Sandstorm. As the season progressed, Sandstorm's endgame was slowly unraveled, and it all tied back to Jane. It turned out that Jane is being used as a means to an end of achieving Sandstorm's goal of ending corruption in the government through the Truman Protocol.
For those unaware, the Truman Protocol is a last resort for turning America into an oligarchy where the Continuity of Government Subcommittee (COGS) members would take control of power in the United States away from Congress and the President. During a terrorist attack, the members of COGS would instantly become the sole power of the US Government, giving its members, like Kurt Weller (Sullivan Stapleton) of the FBI, a huge say when it comes to handling the country's future.
This would explain why Kurt Weller's name was tattooed on Jane's body in Blindspot's pilot episode, since it is part of Shepherd's elaborate plan for her to get close to him and use Weller's connection to COGS when the time is right.
Jane's tattoos were used to show Kurt the corruption within the government. Once Weller receives considerable power via COGS, his knowledge of the US government's corruption through the tattoos will eventually shape how he uses that power. Basically, Weller was only a pawn in Shepherd's dangerous game.
However, Shepherd was ultimately captured in the Season 2 finale after Jane and Weller worked together to stop Sandstorm's sinister plans.
Fast forward to Season 3's premiere, Blindspot revealed that it was Jane's idea to give her the tattoos through an iPhone message from her past self. The video message mentioned that "[she] did this to [herself]:"
"If you're watching this, the mission is going as planned. I know that you're scared, I know that you're confused, and I know that you want to find out who did this to you. The answer is you. The tattoos, the memory wipe, sending you to Kurt Weller, this was all your idea, your plan. You did this to yourself."
In a bombshell of a twist, Shepherd is actually Jane's adoptive mother, and she was also part of Sandstorm in the past. Jane had no memory of this because she used a drug called ZIP to wipe away her memories so that she could go deep undercover in the FBI.
The main purpose behind her actions is to help Sandstorm achieve its goals of trying to control the US government through the Truman Protocol.
Did Jane Betray the FBI In Blindspot?
Blindspot Season 3 ended with Jane reverting back to her original pre-ZIP persona: Remi Briggs (aka the one who was loyal to Sandstorm). This was due to a side effect of using ZIP in the first place.
A good chunk of Season 4 saw Jane (as Remi) betray her team from the inside to help free Shepherd and rebuild Sandstorm from the inside. However, her plan was foiled after the FBI eventually found out. They successfully helped her regain her post-ZIP persona as Jane through a successful experimental treatment.
Working with the FBI and sharing a strong bond with Kurt Weller changed everything for Jane. While she regained all her memories as Remi, she finally embraced her present self and started working for the good guys. In doing so, she ultimately killed Shepherd and put an end to Sandstorm once and for all.
