Blindspot Season 4 explained why Natasha "Tasha" Zapata betrayed the FBI, and her turn to the dark made sense. The hit action crime series from NBC introduced Zapata in Season 1 as part of the team under the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The team investigated the mysterious tattoo-covered Jane Doe (played by MCU actress Jaimie Alexander), who was discovered naked inside a duffel bag in Times Square in New York City.
Zapata is an expert hacker who consistently helps the team unearth the secrets of a covert terrorist organization. While she was instrumental in vouching for Jane so that the team trusted her, Zapata had secrets of her own, such as her gambling addiction and insurmountable financial debts. Aside from her struggles, Zapata did something questionable in the Season 3 finale that made fans wonder if she was a traitor.
Created by Martin Gero, Blindspot (now streaming on Netflix U.S.) stars Jaimie Alexander, 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.
Why Zapata Turns Bad in Blindspot, Explained
Blindspot's Season 3 finale (which can be viewed on Netflix) revealed a shocking twist involving Zapata. It showed the fan-favorite character in cahoots with Blake Crawford (aka the daughter of the former leader of the terrorist organization, HCI Global). This would explain why Zapata killed MI6 Agent Claudia Murphy in the same episode.
After being terminated from the CIA and returning to the FBI, she joined HCI Global. It seemed that Zapata found a new purpose by joining the terrorist organization, with her telling Blake, "This is how we change the world."
Blake and Zapata were a force to be reckoned with in Blindspot Season 4. Still, Zapata's true target was Madeline Burke (the organization's new leader after its original ruler, Hank Crawford, died in Season 3). By getting close to Burke, Zapata appeared to want the leadership and the organization for herself.
However, Season 4, Episode 10 revealed the truth about Zepata's betrayal, confirming that it was all a lie. She was deep undercover for the CIA. She had to lie to the FBI team and "betray" them to take down HCI Global from the inside. It was all a calculated risk for Zapata, as she needed to endure all the hate and mistrust from the team to achieve her goal.
She also worked alongside Claudia Murphy to fake her death as a way to convince HCI Global that her involvement was real. It turned out that Murphy was also working to dismantle HCI Global, and she agreed to help.
Zapata revealed everything to Reade. While he believed her, Reade told her he would never trust her again (which is understandable because her deep cover operation ruined their friendship). Zapata came clean to the FBI about her deep cover involvement with HCI Global, and she was more confident than ever that she could take down Madeline Burke because her team had her back.
The team, led by Zapata, eventually ended most of HCI Global's operations (including the infamous Project Helios) in the Season 4 finale, proving that their combined efforts were too much for Burke and her crew to handle.
Read more about the mystery behind Jane Doe's tattoo in Blindspot.
