Blindspotting Season 2 finale “Return to Ithaca” Spoilers Ahead
Note from Marvelous Geeks’ Team: With the ongoing WGA strike, it’s imperative that we state we stand in solidarity with all writers asking for better wages and the respect they deserve in this industry. No story comes to fruition without the idea born and nurtured inside a writer’s head. Writers are the beating hearts of everything we love — we stand with and for them.
Some answers come in the form of long, essential conversations, but few series can show what’s crucial through a thoughtfully compelling montage, and Blindspotting is one of them. The series’ attention to detail and unique craftsmanship of combining poetry and dance with vulnerable performances make it a must-watch success. This fact comes from its first season, but the closing moments of Blindspotting’s Season 2 finale take it to new heights, elevating the series’ heart by bringing romance to the forefront.
Miles and Ashley’s relationship defines loyalty in a manner so few shows have mastered, and the montage finally answers burning questions while concurrently grounding them to a foundation from where they can undeniably sprout higher. Blindspotting’s use of movement and performances ensures that these beats effectively establish Miles and Ashley’s love for one another while, at the same time, subverting the cheating trope through the one form where it works.
In most circumstances, cheating isn’t something many viewers can forgive. (I’m one of them.) There are a handful of scenarios where it’s done in a way that can garner empathy, but it’s rarer than a show that doesn’t fall into the sophomore slump. Blindspotting nails this with Ashley’s arc because her drunken mistake isn’t because of temptation—it’s because she misses Miles with such fervency that she absentmindedly and desperately sees him wherever she can, wanting to hold on for a little bit longer each time. She doesn’t kiss another man because her feelings for him are floundering but because she doesn’t know how to work through her longing. Further, Jasmine Cephas-Jones consistently shows this concept to us, even when Ashley takes time to process, and the montage proves that Miles understands completely.
It’s all for her—everything here is meant to celebrate Ashley Rose, including the show’s existence, where she’s its star. The episode also expends this moment to finally reveal why Miles was arrested and how it strengthens their relationship is no small feat. Beyond the flashbacks the audience sees, Cephas-Jones and Rafael Casal fill the space between them with a glut of unsaid words. Their moment of intimacy relies heavily on the conversations befalling in the silence—the performances showcasing how deep their love for one another runs.
There’s no dialogue in the present day apart from Miles’ “Come back to me now,” and the beauty at that moment thus mirrors their enduring trust for one another. Their body language and physicality reaffirm this, once again imploring the audience to pay attention to the performances. No moment is meaningless or stagnant. And this detail is precisely why Miles’ words are so perfect. Come back to me now echoes much, but it fundamentally speaks to Ashley’s guilt. It speaks to the broken parts of both of them, stuck in the past, wandering away from the reality they could step towards. It cements his faith in her and confirms that he understands where she’s leaping toward with her decisions. He knows she loves him in the same way that he loves her.
Related Content: Relationship Deep Dive: Ashley Rose and Miles Turner
Isolated at the start of the new year, in an attic above everyone else, and focused solely on themselves, it’s a renewal of sorts—a promise to get back to the place they were before the darkness overtakes. It’s a promise reiterated through fireworks, with their son running in to reassure them that this little family can be stronger than before. Blindspotting Season 2 is all about Miles and Ashley navigating through their marriage, and it does so through the kind of memorable reconciliation that’s effectively captivating. I can’t remember the last time I held my breath through a montage like this, proving that so much of what this show does is a brilliant tapestry of human complexities that orbit around love.
Blindspotting Season 2 is now streaming in its entirety on Starz.
Writer’s Update: As of September 2023, Blindspotting has been canceled by Starz, which is unfortunate news in every way.