WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for Blindspot season 5 premiere. Read at your own risk.
Blindspot season 5 premiered recently on NBC and delivered one of the shocking moments in the series' final run. There are a lot of questions when it comes to the fate of most of the characters, and one of them has, unfortunately, met his tragic ending.
Blindspot season 5 begins with an epic twist, wherein Rob Brown's character Edgar Reade has been confirmed to be dead because of the explosion that transpired in season 4 finale. While this is devastating news to some, there's also a reason as to why he has to say goodbye.
Speaking to TVLine, series creator Martin Gero discussed why Brown had to depart from the series, noting it's mostly due to "business reasons," but with some creative reasons as well. He said there were business reasons why the series had to lose a lead character, which started driving the conversation.
In terms of creative reasons, Gero said they discussed who among the characters need to leave and how such a departure could impact the series' final run. He explained that as Blindspot season 5 continues, viewers may see and understand why Reade has to leave.
Reade's death could open more amazing stories moving forward, something that may not happen if someone else died. The good news is that Brown's character may still appear in the final season, as Gero teased he'll occasionally appear on flashbacks.
Even though the character is very much dead, Reade will still be playing a role in the final installment. His memory might be honored and then the flashbacks may bring some interesting stories for him. His death, however, has definitely impacted the rest of the season, as well as the characters.
The premiere starts via flashback, with the FBI Team -- except Jane -- trying to escape to the underground tunnels after FBI Director Matthew Weitz warned them about Madeline Burke's drone strike. Despite their efforts, Reade crushed by debris so he could facilitate Zapata's escape.
What's devastating here is that Reade and Zapata didn't get the happy ending that they deserve. The two had gone through everything before the explosion. Moving forward, Zapata may need to deal with the aftermath of Reade's death.
While she's got the team support, it's obvious she's not emotionally stable during the premiere of Blindspot season 5. Gero explained they're doing some interesting stuff with her storyline; possibly about her grieving for Reade.
