Lessons from Blindspot Season 4:
When Analytic & Technology Expectations Go Too Far
Trying To Live Up To The Expectations Set By Hype And Over-Promise
Three articles and four seasons deep, Blindspot has likely come off the rails. From a 1.83 average rating in its first season to a dismal 0.43 so far this year, things are getting desperate and honestly a bit crazy. It was a good ride. We certainly found a few lessons along the way. Last night’s Episode 8 gave us a few more.
Blindspot has featured plenty of imaging techniques along the way. For starters, Jaimie Alexander is not actually covered in tattoos. That said, episode 8 hit us with imaging techniques inside the story as well. In fact, we got several rounds of Deepfake in just one episode.
In typical fashion, Blindspot made even the scary potential of Deepfake somewhat ridiculous. Deepfake uses GAN AI to synthesize video of people saying things they never said. It is a technology that has many people in a tizzy. It has also extended the acting careers of a few deceased celebrities. It is an iterative process that relies on Deep Learning (read layered development) to increase the quality of the fake. GAN, the battle royale of AI, is leveraged to optimize the fake making it virtually undetectable. On Blindspot though, Rich.com can build one during the commercial.
On an episode that features a hacking of NORAD, a nuclear attack on NYC, and almost every member of the team pretending that another member of the team has not turned wack-job terrorist (yes, more than one and separate story lines), this is just par for the course. Every show requires some level of suspended disbelief. Blindspot’s list has become longer than my first sentence in this paragraph.
And yet, there is a lesson here. Blindspot is trying to stop the attrition of their once solid audience. It is a problem that often incents writers to escalate their claims, hype their drama, and exaggerate their plots. It applies to anyone trying to sell you a story — just ask the Big Data Sales guys, the AI software folks, or those in Business Intelligence.
We can draw another lesson from the aspect of the show that stretches reason-ability the most — time. Like most TV dramas, Blindspot demands we suspend disbelieve around timing. Cities are evacuated in a hour or two. Systems are hacked in little more. Time is always running out, but the solution always seems to come through in time. This couldn’t be any less realistic.
In analytics and technology, timing expectations are often exaggerated to the point of insanity. Is is any wonder no project ever seems to come in on time? Is it any further wonder that when timelines come remotely close, outcomes almost always fall short? Imagine the plot line where Agent Weller announces, “well, because of time constraints, we were only able to save half of New York.” But if it is so easy to see how silly the timelines in the show are — why do so many fall victim to false promises in the real world?
One thing remains completely off the radar. It is a Blindspot, pun intended. While the team is routinely tasked with meeting ridiculous timelines, they are never once called to task for a budget. Interestingly, few TV shows ever speak of a a budget. It is interesting, at least to me, given that budget may be the real world’s biggest driver of drama!
Blindspot began with TheMagicTouch, literally. But waning audiences and amped story lines have led it down a well-known path of hype and ridiculous time lines. Meanwhile, the only budget causing drama is the shows production budget. Sadly, it has probably gone too far.
Will Blindspot survive for a fifth season? Time will tell. Until then, enjoy it for what it is worth. But in that, recognize the lessons you can learn about real world analytics and technology. Be wary of hype. Be careful of time lines. Recognize you can’t ignore budget. And know that failing to, will likely bring your project to an early end. Thanks for reading!
