'Blindspot': Patterson's First Name Finally Revealed! Creator Explains All (Exclusive)

(Barbara Nitke/Warner Brothers/Nbc)

Warning: This story contains spoilers from Thursday's episode of Blindspot

Blindspot loves a good mystery -- and one of the biggest ones has been Patterson's real name. While a season 3 episode confirmed Patterson's real last name was indeed Patterson, the crafty hacker's first name has eluded us. Until now.

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On Friday's episode, which welcomed back Bill Nye the Science Guy as Patterson's father and put him out in the field with the team, Patterson's mysterious name was finally revealed: William. Yes, that's right, her full name is William Patterson. Surprisingly unsurprising, isn't it? 

"We had to do it," creator Martin Gero tells ET of her name reveal, which was five seasons in the making. "I promised everyone that if we got a fifth season, that we could not end the show without people not knowing her name."

The mystery surrounding Patterson's name wasn't meant to be something for fans to track and obsess over. It was all a happy accident that he and the writers latched onto once it got traction.

"To be honest, it started off as a joke because I just couldn't think of a first name. We realized we needed a first name for her and I just couldn't think of one," Gero admits. "I was like, 'It's fine. No one will notice that she doesn't have a first name.' Then everyone noticed she didn't have a first name. Then it became a fun game."

"Once we cast Bill Nye as her dad, once we knew that she would have taken her mother's last name, I just thought it was funny if her first name was William," he explains. "It also made sense why she maybe didn't love her first name, William Patterson. It just seemed so beautiful and I think it really acknowledges [how] crazy [it all is]. I mean, the real Bill Nye is one of our character's dads and he goes on action adventures. It's just so crazy, but it works." 

Gero acknowledged that a name reveal can become a little hokey, referencing Seinfeld's reveal of Kramer's first name in a 1995 episode. "It's tricky to do a reveal like this," he says. "I think people were like, 'Cosmo Kramer? I don't know. It should have just been Kramer the whole time, right?' I hope people won't be let down."

Nye has appeared in a handful of Blindspot episodes but was never included in any of the team's missions. With it being the final season, that all changed with Friday's episode. Gero praised the 64-year-old scientist for being "an incredible presence on set and off. Everyone can't wait for the Bill Nye episode every year. It just felt right in every way."

As for bringing Nye into the undercover fold, Gero says "he's been dying to" be in on a heist since he was introduced in season 2. 

"He's like, 'Let me go on a mission!' We're like, 'No, it makes no sense to bring you on a mission.' Now it just made all the sense in the world," Gero says. "How uncomfortable Patterson is when it's so clearly the right thing to do, to call him? It's so right and is dangerous and so scary. It shows just how much he loves her. The end of that episode, where they trade little voice messages for each other, is just so impactful. There are such high physical stakes, but the emotional stakes this year are so, so high for all of the characters throughout the entire season. It makes for very charged and emotional episodes, which makes for great viewing."

Now that we know Patterson's first name, another question popped up by way of her father: What the heck is her Space Camp name?

That, unfortunately, is a question that will remain a mystery. "That will be lost in time," Gero says with a laugh, confirming that he does know what it is. "That's for when we reboot the show or we do a Patterson spinoff."

Blindspot airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

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Philiana Ng

Thu, 05/14/2020 - 18:58