"Didn’t make sense for him to continue": When Blindspot showrunner revealed why François Arnaud's Oscar was written off the crime drama

When François Arnaud's Oscar was shockingly killed off on Blindspot, fans didn't let it slide. He wasn't just another supporting character—he was Jane Doe's old fiancé, a person well entrenched in her forgotten past and part of the overall mystery of the show. His sudden exit left the majority of fans confused. Why would a character so well ingrained in the plot be offed so abruptly?

Showrunner Martin Gero ended the speculation once and for all during an interview with TVLine, citing a straightforward reason, saying,

"There was a 20% chance that we could have used him in Season 2, but as we started talking and had more concrete discussions about Season 2, we realized it didn’t make sense for him to continue in the early part of Season 2."

He added,

"We wanted to let him know as soon as possible so that he could do a pilot, and it just worked out amazingly well. NBC is crazy about him, we’re crazy about him."

Oscar had served his narrative purpose. While unexpected to viewers, his departure wasn't due to actor drama, contract negotiations, or ratings issues. Instead, it was a question of story structure. As per TVLine,

"Well, we’re a show that likes killing people. [Laughs] The show has mortal jeopardy in it every week."

Gero said, explaining that the series needed to break away from the Phase One conspiracy and the emotional backstory of Jane's past that was lost.

Oscar's utility declined as Jane's life progressed

Oscar was hired as a key component to Jane Doe's equation. As one of the members of the secret team who wiped her memory and branded her with cryptic symbols, he was one of the original hooks that launched Blindspot. Beyond that, he was her former boyfriend, the only one who claimed to know the real her. Early on, this put him in the middle of the show's central questions—Who is Jane Doe? Why was she stalked? And who was responsible?

But as those questions started getting answered and the series was beginning to tackle more extended storylines—like corruption in government bureaus and multi-layered criminal conspiracies—Oscar's part started to shrink. His show was shifting into higher gear. As Gero said to TVLine,

"Every week, they barely survive, and if you don’t kill people, those stakes diminish."

Keeping him around would've meant altering the plot just to fit him in, and the writers weren't up for that. Blindspot loved being down-to-earth (even with its lofty concept), and stretching Oscar's arc past its organic conclusion would've undermined that.

No real-life drama factored into the choice

Speculation ran rampant on the web following Oscar's death. The decision to kill Oscar off, according to the showrunner Gero, was a creative one.

François Arnaud was said to have been in the know about what direction his character was taking and had a feeling about where the writers were headed. In some way, Oscar was never meant to be a long-term fixture. He was created to do a single, time-bound task—and when that was done, his exit was both logical and neatly executed.

Oscar's death heightened tension and reversed the momentum

Oscar's sudden death in Season 1 was not just a farewell to a character, but an intentional story decision. To off him kill released Jane from the final personal tie she retained from her pre-FBI life and reminded us that Blindspot was not afraid to be bold. His demise ended up finishing the book on Jane's original origin story and opened the door for newer, less emotionally invested storylines to start.

If Oscar had stayed, Jane's emotional baggage from her past would have still stumped her. By killing him, Jane was forced to confront her own identity independently of the safety of someone who declared to know her. It gave writers more leeway to develop their autonomy and forge new dynamics, interactions, and moral choices that were not subject to Oscar interpreting her existence.

François Arnaud continued as Blindspot progressed

Following his departure, François Arnaud was still successful in TV and film, landing a part in other prominent projects. His stint on Blindspot, however limited in screen time, made an impact, particularly concerning how it impacted Jane's early establishment and emotional condition. He played the role of a man torn between duty and love, manipulation and protection, leaving audiences questioning whether or not he was to be trusted.

Whereas Blindspot used Oscar's death as a turning point. With the chapter closed on that, the show then began focusing on newer villains and relationships. It focused its attention on Jane's role shift in the FBI, the unfolding tattoo mystery, and the darker groups that were trying to control them. Killing Oscar was a step taken to give Jane room to grow into her new self—a woman no longer bound by the past, but forging her own path in an unknown now.

As time went on, Oscar's exit from Blindspot was a writing decision and not because of off-camera problems. Martin Gero and the writers realized that having the show remain new meant knowing when to let go of particular characters, no matter how big they were in prior storylines. Oscar's part was big but small, and his death helped move the story forward rather than stabilize it.

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It's always difficult for viewers to lose a character that seemed like a part of the story, but Blindspot rationalized. No melodrama, no hype—just a choice that chimed with the evolving tone of the show. And for a crime thriller built on twists, secrets, and identity transformations, Oscar's death was just along for the ride.

Also read: Blindspot: Exploring key details about Jane Doe's character arc in the hit NBC drama

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