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POLL : What did you think of The Blacklist - Pilot?

Sep 24, 2013

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36 comments:

  1. RevolutionFansSeptember 24, 2013 at 4:02 AM

    Will most definitely watch next week.

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  2. patriotfallSeptember 24, 2013 at 4:21 AM

    Hmmm, I wonder why Elizabeth's husband has all those passports and money hidden in his house? That was definitely intriguing. Looks like we are in for a ride this season!

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  3. Aleana HarrisSeptember 24, 2013 at 4:22 AM

    Love it going watch this show every monday along with Castle

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  4. DarqueModeSeptember 24, 2013 at 4:23 AM

    I really liked the promos for this, but thought they gave away too move plot of the pilot episode. However after watching the pilot I can say that, while the promos gave a lot away, I was still entertained and surprised by some things!


    I thought the pilot was a lot of fun.
    Spader is brilliant at being charming and maniacal at the same time and this show should highlight that every week. Some of the other roles need to be fleshed out more if they are to become anything more than 2-dimensional cardboard cutouts. It's a pilot... It's early.


    Like any fast action spy series, some of the events transpired in a contrived manner. However the show managed to be entertaining for me and I can see that continuing week after week if they do not fall into cliche traps every week.


    ETA:
    I loved seeing Charles Baker (Skinny Pete from BreakingBad) in the episode! Barely recognized him, but he was the Hospital lab tech that aided in Red's escape from the hospital. Elizabeth saw him i nthe elevator for a brief second! XD
    Too fun!

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  5. DarqueModeSeptember 24, 2013 at 4:25 AM

    ETA:

    I loved seeing Charles Baker (Skinny Pete from Breaking Bad) in the episode!


    Barely recognized him, but he was the Hospital lab tech that aided in Red's escape from the hospital. Elizabeth saw him i nthe elevator for a brief second! XD

    Too fun!

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  6. Play2254September 24, 2013 at 4:29 AM

    Yeah i can put this on my list. That was pretty cool.

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  7. JimmySeptember 24, 2013 at 5:02 AM

    The creators have set the bar extremely high in terms of fast paced, high stakes drama. The acting was excellent, some special effects were a little overdone but that's a typical pilot. Looks like an excellent series, and I'll be watching every week

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  8. Erin KilgourSeptember 24, 2013 at 5:19 AM

    This was great! James Spader played it to a tee and I was intrigued by the plot. Red orchestrating the attack on Keen's husband so she would find the go box of cash and passports has be hooked and wanting more!

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  9. magnutudeSeptember 24, 2013 at 6:09 AM

    pretty good ep that was all intro and set up, but wasn't exactly blown away... Spader was awesome in all his quirkiness, but I'm not fully convinced by the Elizabeth character as yet. Definitely intrigued enough for a few more eps. Looking good for this show in a totally crowded night... thank goodness for dvrs and online

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  10. Eric PharandSeptember 24, 2013 at 8:25 AM

    Very poor.

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  11. NiceGuyVanSeptember 24, 2013 at 8:43 AM

    loved it/

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  12. TechDevilSeptember 24, 2013 at 9:45 AM

    Entertaining, but my God, so many plot holes! I want to mention the most disturbing ones:
    1. The most wanted man in the world surrenders to the FBI, and nobody notices him walk into the headquarters with dozens of police around him before a computer does?
    2. The FBI sends the woman on the mission to protect the girl, even though it's a huge risk to her life. The most wanted man in the world says he will only talk to her, why would they risk that? Made no sense. Wouldn't it be better for her to stay with him and learn more, instead of jetting off and possibly dying? Had she died, the FBI would only have themselves to thank.
    3. When the shooting started, why did nobody call for backup? There should have been multiple squad units, policeboats and helicopters in the air around them by the time the enemies were fleeing.
    4. We would all love nothing more than to walk around the FBI office, hanging photos in different places and teaching them stuff. We can't do that, so why the fuck would the world's biggest criminal be allowed to do it, only having his hands tied and a few agents around him? He should've been seated in that chamber all along, not walking around like he was a teacher.


    I'm not sure how long I can keep watching if this continues, but I will probably watch next week to see.

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  13. DarqueModeSeptember 24, 2013 at 11:27 AM

    I understand and agree to an extant...
    I had similar feelings for the Person of Interest pilot, but the entertainment value outweighed the level of improbability and plot holes. I till enjoy PoI despite it's lack of realism.


    I feel similarly about The Blacklist. Definite plot holes and logic flaws as well as some contrived scenes, but I was still entertained.


    At some point some shows cross the line for me and the entertainment value does not compensate for the logic flaws anymore, but others just amuse no matter how ridiculous they get... Wait and see where The Blacklist goes I guess, but so far I'm entertained.

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  14. TechDevilSeptember 24, 2013 at 11:31 AM

    You make a good point. I think I might hold on and wait for next week's episode before I make a final decision after all.

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  15. Milan PavicicSeptember 24, 2013 at 11:36 AM

    Very very good pilot! Interesting premise and an interesting show! Will definitely follow! Hope the remainder of the season keeps up on this high note.

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  16. LeonSeptember 24, 2013 at 3:34 PM

    1. I suppose he is the most wanted man, but also that he is the 'best' criminal around, meaning no (good) intel on him. Kinda logicically if you ask me, if the government had any info they would act on it. + He looked quit different from his most wanted pic and the cameras couldn't catch his whole face with his hat on. Not really a plot hole if you ask me.
    2. + 4. True, but how boring would it be if the 2 lead actors are pretty much stuck in the same places over the whole series. Yes you need to dispense some realism here, but otherwise almost every action movie/series will get quit boring fast.
    3. The whole thing took what? 1 minute? Max 3 if you stretch it? I don't live in the usa, but I find it very doubtful the FBI/police has that response time.

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  17. TechDevilSeptember 24, 2013 at 4:11 PM

    I kind of agree with your points to some degree.
    1. But this was the FBI headquarters, where were the agents that are supposed to be walking around, making sure nobody detonates a bomb outside the place? Not to mention, he just walked in, without any security detail. He could probably detonate a bomb down in the ground floor there and make the whole building collapse. But I'll let that one pass.
    2. + 4. Yeah, I know, it would be kind of boring. But for me, this series is about him giving them details and them acting on it. He doesn't need to have his own luxury hotel suite to give them info. In fact, isn't it "Obstruction of Justice" that he doesn't tell them anything unless they comply? That completely goes against logic. They could say that he would spend the rest of his life in a 50cm box for his crimes + obstruction of justice, unless he told them what they wanted to know. I would frankly be more impressed with the show if he had been seated in that chamber all series long, instead of walking around like he controls the damn place (he seemingly does too!)
    3. Response time from the base is one thing. Response time from units out driving is a completely different thing. Immediately once things started going south, they should have alerted someone. They could have put satellite imaging on the boats, after all, they weren't driving in tunnels, but in open air. So surveillance combined with units already out and about is something I really missed. It seemed way too easy. Not to mention, it's the damn life of the only person the criminal will speak to. I wouldn't have allowed her to leave the damn building after hearing that, I would literally force her to stay, and yet she is allowed to leave with only minimal coverage around her. (I was honestly hoping she would die just to see what the hell the FBI would do.)



    Basically, I think this is one show where action and suspense is the top priority. Logic isn't supposed to be fullfilled. If I am going to enjoy this show, I'll actually have to "forget" logic as we know it, and every time try to tell myself to just enjoy the story. But that's very difficult for me. While America loves NCIS, I can't handle the logic flaws in there either. So I guess whether I watch the following weeks or not will be determined by how big and how many other logical keypoints are flawed.

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  18. phnxgrlSeptember 24, 2013 at 5:03 PM

    I see Castle's reign as supreme at 10 on Monday will not be challenged by this show. This FBI agent is way too stupid! I mean the guy is a criminal but yet she is manipulated into taking not even Armored vehicles to where the Kidnapping was supposed to be? How stupid was that? Next she is not even suspecting anything at her house especially when she knew a career criminal would be angry his chemist was taken? It bothers me much that she is a target of his obsession.

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  19. Bradley AdamsSeptember 24, 2013 at 5:42 PM

    It was rather quite good. I enjoyed it. James Spader was the highlight of the episode. If he keeps up that level of brilliance throughout the season, this'll really take off.

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  20. ikoSeptember 24, 2013 at 7:51 PM

    too similar to the silent of the lamb...only reason I would continue watching is to learn more about the husband : \

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  21. Luana ArturiSeptember 24, 2013 at 11:52 PM

    I liked the plot so I checked it out anyways but I did not expect it to be that good. So glad to be wrong!

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  22. lsbloomSeptember 25, 2013 at 12:44 AM

    James Spader was so much fun. I just can't decide if the show is trying to be too smart or not smart enough. Making the FBI so dumb was frustrating, but all the buildup that Spader is running the whole show is intriguing if they can make it complex enough. It is certainly a nice rationale for plot-necessary coincidences--like the stamp/brochure. But her being aggressive when obviously the entire "class" has been set up to teach her annoys me a bit. I could do with Spader being the main character and not the chick.

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  23. lsbloomSeptember 25, 2013 at 12:52 AM

    Some of those aren't so much "plot holes" as "premise" and basic TV stuff. Like you can't have characters exposition from a seated position for minutes at a time, it is dull. Spader is orchestrating this whole thing to teach her and make her into someone, so he has to be able to do that. I'm sure the doors were locked and he isn't exactly physically threatening. He turned himself in, he doesn't want to escape, so there is little reason to go out of the preventing something he isn't trying to do.


    The show isn't about realism and police procedures, it's an absurd premise wrapped in a mystery. Some stuff you just have to take.

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  24. lsbloomSeptember 25, 2013 at 12:59 AM

    They can't prove that he's obstructing justice by not helping them catch criminals they don't even know to look for. There has to be an active investigation and then they'd have to prove that he knows something, which would be impossible. I'm pretty sure he's already on the books for life+ in prison, they can't threaten him with lesser charges than he is already wanted with. He's helping because he wants to, and there is nothing they can do but acquiesce to his demands, think witness protection deals.


    Him acting like he owned the place was displaying his arrogance and his superiority (which was definitely entertaining).


    So the people actively engages in a fire fight and dealing with chemical weapons to keep the little from getting kidnapped were supposed to stop and call for backup and they were supposed to take screen time from showing the girl, showing the bad guys helping Elizabeth, and other plot-defining moments to show us that? Assume they called for back up and in the 60 seconds it took them to crash the car, set off the fires and steal the kid, back up from local PD didn't arrive.

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  25. alperezSeptember 25, 2013 at 1:05 AM

    Thought it was an excellent beginning, Spader as usual was awesome and i'm looking forward to more of Red. Not too sold on any of the others just yet but there's enought there to keep me interested.


    As for the plotholes mentioned, well they're really not plotholes and they're easily explainable.


    1. No one's looking for Red outside or inside the FBI building, it's pretty much the last place they'd expect the most wanted to turn up. Plus the guy they are looking for is someone who looks so much different than the guy who shows up, the wanted poster on the wall shows the Red that dissappeared so many years ago and not the man who walks into the FBI building.


    We can also assume that the name isn't that well known either as even when he says it, it's not until it's enterested into the computer that any red flages are raised.


    We have a recent example of something similar with the Whitey Bulger arrest, despite living openly where he was caught for years it was only after yet another appeal that he was recognised (and he hadn't changed his appearance as much as Red's has changed). Infact apart from probably Osama there aren't many of the top 10 most wanted list that are really recognisable.


    2. The FBI aren't really calling the shots here, Red is, that much is made pretty clear by the fact he gets to speak to who he asks for, also Red say's he'll make her a star so that would suggest she would need to be heavily involved in more than just speaking to Red, she'd need to also be involved directly in capturing or foiling the plans of the terrorists.


    Now should the FBI have risked her, probably not, but not only aren't they really calling the shots, but at that point they're not even sure if what Red's saying is true,


    3. The events on the bridge happened in a place of the terrorists choosing, surely it makes sense that the reason they picked that place was because they'd figured out response times etc. otherwise they'd just have did it somewhere else.


    Plus the actual thing took less than a few minutes during which the FBI were basically fighting for their lives, yes they're training could kick in and backup could be called, but considering it looked like only 2 people survived both who couldn't call backup because of the sitution, then i'm not really sure who could have called it in.


    4. Red wasn't exactly given free reign, he had access to a certain area and was under guard all the time, while in that are he moved some photos around and made some comments regarding the case. It wasn't like he sat down at computer or a phone or started putting files in his pocket.


    Lastly the point about the escape, he did have help and it can imo be summised that he set the whole situation in motion thereby making it that much easier for him to do so.


    It's been made clear that he knows both the agent in charage and to a much larger degree Elizabeth, it was also made clear that he arranged for the events at Elizabeths house to occur including what happened with her husband, so what was inferred by all this.


    Well pretty much that Knowing as much as he did about the people he's now involved with he could probably make a really informed guess about how they'd react to certain things. Knowing Elizabeth it follows that he would know how she'd react to what happened to her husband thereby allowing him to plan his escape at the hospital.

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  26. TechDevilSeptember 25, 2013 at 7:11 AM

    I realize that the scene was not supposed to be realistic. Because in reality, yes, they are supposed to have some sort of radio on them, which they could just use for 1-3 seconds to scream for assistance. But like I said, if not physical backup had been there, surveillance should have been. Satellite imaging, helicopters or radars, any sort of visual indication of where they were, should have been in place.

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  27. nobodySeptember 26, 2013 at 2:23 AM

    Excellent start to a new series! There were a few "leaps of disbelief", but nothing that has turned me off from watching the next episode. James Spader was great (as expected) and along with a good supporting cast can carry this series...........as long as the writing doesn't go all "Ham & Cheese" on us. Looking forward to the next episode. 4 A PLACE ON THE BLACKLIST, I am Nobody!!!

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  28. KwacenkaSeptember 26, 2013 at 6:51 PM

    I did not expect it to be so good. I liked it, it looks very promising.

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  29. laura3341September 26, 2013 at 10:24 PM

    I was pleasantly surprised by just how much i enjoyed this! I love James Spader,can't wait for next week!

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  30. XindiliniSeptember 29, 2013 at 6:50 AM

    It's OK. It's going to take a few more episodes for me to keep engaged.

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  31. starg8fansOctober 1, 2013 at 10:52 AM

    Only just caught the pilot, but I thought I'd jump in on the discussion anyway. Totally with you on the plot holes. I'd like to add the fact that a bunch of highly trained agents take the word of a guy with a stop sign to make them change their route. How frequent are chemical spills in the Washington area anyway that they did not consider this too much of a coincidence, or at leats called for confimation before turning around?
    I was about to give up on the show, but the cool and unexpected twist about Lizzie's husband being some kind of agent has my interest piqued enough to give it a few more eps before I make up my mind. Incidentally, the fact that they're sledgehammering the possibility that Red's interest in Lizzie is because she's his daughter gives me hope that it's a red herring. If they take this beyond clichéd route I'll quit for sure.

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  32. TechDevilOctober 1, 2013 at 2:02 PM

    Thanks for joining the discussion. I laughed at your note about the chemical spill, that was so spot-on! :D

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  33. starg8fansOctober 1, 2013 at 3:24 PM

    My pleasure - it was the first thing that crossed my mind. I saw the second episode in the meantime, and although I had another eye-roll moment (when nobody bothered to stop the lady from drinking a glass of champagne that had been clearly accessible) I liked the twists and turns well enough to stick with the show for now, mostly for the last 5 minutes when the routine baddie-of-the-week has been dealt with and they can concentrate on the ongoing mystery of Liz's husband. I was glad they thought of the (to me rather obvious) option 3 right before the end, with Liz using the ample resources available to her at the FBI to make her own inquiries while Tom is still unaware that she knows. Really enjoyed seeing Isabella Rosselini and Parminder Nagra too.

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  34. TechDevilOctober 1, 2013 at 4:14 PM

    I like action and surprises, and so I watched the 2nd episode with the lowest expectations of logic, but with high expectations of action. I gotta give the show credit - a collapsing train - that's something not a lot of other shows in their first seasons dare to do. So for me, I now watch The Blacklist solely for the action, and try not to concentrate on the numerous plot holes in the scenes. Feels like I'm a mindless idiot when I do that, but meh...

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  35. starg8fansOctober 1, 2013 at 10:44 PM

    Not at all. I'm a die hard scifi and fantasy fan, and suspension of disbelief comes with the territory. I guess watching a show in a realistic environment makes me so terribly picky about plot holes. I also thought the train wreck was awesome, and the promo for the next episode looks very promising as well where action and suspense are concerned. I'll try to copy your mindset.

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  36. omabinApril 8, 2014 at 3:56 AM

    What's about with the pilots blowing me away this year?! I did not expect to like this nearly as much as I did! It was so full of twists and turns and Elizabeth was awesome, I am instantly in love with her. If I have one minor remark to say, and probably was just me, was that I thought James Spader overdid it at times. But well, still very good. The challenge will be how to keep up with this on a weekly basis, I don't think it's doable and I think they will go for the procedural route but I have high hopes that they go the high procedural route (a la POI), with the occasional serialized episode blowing me away. I will follow, for sure, so much potential, and such a great episode! Go Elizabeth Sheen!

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