The Blacklist - Ep 1.12 - The Alchemist - Review

"I'd call you now to tell you I'm thinking of you
But it does me no good when the phone is just blocking my view
And I would sail back to you...And I would sail back to you
And I would come back and admit that it wasn't your fault
But I'm tired and unwilling to be the only one who was wrong"
- Damien Jurado, Everything Trying

Each week and with each episode of The Blacklist I try to decipher what the writers are trying to tell us. Great shows always have deeper meanings conveyed to the audience via some device that makes the show that much better. For example LOST had its hidden treasures and Breaking Bad told a complete story using color palettes. Television shows sometimes use a mixture of different hidden plot elements to enrich the viewing experience. What I have noticed up to this point in The Blacklist is the music. The lyrics at the top of this page was selected from the song you heard playing at the end and besides being a great piece of music it also made the episode richer and feel more complete. Song selection in The Blacklist by the writers are just one more reason to tune in every week and love this show.

The villainous blacklister this week is Eric Trettel, The Alchemist. Essentially he is someone who protects the guilty by preying (read: killing) the innocent. A former med-school dropout, he forged his way into labs focusing on DNA transcription and the Human Genome Project to learn his trade. He helps people "disappear" but not in the same fashion as our Mr. Reddington does so well and with a little less murder. The Alchemist finds similar looking people to his clients, whether they be men or women, or the very young or old and not only kills them but transforms their bodies to be identical to them in every way. Whoever is looking for them thinks they are dead due to his unique talent. He uses tattoo artistry, saliva sampling, but best of all, DNA sampling to convince authorities performing tests that the deceased are in fact the people who The Alchemist is helping to disappear.

Red continued his search this week for the FBI mole by enlisting an entire squad of whistle-blowers (hinting that they used to work for a man named Julian, wink wink). I thought that was very funny. Red is determined to find out who betrayed him and after watching the killing spree he implemented last week I would not want be that person. They use all sorts of software equipment and one neat computer program they acquired pieced together shreds of paper back to their original form. I want that program by the way. I'm not involved in any criminal activities so don't be alarmed; I am just a little absent-minded sometimes and shred things without thinking that I wish I could get back. After some more quips about Julian, Reds' deciphering team unveils what they think is pertinent information and that is an understatement. On the screen in front of Red disassembled strips of previously shredded paper materializes to form what appears to be a government document. It was only up for an instant but you could catch a glimpse of "Meera M" as the author for a request of schematic----and that's all we see because the screen cuts the rest out. I'm sure it was schematic "blue-prints" being requested for the "Post Office". Meera requested the information on behalf of some criminal entity to give to Anslo Garrick, our blacklister from a few episodes back that kidnapped and tortured Red. Meera's motives for betraying Red is unknown and actually at that point of the episode I was still a little skeptical that Meera did anything wrong. Anything can happen when you think of the turns and twists the writers of The Blacklist pull on us.

Speaking of turns and twists, the B Story this week was all about our favorite couple, Liz and Tom. The writers were definitely playing games with us this week and Tom was at the center. There were at least 2 or 3 instances where the writing team wanted us to question Tom's loyalty and I believe those moments were deliberate by them to throw us off the scent and think he was the one that delivered Red's whereabouts to Garrick. The first moment was when Tom came back from his trip to Nebraska for his supposed job interview. He says to Liz he was in Nebraska but did not make it to the interview because he did not want to put her in a position of choosing between her career and him. I'll admit now I am a little more confused about Tom and whether or not he is a bad or good guy. In that scene I immediately thought of the last time we know of Tom going to an interview and how that turned out but all I kept thinking was "he's smart, he got to go where ever he needed to be and since he didn't attend the interview there is no one to contact to contradict his lie" (I don't actually talk like that in my head). Very cunning Mr. Keen, if that is your real name. Just kidding, I'm sure that's his real name and he could very well be telling the truth. I'm also sure we will not find out Tom's true nature until the Season Finale months from now. Tom brings up the notion of adopting a baby again with Liz and tells her flat out that she has too many secrets and reminds her that he has "none"...or does he, jk. Liz and Tom host their baby shower and that's where they meet Jolene who is later revealed to be a substitute teacher working at Tom's school. This is the second moment I thought the writers were trying to throw us a curve-ball when she had a file-folder with Tom Keen written on it. Jolene introduces herself during a Tom/Liz argument and Liz has to run off in the middle to go catch bad guys. This gives Jolene ample amount of time to flirt with Tom which is what I think she was doing. She invites Tom to take Liz to a photography exhibit with her and some friends. After cooking a romantic dinner for him and Liz and subsequently stood up by her Tom, visibly upset that him and his wife are drifting apart, takes Jolene up on her offer but attends the exhibit alone, much to Jolene's satisfaction.

The episode ends with Tom out with Jolene and company having a good time, and Ressler having dinner with Audrey apparently reconciling their relationship. We also see Red awaiting Meera in her apartment. When she enters he says "I trust you know why I'm here" to which she replies "You're here to kill me, because I'm the mole". dun dun dun. I am a little suspicious of what is the actual truth behind the whole matter because Red didn't kill her immediately so I'm sure there is something we don't know that we will hopefully discover in the weeks to come.

Overall, I thought this was a good episode with many deceiving plot elements I enjoy watching in The Blacklist. I like trying to figure out who people are siding with and their motivations and we received more clues in this episode. This also seems like an important episode moving forward as we try to figure out what will happen between our beloved Liz and Tom. I am positive he is going to be in a lot of trouble from Liz but not as much trouble as Meera is going to be in when that conversation between her and Red is revealed.

"I'll be sailing on your deep blue eyes..."
- Damien Jurado, Everything Trying

Thoughts & Questions

-When Red was in the Temple he was looking at a picture of a girl named Lucy Brooks. Who is she? Is Lucy Brooks her real name?

-Liz brought Red The Alchemists' list of clients that Aram found on Trettels' database. When Liz gave it to Red he rushed off after putting the list in his pocket. Is there someone on the list that Red needed to find? Like Liz asked, who is Red looking for? Is it Lucy Brooks? Could Lucy Brooks be on that list and Red needed the FBI to take The Alchemist down to find her? We know she is important to the story and I'm anxious to find out how she fits into the whole story.

-Was Tom really in Nebraska? All we know for sure is he watched Real Housewives that Liz saw on their Netflix account. He could have watched that anywhere.

-Did anyone else find it odd that Tom and Liz were hosting their own baby shower for a baby they don't even know they are going to adopt yet?

-Did anyone else notice that Jolene's eyes were blue like the the girl in the song that was playing at the end?...no?...I'm the only crazy guy?

-What is Red going to do with Meera?!?

-What did you guys think of the episode? What do you think will happen between Tom and Liz?

Thanks for reading everyone. Please comment below with your thoughts and/or questions!

About the Author - Geo N

My name is George and I am from Detroit, MI. My favorite shows are The Blacklist, Hell On Wheels, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, LOST, Sons Of Anarchy, Sleepy Hollow and countless other shows. When I'm not watching tons of TV, I enjoy reading, playing hockey, comic books, weightlifting, and writing. Thanks for checking out my post.