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The Blacklist - Episode 1.19 - The Pavlovich Brothers (No. 119 - 122) - Review

Apr 24, 2014

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"I had a dream last night
And when I opened my eyes
Your shoulder blade, your spine
Were shorelines in the moon light
New worlds for the weary
New lands for the living
I could make it if I tried
I closed my eyes I kept on swimming"
- Change Of Time - John Ritter


I've often said that this show contains the perfect harmony between "crime-of-the-week" and a serialized format, which is one of the reasons, I believe, The Blacklist is so popular. Each week there is a new villain from the blacklist given to the FBI by Reddington and sprinkled onto and around that story is the mythology surrounding Liz, and why she is so important to the leading men in her life. The Blacklist is now in the home stretch of its inaugural first season and each subsequent episode will most likely raise pertinent questions for the much anticipated season finale on May 12th. Only two episodes remain until the finale and last Monday's episode was sort of a set up for the final lap. The cliffhanger at the end is something everyone will be talking and writing about until next Monday night and the speculation as to what Liz pulled out of that orange envelope has a wide range of possibilities.


The Pavlovich Brothers are the blacklisters this week, occupying numbers 119 to 122. Apparently, we have seen them before in episode number one aiding the first blacklister we saw, Ranko Zamani, kidnap the daughter of General Daniel Ryker. The Pavlovich Brothers specialize in abductions of high value targets, something that is a great asset in the world of espionage. In this occurrence, they are tasked with abducting Xao Ping Li, a woman involved in a chemical weapons project known as White Fog. The brothers manage to intercept Li from the people trying to get her to a safe location and take her to one of their hideouts. Once there and knowing that she will be transported by boat, Li manages to scribble a formula (buoyancy) on the wall, hoping that someone will be able to decipher what she is trying to tell them. Red, as usual, leads Liz to find the answer and she and the team figure out where the hideout is located. When they arrive Ressler immediately sees the writing on the wall left by Li (a little too easy if you ask me), but the brothers have already left with Li in tow. Aram brilliantly decodes the formula to mean that Li will be traveling by sea and with the aid of Red, once again, the team manages to find the brothers and kill them in the ensuing shootout, securing the safety of Xao Ping Li.

I'll admit the 'criminal-of-the-week' portion of this episode was not the most thrilling we've seen, but it was necessary to show us the brothers capabilities when it came time to the serialized part of the story. There are not many times when the differing parts of each episode bleed through, but this worked seamlessly when Red needed the Pavlovich's help securing Tom for Liz when he fled. Which brings us to the other story of the episode where Tom discovers that Liz knows his secret and needs to get out of town. Red is just as interested in getting to the bottom of who Tom is and what his motivations are as Liz and does all he can to get him back for her. Well, maybe Liz is a little more interested than Red.


Tom, sensing that Liz is onto him, left the apartment and called his "handlers" for an extraction, stating, "Mockingbird knows. Requesting immediate evac. She knows". Liz tries to make sense of it by speaking with Red, conveying her feelings to him and letting him know that she is through being patient and will get to Tom with or without his aid. Liz is acting very impatiently, but I suppose, given what has just transpired in her marriage, she has every right to be. Red helps her nonetheless, and him and Dembe go looking for Tom. This is where the Pavlovich Brothers come into play. Red has had ordinary looking citizens follow Tom and one finds out where his evacuation team has been holding him. To get to Tom, Red employs the brothers to kidnap him and the following chase scene (in the Mustang that Tom Ryan Eggold now advertises for, lol) was well executed and fun to watch. They bring Tom back to Liz's apartment, handcuffed and tied to a chair. I'm thinking this is the same chair that Tom was tied to in episode one when Zamani came in and stabbed Tom before Liz walked in to see. This time it was Tom that was doing the stabbing; he stabbed Liz right through the heart with the story he told of the first time he felt sorry for her. Not cool Tom, not cool. It was the moment he knew that he had her and his mission would be a piece of cake. Although she was dealt a significant emotional blow, Liz was determined to get answers, but apparently she never learned enough about torture from the FBI and broke Tom's thumb, hastening his escape from the cuffs. Liz and Tom get into a brawl, but Tom overpowers her in the end and forces Liz to handcuff herself to the banister. Before he leaves, for the last time, he informs Liz that his job was never to hurt her and that Red is not who she thinks he is and he can prove it (Here we go again). Tom says he knew that Liz found the key under the lamp and implies that if she takes it to the security box (No. 3929 in the Radford Bank) at the bank she will get her proof that Red is not who she thinks he is.


The episode ends on the cliffhanger of that very scene. Liz opens the security deposit box and inside is a large orange envelope with the same symbol that is on Tom's spy box as well as the scar that Liz has on her wrist. We can only guess at what is in the envelope until we find out for sure next Monday night. So, I am asking that everyone comment below with your guesses so we can see how close we get. Overall, I thought the episode was ok. Ryan Eggold is doing a fantastic job as Tom and his scenes are some of my favorites. I think I laughed at every scene Red was in also, as usual. It was definitely one of the weaker episodes and The Blacklist does not have many of those. The car chase scene was, by far, my favorite part and it was executed very well. There are only three episodes left this season and I'm pretty sure we will get at least one filler episode and my guess is that it will be next Monday nights, but The Blacklist is such an incredible show that it will still be extraordinary. There is still much we do not know and I think the writers prefer it that way for the two part season finale where we will hopefully get our fill of answers; and with the title of each being "Berlin", I think that is exactly what we will get.


Thoughts and Discussion

- Did you notice...the line Red says to the package drop-off guy - "We want to make sure we know where to reach you, Geoffrey P. Seevers." His initials are GPS.

- Who does Seevers work for? Who hired him? Is it "Berlin"?

- I laughed the most when Red was asking about Tracy Woods, with the leather vest, and the mustache. Lol. Well, that and anything Aram says.

- Where will Tom go? Is he right about Red? Maybe this is just another twist by the writers and Tom is really a good guy and Red is the bad guy?

- When did Liz and Tom get a dog?

- What was in the envelope that Liz opened at the end? Is there any significance to the envelope having an orange color? Does the logo belong to Berlin? Does anyone else think that the logo looks like a fox with a crown on its head walking upright?...no?...just me?





Thank you for checking out my Review! Please comment below so we can discuss the episode further! And don't forget I am still compiling a list of unanswered questions to post the week before the finale so we can have everything in one place, so please post any questions you think is relevant and I will add it.

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.

39 comments:

  1. From my memory, Tom and Liz got a dog in the very first episode. The dog's name is Joseph and he woke up Liz and Tom after they overslept. I was wondering the same question until my great memory came back to me.


    You wrote an awesome review of the overall episode. Now, I can't decide if Tom Keen is the good guy just doing is job or if he is really still the bad guy. I can't believe we have to wait 3 more days! The next episode looks even more intense as Liz gets mad at Reddington based on the promos. This was one of my favorite episodes!!! You writing the reviews for this wonderful show gets me even more excited for future episodes of The Blacklist!

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  2. Another great review George!


    As for what's in the envelope. Her real birth certificate? or some photos incriminating Tom?


    Can't wait to find out though!

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  3. Thanks Ben! I appreciate that!


    And you are absolutely right about the dog, how did I forget that, lol, it's even in my notes from the first episode?


    I am still on the fence about Tom. I don't know if he is a good guy or a bad guy. Maybe the answer is not that simple. Even if his actions are altruistic, he is still a jerk the way he handled getting caught. That story he told Liz about her drawing a heart in the dust on his shoe must have killed Liz inside. I thought he was going to finish that story with "...that's when I knew I fell in love with you...", but then he said thats when he felt sorry for her. Wow...I'm surprised she didn't punch him in the face right there, Lol.


    Thanks for the kind words Ben. Glad you enjoy the show and my reviews.

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  4. Thank You!


    I like that thought...her real birth certificate. That is a very good guess. I was thinking that because Tom was there the day Red went to see Sam in the hospital that maybe Tom has a photo of Red smothering Sam with the pillow.

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  5. Another great job George! Thank you!


    As for the package, I am going to guess it has photos of Red smothering Liz's adoptive father. But that's just my guess at this point.

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  6. Thank You!


    I think that is a very good guess. I was thinking the same thing. Another good guess is from the commenter below...her real birth certificate.

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  7. Great review again!

    I might be wrong, but in the first episode, Liz and Tom had a bigger dog.

    My guess about the envelope is, that there is a picture or something else, which proves Red killed Liz's father.
    About Tom, I hope, it turns out he is a good guy, but working for bad men, and when he figures out that, he could change side, and become an ally to Liz and Red. What a great trio would be Red, Liz and Tom!!!

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  8. Thank You so much!


    And you are absolutely right! I just went back and looked at the scene in the first episode and THAT dog is much bigger than the one from this past Monday night. I know it's not a big deal, but it was bugging me, lol.


    That would be nice about Tom, but I don't think Liz will ever accept him back into her life after what he has done, do you?

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  9. Personaly I don't like that pic but I hope it all ends well for first season.

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  10. When the episode ended, I was shouting 'NO!!!' at the screen for it ending there. I. HATE. CLIFFHANGERS.

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  11. Lol, I know the feeling. Since LOST ended I have grown to like cliffhangers. That could have been much worse if that was the season finale, lol.

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  12. Whoa, I just noticed the gun in Red's hand. I don't like that pick either.

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  13. I'm on season 5 of LOST. The weirdness of it all makes me enjoy the idea that the episode is ending lol. I have watched 6 episodes of TV this week. Crisis I couldn't care less about. Blacklist, Tomorrow People, Following and The 100 all ended on cliffhangers. Arrow ended on a 'you can breathe' moment. I've had enough of cliffhangers.

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  14. Lol, thats funny.


    And I agree with you on Crisis.

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  15. How are you enjoying LOST? Lost was one of my favourite shows.

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  16. Seasons 1-4 were very good. Watched up until LaFleur in 5 and it's very weird. And I'm a little annoyed that virtually everything that has happened in the season has been ignoring the "If it didn't happen, it can't happen" thing that Dan (I think, I forget) stressed when they first time jumped.

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  17. Yes it does go a little strange. I loved s1-s2.

    You've got some great episodes in Season 5 to go.

    I envy you watching it for the first time. I wish I could erase my memory and watch it from the beginning again!

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  18. Now that the time jumps have stopped (I hope, but don't tell me otherwise) it might become a little better.

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  19. I thought the same thing about the logo when I saw it! XD

    Well I thought it looked like a bear since the Berlin coat of arms has a bear in it.. Berlin group... bear logo... Makes sense to me.

    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Coat_of_arms_of_Berlin.svg/450px-Coat_of_arms_of_Berlin.svg.png

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  20. Season 5 of LOST is my favorite season of Television ever.

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  21. That is Awesome!!! Great job finding that! Now thats all I will be able to think about when I see the symbol, lol.

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  22. Only one word is inaccurate for me there. Change LOST to 24.

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  23. I didn't remember the dog at all, and I also wondered where it came from.

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  24. I am assuming it is a picture of Red killing her "dad" since Tom was at the hospital that day. I don't think Tom is a good guy, but I think he THINKS he is.

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  25. Very good point. He thinks he is a good guy.

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  26. It's funny I only think the dog was in the first episode, and THAT dog was twice the size as the last one we saw.

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  27. Ahhh you're brilliant!!! I was thinking maybe it's the silhouette of a country or something, but I didn't think of a coat of arms! Great find :)

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  28. Is Ryan Eggold seriously advertising Mustangs in real life?? That's hilarious!

    Great catch!!
    -" I'm thinking this is the same chair that Tom was tied to in episode one"

    -"We want to make sure we know where to reach you, Geoffrey P. Seevers." His initials are GPS."

    I liked this episode a lot. It was pretty heartbreaking though, specially when LIz is sitting on the sofa, and is hugging herself, trying to hold her crumbling world together and failing miserably. You're right though, the whole Chinese scientist thing was pretty boring. I loved the scenes where the Pavlovich brothers caught and delivered Tom"A gift from Mr Reddington" LIz's face was the best. I felt kind of bad when they died...They were efficient :)

    To date, the only episode I've disliked is 'The Judge" They wasted that episode on Cooper! They could have done way cooler things with Dianne Wiest; she was brilliant!

    I remembered the dog :) His name is Hudson I think. Hmm as for the envelope...I don't think they'll give us a birth certificate or anything yet, because that will be too big an answer lol. I definitely think it's pictures of Red killing Liz's father or something like that.


    Also, I want to know why no one on the show has pointed out that Liz's scar matches the box...and now envelope!!!!

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  29. Thank you!


    Lol, I thought the same thing about Ryan Eggold advertising for Mustangs. It was funny.


    I loved that scene when Liz came home and the brothers were in their while Tom was handcuffed to the chair. I thought to myself that Liz is walking a thin line between right and wrong. Don't you think? 1) She had the bro's in her house, but lets them go. 2) She knows for certain Tom, her !husband!, is a murdering double-agent and does not report it to the FBI. 3) She is lying more and more to her FBI Team to 'take care' of certain matters.


    Oh, and the dog situation is funny, I think, Lol. It's irrelevant, but fun to talk about at the same time. Another commenter down below mentioned the dog's name is Joseph. I noticed the fact that the dog was twice the size as it was in episode one.


    And VERY good point about Liz's scar! I hadn't thought about that yet. It's clear her scar matches the symbol on the envelope and Tom's spy box, but most importantly the spy box belonging to Gina Zanetakos. The Team should have pieced that together.

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  30. that is a possibility. that would be a clincher for Liz for sure.

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  31. It's a tough situation! But I like this kickass Liz. It's like Megan Boone has said in the Kingmaker interview: Liz is done with people pushing her around . I think at this point, all she cared about was getting answers from Tom. FBI protocol or not . Good thing the brothers got dealt with though, or Liz may have had a lot of explaining to do! I like how Ressler is covering for her... Sort of . I hope she goes to him for help.

    It's been bugging me for a long time! Everyone's ignoring the scar! There must be some awesome secret behind it. Maybe Liz is sitting on it though, keeping it to herself like the whole Tom thing. And no one else has noticed because it's on her palm. Red must know though . He's seen her scar, and he's probably seen the box too right?

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  32. I'm still not ruling out it being a silhouette of an island or region or country etc...
    But the Berlin Bear is kinda similar and that would be fun if I guessed it well before their reveal! XD

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  33. They've had Hudson the dog, since episode 1 LOL

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  34. Red has definitely seen the scar...he mentioned it in episode 1 when he first talks to Liz. As far as if he has ever seen the symbol on the spy box, I have no idea. I'm guessing he knows of it and probably what it represents or who its for. But I don't remember him saying anything about Liz's scar after Episode 1.

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  35. That would definitely explain why Liz is so upset with him in the previews for the next episode.

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  36. No they haven't... Hmm if we don't find out more in the next few episodes, at least we know we've got season 2 :D. Don't know how well survive the summer hiatus though!

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  37. Lol, it's gonna be a long summer.

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  38. also, Liz already knows that he does f*d up things. It is on TONITE, we shall find out!

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