"There are good shipsAnd there are wood ships
The ships that sail the sea
The best ships are friendships
And may they always be."
Agent Cooper and Connolly toasting to Cooper getting in the medical trial
Last Thursday's episode of The Blacklist had been the lowest rated of the entire series with just under eight million viewers. Some might consider it one of the worst episodes, but I actually enjoyed it, especially with some of the mysterious things we saw Red doing at the end of the episode. The ratings for The Blacklist have been on a downward spiral since the end of Season One and I hope it picks up with only ten episodes remaining this season.
The blacklister this past Thursday was the Kenyon Family, a polygamist cult whose compound doubles as a storage facility for the criminal underground. When a cartel, criminal or villainous group needs to hide anything of value, they seek out the Kenyon Family, who place their goods in shipping containers spread throughout the compound. Our team has encountered more threatening blacklisters, but they were put in danger at many points throughout the episode. I enjoyed watching Navabi step up as an important part of the team as she helped defuse bombs and come in at just the right time to save Liz and Ressler from The Watchers.
To the tune of Bobby Darin's "Beyond The Sea", Red walked to the back of the car to retrieve a small, silver suitcase from the inside of the trunk. Just as the words to the song go, "It's far beyond the stars, it's near beyond the moon, I know beyond a doubt, my heart will lead me there soon", so too does Red's heart search for The Fulcrum; a search he will no doubt go to any lengths to retrieve. He will delve into Liz's subconscious to grab at a memory and feed the FBI what is basically a 'to-do list' of criminals for his ultimate goals. Red is the Devil we know. 'How far will he go' and 'where to' are the questions Season Two will hopefully try to answer.
Music from the Episode
- "Beyond the Sea" by Bobby Darin
Cooper is informed that he's been accepted into the medical trial; Dembe gives Red a phone number that he traced from the safe.
-"Down to the River to Pray" - (arr. Philip Lawson) Pacific Boychoir Academy & Kevin Fox
Navabi talks a boy down from detonating the bomb in the van; Ressler and Keen discover the murder scene in the Kenyons' church.
- The country the number belonged to is Russia, indicated by the "+7" country code. This adds more to the 'Russian' elements of Liz's past I wrote about before such as - Liz's name (which her younger self mentions in the fire flashbacks) is Masha, which is Russian in origin, and also the Russian lullaby playing during those same flashbacks.
- Did Ressler take the bottle of pain pills? I didn't think his addiction to controlled substances was still an issue, but he stared a long time at that bottle.
- We still don't know what medical condition Agent Cooper has been diagnosed with by his doctors. From the evidence we have, it appears to be terminal and the best bet would be cancer. Lets's hope this medical trial he has been accepted into works and he gets to stay on as director because I enjoy watching his character.
- Did you notice...There is a "Mustache Mug" on Glen's desk that reads "Mr. Right". Lol, I thought that was hilarious. I wonder who owns the "Mrs. Always Right" mustache mug?
- Did you notice...Red mentions Glen helped take down that "mobster in needles". I think Red is referring to Al Capone and his fear of needles. Al Capone was afraid of needles so much it caused his death. Rather than get an injection to cure him of his Syphilis he refused and died as a result.
- Who is on the other end of the phone call Red made to the number he found in Fitch's safe? Why does that phone number still work? Is he a friend or foe?
- Did you notice...When Liz is walking through the forest, right before she gets captured, she sees dolls and animals hanging from tree branches. One of those dolls looks like Steve Rogers (I could be wrong, but it looks just like one I had when I was a kid) with a missing leg. Steve Rogers is the name of Captain America - fitting, since 'The Watchers' want to take down the country.
- What was in the metal briefcase Red took from that Presidential vehicle's trunk? We don't know who the container belonged to or who's vehicle that is for that matter. Many of you speculated it was President Kennedy's vehicle the day he was assassinated, but I don't think we have enough information to go on.
- Did you notice...The painting, that Fitch's safe was behind, was a portrait of Juliette Récamier (if you've ever heard of a Recamier Sofa it was named after her) by François Pascal Simon, Baron Gérard, in 1802. The interesting part is that she was engaged to be married to Jacques-Rose Récamier. A rumor arose that he was her natural father who married her to make her his heir. It is still unknown whether or not he is her natural father or not, but the marriage was never consummated. Also, they were married when she was only 15, which mirrors what the Kenyon family was doing to underage girls.
Thank you for checking out my review! Please comment below so we can discuss the episode and the series some more. Have a great week everyone!
Great review! I always look forward to them!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this episode better than the last one. I thought it was fun, and I enjoyed the scene in the car at the end with Dembe and the montage of go down to the river and pray in the middle. But, to be honest, I didn't care much about the Blacklist story overall. Like you, I found the best part to be the B storyline with Red and Glen. I often find the B storyline with Red to be the most interesting. I find that my enjoyment of episodes goes up exponentially the more time Spader has on the screen which is probably why the Anslo Garrick two parter was so awesome. ;-)
The ratings have been slipping live for The Blacklist, but they seem to be doing ok with the DVR watches. I think they NEED to pick up the pace of the story a little bit to compete against scandal on Thursday though. They have a tendency to drag out the mysteries or build them up so hugely that they are moot when they are actually revealed/answered. We knew Tom was behind the door. We knew Tom was a bad guy. We knew Zoe wasn't really "Jennifer." Red's daughter etc. Heck, a lot of people even guessed that something was in the stuffed bunny. They do much better at smaller reveals like Tom and Red having a history together etc. In my opinion, they need to reveal a piece of the Liz/Red back story satisfactorily and move on/replace it with something else. I just don't see it as a long term "mystery" for the show since they have hit it so hard already in the first two years.
I think they need to develop Ressler and the post office gang more. Ressler was supposed to be this awesome FBI agent that got to chase down Reddington, but he never seems to be in the lead on the cases/in the field. He has to be good for more than getting captured. I enjoyed him in Mako Tanada. They should use him more.
Also, while I think it is natural for Liz to be "mad" at Red, they need to do something different. Every few episodes she is saying it is just business and she is done. haha.. They need to make them have a real conversation or something. I know many people like her acting/character, but I find her more interesting when she is reluctant partners with Red/in a daughter position to him (real or not). She is supposed to be the hero, and we are supposed to sympathize, but the way they are writing her/the way maybe Spader is making Red so sympathetic is making it hard to care. #maybeIjustdon'tlikeMeganBoone
;-)
I agree with much of this. I definitely think there is a Russian connection to Red, and I have long believed there are two families going on.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ashley! I really appreciate the kind words!
ReplyDeleteyou stated it very well when you said this:
"I just don't see it as a long term "mystery" for the show since they have hit it so hard already in the first two years." I think the writers need to recognize the elements of the show that we, the audience, already have a grasp of and move on. I think they reiterate some of these points for new audience members to catch up, which is fine with most fans, but I wish they wouldn't dwell on the subject or make it out to be a huge ordeal like you stated. Very well put Ashley.
And you took the words right out of my mouth when you wrote this about Liz:
"She is supposed to be the hero, and we are supposed to sympathize, but the way they are writing her/the way maybe Spader is making Red so sympathetic is making it hard to care." I want them to have a big drawn out conversation - something I think is long overdue. I want her to be the hero she is supposed to be. I love the scenes between her and Red, especially when they work together.
Great points Ashley! Thank you!
Fitch was the US guy, There is a Chinese lady and a German lady and I would presume rep from each country but Red seems odd in how connected he was to both the US Navy ("No Way Out") and the ex soviet Union. As those are the two major arms manufacturers and Red came to power dealing in secrets and warfare it makes sense he did so with the syndicate behind him if only out of fear of him telling on them all.
ReplyDeleteIt is not two families but he does rep one group and there needs to be a reason for him to take the fulcrum and so far the only one that makes sense is he was about to be made an admiral in the pentagon and that scared Fitch and other members.
Very good points! Its definitely possible that Red has two families. Red did say in the pilot that Liz;s mom died of shame. However, Jennifer could play an integral role in the series and we will possibly meet her before this season is up or at least in season three.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think you mean Sam instead of Scott?? Sam is who Red gave Liz to raise.
That is a very interesting theory that you have. Very cool and I like every part of it.
Thinking any child of Red is a fulcrum against him so Jennifer most likely is a twist yet to be seen like in she hates him for what he did to the family and Carla, abandonment issues galore.
ReplyDeleteSam's last name is Scott as was Liz before she married Tom and became Keen. I use first and last names interchangeably.
And yes, the theory could be wrong, but the song is about some where beyond the sea Red's love is waiting for he. And it would tie well into the theory that car being the Kennedy Limo which is doubtful but creative as as implies that the Kennedy assassination happened with help from the syndicate. It is a convertible which was the thing about that limo but there was a bullet proof glass top they did not use in Dallas. and it also had a spare tire prominent on the rear of the car which this car does not. With all the remodeling of the car it looks nothing like the one shown, no emblem on the door, the roof is now solid and bullet proof, the flags are larger, it has a new A/C and it appears to be in the Form Museum in Deerborn Michigan. The thing about a Presidential limo is they all have a football in them as in there are multiple limos and the president is always to be equipped with a football in case of attack. There is also a football on his helicopters and air force one. One might think that like the Factory the foot ball give one access to black files and perhaps the fulcrum, if it is still in the government mainframe. That was the reason for the Factory episode, unfettered access to secure files.
Oh and the meat of this theory comes from a story idea offered up years before the show began about using the military and the a group to rule the economies in many countries, but the catch is no one person in the group would ever rise to the level to control or threaten the whole of the group. Ray was such a man, in line to be in charge of the US Military and set policies that could change the Balance of things. It was more of a Romance tale so thinking the wife will be a big twist in series as their marriage gave them even more power as she too was connected to the syndicate. The second marriage covers the truth of their relationship. Of course this is an adaptation so no telling what they want to do with the framework.
Good episode.
ReplyDeleteYes that is right, I apologize for not thinking you were using the last name.
ReplyDeleteYour theories are great, btw. I really enjoy reading them and your comments...Thank you.
Thanks, the only reason to watch a who done it type show is to guess and i have many arcs running through my mind and loads of senseless information, some historical
ReplyDeleteWell, you have done a great job!
ReplyDeleteLowest rated??? Downward spiral!! Renewal or not, you're scaring me :O
ReplyDeleteDon't understand the hate for this episode. It was a different style, very horror movie-like, but I really enjoyed it. Even though I'm not too hot on the horror genre. My favourite scene was with the Down to the River music, when they started the raid. And yes, totally loved the extra Navabi in this!!
I was wondering about Ressler too... I guess we'll see. Nice work with the painting research! I didn't catch the President reference, but poor JFk always makes me sad :(
I feel like a dud, because I completely lost track of what happened in the last few minutes of the episode! Was the boy in the tree aiming for Liz or David?? Was he the same boy with the scar who stroked Liz's cheek?
Sorry, I don't mean to scare you, Lol...I was stating that The Blacklist has been going down in the ratings lately and no fan ever wants that. You want you're shows to excel at every level so the complete story can get told. I'm sure it's just the show settling in to its new time-slot.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the episode. It wasn't my favorite, but it was good.
I think he was aiming for the kid in the driver seat because David was too chicken to go through with it, going against what he was preaching, right?
I hope so! THe post super bowl ratings had me so happy hehe
ReplyDeleteThat makes sense. I really liked that crucible thing, it was a fun episode.