Mastodon Mastodon Mastodon Mastodon Mastodon The Blacklist - The Longevity Initiative (No. 97) - Review: "The Puppets"


    Enable Dark Mode!

  • What's HOT
  • Premiere Calendar
  • Ratings News
  • Movies
  • YouTube Channel
  • Submit Scoop
  • Contact Us
  • Search
  • Privacy Policy
Support SpoilerTV
SpoilerTV.com is now available ad-free to for all premium subscribers. Thank you for considering becoming a SpoilerTV premium member!

SpoilerTV - TV Spoilers

The Blacklist - The Longevity Initiative (No. 97) - Review: "The Puppets"

Mar 31, 2015

Share on Reddit
"I don't know who I am.
I don't know if this is my birthday.
I don't even know my own name.
No. I know who I am. I am the puppet of some high functioning sociopath.
I don't even know what I'm doing here."
- Liz to Ressler

Last Thursday's episode of The Blacklist, "The Longevity Initiative", detracted from the courtroom stories we have seen lately and offered up an intriguing blacklister reminiscent of some season one villains. Five episodes remain this season and I am guessing we will start to see more answers regarding The Fulcrum, and the Cabal that is after its contents. Now that Liz is safe from a murder trial the series can focus more on the overarching mythology as it heads into the season two finale.

The main character the Task Force was after this past week was Dr. Julian Powell, a scientist hired to conduct research on immortality on behalf of Roger Hobbs. Hobbs is a billionaire tech mogul whose fascination with life and immortality led him to create and fund The Longevity Initiative in the first place. Powell, however, had ulterior motives as he used the money given by Hobbs to fund his own research and returning his fiancé to the mental state she was in before her accident.

The above quote from Liz summarizes her involvement (and other pair-bonds as well) with Red concisely. She doesn't know who she really is and what her true mysterious origins are anymore. In the present, she is exactly as she stated, "...the puppet of some high functioning sociopath".
Red might not agree with this personal account, but witnessing everything from our point of view, it does appear that Red pulls the strings and all of his little marionettes move to his will. this would put Red into an almost God-like light and if any one character on The Blacklist could exhibit such tendencies it would be him.

Red is extremely meticulous in his endeavors. He is detailed to the point of perfection and even when we see him in a precarious position he still seems to own the upper-hand. I am not saying Red wants Liz to be his puppet purposely, but the actions he takes occasionally can be viewed as such. At times it appears completely coincidental and other times it looks as though he 'pulls back' just a little as we see that he truly care about Liz and is trying not to overstep. We can see him navigate this delicate balancing act with what he wants (The Fulcrum) and that which he genuinely and sincerely cares about (Liz).

In last Thursday's episode there were other such instances of 'puppet and master' that I noticed. Hobbs and Powell, of course, could be considered as master and puppet to some degree. Although Powell did corrupt his relationship with Hobbs causing his own demise, he still performed Hobbs' bidding to some degree. Little did Hobbs know that in the background Red is the real master manipulator.

The Major and Tom are another example of a master manipulating his pawn. Tom (or Jacob as The Major calls him) has been The Major's puppet since he was young and still runs to him when in need. It's almost as if Tom needed and required someone to instruct him on what needed to be done. This gives credence to the fact that Tom actually loves Liz because he betrayed his 'master', the man pulling the strings and acted as a father figure to him, in order to save Liz.

The Connolly/Cooper story line is one I enjoy watching unfold ever since Connolly helped Agent Cooper get into the med trial for his medical condition. Looking back, it was difficult to pinpoint the moment when the tides turned in favor of Connolly being the 'master' in the relationship, however, now it appears he definitely pulls Agent Cooper's strings. At one point I thought Agent Cooper would not bend or bow to Connolly's rogue tactics in getting what he wanted, but now it looks like Cooper has no choice in being the puppet in this relationship. It will be interesting to watch when this scenario comes to a head and to witness how Cooper will react when his morals and ethics are pushed to the extreme.

The best example of 'puppet and master' I gathered from the episode is that of Red and Roger Hobbs. We all know from past examples Red always has an 'angle' with his blacklister selections and this time was no different. Red was pulling Hobbs's strings from the very beginning and knows at one point he would need whatever Hobbs can offer in the future. It is why Red decided to help Hobbs out with Powell in the first place. It's as if Red is playing one giant chess match with the world; seeing twenty moves ahead as only a grandmaster can.

The episode, "The Longevity Initiative", was an exciting hour from The Blacklist. I enjoyed it as it reminded me of some of the better episodes from season one. I imagine more answers to the major mythology of the series are on the horizon as season two of The Blacklist winds down. There are still plenty of episodes and stories left to bring The Fulcrum and everything in its orbit back to the forefront of The Blacklist each week. We all know many questions remain and little by little we should see the answers to them revealed. Red wants The Fulcrum and we want to know exactly what it is, but as long as Red is pulling the strings we will just have to wait for all of the answers we seek.

Red's Quotes

- "Humans as a species are untrustworthy creatures. We don't deserve to live forever."
Red to Roger Hobbs

- "It's not easy being God"
Red to Roger Hobbs

- "I’m happy to discuss the day’s events, but not if you insist on doing so at this volume."
Red to Liz

Music from the Episode

- "Baby That's Not All" - Josh Ritter
Final Music Montage - Ressler & Liz share a birthday dinner; Red looks through old photographs of Liz; Tom burns his passport; The Major wants Tom found; Liz arrive home to find Tom waiting for her there.

Thoughts and Discussion

- Did you notice...The patient Julian Powell is experimenting on and tries to get to speak is patient #4. Red is number 4 on the FBI's Most Wanted List and the number 4 is hidden throughout many episodes of the series. Also, one of the bottom numbers in a game of Solitaire that is being played is "4".

- I enjoyed the final music montage last week. Ressler comforting Liz on her birthday was a great scene. As one commenter in the 'best scene poll' stated it was one of the few times lately we have actually witnessed Liz smile.

- Did you notice...In the scene where Tom and The Major were being tortured for information Tom is shown an ultrasound of the child him and Liz were planning on adopting during the events of season one. At the bottom of the ultrasound it reads, "Parents - Tom and Elizabeth Keen". I went back to the episode, "Madeline Pratt", where we first saw that ultrasound from season one and it did not have Tom and Liz's names on the bottom. Either Tom had a different copy or it's just a production error. I just wanted to mention it because some people think that this was their baby at one point, not understanding that it was the baby they wanted to adopt.

- Also from the final music montage, we know The Major is coming for Tom. Perhaps Red will come to Tom's rescue or maybe Liz will, we will have to wait and see. Whatever the situation is I am looking forward to see that storyline unfold.

- The best part of the final music montage was watching Red reflect over the pictures of Liz on her birthday throughout the years. I won't discuss whether or not he is her father or not (yet), but Red surely holds a special place in his heart for Liz; that much is certain.

- Aram has been making us laugh quite a bit lately. This latest episode he was hilarious when he admitted to eating one of Liz's birthday cupcakes, Lol.

- Did you notice...In one scene, after Red listens to Roger compare his initiative to the achievements of Jonas Salk and Louis Pasteur, Red gives his own example and likens him to 'Josef Mengele'. Josef Mengele was a German SS officer and physician in Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. He was notorious for the selection of victims to be killed in the gas chambers and for performing unscientific and often deadly human experiments on prisoners. After the war, he fled to South America, where he evaded capture for the rest of his life. Red knows his world history.

- With everything that has been going on with Liz, court and the Harbormaster's death it's easy to forget some of the storylines that get pushed back. For example, what happened to the Mystery Man Red was supposed to meet in the apartment, but instead went to make a deal with Aleko? We figure he was abducted from the apartment and left his cell phone (on purpose or not we do not know) so what happened? There was definitely a struggle with someones blood left over. How will Red get a hold of him now?

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!

About the Author - Geo N
Geo N is from Detroit, MI. His favorite shows include The Blacklist, Hell On Wheels, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, LOST, The Leftovers, The Strain, Sons Of Anarchy, Sleepy Hollow and countless others. When he's not watching tons of TV, he enjoys reading, playing hockey, comic books, weightlifting, and writing. Thanks for checking out my post.
Recent Reviews (All Reviews)

38 comments:

  1. Good episode.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the review - always fun to revisit the episodes through your reviews. I do have a question, though - Liz previously confessed to Red she has ( what she thinks is and is probably wrong about it being the actual thing) the Fulcrum and then nothing has been mentioned between them again about what she has, right ? Or did I miss a follow-up conversation between them on the subject ? I mean, did she give it to him or not after she told him ? Is that still dangling or did I mind blip out for the exchange ?

    ReplyDelete
  3. You did not miss anything, no. They have not spoken about since it was brought up between a few episodes ago. Then there was the episodes regarding Liz and the Harbormaster's death which put The Fulcrum on the back burner. Oh and there was also this episode last Thursday that delayed the conversation about it a little longer.


    My guess is that it will be brought up again at the end of this Thursday's episode (at the VERY end). Then I am not sure if they are taking a week off or not, but either way Episodes 19 to 22 will talk more about The Fulcrum as it will no doubt be the main topic of discussion heading into the season finale.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great review! I agree. Red is most definitely the puppet master of basically everyone. I almost think he is too in control. The might want to soften his omniscience just a little bit. Red knowing everyone in the world is as much of a trope on the show as Ressler getting kidnapped. I am curious about the "dark cloud" he sees building on the horizon. My guess is it will be all the fulcrum backlash coming to a head.
    I am still not a real fan of the Tom/Liz romance emphasis. I want to see Tom stick around as a sometimes good/sometimes bad "bad" guy, but I think there is no way to go back down the romance road with the way he was portrayed last season. A kiss in the preview for next week... really? haha

    ReplyDelete
  5. I hate the way this show sometimes drops some information (Liz's father
    being alive, Fitch asking Red to find Hobbs guy, etc.) and then forgets
    about it for the next 10-20 episodes.
    Anyway, from the sneak picks it looks like Liz is meeting with Red to return him Fulcrum in next ep.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Holy crap, you're really observant, aren't you? xD
    What do you think of this week's preview? Specifically the fact that something's VERY wrong with Liz to do what she did...

    ReplyDelete
  7. That's why some of the episode on The Blacklist seem out of chronological order!
    It's annoying.


    They will have a mini run of episodes focusing on one item or person, then after they find that item or person the following episode will ignore it completely and go in a different direction... It's nonsensical!

    ReplyDelete
  8. They are already asking a lot of the viewers to follow a very convoluted plot. But then they drop "big" reveals for multiple episodes. Now I love a rich complex story myself but what about a casual viewer who drops in every now and then - it must be like watching a show in a foreign language with no sub-titles. We have to trust them that it will all eventually come together, like one of Red's devious schemes, but too many fine details are left blowing in the wind for too long without even a casual mention.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I could deal with it if a time sensitive case comes up requiring the task force to move on to a new case, but one comment from Red to Liz or Liz to Red about the Fulcrum would at least keep it in play and act as continuity.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Exactly. Things like the case from the car at the compound - by the time it comes back into play, it will have lost some of its original mystique. I wonder if that tune from Lizzie's childhood - that Red installed in the music box will wind up returning too.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Agreed.
    Some of it is that they want to have twists and build the mystery to climax in the finale I'm sure, but it feels like there should be a better way to do that.


    For me personally last year came together brilliantly, so TPTB have earned at least a season or two of respect and patience from me. I trust it will all makes sense at season's end, but the meandering route and detours can give even a patient person road rage!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ha. Careful - you might end up on The Blacklist as # 623.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Apparently to be part of the team you have to have been kidnapped at least five times and left hanging too.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what happened with the man behind the mysterious voice on the other end of the phone!

    - Who would even be aware that Red was meeting the man or the man even existed?
    - Who would he be hiding from to begin with and why did Fitch have his number? The Cabal?
    - Why abduct/ kill him and leave a mercurial blood print giving Red the finger?
    - That kind of humor or irreverence seems like it would come from the man on the phone himself more than his abductors/ killers, but who cuts themselves to leave a blood message? XD
    - Was that man played by either Ben Kingsley or Armin Shimerman? XD

    ReplyDelete
  15. The montages really take this show to the next level every week haha.

    ReplyDelete
  16. This ep. was boring.ths show became a soap opera recently.Tom's storyline made the show off the track.It spin in the place.Whoever Tom talked always revolved around Liz,judge, the major,the Germans,emphazed he loves her.Ugh. lame writing.I don't this true love stuff.
    The Tom Keen was not the same one he once was in S1.I prefer to see the ruthless killer from ,not the fond knight in shining armor they're presenting now.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Tom is definitely a changed person from Season 1, but I like the evolution of his character. He may not be the same person, but he is a great character to follow.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I agree. The music selection in this series is one of the best on TV right now.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Those are very good questions. Lol, especially the last two. I'm looking forward to the answer to the first ones.


    The next few episodes should be great.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Lol, thank you for saying so. I appreciate the kind words! I don;t usually watch Previews for any shows but I did for this week's Blacklist. I think it will be a great episode, but I cannot understand what exactly Liz is up to or what is going on with her. I'm hoping for another Preview to get released sometime today (Wednesday) so we can get better look at what we can expect.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thank you for the kind words!


    I think you are right and the "dark clouds" that Red referenced will be the fallout from whatever happens with The Fulcrum reveal.


    I'm not sure what to think of the Tom/Liz romance just yet. On the one hand I really enjoy his character at the moment and on the other hand I have no idea how Liz could harbor (no pun intended) anything but hatred for him. It makes no sense. Lol, and I felt the same way when I saw that kiss..."really?" Lol.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Lol, thats so funny. But speaking of Aram, I would really like to see him out in the field. Wouldn't that be great?

    ReplyDelete
  23. I agree. They do this sometimes and I'm not sure why other than to extend the storyline to get more out of a season.

    ReplyDelete
  24. His SL is lackluster this season. Twist the narrative and other characters to get a room for him and make him evolve? Meh

    ReplyDelete
  25. I think that is why they had Liz tell the Judge EVERYTHING, Lol. It was a way to give casual viewers a chance to get caught up through her story.

    ReplyDelete
  26. That would be a treat, especially if he was with a certain lady agent.

    ReplyDelete
  27. After the last few episodes it should be obvious to anyone connected to the Cabal ( and I am thinking that would include you, Mr. Connally) that Red obviously does not have the Fulcrum ( as they suspected) based on all the scrambling around he has been up to.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Geo, Another great review. I like how you do not go over every moment of the episodes, but rather highlights and out of the box thinking. Thank you. Now, I think it's time to address the elephant in the room. Why no more live discussions? Will you resume the live discussions? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  29. It seems in the episode synopses we have been getting for the last few episodes are addressing that. Red seems to be getting desperate.

    ReplyDelete
  30. True. If not obvious, then they should be more aware of something going on concerning it, right?


    I also like how mentioned Connolly being involved in the Cabal. I think he is also. But he is playing it smart by being so 'nice' to Cooper as a way to get close to the action.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I think Connally is more than just trying to stay in on the know of what the team is doing, I fear he is going to try to exact a hugely nasty return favor from Cooper by the end of the season which , sadly , Cooper may not feel is worth sacrificing his life's integrity for a "supposed" prolonged life. ( I have even daydreamed that his whole illness is a set-up to get him to cooperate but that just shows you how the convoluted machinations of The Blacklist have influenced my own thinking !)

    ReplyDelete
  32. Gloom and doom coming but I hope Red has been laying enough webbing in the groundwork.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Thank you for the kind words, I really appreciate it! That is a great compliment.


    Lol, now we can discuss the elephant in the room. The "Live Discussions" are not gone, however, I was not able to do them the past three weeks due to time restrictions on my end. I LOVE doing them and I LOVE reading everyone's comments and interacting with everyone. I will let everyone know in just a little bit if there will be one for tonight's episode or if we will just start fresh with Episode 19 on through the finale. It was just because I have not had time. But, thank you for asking, it shows that people really do enjoy it, which means a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Lol, that is a great theory though!

    ReplyDelete
  35. I would like everyone to know that I still plan on doing the Live Discussions for The Blacklist. Everyone has been so kind in letting me know that they have missed it the past few weeks, so thank you for that. I have not been able to do them because of time restrictions, which is the reason I can not do them tonight either for Episode 18.


    I will, however, be back to do the Live Discussion for Episode 19 and on through the Season Two Finale.


    Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  36. I really liked this episode, and the Ressler and Liz scenes were refreshing. Even the music has been better in the last few episodes! It's very season 1 for sure! I think I've missed something though...what's the cabal :S

    ReplyDelete

NOTE: Name-calling, personal attacks, spamming, excessive self-promotion, condescending pomposity, general assiness, racism, sexism, any-other-ism, homophobia, acrophobia, and destructive (versus constructive) criticism will get you BANNED from the party.