"My children despise my wonderful liesI'm a go-getter
I see through your walls
And your space down your halls
I'm a go-getter"
- 'No Harm' - Editors
Back from what seemed like a long Summer hiatus The Blacklist appeared to be in full form in Thursday night's premiere episode. Oh how we have missed Red's anecdotes and quit wits, Liz asking questions and never getting an answer, Ressler and his unrelenting quest to uphold the law, and, of course, Aram. I'm glad the show is back and while it's too early to start talking ratings and renewals I believe, based on what we saw Thursday night, that there will be no question what's in store for The Blacklist beyond this season.
The episode begins immediately after the events of the season two finale. If you recall from that episode, Liz ends up being framed for the murder of a U.S. Senator and murders Attorney General Tom Connolly. On the run from Ressler and the FBI, Red swoops in to save her and they drive off as the season came to its dramatic finish. Now, the FBI has located Liz and Red's van and is hot on their trail, but knowing Red, he has a few more tricks to shake them off. The remainder of the cold open is what we have come to expect from Red and his ability to stave off imprisonment. What we now know deep down is that Red is most likely doing all of this more for Liz's benefit than for his own.
What we know about Red is that he wants nothing more than to keep Liz safe from harm and, in the case of this episode, prison. I enjoyed all the moments during the hour when Red tried to soothe and soften Liz's fears during their hiding. We have seen Red in some precarious and risky situations before, but it was mostly himself he needed to be concerned with. Now, with Liz in tow and in the face of adversity, Red wants nothing more than to help her. He was well past the boundary of being caught and his thoughts, again, turn to Liz and helping her, alleviating her fears and building her spirit as he has always done in episodes past.
Liz's quick thinking in the end was something I did not expect. I was almost sure she was going to run to an apartment where Tom was hiding out in when I heard Red yell "No" to her on the phone after she spoke the address to her destination. Claiming to be Masha Rostova and a spy like her mother was daring and bold and the perfect way to paint herself into a corner. However, it was brave and fearless moves like this that made season one such a pleasure to watch. I'm not sure how Liz and Red plan to get out of this predicament, but it definitely makes The Blacklist much more enjoyable to watch.
Although some fans did not enjoy the episode, I thought it to be a great start to season three. The blacklister was unique, relatable and believable, which is the perfect recipe for The Blacklist's villains or scapegoats of-the-week. It's clear the season will be about Liz and her mother and the relationship they could have had. Red not giving away many answers to Liz's questions was classic. My guess is that Liz will be on the run for quite a few episodes leading up to the midseason finale. Until then, I think The Blacklist came back with a hit and will have many more hits to come.
Red's Quotes
- "A week may be nice. I'll finally get to catch up on some issues of Bassmaster."
Red to Liz after he tells her it might be a week until the Troll Farmer arrives
- "You're in a storm Lizzy. You need to find the peace below the winds."
Red to Liz
Music from the Episode
- 'Peace Frog' - The Doors
Ressler leads a manhunt for Liz and Red in the beginning of the episode
- 'Wassup' - Hannibal Leq
The FBI raid a drug den, after which, Navabi is held at gunpoint
- 'No Harm' - Editors
Final Music Montage - The Troll Farmer is captured by the FBI; Cooper returns home to Charlene; Liz crosses into the Russian Embassy to avoid capture by Ressler.
- I thought it was very clever of Red to have the van drive onto the car transporter while it passed under the bridge to escape the eyes of Aram and the FBI. (FYI - for my trivia friends out there - that 'car transporter' is called a 'bisarca')
- How could Ressler possibly think that Liz is a Russian spy? I mean, she was his partner for a few years and they were close. Plus, how could he believe she was responsible for killing the 14 CIA agents?
- I love Aram's loyalty to Liz and Cooper.
- I am very intrigued by Dembe's story line. What could Matteus want with him? I would guess to get close to Red, but that seems like the longest road to take to get to him.
- What is Cooper's future now that he is out of jail? Will he ever be head of the task force again? What will his role be now?
- I loved how speechless Red was when he saw Liz with blonde hair. There is obviously a lot there that he is not being forthcoming about and my guess is that this season will be all about what he was hiding in that moment.
- I was shocked when Ressler just turned and shot that gang member that was holding Navabi at gunpoint. Could he be devolving into someone too overcome by anger to do his job? He is clearly still angry with himself over letting Liz go, which ended up getting the Attorney General killed. Maybe Red was right when he said to Ressler, "Just because you've been bumped up to first chair in the orchestra, doesn't mean you can compose a symphony."
- Did you notice...not sure if this was intentional or not, but when Liz ran away from Ressler and Navabi and jumped the fence into the Russian Embassy it was gate number '7' that she used to finally be safe from harm. Last season, Liz ran back into the arms of Tom several times as her port in the storm. Tom was number '7' on the blacklist. I thought that was a neat little coincidence.
Thank you for checking out my review! Please comment below so we can discuss the episode and the series some more. Have a great weekend everyone! Also, don't forget we are conducting a "Live Discussion" next Thursday night during The Blacklist. If you would like to participate, just check SpoilerTV's Homepage and click on the "Live Discussion" link for The Blacklist that will be posted a few minutes before the episode begins to air.
