S07.E02: Louis T. Steinhil: The Conclusion

[preeya]

S07:E02 Louis T. Steinhil: The Conclusion

Summary:  Liz, Dembe and the Task Force continue to search for Red, who attempts to escape his abductors with help from a surprise ally, but discovers he is not Katarina Rostova's only target in her hunt for information.

[mxc90]

I'm sure Red remembered all those useless facts from Katarina about blood for the pop quiz later.

As Red is talking to Dembe on the phone, did Dembe really need to ask Red if he is alive?

The Illusionist requested 3 months to prepare for the con and Katarina gave him 3 days. He probably spent most of the time working on his escape plan/fake death. He hired a wardrobe place that could be easily traced back to them. Money well spent Katarina.

Thank God Red just happened to have a supply of platelets, frozen plasma, a change of clothes, and a cap nearby for Dembe to bring.

It was nice for Katarina and the Illusionist to tell Mila/Frankie their entire plan. I find it hard to believe she took the job for free. Then she flips her loyalty from to Katarina to Red at the drop of a dime.

For a moment, I thought Dembe was going to make a move on her.

Dom chopped a lot of wood for an 81 year old man.

"Mom that's not Mrs. Monzewski. Right?" Agnes is one nosy ass neighbor!
 

Edited October 12, 2019 by mxc90

[TigerLynx]

Really Red?  This is Lizzie's fault because she asked questions?  Damn, I detest Liz, but why the hell didn't you just stay out of her life?  Don't send Tom to her.  Don't come out of the shadows to work with her.

The writers are never going to be able to come up with an explanation for why Red involved himself in Liz's life that I'm going to find believable.

Also, if Dom, Katerina, Red, Dembe, the whole world will come to an end if people know Katerina Rostova is alive, why didn't Dom, Red, and Kat stay hidden?

[Manda317]

This makes no sense. It probably isn't going to make any sense. I still want them to tell me what is going on so I can quit watching this nonsense.

[dwmarch]

I just figured out what this show is. It's a soap opera. A soap opera with guns. Sudden betrayals! Secret identities! Fake deaths! Naughty nurses! The bad guy just moved in next door to the good guy!

In the "Ressler can't chase a suspect to save his lunkhead life" file, we have him getting punked by a guy pretending to be dead.

I remember reading a story back in grade school about a detective trying to solve a murder who eventually realizes he's following his own footsteps. This plot reminds me of that. OMG, we must figure out who's trying to kill Katarina Rostova! Well aren't they going to feel like a pack of dumbasses when they catch up with what is actually going on.

Speaking of Rostova, I do not like her. The character was played by Lottie Verbeek before and she was great! But in true soap opera fashion, the part of Katarina Rostova will now be played by...

Edited October 12, 2019 by dwmarch

[Dowel Jones]

I did like Reddington's comment about the Illusionist.  "I might have to put him on retainer when this is all over."  Never let an opportunity slip by just for personal reasons.  And, geez, did he lay it on the nurse there at the end.  "We are not even."

Not only is Katarina cheap with the money, she got all her minions from Thugs R Us.  Stand in front of a window in a shootout, indeed.  No doubt she escaped due to the FBI's predilection for blowing the siren while traveling down an isolated dirt road.  Here we come!

I have never known one, but I'm willing to bet that a trained combat medic would indeed know how to reduce a gunshot-related tension pneumothorax, since it's the type of injury they would have a high probability of encountering on a battlefield.

28 minutes ago, dwmarch said:

It's a soap opera. A soap opera with guns.

  Unrequited love!  Requited love!  Workplace romances, dashed to smithereens!

[luvly]

I'll admit, I was so distracted by the Frankie double (triple?) cross that they got me with The Illusionist faking his death. In hindsight, duh, of course it was an illusion. Red really should snap him up. What in the gaslighting hell was up him blaming Liz for all this, though? You know a great way to keep her from asking questions and poking around? Not crashing into her life and literally demanding she work with you in the first place. Red is like a burglar who sues the homeowner for shooting him in the foot.

[Loandbehold]

10 hours ago, dwmarch said:

The bad guy just moved in next door to the good guy!

I thought Liz was there before Katarina. Wow, we've all been treating Lizzie like she's an idiot, but she somehow enticed Katarina to move in next door. Now, that's a great villain! This would explain how her asking questions is why Katarina and everyone else are in trouble. It was part of her master plan all along.

Edited October 12, 2019 by Loandbehold

[Kelda Feegle]

20 hours ago, Manda317 said:

This makes no sense. It probably isn't going to make any sense. I still want them to tell me what is going on so I can quit watching this nonsense.

This pretty much sums it up for me too.

I don't know wtf is going on anymore, I'm only watching it for the Red snark and there was precious little of that in this ep.

So - Katerina was thought to be dead but was hiding. Liz and Ressler start looking for her which brings her out of hiding to torture Red to find out who is going to kill her. Wouldn't that be the same people she was originally faking her death to avoid? Seriously am I missing something?

[dwmarch]

21 minutes ago, Kelda Feegle said:

So - Katerina was thought to be dead but was hiding. Liz and Ressler start looking for her which brings her out of hiding to torture Red to find out who is going to kill her. Wouldn't that be the same people she was originally faking her death to avoid? Seriously am I missing something?

I am starting to wonder if there is a double fake-out going here. Just as Ilya Koslov replaced Raymond Reddington, it's possible Wenchy McWencherson "replaced" Katarina Rostova but the real Katarina (hopefully played by Lottie Verbeek again!) is still out there. So I think the answer is that Katarina is actually after herself.

[Manda317]

5 hours ago, Kelda Feegle said:

This pretty much sums it up for me too.

I don't know wtf is going on anymore, I'm only watching it for the Red snark and there was precious little of that in this ep.

So - Katerina was thought to be dead but was hiding. Liz and Ressler start looking for her which brings her out of hiding to torture Red to find out who is going to kill her. Wouldn't that be the same people she was originally faking her death to avoid? Seriously am I missing something?

They just keep adding layers and layers, and I don't believe them when they say they have always known what the truth is. I want to be wrong, but I don't think I am. I have a sick feeling that they are going to make Red Katerina because they think the theory is interesting, and I don't like that at all. Red feels paternal to me, and to me making him her mother doesn't fit. Katerina's personality felt different as well.

[Johnny Dollar]

When rumors start flying that you’re not as dead as people thought you were, there’s no better way to keep safe than by coming out of hiding and kidnapping the world’s most wanted man. 

I see that Lizzie’s well earned reputation as our favorite worst government agent will continue. If she doesn’t think it’s fishy that she suddenly has a new “neighbor” who shows up just as all this is going down, I feel sorry for Agnes. Hopefully she got her “smarts” gene from Tom. 

I hope this is the last season because I’m starting to care what happens to these people even less than the writers. 

[Bulldog]

On ‎10‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 2:51 AM, luvly said:

I was so distracted by the Frankie double (triple?) cross that they got me with The Illusionist faking his death. In hindsight, duh, of course it was an illusion.

You would have thought somebody -- Ressler, another agent, EMT, coroner, anybody -- would have checked for a heartbeat or pulse.  Apparently not.  (Although I have seen plots on other shows where someone can take certain drugs that will allegedly slow your heart down to where a beat is not recognizable.  I'll just pretend that happened here.)  

[paigow]

On 10/12/2019 at 1:27 AM, Dowel Jones said:

I did like Reddington's comment about the Illusionist.  "I might have to put him on retainer when this is all over." 

The dude is #27....Red put him on the list, but never hired him??????

[TigerLynx]

On ‎10‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 12:58 AM, Manda317 said:

They just keep adding layers and layers, and I don't believe them when they say they have always known what the truth is. I want to be wrong, but I don't think I am.

I agree.  I don't think the writers have a clue what they are doing, or where the story is going.  I think this is going to turn out like Lost, HIMYM, Battle Star Galactica, etc.

So far, I think Mr. Kaplan got the best backstory. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

17 hours ago, Bulldog said:

You would have thought somebody -- Ressler, another agent, EMT, coroner, anybody -- would have checked for a heartbeat or pulse.  Apparently not.  (Although I have seen plots on other shows where someone can take certain drugs that will allegedly slow your heart down to where a beat is not recognizable.  I'll just pretend that happened here.)  

Apparently they also didn't check the "self-inflicted gunshot wound".  The FBI are just so incompetent at their jobs in this show.

This episode was particularly bad -- which is saying a lot for this show.

Watching Lizzie go on about 'Illusion' in that costume warehouse was just so stupid.

That much C4 should have disintegrated that car (even if it was the Russian version).

Did Reddington always have the tracker in his neck since he was initially kidnapped ?  Or just since his unsuccessful escape attempt ?
Did Katarina really plan that far ahead ?  I somehow doubt it.

Where was Lizzie's security detail ?  Out on the street ?  Shouldn't the FBI be vetting anyone new moving into Lizzie's building, especially right down the hall.

Agnes is SOOOOO going to get kidnapped at some point -- when Lizzie's sitter bails at some point and the nice lady down the hall offers to watch Agnes.

[paigow]

1 hour ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Agnes is SOOOOO going to get kidnapped at some point

And swapped out for "red Agnes"

[ottoDbusdriver]

This episode of 'The Blacklist' brought to you by not so obvious product placement for Microsoft Surface Book. 
It wouldn't have been any more obvious if Lizzie had shoved the logo into the camera lens.

[Dowel Jones]

I thought it would have been kinda cool if the Illusionist had hired Max from New Amsterdam to act as a "hospital administrator".

[anthonyd46]

On 10/11/2019 at 10:25 PM, TigerLynx said:

Really Red?  This is Lizzie's fault because she asked questions?  Damn, I detest Liz, but why the hell didn't you just stay out of her life?  Don't send Tom to her.  Don't come out of the shadows to work with her.

The writers are never going to be able to come up with an explanation for why Red involved himself in Liz's life that I'm going to find believable.

Also, if Dom, Katerina, Red, Dembe, the whole world will come to an end if people know Katerina Rostova is alive, why didn't Dom, Red, and Kat stay hidden?

I pretty much have stopped believing every explanation they've given, because it always changes. Right now they are at not the father, real father dead, etc. Who the hell knows if thats what they stay with.

Edited October 16, 2019 by anthonyd46

[rur]

On 10/11/2019 at 10:25 PM, TigerLynx said:

Really Red?  This is Lizzie's fault because she asked questions?

(small voice) I enjoyed Lizzie being made aware that her actions have consequences. As much as Red may have jerked her around, she's jerked him around, too, and even though she's responsible for some of his, um, "misfortunes", she has continued to behave as if the FBI to works for her instead of showing any awareness that she works for the organization. I liked seeing someone take the wind out of sails, albeit briefly. 

I'll go sit in the corner now.😉

Edited October 16, 2019 by rur

[anthonyd46]

I forgot didn't Red say to Dom right after Dom told Liz the "truth" last season you told her THAT story meaning the version Dom told her is again wrong? So maybe Red really is Red lol. I don't know anymore.

Edited October 17, 2019 by anthonyd46

[CaptainE]

Ok, so Red, the multi millionaire crime boss of all bosses can’t make a call for some reinforcements to protect Dom?   Just Dembe and the nurse.   Ok.

How did Katarina get away when the phony suicide happened?  The back door that the swat team left unattended?   Stupid.

Harold gave Lizzie protection, yet the baddie just moves in across the hall?  Yeah right.

There is no reason to go after Lizzie except to keep this shit show alive for longer than it should be.  Now the task force is solely used not to catch criminals, but to keep Red alive, and the unknowable secrets secret.  

Please tell me this is the last season.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 10/14/2019 at 11:18 AM, ottoDbusdriver said:

Where was Lizzie's security detail ?  Out on the street ?  Shouldn't the FBI be vetting anyone new moving into Lizzie's building, especially right down the hall.

Agnes is SOOOOO going to get kidnapped at some point -- when Lizzie's sitter bails at some point and the nice lady down the hall offers to watch Agnes.

You mean when the sitter goes away for an "extended visit" with her grandson?

Katarina did a great job finally losing her Russian accent.

Did anyone ever take the tracking device from the nurse's neck? Or was she lying about having one, since she knew if Red survived he'd take her to Dom's, so she didn't need one? But then, why lie about having one? To gain Red's trust? She had already thrown in with him at that point.

And why would Dom and Red being prepared to defend themselves necessarily mean that the nurse had betrayed Katarina? Katarina told Red she was going after Dom. Of course they'd be prepared!

The nurse's real purpose does explain why she didn't try harder to tip anyone off in the fake hospital room that Red had "figured out" that he wasn't really paralyzed. I had thought that was a failure of the writing. 

Finally, are we supposed to know why Dom betrayed Katarina? I thought she had decided not to follow through on a Russian plan against the US. Did Dom think she was a traitor to the Soviets? Didn't other Russian spies try to kill him? Or did she later turn pro-Russian again? I know we're not supposed to know yet how Dom betrayed her, but I can't recall if were supposed to know why they would have been on opposite sides.

[saber5055]

I forgot about this show so am a week behind. Everyone has already summed up how I feel about this episode better than I can, which is pretty much this show sucks and makes no sense whatsoever. I guess I'm watching out of a six-year habit and to see what BS writers are shoveling at us this week. I can hear them in the writers room now: "Well, that story line didn't pan out so let's try this." "Hey, I had a crazy dream last night, I think we can turn it into a few episodes to get us through season seven."

The only good part was Red telling Lizzie everything was her fault, Dom is gong to die because of her, everything bad that happened and will happen is her fault. Unfortunately, that burn didn't take since later Lizzie tells Red he WILL answer all her questions whether he wants to or not. *sigh*

Cooper continues to be creepy around Lizzie, he so has the hots for her. Unless it turns out Cooper is her father. Which then would make him drooling around her even more creepy.

What happened to that cool dude that Red moved into Lizzie's building to keep her safe. I think he got killed around the same time as Mr. Kaplan jumped off the bridge. He really needed to be replaced, but then Agnes won't get kidnapped, a plot line that I'm pretty sure was part of that writer's crazy dream.

For a minute or two, I though Dembe was going to get a love interest. Well, the season is still young.

If Brian Dennehy can fake an accent, why can't that terrible one-note actress playing a Russian woman. I get a kick out of these badass women taking the time to do their hair and full makeup, including lipstick, plus add jewelry before they head out to kill, maim and torture.

If Lizzie had a dog, it would warn her when baddies break in to kidnap Agnes.

A fabulous cross-over opportunity was missed when Dom was not taken to New Amsterdam. That would have been worth watching. As it was, this episode was not worth watching.

Edited October 19, 2019 by saber5055

[saber5055]

How can all these one-inch-long metal tracking devices be put in peoples' necks yet they can't feel them and there is no scar or stitches. If one single hair falls on my cheek at night, I can feel it. I think I'd notice a big lump in my neck if, you know, I ever took a bath and washed my neck.

[Loandbehold]

11 hours ago, saber5055 said:

If Lizzie had a dog, it would warn her when baddies break in to kidnap Agnes.

Still. We never found out what happened to the dog. It's an even bigger mystery than who Red is and if he's actually Lizzie's father. Or mother, as some have posited.

11 hours ago, saber5055 said:

I guess I'm watching out of a six-hear habit and to see what BS writers are shoveling at us this week. I can hear them in the writers room now: "Well, that story line didn't pan out so let's try this." "Hey, I had a crazy dream last night, I think we can turn it into a few episodes to get us through season seven."

I can add that I watch in the hope that the show will hire a friend to once again be an extra.

As for the crazy dream idea, I had a boss like that. He'd come in one day saying he had this great idea overnight and change how we operated. Only to come back two days later w/ a different idea that completely changed how we operated. So, I think you've hit the nail on the head. We need Dembe to tell the writers that they've gone off the rails. Unfortunately much like Red, they wouldn't listen to him.

[ottoDbusdriver]

23 minutes ago, Loandbehold said:

Still. We never found out what happened to the dog. It's an even bigger mystery than who Red is and if he's actually Lizzie's father. Or mother, as some have posited.

Dogs.  Lizzie has had 2 dogs -- Lizzie and Tom had a dog in the premiere episode, but it was last seen in a motel that Lizzie was staying at.

Then when Lizzie and Tom got back together, they had a completely different dog that appeared for one or two episodes and was never seen again.

[saber5055]

HA ha! My comment that Lizzie needed a dog did not go unnoticed! I've lost track of how many she's had/not had. The one I remember most is the Malinois that looked just like Person of Interest's Bear, when she was "in seclusion" in Alaska or someplace north. If I remember correctly, she let that dog get killed.

Wow, that all seems so long ago and so unrelated to anything going on now. This show is so all over the place.

When Red told the nurse he'd killed people for doing less than she did, I'm thinking yeah, Mr. Kaplan, which totally screwed your show. But the nurse saved Dom, so she gets to live. I guess all the years of Mr Kaplan cleaning up after him and saving Lizzie and baby Agnes didn't count.

Yeah, I'm still bitter.

My vote is Cooper is Lizzie's father. He made some deal with Reddington when they were Navy buddies. You know, best pals that he hadn't mentioned for seven years, until this season.

[ottoDbusdriver]

1 hour ago, saber5055 said:

HA ha! My comment that Lizzie needed a dog did not go unnoticed! I've lost track of how many she's had/not had. The one I remember most is the Malinois that looked just like Person of Interest's Bear, when she was "in seclusion" in Alaska or someplace north. If I remember correctly, she let that dog get killed.

I completely forgot about that one -- make that at least 3 dogs.  Plus there was the dog that Tom had in that Russian replacement village in Redemption.

[Loandbehold]

On 10/19/2019 at 2:06 PM, ottoDbusdriver said:

I completely forgot about that one -- make that at least 3 dogs.  Plus there was the dog that Tom had in that Russian replacement village in Redemption.

It's a whole rescue shelter. Except, it's more of black hole center then rescue. Animals come in and just die or disappear. 

[paigow]

On 10/20/2019 at 4:36 PM, Loandbehold said:

It's a whole rescue shelter. Except, it's more of black hole center then rescue. Animals come in and just die or disappear. 

"You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave"