S01.E02: Fairytale Wedding

[AnimeMania]

A kidnapping orchestrated by Elena puts Val to the test as her past resurfaces and becomes a part of the bigger play. The FBI Task Force contends with an unexpected turn of events in one of the banks.

Original Airdate: Monday, February 28     10:00PM     NBC

Jenna Stern as Joan Bradbury
Aaron Costa Ganis as Robert Lawton

[Bulldog]

I'm actually kind of enjoying this, as ridiculous and over the top as it is. 

[paigow]

Did Sergey really know who planted the church bomb? Was it Oliver Queen during his Bratva phase? Or any one of many angry customers / suppliers that Sergey has cheated over the years? No wonder revenge took so long... they eradicated every Russian Mob family.

[Msample]

I get that they are trying to avoid comparisons to THE BLACKLIST, but in order to do so we're being asked to suspend disbelief at ridiculous levels. I am wondering how long those poor bank hostages can hold out - and we're only seeing inside on bank and being left in the dark as to the others. 

[Chaos Theory]

I am kinda enjoying this.  It is ridiculous fun.  I like the two female leads and the rest is just actiony enjoyment.    You can nitpick if you want but I just kind like it for what it isz

[paigow]

Owen is the new Ryan Eggold. A marriage mole.

Blindlist is an appropriate title. Cryptic tattoos replaced by long winded cryptic stories. Agent Anthony is a welterweight version of Rob Brown.

Agent Val is grumpy like Weller, but much smarter.

[milkyaqua]

I'm liking this too (it was easy to switch over from NCIS: Hawaii).

I agree it is ridiculous though I'm intrigued as to just how Elena has been able to persuade all these supposedly law-abiding folks to join her crazy game.

She also has to know Sergey is alive so with all of her obvious persuasion at getting people to go along with her, why couldn't she just bust Sergey out of jail?

Also, how long before someone (probably Val) figures out that Elena has been getting messages from people via Morse code?

Are Agent Anthony and/or the Director Rogelio Réal in with Elena as well?

[AnimeMania]

I am enjoying this because it was probably the FBI who planted the bomb and Elena has probably spent years and countless billions in order to create this plan to get her revenge. The FBI probably don't even remember doing the mission, it was probably like this entire criminal organization will be in one place, so blow it up, problem solved.

[paigow]

18 minutes ago, milkyaqua said:

Are Agent Anthony and/or the Director Rogelio Réal in with Elena as well?

She also promised that Director would have to resign before the game ends

[milkyaqua]

8 minutes ago, paigow said:

She also promised that Director would have to resign before the game ends

That's true so that being the case, Agent Anthony looks good although Agent Doak also looks like a possibility but I think he's too obvious...

[SuzieQ]

14 hours ago, Bulldog said:

I'm actually kind of enjoying this, as ridiculous and over the top as it is. 

Totally ridiculous and over the top, but I watched it twice😂

[Bulldog]

One thing that might avoid some Blacklist comparisons is if Agent Doak and Agent Ressler didn't look like they use the same barber and buy their suits at the same store. 

[paigow]

8 hours ago, milkyaqua said:

She also has to know Sergey is alive so with all of her obvious persuasion at getting people to go along with her, why couldn't she just bust Sergey out of jail?

She has built an elaborate trap for several other people based on Agent Val looking guilty by association... the inevitable exoneration of Owen will expose all the other players...

Edited March 2, 2022 by paigow

[greyhorse]

I don't know folks, I might be out.  I dislike the fact that it looks like Morena Baccarin will spend the entire series in the box.  Of course, they figured out a way to get her some new clothes.  The accent is distracting.  And just the ridiculousness that she has every single thing planned like ten steps in advance.

What was on the thumb drive that was taped to the sick bankers shoe?  I missed that part.

So if she didn't come up with the guy who was responsible for her mother's death and typed it in, they'd all be blown up and the series would be over?  Good thing she got it on the first try.

[paigow]

17 minutes ago, greyhorse said:

What was on the thumb drive that was taped to the sick bankers shoe?  I missed that part.

Video of Homeland Security boss soliciting bribe from cartel boss...

[greyhorse]

6 minutes ago, paigow said:

Video of Homeland Security boss soliciting bribe from cartel boss...

LOL, must have dozed off during that part.  Was wondering how they got the video of the Bonnie Bedelia look alike.  So did they say something like they nabbed her son to try to get her to lower her demand from $10 million to $5 million?  If they had her son, why wouldn't they just make her agree to not collect any money at all?

[paigow]

9 minutes ago, greyhorse said:

LOL, must have dozed off during that part.  Was wondering how they got the video of the Bonnie Bedelia look alike.  So did they say something like they nabbed her son to try to get her to lower her demand from $10 million to $5 million?  If they had her son, why wouldn't they just make her agree to not collect any money at all?

Technically, nobody kidnapped the kid. He was a low level coke dealer that the cartel ratted out to local cops / DEA. Mommy pulled some strings to bury the evidence. If she gets paid by the cartel, then she cannot claim duress.

[dwmarch]

23 hours ago, greyhorse said:

So if she didn't come up with the guy who was responsible for her mother's death and typed it in, they'd all be blown up and the series would be over?

That is one common fault of these types of shows (see also The Blacklist, Blindspot) that is both a bug and a feature. The bad guys always have exquisite timing. Like if you had timing that good you wouldn't need to be evil because you could win the lottery whenever you wanted or make a fortune from the stock market or etc.

[paigow]

On 3/2/2022 at 3:43 PM, greyhorse said:

So if she didn't come up with the guy who was responsible for her mother's death and typed it in

Also lucky that the dude was not named Volodymyr Zelenskyy... that second y on the end is easy to forget,,, KABOOM!!

[sweetandsour]

I watched episode 2 while laughing out loud on my exercise bike.  It's like the producers/writers have seen the Halloween Heists on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and said, "Oh, I'll show you!"  The Halloween Heists are ludicrous in the successful pre-planning of manipulation and reliance on other characters to do and not do certain things.  Except that works in a comedic setting.  Here, they are taking it so so so seriously.  Every little thing is falling into place for Elena, all down to the pre-written post-it notes just waiting to be flashed to Val on the other side of the window.

I'll keep watching the show since it's a short season.  I really could not imagine the plotlines and writing if this was a 22-episode per year show.

Now with this new info about Val's mother - they should go full Blacklist and make Elena turn out to be her mother, after a lot of extensive surgery and medical procedures.  Who even is Red anyway????  I have seen every episode of The Blacklist and I can no longer remember anything about the mythology.  Hopefully The Endgame doesn't turn out as convoluted.

[paigow]

55 minutes ago, sweetandsour said:

Who even is Red anyway????  I have seen every episode of The Blacklist and I can no longer remember anything about the mythology.  Hopefully The Endgame doesn't turn out as convoluted.

FYI... 8 year old Liz killed the REAL Raymond Reddington. Spader is 100% an impostor. The popular theory is that he used to be the bio-mom of Liz and underwent gender reassignment; however, this is unconfirmed speculation.

Agent Val is a critical part of the game... Elena needs her alive [and vice versa to exonerate Owen] so there is a Blacklist symbiosis going on.

[Ailianna]

I'm still waiting for Costin Ronin to show up.

[mythoughtis]

This is rather easy to figure out.  The FBI female lead is in cahoots with the Russian female Lead.  It’s so obvious - who else is getting away with talking to the Russian so condescendingly?  Both their husbands are in prison together and the endgame is to get them out and get rich at the same time. 
My spouse has not come to this conclusion yet, so We will watch until He gets bored.