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Celebrating 1,000 NCIS-franchise episodes

S02.E01: Lord Baltimore

formerlyfreedom

By formerlyfreedom
in The Blacklist

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RealityGal

RealityGal

(edited)

I am very disappointed that Liz will remain on this show.  My love for Spader is not enough to overcome my loathing for her.

This is how I felt about Scandal, I just couldn't with Kerry Washington.  Luckily, Liz isn't the main character, and I would imagine after the success of Season 1, Spader probably asked for his role to be expanded.  I don't mind Liz's acting, she is just such an insufferable, whiny nag.  If they just devote some time to making her a little less of a bitch I would be happy.

 

And take away her Mercedes, how much does an FBI agent make?  She has a house, a husband that was teaching 4th grade, and somehow drives a luxury vehicle.  

Edited by RealityGal
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HappyDancex2

HappyDancex2

I thought that was a good opener! I wish we could swap "jane" for wiggy, who will forever remain wiggy to me. I even snickered when kendoll said "wigged out" and we watched wiggy preen in the window with her hair. I screamed "shoot her!" Which of course is not nice. And isn't hook the dude from the Frogger episode of Seinfeld? I need holes!

Why does the wiggy character have to say "why" or " i don't understand" everytime Red says something definitive to her that requires immediate reaction? And isn't Red's wife at least partially responsible for the carnage, including to her ownself....or should wiggy and company have dragged her ass out of there? They sat there and let her tell her story and bam......

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Eolivet

Eolivet

With all the songs they kept playing, I wasn't sure whether this was "The Blacklist" or "Grey's Anatomy."

 

So, the fleeting glimpse of somebody in a car watching Liz with binoculars was totally Tom, wasn't it?

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Brattinella

Brattinella

 

Why does the wiggy character have to say "why" or " i don't understand" everytime Red says something definitive to her that requires immediate reaction?

EXACTLY what I said tonight!  God she is SO annoying!  Please TPTB replace this wooden hat-stand (wig-stand).  I really don't think I can continue with this show.

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HappyDancex2

HappyDancex2

I didn't realize slippery pete and the russian astronaut were one in the same! That was a great line in the movie.

Does anyone know how plausible it was for wiggy to rip the leeds out of her shoulder, shoot a guy and stumble out of the building, track a girl and jump her? You know, cuz plausibility is important in this show.

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kaygeeret

kaygeeret

Ah geeze, she traded one wig for a completely laughable one thru most of the show- good lord could they have screamed WIG more obviously - -her hair looked like the stereotype of an eastern European peasant woman, she only missed the 'babushka'.  They might have been trying to make her look pathetic because of Tom.  Kinda' funny if that was the plan.

 

Ah shucks, the revelation at the end, the sign that she is done with old wiggy and on with new girl - she arrives at work with a whole new sexy mid length cut and the GUYS complement her or notice her or something....BaDa Bing BaDa Boom, our girl is a WHOLE NEW girl!!!!!!  The haircut tells me so.   SIGH!

 

I actually tried to pay attention to the show tonight and found myself bored or not interested enough in a story that didn't really resonate with me.  I recognized that they were pulling out all the stops - Red is in Cameroon  and then he is not.  All of a sudden there is an ex wife alive and well.

 

As usual the FBI w/o Red screwed up the "extraction" of the ex-wife.  Apparently Red had not warned what's her name to plan for this contingency.

 

Criminal misuse of Krysten Ritter.  She is a terrific actor and this plot line was obvious from the get go.

 

Sadly, the worst of all is dumping Ressler into the laziest plot of all "I know, let's make him a drug addict from the trauma of last season".

 

Worst, I don't remember what the trauma from last season was that would cause Ressler to be a drug addict - by the way Law & Order: CI did this exact plot line with the whole dancing around the shrink. 

 

Wait, didn't Ressler's girl friend get killed?  She wasn't on long enough for me to care about her or to believe that Ressler cared that much for her.  Am I callous?  Hope not.

 

I guess I'll watch as long as nothing else of note is on during that time.  I love Spader enough to give him that.

 

Did anyone else notice he is given Co-Exec Producer credit.  I assume that means more money for him but probably not any control.  Good for him, he deserves it.

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buttersister

buttersister

And isn't Red's wife at least partially responsible for the carnage, including to her ownself....or should wiggy and company have dragged her ass out of there? They sat there and let her tell her story and bam......

Variation on the theme, stupid things bad guys do (like telling the good guy over and over how they will die until the good guy gets free). My Spader love is strong, I'm still here.

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ottoDbusdriver

ottoDbusdriver

(edited)
Worst, I don't remember what the trauma from last season was that would cause Ressler to be a drug addict - by the way Law & Order: CI did this exact plot line with the whole dancing around the shrink.

 

He was shot in the leg, it's probably still from that.  Or the dead pregnant girlfriend.  Or both.

 

 

 

As usual the FBI w/o Red screwed up the "extraction" of the ex-wife.  Apparently Red had not warned what's her name to plan for this contingency.

 

I liked how the first FBI agent was sniped and dropped like a sack of potatoes, and the ever adept 2nd agent mere feet away didn't notice at all before he too was sniped.  Because there was a good 5 count between snipings.

 

I'm still curious how the Mossad could run an op like that at the hotel, complete with helicopter flying over the National Mall.  Plus I'm sure the hotel owner's are pissed that they trashed the place.

Edited by ottoDbusdriver
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mrsdalgliesh

mrsdalgliesh

This show is so utterly ridiculous and yet, there I was, watching it again.  The Power of The Spader.  

 

The primary misstep of the show, for me, was highlighted when Harry Lennix's character (note that I can't immediately recall his name) arrived back at work.  The music swelled, people applauded, I think they even did a little slow-mow at their "the gang's all back together" moment.  Except the first season never truly established these characters as the kind of team that you would root for or care about.  You didn't sense any of that familial bonding that other shows, even really formulaic procedurals, manage with ease.   Nothing.  I blame (a) the writers; and (b) Megan "My wigs have more personality than I do and they're horrible" Boone.  (I'm sure she's a nice person and trying hard blah blah fishcakes...)

 

A helicopter and gunfire in the middle of DC?  Ok, sure.  Whatever.  And yet this show is still on my DVR.  Damn you, Spader.

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kaygeeret

kaygeeret

(edited)

 

I'm still curious how the Mossad could run an op like that at the hotel, complete with helicopter flying over the National Mall.  Plus I'm sure the hotel owner's are pissed that they trashed the place.

 

OMG, ottoDbusdriver, how in heaven's name could I have forgotten this!  I expected Navy SEALS to be part of that op.  And really, no one had a heart attack at a FOREIGN COUNTRY ATTACKING US IN OUR CAPITAL?????  Gobsmacked I am!  Dumbest plot line of the night.

 

 

This show is so utterly ridiculous and yet, there I was, watching it again.  The Power of The Spader. 

 

The primary misstep of the show, for me, was highlighted when Harry Lennix's character (note that I can't immediately recall his name) arrived back at work.  The music swelled, people applauded, I think they even did a little slow-mow at their "the gang's all back together" moment.  Except the first season never truly established these characters as the kind of team that you would root for or care about.  You didn't sense any of that familial bonding that other shows, even really formulaic procedurals, manage with ease.   Nothing.  I blame (a) the writers; and (b) Megan "My wigs have more personality than I do and they're horrible" Boone.  (I'm sure she's a nice person and trying hard blah blah fishcakes...)

 

A helicopter and gunfire in the middle of DC?  Ok, sure.  Whatever.  And yet this show is still on my DVR.  Damn you, Spader.

 

Yes, exactly and thank you msdalgliesh for really pinpointing what I have been feeling!

Edited by kaygeeret
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Jlina

Jlina

I like it; I like shades of grey, or, you know, James Spader. 

 

Wig girl doesn't bother me, she's not supposed to be able to keep up with Spader, and she is supposed to make us wonder about why her.  The freakazoid two sisters in one killer thing was unusual. 

 

Most fun was him in the back of the teen guerilla's bombing jeep run.  Then his bombs.  Who needs reality - it's overrated, especially on teevee.  :)

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ottoDbusdriver

ottoDbusdriver

I like how absolutely nowhere in the episode is there an explanation why a dual personality female killer was called 'Lord Baltimore' ?  Did Nora/Rowan's mother live in Baltimore, because she seemed to live within driving distance of D.C. ?  Plus, the character wasn't that old yet to have served in Iraq and have had a known reputation that made it seem like LB had been around for years. It just seems off.

 

Plus, there was no explanation of why the Mossad chose that moment in time to snatch Red, as it seemed completely unrelated to the main story. I doubt they were working on instructions for the FBI or the CIA.

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dwmarch

dwmarch

"In case one of us wigs out..." Oh, Jesus, Ressler, you get the best lines on this show!

 

Okay, so we have a girl with a split personality. But her personalities don't communicate with one another. So how exactly does one use her as a reliable source of information? She can be triggered by a certain song. Okay, can't see how that could be inconvenient.

 

Lizzie still has her dog although it looked to me like an entirely different breed than the previous puppy. Kudos to continuity direction if I'm wrong.

 

An actress from Weeds and an actress from Breaking Bad and no references to either show?! Shameful display! Although the guy who activated Krysten Ritter's character did look a little Jesse Pinkman-ish.

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Julia

Julia

(edited)

Must be Red's first wife or a girlfriend before Mary-Louise Parker's character.   The two actresses seem too close in age, unless we're supposed to believe Red took a child bride.

 

Lizzie is supposed to be in her mid 20s (Boone is 31, but the wig was supposed to make her look younger). Parker is fifty. Spader's 54. 

 

I still don't think Lizzie is his biological child.

Edited by Julia
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Baboo

Baboo

Is it just me, but anyone else find the episode lackluster because we did not have the emotional connection between Red and Boone? I mean, I get what all you are are saying about the character/possibly actress (Wigstand) and I do agree. But the strong connection Red had to Boone (for whatever reason, Spader alone sells it), is what really anchored me to the series. I just didn't get that last night. I'll re-watch today, especially the beginning to see if I missed something. But I think Spader's emotional intensity is what really kept me in the show and allowed me to forgive the HUGE lapses of plot and everything else wacky that the writers threw at us..   Or maybe it gave the character a depth that made him more interesting to me. Without that, Red is just a very smart, albeit entertaining, criminal. Last night's episode did not feel like it was enough.

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roomtorome

roomtorome

I've noticed that some shows lately barely write anything that is really coherent, no character development - almost like a bunch of thoughts/ideas just tossed against the wall with nothing binding them together.

 

Did this show lose some budget?  It looked - and was - just so disjointed and poor.  

 

Spader (heck, all of us) deserves better than this dribble.  I love him but I won't be watching anymore - it is just all too stupid for me to spend time watching even if I am doing something else at the time - so disappointed they didn't take the summer to improve where they were already weak.  

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ottoDbusdriver

ottoDbusdriver

(edited)
Lizzie still has her dog although it looked to me like an entirely different breed than the previous puppy. Kudos to continuity direction if I'm wrong.

 

The dog in the first season was twice as big as the dog in Lizzie's hotel room, but looked like a similar breed.  I'm curious who's taking care of the dog when Wiggie was out all day -- did she have a present waiting for her on the carpet when she got back, in a tightly-coiled spiral ?

 

I was disappointed by the opening chase scene, which looked incredibly fake since you don't fire an RPG at a car right behind you, or the fact that the Hummer had a heavy machine gun top-mounted but couldn't hit the broad side of a barn to the Hellfire missile strikes which came off as disappointing (explosion-wise), to the lack of any of the warlord's soldiers noticing at any time that there was a helo or drone out hovering over the water to make said hellfire strikes.

 

ETA: Couple of minor continuity problems.

 

When Naomi's house is stormed. Wiggie tells Naomi to get down then starts to talk into her walkie-talkie while grabbing her gun and turning to her left to face the door.  Cut to a different view, she has both hands on her walkie, and is turning right towards the door, and then reaches for her gun.  When she is tasered, you don't actually see the taser leads in her right shoulder, and when she falls there is no sign of any wires connected to her body.  Cut to a floor level scene, and the taser leads and wires are sticking straight up from the top of her jacket shoulder (did he bounce the taser leads off the ceiling and into her shoulder).  In the following scene, the taser leads and wires are now missing again, and the gun is in her right hand out of the holster.  The bad guys decide that this is not the time to disarm her (WTF ?), but to go look at the unarmed guy on the floor.  I love that Wiggie's left hand is all twitchy to sell the 'tazing', but she doesn't have the walkie in her left hand anymore, but she was able to hold onto the gun.

 

Then there's the case of the disappearing walkie-talkie.  After Wiggie yanks out the Taser leads, and shoots the guy, she stands up while holding her gun in one hand and the walkie is now comfortably back in the other hand.  But by the time she heads for the front door, the walkie is gone.

Edited by ottoDbusdriver
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thuganomics85

thuganomics85

OK, I get that sex sells and everything, but having Elizabeth's first scene being her parading around in her underwear totally screamed off"Yeah, we know Lizzie is a pill and Megan Boone is a weak actress, but, hey, she's got a nice body, am I right?!"

 

Totally knew Krysten Ritter's character was going to have split personalities.  It would have been hilarious if one of them was basically Chloe from "Don't Trust the B-- in Apartment 23", and the other was Jane from "Breaking Bad" (her handler really did look like a low-rent Jesse/Aaron Paul.)  Either way, a waste of her talents.  Plus, I was disappointed they created a Blacklister named Lord Baltimore, and didn't cast someone from The Wire or Homicide: Life on the Streets instead.  

 

Mary Louise-Parker is Red's wife, and is already been kidnapped by Berlin, and getting chopped apart.  Lovely.  Speaking of wasting talents, why in the hell was Lee Tergesen there as her new husband?  If anyone was tailor-made for a potential Blacklister, it would be him.  That was just weird, unless he's going to be involved in this somehow.

 

Meanwhile, Ressler's doing the whole "I'm fine, but I'm really not!" thing, that has been done to death on other shows, Harold briefly considers turning it in but changes his mind, and Amir is still hanging around.  Yeah, not exactly a riveting supporting cast here.

 

James Spader though, continues to own.  If nothing else, I find this show fascinating, because this truly feels like a case were a single actor is carrying a show on his shoulders by himself, and making it watchable.  It's still not a good show, but it makes me respect Spader more and more.

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betsyboo

betsyboo

good call on all of you for wondering if MLP was Keene's mother. That never occurred to me. I kept waiting for a teenager/young woman to come out of a bedroom. So Red has a daughter out there somewhere? (Am i assuming too much that MLP is the mother, so Red should be the father?) Maybe the daughter is dead, and that's why MLP never asked if she was safe? gah.

 

I have Castle and NCIS:CoolJ next week, so this will prob get relegated to on demand.

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Jamoche

Jamoche

I like how absolutely nowhere in the episode is there an explanation why a dual personality female killer was called 'Lord Baltimore' ? 

Because I am that old, the combination of "computer whiz" and "Lord B-" had me mentally replacing it with Lord British, the Apple ][ game designer.

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Irishmaple

Irishmaple

I didn't really mind this one.  I like the supporting cast though, which helps.  I liked seeing Aram back again and I actually like Ressler so his subplot about the painkillers isn't going to bother me that much.  So Harold has cancer now or something?  Red's dig about his diagnosis seemed to imply something with a grim prognosis.  I completely agree that James Spader is carrying this show like nobody's business.  It would be pretty unwatchable without his efforts.  I hope I could manage 1/10 of his sang-froid should I ever find myself with a gun to my head.  I did find Spader chewed the scenery a bit much last season but in this episode he had an icy calm that I really liked.  I feel bad for Mary-Louise Parker; Bruce Willis takes better care of her in Red/Red 2 (that Red theme Ms Parker has going is kind of awesome)

 

Why isn't Lee Tergesen a bigger star?  It always baffles me to see him cast in small supporting roles when he was, for me, one of Oz's better actors.  Although Eamonn Walker ended up on Chicago Fire so what the hell do I know about picking stars.

 

Why is Lizzy keeping the fraudulent Keen name?  She was close to her adoptive father so why not reclaim that one?  Totally Tom in the hoodie, right?

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Julia

Julia

I didn't think Megan Boone's acting could get any worse, but wow, that scene in the car with Ressler? Where she lets out that she's frightened by the situation at work and hiding in motels because she thinks she's being followed? If she was trying to convey "I can't believe someone let the woman with the crying baby cut my line at Whole Foods" I would have thought she was phoning it in.

 

Although, maybe she doesn't have the energy. She looks weirdly frail this episode, to the point where her head looks bigger. I really hope she wasn't getting in shape to spend any more time half naked. It doesn't help, and bluntly it's  kind of a disgusting answer to the problem of what to do with Lizzie.

 

I kind of agree with the recap about the gratuitous violence and the waste of the actresses, although I think the Mossad agent made more of an impact than he gives her credit for and I hope she comes back. Thing is, though, I'm totally against fridging, whether it's the Wayne family, Spiderman's Uncle Ben, Leroy Jethro Gibbs' kid or a million sketchily drawn wives and girlfriends. That said, for the life of me I can't understand why if this show was willing to kill Meera, apparently gave Harold a fatal disease, and they're writing in new women to fridge (two this week, one literally), Lizzie walks away every week without a freaking scratch. It's not like the producers don't know what cut they're bleeding out from.

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Lorimac

Lorimac

C'mon, folks. Peter Stomare was the wood chipper guy from "Fargo" (the movie).

I cannot agree more with everything that was said in this review. God, I dislike poor Ms. Boone. God, I love James Spader's ability to chew scenery even when it is surrounded by the most ridiculous plot imaginable.

Only plus for this episode was that was able to impress Couch Hubby by predicting that Krystn Ritter was Lord B, because, after we established that Mary Louise Parker was Red's wife (BTW, how cool would it have been if SHE had been Lord B and getting her revenge on Red) because they would not use such a good character actress for a such a bit part. He calls this my casting ESP.

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kaygeeret

kaygeeret

 

Why is Lizzy keeping the fraudulent Keen name?  She was close to her adoptive father so why not reclaim that one?  Totally Tom in the hoodie, right

 

So true, Irishmaple, so true.

 

My jaw dropped at that crazy scene.  It had no relevance to anything else in the hour and it was jarring when it was inserted so clearly to make some sort of point.  Knowing the ridiculous plotting we may never hear about it again - or - this could be the CLUE TO END ALL CLUES - altho' a clue to what is beyond my imagination.

 

Also wondered why bother to get an annulment only to keep the guy's name - - makes no sense and her explanation was stupid.

 

Very odd scene and they really made it more important than it could possibly be.

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ottoDbusdriver

ottoDbusdriver

Also wondered why bother to get an annulment only to keep the guy's name - - makes no sense and her explanation was stupid.

 

Other than to to keep the branding of the show consistent between seasons -- that Red will only speak to Agent Keen, for later binge watching on Netflix.

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betsyboo

betsyboo

I meant to comment on this earlier: The ring that GoodTwin kept playing with - I was sure that was going to come up again when BadTwin turned out to be alive and showed up for a meeting, and then didn't twist it. But didn't see the Sybill part coming, so that didn't play out. HOWEVER, I am almost positive that MLP was wearing the same ring? In the kitchen when the Marshal came? Am I making that up because I was so focused on finding an Easter Egg? Has Lost ruined me forever for regular suspense shows??

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