S02.E06: The Mombasa Cartel

[Tara Ariano]

Liz and Red delve into the perilous underworld of wildlife poachers when a mutilated corpse washes ashore. Elsewhere, Ressler develops a dangerous habit.

[Danielg342]

This one's supposed to reveal what's behind Lizzie's door. Oh please let it be a big tub of ice cream, oh please!

As for Ressler...he develops a dangerous habit? Yawn...way to make it obvious, press release guy for the show. Does he really think we're going to believe he's developed an obsession into hugging teddy bears?

[ottoDbusdriver]

Liz and Red delve into the perilous underworld of wildlife poachers when a mutilated corpse washes ashore.

 

So, they are following up an episode about a deadly plague that could possibly wipe out most of the human population with an episode about wildlife poachers.

 

What's the first episode of Nov. sweeps going to be about -- residential noise bylaw enforcement ?

[Danielg342]

So, they are following up an episode about a deadly plague that could possibly wipe out most of the human population with an episode about wildlife poachers.

 

What's the first episode of Nov. sweeps going to be about -- residential noise bylaw enforcement ?

“Sir, you haven't paid your parking ticket in nine months...Mr. Vargas would like to have a word with you...”

[paigow]

“Sir, you haven't paid your parking ticket in nine months...Mr. Vargas would like to have a word with you...”

Look lady, you have not renewed your dog's licence in 3 years- please see Mr. Vargas in the dunge... I mean basement.

[Danielg342]

Look lady, you have not renewed your dog's licence in 3 years- please see Mr. Vargas in the dunge... I mean basement.

 

Oooh la la...though I think NBC might think it might not be in good taste. :P

[paigow]

So, they are following up an episode about a deadly plague that could possibly wipe out most of the human population with an episode about wildlife poachers.

 

What's the first episode of Nov. sweeps going to be about -- residential noise bylaw enforcement ?

Many names on the Blacklist must be Red's noisy neighbours in various cities around the world.

[desertflower]

Lord, what a weird episode. Will they never learn, don't send Ressler and/or Lizzie off on a case by themselves. Approximately twelve minutes after landing in Alaska Ressler manages to get knocked out, tagged, and caged. And his plan to pose as one of the stuffed poachers by the campfire didn't quite go as planned. The hell??

And of course it was Tom behind the door. And was it just me or did it look like he was wearing one of Lizzie's old wigs? I'm glad she found a use for them.

I did enjoy Red's monologue about Dembe. Good stuff.

[ottoDbusdriver]

What the fuckity fuck was that mess all about ?  Could they have possibly said 'The Mombasa Cartel' a few more times ?

 

Seriously, an animal rights group that was busted in the 70s is the source of what is now the Mombasa Cartel -- am I missing something ?  As soon as you saw Peter Fonda you knew he was the bad guy.  So, Peter Fonda was using his billions to shutdown the competition by kidnapping his animal smuggling competitors, flying them to Sitka, Alaska, tagging and releasing them in the woods so that Mr. Homn could hunt and kill them and taxidermy their bodies, and then to dump the skeleton into the ocean.  Who writes this shit ?

 

Were the woman and two men in the woods Peter Fonda's two kids and baby momma ?  Or just other animal rights people that were also co-opted into animal smuggling (because they didn't really look like the international animal smuggling types) ?

 

Enough already with Ressler and the pill addiction sub-plot -- no one cares.

 

Gotta call out Aram on his tidal and current backtrack to Sitka, Alaska as the source of the floaters.  Were these skinned bodies motorized because they would have had to have gone against the North Pacific current ?   And they apparently floated there in a few days -- bullshit !!!  They were in the deep woods of Alaska -- why wouldn't they just burn or bury the bodies ?  Why would they dump them in the ocean at all -- for environmental reasons ?  And I highly doubt that the bodies would have floated all the way across the Pacific intact -- they would have been lunch for so many predators they would have been in pieces.  Plus skeletons wouldn't stay afloat for the time it takes to cross the Pacific -- if they remained intact.

 

Big non-surprise #1 -- the animal rights champion is in fact the animal trafficking kingpin.  Didn't they do this exact same plot twist last year with the woman who championed saving girls from sex trafficking who was in fact a sex trafficker ?  Wow, they are already running out of ideas for this show.

 

Big non-surprise #2 -- Lizzie has Tom shackled in that room.  Big whoop-de-fucking-doo ! So who was that large bodyguard from last week that appeared to be keeping her out of the locked room ?  Was he hired by Lizzie to keep Tom watched and fed ?  Where is Lizzie getting all this money from to pay for all of this ?  How did she catch Tom because she is so inept ?

Edited October 28, 2014 by ottoDbusdriver

[Jlina]

Weirdly upon weirder, (or would that be weirder upon weirdly?)  Gotham had Penguin in the bathtub and his mother doing like the same shit.  EWWWWWWW  way to bring the creepy - twice tonite.

 

And the stuffed bodies were absolutely nightmarish. Resler actually was kind of smart, but slamming his hand in a car door?  Don't they have internet pharmacies? Multiple doctors?  I mean, really, show - way to give pill abusers ideas! 

 

Raise your hand if during the whole Dembie speech you just *knew* Red was going to kill him anyway?  Oh, everyone?  Okay then!

 

I still liked it and Spader's got a new girl!  :)  and appartently, a "bomb."

[shura]

What was the yellow thing the Evil Environmentalists tagged their victims' ears with?

 

Yep, Peter Fonda was the head of that weird family. There was a line mom said to her more normal son about daddy making decisions on whom to get or something like that. And yes, they did the exact same story when Isabella Rossellini was sex-trafficking girls. I believe Dembe was somehow involved as a victim in that, too.

 

Hey, what was with Samar shooting a look at Aram while expositioning that "folk remedies" help with erectile dysfunction? Do these two have a history already where something happened (or, rather, didn't)? Or was she just feeling him out by ambushing him like that? Aram was all "Who, me?!!" That was awesome.

 

Is it standard practice in the FBI that DC people fly to Alaska to rescue someone there? Why were Lizzie and Samar there? They didn't trust local law enforcement?

[nilyank]

Poor Dembe. Such a horrific background and Red saved/raised him. It makes those scenes from last year when Red was trapped in the box and were going to kill Dembe much more poignant.

 

Red continues to use the FBI to go after his enemies, people who have something he wants, or people who have wronged him or the one he loves.

[thuganomics85]

Wait, so this time, the "Blacklister" was/were actually the victims?  Or was Peter Fonda's character suppose to be "The Mombasa Cartel", that was shown in the opening title card?  That alone totally stumped me, so, thanks for making me feel like an idiot, show.

 

So, no surprise: Lizzie was keeping Tom behind that door, the entire time.  I will try to be surprised about that.  And, she's trying to keep this from Red, but I'm sure he'll find out soon.

 

Ressler's pill popping is getting worse, and he gets himself captured, but at least he's able to also get himself out of the jam.  But, I'm sure this is far from over, especially since Lizzie knows now.

 

I don't why it hit me until now that Zoe is played by Scottie Thompson.  I'm not even a fan of hers, but I almost think she would have been a better Lizzie then Megan Boone.

 

The stuff about Dembre just reminds me that there is a much better show here.  I would totally watch the hell out of Red, Dembre, and the rest of his followers (still miss you, Grey and Luli!), but instead, he's stuck with the most boring FBI agents ever.  Even the FBI from The Following would be better, because at least they are entertaining (plus, James Spader vs. Kevin Bacon would be so much fun.)

[Gregg247]

Well, at least Red was surprised to find out that Peter Fonda was the bad guy.  Up till that point, I was afraid we were watching a remake of last season's episode where Isabella Rossileni was a crusader against child sex slavery but who actually turned out to be the leader of the child sex slavery cartel, and Red was just setting her up.  Otherwise....same episode.

 

Also, how many weirdo families and mother-son relationships are we going to have on here?  Why not just cut to the chase and have Lizzie and Ressler head straight to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre house and be done with it.  How many freaky bald dude character actors are there in Hollywood, anyway?  They may end up running through all of them on The Blacklist.

[Danielg342]

I'm very disappointed that Lizzie wasn't hiding a big tub of ice cream behind that door. At least it would have been entertaining.

 

...and Tom? Methinks after months in a box he wouldn't look so ripped, but I guess I have to understand the logistics of that wouldn't work.

 

Red's upset that Lizzie is hiding something from him? Why? Don't they work together? I suppose now the relationship makes sense, since it's now apparent that neither party see each other as anything more than something they can use. I'd expect that from Red, but Lizzie?

 

Ressler's into pills...yawn. It's so rudimentary that I wonder why the writers went with that story.

 

I was touched by Red's story about Dembe, and I liked how Dembe gave a worried look of disapproval after Red shot the billionaire. I also liked how Red understood Dembe's worry and looked at him saying, "what else did you want me to do?"

 

Red reconnecting with his daughter was fun, but I do wonder how his daughter so quickly agreed to a date with him. I know "Kenneth" was charming and all...but I'd think she'd vet a guy that, you know, is old enough to be her father before agreeing to a coffee date. Unless she just happens to be that friendly and goes on dates with just about anyone, or anyone over 50, that is.

 

I liked the house and how haunted it was- the director really earned their stripes tonight. Did think the family was a bit campy though.

 

(Oh, and props to the guy who mentioned Gotham and the creepy scene between Mama and Ozzy Cobblepot...I had the exact same vibe. Weird we get that in two different shows on two different networks)

 

For a while, after last week's history snafu, I was wondering the show knew where the Kamtchka Peninsula is in Russia but the geography guy does his homework. Did think it felt a bit "convenient" to put things in Alaska, though...there seemed to be no justification for that choice other than to explain why the case was a FBI case to begin with.

 

Speaking of the case...Samar Navabi and Red seemed to know a bit too much about the Mombassa Cartel, though I believed that Red was still looking for answers. Samar Navabi? She sounded like she could solve the case by herself...yet she did very little tonight except provide exposition. Come on, show, don't tell me you brought on Mozhan Marno just for that? If so, why'd they get rid of Parminder Nagra?

 

Overall, i did think it was entertaining tonight. I do wonder what the "bomb" Red wants to drop, but, given the show's track record, I'll probably not be very impressed by it...and we all know they've got to give us some hook to watch 2.08, right?

[Cramps]

Wait who is the woman who picked up Red's hat? How do you know that's Red's daughter? Isn't she Wiggy's double? She sure looks like her. Confused.

[LexiconDevilOne]

I want to give Dembe a great big hug.

[Danielg342]

Wait who is the woman who picked up Red's hat? How do you know that's Red's daughter? Isn't she Wiggy's double? She sure looks like her. Confused.

Last week, we had the story of the trackers looking for Red's daughter and it led us to the girl at the coffee truck that Red went on a date with this week.

[urusai]

It looked like Red and his daughter were in front of the food truck where she works.  I don't think it was a coffee date, more like he was there and she joined him on her break.

[dwmarch]

Ressler is an FBI agent and doesn't know where to find hillbilly heroin in Alaska?!?!

 

I loved the further background on Dembe. James Spader gives the best speeches.

 

Tall creepy dude was Mr. Homn from Star Trek: TNG? I thought he had died a while back. Or maybe I'm just thinking of the character who was killed off in the books.

 

Let me see if I have this straight: Red's guy following Lizzie finds the secret holding cell where she's got Tom. He plans to tell Red about it but gives her some grace time so she can tell him herself. She decides to take him out of the picture instead and doesn't tell Red. What the actual fuck? Last season, Red hired guys to deliver Tom to her and he escaped because she's dumb. Why would he care if she kidnapped him again?

[Danielg342]

It looked like Red and his daughter were in front of the food truck where she works.  I don't think it was a coffee date, more like he was there and she joined him on her break.

 

Unless I'm understanding wrong, the coffee truck woman identified herself as Zoe- the same name as the alias that Jennifer, Red's daughter, was using.

As far as whether or not it was a date- I used the word in the most informal sense possible, like how we have lunch dates with our friends. I would say her joining Red on her break constitutes a date, but I think this is just semantics and not too relevant. It just seems odd that Zoe would so quickly agree to meet with Red.

Let me see if I have this straight: Red's guy following Lizzie finds the secret holding cell where she's got Tom. He plans to tell Red about it but gives her some grace time so she can tell him herself. She decides to take him out of the picture instead and doesn't tell Red. What the actual fuck? Last season, Red hired guys to deliver Tom to her and he escaped because she's dumb. Why would he care if she kidnapped him again?

Because NBC wouldn't have any drama? I agree, everything about this is contrived and convoluted.

[jelaine]

 

...and Tom? Methinks after months in a box he wouldn't look so ripped, but I guess I have to understand the logistics of that wouldn't work.

What does he have to do besides sit ups and push ups?  I didn't see much beyond a mattress and chains in that room.

 

My take on how she got him there was that after sending Red off saying she was going to finish Tom off and before the "team" found where he was shot, but not his body, she moved him using that vast network she has that Red nor anyone else knows about.

 

Forgot to mention that in addition to inappropriate mother/son bath time on Gotham and The Blacklist, the storyline on Sleepy Hollow also dealt with wendigos. 

Edited October 28, 2014 by jelaine

[mytmo]

Why couldn't Lizzie have been gored by a rhino or sent off into the Alaskan woods with a meat bikini after hibernation season?

 

She is the most expressionless, flat actress that ruins this show.

 

Spader deserves better.

[Primetimer]

This episode of The Blacklist is still pretty good, even if we've seen it before.

Read the story

[paigow]

Would like to see a crossover with Agents of SHIELD, where Ward and Tom exchange workout tips and stories of lost love. 

[The Real Chon]

 

She is the most expressionless, flat actress that ruins this show.

 

I actually was struck by the lifeless delivery of lines by Peter Fonda. That scene with him and Spader was almost embarrassing to watch, in that Spader had to carry all the weight himself.

 

I felt the episode had a few good moments — the Dembe reveal in particular — surrounded by me doing my taxes to fill the gaps.

[gazebo]

I bet everyone knew that it was Tom that Lizzie had locked up.  So it wasn't that much of a surprise to me that it was Tom indeed, looking all chained and unhappy.  I hope Tom suffered alot.  Lizzie is clearly not done with her lying husband.  I can't wait to see what next Lizzie is going to do. 

 

Last night's episode was really creepy.  All those stuffed bodies looking all alive and sitting around the fire was really unsettling to watch.  I think this is a great Halloween episode.

 

Ressler really, really needs to go into therapy.  This poor guy has been through too much and I think he needs a break.  I wonder if Lizzie will tell on him about the pills, but right now, she seems to be very sympathetic.  The way Ressler grabbed at those pills when Liz offered the pills back to him was kind of pathetic.

 

Who knew Dembe was a child sex slave and a college graduate majoring in languages and literature?  I thought he was just a bodyguard that Red was fond of.  I didn't realize Red was like, Dembe's dad.  That's kind of cool.  The more I learn about Dembe, the more I like the dude.

 

I am still confused about the young woman that Red befriended.  Is she suppose to be Red's long lost daughter or might that be Berlin's daughter, why may not be dead?

[mytmo]

I actually was struck by the lifeless delivery of lines by Peter Fonda. That scene with him and Spader was almost embarrassing to watch, in that Spader had to carry all the weight himself.

Peter Fonda could've easily been one of those around the camp fire

[Lorimac]

Am I the only one who felt like this was an old X-Files episode?

[Texasmom1970]

Diego Klattenhoff expressed shame, pain and despair with just his body language spot on when Megan Boone gave him his pills in the ambulance. It really accentuated her lack of acting ability. She does not show that much range throughout an entire episode even with tons of dialogue!

Loved hearing about Dembe's background and accomplishments. Hearing him eloquently tell Red killing was not the answer was perfect. Didn't think it was possible but I love his character and the relationship between him and Red even more.

Oh and what finding out what Lizzie had behind the locked door, worst kept secret ever. Like we didn't all know it was Tom!

Edited October 30, 2014 by Texasmom1970

[ottoDbusdriver]

There are lots of confusing unanswered questions about this episode:

• Did Matthew just recently develop an appetite for hunting man and stuffing them ? Or only since daddy/Peter Fonda started his poacher elimination program, because Matthew seemed to be pretty good at it.  Because that seems like something that momma had been condoning for a while with her remark about it being "the best one yet".
• When did Lizzie become such an expert at the history of missing poachers, because she seemed to have no problem rattling off all these names and places despite knowing virtually nothing about the topic just minutes beforehand.
• Was Lizzie unaware that skinned and flayed basically mean the same thing ?
• Did anyone else think it was weird that while watching that chess match that Red stated 'Queen to B4. Check' even though that Queen couldn't actually move to B4 from where it was, and then the guy moved the Queen to B8 to put his opponent in check.  What the hell ?  Of course Lizzie doesn't even notice that Red was wrong.  Does that mean that Red is full of shit or are the writers are so bad on this show that they don't even know how a chessboard works ? Or that one of the coffee cups changed sides of the chessboard between shots (first scene -- two coffee cups on same side as all the pieces moved off the board, 2nd scene -- one coffee cup is now on the opposite of the board with the chess clock) ?
• Lizzie going undercover -- again -- as a blogger/reporter -- again.  Didn't she just do this a couple of weeks ago ?  Because she doesn't do it well at all.
• Why was Lizzie suddenly so verklempt after Red told her what her next assignment was to meet Geoff Perl ?  She seemed genuinely frazzled, forgetting names all of a sudden, for no apparent reason.
• What was the point of tagging the victims ears, because that was never explained ?  Was there a tracking device in it ?
• How come in the autopsy reports of the two floaters none of the coroners reports mentioned that each body probably had died from being shot by an arrow ?  Aside from being skinned, that body that washed up in Kamchatka was practically intact musculature-wise.

 

This is the worst environmentalist run amuck story since Mr. Burns opened his recycling plant on 'The Simpsons'.

 

ETA: Edited to correct chess move info -- thanks @Stratego

Edited October 28, 2014 by ottoDbusdriver

[Danielg342]

[*]When did Lizzie become such an expert at the history of missing poachers, because she seemed to have no problem rattling off all these names and places despite knowing virtually nothing about the topic just minutes beforehand.

...

[*]What was the point of tagging the victims ears, because that was never explained ?  Was there a tracking device in it ?

You raise some good questions, especially the one about Lizzie here that I've highlighted. Her and Samar Navabi seemed to know too much about the details for an investigation that just began. Unless Berlin is feeding them inside info I don't know how they knew all that stuff.

As for the tags- well, we did see the “Normal Son” tell “Hunter Son” that he is only to go after people with tags on their ears, if that helps.

I always wondered though- why not rip the tag off?

[Lorimac]

I just read on some blog that CBS is thinking of cancelling Person of Interest. I am in despair; I CANNOT believe POI would be cancelled but this trainwreck is allowed to stay on the air. (Is NBC that desperate, or is CBS just so confident that they can do better with a different show?)

[Stratego]

There are lots of confusing unanswered questions about this episode:

• Did Matthew just recently develop an appetite for hunting man and stuffing them ? Or only since daddy/Peter Fonda started his poacher elimination program, because Matthew seemed to be pretty good at it.  Because that seems like something that momma had been condoning for a while with her remark about it being "the best one yet".
• When did Lizzie become such an expert at the history of missing poachers, because she seemed to have no problem rattling off all these names and places despite knowing virtually nothing about the topic just minutes beforehand.
• Was Lizzie unaware that skinned and flayed basically mean the same thing ?
• Did anyone else think it was weird that while watching that chess match that Red stated 'Queen to B4. Check' even though that Queen couldn't actually move to B4 from where it was, and then the guy moved the Queen to B1 to put his opponent in check.  What the hell ?  Of course Lizzie doesn't even notice that Red was wrong.  Does that mean that Red is full of shit or are the writers are so bad on this show that they don't even know how a chessboard works ? Or that one of the coffee cups changed sides of the chessboard between shots (first scene -- two coffee cups on same side as all the pieces moved off the board, 2nd scene -- one coffee cup is now on the opposite of the board with the chess clock) ?
• Lizzie going undercover -- again -- as a blogger/reporter -- again.  Didn't she just do this a couple of weeks ago ?  Because she doesn't do it well at all.
• Why was Lizzie suddenly so verklempt after Red told her what her next assignment was to meet Geoff Perl ?  She seemed genuinely frazzled, forgetting names all of a sudden, for no apparent reason.
• What was the point of tagging the victims ears, because that was never explained ?  Was there a tracking device in it ?
• How come in the autopsy reports of the two floaters none of the coroners reports mentioned that each body probably had died from being shot by an arrow ?  Aside from being skinned, that body that washed up in Kamchatka was practically intact musculature-wise.

 

This is the worst environmentalist run amuck story since Mr. Burns opened his recycling plant on 'The Simpsons'.

Actually the Q was moved to b8--the player had the black pieces and the closest row is the 8th, White is closest to the 1st row.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Actually the Q was moved to b8--the player had the black pieces and the closest row is the 8th, White is closest to the 1st row.

 

@Stratego -- you are correct, it was b8.  My bad.

 

However, the part that bugs me about this scene it that the writers had him come off as so smug that he figured it out by just glancing at the board -- when what he said was actually wrong. Of course Lizzie wouldn't know any better since she's dumb as a post, but neither of the chess players looked up at him about his wrong solution either.

[LexiconDevilOne]

Am I the only one who felt like this was an old X-Files episode?

 

 

Except no where near as well done.

[Dot Com]

So they took Ressler's badge, gun and pills but left him with a knife attached to his belt? Did momma want her boy to get stabbed or did they actually miss the knife?

[ottoDbusdriver]

So they took Ressler's badge, gun and pills but left him with a knife attached to his belt? Did momma want her boy to get stabbed or did they actually miss the knife?

 

Ressler broke the arrow in Li Chon's chest and took the half with the arrowhead and put it in his pocket.  When Matthew Kincaid was holding Ressler against that tree, Matthew went for the knife in his belt while Ressler grabbed the arrow out of his pocket.

 

But it was weirdly edited because Ressler was dangling against that tree above Matthew (and Carol Struycken, who played Matthew, is 7 feet tall in real life) but seemed to have good enough footing in order to swing and do some damage.

[Dot Com]

Oh yeah! I forgot about that. Thanks.

Edited October 28, 2014 by Dot Com

[paigow]

I just read on some blog that CBS is thinking of cancelling Person of Interest. I am in despair; I CANNOT believe POI would be cancelled but this trainwreck is allowed to stay on the air. (Is NBC that desperate, or is CBS just so confident that they can do better with a different show?)

NCIS: ISIS

[micat]

OK, I think I am giving this show way too much credit, but here goes. Red was clearly wrong about the chess move. If we posit that the show made him wrong on purpose, then perhaps it was sort of a meta-clue about Red's position in the episode itself. We've never seen Red be wrong before, have we? He's always 10 steps ahead and just dropping hints to bring others up to speed. However, in this episode, he *was* wrong. He'd in fact been helping Peter Fonda, believing him to be a good guy on the side of the animals, and Red was totally wrong and caught by surprise. So, interpreted in that light, the chess scene was a clue to let the canny viewer know that in this case, Red was not omnipotent, just as he proved not to be in the mystery in the episode.

 

No Spoiler: It made me think of a scene in Breaking Bad where they showed a chess board as part of the scenery, kind of like here, and the white king was in checkmate - i.e. Walter White was in grave trouble... They didn't point it out in the dialog or anything, it was just an easter egg for those who understood chess and noticed.

 

I know it's probably that their interns or whatever can't be bothered to look up anything, but if this were the show that it has(/had?) the potential to be with better writing and better stories, then it could be smart like that, right?

[Julia]

I guess I don't have a lot of feels about this one, except that it was better-than-average creepy for a halloween episode, and only really ground to a halt when Lizzie was onscreen. Nice to see Jeanne from NCIS again.

I never thought Peter Fonda looked much like his dad, but at the end, it was kind of uncanny.

Edited October 29, 2014 by Julia

[Ottis]

It just seems odd that Zoe would so quickly agree to meet with Red.

 

 

That's the point, I don't think she did. They were in front of her food truck. He was a customer who seemed friendly one day, who then came back. All she has to do is walk out and say hey and sit down for a minute. There is no agreement there, she is just talking with a repeat customer. Some business owners don't mind that, and it was a safe environment (as far as she knows).

 

Diego Klattenhoff expressed shame, pain and despair with just his body language spot on when Megan Boone gave him his pills in thr ambulance. It really accentuated her lack of acting ability. She does not show that much range throughout an entire episode even with tons of dialogue!

 

 

I couldn't figure out what the actress was going for in that scene with Ressler in the back of the ambulance. I expected either deep sympathy and a desire to help  or mommyish "you need to get help." It was somewhere in between. She gives him his pills, and then looks on with an expression of ... scorn? It was like she was saying, "Really?" And then as the camera draws back, she awkwardly has her arm draped across his shoulder. I at least expected either a close hug or just sitting next to him, companion-like. The scene felt like the two actors don't like each other in real life. Meanwhile, I got all those same emotions from Diego as you did, just from his limited actions. So it seems clear this is a Megan Boone problem.

 

Am I the only one who felt like this was an old X-Files episode?

 

 

Yep, it was torn from the infamous Peacock Family episode, right down to the old-timey music while the unspeakable is happening.

Edited October 29, 2014 by Ottis

[DrLar]

I need an explanation again, perhaps I need to watch the episode like 10 times...

So the "poacher hunters" are the Mombasa Cartel? the "dad" is the boss? I was so lost!

So again the Cartel killed Dembe's family right?

And what Alaska and Africa have in common again?

[Julia]

I need an explanation again, perhaps I need to watch the episode like 10 times...

So the "poacher hunters" are the Mombasa Cartel? the "dad" is the boss? I was so lost!

So again the Cartel killed Dembe's family right?

And what Alaska and Africa have in common again?

Yes, yes, and very little, except that Peter Fonda's family went off the grid after an enviroterrorist operation in Alaska, and Peter Fonda's operation killed Dembe's family in Africa.

[La Tortuga]

So from what everyone is saying, this was the Halloween episode of Blacklist. A crappy one. And I missed it. Damn it!

[Julia]

It's on Hulu.

[NorCalNut]

The scene with Ressler and Liz propped on the bumper of the ambulance reminded me of almost the exact scene in The Stewmaker just with the roles reversed (right down to the crappy blue blanket that was around Liz's shoulders in Stewmaker and then around Resslers in Mombassa Cartel)  But I agree with the above poster, OTTIS, it seemed awkward on Liz's part.  You'd think there would be more (for the lack of a better word) cuddling if he had just been freaking HUNTED and had his ear pierced with some shit and his thumb is all screwed up.  You'd think she'd be all over him (in a protective way) barking at anyone who messes with him.  The scene was okay, but it had much more potential.  

 

I disagree with OTTIS in that I do not at all get the feeling that Diego and Megan dislike each other.  They seem very fond of each other and kind of playful.  They tweet to each other and you don't get any snooty, negative vibe from either.  I still feel badly that I read somewhere that Spader was unkind and critical to her as a young actress.  At least she's doing well and holding her own now and all that drama is hopefully over.

 

Here's to hoping we'll see much more Keenler.  I also can't wait to see more of Diego.  The whole episode could have been about him for all I care.

 

Oh, one last question for everyone:  It mentioned in the teasers for this episode that Ressler picks up a bad habit.  Does the refer to him intentionally hurting himself to score drugs? if so, I hope we won't see anymore self harm from him.  I want my old ass-kicking, stoic but loveable, bad ass Ressler back.  And, last thought, if he's going to go full-on tweaker, at least let him ride a Harley and get a few crappy tattoos.

[terrymct]

Why would they dump them in the ocean at all -- for environmental reasons ?  And I highly doubt that the bodies would have floated all the way across the Pacific intact -- they would have been lunch for so many predators they would have been in pieces.  Plus skeletons wouldn't stay afloat for the time it takes to cross the Pacific -- if they remained intact.

 

 

This, a thousand times this.   Those bodies wouldn't have made it very far off the coast, let alone across the Pacific.   How long was that supposed to have taken, as well?

 

 

What was the point of tagging the victims ears, because that was never explained ?  Was there a tracking device in it ?

 

I think the idea was that Matthew knew only to shoot "animals" with those bright tags in their ears.

Edited October 30, 2014 by terrymct

[missbonnie]

So from what everyone is saying, this was the Halloween episode of Blacklist. A crappy one. And I missed it. Damn it!

You didn't miss anything. I would like to know who's responsible for taking the show I loved last year and put this drek in its place?