S02.E07: The Scimitar

[Tara Ariano]

A devious hit man targets an important American scientist in the wake of an Iranian nuclear scientist's assassination. Meanwhile, Keen tries to collect intelligence on Berlin, and Red connects with a food-truck worker.

[Danielg342]

So is Lizzie going rogue? Might actually be a fun angle.

[AimingforYoko]

Nicely played, Blacklist. So obviously, Berlin is about to be dispensed with and we're on to the next big bad.

I am so ready for Liz to kill Tom, their dialogues are just so tedious.

[jelaine]

I'd rather keep Tom and lose her.

[Danielg342]

Well, I knew Zoe was somebody's daughter. Well played show, well played. I wonder if this means that Berlin and Red are now even, considering that Berlin has nothing to actually have revenge against Red for.

 

Of course, I do still find this storyline contrived, but at least the execution seems to be about right, so I'll reserve my judgement until 02.08.

 

Thought Waleed Zuaiter did a marvelous job as The Scimitar (although I kept thinking the show pronounced "scimitar" wrong...or maybe it's just me). I did think that The Scimitar's presence at the "hospital" ruined any suspense that it was anything but an actual hospital, since Zuaiter commanded his presence a lot more than a bit character would, but at least his performance was engaging.

 

Liked Liz in this episode..for a change, she was actually a believable badass and actually had some brains (and she looked cute in those hospital undies). Why we can't seem to have more of that kind of Keene I'll never understand, because that's the more entertaining version.

 

The case itself seemed a bit too elaborate to be believable, though I guess since the whole thing was a government operation it could make sense. I do wonder how the Department of Defence could allow someone to slip in a fictitious employee without anyone noticing...for a department with such sensitive information, they sure do make themselves easy for manipulation.

 

Loved Samar Navabi in this one..she showed she can be a badass at the bar as well as with a gun. Really thinking I'm going to fall in love with this woman...and I fear she'll be toast at the end of the year just like Meera. *sniff*

 

Red was his usual, comic-book type snarky self but James Spader played it so well that he provided some of the most entertaining work he's done. I particularly loved seeming him casually strike golf balls into the windows of The Scimitar's contact. It's proof that you don't just need a gun to pressure someone to do what you want- it's all about hitting them where it counts, and in this case, it was the contact's windows.

 

The Tom thing didn't seem too necessary...it was all just pointless banter but it was nice to see Ryan Eggold on the screen after having so many weeks off prior to last week. I do hope he gets something more substantive next week, because "chained, distressed Tom" will get tiring fast.

 

Overall, did enjoy it, and I enjoyed it a lot.

[ottoDbusdriver]

That episode was a big ole mess.  From the Ressler-drives-like-a-madman-and-rolls-the SUV nonsense to the fake hospital ward to the fact that Lizzie is somehow renting a fishing boat to hold Tom in.

 

Was the Scimitar planning all along to kidnap Ressler and Keen specifically ?  And how did makeup from the back of the Scimitar's hand (covering up the tattoo on the back of his hand) end up on the back of the giant phone ?  Why didn't the super secret FBI SUV not have bullet-proof glass ?

 

So, if Red never killed Berlin's daughter -- was it Red that shipped the SOMEONE back to him piece-by-piece in order to think it was his daughter or was it someone else ?

 

 

I do wonder how the Department of Defence could allow someone to slip in a fictitious employee without anyone noticing...for a department with such sensitive information, they sure do make themselves easy for manipulation.

 

 

Seriously -- they looked up the guy's commute itinerary from DoD records so they were able to intercept him.

 

What bullshit about the scientist and the seminar -- oh, we can't cancel it because it will look suspicious that we are protecting her if we do ?  Huh ?  Sure you can -- fake a health emergency, that's all it takes.  Happens all the time.

 

[kdm07]

Two things:

 

1) I didn't that realize she was Berlin's daughter until the conversation about her father so well played show. Nicely done.

2) The FBI sure do hand out nice cars to their agents. I especially like the silver on Agent Navabi's car.

Edited November 4, 2014 by kdm07

[Gregg247]

Wow, they had so many new and shocking events tonight:

 

1. Keene and Ressler enter an incredibly dangerous situation without any backup at all and are taken down.

2. Keene and Ressler get a person of interest into their custody for safe-keeping, only to lose them in an elaborate automotive stunt.

3. Ressler (big and tough) is totally useless in a fight and must rely on Keene to save him.

4. Government agencies have no idea what's going on and are taken advantage of by the bad guys within about 30 seconds.

5. Someone on the team is going rogue (actually, 2 someones this week).

 

I like this show, but they're really starting to fall into a rut with their story-telling.

 

The guy who played the Scimitar was very good, so I was a little sorry to see him dead at the end.  He played a fake doctor very well; I knew he was the bad guy when he first appeared in the "hospital", but he had a very good bedside manner.  The actor should play more doctors on shows. 

 

When Keene confronted him at the hotel at the end, and he said, "Well, Agent Keene, I see you recovered very quickly!", I was hoping she was going to respond, "Doctor, thank goodness you're here!  My arm still hurts when I do this" and then she shoots him.

[thuganomics85]

Ah, so the mysterious girl was Berlin's daughter?!  I actually like that twist.  And, it sounds like now Red's big issues is going to be the guy who lied to Berlin.  I'm all for another big baddie; I like Peter Storemare in certain parts, but I really wasn't feeling him here.  I hope the next main villain is played by someone who is more of a match for James Spader.

 

Fuck it, I usually try not to go too much into the shallow pool, but at this point, I want every episode to have Megan Boone in panties.  I'm just so bored with Lizzie now, that her ass has easily become the most compelling part about her.  I was bummed when she finally found her pants, because I was hoping she would just do the entire "Save Ressler" operation in her underwear.

 

Why is is that I already find Samar more compelling then the entire main cast, besides Red and maybe Aram?  Lizzie, Harold, and Ressler could all fall off a bridge and I wouldn't blink, but I actually would miss Samar if she goes.

 

The Lizzie/Tom scenes just dragged.  I hope this will all end up being worth it.

[LaurainLA]

I'm really depressed by this, actually. Was Berlin's story about his daughter escaping from prison with the dissident a total lie? Unless he just made it up, Zoe is much too young to be his daughter -- his granddaughter would be more likely.

[Julia]

He was born in 51, she was born in 81. That seems like a reasonable age to be when your daughter is born. I was 31 when mine came.

Edited November 4, 2014 by Julia

[ottoDbusdriver]

I liked how when the SUV rolled that you could see the support structure that had been welded to the bottom of the SUV -- and during the SUV rolling sequence it lost a rear wheel, then got it back again for two more rolls, and then the rear wheel disappeared when the wreck came to a stop.   Seriously, that SUV practically leapt into the air.  Or the fact that both side mirrors were crushed, then reappeared, and then crushed again.

 

How much time progressed between the accident and when Lizzie woke up in the hospital ?  Because they had time to strip Lizzie down to her undies, clean her up, insert the pins in her arm, apply the plaster cast and allow it to set, and then stage her and Ressler in the ward.  By the way, when the nurse rolled Lizzie back into her bed (after Lizzie stole the scissors), you could clearly see the pre-cut line in the cast where she cut her way out.

 

Why did no alarms go off when Lizzie yanked out her monitoring leads ?  Am I the only one who thought it was weird that the x-ray on the wall appeared to be that of the alien from 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' ?  Why wasn't Lizzie's arm bleeding like a stuck pig when she pulled those long pins our of her arm ?   Plus, you can't wake up a sedated person that easily.

 

Who was the woman in the 3rd bed in the fake hospital ward that they removed before Lizzie broke out ?  Was that supposed reinforce the fact it was a "real" hospital ?

[Dowel Jones]

I liked Ressler's unstated opinion:  "I almost got shot,  nearly got killed in a wild car accident, banged around by more bad guys, bad, damn, those drugs were gooood."

 

That scientist was at least 5'5" or 5'8".  Quite a feat getting her into  a medium size suitcase.

[Subrookie]

I literally LOL'd when the director told Lizzy that Bethesda had the best neurologists. All she him was that Resler was "hurt".

[dwmarch]

A little bit too formulaic for my tastes but some of the twists were good.

 

How is it that in the contest of SUV versus dudes on a motorbike the SUV is the one that ends up flying? It should have been more like "Oh, there's two pricks on a bike chasing us..." SQUISH. Followed by "I guess we'd better scrape some of that DNA off the wheels to see who those guys were."

 

Every bad guy on this show knows the FBI's procedures and how to lead them around by the nose, even though this task force is supposed to be a secret. We've already established that they don't really follow the rules so why do they follow procedural manuals that guide them into every ambush every enemy ever sets?

 

This was briefly addressed in the show but I wish they would expand on it: Ressler has access to help from the FBI. Agents get hooked on drugs as an occupational hazard. Help is available! But no, Ressler has to be a tough guy and try to quit cold turkey. If he's hooked on opiates that is a very profoundly bad idea!

[shura]

Well, I knew Zoe was somebody's daughter.

 

Most females usually are, yes :). I can't say I'm all that impressed with the twist. It makes Berlin look pretty dumb and gullible. He pretty much took someone's word (even if it was a super-elaborate setup of some kind) that his daughter was dead and believed it. If he is a figure of Red's caliber that the show wants us to believe he is, how come he hasn't double- and triple-checked everything having to do with his daughter's "death", if only to make certain it was Red's fault and learn all the details of how it happened? And if he has, how come he never came across any inconsistencies? I mean, his daughter is not dead, that's a pretty big inconsistency.

 

What happened to the daughter in the first place anyway? Did she decide to run away from the daddy without a trace and someone managed to piggyback on that to frame Red? Did she know what Berlin was going to think about her disappearance? I wonder if the writers have thought all this through.

 

I'm unclear on the details of the con the Scimitar (which, btw, why was he called that?) ran on the FBI. He lured Lizzie and Ressler into a trap, abducted them, made Lizzie call Harold and got the scientists name from that somehow. How did he do that last part? Hack into Harold's voicemail?

 

My favorite bit from the episode:

Harold (picking up the phone): "Assistant Director Cooper."

Lizzie: "Hey, it's me."

Me: "WTF?!!"

[Primetimer]

On The Blacklist, Navabi is basically the cooler version of Keen.

Read the story

[atua]

I'm unclear on the details of the con the Scimitar (which, btw, why was he called that?) ran on the FBI. He lured Lizzie and Ressler into a trap, abducted them, made Lizzie call Harold and got the scientists name from that somehow. How did he do that last part? Hack into Harold's voicemail?

Don't need to do anything that tricky. The Scimitar could tap the phone line in the fake hospital, or even just use an extension off the phone line. Edited November 4, 2014 by atua

[wiggiebegone]

Was it really necessary for the camera to focus on wiggies flabby ass cheeks? Eeeeu. Maybe to distract us from her awful acting? Where does she get the money for a new benz each show and Toms megayacht? I am so over the gawd awful dialog in this badly played arc. The writers seem like they don't how get out of this hole they got into. And Tom won't die. The fraus would be too upset.

Wggie=fake badass. Samar=Real badass.

Samar getting overpowered by bad guy last week was dumb. No way!  Fake badass wiggie overpowering all the worlds baddies is beyond the absurd!!

I sadly know they cannot kill off wiggie (or resssler) because of the story line, but if they kill off Samar or arum, I'm gone.

Otherwise, a pretty good show this week.  But last season was still better.

[shura]

Don't need to do anything that tricky. The Scimitar could tap the phone line in the fake hospital, or even just use an extension off the phone line.

 

So his plan was based on the hope that Lizzie is bound to mention the scientist's name during her calls from the hospital? That's far from guaranteed if you ask me.

 

Were the pins in Lizzie's arm placed there just to make her feel that her arm is broken or were they for something else? 

[ottoDbusdriver]

So his plan was based on the hope that Lizzie is bound to mention the scientist's name during her calls from the hospital? That's far from guaranteed if you ask me.

 

The Scimitar's entire plan was based on Lizzie mentioning the scientist by name on that phone call -- that's a pretty weak plan to expend all that effort with the fake hospital and people playing doctors, nurses, orderlies, security guard and even a fake patient.

 

My favorite bit from the episode:

Harold (picking up the phone): "Assistant Director Cooper."

Lizzie: "Hey, it's me."

Me: "WTF?!!"

 

I'm surprised Lizzie didn't try and tell Cooper about the tractor story. </Seinfeld>

[gazebo]

I'm impressed by how edgy Liz has gotten.  The actress playing Lizzie looks better and better with each episode.  I think it's because she truly has longer hair now and that she's wearing alot more tight fitting dark clothes. 

 

In the fake hospital, Liz notices something is wrong because after she spoke on the hospital phone, she saw it was smeared brown.  Was that because of all the make-up they put on her arms to make it look like she had scrapes and cuts?  How did the color get onto the phone? 

 

Ressler was pretty useless in this episode.  Liz had to save his life this time instead of the other way around.  At least he had a true wake-up call to give up the drugs.  Seriously, Ressler needs to see a therapist.

 

Samar is turning into an interesting character.  I was not surprised that she did the hit on the Iranian scientist, she seemed very capable of that.  What I was surprised was how easily she killed the assassin Scimitar without really finding out all his secrets, especially about her brother's death.  I like Samar's dark, sexy looks.  She looks like she could be very formidable.

 

I knew the truck stop girl was Berlin's daughter!  Yay!  At first I thought she was Red's long lost daughter but that was too easy a conclusion.  I feel sorry for that poor girl who thought she found a nice friend but instead gets drugged by her friend and ends up back with her father.  I think Red is going to make some sort of bargain with Berlin to find out who is really after him.

 

Tom looks like shit being imprisoned on that boat.  What the hell is Liz going to do after she finds out everything from Tom?  I don't think she's going to let him go that easily.  Tom is doing his very best to be kept alive and to even try to freak her out by telling her that when she kills him, to look him in the eyes.  I know he's a lying, dangerous man, but I kinda felt sorry for him.  I have a feeling he's going to find a way to escape before this season is over.

[urusai]

 

How did the color get onto the phone?

That was the makeup covering the Scimitar's tattoo smeared on the phone.

[saber5055]

Where was that sink Ressler tossed his drugs into? His apartment? Is he living in the basement of some skid-row tenament? All I could think was, "Ewwww, nasty". And it was the first time I'd seen pills sinked, usually they are flushed.

 

Tom is doing his very best to be kept alive and to even try to freak her out by telling her that when she kills him, to look him in the eyes.

My knee-jerk response to Tom saying that would have been, "You can count on that." Tom needs to STFU. I liked him last season. This season as Dead Tom he's an albatross.

 

Count me in the Say-No-To-Flabby-Bare-Assed Camp for Lizzie in undies. Just ... no. At least not on my tv, please. At least it wasn't an open-back hospital gown.

 

Nice way to get Berlin's daughter back to him, but poor girl ... I hope Red takes her back so she doesn't have to stay with Daddy.

 

Does Red owe Berlin a couple packages in payment for his ex-wife's finger and other parts?

 

 

How is it that in the contest of SUV versus dudes on a motorbike the SUV is the one that ends up flying? It should have been more like "Oh, there's two pricks on a bike chasing us..." SQUISH. Followed by "I guess we'd better scrape some of that DNA off the wheels to see who those guys were."

Best.Post.Ever. And exactly what I was thinking. Time to change lanes, Ressler! Plus roll up your window, you stupe.

[Mom x 3]

Seriously?  You guys think Keen has a flabby ass?  I mean, I agree that she's no Judy Dench, but she's got a great body.

[Texasmom1970]

In the shallow end of the pool anyou episode where Ressler is showing any skin I'm in!

Also loved the scene where she said she was scared about losing Ressler and he said something like the thought of losing him was unbearable, yes, yes it was

[wiggiebegone]

 

How is it that in the contest of SUV versus dudes on a motorbike the SUV is the one that ends up flying? It should have been more like "Oh, there's two pricks on a bike chasing us..." SQUISH. Followed by "I guess we'd better scrape some of that DNA off the wheels to see who those guys were."

Best.Post.Ever. And exactly what I was thinking. Time to change lanes, Ressler! Plus roll up your window, you stupe.

How come no bullet proof glass?? What BS. All special ops vehicles have It around, and light armoured doors. Both the mensas' had their windows down.

Sooo bored with the formulaic pill addiction.

But I'll keep watching until..........

Edited November 6, 2014 by wiggiebegone

[2KllMckngBrd]

Really liked this one. It was a fun ride. And I haven't been able to say that about this show in awhile. Keene in GI Jane mode gave her something. She was handling the situation w/out Red's help. Granted in the end Samar needed Red's help to find and "save" Keene and Ressler, but that was through no doing of Lizzie's. In the fake hospital she was piecing things together, and kicking butt and taking names all by herself. While dragging a useless Ressler behind her.

 

I laughed out loud when Ressler said, after all of that, that he hadn't felt this good in awhile. Apparently he was even further gone than I thought.

 

Favorite part was when Samar was riding in the limo w/Red and said that, "she was choosing her team". Gave me an awe moment, and made me hope she sticks around.

 

And for a change Red's smart assery completely worked, and didn't feel like over acting.

[Johnny Dollar]

Sometimes when I watch this show, I get the feeling that I missed an episode.  So, Tom was working for Berlin?  When did that come out?  Did he fake marry Lizzie a couple of years ago in the hopes that Red would come calling for her a couple of years later and he could get close to Red? 

 

So the Scimitar has the foresight to set up a fake agent, and a fake hospital, with beds and equipment and everything, in the hopes that the good guys would see a planted picture of the fake agent, and rescue said fake agent, and hope that Ressler would not be able to fight off the team of assassins, but would, instead, turn over his car, and not kill anybody, so that Ressler and Keen can be taken to fake hospital, with the hope that Keen would just so happen to mention the name of the doctor that they were trying to protect, and all in a timeframe of maybe 24 hours?  Scimitar should have been an event planner.

 

BTW - nice ass, Lizzie.

[Xina]

While I enjoyed this episode, I had one big eye roll. Ressler has been given an IV sedative, and needs to be helped out of the hospital by Keene. They're rescued in the nick of time by Samar, and head over to the hotel shortly afterward for the final rescue. Out of the three of them, why the hell does RESSLER end up driving?

[DrLar]

I just knew it was a fake hospital, what hospital they let you wear undies? Liz should be butt naked under the gown, but oh well not bad

[2KllMckngBrd]

Forgot something in my earlier post. Holy fakeout Blacklist. Well done. I absolutely loved the reveal that she was Berlin's daughter. The look on Red's face when he delivered that line was worth the cost of admission. And the show completely faked me out. Did not, in any way, see that one coming. Loved it. Loved it.

 

It was especially great, because I never thought for one moment that Keene's husband from hell was dead. And I tweeted from way back, that that's who Lizzie was holding. I was actually pissed that the show actually thought they were fooling me.

[Bort]

I just knew it was a fake hospital, what hospital they let you wear undies? Liz should be butt naked under the gown, but oh well not bad

Hospitals let you keep your underwear if you don't need a catheter.

[NorCalNut]

 

While I enjoyed this episode, I had one big eye roll. Ressler has been given an IV sedative, and needs to be helped out of the hospital by Keene. They're rescued in the nick of time by Samar, and head over to the hotel shortly afterward for the final rescue. Out of the three of them, why the hell does RESSLER end up driving?

 

Xina, I was thinking exactly the same thing about Ressler.  Why was he driving!!!  I normally like it when he drives cause he looks all NASCAR when he does, but really, the two gals would be like..."Hell, No! get in the back and lay down!"   

 

That was a truly screwed up scene and the other one (also involving my dear Ressler,) was the craptastic bathroom of his?  W.T.F.??  Why can't he have a nice bathroom? his apartment was okay when we saw it but that god awful bathroom is probably part of the reason he's on the drugs!

[IWantCandy71]

I'd rather keep Tom and lose her.

Absolutely. Tom is far more interesting. And as far as dangerous, he's no more so than Reddington or any of that bunch. This is a show after all, about a main character who is basically just a murdering thug. It doesn't matter that some of those he kills are supposedly "worse" than him. But anyway-yeah, Tom has storyline potential, and Liz? She really doesn't.

Edited November 6, 2014 by IWantCandy71

[Dusty Rose]

 I knew the truck stop girl was Berlin's daughter! 

 

I didn't catch on that she was Berlin's daughter, but I didn't think she was Red's daughter.  I mean, she didn't recognize him at all.  If he was her dad, wouldn't she know, especially if he was the big bad she said he was?

[KalEl]

This show cotinues to a neck-and-neck contest with The Following to see who can portray The FBI as dumb as well as incompetent. Two agents are dead and yet a six foot man manages to wheel a luggage cart out even though we see Harold tell them to lock the building down. Pretty sure being Arabic means he'd get stopped no matter what. The only saving grace is that the bad guys are even dumber. Why on earth would he wipe the make up off his hand before going on a mission!?! And why is the scientist still awake in the bag!?!  Sigh. Soooo much dumb.

[Skyline]

I laughed so hard when I saw Ressler bandaged in the hospital bed. It brought tears to my eyes. Just last week he was being held in cage, and running for his life in the woods. He really is the whipping boy.

Keep Keen with minimal clothing on. She looks good.

[Kelda Feegle]

Fair to good ep but I couldn't get past the hair on the felon-aiding guy's back ... and arms ... and shoulders ... and blerghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[ToxicUnicorn]

ottoDbusdriver, if I could like your post multiple times, I would.  Love you.

 

Acting alert!!!  Acting alert!!!  Lizzie actually wrinkled her forehead as Aram was talking.  It's about time she pretended not to understand something before and as he explains it.  I consider that a significant improvement.

 

Baby steps.

 

Loved Samar Navabi in this one..she showed she can be a badass at the bar as well as with a gun. Really thinking I'm going to fall in love with this woman...and I fear she'll be toast at the end of the year just like Meera. *sniff*

Totally agree with this.  She's my new favorite actress on current tv.  Gorgeous, and I like her character, too.

 

I found this episode far less annoying than any other this season.  As for BadTom, I still like him.  I root for him every time Lizzy comes into the room.  I know he probably won't kill her, but if he can put her in a coma for a few episodes, I would be mighty grateful.

[JoeSchwike]

 

So the Scimitar has the foresight to set up a fake agent, and a fake hospital, with beds and equipment and everything, in the hopes that the good guys would see a planted picture of the fake agent, and rescue said fake agent, and hope that Ressler would not be able to fight off the team of assassins, but would, instead, turn over his car, and not kill anybody, so that Ressler and Keen can be taken to fake hospital, with the hope that Keen would just so happen to mention the name of the doctor that they were trying to protect, and all in a timeframe of maybe 24 hours?  Scimitar should have been an event planner.

 

I had a feeling the hospital was fake right away, it seemed strange that they would be in the same room, and with another patient.  I remembered what Red said about the Scimitar being 2 parts con artist.  The whole plot was similar to an old movie '36 Hours' http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057809/ , where the Nazis capture James Garner (an American spy) just before D-Day and try to convince him he is recovering in an American hospital after the invasion, trying to get him to confirm details (good movie BTW).  

[Ottis]

Liked Liz in this episode..for a change, she was actually a believable badass and actually had some brains (and she looked cute in those hospital undies).

 

 

Except ... do FBI agents always call out the names of terrorists as they approach them in public, as Lizzie did with Vokof? And then name top secret nuclear scientists undercover on an unknown phone when they call into their boss? Just stupid, Lizzie.

 

But you do have a nice butt.

 

Yeah, I am a week late. Took me that long to watch.

Edited November 11, 2014 by Ottis

[tomorrowgirl]

I'm more than a week late in watching this.  I thought the hospital looked fake right from the start.  It looked like some kind of ward, especially with that other unknown patient.  If this had been a real hospital, the agents surely would have been in their own private rooms, or possibly still in cubicles or rooms in the ER.   Regarding Lizzie's butt, I didn't think she looked flabby at all.  She looked toned to me.