S02.E19: Leonard Caul

[formerlyfreedom]

As Red fights for his life, he pleads with Liz to track down Nicholas Caul — a mysterious figure from his past with knowledge of The Fulcrum. It's a race against time for the task force to locate Caul before Red's life is threatened again, while Tom proves helpful in an unexpected way.

[Danielg342]

Only thing I hope for is that Red at least regains consciousness and a degree of functionality, so at least he can contribute to the cases. I don't want four weeks- and then a summer- of, “will Red make it?” because we know he will.

[paigow]

Red: Lizzie, find the only other man in the world that knows about the Fulcrum.

Liz: Why should I believe you?

Red: The mysterious syndicate will be looking for him too.

Liz: I still love Tom

Red: WTF??!! [Passes out]

[Julia]

Liz: I still love Tom

Red: WTF??!! [Passes out]

 

Liz: No soap, radio! The pointy yellow smell tastes damp! After this, I am through with you! 

[ottoDbusdriver]

That was stupid.  Is Lizzie done with Red yet again because he didn't tell her everything ?

 

Lizzie gives that cabal guy the super-duper decoder ring silver suitcase and decoder key and a copy of the Fulcrum.  How many of those decoders are kicking around ?  How did Lizzie know where that the cabal guy was a high-up in the CIA and where to go to drop off suitcase.  I'm surprised cabal guy didn't kill her on the spot.

 

And Tom really did love Lizzie because he stayed with her after Red quit paying him--- awwwwwwwwwwwww, it must be twu wuv.

[Winnief]

And Tom really did love Lizzie because he stayed with her after Red quit paying him--- awwwwwwwwwwwww, it must be twu wuv.

 

 

Seriously.  I don't mind Tom as a bona fide recurring villain, since Ryan's a great actor but the writers constant attempts to make us 'ship' him and Liz are just nauseating. 

 

And his line, that when talking to Red, he was worried most about Liz?!?  Bullshit.  Ok, I remember that scene and that was a man who was afraid that he was finally FINALLY being found out for what he was.

 

Tom claiming he's upset that he thinks Red hurt Liz is almost as much bullshit as saying he killed the harbormaster for Liz, instead of to prevent himself from prison time too, (since he realized at that point Liz was almost sure to let him go for info on Berlin.) 

 

I'll say one thing...I *am* now curious about Liz's mother.  You don't suppose The Director himself could be bio daddy?!?

Edited April 24, 2015 by Winnief

[shura]

That was stupid.  Is Lizzie done with Red yet again because he didn't tell her everything ?

 

No, it's even funnier than that - she is done with Red because he didn't tell her that he's told her everything.

 

I like how Mr. Kaplan works. The way she had a plan was very entertaining, how everybody received their calls and fell into positions. Possibly even dropping surgeries in progress, but that's details. Really, if only this show didn't have Liz...

[Julia]

Oh, good lord.

Well, it was good to see Lizzie face to face with David Strathairn. It was a further data point supporting my evolving theory that Megan Boone is the event horizon of a lack of talent singularity which is capable of stripping the realism from any scene, no matter how talented her partner is. I mean, can you imagine how good a show with these actors in it would be if the leading actress was only moderately untalented?

There was a plot, I think. And the shootout was choreographed well.

[ottoDbusdriver]

I'll say one thing...I *am* now curious about Liz's mother.  You don't suppose The Director himself could be bio daddy?!?

 

That photo with little Lizzie had her mother's face obscured by sunlight (seriously, who takes photos like that ?) just to further drag out who her mommy is -- and it's just such a pathetic and obvious attempt to drag out the mystery.

[thuganomics85]

Of course, Red survives the shot.  This show knows damn well that it would sink without James Spader.  And, not only does Red also survive the shoot-out (thanks to a last minute save of all things), while other bodies drop, both Dembre and Tom make it out without a scratch.  They sure were lucky the cabal could only hit the extras!

 

Speaking of obvious, the dramatic reveal that Harold's "buddy" is in league with David Strathairn, was way overblown.  Was that suppose to be surprising?  Because, not really.  Had it been, say, Harold, Ressler, or Aram that was the traitor, that would have actually been shocking.  Not the guy that's already been acting kind of scummy.  Please quit insulting my intelligence, Blacklist.

 

I'm drawling a blank: have we met Lizzie's doctor ex before?  Because, I can't place him at all.  Anyway, I know I was suppose to be upset over him demanding money to save Red (between Lizzie's "How can you?!" look he gave him, plus Tom warning him about being indebted to Red), but I kind of loved it.  The woman who dumped you suddenly shows back up, asking you to perform surgery on a known criminal?  Yeah, might as well try and get those debts taken care of.

 

So, Tom is sticking around to tell Lizzie more about Red.  It's official: sounds like Lizzie's Team Tom now.

[LexiconDevilOne]

This whole show plays out like one huge long con.

[dwmarch]

I suppose Mr. Vargas feeds the cat too? That flat didn't look too lived in, feline company excluded.

 

This blackmail file is going to be pretty obsolete if it's all thirty year old secrets. Guess what, back in 1980-something the CIA did shitty stuff. We know this already! What could be worse than what happened in real life? The CIA provided weapons and training to the Afghan mujahideen who ended up becoming the taliban. That lead directly to 9/11. But the Fulcrum has something worse in it?

 

I did like that Mr. Kaplan had a big greasy revolver and $500k in cash on standby for just such an occasion. Lizzie's ex-fiancee was awkwardly shoehorned in though. Red has this whole medical team on standby but only one surgeon?

 

Cooper gets carte blanche from the Attorney General to do whatever it takes in this situation but has to go to Mossad for intel? I guess it works because the CIA is part of the team of bad guys here but it seems like the only reason for this plot point was to give Samar something to do.

 

Tom can't quit. He was fired.

[Brian Cronin]

Speaking of obvious, the dramatic reveal that Harold's "buddy" is in league with David Strathairn, was way overblown.  Was that suppose to be surprising?  Because, not really.  Had it been, say, Harold, Ressler, or Aram that was the traitor, that would have actually been shocking.  Not the guy that's already been acting kind of scummy.  Please quit insulting my intelligence, Blacklist.

Oh no, not the guy who pulled Harold out of a drug treatment trial for daring to question one of his orders (which isn't even possible to do, but whatever), how could YOU be a bad guy?!?!

 

That said, when he was first introduced, I was actually shocked for a moment because it was like, "Wha? Just two guys being friends to each other? How surprisingly refreshing!" Only for his heel turn to come, like, the very next episode. 

[paigow]

Lizzie has quite a collection of exes. How many more of them are there? Do they each have unique skill sets? You could assemble....a team...of...Avengers! 

[paigow]

But the Fulcrum has something worse in it?

Iraq had no WMD stockpile

Lee Harvey Oswald was a patsy

[ottoDbusdriver]

Yet another week goes by when the Blacklister is not captured or arrested or killed.  That makes 5 episodes in a row, so what is the point of The Blacklist again ?

 

Interesting that Lizzie was all kind and attentive to the cat in Red's flat, but still no mention of her dog (which has probably starved to death by now because Lizzie is such a terrible pet owner).

 

Another interesting plot point -- the lone bullet that was used to shoot Red had a percussion cap that didn't explode on impact, yet during the firefight on the street none of the other bullets fired by the sniper exploded.  There should have been mini-explosions going off all over the place, unless the sniper bought a box that were all duds.  Maybe the bullet lodged in Red's body was just a plot convenience bullet with a percussion cap.

 

I like how Dembe gunned down that guy on the sidewalk for no other reason than having his hand behind his back, as the gun wasn't revealed until after he was shot -- good call by Dembe though.

 

I also like how Lizzie managed to get off 20 shots from her pistol before driving off -- it must be a magic gun that never needs reloading.

 

I thought the music in several scenes of this episode was really weird because it came off as more music video than serious drama (this show is supposed to be a drama, right ?) -- add in the fact that you shouldn't have loud music playing during a scene with normal conversational dialogue because it makes it difficult to hear what they are saying.

 

Lizzie is so stupid -- just because guys show up at the warehouse after an assassination attempt that just happened, she waves off Dembe because she "knows" its the protective detail from the FBI despite the fact that Cooper said it would be 15 minutes.  Apparently Lizzie has trouble keeping track of time, but she doesn't even ask to see their badges since she doesn't know them.

 

Tom really needs to get rid of that SS tattoo on his neck -- and soon.

 

From what we saw of the Fulcrum projection, there was a lot of articles about Reagan, Libya, Star Wars and trade deficits -- hardly anything incriminating these days since all this information is 30+ years old.  Plus in that bizarre way it was presented, it was hard to make out many details -- wouldn't it have made more sense to present all the info as a slideshow so everything wasn't all mixed up ?

 

And that scene where Reddington was struggling to pull out a gun from under a dead body as four men show up with guns pointed directly at Reddington and they all take a dramatic pause -- just long enough to wait to get the recall order.  Didn't they have orders to shoot on sight -- that's what the initial assassination attempt was ?  What were they waiting for ?  They had no problems shooting anyone else.

 

I'm still trying to figure out how Lizzie now has multiple copies of the Fulcrum ?  What did she use to copy it with ?

 

And Lizzie is all worried now about being devoured by Reddington.  Oh no, not the devouring.  That whole scene just came across as tacked on filler as a prelude to Lizzie going back to Tom.

Edited April 24, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[shura]

That photo with little Lizzie had her mother's face obscured by sunlight (seriously, who takes photos like that ?)

 

My question is, who frames a photo like this? "I've got this great picture that I have to frame and display. I just wish it were possible to see what's in the picture..." Maybe it's postmodern?

 

Anyway, I know I was suppose to be upset over him demanding money to save Red (between Lizzie's "How can you?!" look he gave him, plus Tom warning him about being indebted to Red), but I kind of loved it.

 

My hat's off to you for being able to tell what Lizzie's looks mean. I was kind of wondering how the doctor was going to use the half-million in cash to pay off his student debt. You can't really bring this much cash and deposit it without answering a few questions. Or is he going to spread it over many years?

[desertflower]

I love how right before Red was shot he was attempting, for once, to give Liz some answers, and she was all "Nah, I'm good. I don't care or need to know why you hired Tom." The hell??? What wouldn't you want to know that?? But then of course later after he's shot and might possibly die she decides she wants some info.

I spend the majority of these episodes stressing out that Dembe is going to get murdered. If they kill him off I will be highly pissed.

Tom. I love seeing him; I think the character is fascinating and the actor is charming and hot, but I fear they are taking him too far to the other side now. He's starting to get a bit too shmoopie-eyed over Liz. I'm not saying he needs to ruthlessly kill people every week but I really hope we don't have to watch him go back to sitting at home waiting for Liz to come home and eat the dinner he prepared, ala season 1.

Edited April 24, 2015 by desertflower

[paigow]

Is it possible for an undergrad degree plus med school to cost that much? Residents are not rich, but are not getting minimum wage either.

[Julia]

Is it possible for an undergrad degree plus med school to cost that much? Residents are not rich, but are not getting minimum wage either.

Ivy tuition is about $50k these days, plus room and board, fees and books. Med school is about the same, except if you're instate at a state school, and that's close to $40k. Then if he got into a prestigious program for his internship, real estate a reasonable commute from work is probably pretty pricey.

Assuming he was as much out of Lizzie's league as all the other men in her life, I can imagine it pretty easily.

[shura]

Okay, tell me if this would work. The surgeon brings his suitcase of cash to the bank and honestly says "I was forced to do a surgery on this criminal, and then they paid me $500,000 for it that I'd like to deposit. Obviously, there are no receipts or invoices, but this is the source of the money. It was done at this date and time, at this address, it could all be verified to some extent. I even have a selfie with the patient." Is he free and clear to use the money? I mean, this is the truth, he didn't do anything illegal to obtain the money as far as I can tell. And Mr. Kaplan even was so nice as to factor in the tax he would have to pay on the income.

Edited April 24, 2015 by shura

[Primetimer]

Will Red Reddington survive the sniper attack? Of course! Will Tom ever get rid of his SS tattoo? The jury is still out!

Read the story

[paigow]

Yet another week goes by when the Blacklister is not captured or arrested or killed.  That makes 5 episodes in a row, so what is the point of The Blacklist again ?

 

I get the feeling that half of it is V for Vendetta, and the other half is Schindler's List - people Red needs to save / recruit

[KittenPokerCheater]

I am in love with Tom now.  I don't think he's ever going to be "sweet teacher Tom."  I like the morally flexible guy we have now, the guy who wants to "swim" but doesn't know how.  The actor should never let his hair grow long again.

 

But damn, that SS tattoo has to go.  He's going to get his ass kicked by some random person if he doesn't.  Time for a trip to the tattoo removal office.

 

I wonder how long it will take Red to be up and about soon.  Mr. Kaplan probably has unicorn blood specially stocked away for Red.

[saber5055]

Interesting that Lizzie was all kind and attentive to the cat in Red's flat, but still no mention of her dog (which has probably starved to death by now because Lizzie is such a terrible pet owner).

 

 

Yes, but I kept waiting for her to FEED the cat. Which she did not do. So no pass from me on Animal Abuser Lizzie.

 

So if all those assassins got to Red in his recovery room, that means they killed Dembe and Tom, right? Otherwise, they never would have made it to Red, right?

 

LOL at Tom saying he's going back into the real world with a regular job while that tat shines brightly on his neck. Not even "Would you like fries with that" play for him.

 

So Lizzie's ex is/was a medical student/doctor? Really hard for me to process that information, that Red could send Tom in there and School Teacher Tom could sweep Lizzie off her feet when she could have married a DOCTOR?

 

Confused by Tom telling Doctor that if he took the $ Red would own him. More like Doctor owns Red since he's the one who saved his life. He performed a task and got paid for it. So, WTH, Tom. Or maybe Tom was wishing he could take off with that case full of cash.

 

The cash ... put enough in the bank each month to pay your loan and maybe a bit more. Not a big deal.

 

And WTH Lizzie, all po'd that Red DIDN'T LIE at the end. Hey Lizzie, how do you know he WASN'T lying? There's always that, you know.

 

And that photo ... yeah, my tv isn't THAT bad but that picture, the heck. Who keeps much less frames a photo like that.

 

And who were the subjects of the other photos? Was the grad photo Lizzie? 

 

All of a sudden there are multiple Fulcrums, created in a split second. Please.

 

I really dislike smoopie Tom.

[ottoDbusdriver]

All of a sudden there are multiple Fulcrums, created in a split second. Please.

 

This makes no sense at all -- 30 year old tech that even Aram couldn't crack, but suddenly Lizzie has multiple copies. WTF ?

Edited April 25, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[Dot Com]

I am in love with Tom now. I don't think he's ever going to be "sweet teacher Tom." I like the morally flexible guy we have now, the guy who wants to "swim" but doesn't know how. The actor should never let his hair grow long again.

But damn, that SS tattoo has to go. He's going to get his ass kicked by some random person if he doesn't. Time for a trip to the tattoo removal office.

Ryan Eggold has beautiful eyes and long beautiful eyelashes. I was expecting Liz's Doctor Ex to comment on the SS tattoo. Or at the very least to give it a funny look.

"All of a sudden there are multiple Fulcrums, created in a split second. Please."

Yeah right. Made no sense at all.

Edited April 24, 2015 by Dot Com

[pcta]

The music at the beginning of the episodes was so loud and mediocre that I nearly turned the episode off. Such a long gap with no Spader, I nearly turned the episode off. Tom is beginning to bore me. More Dembe and Kaplan please. Lizzie. Is neither pretty nor interesting enough to have a string of exes. Bottom line for the first time wish I had gone with my initial inclination and turned the episode off.

[Dot Com]

I think "loud and mediocre" music is becoming a thing on tv. Last week's episode of "Hawaii 5-0" was barely watchable with the loud so-called "background" music blaring over 90% of the episode. Unfortunately I can't use closed captioning on my tv.

I'm beginning to wonder if maybe Liz's mother was a CIA agent and she worked with Red back in the day.

[sjohnson]

I'm pretty sure there are no more copies of the Fulcrum. She's bluffing. Giving the only copy away is how the show gets rid of the Fulcrum without its revelations terminating the cabal and the long term plot that goes with it. 

 

I'm not so sure the Omaha conversation wasn't retconned. Red had Tom gutted in the first episode after all. So I'm not so sure that Red's threats were quite appropriate to the revised understanding. I would have thought after sending a crazed Serbian to stab an ex-employee, you just don't go back to just being subtly menacing.

 

Gina Zanetakos, Gina Zanetakos, Gina Zanetakos. 

[MostlyC]

Gina Zanetakos, Gina Zanetakos, Gina Zanetakos.

 

Is this a tongue twister, or a call to the Candyman?

[dwmarch]

From what we saw of the Fulcrum projection, there was a lot of articles about Reagan, Libya, Star Wars and trade deficits -- hardly anything incriminating these days since all this information is 30+ years old.  Plus in that bizarre way it was presented, it was hard to make out many details -- wouldn't it have made more sense to present all the info as a slideshow so everything wasn't all mixed up ?

 

My thoughts exactly. That Fulcrum is some bullshit. Newspaper articles, archived in every library across the continent, digitized and searchable on Google? That's your blackmail material? As an actor once said, if you have enough footage of Santa Claus you can cut it to make him look like an asshole. Doesn't equal blackmail material by any stretch. The Snowden leaks aren't that damaging and that was a guy who had administrator-level access to everything the NSA had!

[Danielg342]

There is one major positive I can take out of this: with the American economy in the toilet, it's good to know that someone is going to be hiring. Because, you see, Red seems to have lost a few people in his security detail, so he'll need to replace those mooks. In fact, Red sure could use a "security co-ordinator" or a "threat assessor" of some kind, because, lately he sure does suck at keeping himself safe.

 

"FBI's got a security detail at Hospital X!"

"Nah...I'd rather go to some abandoned warehouse...never mind that I have people watching me all the time."

 

...actually, come to think of it...maybe he just ought to rethink this whole "working with the FBI" thing, because the FBI sucks at keeping him safe too.

 

Your tax dollars at work, America!

 

(hey, I'm Canadian...fortunately, like Red, I don't have to pay those guys to run around like headless chickens)

 

That's not the worst part of this episode- I think the worst part of it that this "grand cabal" of shady worldwide characters is becoming a touch too unrealistic. I mean, I get that shows like this need to have mystery and it makes sense that Red's enemies would be some kind of global syndicate. I just would have hoped by now at least we'd get a sense of how the group is organized and what, exactly, their reasons for targeting Red are. We don't need to know everything about their activities and what their true motivations are, but keeping us in the dark about their membership and their ties to Red makes them feel "omnipotent"- they have this endless supply of people they can call upon and resources at their disposal.

 

Granted, Red seems to also be "omnipresent" since he's always got "this guy" who can provide him with things and he's always got a trick or three up his sleeve to get out of situations...but for some reason, Red feels "grounded", perhaps because we know who he is and who exactly works for him (at least the "main" guys, like Mr. Kaplan and Dembe), with the other major part of his "team" being the FBI, who are a "known" quantity.

 

The "grand cabal"? Aside from Fitch, do we even know anyone's name? I think it's time we get some answers here.

 

Having said all that...the show still feels, as a whole, "grounded" and I don't think they make any pretensions that they're trying to be realistic...it's just an action show. Seeing Lizzie- and now Tom, it seems- get wide-eyed at just the world they've put themselves in does that, since at least the show has some self-awareness of the grandness it's created. Dare I say it, Tom and Lizzie working together to make sense of this world would actually be interesting, which finally gets Lizzie something substantive to do instead of just pouting with Red. The potential for Lizzie to be the "Watson" was always there, and it's a pity the show has taken this long to get to that point- but finally they have, and hopefully Lizzie can run with it.

 

The fear, though, is that The Blacklist will get consumed by its own mysteries, building upon things up to such a point where there can never be a resolution. I said back in Season 1 there needs to be an "organization", where the show defines which side each group falls upon- who's on Lizzie's side, who's on Red's side, who are the antagonists, etc. Season 1 seemed to have this to a large extent, but Season 2 has been a little out of whack- the Blacklisters never seem to get arrested, people seem to oscillate between "good" and "bad" (even Red at times), syndicates never get defined, answers get hidden more than they used to, etc. I get that this year they wanted to "experiment", and the early renewal meant they didn't need to have all the answers right away. However, the writers cannot get carried away- at some point answers are going to be needed.

 

Otherwise, we'll just tune out.

 

Overall, this actually kept my attention, all things considered, and I'm still hooked. However, I think it's safe to say my patience is starting to wear a little.

[wiggiebegone]

Did I or did I not see Samar shoot Dembe in the preview for next weeks or the next next weeks show??

 

By the by, it would seem the show is falling into a "The Following" (bleh) fail.

[oberon55]

This makes no sense at all -- 30 year old tech that even Aram couldn't crack, but suddenly Lizzie has multiple copies. WTF ?

 

Couldn't you just film it while it is showing on the wall? All you would need is a cell phone. Just like making bootleg copies of movies.

[Dowel Jones]

The way she had a plan was very entertaining, how everybody received their calls and fell into positions.

 

You gotta be available if you want to pay off your student loans.

 

 

And to that end,

The surgeon brings his suitcase of cash to the bank and honestly says "I was forced to do a surgery on this criminal, and then they paid me $500,000 for it that I'd like to deposit

 

"Anybody asks, you won this money playing craps out in Vegas, understand?" (from Goodfellas).

 

So the Fulcrum is a database showing that a lot of highly placed government officials are corrupt.  well, duuuuuuuh.  Or,

But the Fulcrum has something worse in it?

 

Flight 815 never crashed.

Surveys show that nobody anywhere really gives a damn about the Kardashians.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Surveys show that nobody anywhere really gives a damn about the Kardashians.

 

If only this was true.  

[paigow]

 But the Fulcrum has something worse in it?

Ultron will become a regular character on Agents of SHIELD...Spader is Lizzie - free!

[Biggie B]

I spend the majority of these episodes stressing out that Dembe is going to get murdered. If they kill him off I will be highly pissed.

 

 

Agreed. I love Dembe and was thrilled with how much he actually spoke in this and the last episode. I also ADORE Mr. Kaplan (she looks exactly like my aunt, too). Do we know why she is called "Mr."? 

[saber5055]

"Nah...I'd rather go to some abandoned warehouse...never mind that I have people watching me all the time."

 

 

Which brings up this question: That abandoned warehouse was some sort of "safe house" that no one knew about except Lizzie, right? And Tom was living there? (Because she asked him why he was still there.) WTH does that mean, is Lizzie all rogue (again)?

 

I also ADORE Mr. Kaplan (she looks exactly like my aunt, too). Do we know why she is called "Mr."?

 

 

I was going to ask that same question. Is Kaplan really a man? I always thought it was a woman. So why is (s)he called Mister?

 

Funny s/he gave Red a six-shooter revolver instead of a Ruger or Glock with a clip. When he ran out of bullets I was waiting for him to throw the gun at his attackers, ala every old western gun battle.

 

Would it be so hard to pull a machine gun out from under a body? Maybe dead guy still had his hand wrapped around it.

 

Yeah, I believe I saw

Dembe take one for the team in the preview.

 

"Anybody asks, you won this money playing craps out in Vegas, understand?" (from Goodfellas).

 

 

Not to be a wet blanket and all, but when you win more than X dollars (it's in the hundreds, like maybe more than $300, I'd have to look it up) at a casino, you have to fill out paperwork to get your cash PLUS file a tax return on it. The casino turns in your winnings paperwork to the IRS and there is a line on your return for claiming casino payoffs. So it's all traceable.

 

I know: It sucks. And makes that tin can buried in your backyard more appealing.

Edited April 26, 2015 by saber5055

[Caria]

I spend the majority of these episodes stressing out that Dembe is going to get murdered. If they kill him off I will be highly pissed.

Tom. I love seeing him; I think the character is fascinating and the actor is charming and hot, but I fear they are taking him too far to the other side now. He's starting to get a bit too shmoopie-eyed over Liz. I'm not saying he needs to ruthlessly kill people every week but I really hope we don't have to watch him go back to sitting at home waiting for Liz to come home and eat the dinner he prepared, ala season 1.

Laugh....yeah, there was a moment when things looked bleak and all I could think was don't kill Dembe!  I'm also liking the Tom dynamic now and I've become a fan of this character.  And I'm happy that Red explained the background of what was what with Tom/Lizzie/Berlin as it gave insight and sounded plausible, within context of this show of course.  It nicely explained Tom's driving motivation for betraying Red (he fell in love and went off on his own on his assignment) and also reinforces the notion that he really does love Lizzie. I hope they do a good job with this.

 

I still think that it would be unoriginal for Red to be Lizzie's father but emotionally more fulfilling for it to be so.  Plus, I absolutely cannot imagine what possible other scenario could explain his intense, intense love and affection for her.  That he is somehow responsible for her life because he killed her loved ones and ruined her life?  No, that would not come close to explaining it.

[Such A Flirt]

Of course Red was going to be fine. Cute kitty, too.

 

I love Tom. But I hate Schmoopie Tom. And that SS tattoo needs to be gone now, dude.

 

And the "surprise" bad guy, Cooper's buddy? I was pretty certain he was already bad, so no surprise. Try harder, show!

[margol29]

I can't believe that Lizzy still has a flip phone. A big FBI agent like her could at least spring for an Iphone.

[Danielg342]

I can't believe that Lizzy still has a flip phone. A big FBI agent like her could at least spring for an Iphone.

Budget cuts, I guess. 'Sides, I miss the flip phone with their authoritative “closing”...the click of a button just doesn't feel the same. :(

[ottoDbusdriver]

I can't believe that Lizzy still has a flip phone. A big FBI agent like her could at least spring for an Iphone.

 

Lizzie did have a smartphone, but Dembe tossed it out the car window so they couldn't be tracked -- and then gave her the flip phone to call Mr. Kaplan.  Of course Lizzie called Cooper and gave away the location of the warehouse like an idiot.

[saber5055]

James Spader is guesting on Seth Meyers' show tonight (Monday).

[Wynterwolf]

Laugh....yeah, there was a moment when things looked bleak and all I could think was don't kill Dembe!  I'm also liking the Tom dynamic now and I've become a fan of this character.  And I'm happy that Red explained the background of what was what with Tom/Lizzie/Berlin as it gave insight and sounded plausible, within context of this show of course.  It nicely explained Tom's driving motivation for betraying Red (he fell in love and went off on his own on his assignment) and also reinforces the notion that he really does love Lizzie. I hope they do a good job with this.

 

I still think that it would be unoriginal for Red to be Lizzie's father but emotionally more fulfilling for it to be so.  Plus, I absolutely cannot imagine what possible other scenario could explain his intense, intense love and affection for her.  That he is somehow responsible for her life because he killed her loved ones and ruined her life?  No, that would not come close to explaining it.

 

Heh, I think I shout "Don't Kill Dembe!" several times every episode.  

 

And yes, I thought that was interesting too, about how Red basically cleared Tom, and let Liz know that Tom does have genuine feelings for her (as much he's able to).  I think Red knows Liz is going to need an ally, particularly one with Tom's skill set, and he's basically trying to set Tom up to have the same job he originally hired him for... protect Liz.  But this time they'll be on equal terms.

 

And the "surprise" bad guy, Cooper's buddy? I was pretty certain he was already bad, so no surprise. Try harder, show!

 

Based on the look on the guys face, I was actually surprised to see that maybe he's not as evil as I thought he was.  He actually looked more than a little afraid, like he's really not happy about this promotion.    

[Caria]

Heh, I think I shout "Don't Kill Dembe!" several times every episode.    

It's funny how many of us have developed affection for Red's core people. I love the lady who is the Cleaner too.  And I really wish that Lily was still alive.  Those radically different looking 3 plus Red made such a compelling gang of 4.

[paigow]

James Spader is guesting on Seth Meyers' show tonight (Monday).

Lots of Ultron anecdotes..obviously the more interesting topic for Seth & Spader.

[margol29]

Lizzie did have a smartphone, but Dembe tossed it out the car window so they couldn't be tracked -- and then gave her the flip phone to call Mr. Kaplan.  Of course Lizzie called Cooper and gave away the location of the warehouse like an idiot.

That's right, I forgot that scene. I guess a lot of these scenes are forgettable.

It's funny how many of us have developed affection for Red's core people. I love the lady who is the Cleaner too.  And I really wish that Lily was still alive.  Those radically different looking 3 plus Red made such a compelling gang of 4.

And don't forget the man at the Dept. of Motor Vehicles. I can't remember his charactors name. But he is quite a charactor.