S02.E22: Masha Rostova

[formerlyfreedom]

In the season finale Liz realizes she is being framed by The Cabal forcing Red to use his connections to help her clear her name. As Cooper receives shocking news, Ressler, Samar, and Aram must decide who on the task force can still be trusted.

[ottoDbusdriver]

So if Lizzie has been chasing after Katerina Rostova (one of the aliases Lizzie's mother supposedly used), does this mean that Masha Rostova is Lizzie's real name ?  Dun - dun- dun- dunnnnnnn !!

Edited May 9, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[Julia]

aaaaand I'm going to guess that Harold was being poisoned and never had cancer.

[paigow]

Masha Rostova - #1 on Blacklist?

[Danielg342]

So if Lizzie has been chasing after Katerina Rostova (one of the aliases Lizzie's mother supposedly used), does this mean that Masha Rostova is Lizzie's real name ?  Dun - dun- dun- dunnnnnnn !!

 

Standard actor's contract is six years, so with the show entering Years 3 and 4 (since it'll be a longshot that the show, being so close to syndication after Season 3, would be cancelled afterwards, especially with Netflix alone playing $2 million per episode), it's possible that Lizzie could be revealed as the top Blacklister, with the show perhaps spending the next few seasons trying to catch her.

 

Of course, this would involve quite a bit of exposition and probably some retconning, but it could still be explainable. All that's really needed would be a reveal that Lizzie's stupidity and childish outbursts were all just "an act", and that she was sent by someone to intentionally screw up and screw around the FBI. There'd still be a lot of questions, sure, and things that won't make sense after the reveal, but when has this show ever made any sense?

 

All I know is that, like Barbara Kean on Gotham (odd how that worked out), Lizzie will be far more interesting as a criminal than as a "good" person. At least now she'll have a purpose.

[DarkRaichu]

What is the over under someone will say "Masha Masha Masha.. " in this episode, ironically or otherwise ?

Edited May 11, 2015 by DarkRaichu

[shura]

All that's really needed would be a reveal that Lizzie's stupidity and childish outbursts were all just "an act"

 

Right, and what we've seen from Megan Boone so far was really a masterful performance by an Emmy-worthy actress.

[Danielg342]

Right, and what we've seen from Megan Boone so far was really a masterful performance by an Emmy-worthy actress.

I don't think she's Emmy-worthy by any means, but I do think Boone is held back more by the writing than by the acting. If the script calls for her to act like a baby, what else will she do?

Having said that, the few times she's really stood out were in those moments when she played a depraved, conniving criminal, like in “Linus Creel” or “The Deer Hunter”. If we tapped into that Keen, we'd see a far better performance from Boone.

[Ottis]

I don't think she's Emmy-worthy by any means, but I do think Boone is held back more by the writing than by the acting.

 

 

Going to have to disagree there. It's at best 50-50. There have been many scenes where Lizzy was simply supposed to look sad, or angry, or clever, and the way it came across was anything but. Those weren't writing choices.

 

There are many, many people who cannot stand Lizzie and how Boone portrays her. If that's mostly writing, then you're saying the show is consistently portraying one of its two main characters in such a poor light that people can't stand her. That seems unlikely.

 

Back to this episode ... I will be very happy when the show no longer starts a scene with a shot of Sad Tom waiting for Liz somewhere. And also (and this *is* writing), Red is trying to tell Lizzie about an imminent threat, and she says my personal issue is more important? Ugh. Shut up, Liz.

Edited May 12, 2015 by Ottis

[AimingforYoko]

Damn Liz, didn't think you had it in you. But you apparently always did.

[ottoDbusdriver]

If the episode title is 'Masha Rostova', why is the Blacklister of the week 'Tom Connolly #11' ?

 

Connolly was ready to go against Lizzie BEFORE they had tested everyone at the church except Lizzie, so obviously a setup. Cooper goes against Connolly's requests and gets removed from the Post Office for his trouble on administrative leave.

 

How did Sen. Hawkins not die as soon as his son did ?  He was a closer DNA match than his illegitimate son.  If anything he should have died quicker. Whoops, spoke too soon, he's dead.

 

Resseler is in charge, and as Lizzie is escaping thanks to Red's inside help he decides to let her go after he confronts her in the maintenance tunnels.  Question -- how did Resseler know that's where Lizzie would be during the power outage ?  Because it seems like somebody told him to be there.

 

I laughed when Andropov was killed during the shootout and the first words out of Lizzie's mouth were "he was the only connection to my mother" or some such nonsense.

 

Oh come on -- Lizzie is basically on the run for her life, but now she wants to runaway with Tom. Was the sexytime scene in her head, or did that follow the scene after she said 'Yes' to Tom.  Hate to say it, but clock's a ticking Lizzie.  Lizzie naps until morning after sexytime because its not like there's important things to do, but I guess it gave all the reporters time to fly to D.C. for their briefing with Reddington.

 

Why is Red rounding up key people in Chicago and San Francisco ?  They are investigative reporters, and I guess Red found another projector for the Fulcrum.  They should all be dead soon courtesy of the Cabal before Season 3 starts, since according to that May 14, 2015 headline that the Cabal leader was reading the news is already out..

 

Lizzie has a vision of herself shooting someone, probably her father, at the her home when she was 4.  Really ?  That's it.  Not buying it.  Plus, how many 4 year olds can handle the kick on a revolver let alone shoot straight ?  I think its just another memory implant.

 

Lizzie and Reddington disappear via his connections to the music of Rocket Man.  I was hoping that the white van belonged to a vacuum cleaner repairman. </BreakingBad>

 

And whoever speculated that Cooper wasn't really sick, ding, ding, ding, we have a winner.  And apparently it's been a long con going back to the end of Season 1.  Because the cancer was only discovered when he was treated for the gunshots he received in last season's finale.

 

How is Lizzie ever going to come back from this ?  Assassinating the Attorney General and placing her on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list, you can't just undo that easily because she really did kill him.  And there were witnesses in the room setting up for the banquet later in the day.

 

And Tom sails off all alone looking sad.

 

So, who's taking care of Lizzie's dog now ?  Probably the FBI since they apparently raided her motel room.

Edited May 15, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[Such A Flirt]

Yeah, I always feel like gettin' it on when every cop in the country is looking for me.

 

Please don't come back, Tom/Jacob. You've become too pathetic to even be hot anymore.

 

Though Ressler was strangely hot, all of a sudden, going after Liz.

[Artsda]

That was a good ending. Ressler in charge. Tom leaving, Red and Liz n the run, she's wanted now. Interested to see what they do next season.

[thuganomics85]

Hopefully this is finally it with the whole "Lizzie's lost memories" plot.  I am so over it, and I can live with it being "Kid Lizzie killed her father", even if it is silly as all get out.

 

Lizzie's now a fugitive... well, she became after the first ten minutes, since she stupidly refused to leave at first.  Because when the one guy who always ends up being right, tells you that you are being set-up and there is no way to stop it, you do the opposite of what he says.  Classic Lizzie.  Anyway, after Red got her sprung, they still try to clear her name, but that doesn't work, so in the end, Lizzie kills Connelly. That's one way to do it.  Now, she and Red just in a white van and flee.  And it ends with her resting her head on his shoulder. Aww?

 

At least she gets time to get it on with Tom.  In the darkest-lit sex scene ever.  Hey, the shallow man in me though, does want to give the post-sex, in bed scene, where they seemed to be shoving the camera right in Megan Boone's cleavage, showing as much boob possible, without the FCC unleashing their wrath on them. Focusing on the important stuff, Blacklist!

 

No surprise, Harold actually was never sick, but he is out of the FBI for helping Lizzie (was he arrested?  He did seem to be in handcuffs), so it's Ressler, who is the man in charge, and he's gunning for Lizzie. So, it's like The Fugitive, where Ressler is Tommy Lee Jones and Lizzie is Harrison Ford (sorry, Harrison Ford!)  That just leaves the question of who is Joe Pantoliano?  Aram or Samer?

 

Red does round up some reporters, and exposes them to the Fulcrum at least.  The Cabal ain't going to like that!

 

Man, I hope they get it together next season.  I'm not expecting high-quality television here, but a show where James Spader plays a criminal mastermind, taking on the biggest bad guys of all time; all while wearing a bitching hat; really should be more entertaining then this.

[Dowel Jones]

I was hoping that the white van belonged to a vacuum cleaner repairman. </BreakingBad>

 

Or a large, dog grooming van...

 

Is this virus attached to Lizzie forever more?  Because if the Senator had more than one child out there somewhere, although the odds be miniscule, that would sure put a bad day on her. 

 

After they did all those Mustang adverts last season, no surprise that they put Tom in it again for a real chase scene this year.  I was really hoping for a Bullitt sequence there, but it ended before it started.  Rats.

 

I may be in the minority, but I say give the Cabal a public chance at running the world.  They can't do much worse than the current crop, and the penalties for failure will much more severe than just exposure.

[anarchyangel84]

••I actually liked this episode, though it kinda scared me! Imagine if there were an organization like the Cabal- really running things. Some conspiracy theorists would argue that they really do exist....

••I'm obviously the only one who was surprised that Cooper wasn't really sick. I thought that the shocking news he was going to get was that someone found his wife bloody & dead somewhere. Speaking of her, I was really worried about her. Connolly had threatened her before and Cooper was more worried about Liz. Liz is important but I thought his wife was too.

••Compared to the first season, I love what they did with these characters. Well, except for Tom Keen. I love him finally feeling his feelings- but he went from badass to bitch pretty quickly. Liz has got him by the short & curly's.

••I was shocked that Liz killed Connolly. I didn't think she had it in her. Sometimes she can be very selfish- and this was another one of those times. Now Cooper is in more trouble. I'm very anxious to see what they do next season. I don't see how the hell Liz is gonna get out of this one. Even if they find out who Connolly really was, Liz still murdered him. In front of witnesses. That makes her look even more guilty of Hawkins murder.

[shura]

I may be in the minority, but I say give the Cabal a public chance at running the world.  They can't do much worse than the current crop, and the penalties for failure will much more severe than just exposure.

 

I was thinking pretty much the same thing. Things happen in the world, wars start and end, money is moved and such. People sort of have an explanation why all this happens. Now, all of a sudden, it turns out the real reason is different from what people thought. Is this really such a huge scandal? Does anybody expect that things will be better if the Cabal doesn't run the world anymore? Why? The same shit will keep happening, only for a different reason, just like it had been happening long before this stupid Cabal came into existence.

 

I did get a laugh out of the headline about senators demanding an investigation into the news that a shadow world government really runs everything. "The principal dictates what happens in the classrooms! Kindergartners call for an investigation."

 

For some reason I thought one had to be an Israeli citizen to work for Mossad? Cool idea to extradite Samar to Iran then, just on the wishes of the Attorney General.

Edited May 15, 2015 by shura

[Primetimer]

Infected, framed, incarcerated, poked, shot at, chased, taunted -- the season finale really puts Liz through the wringer.

Read the story

[saber5055]

I do think Boone is held back more by the writing than by the acting. If the script calls for her to act like a baby, what else will she do?

Assuming the same writers create the scripts for the other actors and no one is complaining about them, then I'd say the burden is on the actress and her "acting" abilities, 100-percent.

 

If the episode title is 'Masha Rostova', why is the Blacklister of the week 'Tom Connolly #11' ?

Because Lizzie (and we viewers) did not know who Masha was until Connolly told her and us. I assume Connolly is now off the Blacklist, and I doubt Red would ever put Masha on it. 

 

So Tom's SS tat was gone. I'm disappointed he did not over-tat it with that KISS logo. The gigantic tat that covered his back was also gone. Only Tom and Michael Scofield are strong enough to endure that much laser removal in a week.

 

Tom's boat was named Jené II. Could that be the name of their (now long-dead) dog?

 

I don't get what the big deal was about Lizzie shooting/killing her "real" father. Plus, why would a little kid do that anyway since the father was shown just shaking mom. I know, I know, spousal abuse and all that, but really? And Red was there so he could save Lizzie and brainwash her? Why didn't Red step in and tell Dad to just stop it? And where'd the fire come from? To burn the dead dad? Why not just use whatever cleaner the spies used back then? That entire segment made no sense to me, but then I should expect more from this show and its writers? It was such a gigantic let-down after two years of Lizzie working SO HARD! to remember things.

 

LOL at the Russian guy getting killed and all Lizzie could say was, "He's the only one who knew who my mother was!" Really, Lizzie? You really believe that? Like a zillion other underworld beings don't know? You should have just asked Connolly because he and the rest of The Cabal knew your real name.

 

I completely did not buy Lizzie would shoot Connolly. Unless she really IS a spy and plant.

 

I may be in the minority, but I say give the Cabal a public chance at running the world.  They can't do much worse than the current crop, and the penalties for failure will much more severe than just exposure.

A big YES to this.

 

After they did all those Mustang adverts last season, no surprise that they put Tom in it again for a real chase scene this year.

I did a LOL when Tom/Lizzie jumped into that shiny new Mustang and took off, with a low camera angle so the Mustang horse logo got a full-screen view. I was hoping for some spin outs and wheelies and smoking tires like in the commercial, but so such luck.

 

Though Ressler was strangely hot, all of a sudden, going after Liz.

IMO, Ressler doesn't have to go after Liz to be hot. And there's nothing "strange" about that, in the least! *shallow*

Why is Red rounding up key people in Chicago and San Francisco ?  They are investigative reporters, and I guess Red found another projector for the Fulcrum.

He could have done the same thing in a fraction of the time using the telephone, Internet and Skype. I do love me some investigative reporters, however.

 

ETA: Happy birthday one day late, Forumfish! Hope it was a good one!

Edited May 15, 2015 by saber5055

[ottoDbusdriver]

I don't get what the big deal was about Lizzie shooting/killing her "real" father. Plus, why would a little kid do that anyway since the father was shown just shaking mom. I know, I know, spousal abuse and all that, but really? And Red was there so he could save Lizzie and brainwash her? Why didn't Red step in and tell Dad to just stop it? And where'd the fire come from? To burn the dead dad? Why not just use whatever cleaner the spies used back then? That entire segment made no sense to me, but then I should expect more from this show and its writers? It was such a gigantic let-down after two years of Lizzie working SO HARD! to remember things.

 

Weren't we supposed to learn "everything" about Red and Lizzie's connection in the finale, yet there are still so many unanswered questions.

• In Lizzie's surfaced memories of shooting her father, Red isn't even there.  Where was he ?  Outside standing by with his brainwashing kit since he knew Lizzie would kill her father ?
• Who started the fire ?
• How did Lizzie's hand get burnt ?  And why was the engraving on the top of Tom's box under the floor in the exact same shape as that scar ?
• Why were Lizzie's parents fighting in the first place ?
• Why did Lizzie's father have a gun in his hand that he conveniently dropped near Lizzie ?  Because most domestic disputes usually don't involve guns.
• Was this the umpteenth time they had fought and Lizzie was trying to protect her mother ?  Because if it was the first time that seems like an over-reaction by Lizzie.
• What happened to Lizzie's mother after Lizzie shot her father ?  Did she just abandon Lizzie so she could get burnt in the house fire and Red saved her only to brainwash her ?

Edited May 15, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[Julia]

aaaaand I'm going to guess that Harold was being poisoned and never had cancer.

Even a blind pig gets an acorn sometimes < /sackdance >

ETA: they totally know how bad she is. I've always wondered. There's just no other reason to frame the scene where she breaks down because Cooper has chosen to die with a close shot of her right temple.

Edited May 15, 2015 by Julia

[Danielg342]

On to Season 3...and, well...this show better hope there's not much quality TV next year because I just watched 42 minutes of why I should ditch this ridiculous pile of crap.

 

thuganomics85 said it best, a show about James Spader going around hunting bad guys should be much more fun than this.

 

You know, I miss Season 1, where all we had were Criminals of the Week...sure, I know I said previously that the idea muddied the character stories we saw here in S2, but after seeing how the show concluded those character stories, it made me think about how much better the Criminals of the Week were. Maybe it's just me, but the show seemed to be better focused when they gave us nuggets of info interspersed with a well-thought out criminal every week, instead of how it is now where the criminal is just a sideshow and the show just dumps every last bit of information that it can in a vain attempt that some of it sticks. It seemed like we went from an entirely believable tale of a world of underground criminals into this grandiose, frankly ridiculous story about a Cabal that controls everything and makes everyone except an "enlightened few" their loyal, mindless robots.

 

Maybe if I had four or five seasons of this then it could have all made sense...right now, all these twists and connections and intricacies and syndicates and Tom's boats is enough to make my head hurt.

 

I guess that's what's really wrong with this show- there's no direction. Like just about every "good" Hollywood show, The Blacklist meanders, throwing in all this cool stuff and promising a payoff when, in fact, the show hasn't even figured out what that payoff is.

 

I could go through all the incongruities with this episode, but others have done that for me. Here's what I will say: on a better plotted show, with an actual plan and an actual focus, the "twist" of Elizabeth Keen suddenly turning into a cold blooded killer and becoming "that person you can never go back from" would actually have some resonance and actual shock value. After all, I vividly remember when Donald Ressler in "Maiko Tanida" was warned by Red about the same thing, when it appeared that Ressler's quest for revenge might turn him into a killer too. Back then, that scene had a lot more power, and the words a lot more effective, because the show didn't mess around with zany plots and god-like cabals- it was just a simple story that we could all relate to, wonderfully acted by Diego Klattenoff, making the threat of Ressler's descent that much more "real" and powerful.

 

Lizzie's descent? I'm not sure how many of us have ever experienced a house fire at age five that happened right after a physical fight between the mother and father where the gun fell into our hands, we pulled the trigger and a guy came by to wipe our memory clean and burn down the house. Oh, and live to a point where, decades later, we meet the man of our dreams only to find out he was a sham (except that now he claims he wasn't a sham after all), pursue a career in the FBI only for a criminal madman to come in, turn our world upside down, repeatedly, offer no insights, warn us about a grandiose threat we ignore only for that threat to sabotage our career in the FBI...oh, and throw in some random childish petulance too.

 

Does any of this make sense? Does any of this make you want to care? Perhaps I expect too much when I know much of this show doesn't make sense anyway, but at this stage, everything looks just so ridiculous.

 

I suppose one of the few saving graces was seeing Suarez- or Gotham's J.W. Cortes (whose story about his rise into acting is a pretty inspirational one, so good for him to see him get more roles)- and his partner grill Lizzie and look at her like her story- which is the same truth the show has been trying to tell us- is a bunch of hogwash. At least the show seems to be self-aware of the tangled mess it got itself into, but I don't think it'll be enough to save it. Even if I suddenly get all the answers I'm looking for, the mess is just way too convoluted for me to even try to care to untangle. The Blacklist ain't a mystery anymore- it's a comic book, a bad one at that, with many pages at random being ink-stained so you can't understand them.

 

Enough of the Cabal...it was great seeing Harold Cooper finally stand up to Tom Connolly, and I will admit, I liked the twist that he wasn't sick. If he was just given a more central role, Cooper could really steal the show, because Harry Lennix can really bring it. Hopefully next season we'll see him working in a more central role with Red, because a man with his expertise (or rather, supposed expertise) and inside knowledge is something Red could use in his battle with the Cabal.

 

I'll also be disappointed that Connolly won't be back, because the snivelling Reed Birney was excellent. If the show really wanted to have a "face of evil", it was Connolly, and, though he "had it coming", I still believe his presence on this show was way too brief.

 

Overall...well, I guess it set up quite a bit to ensure that Season 3 will be a wild chase...but after the mess that was Season 2, I'm not sure I can be bothered to care.

[SnarkyTart]

Weren't we supposed to learn "everything" about Red and Lizzie's connection in the finale, yet there are still so many unanswered questions.

 

Boy, am I glad you asked these questions.  This is my first season watching Blacklist, but I have read all over this forum trying to find out if the answers to any of your questions have already been made clear, because I have every one of the same questions you've asked.  But there appears to be no answer to any of them!

•In Lizzie's surfaced memories of shooting her father, Red isn't even there.  Where was he ?  Outside standing by with his brainwashing kit since he knew Lizzie would kill her father ?

 

Do we even know that the man Lizzie shot was her father?  Couldn't he have been some guy there to kill her mother?  Assuming that even was her mother?   Do we know that the man she shot (whether or not her actual bio father) is even dead?  Shot doesn't necessarily mean dead. Could the man she shot even have been Reddington, since we never saw anything but his vague shape?  Which brings me back to the question it seems like no one has answered yet:  Is Reddington Lizzie's father?

•Who started the fire ?

•How did Lizzie's hand get burnt ?  And why was the engraving on the top of Tom's box under the floor in the exact same shape as that scar ?

 

I have no idea.  The memory recall scenes were so visually fuzzy and muddled, it wasn't even clear to me if the fire started before or after Lizzie shot that guy.

•What happened to Lizzie's mother after Lizzie shot her father ?  Did she just abandon Lizzie so she could get burnt in the house fire and Red saved her only to brainwash her ?

 

 I'm even confused about the identity of Lizzie's mother.  Is she a Russian double agent?  Was she pretending to be a Russian agent, but was really a CIA or US black ops agent?  So, was she a villain or a hero?  Is she dead, or alive? 

 

After watching all of this season the only thing I believe we (the audience) are supposed to know at this point is that Lizzie shot some guy who was roughing up a lady that was presumably Lizzie's mother.  Lizzie's mother is presumably Russian (though who she was actually working for is unclear).  The guy she shot may or may not be her father, and he may or may not have been fatally shot. 

 

What the nature of Reddington's actual relationship is to Lizzie (if any), I don't think we know any more than we did from the very first episode of this series.  If that's true, and these same questions have been going on since the beginning of season 1, I'm not sure I'm up for more of this frustration.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Do we even know that the man Lizzie shot was her father?  Couldn't he have been some guy there to kill her mother?  Assuming that even was her mother?   Do we know that the man she shot (whether or not her actual bio father) is even dead?  Shot doesn't necessarily mean dead. Could the man she shot even have been Reddington, since we never saw anything but his vague shape?  Which brings me back to the question it seems like no one has answered yet:  Is Reddington Lizzie's father?

 

Good questions @SnarkyTart -- It was Lizzie that said that the man she shot was her father, and Red just went along with it.  It really could have been anyone -- heck she could have shot Red, and we wouldn't know it due to the backlighting in that flashback.  Here's a thought -- what if it was Lizzie's mother that dropped the gun and she was really the aggressor in that fight ? Heck, we're not even sure that was her mother and father struggling in the house -- what if it was two strangers ?

 

Falling down after being shot definitely doesn't mean dead, and they didn't show Lizzie running over and checking for life signs (since she was 4, so just assumed shot = killed)  and she wasn't even upset or crying that she shot her daddy.

[dwmarch]

How to escape an FBI black site: enter a 4-digit code (which included a letter. Huh?), walk down the hallway, turn left then right, down the ladder and out the door. The local drunk tank is harder to get out of than that and better guarded too!

 

Is Agent Navabi Iranian or Israeli? If she's Iranian, there's no way she works for Mossad. If she's Israeli there's no way she'd be extradited to Iran.

 

So for all of Red's protesting that Lizzie couldn't handle the truth, she basically shrugged it off when she discovered it. Good thing she got laid I guess.

 

Connolly says they won't know who the next hydra head is. If I were them I'd start with the next smug prick who shows up and starts acting like he owns the place.

[DarkRaichu]

Wait, so this was not a series finale ?? It would have been the perfect end for whatever this show was :)

 

Seriously, MB's acting was cringe-worthy.  I have no idea what she was supposed to convey with her expression most of the time.  Especially when that Krakurt guy was shot, what was that supposed to be ? Disgust ?  There were many examples, but I could not be bothered to rewind.. HA!

 

For next season, can they just say Red drops Liz somewhere in the Caribbean where she meets Tom and both are island hopping, never to be seen ever again ?

Edited May 16, 2015 by DarkRaichu

[Wynterwolf]

Yeah, there were a few bright spots, mainly all centering around Harold (and the goodbye scene between Red and Dembe was beautiful), but for the 'season finale reveal', that was just weak.  And what the heck was going on with her when she and Harold confronted Connolly?  At first I thought she had been drugged, but when would that have even happened?  Did she bump into someone in the hall?  And just looking at what they showed in the 'memory', the last thing I would think was true about that, was that the person she (may have) shot was her father.  And if her memories have been messed with, what makes her so sure that isn't an altered memory too?  

 

She basically just continually leaps to conclusions from little or no hard evidence and declares them OMG!FACTS.  No wonder she's so easy for everyone to manipulate.  And with Red saying the last thing he wanted was for her to turn into him, that still makes me think he is her bio-father, whether he was ever married to her mother or not.   I'm still up for seeing where they go, but egads give me some logical investigation scenes.  Maybe one of the journalists will play a bigger role next season (and pleeeease, if he comes back, make Tom a badass again, instead of a love-sick puppy).

[saber5055]

there were a few bright spots, mainly all centering around Harold

 

 

Yeah, it was good to see Harold step up and show us why he was the head of that special FBI group.

 

Although I couldn't figure why Lizzie started crying when she was in the car with him and thinking about him dying/not dying. It took me back to several episodes ago, where, based on their dialogue, it suggested they had/were having an affair.

 

Yeah, my mind can go there.

[Julia]

Wait, so this was not a series finale ?? It would have been the perfect end for whatever this show was :)

You make a very good point. This needs to go out like Twin Peaks or The Prisoner, with the producers tacitly admitting that there is no point, except for badly-written product placement.

She basically just continually leaps to conclusions from little or no hard evidence and declares them OMG!FACTS. No wonder she's so easy for everyone to manipulate. And with Red saying the last thing he wanted was for her to turn into him, that still makes me think he is her bio-father, whether he was ever married to her mother or not.

I'm actually lobbying for that, or at least Masha being the lost love of Red's life, because if they make this a quasi-oedipal triangle I'm going to be the one to gouge my eyes out with a brooch. Figuratively, anyway.

Although I couldn't figure why Lizzie started crying when she was in the car with him and thinking about him dying/not dying.

So Megan Boone's Emmy reel will have some footage of her stony, immobile face with a tear trickling down it to break up all the footage of her dry stony, immobile face?

Edited May 16, 2015 by Julia

[saber5055]

This needs to go out like Twin Peaks or The Prisoner,

 

 

Color me impressed, Julia, that you reference "The Prisoner"!

 

So Megan Boone's Emmy reel will have some footage of her stony, immobile face with a tear trickling down it to break up all the footage of her dry stony, immobile face?

 

 

Emmy reel? Bwah ha ha!

[shura]

Why is Red rounding up key people in Chicago and San Francisco ?  They are investigative reporters, and I guess Red found another projector for the Fulcrum.

 

He could have done the same thing in a fraction of the time using the telephone, Internet and Skype. I do love me some investigative reporters, however.

 

Not only could he have sent them everything by email, the whole way those journalists were abducted made no sense. I was sure I was watching Red go after his Barzinis and Tattaglias, what with the "Michael Corleone says hello" approach. If he wanted to meet them all face to face, I'm sure they would have jumped at the chance had he just called them. If they really are good investigative journalists, that is.

 

ETA: they totally know how bad she is. I've always wondered. There's just no other reason to frame the scene where she breaks down because Cooper has chosen to die with a close shot of her right temple.

 

Okay, it wasn't just me then. I kept thinking "why on earth are they framing this scene like this? Is this supposed to be super artistic somehow?"

 

Emmy reel? Bwah ha ha!

 

Hey, you never know. I hear her family is rich.

[Dowel Jones]

Connolly says they won't know who the next hydra head is. If I were them I'd start with the next smug prick who shows up and starts acting like he owns the place.

 

You may have to narrow that list down somewhat...

 

For next season, can they just say Red drops Liz somewhere in the Caribbean where she meets Tom and both are island hopping, never to be seen ever again ?

 

Preferably the same island that Olivia Pope ends up on.

[NorCalNut]

I loved this episode but was so sad that Liz will lose her job and her friends at the taskforce, espcially the budding "thing" that was starting to bloom with Ressler.  I felt so badly for him at the end when he posted her picture on the glass wall of perps as "Rocket Man" played.  That was just a great scene.  And, when Liz laid her head on Red's shoulder, I was relieved knowing that she's safe with him and he'll take care of her while she endures this crap.  Red kissing Dembe goodbye puzzled me as I don't understand why Dembe isn't going to stay with Red and Liz?  I thought Dembe stayed with Red through thick and thin??

 

As for Tom, I am not a fan.  But he has grown on me and I can deal with him being around, I just want him away from Liz as I can't get past his abuse of her (and she of him) and him calling her a bitch.

 

I hope that Ressler and Liz will still have clandestine meet-ups and whatever was starting with them will continue.  And, I hope Hudson the dog ends up with Ressler while Liz is gone.

 

I enjoyed Megan's acting and think she is doing a great job.  She's holding her own quite well now.  S3 should be quite interesting.

 

I still am a bit conused as to whether or not Red is her father or not.  She claims she shot her real father, but I wonder if her memories are still jumbled up.

[Julia]

Emmy reel? Bwah ha ha!

And yet you're a Prisoner fan. There is nothing too absurd for television.

;)

Edited May 16, 2015 by Julia

[saber5055]

Preferably the same island that Olivia Pope ends up on.

 

I was thinking more where Oliver Queen and Felicity were driving that coastline. That could be an interesting meet up.

 

ETA: 

There is nothing too absurd for television.

 

 

OH, my ...

Edited May 16, 2015 by saber5055

[Danielg342]

One of the things I did appreciate about this episode is that Connolly heard the attempted blackmail and dismissed it out of hand so easily. Which is one more reason why I'll miss him- for once, the show had a believably formidable foe and they got rid of him way too quickly.

How to escape an FBI black site: enter a 4-digit code (which included a letter. Huh?), walk down the hallway, turn left then right, down the ladder and out the door. The local drunk tank is harder to get out of than that and better guarded too!

I forgot about that. I also kept thinking that's a complicated thing to explain over the phone- luckily, Lizzie had the longest 45 seconds in world history to get out of there.

Is Agent Navabi Iranian or Israeli? If she's Iranian, there's no way she works for Mossad. If she's Israeli there's no way she'd be extradited to Iran.

I remember early in the season someone asked Samar Navabi how an Iranian joined Mossad and she explained it, but I forget what it was.

[DarkRaichu]

One of the things I did appreciate about this episode is that Connolly heard the attempted blackmail and dismissed it out of hand so easily. Which is one more reason why I'll miss him- for once, the show had a believably formidable foe and they got rid of him way too quickly.

 

This 100%.  Connolly was at least 3 steps ahead of everyone and basically have the task force under his thumb.  He was the smart and smarmy villain you'd hope in a nemesis.  Unlike Berlin who everyone in the show built up as this big mean baddie (but ended up weak old man), we actually saw and heard what Connolly was capable of.

We could also compare Connolly to the Director who hired the dumb mercenaries that could not kill a wounded man.  Plus, he got blackmailed by Lizzie of all people :D 

Edited May 17, 2015 by DarkRaichu

[Julia]

We could also compare Connolly to the Director who hired the dumb mercenaries that could not kill a wounded man.  Plus, he got blackmailed by Lizzie of all people :D

But then, the director is still alive, and he seems to have talked Connolly into being the one who walked onto the bullet and became the face of the shadowy conspiracy. So maybe not so dumb?

I hope so, anyway. I object to someone played by David Strathairn being taken down by Liz Keen on principle.

[DarkRaichu]

But then, the director is still alive, and he seems to have talked Connolly into being the one who walked onto the bullet and became the face of the shadowy conspiracy. So maybe not so dumb?

I hope so, anyway. I object to someone played by David Strathairn being taken down by Liz Keen on principle.

Oh c'mon, we knew Connolly was at best the Cabal's mid manager until recently (ie. Director offered him a seat). Of course he was doing the Director's bidding. :)

So if mid-management can be this efficient in trapping Lizzie, isn't that a plus for Connolly ?

 

Also, if being alive is  the measurement of smartness in Blacklist universe, then how are you going to reconcile Liz Keen ? :D :D :D :D

[Danielg342]

This 100%.  Connolly was at least 3 steps ahead of everyone and basically have the task force under his thumb.  He was the smart and smarmy villain you'd hope in a nemesis.  Unlike Berlin who everyone in the show built up as this big mean baddie (but ended up weak old man), we actually saw and heard what Connolly was capable of.

We could also compare Connolly to the Director who hired the dumb mercenaries that could not kill a wounded man.  Plus, he got blackmailed by Lizzie of all people :D 

 

I think I'll just flat out and say it- Tom Connolly is the show's best written character. He wasn't without his flaws- that "reveal" with the Director giving him a seat we could see a mile away- but I can't think of another character who could drift from being a "good guy" to a bad one as easily as Connolly did, and when Connolly fully embraced the "bad side", we not only knew about his power but we saw it in action.

 

Of course, it helps that Reed Birney was so good as every level of slime you could think of, but, for once, the show isn't wasting a talent with poor writing.

[Rosebud1970]

Wait. Wasn't there a scene with Red and Mr. Kaplan in the very room where the showdown with Liz, Harold and Connolly took place where they (red and Mr. Kaplan) we're talking about placing some incredibly high tech recording equipment?

Am I misremembering? Was it the room where Red has gathered all the journos?

No, I'm fairly certain that the room where Liz shot Connolly was wired for sound (and pictures). I guess we'll have to wait until the fall to find out hat Red plans to do with it.

[Waldo13]

••I actually liked this episode, though it kinda scared me! Imagine if there were an organization like the Cabal- really running things. Some conspiracy theorists would argue that they really do exist....

••I'm obviously the only one who was surprised that Cooper wasn't really sick. I thought that the shocking news he was going to get was that someone found his wife bloody & dead somewhere. Speaking of her, I was really worried about her. Connolly had threatened her before and Cooper was more worried about Liz. Liz is important but I thought his wife was too.

••Compared to the first season, I love what they did with these characters. Well, except for Tom Keen. I love him finally feeling his feelings- but he went from badass to bitch pretty quickly. Liz has got him by the short & curly's.

••I was shocked that Liz killed Connolly. I didn't think she had it in her. Sometimes she can be very selfish- and this was another one of those times. Now Cooper is in more trouble. I'm very anxious to see what they do next season. I don't see how the hell Liz is gonna get out of this one. Even if they find out who Connolly really was, Liz still murdered him. In front of witnesses. That makes her look even more guilty of Hawkins murder.

There is always some truth in fiction and though I'm not really a dyed-in-the-wool conspiracy theorist, I don't doubt for a moment that organizations such as the Cabal exist. The original Mission Imposable TV show, though fictional, used the tech that actually existed at that time. James Bond was based on a real person and "Big Brother", the term from "1984", which was written in 1948, has come to fruition. Conspiracy theorist, no; reality accepter, yes. I'm guessing, Lizzie and Tom reconnect next year to further expose the shadow government with Red's help. Edited May 17, 2015 by Waldo13

[calipiano81]

 

I enjoyed Megan's acting and think she is doing a great job.  She's holding her own quite well now.  S3 should be quite interesting.

 

I enjoyed Megan too. I loved the scene at the end with her telling Red about finally remembering and the way she seemed to look at him with new eyes.

 

 

I still am a bit conused as to whether or not Red is her father or not.  She claims she shot her real father, but I wonder if her memories are still jumbled up.

 

In this ET Canada interview and this podcast with Larry King (at 23:53), Megan Boone confirms that Red is not Liz's father. In this Hollywood Reporter interview, Jon Bokencamp says that "Red is heartbroken that, [despite] everything he's tried to do in this season to protect her from this horrible truth, she has discovered it."

 

In the finale, when Liz tells Red what she remembers, Red doesn't correct her, he answers "Yeah" and "I tried...but I failed," and looks genuinely pained.

 

Now, there are definitely many other questions to be answered about that night and it's certainly possibly the writers could twist and retcon events in the future, but as things currently stand, Red is not Liz's father.

Edited May 17, 2015 by calipiano81

[saber5055]

Red is not Liz's father.

 

 

Thank the gods. Then I can still hold out hope he is Donald's father.

[Julia]

Imagine working on the "devastating" culmination of your central story arc for two years and having to do a detailed recap for the trade papers afterwards because nobody can figure out what the hell you're trying to do. I figure he knows he's not making great television, but that's gotta hurt.

Of course, imagine starring in the "devastating" culmination of your story arc in what used to be one of the hottest shows on television and pulling ET Canada and the Larry King podcast...

[saber5055]

"Red is heartbroken that, [despite] everything he's tried to do in this season to protect her from this horrible truth, she has discovered it."

 

 

I don't know. After two years of Red shooting people point blank at what sometimes seemed a whim, I just didn't see a 4-year-old shooting someone a "horrible truth." Maybe color me jaded by tv violence. Plus, I don't remember anything from when I was that age. Sure, I didn't shoot someone, but I'm not all that sure Liz did either.

 

"Horrible" would be the child shooting the guy, then shooting him again in the head to make sure he was really dead, then pouring gasoline on the body and setting fire to it and the house.

 

(It's just a thought, seriously! Not that I would ever do that myself! There's just a distinction between "truth" and "horrible truth" IMO.)

[NorCalNut]

Calipiano81, thanks for the clarification.  Things got a bit too messy for me to sort it all out.  I kind of figuerd that he isn't her Father, but now, I can't understand what he is to her?   

 

I'm with Saber5055 and really, really hope he turns out to be Resslers father.

 

I'm also confused in that it's been all about the fulcrum for so long, and now that Red's shared it with the select journalists, is it out of play now and they'll just do their respective pieces on it and publish the results to shake up the cabal?

 

And since somebody acknowledged me, I have one last question:  Is Reven (can't remember her last name,) to be trusted?  She's placed Ressler in charge and seems to trust him, but, is she part of the cabal?

[calipiano81]

Of course, imagine starring in the "devastating" culmination of your story arc in what used to be one of the hottest shows on television and pulling ET Canada and the Larry King podcast...

Oh, the Blacklist folks have done interviews with the prominent media outlets as well (e.g. Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide) throughout the season. Those few are just the ones where I had links handy.

[Wynterwolf]

My jaded long-term tv watcher opinion is that they originally intended that he was her father, and the long-term story arc was designed around that being the relationship, but they are trying to re-work it because of the Red/Liz shippers (MB has referenced them in interviews, I'm not sure if anyone else has).  So, because they haven't figured out another reason why Red would be so focused on Liz, they are having trouble maintaining overall story cohesion now that things need to start tying together.  

[Julia]

Oh, the Blacklist folks have done interviews with the prominent media outlets as well (e.g. Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide) throughout the season. Those few are just the ones where I had links handy.

I'm sure they did. It's just kind of pitiful that they've been building up to this for two years and it made this little of a splash, particularly since their star has one of the title roles in the second biggest movie of all time right at the moment.