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Celebrating 1,000 NCIS-franchise episodes

S03.E01: The Troll Farmer

paigow

By paigow
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paigow

paigow

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Red: Lizzie, don't be scared, but the only way out of D.C. is across this bridge...

Lizzie: What's so scary about that??!!! I am done with you and your fake drama!

Red: We have to get past the Troll Farmer!

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ottoDbusdriver

ottoDbusdriver

(edited)

So that happened.  A truly unimpressive return.

 

Has it ever been mentioned before that Dembe had a a daughter let alone a grand-daughter ?  And who is this guy that has poisoned Dembe's grand-daughter ?

 

When that guy told Dembe to inhale deeply from this, all I could think of was Arby and Lee from Utopia and the little tank of gas they carried around.

Edited by ottoDbusdriver
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Chaos Theory

Chaos Theory

(edited)

Oh my crazy mess of a show, I missed you.

This episode was so much fun with Red and Liz on the run and Ressler trying to catch them. I liked that the team is at odds with each other over Liz. All the scenes were great.

I loved the ending with Liz jumping to the Russian Embassy with Ressler on the other side of the fense..

The only part that felt hollow was the Dembe stuff but I think that will change when it gets more involved.

All in all my crazy ass show is back and I couldn't be happier.

Edited by Chaos Theory
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Jlina

Jlina

(edited)

OH!! MY GAWD.  Red's face when he saw Lizzie blonde was a soliloquy!!  An entire history, a story....all flashed across Spader's face in what? 10 seconds.  Wow, I hope that shows up on Youtube. 

 

LOVED it....Keene is still a dumb ass, too. :)  Thought for sure she was going to turn herself in.

 

How can Spader be looking better than Snipes? O.O

Edited by Jlina
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dwmarch

dwmarch

(edited)

Well it wasn't as silly as this show has been in the past and that's saying something I guess.

 

I would imagine the best way to make use of the Troll Farmer's resources would be to take the authorities on a semi-plausible route instead of having Red and Lizzie pop up everywhere at once. Or by opening up several holes in the perimeter rather than a cluster of them. Then again who would have thought today would be the day the FBI task force would say to themselves "We're being fucked with! Do the opposite of what we are expected to do!"?

 

As magnificent as Red's mourning wood for Lizzie's mom was, I couldn't help but think that blonde hair looked completely unnatural on her.

 

For the past couple of seasons we've been treated to a Lizzie that makes us wonder how she manages to tie her shoes in the morning and now all of a sudden she can parkour into the Russian Embassy?

 

Why did they make Samar such a wimp all of a sudden? I didn't think Ressler would have to rescue her from that tweaker. She even had her hand on the guy's other hand, making me think he was about to get krav maga'd. But instead Ressler has to take a risky shot and leave her feeling all vulnerable. I feel like the Samar we once knew would have insisted Ressler take the shot if the situation called for it but that wouldn't have happened because she would have taken care of it herself.

 

Everyone is still basically on Team Lizzie but no one wants to admit it. Those water cooler talks must be awkward.

Edited by dwmarch
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thuganomics85

thuganomics85

Of course, Lizzie's new look is now blonde and it's still a stupid wig.  Silly for me for hoping she'd just cut her hair and they use Megan Boone's normal short-hair look, which I think works well for her.  Instead, the blonde wig is about as bad as the normal one.  Alas...

 

So far, feels like it's basically The Fugitive, with Ressler as Tommy Lee Jones, Lizzie as Harrison Ford, and I guess Red's just still Red. The Blacklister was barely in this, and yet might have had the most ridiculous name yet (The Troll Farmer!  Ha!)  Poor Aaron Yoo: the rest of his former The Tomorrow People cast get sizable gigs on shows like The Flash and Agents of Shield, and this is all he can pull off.  Boo!

 

Dembre has a daughter and a granddaughter now?  That's news to me.  At least his stuff is going to involve Edi Gathegi, who is awesome, even if he asked to be written out of Justified for some reason.  And it sounds like his character is part of the group that David Strathairn's character is in?

 

So, if Ressler is now in charge, where does that leave Harold?  He's free at least, but what are they going to do with the character, now?

 

Once again, James Spader manages to spin gold out of trite material. If he was on a better show, he might even be getting Emmy nods.

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Julia

Julia

from the recap:

While in their bomb shelter, Red tells Liz a charming personal story. It does not end with him killing her, though. Which is probably best for the show, since she's one of the leads.


I think I may need to see the math on that one.

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molshoop

molshoop

 

At least his stuff is going to involve Edi Gathegi, who is awesome, even if he asked to be written out of Justified for some reason. 

 

          I think playing a friend of the Crowes might be beyond the talents of many a fine actor.

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Free

Free

Once again, James Spader manages to spin gold out of trite material. If he was on a better show, he might even be getting Emmy nods.

 

It's a shame he's not, but at the very least he definitely elevates his scenes.

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saber5055

saber5055

(edited)

Has it ever been mentioned before that Dembe had a a daughter let alone a grand-daughter ?

 

 

Oh, man, I totally did not recognize Dembe, and kept thinking "Where the heck is Dembe? Call him NOW, Red." I did think the actor playing the guy (who turned out to be Dembe) was really hot, though, so there's that. I guess Dembe never spoke much and never got close ups so I couldn't recognize him. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

For the past couple of seasons we've been treated to a Lizzie that makes us wonder how she manages to tie her shoes in the morning and now all of a sudden she can parkour into the Russian Embassy?

One of the best lines in the thread so far.

 

So all of a sudden Lizzie is a Russian citizen? And there is documentation for this? Or can anyone just parkour into some embassy and say they're whatever and get amnesty?

 

Yeah, I thought she was heading to Tom's, too. He probably has a stash of disguises and passports and could have done a better job of getting her out than the Troll Farmer. Which was just stupid IMO, send the FBI to a couple locations, not a zillion all in the same direction.

 

I thought Ressler was all kinds of awesome for taking and making that shot, then the woman bitches him about it? Please, girl, you're fine. "What if" doesn't even apply here. Get yer Big Girl pants on.

Edited by saber5055
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Chaos Theory

Chaos Theory

(edited)

So all of a sudden Lizzie is a Russian citizen? And there is documentation for this? Or can anyone just parkour into some embassy and say they're whatever and get amnesty?

.

My guess is her mother is a known Russian spy which at least gives her reason to attempt it. The whole "Fuck it, yes my name is Masha and I am a Russian spy." Angle. It theoretically buys her time to catch her breath. The Cabal did a hell of a job making her look like a traitor, what the hell might as well admit to being one. We all know it's not going to work for very long but it was a bold move.

As for calling previous incarnations of Elizabeth stupid I disagree. She was never stupid. The writing often had a necessary evil of having Eluzabeth trusting the system but that is nievity not stupity. Plus it often came down to Rec not telling her shit she needed to know and getting exasperated and going head on into something that could have been avoided if he had told her what he didn't tell her.

Anyway good first episode.

Edited by Chaos Theory
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Gregg247

Gregg247

As someone who got kind of fed-up with this show by the end of last season, I was pleasantly surprised by last night's season premiere.  it was fast-paced and I didn't know what was going to happen next.  This show had gotten into such a rut of Liz and Ressler finding a target, getting run off the road and knocked out, captured, and then escaping.  Liz and Red on the run was much more fun.

 

I'd hate to spend a full week in some underground bunker, but sitting around listening to Red tell random stories about his past would make up for a lot of that.

 

I don't like the idea that Dembe is going to be compromised in some way, and it may lead to a rift with Red sometime down the road.  The bad guy who kidnapped his granddaughter (!) looked so familiar to me.  He played Darwin (one of the good guys) in "X-Men: First Class".  I had to look it up mid-show because I just couldn't place him and it was bugging me.  He's a pretty good actor, so maybe he'll stick around for awhile.

 

I still say Red, Tom, and Dembe having adventures on their own would be a much better show than what we have now!

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Chaos Theory

Chaos Theory

I guess I am in the minority and really like Elizabeth. I just wish she was written a little bit smarter but then last season I except for a few moments she was. I honestly enjoy the relationship between Elizabeth and Red and Elizabeth and Ressler.

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milkyaqua

milkyaqua

I expected her to go to Tom's at the end, I was surprised that she went to the Russian embassy.

 

I'm pretty sure Tom sailed off in a boat at the end of last season so there's that...

 

Dembe has a daughter and a granddaughter now?  That's news to me.  At least his stuff is going to involve Edi Gathegi, who is awesome, even if he asked to be written out of Justified for some reason.  And it sounds like his character is part of the group that David Strathairn's character is in?

 

This plot line only makes sense if these folks are after Red and even then what byzantine plot device are TPTB going to come up with?

 

I thought this was okay but yes, as always, typical plot holes but I don't expect much logic in most shows/movies.

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yourmomiseasy

yourmomiseasy

So all of a sudden Lizzie is a Russian citizen? And there is documentation for this? Or can anyone just parkour into some embassy and say they're whatever and get amnesty?

 

It's all over the news that she just killed a very high ranking government official.  She's politically high value.  In real life Russia has given Snowden political asylum and he doesn't even have a Russian spy mom.   I don't know that she'll be able to leave the embassy without getting arrested though, so it might not be the best long term solution to her problem.

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Free

Free

it was fast-paced and I didn't know what was going to happen next.

 

Hopefully it continues because it stalled big time last season and it was getting harder to watch.

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Chaos Theory

Chaos Theory

I actually really enjoyed last season and thought it was much better then the first.  I thought season 2 improved on what was little more then the Red Reddington show and became a full on ensemble but yeah I thought this episode was very well done and fast paced and I enjoyed it.  I thought it was clever that it began moments after last season finale ended because it did keep the action going.  Ressler may be an ass but he is right about one thing.  If Red and Lizzie get out of DC they will become ghosts and impossible to catch.  Keeping at least Lizzie trapped in DC was a clever move.

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paigow

paigow

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I thought Food Truck Girl was Berlin's daughter, and had nothing to do with Lizzie's mom.

Thanks Otto. I remember Red seemed extra interested in her....he gave her a scholarship/ payoff to make up for blowing Berlin away??...

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Julia

Julia

Food truck girl (who was also Jeanne on NCIS) was Berlin's daughter, but we never heard anything about who her mom was, that I recall, anyway. Maybe they're long-lost half-sisters, and Lizzie just caught the recessive facial immobility gene from her dad.

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RCharter

RCharter

(edited)

I actually thought it was quite good myself. I expected her to go to Tom's at the end, I was surprised that she went to the Russian embassy.

 

I'm embarrassed to admit that I absolutely did not see that one coming.  I thought she was going to do something stupid like go to her mothers home address and try to hide out there or something along those lines.  Well played Lizzy, you're normally so incompetent I never foresaw any good gameplay from you!

 

I thought it was pretty good season opener.  I was entertained throughout.  And yeah, the Dembe stuff felt kind of false. 

 

I was actually intrigued by this.  How is this guy going to use Dembe?  Where is he taking Dembe?  I imagine he wants to use Dembe to get to Red, but will Red actually be captured, or will Dembe be able to get to him?  I'm not amazed Dembe has a daughter, I'm amazed that he kept in touch with her.  I would think he would realize that his lifestyle could have led to her getting hurt and he would have stayed away.  The granddaughter was the sweetest little thing though.

 

Well it wasn't as silly as this show has been in the past and that's saying something I guess.

 

I would imagine the best way to make use of the Troll Farmer's resources would be to take the authorities on a semi-plausible route instead of having Red and Lizzie pop up everywhere at once. Or by opening up several holes in the perimeter rather than a cluster of them. Then again who would have thought today would be the day the FBI task force would say to themselves "We're being fucked with! Do the opposite of what we are expected to do!"?

 

As magnificent as Red's mourning wood for Lizzie's mom was, I couldn't help but think that blonde hair looked completely unnatural on her.

 

For the past couple of seasons we've been treated to a Lizzie that makes us wonder how she manages to tie her shoes in the morning and now all of a sudden she can parkour into the Russian Embassy?

 

 

Everyone is still basically on Team Lizzie but no one wants to admit it. Those water cooler talks must be awkward.

 

I'm all about suspending my disbelief but:

 

a) how different did she really think blonde hair would make her look?   Blonde hair that is the exact same length and pretty much the same style as before.

 

b) how long was she in that bathroom and she came out with perfectly done blonde hair?

 

c) did she just count on a rich single guy with a girlfriend to have a box of Lady Clairol for her to use?

Edited by RCharter
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Danielg342

Danielg342

Wow.

 

That was fun. Lots of action, fast-paced, a story (and the promises a future narrative) that finally made sense...I mean, this episode is everything The Blacklist should be. If this was the show's actual pilot (arguably, this episode already is a second pilot), it'd probably be hailed as a sure-fire TV hit. I mean, I was hooked from beginning to end.

 

Then I thought about it some more...allowed myself to "calm down" from the excitement...and somehow I feel like the way the show is, it'd work much better as a movie or a mini-series (much like Lost or Prison Break)...not as a continuous serial. I mean, how long can you prolong a story about taking down a "Cabal" before it gets ridiculous (if it hasn't already)? Plus, it seems disconcerting for a show to go from a procedural based on The Silence of the Lambs to a spy story that would probably make Ian Fleming laugh. If there's one thing this show seems to be good for, it's never knowing where it wants to go- they've always moved in several different directions but never stuck to one. This show is like what Yogi Berra would say- "when you see a fork in the road, take it".

 

Of course, I want to give it a chance, because, for once, they seemed to get a story right. This wasn't all the Red & Lizzie show although they did have quite the role to fulfil themselves. Diego Klattenoff put in a wonderful performance as the "in-charge but conflicted Ressler", so much so that he almost stole the show. The way that Ressler and Red played mind games with each other was fun to watch, as, for once, the FBI looked competent and Red actually had a foe he had to outsmart. I also quite enjoyed Aram not bucking to Ressler's threat of intimidation, telling him to assure him that Keen will get a fair trial. Cooper, too, was pretty good in his few scenes, displaying a quiet confidence even though he knew that everything is still in disarray. Even the Blacklister, Ho Cheng, was pretty good- his team of social media trolls was fun to watch, and Red betraying him made perfect sense- Cheng had one job and he blew it. Sure, he could argue that Red didn't give him enough time but he should know that dealing with Red, you don't ask questions. You just deliver and he didn't.

 

So what to make of Liz escaping to the Russian Embassy? Well, it's a nice twist, and made me wonder if the show is going to make her into a Julian Assange-type. It also makes me wonder how Red- who presumably has access to multiple different forgers- couldn't have just arranged for the two of them to foreign nationals of some other country and then leave Washington that way. At least, though, Liz's resourcefulness actually gets put on display, instead of just being talked about. I'm hoping we get more of that now.

 

Oh, and Dembe...well, Edi Kathegi was all kinds of slimy but it was fun to watch, and I wonder what games the two of them will be playing. Since Dembe is a series regular now, I know that he isn't going to get killed...so what does Kathegi's character want from Dembe? Whatever it is, I do hope it's not to get Dembe into the Cabal, because that will be an eye-roller...unless Kathegi's character is planning a coup and needs Dembe's help. That might be fun to watch.

 

So, great start to the season, taking off with just the right speed and, for once, a new sense of purpose...here's hoping they stick to the landing.

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Free

Free

Then I thought about it some more...allowed myself to "calm down" from the excitement...and somehow I feel like the way the show is, it'd work much better as a movie or a mini-series (much like Lost or Prison Break)...not as a continuous serial. I mean, how long can you prolong a story about taking down a "Cabal" before it gets ridiculous (if it hasn't already)?

 

I feel like it already did get ridiculous somewhere during the last 2 seasons already, so i agree with your point.  That said, the premiere was enjoyable and I hope they at least carry on the momentum enough.

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buttersister

buttersister

Oy. So Spy Mommy was a hot blonde and Red, yeah, never mind. I'm upset that Dembe is threatened, although I kind of like the new kidnapper (thanks for placing him for me in Justified, people). But maybe that's because he was so sweet and playful with the little baby he was kidnapping?

Looking forward to Red thinking of sacrificing himself to save Dembe when he finds out about the mess he's gotten into. Then perhaps those two can drive a boat off into the sunset and get another show far, far away from the rest of this bunch.

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Sammich63

Sammich63

I haven't seen Edi Kathegi in Justified, but he was on the new show, Proof, this past year.  He plays a doctor in residency from Africa, so this role let me see his evil side.  

 

I enjoyed the fast pace of this episode, and I hope this continues. I missed this action last season, which I felt dragged on after the first few episodes.  

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Free

Free

(edited)

I enjoyed the fast pace of this episode, and I hope this continues. I missed this action last season, which I felt dragged on after the first few episodes.

 

It felt like it stalled too much

Edited by Free
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33kaitykaity

33kaitykaity

(edited)

I loved the "troll" plot.  I take part of online communities -- i.e., kitten cam chat rooms -- victimized by "pearl-clutching concern trolls" who love nothing more than to stir up trouble, so seeing their existence highlighted by a mainstream network television show was the highlight of my week.

 

"Pearl clutching" is an aphorism for people who come in knowing nothing about the situation at-hand who pretend to be experts and who predict the greatest possible doom and gloom for everyone involved.  

Edited by 33kaitykaity
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tomatoflyer

tomatoflyer

 

I enjoyed the fast pace of this episode, and I hope this continues. I missed this action last season, which I felt dragged on after the first few episodes.

I liked the pace too. I kinda, but not totally stopped enjoying this show and this season feels like it may be back on track.

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