S03.E04: The Djinn

[MostlyC]

Red seeks a woman who fulfills revenge fantasies, who he believes can lead them to the Cabal.

[paigow]

 

Red seeks a woman who fulfills revenge fantasies, who he believes can lead them to the Cabal.

 

If she does not lead Red to the Cabal, she will lead him to her most regular clients - TV viewers that paid for network executives / showrunners / writers to undergo physical / mental torture for myriad egregious decisions. Examples may include: Unresolved "Deadwood";  "The Sopranos" finale; etc....

[ottoDbusdriver]

That was ... an unimpressive episode.  Lizzie added nothing, and I wasn't really vested in Red's reason for tracking down the Djinn.

 

It wasn't bad enough that Dembe was tortured for weeks, but now he's been shot too.

 

I wonder if the FBI ever rescued Lizzie's dog from her motel room.

[AimingforYoko]

Don't try to take on heavy subjects, Blacklist, you're not built for it.

[Free]

Don't try to take on heavy subjects, Blacklist, you're not built for it.

 

Exactly, this reminded me of last season's stalling.

[Chaos Theory]

I liked the episode. I thought it handled the heavy subject fairly well. Tom and Harold were great. Poor Dembe which is probably going to be the theme of the first half of the season.

[Free]

Poor Dembe which is probably going to be the theme of the first half of the season.

 

I was getting tired of the torture scenes, I hope this portion is ending soon.

Edited October 23, 2015 by Free

[norask]

Do the writers want us to hate Liz? Red is conspiring to save Dembe with one of his associates and what does Liz do? Take a freaking shower! I just can't with her.

Then she had to call Tom, didn't she?

 

But when she was talking about her dream, I liked her. Mostly because how sweet but ordinary it was. I'm not Boone's biggest fan but she was good in it.

 

How did Red get those kidnapping pictures of Dembe and Solomon? The restaurant is a fully functioning business and so someone must have cleaned up after Solomon and Dembe. Is it realistic to believe that that someone didn't erase those tapes that Red's DMV guy stole?

 

Poor, poor Dembe! Also, bad-ass Dembe. Where is he now? He better find a way to Red soon and then give Solomon a slow, painful death. And Vargas better suffer too.

 

Tom was kind of awesome when he was getting into character. But then I remembered this is what he did to Liz. So, yeah, still hate the guy. Liz better stay away from him.

 

Ressler didn't destroy another car! I am so disappointed. But I loved his side-eye to Samar when Aram commented how good she looked. But still too little of them. Writers, I do not want a retread of season 2 when these three were pushed to the background.

Edited October 23, 2015 by norask

[Free]

Poor, poor Dembe! Also, bad-ass Dembe. Where is he now? He better find a way to Red soon and then give Solomon a slow, painful death. And Vargas better suffer too.

 

I hope so, I've gotten sick of him suffering episode after episode.

[alias1]

OK.  I'm just going to say it.  This was a stupid episode.

[forum4idiots]

anybody know what kind of watch tom picked?  i couldn't get a good look.

[Chaos Theory]

Do the writers want us to hate Liz? Red is conspiring to save Dembe with one of his associates and what does Liz do? Take a freaking shower! I just can't with her.

Then she had to call Tom, didn't she?

But when she was talking about her dream, I liked her. Mostly because how sweet but ordinary it was. I'm Boone's biggest fan but she was good in it.

.

I don't have a problem with Liz taking a shower while Red makes a few phone calls. A girl on the run needs to take her showers when she can. I like Boone too and I like that her fantasy amounts to being ordinary which sound right considering. I would have thought it would have been to turn back time and go back to the FBI or that perfect fake life with Tom.

[Primetimer]

If this week's Blacklist-er grants wishes, why is Liz's hair still blonde?

Read the story

[Chaos Theory]

If this week's Blacklist-er grants wishes, why is Liz's hair still blonde?

http://previously.tv/the-blacklist/the-blacklist-plays-djinn-rummy/"> Read the story

I have been thinkin maybe Blonde Liz is smart Liz....irony right? Stop it! I like Liz! Edited October 23, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[preeya]

The opening scene took me back to the days of Dexter.

[saber5055]

anybody know what kind of watch tom picked?  i couldn't get a good look.

I thought Tom's mark in the casino said what kind it was when he saw Tom switch the dice by flashing the watch. But I could be wrong, and I don't care enough to look at it again.

 

Why did Tom take on that stupid affected accent while he was playing that character? I don't care how much money he was flashing, I wouldn't want that guy in my life. Now, Tom in his regular speaking voice is another matter.

 

What's up with Liz continuing to call Tom. Wouldn't those guys all be using burners instead of traceable/trackable cell phones? Oh, wait ... never mind. I can't use logic while watching this show.

 

Most ironic line of the night: Liz to Red: "You're a terrible actor."

 

Funniest line of the line: Red: "Surprise!"

 

He said another one earlier in the episode, but I've forgotten it already.

 

Is it smart to be looking at FBI profile folders in a public restaurant with waiters walking around refilling waters? Oh, wait ... never mind. I can't use logic while watching this show.

Edited October 23, 2015 by saber5055

[fivestone]

OK, I liked this episode. I like this show now. A couple times in the 1st and 2nd seasons, I was ready to give up on the show, but this Reddington and Liz on-the-run thing is fun. And I think Liz looks much better as a blonde.

[saber5055]

And I think Liz looks much better as a blonde.

 

I noticed dark roots last night, so I'm guessing it's not a wig (?), plus it means she's been a blond at least one month.

[Gregg247]

Another good episode.  I noticed how Red had his gun out when Aram first got home, but after he happily hugged Liz, Red put it away and treated Aram as an ally rather than a target.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Tom get into character for his next "mark", with Agent Cooper assisting.  That was kind of fascinating (and probably accurate for these types of con artists).

 

I was shocked when PeeWee Herman shot Dembe.  Bad PeeWee!  He's going to get hurt SO bad once this story line comes to a head.

 

The Djinn lady (the blonde who posed as the Djinn) was interesting, as she's just a "normal" wife and mom with this completely grisly side business going on.  I wonder if her husband knows about her activities.  Will we see more of her in the future, now that Red has set her up in her own business, doing the same thing, but for him?  She seems like a character with a lot of interesting stories in her past.......

 

Don't hate me, but I'm hoping for a happy ending for Liz and Tom, on his boat.

[Jlina]

I think Tom said the watch was a Bulgari. (?)

 

The "you're a terrible actor" line was funny. 

 

I agree it felt slower that usual....the plot twist was kind of interesting.  Is that what's being referred to as "heavy" upthread?  It didn't feel like they were playing it for any social commentary to me  - more like shock value.  There was more random gruesomeness than usual tonite, true.

 

I love that the guy hugged Lizzie in the apartment!  And yeah,the hair looks kind of real to me too - it's pretty stringy and several different colors of blonde.  Actually that color would be hard to buy. :)

 

I too am so glad Dembe is out of the hell hole and presumably in a hospital somewhere as people called 911.  The one violence I want to see is when Red takes he skinny guy out.

 

I loved the ending with Red and the blonde woman drinking and laughing.

 

Maybe Tom is a better actor that I ever considered since even after his clean up, he still felt sleazy to me.  And wow! you have to tell the story to a 100 random people to get it right?  I had no idea being a con artist was so much work; I thought they just came up with this stuff like improv.

 

Next weeks looks good again.

Edited October 23, 2015 by Jlina

[norask]

I don't have a problem with Liz taking a shower while Red makes a few phone calls. A girl on the run needs to take her showers when she can.

 

I don't have a problem with the shower itself. It'd be very hypocritical of me since I'm the person who takes at least two showers at day. It's just that the timing is iffy. Leonard who happens to be a very important part of the puzzle was there. In her place, I'd like to have know what he was doing there and why? This passivity of hers really pisses me off. It's as if the writers are afraid of letting her have any initiative at all. And whenever she does something, it always goes wrong somehow. For once I'd like her to come up with a plan and succeed realistically.

 

I like Boone too

 

 

I actually missed a word in the original post.(I'm an idiot who can't type.) I'm mostly neutral on Boone. But her little speech about her very simple dream touched me. Boone did good there.

Edited October 23, 2015 by norask

[gazebo]

If  was stuck on a ship for days, I'd go take a shower too.  Nothing wrong with what Liz was doing.  I loved it when Aram saw Liz and the first thing he does is give her a warm hug!  Good guy!  Unlike Ressler, Aram has a good instinct about people and knew that Liz was not a bad person.  The little picture of Aram and Samar hanging on the wall of his apartment made me smile. 

 

I felt kind of sorry for this week's blacklister.  I know Nassim was criminal, yet I felt bad for her because of her forced sex change.  I thought for sure they were going to save Nassim and I was surprised when Liz pulled a gun on her and not let her on the helicopter.  I was sure Red was going to have a plan for Nassim until I remembered that Red had the plan with the blonde model.  I felt that Red, besides getting all the blacklisters into the FBI's custody, was also collecting blacklisters for his use too.

 

I was oddly touched by Liz's secret fantasy because it was so incredibly normal.  And all Red could do was just stare at her.  I don't know what's going through Red's mind.  It's like he's coming to more and more revelations about Liz.

 

I was happy to see that Cooper, who may be down, but is not out.  He was not afraid to approach Tom and ask Tom to help save Liz.  I thought Cooper would be out of the FBI business for good, since he is now stuck doing office work in a cubicle, but yet he's still very present.  You'd think he would be afraid of being watched, but he went ahead and contacted Tom anyway.  That's a brave man.

 

Nice to see Tom adopt another disguise again.  I liked how he started making up his own background story right away as soon as he knew who his target is.  He's very slick and obviously knows what he's doing as being undercover is his talent.

 

Tom seems to be a ride or die kind of guy.  He'll always be running back to Liz wherever he is.  That is freakin' true love.

[forum4idiots]

I think Tom said the watch was a Bulgari. (?)

 

no.  i think his story was about a car, bugatti.  all that guy at the casino said was the watch was fake.....quite an eye to be able to tell a watch for being fake from afar (bad writing), though i guess the guy could just be making an assumption to justify his suspicions.

[algebra]

no. i think his story was about a car, bugatti. all that guy at the casino said was the watch was fake.....quite an eye to be able to tell a watch for being fake from afar (bad writing), though i guess the guy could just be making an assumption to justify his suspicions.

A car? Buried in the sand under his beach towel?

Nobody has that kind of luck

[Danielg342]

I love how this show can go everywhere yet go nowhere.

 

If all it took to get to The Cabal was to get to the Djinn, why did we waste time with Eli Matchett, Marvin Gerard and the Troll Farmer? Red might be great at being on the run, but he sure isn't very organized.

 

...and I have yet to find a reason to know why that group of people is going to exonerate Liz. No wonder Liz is so upset.

 

Case was pretty "meh", and I thought Nasim/Nasir should have escaped with Red because Nasir faced a terrible experience and deserved some redemption...but, I guess..."principle".

 

I also wonder how much longer Reven Wright can believe that Ressler isn't being stupid on purpose...wouldn't the FBI think to bring a chopper to that arrest? I also wonder how stupid Red was to call 911...there were other ways to pressure Nasir.

 

As for Dembe...nice twist (albeit unfortunate, but I guess Paul Reubens needs to prepare for another comic book series) with Vargas being a double agent...but I'm still betting that Red figures it out too quickly. He always does.

 

Only saving grace...if Matias Solomon turns out to be a good guy. I'm not holding my breath.

 

Bad, bad episode.

[crowswork]

I liked Tom's identity by repetition thing too.(I still say anyone who's making Bible epics should snap the actor up – those eyes) remember Tom was a fourth grade teacher when the show started. Mr. perfect husband.

[Texasmom1970]

I cannot believe that little weasel pos shot our Dembe! Nice to see Dembe in action escaping, good fight scene.

Its the little things Red does that gets me. Like last episode with the clapper. This episode in the theater after telling Liz to rest he shuts the door to the prop bedroom, even though one side is wide open. Too funny!

Tom might be a liar, spy and all around bad guy, that said I would let him come rescue me

[thuganomics85]

Curse you, Paul Reubens!  Should have know you were working for Solomon!  I guess in his smallest of defense, it looked like deliberately honked the horn after he shot Dembe, so I'm pretty sure he wanted people to find him and get help.  So, he at least wanting to give Dembe a fighting chance.  Still a dick move though!  If Red doesn't find out and beat his ass, I hope Dembe makes a fully recover and makes him pay.

 

The twists in this Blacklister case were decent, but the resolution was odd to me.  They spent all this time making the real Djinn sympathetic, with the whole "dad forced him to have a sex change since he was gay" reveal, only for Red and Lizzie to to give the fake Djinn the win instead, even though she seemed just like a typical TV sociopath, who hid her misdeeds under the guise of a simple life.  I guess they feel like the new Djinn will be a better ally or something, but I just thought it was an odd way to wrap this case up.

 

Tom's back to doing what he does best.  I did like how amused and even impressed Harold was over how quickly he was fitting into the new character.

 

Of course, Aram is totally Team Lizzie.  Meanwhile, Samar isn't, so that would put a hamper on anything Aram wants to happen with both of them.

[norask]

Unlike Ressler, Aram has a good instinct about people and knew that Liz was not a bad person

Except, Liz isn't a good person. Aram's intense devotion seemed a  little too convenient to me, especially in light of the cop shooting.

I also find it unrealistic that Aram faced no consequence for waiting to inform Ressler about Red and Lizzie being at his apartment. Instead of calling the cops from his house, he waited to get back to the office, thereby allowing them to escape. In a real world situation, he'd probably be suspended, pending investigation.

 

 

I love how this show can go everywhere yet go nowhere.

 

If all it took to get to The Cabal was to get to the Djinn, why did we waste time with Eli Matchett, Marvin Gerard and the Troll Farmer? Red might be great at being on the run, but he sure isn't very organized.

Why does Red do what he does? For two whole seasons, Red gave them one name at a time only when it suited him and the agency was okay with it without caring that in the meantime, these free blacklisters were killing and maiming people with Red knowing about them.

 

At this point, the writer's just expect us to go along for the ride and ask no questions. This show only works if you turn your brain off and concentrate on the pretty. For me personally, it was a bad week because there wasn't enough Ressler and he didn't destroy any car or beat up someone. Although, he got to run a little bit, which I really enjoy.

 

I also wonder how much longer Reven Wright can believe that Ressler isn't being stupid on purpose...wouldn't the FBI think to bring a chopper to that arrest? I also wonder how stupid Red was to call 911...there were other ways to pressure Nasir.

 

 

This is what frustrates me so much. The show can only make Red look smart by making the others look stupid. Red couldn't really have known that Ressler wouldn't bring in his own choppers or have other people, like the coast guard on the sea. It is like Red's tip on the police hotline from episode 2 all over again.

 

I agree about Ressler. He, being one step behind is already starting to get stale. How many times can the guy realistically fail before the agency finds someone else for the job.

 

The twists in this Blacklister case were decent, but the resolution was odd to me.

 

 

Me too. I was surprised that Red was okay with trusting the fake Djinn with their gateaway plan and leaving the real one for the police. The fake one had no real reason for being part of all the torture and murders apart from the power complex while the real one actually had a good reason for being the way he is. Being forced to have a sex change operation just for being gay, by his own father would twist up just about anyone. Yet, he was the one who was left behind.

Edited October 24, 2015 by norask

[ottoDbusdriver]

Most ironic line of the night: Liz to Red: "You're a terrible actor."

 

It's like the writers are reading my mind.  I'm still hoping that Lizzie goes upstairs at some point like Richie's older brother Chuck on Happy Days and no one ever mentions her again.

[SharonH58]

PeeWee!!   That really shocked me!  Then they went back to Liz and I kept saying, I don't care about her, what happened to Dembe!!  Doesn't PW know what happens to people who double cross Red?   I did say though when they got out and into the truck that is was a little too easy but no way did I expect that.  Loved all the Tom stuff.

[algebra]

This episode was so ridiculous I might quit watching the series. I get why the Djinn was pissed at Dad, saved all his money for a hostile takeover of Dad's company, & wanted to kill dad, but that doesn't explain spending money gratifying other people's revenge fantasies (buying up Dads company could have happened sooner if he'd just saved his money)

Or why he's living in the U.S. as a female wearing a hijab.

It was all ridiculously complicated and made no sense at all. The whole plot line was nuts.

Why didn't they just say the Djinn was an alien from another planet pissed off at what the British have been doing to Stonehenge, his ancestral home?

[saber5055]

the writer's just expect us to go along for the ride and ask no questions. This show only works if you turn your brain off and concentrate on the pretty. For me personally, it was a bad week because there wasn't enough Ressler and he didn't destroy any car or beat up someone. Although, he got to run a little bit, which I really enjoy.

Just because it needed to be said again.

I was surprised that Red was okay with trusting the fake Djinn with their gateaway plan and leaving the real one for the police. The fake one had no real reason for being part of all the torture and murders apart from the power complex while the real one actually had a good reason for being the way he is. Being forced to have a sex change operation just for being gay, by his own father would twist up just about anyone. Yet, he was the one who was left behind.

I know, right? He has a customer already for the fake, yet the real one he tosses to the FBI? Oh well, I guess.

 

I didn't mind Liz taking a shower, it was one time the show let us see actors being "real" people. I also like Aram hugging Liz, even though she is a cold-blooded murderer. Gotta cut your friends some slack sometime I guess.

 

I also liked the end, Red having a laugh and good time with the theater lady. What a welcome relief that had to be from the "I'm a bad person" Liz, she is such a wet blanket, always moping around.

Edited October 24, 2015 by saber5055

[Danielg342]

This is what frustrates me so much. The show can only make Red look smart by making the others look stupid. Red couldn't really have known that Ressler wouldn't bring in his own choppers or have other people, like the coast guard on the sea. It is like Red's tip on the police hotline from episode 2 all over again.

I agree about Ressler. He, being one step behind is already starting to get stale. How many times can the guy realistically fail before the agency finds someone else for the job.

If you ask me, in this episode or the episode before Red should have contrived things so that Ressler would *have* to exonerate Liz. We all know that's where the show is going so I see no reason to beat around the bush. Besides, it strains the credibility of not just Ressler but Red as well knowing this whole “game” was contrived from the very beginning.

I guess they want to save Liz's exoneration for the November sweeps or something- that tends to be when the stories start making sense anyway- but I don't see a reason why. Surely there's some other “big twist” that they could save for November- like the reveal I hope we'll get with Matias Solomon that he's really on Red's side.

[paigow]

I guess they want to save Liz's exoneration for the November sweeps or something-

She volunteers to have her memory wiped, body tattooed with Cabal data and be dumped on the White House lawn in exchange for amnesty...

[Danielg342]

She volunteers to have her memory wiped, body tattooed with Cabal data and be dumped on the White House lawn in exchange for amnesty...

 

I forgot that show is a NBC one too...maybe they can do a crossover where we can get double the silliness.

Edited October 24, 2015 by Danielg342

[norask]

I forgot that show is a NBC one too...maybe they can do a crossover where we can get double the silliness.

Please don't give the writers ideas such as these. Can you imagine Liz meeting Lady Sif? Ressler meeting his counterpart and Red gloating that he doesn't have any, because he is so unique!

[Drusilla]

I noticed dark roots last night, so I'm guessing it's not a wig (?), plus it means she's been a blond at least one month.

 

The only thing real about this season is the color of Liz's hair. Megan Boone had it dyed blonde. Ironic considering her hair was fake for 2 seasons. It's beautiful on her and frankly, it's the only thing worth looking at. I know actors need jobs, but come on, who needs *THIS*?

Edited October 25, 2015 by Miss Scarlet Says

[paigow]

Red gloating that he doesn't have any, because he is so unique!

However, he would recruit the tattoo artist and put the Nazi logos on Tom again...just for fun!

[DanaMB]

I noticed dark roots last night, so I'm guessing it's not a wig (?), plus it means she's been a blond at least one month.

 

 

She was blonde on a recent appearance on The Tonight Show. I hate the blonde and was disappointed to see she still had it.

[missbonnie]

anybody know what kind of watch tom picked? i couldn't get a good look.

He was trying to pass it off as a Breitling. A really nice one is upwards of 10k.

I have to say that for Dembe, who is such a bad ass, getting taken out by Pee Wee Herman was ridiculous.

Edited October 26, 2015 by missbonnie

[betsyboo]

anybody know what kind of watch tom picked?  i couldn't get a good look.

 

 

I think Tom said the watch was a Bulgari. (?)

 

 

 

no.  i think his story was about a car, bugatti.  all that guy at the casino said was the watch was fake.....quite an eye to be able to tell a watch for being fake from afar (bad writing), though i guess the guy could just be making an assumption to justify his suspicions.

 

Oh I definitely think the story he was telling about how the friend got the girl and he got something in return was about the watch. I definitely heard him say Bulgari. Pic of similar one here:

 

http://www.orologicn.com/images/white/s490.jpg

[orza]

The punchline of Tom's story was that he returned to Princeton with a $12,000 Bugari while his friend came back with a new cold sore, as he showed off the knockoff Bugari watch he was wearing.

[Wynterwolf]

Bulgari watches.  

 

Tom and Harold are my new favorite team.  

[PWHCHCH]

So does Tom have to sleep with the guy from the casino? Is that what the show implied? If so, I'd love to see that on screen.

[Free]

That was ... an unimpressive episode.  Lizzie added nothing, and I wasn't really vested in Red's reason for tracking down the Djinn.

It wasn't bad enough that Dembe was tortured for weeks, but now he's been shot too.

I wonder if the FBI ever rescued Lizzie's dog from her motel room.

 

Definitely the weakest this season so far, the Djinn wasn't much of an interesting character and Dembe must've pissed off the writers to constantly be screwed over like this.

[Drusilla]

So does Tom have to sleep with the guy from the casino? Is that what the show implied? If so, I'd love to see that on screen.

 

 

Is this the precursor of Tom in the fight club scenes/Christoph Mannheim in the fight club scene / and on and on we repeat our ideas over and over and over

[Ottis]

I'm alarmed by how many people in this thread say they like Lizzie. The less Lizzy, the better. Every pairing of any other characters on this show is better. Cooper and Tom. Aram and what's-her-name Mossad agent. Dembe and Pee-wee Herman. Lizzy's little fantasy brought the episode to a screeching halt, for no clear reason.

 

This is what frustrates me so much. The show can only make Red look smart by making the others look stupid. Red couldn't really have known that Ressler wouldn't bring in his own choppers or have other people, like the coast guard on the sea. It is like Red's tip on the police hotline from episode 2 all over again.

 

 

What was really ridiculous is that the house didn't back up to the sea. There was quite a lot of land back there, including a golf hole. Ressler should have had agents there as quickly as he had them on the other three sides. "The sea" wasn't an obstacle.

[12catcrazy]

Actually, there was an article in today's NY Daily News about the actor who plays Dembe.  Apparently he just retired from the NYFD because his role on The Blacklist has been expanded.  It was originally supposed to be a one episode shot and he's now a regular part of the cast, so he had to give up his day job to be able to keep doing the show. 

[norask]

What was really ridiculous is that the house didn't back up to the sea. There was quite a lot of land back there, including a golf hole. Ressler should have had agents there as quickly as he had them on the other three sides. "The sea" wasn't an obstacle.

Nice catch. I was too busy rolling my eyes to notice that. So Ressler only surrounded the house on one side. Why did he even have to surround the house in the first place? What exactly stopped him from barging into the house right away?

 

This particular cat-and-mouse game would have so much more compelling if the writers actually made an effort to make both sides equally smart and competent. Right now it's the same old, same old. Red is the smartest person on the show because everyone else is an idiot. Even the blacklister's IQ dropped when Red was around. He had been running a very dangerous operation very successfully right under his father's nose, yet he brought his father into his own house to torture, where anyone could and everyone did find the crucified man, all because the plot demanded it.