S03.E08: Kings Of The Highway

[MostlyC]

Red lands in a dangerous situation- and is unexpectedly separated from Liz.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Lizzie gets arrested to end the fall finale -- and I really don't care.

 

Kings of the Highway as Blacklisters -- I don't think so.

 

What was in the briefcase that was more valuable than cash ?  Because they really did pull out a 'Pulp Fiction' reference there.

 

At least Tom's part of the episode was somewhat interesting.

[edhopper]

Rollo Tamasi.

[mrsdalgliesh]

edhopper , exactly. I guess the deputy AG has to assume Christine Lahti has never seen it.

Anyone here old enough to have been singing the Deliverance theme along with me tonight?

[ottoDbusdriver]

Anyone here old enough to have been singing the Deliverance theme along with me tonight?

 

Yep, I had the same thought.

[MostlyC]

Mostly a Filler episode, I think.

 

At least Tom's part of the episode was somewhat interesting.

 

 

Hear, Hear!

[Chaos Theory]

I am really enjoying this season and I like that the show isn't going for the easy resolution. That maybe Liz is In real trouble. I liked that Ressler caught her. I like that everyone is facing up to the consequences of their actions.

The Tom stuff was fun too.

Edited November 20, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[Jlina]

I didn't find it to be "filler" at all - now she's caught which has been the end game.  Felt bad for Harold, I love Harold.  

 

Mostly I was just slack jawed amazed that some random creepy idiots might be what took Red out.  Wow.  He did okay though.  I was surprised Lizzie was absolutely certain he didn't leave her since the last thing he said was this is almost over - I thought he might have took off out of there to finish it.

 

I have to think the case had weapon(s) or diamonds.

 

Ahram was an ass - unexpected.

 

The episode made me feel sad.

 

Ressler is kind of an idiot with his daddy issue story.  Ugh.

[Free]

Lizzie gets arrested to end the fall finale -- and I really don't care.

 

I figured it wouldn't last the whole season.

[vb68]

If Ressler is such a righteous man, why do I like him the least?     His principles are so beyond reproach?   Bleh.  Dude's just an ass.  And an arrogant one at that.  Give me Tom any day.

[Dowel Jones]

Anyone here old enough...

 

I'll go one better, perhaps.  Since Liz dyed her hair, does anyone think she bears more than a passing resemblance to Patty Hearst?

 

I have to admit, I like a scene where the bad guy says "You don't have the balls to pull that trig.."  Wrong.

[norask]

Poor Reven Wright! I guess she was one of the good guys but she trusted the wrong person. So Laura Hitchins was one of the bad guys, after all. Now Ressler has no one on his side.

 

The one part I loved was Red being completely helpless for a few hours. I've wanted to see that for so long where he would have to use only his brains to get out of a sticky situation and have no help from his bottomless pool of resources. And he was awesome working that bunch of armed and dangerous morons against each other but still couldn't get away. Has he ever been in such a perilous position before and that too in the hands of a bunch of uneducated thugs?

 

Liz finally had a lot to do! And I was ecstatic about that. Liz saved Reddington - it was all her with a bit of help from Dembe. I know Boone isn't the most popular actor around here but she did a credible job.

 

I was a Ressler apologist from day 1 and now I know why. He's supposed to be Ed Exley from L.A Confidential( it is one of my favorites movies and Exley was my favorite character), right down to dead cop father,  Rollo Tomasi and sleeping with the femme fatale. I have to give credit to the writers here - his one night stand with Samar was part of the story and not just filmed for shock value. Samar needed to be in his apartment to do what she and put the whole catching Liz thing in motion.

 

In the end Exeley also did what his heart told him and I am guessing Ressler will too. And why wouldn't he bring in Keen? She did kill Connelly, an unarmed man in cold blood and he also believes in his ability to keep her safe. Is he being naive? Definitely and before the season is over, I'll bet he will be the one to help her escape too.

 

But damnit Ressler, Samar was on your side. She was one of the few people he could have trusted to have his back. Yeah, she worked for Reddington but she never would have hurt him.

 

But I'm actually not angry that Aram went to Ressler. Samar lied to him and he couldn't trust her after that. She could have been working for the Cabal for all he knew. He, like Samar, has his own code of ethics and he follows that.

 

All in all, a good episode which did it's job. I can't wait the next one.

If Ressler is such a righteous man, why do I like him the least?     His principles are so beyond reproach?   Bleh.  Dude's just an ass.  And an arrogant one at that.  Give me Tom any day.

I'm sorry but is there a contest going on where it has to either Ressler or Tom? Why are these two characters being made to compete? Ressler has his place in the story and so does Tom.

[dwmarch]

What was in the briefcase that was more valuable than cash ?  Because they really did pull out a 'Pulp Fiction' reference there.

 

"Is that what I think it is?" An undisguised, unashamed Pulp Fiction reference? Yes indeed although this show is going to eventually have to show us what was in there and why it was supposed to save Lizzie.

 

 

Anyone here old enough to have been singing the Deliverance theme along with me tonight?

 

I've never even seen it and I was waiting for one of the redneck mooks to tell Reddington what a purdy mouth he has.

[Drusilla]

 

  

 

I'm sorry but is there a contest going on where it has to either Ressler or Tom? Why are these two characters being made to compete? Ressler has his place in the story and so does Tom.

 

The tumblr effect seems to have taken hold of this forum....sadly

[vb68]

The Tom part of my post was just an afterthought honestly.  I find him interesting and complicated.  I get that Ressler has his spot in the story.  I just found him so cold and one note in this episode.  I think the little backstory with his dad didn't help, at least for me.  He seems more rigid and smug  to me than principled.  I mean, every one of them knows Liz is innocent, but I don't see Harold for example as less principled than Ressler.  But maybe it is the writing more than anything.

Edited November 20, 2015 by vb68

[dwmarch]

I get that Ressler has his spot in the story.  I just found him so cold and one note in this episode.  I think the little backstory with his dad didn't help, at least for me.  He seems more rigid and smug  to me than principled.

 

Indeed. Ressler finds out that it was actually Samar (and not Harold) who warned Lizzie previously. But even after finding this out he decides to leave the decision to prosecute Harold in the hands of someone else despite knowing that Harold hasn't done a goddamn thing (other than serving up that gourmet shit for Tom). Some principles there, Ressler.

[norask]

I get that Ressler has his spot in the story.  I just found him so cold and one note in this episode.  I think the little backstory with his dad didn't help, at least for me.  He seems more rigid and smug  to me than principled.  I mean, every one of them knows Liz is innocent, but I don't see Harold for example as less principled than Ressler.

 

I suppose these things are subjective because he wasn't smug to me. He had already compromised himself after trusting Liz the first time and letting her go which didn't turn out so well for anyone. Liz ended up killing Connelly. Yeah, he was a bad man but he was still unarmed. It's kinda funny that everybody keeps forgetting that. And  in the first episode it was shown that Ressler blames himself for Connelly's  murder.

 

And he genuinely believes that he can keep her safe and then exonerate her. Since Wright's Rollo Tomasi is out there now.,Ressler is going to figure out soon that how deep the corruption goes and he will finally join Liz on the dark side, just like Ed Exley did in the end.

 

The writing sucks on this show most of the time but finally Ressler's story makes sense to me. He is terrified of becoming Tommy Markin, probably because he is not as principled as his father was, which is the very reason he errs too much on the side of caution and tries to blindly follow the law. Of course, it was hurriedly done but maybe we'll see more later.

 

But even after finding this out he decides to leave the decision to prosecute Harold in the hands of someone else despite knowing that Harold hasn't done a goddamn thing (other than serving up that gourmet shit for Tom). Some principles there, Ressler.

 

Cooper aided and abetted Tom who in turn aided and abetted Liz. So yeah, Cooper was legally in the wrong. Was he morally in the wrong? Absolutely not but Ressler right now cares only about the law.

Edited November 20, 2015 by norask

[Drusilla]

The Tom part of my post was just an afterthought honestly.  I find him interesting and complicated.  I get that Ressler has his spot in the story.  I just found him so cold and one note in this episode.  I think the little backstory with his dad didn't help, at least for me.  He seems more rigid and smug  to me than principled.  I mean, every one of them knows Liz is innocent, but I don't see Harold for example as less principled than Ressler.  But maybe it is the writing more than anything.

 

This is not your fault, apart from Reddington the ONLY other character allowed to run free and wild is Tom Keen. Every single other character IS one note and stilted. We're half way through Season 3 and we still know f**** all about anyone who's not Liz and Red and Tom. The writers have a big old jones on for Tom. They should do a Alias Smith & Jones remake with him and Spader as Kid Curry and Hannibal Hayes.

I suppose these things are subjective because he wasn't smug to me. He had already compromised himself after trusting Liz the first time and letting her go which didn't turn out so well for anyone. Liz ended up killing Connelly. Yeah, he was a bad man but he was still unarmed. It's kinda funny that everybody keeps forgetting that. And  in the first episode it was shown that Ressler blames himself for Connelly's  murder.

 

And he genuinely believes that he can keep her safe and then exonerate her. Since Wright's Rollo Tomasi is out there now.,Ressler is going to figure out soon that how deep the corruption goes and he will finally join Liz on the dark side, just like Ed Exley did in the end.

 

The writing sucks on this show most of the time but finally Ressler's story makes sense to me. He is terrified of becoming Tommy Markin, probably because he is not as principled as his father was, which is the very reason he errs too much on the side of caution and tries to blindly follow the law. Of course, it was hurriedly done but maybe we'll see more later.

 

Cooper aided and abetted Tom who in turn aided and abetted Liz. So yeah, Cooper was legally in the wrong. Was he morally in the wrong? Absolutely not but Ressler right now cares only about the law.

 

Well SOMEONE has to be. It is the FBI for god's sake! Think of all the good law enforcement agents who have been portrayed on TV. They just had to make Ressler the stereotyped unrealistic jackass Fed. Because as we all know, Feds aren't human beings.

Edited November 20, 2015 by Drusilla

[tanita]

Ressler can suck it. Aram can suck it. Asshole the both of them.

 

As for Ressler, his greatest flaw is that he thinks that just because he is following the law to the letter he will be proven right. He is an absolute fool if he thinks that he can keep Lizzy from anyone that wants her dead. His arrogance is staggering. My dislike for his character keeps growing with every episode. I literary wish I could punch him out every time he is on my screen. Last time I felt such disdane for a character was with Blaine from Glee.

 

And I like Tom only marginally better. I find the character interesting and the actor decent, but he lack sufficient charisma to me. Of course that is purely subjective, but it's just that little extra that would make him a breakout star.

Edited November 20, 2015 by tanita

[ottoDbusdriver]

Come on Blacklist -- hire a continuity guy, at least look like you are trying to put together a decent tv show, or did they they blow all their cash on Spader's salary and Megan Boone's hair dye and wigs.  Lizzie tells Samar that Reddington's burner phone is 240-555-0146, and when Samar is looking it up on the laptop you can clearly see the phone number she has typed in is 312-555-xxxx.

 

Even stupider -- when they were making the trade for Reddington, they show a phone with a still photo of Reddington but the cell phone that Jilly is holding is clearly in video mode.  Why would she keep holding the phone that way if she had only taken a photo ?  Come on show, at least make it look like you are trying instead of phoning it in (see what I did there) ?

 

Lizzie's plan to swap Jasper for Reddington -- was she high when she came up with that ?  In what universe is that a 1-for-1 trade after the KotH figured out who Red was ?  She's an idiot. 

 

As for the guy that Red shot, he didn't even appear to be in pain at the exchange site -- did the producers forget that he was in massive amounts of pain from being gutshot which likely required surgery (even Red mentioned that he probably hit an organ)? Even with hospital treatment he was going into shock BEFORE the exchange meetup which isn't something you just snap back from because of all the blood loss ?  Plus, how did he get patched up and get out of the hospital so quickly ?  I bet he didn't have any insurance unless the Kings of the Highway have an awesome benefits package (which I doubt).

 

ETA:  I thought this episode was the fall finale, but it turns out there is a new episode next Thursday.  Which is strange as TV networks rarely show new episodes of so-called "hit shows" on a holiday -- they usually just trot out re-runs.

 

ETA2:  Nope -- this was the fall finale.  How depressing.

Edited November 21, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[tanita]

I'm gonna stand behind Lizzy on this one - she had no clue if those guys knew about her and Red. So she had one guy, may he is important to the gang, someones brother or something. When she saw that wouldn't work, she called back again and offered the 2 million plus the guy. And Red is vital to her exoneration and freedom in her view - she would do or trade anything or anyone for him at this point.

 

As for the guy who was shot - yeah, no logic there. He was shot in the gut, probably hit a kidney if he was bleeding a lot. NO way in hell would he have walked away after that - medical assistance or not. Especially as he isn't a trained killer or an operate like Tom who can take a punch or a bullet.

 

After being hit by a car a few months ago, after one nasty fall I fractured an arm and a foot on the same side. You ain't walking away from that. Hell, I could barely hoop on one foot the next 10 days.

[molshoop]

 

"Is that what I think it is?" An undisguised, unashamed Pulp Fiction reference? Yes indeed although this show is going to eventually have to show us what was in there and why it was supposed to save Lizzie.

 

       I assumed it was gold ingots because of the weight, but don't know how that would specifically help Lizzie.

 

       I do to have to admit I don't follow the plot of this show very closely because it greatly decreases my enjoyment.

[Chaos Theory]

Personally I like the idea of the second half of the season being the ramifications of Lizzie getting caught. There really was only so long the Bonnie and Clyde routine could go on and be realistic. (I am talking about tv realism and Blacklist realism so no laughing at my use of the word 'realism' when it comes to this show.

There were certain things that had to happen eventually. I prefer Lizzie getting caught then Red outright proving the Cabal is an evil group that evils. Lizzie in the prison box is also kinda fun.

I also liked that this episode wasn't strictly a blacklist case and Red was blindsided by a bunch of amateurs . The Kings of The Highway weren't even on Red's radar and they just got lucky. It's how it works sometimes; in real life as well. Once Red got his bearings he mostly regained control. We saw how in over their heads the Highwaymen really were. I liked how Red manipulated them.

All in all a good episode to end the first half of the season.

Edited November 20, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[Yokosmom]

Rollo Tomasi?  Did she really say that?  I couldn't understand what she was saying.  If so, not only did they borrow the name/phrase, they followed the lead-up to the shooting "Does anyone else no about this? have you told anyone?" BOOM!

[12catcrazy]

Kind of an interesting episode - it was good seeing Red trying to manipulate his way around the hillbilly morons ("Deliverance" indeed! Where were those banjos when we needed them?), and yet it was Lizzie and Dembe who saved his life that day.   But I think we're going for a story arc where the bad guys are going to be on top for a while.   Now the FBI people are divided (none of them are trusting the other at this point), the person in charge who was on Harold's side is now dead, Liz is a captive,  and it looks as if the Cabal is in charge.  

 

I also notice how the business of  what Liz is to Red has been dropped, as well as the "clues" of the weird scar on her hand and the large scars on Red's back.   You'd think with all the time that Red and Liz have been spending together on the run, that these things would have been talked about.  

[AbsoluteShower]

Rollo Tomasi?  Did she really say that?  I couldn't understand what she was saying.  If so, not only did they borrow the name/phrase, they followed the lead-up to the shooting "Does anyone else no about this? have you told anyone?" BOOM!

She actually said Tommy Markin/Martin, aka Ressler's great white whale. The inference being that at some point Christine Lahti is going to ask Ressler to investigate "a name that happened to come up during investigations" thus causing him to blah blah blah. Apparently someone in the writers room has just seen LA Confidential and they figure that since it came out in 1997 it's like, literally a hundred years old and on-one will remember it. It wouldn't have surprised me in the least for them to have had Solomon give us a variant on the "All the whiskey in Ireland" line...

[Primetimer]

Or have we always known that Red's Achilles heel was hillbillies?

Read the story

[fivestone]

Fuck Ressler. Fuck Aram. That's all I have to say.

[Risky Librarian]

What was in the briefcase that was more valuable than cash ?  Because they really did pull out a 'Pulp Fiction' reference there.

 

When Dembe opened the case. I may or may not have said aloud, "Please find enclosed one (1) soul of Raymond Reddington." >.>

 

I also liked that this episode wasn't strictly a blacklist case and Red was blindsided by a bunch of amateurs . The Kings of The Highway weren't even on Red's radar and they just got lucky. It's how it works sometimes; in real life as well. Once Red got his bearings he mostly regained control. We saw how in over their heads the Highwaymen really were. I liked how Red manipulated them.

 

I liked it too. They were clearly not bright. It reminded me of a Joan of Arcadia episode called "Touch Move," in which Joan joins the chess club and beats one of the members by moving randomly, because she had no idea what she was doing. (Look, just trust me when I say that you don't want to bounce around in my brain.) Red is very calculated and smart and plans a million things in advance. Sometimes the easiest way to get the drop on someone like that is to introduce chaos, because it's really the only thing you can't plan for. Once he got his legs under him, he was able to pit them against each other, but I can totally see him getting initially swept up by that chaos.  

 

Heh, I just noticed that I quoted Chaos Theory there. ^_^

 

I think I enjoyed the episode. Basically, someone just wandered in and completely flipped over the table and sent the pieces flying. Ressler is all on his own now, essentially, between his boss being shot, firing Samar (after giving her a "What the hell, woman?! I was just inside you 12 hours ago and now you do this?!" look), and having no one in his corner but Aram, and there's really no telling how much loyalty is there anymore. Liz and Dembe are both under arrest (not going to lie, I'm way more bummed about the latter than the former.) And Christine Lahti, casually sipping wine like all she did that day was go to a lot of pointless meetings and deal with a bunch of incorrectly formatted TPS reports. That's messed up, yo.

 

Also, Tom and Harold. I like Tom and Harold. I don't like that Harold got cheated on, but he took the news like a champ. 

 

I'm going to miss this show over the break. 

[Miral9]

     I do to have to admit I don't follow the plot of this show very closely because it greatly decreases my enjoyment.

Agreed. The only way to watch this show is to not pay too much attention.

[Free]

Every single other character IS one note and stilted

 

Exactly, but it's also clearly obvious who's carrying the entire show.

 

As for the end chase/capture, that was unintentionally funny for me.

[Texasmom1970]

I can't believe they are trying to steal one of the best parts of "L.A. Confidential" one of my favorite movies. That movie was masterful, this show not even close.

Ressler really does only see things in shades of black and white. He really needs to think outside the box some. I bet he is one of those people who won't even rip the tag off a mattress he is so letter of the law. Oh, except for that whole sleeping with a subordinate thing!

[thuganomics85]

I kind of like the idea of the Blacklisters not being a big part of the "plan," and it kind of being a random coincident that they show up, but it once again makes me question the entire Blacklist concept.  The Kings of the Highway were apparently suppose to be on the list (they were number 108, apparently), but as Red himself pretty much said, they were small time compared to who he usually deals with.  So, how in the hell did they get on the list in the first place?  And wasn't it Red who even create the list?  Why'd he put them there if he consider them amateurs?  Ugh, this is making my hurt my head.

 

Still, it was fun watching Red interact with those idiots, and survive.  Because on one hand, they clearly were kind of dumb, but in a way that they were kind of unpredictable that I could see Red struggling against them.  It reminds me of all those time where pro poker or chess players say playing against an inexperience player can be the most challenge opponent.  Plus, as usual, Red has a lot of great one-liners and reaction shots to everything.  Of course, that isn't too surprising since James Spader is still the best thing about this show.

 

Tom and the Cooper fleeing Solomon and his goons continues to be kind of fun.  But poor Harold.  The worst time to find out your wife cheated on you.  I honestly don't think I like her very much.  He good do better.  I'm sure Tom would be a capable wingman.

 

Samar is exposed and booted out because Aram finds out about her and Ressler and is a jealous asshole, and Ressler can't see anything other then black and white, when it comes to morality and "the law."  Classic Ressler.

 

Lizzie's finally been captured!  I have no idea how she's going to avoid The Director getting his hands on her, because it's not like the FBI is great at the whole protecting thing.  I also hope Dembe didn't just get tossed into some kind of dark hole.

[paigow]

Still, it was fun watching Red interact with those idiots, and survive.  Because on one hand, they clearly were kind of dumb, but in a way that they were kind of unpredictable that I could see Red struggling against them.

Kings of The Highway = Pakleds from ST:TNG. "Now we are smart..."

[Danielg342]

So Samar's been fired, Dembe and Liz have been arrested, Reven Wright has been killed, Cooper, Tom, Charlene and Karakurt are going to Lake Yvonne for some reason, Laurel Hitchins is in a league with Matias Solomon whose motives have no apparent reason, and Red is again on the lam. Going...somewhere I guess.

 

All because he got kidnapped at a gas station by a mob of highway robbers who sounded more like Alabamans than West Virginians in an utterly pointless side plot that really just filled time until the "explosiveness" of the show's final moments could reveal itself.

 

I'd ask if any of this makes sense, but...you already know the answer to that. Does any of this make you want to care?

 

I'm not quite sure I'm there. I'll probably stick around because this show always promises the allure of some grander, epic narrative that could actually blow my mind, but I don't have much hope that's what we'll actually get. Because I doubt the writers are better planners than Cooper is...but, hey, at least Cooper is honest about it.

 

What did I like about it? Can't say there's much. All that drama between Aram, Ressler and Samar fell flat.

 

Didn't see Wright getting killed but it just continues to make the World Government feel more and more like Villain Sues, always one step ahead of everyone and anticipating things they just couldn't anticipate. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that the World Government can pull operatives out of their behinds- Red does it all the time- but the Teflon nature of the WG is getting ridiculous, especially the longer it takes to truly understand their motives.

 

For all my Mentalist fans out there, the WG is like Red John all over again.

 

One thing I did appreciate was Tommy Markin, and the toll it's taking Ressler to stick to his principles. If this show was down to Ressler and Red (as it probably should be), the show could write a compelling narrative about how Ressler sticking to his morals means that his support network is dwindling every day. He lost the love of his life because his best friend betrayed Audrey to Maiko Tanida. He lost his partner and his former boss because he insisted on going after Liz despite knowing the WG had set her up. He lost an opportunity to bring in the man that could have exonerated Lizzie all because he wouldn't give Tom the time of day. He betrayed Aram's trust by shacking up with his girlfriend. He lost Samar because Samar couldn't trust that he wouldn't be a glory hound and go after Liz. He lost Wright because he didn't clue in that Hitchins was compromised.

 

...and now? He's likely lost Red too as an ally, because Ressler couldn't let his glory seeking ways stop him from compromising a mission where they both have mutually beneficial goals.

 

So, what allies does Ressler have left? What can Ressler say was worth "sticking to his principles"? At the end of the day, is it worth "doing the right thing" if you're going to wind up doing it wrong anyway?

 

This is the kind of story The Blacklist should be telling- "what does it mean to 'do the right thing'?" Ressler could have been the stubborn cop that sticks to the rules and the laws only for that tactic to fail because he doesn't understand that the enemy he's dealing with won't play by the rules he's accustomed to. At some point, he has to embrace the dark side if he's ever going to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Otherwise, all of his lights are going to wind up burning out.

 

Of course, I doubt this story will ever come to light. This show is too obsessed with Lizzie and her childish and downright stupid antics to really create the kind of compelling questions this show should be asking. It's a shame too, because what's the point of the premise of "bad guy helps the good guys" if you're never going to use the "bad guys" to any kind of reasonable extent?

 

So this episode was a complete letdown. I did enjoy Red bantering with the Kings and lecturing one of them about the need to clean and oil the gun- the Kings were so dense they didn't realize that Red could school them on just about everything they know. However, that story works for mid-October...for a fall finale, it just feels way too out of place.

 

C- then. I'll see you when you get back.

[ottoDbusdriver]

So Samar's been fired, Dembe and Liz have been arrested, Reven Wright has been killed, Cooper, Tom, Charlene and Karakurt are going to Lake Yvonne for some reason, Laurel Hitchins is in a league with Matias Solomon whose motives have no apparent reason, and Red is again on the lam. Going...somewhere I guess.

 

All because he got kidnapped at a gas station by a mob of highway robbers who sounded more like Alabamans than West Virginians in an utterly pointless side plot that really just filled time until the "explosiveness" of the show's final moments could reveal itself.

 

I'd ask if any of this makes sense, but...you already know the answer to that. Does any of this make you want to care?

 

I'm not quite sure I'm there. I'll probably stick around because this show always promises the allure of some grander, epic narrative that could actually blow my mind, but I don't have much hope that's what we'll actually get. Because I doubt the writers are better planners than Cooper is...but, hey, at least Cooper is honest about it.

 

What did I like about it? Can't say there's much. All that drama between Aram, Ressler and Samar fell flat.

 

Didn't see Wright getting killed but it just continues to make the World Government feel more and more like Villain Sues, always one step ahead of everyone and anticipating things they just couldn't anticipate. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that the World Government can pull operatives out of their behinds- Red does it all the time- but the Teflon nature of the WG is getting ridiculous, especially the longer it takes to truly understand their motives.

 

For all my Mentalist fans out there, the WG is like Red John all over again.

 

One thing I did appreciate was Tommy Markin, and the toll it's taking Ressler to stick to his principles. If this show was down to Ressler and Red (as it probably should be), the show could write a compelling narrative about how Ressler sticking to his morals means that his support network is dwindling every day. He lost the love of his life because his best friend betrayed Audrey to Maiko Tanida. He lost his partner and his former boss because he insisted on going after Liz despite knowing the WG had set her up. He lost an opportunity to bring in the man that could have exonerated Lizzie all because he wouldn't give Tom the time of day. He betrayed Aram's trust by shacking up with his girlfriend. He lost Samar because Samar couldn't trust that he wouldn't be a glory hound and go after Liz. He lost Wright because he didn't clue in that Hitchins was compromised.

 

...and now? He's likely lost Red too as an ally, because Ressler couldn't let his glory seeking ways stop him from compromising a mission where they both have mutually beneficial goals.

 

So, what allies does Ressler have left? What can Ressler say was worth "sticking to his principles"? At the end of the day, is it worth "doing the right thing" if you're going to wind up doing it wrong anyway?

 

This is the kind of story The Blacklist should be telling- "what does it mean to 'do the right thing'?" Ressler could have been the stubborn cop that sticks to the rules and the laws only for that tactic to fail because he doesn't understand that the enemy he's dealing with won't play by the rules he's accustomed to. At some point, he has to embrace the dark side if he's ever going to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Otherwise, all of his lights are going to wind up burning out.

 

Of course, I doubt this story will ever come to light. This show is too obsessed with Lizzie and her childish and downright stupid antics to really create the kind of compelling questions this show should be asking. It's a shame too, because what's the point of the premise of "bad guy helps the good guys" if you're never going to use the "bad guys" to any kind of reasonable extent?

 

So this episode was a complete letdown. I did enjoy Red bantering with the Kings and lecturing one of them about the need to clean and oil the gun- the Kings were so dense they didn't realize that Red could school them on just about everything they know. However, that story works for mid-October...for a fall finale, it just feels way too out of place.

 

C- then. I'll see you when you get back.

 

Well said.

[Johnny Dollar]

Where did Red hide all that money anyway? Shouldn't he have stowed a gun up there instead?

It would be OK with me if the rest of the season is spent on Red, Tom and Navabi working to free the one person we all really care about - Dembe.

These shows where practically everyone in charge is one of the bad guys (i.e., the Cabal) become tiresome very quickly. Maybe they should skip the middle parts and go straight for the President.

[Giselle]

The unofficial title of this episode is "Rolo Tomasi".

What a steal, even down to their version of " Have you any last words boyo?"

Is James Elroy getting any compensation for the use of an L.A. Confidential scene?

Edited November 21, 2015 by Giselle

[norask]

The unofficial title of this episode is "Rolo Tomasi".

What a steal, even down to their version of " Have you any last words boyo?"

Is James Elroy getting any compensation for the use of an L.A. Confidential scene?

Rollo Tomassi wasn't in the book and Jack Vincennes wasn't killed by Dudley Smith. The writers need to pay the writers of the movie or maybe they're just going with the whole 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery' thing.

[Giselle]

Thanks for the correction. I was referring to the movie, not the book, and I thought James Elroy also wrote the script.

[norask]

Thanks for the correction. I was referring to the movie, not the book, and I thought James Elroy also wrote the script.

You're welcome. I just love this movie and am a huge geek about it. Brian Helgeland and Curtis Hanson adapted the screenplay from the book and even got the Oscar for it. So at least TBL writers are being 'inspired' from a really great source.

[AbsoluteShower]

Coming up in the January premiere, Red falls for a seductive Veronica Lake look-a-like, made all the more confusing because he is the only one who knows who has heard of Veronica Lake.

[torqy]

Deliverance: "Shoot his damn balls off!"

 

Lazy writers:  I have not gotten around to seeing L. A. Confidential, but the story with the highwaymen was lifted from a minor movie called Breakdown, right down to the Cherokee Red was driving.

[Noirprncess]

If Ressler is such a righteous man, why do I like him the least?     His principles are so beyond reproach?   Bleh.  Dude's just an ass.  And an arrogant one at that.  Give me Tom any day.

This all day. Funny how he wasn't all self righteous when he was using drugs on the job.

Aram got his feelings hurt and reacted just like someone butt hurt - tattling not because it's the right thing to do but because he could... And wanted to hurt Samir. How petty.

I'm glad they figured out how to get Tom back into the mix. He is pretty darn cool. Loved the attitude for emergency field surgery with a blunt tool. Sucks to be you Kurakert.

[Happytobehere]

If Ressler is such a righteous man, why do I like him the least?     His principles are so beyond reproach?   Bleh.  Dude's just an ass.  And an arrogant one at that.  Give me Tom any day.

You mean his principles are above reproach when he is not doing drugs. He is above reproach when he is running absent actual facts to through someone under the bus and oh what a coinkydink, the person who you just threw under the bus, is your former supervisor who might come back to usurp you. I see you Ressler, and I'm not liking what I'm seeing.

Indeed. Ressler finds out that it was actually Samar (and not Harold) who warned Lizzie previously. But even after finding this out he decides to leave the decision to prosecute Harold in the hands of someone else despite knowing that Harold hasn't done a goddamn thing (other than serving up that gourmet shit for Tom). Some principles there, Ressler.

Exactly, he had no problem rushing to runtelldat when it suited his I'm a righteous man BS, but truth and the public disgrace and possible incarceration of a man you know to be innocent has no bearing on Ressler and his righteous path. Ressler is no better than anyone else and he is only lying to himself if he thinks otherwise.

No Aram is just a whole nother level of asswipe. You do not, and did not have a relationship with Samar. Who she chooses to have sex with is none of your business. You didn't come clean because you thought you were doing the right thing and you questioned Samar's loyalty. You came clean because you were butthurt because you case of happy pants wasn't reciprocated. So screw you.

Ressler, now the only person on your side is Aram. You two deserve one another.

[Danielg342]

No Aram is just a whole nother level of asswipe. You do not, and did not have a relationship with Samar. Who she chooses to have sex with is none of your business. You didn't come clean because you thought you were doing the right thing and you questioned Samar's loyalty. You came clean because you were butthurt because you case of happy pants wasn't reciprocated. So screw you.

 

I'm not sure this is fair. He did have a picture in his apartment where his and Samar's heads were next to each other with wide smiles, an indication that they were at least close friends. Furthermore, Aram showed a lot of concern for her when she was in the hospital (in fact, Aram's the only man who seems to have any feelings on this show), feelings she seemed to appreciate, and stepped in to help her when she couldn't figure out the right questions to ask in an interrogation. Lastly, though, to my knowledge, Aram never did once pressure Samar into sex or tried to move too forward in their relationship, nor was he at all deceptive in his true motives.

 

Fact is, Aram's clearly not a man who only viewed Samar as a "means to his phallic end"- at the very least, he did see her as a close friend and someone he may have had a chance with. Furthermore, Samar herself reciprocated some of Aram's feelings and, to my knowledge, never did once tell Aram that she wasn't interested, when it was clear to her that Aram was interested in her.

 

Worse than that, though, is that Samar, knowing that Aram was interested in her, didn't bother to tell him about what happened- Aram found out because he deduced she was at Ressler's apartment. So, at the very least, not just did she recklessly disregard Aram's feelings, she cowardly decided to try to hide what happened from him.

 

If I was Aram, I'd have every right to be upset. I probably would agree that he let his emotions get the better of him in reporting Samar to Ressler, but his anger is more than justified.

 

Yeah, there's the argument that Aram confused platonic love with romantic love, but the fact that Samar thought so low of Aram that she could hide things from him goes beyond the pale. She should have at least been an adult and told Aram about what happened as soon as she could, and lived with the consequences.

 

Look, I understand that Samar has every right to determine who gets to go between her legs. However, like with any course of action, she should know there will be consequences, and that not everyone will be happy with her actions. Furthermore, she does have an obligation to ensure that the people she's close with are on the same page with regards to their relationships with her, and at least be considerate of their feelings. Nobody would like it if their best friend went behind their back and shacked up with their love interest (be it a a guy or a girl)- yeah, they may have "every right to do it" but that doesn't actually right nor should they expect the other party to be happy with that decision.

 

That's Samar and Aram in a nutshell.

[Kelda Feegle]

Did anyone else think the FBI guy who took the case seemed really sketchy?

[betsyboo]

I'm not sure this is fair. He did have a picture in his apartment where his and Samar's heads were next to each other with wide smiles, an indication that they were at least close friends. Furthermore, Aram showed a lot of concern for her when she was in the hospital (in fact, Aram's the only man who seems to have any feelings on this show), feelings she seemed to appreciate, and stepped in to help her when she couldn't figure out the right questions to ask in an interrogation. Lastly, though, to my knowledge, Aram never did once pressure Samar into sex or tried to move too forward in their relationship, nor was he at all deceptive in his true motives.

 

Fact is, Aram's clearly not a man who only viewed Samar as a "means to his phallic end"- at the very least, he did see her as a close friend and someone he may have had a chance with. Furthermore, Samar herself reciprocated some of Aram's feelings and, to my knowledge, never did once tell Aram that she wasn't interested, when it was clear to her that Aram was interested in her.

 

Worse than that, though, is that Samar, knowing that Aram was interested in her, didn't bother to tell him about what happened- Aram found out because he deduced she was at Ressler's apartment. So, at the very least, not just did she recklessly disregard Aram's feelings, she cowardly decided to try to hide what happened from him.

 

If I was Aram, I'd have every right to be upset. I probably would agree that he let his emotions get the better of him in reporting Samar to Ressler, but his anger is more than justified.

 

Yeah, there's the argument that Aram confused platonic love with romantic love, but the fact that Samar thought so low of Aram that she could hide things from him goes beyond the pale. She should have at least been an adult and told Aram about what happened as soon as she could, and lived with the consequences.

 

Look, I understand that Samar has every right to determine who gets to go between her legs. However, like with any course of action, she should know there will be consequences, and that not everyone will be happy with her actions. Furthermore, she does have an obligation to ensure that the people she's close with are on the same page with regards to their relationships with her, and at least be considerate of their feelings. Nobody would like it if their best friend went behind their back and shacked up with their love interest (be it a a guy or a girl)- yeah, they may have "every right to do it" but that doesn't actually right nor should they expect the other party to be happy with that decision.

 

That's Samar and Aram in a nutshell.

I'm with you, Daniel. And exhibit one is that when she came up to him after being fired as he was gearing up to try and explain, she started with "I'm sorry." She knew being with Ressler would break his heart (even tho, yes, she can sleep with whomever she wants). She def knew Aram's feelings for her and used it to her advantage throughout the series.

 

While I absolutely think Aram was disappointed/hurt/sad about  Samar/Ressler, I do think he told Ressler the truth because he wants Liz brought in safely. All along he's been helping Red because (aside from being afraid of him...) he thinks Red has the best shot of keeping Liz safe. But he also knows that she has to be brought in eventually. And as leadership keeps coming and going, I think he got Ressler's reassurance he would be fair and then shared the details. I don't know. I didn't see him as spiteful - plus he had to know blowing Samar in would end her tenure there. Frankly, he's my favorite character (aside from Red, obvi). 

 

Random: How bad must Tom smell still in the same clothes after the bum fight? Ya think Mrs. Cooper let him shower?? 

 

I was VERY worried Solomon would shoot the dog and/or the homeless man after realizing he had been played.