S03.E20: The Artax Network

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

Assailants are pursued after a loss devastates the task force, with focus turned to a mysterious group using a global satellite network. Elsewhere, Red faces a ghost from his past.

[AimingforYoko]

I have to give the show credit. I didn't think it was possible, but they pulled off a miracle: They made Raymond Reddington boring.

[ottoDbusdriver]

7 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

I have to give the show credit. I didn't think it was possible, but they pulled off a miracle: They made Raymond Reddington boring.

Ain't that the truth.  I was bored as well.  Like really bored with the whole thing.  

Seriously, no one checked inside the coffin -- not even Tom. WTF ?

And once again, there is absolutely no sign of Red going medieval-style revenge on someone over Lizzie's "death" -- that was from the promo at the end of the episode where Lizzie died.

[Free]

55 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

I have to give the show credit. I didn't think it was possible, but they pulled off a miracle: They made Raymond Reddington boring.

 

45 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Ain't that the truth.  I was bored as well.  Like really bored with the whole thing.  

Seriously, no one checked inside the coffin -- not even Tom. WTF ?

And once again, there is absolutely no sign of Red going medieval-style revenge on someone over Lizzie's "death" -- that was from the promo at the end of the episode where Lizzie died.

The show has no clear direction, it's been making stuff up and it's been more and more apparent with these episodes, Red is reduced to moping around, the last filler was a dull waste of time.

[slf]

Dang, this show may actually need Lizzie. She's not the most interesting lead character but the show is worse without her. 

So it took, what, a whole day for Tom to figure out how to swaddle a baby? That kid is doomed.

[mertensia]

I swear to god I thought Brian Dennehy had died years ago.  And that about sums up this episode for me.

[dwmarch]

I had a real, genuine laugh out loud moment when Aram sparked a joint in an FBI cruiser because he was having a stressful day. I was glad to see Agent Navabi getting in on that action and I'm a little disappointed that Ressler (who was totally into the hillbilly heroin not that long ago) didn't get some too.

Agreed with all above who noted that Red sucked this episode. Red moping is boring. Red killing his way to success is much more interesting.

I am amazed that the Artax Network managed to shoot 70-some satellites into orbit and then went broke. Launching stuff into space is expensive but they had the capital to do it 70+ times but not enough money to keep it going once the entire network was up there and functioning.

I'm glad to see Cooper is getting his money's worth out of the certificate he bought online to become a pastor. A wedding and a funeral within a week of each other. Best $10 he ever spent.

Edited April 29, 2016 by dwmarch
Getting in on, not on in.

[ottoDbusdriver]

1 hour ago, dwmarch said:

I am amazed that the Artax Network managed to shoot 70-some satellites into orbit and then went broke. Launching stuff into space is expensive but they had the capital to do it 70+ times but not enough money to keep it going once the entire network was up there and functioning.

The real surprise is this actually happened -- with not one, not two, but three different satellite phone companies in the late 90s/early 2000s.  Iridium, Orbcomm and Globalstar each went into bankruptcy (or bankruptcy protection) a couple of years after going live.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridium_Communications
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbcomm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalstar

But in each of these cases, their assets were bought up and company was relaunched and each satellite network is still operating.

But the problem still is that the Artax Network shouldn't have been the blacklister of the week --  evil dudes who were tapped into the Artax Network were the blacklister and I bet they have a better name for themselves.

As @Free mentioned upthread, they are just making up shit as they go along, and this show is really starting to limp towards the seasonal finish line because of it.

[AbsoluteShower]

Best thing about this episode for me was them using the Faces' "Ooh La La" during Lizzie's memorial service. Otherwise....

1) Given that the team knew the evil dudes have eyes everywhere, shouldn't they have reasonably expected them to have eyes on their own fucking HQ?!?!?

2) White House counsel Panabaker - she's from the South, so she has to use good old country metaphors, amirite writers?

3) Seriously, a Raiders Of The Lost Ark rip-off line? "We have our top agents on it....our TOP. AGENTS."

4) "She loved Shakespeare. And Dr Seuss..." Since WHEN??!?!?

5) I am not liking mopey Red. Get Dembe on the phone and start killing some bad guys again! I don't want to see him playing with glitter (glitter!!! GAAAAHHHH!!!!) again unless its as part of an instructional and amusing anecdote to a sweating evil dude shortly before shooting him in the face.

[Primetimer]

Just kidding. Liz's funeral is kind of a bummer, even if it probably ends up being totally fake.

View the full article

[alias1]

i know many of you thought last week's episode was boring but I thought it was the best of the season.  To me it was creative and interesting and totally without Lizzie.  And now we have this week's really boring episode which was ALL about Lizzie even though she isn't there.  Even Red was boring.  The best thing about it was Brian Dennehy.

[Happytobehere]

1 hour ago, SierraMist said:

i know many of you thought last week's episode was boring but I thought it was the best of the season.  To me it was creative and interesting and totally without Lizzie.  And now we have this week's really boring episode which was ALL about Lizzie even though she isn't there.  Even Red was boring.  The best thing about it was Brian Dennehy.

I loved last week's episode too and it showed the show could actually be interesting without the never ending drag that is Lizzie and the efforts to prop her up in the face of the actress's failures.  I want Lizzie fee episodes that focus on Red and the team.  I might actually be able to tolerate Lizzie's male counterpart aka Ressler in such a scenario.

[Drusilla]

Cooper and his Liz "was forgiving". This would be the Liz who pretty much gave the thumbs up to Red when he shot dead a federal agent for having the gall to keep calling her "Comrade Rostova"? Did I miss something or is this down another plot hole where the creatures who've never seen the light eat you? These writers can't write for women if the species depended on them. They're either weeping tantrum-throwing blank canvasses who need saving by men all the time or they're sullen harpies with ulterior motives. I'd love to know what the real FBI think of their totally incompetent on-screen aliases..... because I'm fluppin tired of it.

[morgankobi]

You guys, "never underestimate the power of glitter."

I love Aram. (Even through all of this BS ret-conning they're doing to most of the team in relation to dear, forgiving Lizzie.)

Plenty of nurses would have given a few minutes here and there to help Tom out.

OK, so when the door opened I immediately said, out loud, "No, not fucking Brian Dennehy!"  Thanks, South Park.

[Texasmom1970]

12 hours ago, dwmarch said:

I'm glad to see Cooper is getting his money's worth out of the certificate he bought online to become a pastor. A wedding and a funeral within a week of each other. Best $10 he ever spent.

He definitely is his eulogy actually made me sad for them losing Liz. Even though we all know she is not gone.

So I am thinking the doctor that pronounced her dead, was either bribed or threatened by her now miraculously alive Mother.

Did my eyes deceive me or did Ressler get clipped by that SUV and then just get right back up like nothing happened!

[Statman]

The writers are just making shit up at this point and making Lizzie out to be some Mother Teresa type that everyone at work loved.  Makes me sick because Lizzie is an idiot who brought all this down on herself, but ignoring clear warnings from Red that her life was in danger.

I am just hate watching at this point to see what other BS the writers come up with - i.e., have Red visit Lizzie's great-grandfather next. 

[Dowel Jones]

Someone should tell the energy exec that the "top security firms" with whom he contracts have two dead employees in the elevator.  He might want to re-evaluate their effectiveness. 

Let me guess.  The FBI covered all the bases on their approach to Operator 46 except the freight elevator, or the stairs, or the roof, or the fire escape...

My first thought after watching Tom diaper the baby was an old baseball story.  I don't remember the names of the two major leaguers, but one was lamenting about the difficulties in diapering the baby (in the days of cloth).  The other, more experienced,  told him, "Just lay out the diaper as a ball diamond.  Fold 2nd base over to home base.  Put the baby on the pitcher's mound, and fold 1st and 3rd base over his front, and then connect home and second to 1st and 3rd with a safety pin." 

Quote

Cooper and his Liz "was forgiving"

My favorite was Tom telling the doctor, in response to the question of parentage,  "I think that's why Liz and I  worked so well".  Uhhh, what?  Reset?

[Ottis]

This just proves that the more an episode is about Lizzie, the worse it is. Even if she is dead. For now.

[ottoDbusdriver]

On 4/29/2016 at 9:34 AM, sharkfan said:

4) "She loved Shakespeare. And Dr Seuss..." Since WHEN??!?!

Exactly !!  I don't remember Lizzie ever quoting either author or proclaiming her love for the catalogue of either author.  So WTF was Aram talking about ?

21 hours ago, Texasmom1970 said:

So I am thinking the doctor that pronounced her dead, was either bribed or threatened by her now miraculously alive Mother.

Having Lizzie's mother alive makes last episode an even bigger load of bullshit.

So basically like Mother, like daughter -- they have both faked their own deaths. FFS !!

ETA:  Still no sign of either dog.  So that's basically two dogs that Lizzie has killed due to neglect.

ETA2: Fixed the mention of Shakespeare and Dr. Seuss since Aram said it, not Red.

Edited April 30, 2016 by ottoDbusdriver

[CaptainE]

12 hours ago, Drusilla said:

Cooper and his Liz "was forgiving". This would be the Liz who pretty much gave the thumbs up to Red when he shot dead a federal agent for having the gall to keep calling her "Comrade Rostova"? Did I miss something or is this down another plot hole where the creatures who've never seen the light eat you? These writers can't write for women if the species depended on them. They're either weeping tantrum-throwing blank canvasses who need saving by men all the time or they're sullen harpies with ulterior motives. I'd love to know what the real FBI think of their totally incompetent on-screen aliases..... because I'm fluppin tired of it.

I agree Drusilla.  The bilge  about Liz at the funeral only made me think of the harbourmaster she watched her now hubby kill and the AG she murdered.  Now she is a poor widdle dead girl and he's a cute daddy.

GMAFB

 

PS And another big bad, again in the government? Really?

[Drusilla]

1 hour ago, CaptainE said:

I agree Drusilla.  The bilge  about Liz at the funeral only made me think of the harbourmaster she watched her now hubby kill and the AG she murdered.  Now she is a poor widdle dead girl and he's a cute daddy.

GMAFB

 

PS And another big bad, again in the government? Really?

If you compare this bilge to Season One, you wouldn't think you're watching the same show. But at least "Baby" Agnes managed to get a feed. Poor struggling daddy isn't he cwuuuuute (barf emoji)

[Grace284]

I have no idea what Brian Dennehy was saying for that whole episode. I hope it wasn't important to the plot.

Are we erasing Liz's William Sadler shaped dad now to justify why she inexplicably married Tom again? I imagine most adopted kids aren't so confused by the idea of family that they think torturing your husband on a boat is standard family fun.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Couple of comments on re-watch -- because I was doing laundry while "watching" the first time.

Cooper said that he met Keen on her first day on the job -- but that's not really true, it was her first day at her new job at the FBI as a profiler after just graduating from profiler school, but she had already worked for the FBI for years.  Are they still trying to play the naive FBI agent angle with Lizzie ?  Still ?

Cooper also mentioned that Lizzie was someone "I've never met more forgiving" -- except for Reddington, for whom he held a grudge against every other episode.

Cooper: "Against all odds led her back to the man she loved."
Really ?  Except for the whole time she wanted to hunt down and kill him for betraying her, and then locking him up in a boat for months.  Despite those "odds" she never really stopped loving him.  It's almost like the writers haven't watched their own show when writing this.

Cooper mentions that Lizzie was humble -- twice.  I think he's overselling Lizzie' finer traits, to compensate for the fact that she really wasn't a nice person.  Remember how her subordinates in New York used to call her 'sir' because she was hard on them.

Cooper closed his eulogy saying that we know exactly where she is -- it ain't in heaven, because she murdered a couple of people so does everyone in church know that she's in hell.

So who was watching Agnes during the funeral -- Mr. Kaplan ?  Nope, she was at the funeral too. Not Samar, not Tom, not Ressler, not Aram -- so who was watching this kid ?  Maybe Dembe, since he wasn't with Reddington at Grandpa's house.  Or did they just leave her at the hospital ?  And did Tom just leave Agnes at the hospital again when went on his reconaissance mission for Cooper.

This kid, Agnes, is in a public hospital with her real name plastered on the side of the bassinet holding her, how was Mr. Solomon and what's left of his crew not mowing their way through this hospital to steal this baby during what appears to have been a very public funeral.

The better question -- who the hell were all those other seat fillers at the church ?  And who was that one blonde woman frequently shown in front of Mr. Kaplan and during the exit from the church.  And who were those two nameless pall bearers that we have never seen before (the two on the same side as Cooper).

And how was Lizzie worthy of a police escort to the cemetery ?  She wasn't an FBI agent anymore.  Let alone merited 7 police vehicles, complete with 2 SUVs with the rear doors open so that they could gun down any attempts on the hearse by bad guys -- that's Presidential level treatment there, and we're talking about Lizzie.

Seriously, is Cooper implying to his ex-wife that they should "help Tom out" -- what by adopting Agnes ?  FFS !

Lizzie is "buried" in good company next to Henry Kloppenburg and his wife Marcareta Adelmeti (sp?), and Thomas Wallace and his wife Julia -- seen on the large gravestones in the background shots.  But we all know that Lizzie isn't in that casket -- so who is ?  Wouldn't the pall bearers notice it was a little on the light side when they were carrying an empty coffin ?  Come on, Lizzie was pretty large when she died -- it's not like she had time to lose the baby weight after giving birth.

They keep calling her Agent Keen when the redshirts were cleaning out Lizzie's office -- but she wasn't an agent anymore, she was a contractor, so how did 'Agent Keen' still have an office let alone that FBI formal policies would apply to her ?  Or are the writers basically glossing over all that inconvenient 'Lizzie wasn't an agent anymore' stuff ?

When that curly-haired woman finished beating the crap out of Navabi, why didn't she take the finance guy ?  Navabi dropped down the guy down the stairwell and the curly-haired woman just up and left and hopped in that SUV.  Was she also working for another branch of the FBI ?  And she has a name -- Nez Rowan -- was she in a previous episode ?  According to IMDB, that answer would be no, she has never appeared on The Blacklist before so Cooper and Resseler are basically retconning a story that happened offscreen between episodes when she apparently robbed a nuclear facility.  Funny thing is that the picture on the screen says her real name is Erin Druez AKA Stacey Clipp AKA E'Vonne Mortiz AKA Harper Walters -- and Nez Rowan is just another alias, so why don't they refer to her by her real name.  It's weird.

According to IMDB, Erin Druez is the name of an Assistant Editor on the show, and Stacey Clipp is a visual effects editor on the show, 

So, was Brian Dennehy supposed to be Katerina's father and trying to pull off a Russian accent -- because it really wasn't working.

And for once, a character on a TV show about high crimes and intrigue actually checks the peep hole in the door when someone knocks before opening it -- thank you Aram -- unlike Lizzie who used to open the door blindly most of the time.

ETA: The watcher 46 guy announces to the other guys working with him that they "are going to the 11th floor" shortly before they blow the place.  Did the FBI not even to bother to search the entire building ?  The building with only one entrance/egress.  Really ?  Did they not check any of the other floors ?

Edited April 30, 2016 by ottoDbusdriver

[Sparger Springs]

I've said this before and I'll say it again. Why does anyone want Lizzie and now her baby. Are these bad guys still  so mad at her mother, need to wreck revenge on a woman and baby who know nothing about the woman. Did Liz inherit from the ether her mom's bad ass spy knowledge? 

The only way this would make a modicum of sense if Red is actually her father.

[Dowel Jones]

Quote

Wouldn't the pall bearers notice it was a little on the light side when they were carrying an empty coffin ?

It was weighted down with all the anvils they've been dropping the past two episodes.

As head of that particular branch, wouldn't Cooper have been the one to order the cleanup of Liz's office?  He acted sort of surprised that they were there.  And for Ressler to call them vultures was completely out of line.

[Danielg342]

I guess I'm one of the few dissenters...I like mopey Red. In fact, I thought James Spader really knocked it out of the park. He truly is becoming one of my favourites, I think, because he makes Red so compelling...no matter what he does.

Furthermore, I just love the idea of the career criminal becoming retrospective and wondering what kind of a monster he has created. Seeing Red enter Grandpa Rostov's house and having to hear over and over again how terrible he was at keeping Liz safe was heartbreaking, because I saw it in Red's eyes that he knew Rostov was right- Red needed a scolding, and that was what he got. I loved it. Far too often these "anti-heroes" trudge along, all badass and not caring about the aftereffects of what they did, so it's great that The Blacklist forces Red to have to understand what his decisions truly meant and what being an "anti-hero" really is about.

I get the sense that Red always felt that no matter what he did, he did "the right thing" and whomever gets lost in his path, he never worried about them...but now...now that he knows he was actually wrong and he failed at what he wanted to do...it's riveting stuff, and Spader brings out the most of it.

Oh gosh how I wish this show was better written...because Raymond Reddington should be an iconic figure. The ingredients are all there to make Red a truly special figure, but, sadly, the show has whiffed, largely because these writers seem unable or unwilling to explore the deeper recesses of Red's mind. I do think that, if they had, this show could have been the huge hit that it should be.

The case...well, it was great that, for once, the FBI were capable of solving the case on their own and didn't need Red to hold their hand for them...too often, shows will have "the others" fail only for the hero to come by later and fix things for them. Sure, there were still blunders- you knew that the Artaxers would escape and that Ressler and Samar would be unable to rescue Benjamin Stadler, but at least the team worked some leads and actually got somewhere. Which is more than you could say about many episodes in S1 or S2, or even this season. So this was a positive...even though there were still the headscratchers.

I do wonder who were the "top agents" Cynthia Panabaker referred to...guess they didn't exist. It was annoying to hear Panabaker keep on referring to them...I knew they wouldn't do anything, so why beat the audience over the head with it?

Other things:

-Tom trying to figure out how to take care of a baby was hilarious. I was laughing the entire time. I liked most Samar telling Tom that "bourbon works"...yeah, I'm sure most parents need a shot or ten after all the headaches their kids cause them.

-The best part was when Tom was practicing with the blanket...I remember looking at it and thinking "gosh, show, why did you substitute a baby doll with Agnes? You're not fooling anyone"...then I looked up and saw baby Agnes in her bed, realizing that Tom actually was practicing on a baby doll. Good work prop guys.

-Aram and Samar shared a doobie inside a government vehicle...is that the first time government agents have (legally) enjoyed a joint on TV? I think it might be.

-Yeah, I did roll my eyes a bit when Cooper was eulogizing Liz, because many of Lizzie's "great qualities" I never saw. However, I realize that, at a funeral, they're not going to trash the deceased and many of the characters actually felt something for Lizzie, even if it was hardly justified...so I accepted all the hyperboles, especially because it really wasn't a plot point.

-No Dembe in this episode, just like the last one...hopefully he'll get something big over the next two episodes. It's a pity that Hisham Tawfiq is billed as a series regular but gets used about the same amount as when he was a guest star...oh well, at least he's doing better than Chris Chalk is at Gotham, who is also a series regular but has appeared in four episodes out of 18 so far this season (if memory serves me well).

-Finally...do we actually have a visual on Katarina Rostova?

Episode Grade: B-. A solid hour, where the real highlight was retrospective Red. Case needed work.

[buttersister]

Brian Dennehy is alive! But I couldn't understand half of what he said, either.

Maybe the nurses were trying to help Tom swaddle Magical Agnes----where else could that doll have come from? (I.e., nurses amused by watching a grown man unable to fold a blanket after, per how they do it in real life, some instruction.)

Could we have a show with Red, Dembe and Aram? They're the only people I watch in these episodes anyway.

[thuganomics85]

So, after an episode where Red spends his time talking to a Ghost Ava Jarvis from Agent Carter, he now just hangs around Brian Dennehy for about thirty minutes or so, until Aram finally shows up and tells him to quit with this shit, because The FBI sure can't carry this show, so they need the James Spader magic now!  After a brief fake-out, he finally complies.  You done, Red?  I'm all for James Spader getting to do some heavy lifting, but this is already getting dull, and I want him back to facing off against some baddies!

Oh, Harold.  Henry Lennix gave it his all in that eulogy, but I was cracking up how much Harold sanctify Lizzie.  Especially the forgiving part.  Well, I guess it is kind of true.  After all, she was down with forgiving all the atrocities Tom did to her over the entire show, because.... love conquers all, I guess?  Meanwhile, Aram's was describing a character I never heard of and I kind want to meet.  I can't see this Lizzie liking Shakespeare.  She strikes me as someone who get frustrated with it and hurl the book after trying to read on chapter. 

Closed casket?  Yep, she's not dead.

Basically, it looks like this organization they are after is going to be involved in the spin-off, since we got glimpses of Famke Janssen's character, so all of this is probably not going to end up mattering much.

[gazebo]

What's the point of Brian Dennehy?  He's a great actor and he's wonderful in anything he does, but really, they didn't give him much to do here.  OK, so now we know that Liz has a grandfather.  But why didn't gramps ever tried to contact Liz?  Grandpa doesn't like Red coming in and imposing on his quiet life and he tells him so.  All Red does is mope, eat Grandpa Rostova's food and drink his alcohol and go through his things without his permission.  God!  I just wanted to go kick Red and tell him to suck it up and go out there and find the bastards that caused Lizzie's death!  I'm glad that Aram reached out.  I have no idea how he found Red but I'm so glad he did.  Aram seemed particularly emotional over Liz's death.  I didn't realize Aram had such strong feelings for Liz Keen.  I'm still trying to figure out that last scene where Mr. Rostova comes home, takes out a bottle of liquor and call for Red.  But he doesn't seem too disappointed that Red is not around, instead he goes to the piano and begins to play and he's actually smiling.  Was he smiling because the piano got fixed or something or is he just glad that Red has left his home?  So confusing!

So glad Red finally decided to stop moping and find Aram.  I was getting sick of his depression though I understand his mourning.  Come on, Red, go kick some ass!

[betsyboo]

19 hours ago, buttersister said:

Could we have a show with Red, Dembe and Aram? They're the only people I watch in these episodes anyway.

Seconded.

I cried AGAIN for this character I care nothing about. Poor Aram. 

ETA: I thought the stuff in the garage was Katarina's. but I guess it could have been Liz's. "Never underestimate the power of glitter."

Edited May 2, 2016 by betsyboo

[kirkola]

48 minutes ago, gazebo said:

What's the point of Brian Dennehy?  He's a great actor and he's wonderful in anything he does, but really, they didn't give him much to do here.  OK, so now we know that Liz has a grandfather.  But why didn't gramps ever tried to contact Liz?  Grandpa doesn't like Red coming in and imposing on his quiet life and he tells him so.  All Red does is mope, eat Grandpa Rostova's food and drink his alcohol and go through his things without his permission.  God!  I just wanted to go kick Red and tell him to suck it up and go out there and find the bastards that caused Lizzie's death!  I'm glad that Aram reached out.  I have no idea how he found Red but I'm so glad he did.  Aram seemed particularly emotional over Liz's death.  I didn't realize Aram had such strong feelings for Liz Keen.  I'm still trying to figure out that last scene where Mr. Rostova comes home, takes out a bottle of liquor and call for Red.  But he doesn't seem too disappointed that Red is not around, instead he goes to the piano and begins to play and he's actually smiling.  Was he smiling because the piano got fixed or something or is he just glad that Red has left his home?  So confusing!

So glad Red finally decided to stop moping and find Aram.  I was getting sick of his depression though I understand his mourning.  Come on, Red, go kick some ass!

See what I've seen in the last few episodes is a broken Red.  He has hit rock bottom.  The way I interpreted this mess is that Red has always been in love with Katerina.  He was the third wheel to Katerina and her husband.  The family friend who was totally devoted to Katerina and husband either ignored it or just accepted it.  The night of the fire, Red saved kid-Liz because she was a piece of Katerina.  My guess would be that Red took Katerina & kid-Liz to Cape May to hide them from the people after the macguffin (whatever that thing was a season ago that stopped the Cabal, or the thing before the Cabal, from chasing Liz).  Katerina, for plot reasons (death of a husband, group chasing them, whatever) decides she can't go on and walks into the ocean...probably while Red is taking care of Liz.  Red might have even seen her walk into the ocean from his window.  And that is the moment he truly decides that it doesn't matter who gets shot, what deal gets made, or what buttons he has to push, he will protect kid-Liz, his last piece of Katerina.  So he drops kid-Liz to William Sadler's character and takes off to build his empire.  And also to find and punish all the people that have hurt Katerina and to protect kid-Liz. 

 

When adult-Liz joined the FBI, he had to step forward because he knows Katerina's and Liz's enemies are inside the government.  So he steps in with the Blacklist.  And it's working, except Liz keeps screwing things up.  Clearly, her announcing she was a Russian agent made things worse, not better.  So Red was no longer quite in charge, but he still fought back and kept Liz safe.  Then, at the birth of her child, she unexpectedly dies.  And he couldn't protect her.  Up until that moment, he's always been able to protect her, sometimes even from herself.  He couldn't foresee that death and make it preventable.  So he has nothing left.  All the money in the world, all the power he amassed, and Liz still died.  My guess is that what we saw at Camp May was completely out of order to make it feel more disjointed.  I think he made those phones calls and then went to the opium house, preparing to die.  So when he was kicked out, he headed for Camp May to drown himself.  But self-preservation and tons of opium kicked in giving him that really weird trip we saw an episode ago.  When the opium wore off, he was still despondent and he went to Katerina's Dad because that man likely hates Red almost as much as Red hates Red.  He went to let Dad punish him some more.  And Dad doesn't punish him but takes him in, begrudgingly.  Dad spends the entire past episode pushing Red to put his big boy pants on and go back out there and kill people who hurt Liz and Katerina.  Because those people who were after Katerina and Liz still need punished.

 

Is it mopey?  Yes.  Is it maudlin? Yes.  But it's also a great start to a future without Liz.  A shift in direction where we see Red pull himself back from the abyss and go full on after the bad guys.  A direction where he uses the Blacklist and "his" FBI team to do his bidding.  A Red who just really doesn't care who he steps on.  That's the Red I think we all want to see.  Sadly, though I suspect what we're going to get is Red moping around hinting at an improved show until Liz is suddenly discovered alive and we start on the mystery of where she was for the last few months and who had her.

[misstwpherecool]

So grandpa was a sleeper agent father of Lizze's mom?

I'm with Ressler on the pot. Even though legal in DC it still would be a violation of many employer's policies, especially a government job where it's considered a drug free workplace.

And Yeh I thought Dennehy was dead or retired as well. I do seem to remember something about him lying about military service?

As much as they are showing Red's dispair is it because he know's Lizzie's alive but will never see again per his orders for her safety?

[HawaiiTVGuy]

The platitudes for Liz was just way over the top.  Seriously, what exactly did she do in the time that she was there for any of them?  Except murder a corrupt Attorney General and as a result pretty much screw everyone's lives as a result?

Ugh these last two "Liz was everyone's whole world" episodes have been horrible!

[Ladyhawke]

Grandpa's name is Rostov or Rostovy. Rostova is form for women.

Besides how things in garage could have been Liz'? Her childhood things should be at Sam's. Unless Red took them after Sam died and brought them here.

[dwmarch]

On 5/2/2016 at 0:37 AM, thuganomics85 said:

I can't see this Lizzie liking Shakespeare.  She strikes me as someone who get frustrated with it and hurl the book after trying to read on chapter. 

Indeed. Methinks the lady doth derp too much. Dr. Seuss is much more her speed.

@Danielg342, great analysis of Red in this episode. I never would have looked at it from that angle. I just want to see him shooting someone who at least kind of deserves it. But seeing him come to grips with "oh shit, I actually am the bad guy" is a new idea for this show and one they could potentially get a lot out of if done right.

[Ottis]

Quote

Oh gosh how I wish this show was better written...because Raymond Reddington should be an iconic figure. The ingredients are all there to make Red a truly special figure, but, sadly, the show has whiffed, largely because these writers seem unable or unwilling to explore the deeper recesses of Red's mind. I do think that, if they had, this show could have been the huge hit that it should be.

I think writing is not the problem, it's the direction of the show. Red clearly is a fascinating character, and his motivations are complex. The writing provided that figure. The problem is the choice, from the beginning, to focus on Lizzie. It takes away from exactly what you note ... the development of Red as a truly iconic character. Instead, we waste time with Lizzie and her relationships, Lizzie and her temper tantrums, Lizzie and her specialness. it drags everything down.

This show has an opportunity now to become something much better than it was. But Lizzie has to stay dead. She can come back in a flashback here and there, to show how her death drives Red or others. But we cannot have her back, sucking all the air out of the room.

This episode was slower but far more fascinating than 90 percent of Blacklist episodes (just as Cape May was as well), because you had to observe and think about what you were seeing. The ridiculous tributes to her were the only part of the show that broke the spell. And seeing Red at the end, at Aram's door with his hat on, ready to go to work, was an iconic moment for Blacklist that was the result of Red's journey over the past two episodes.

[AbsoluteShower]

On 5/3/2016 at 6:08 PM, HawaiiTVGuy said:

The platitudes for Liz was just way over the top.  Seriously, what exactly did she do in the time that she was there for any of them?  Except murder a corrupt Attorney General and as a result pretty much screw everyone's lives as a result?

Ugh these last two "Liz was everyone's whole world" episodes have been horrible!

Presumably during his heartfelt eulogy Harold was forgetting that Saint Lizzie, the best agent the FBI ever had, watched her husband-exhusband-husband murder a harbormaster, cover up the murder of a harbormaster, lie to the police about the murder of a harbormaster, encourage her husband-exhusband-husband to say nothing to the police about said murder of said harbormaster, and then have her boss perjure himself in court.

Still - Shakespeare and Dr Seuss eh?

Edited May 5, 2016 by sharkfan

[HawaiiTVGuy]

On 5/5/2016 at 4:24 AM, sharkfan said:

Presumably during his heartfelt eulogy Harold was forgetting that Saint Lizzie, the best agent the FBI ever had, watched her husband-exhusband-husband murder a harbormaster, cover up the murder of a harbormaster, lie to the police about the murder of a harbormaster, encourage her husband-exhusband-husband to say nothing to the police about said murder of said harbormaster, and then have her boss perjure himself in court.

Still - Shakespeare and Dr Seuss eh?

Please let her be dead.  Actually, don't let her be dead, and I can move on from this show.  I really need to cut down on my TV watching anyway, I was able to get myself away from Blindspot, I can do the same with Blacklist!

[ottoDbusdriver]

4 hours ago, HawaiiTVGuy said:

Please let her be dead.  Actually, don't let her be dead, and I can move on from this show.  I really need to cut down on my TV watching anyway, I was able to get myself away from Blindspot, I can do the same with Blacklist!

Blindspot is essentially the same show as Blacklist.

[dwmarch]

On 5/7/2016 at 7:26 PM, ottoDbusdriver said:

Blindspot is essentially the same show as Blacklist.

It's not a bug, it's a feature!

[HawaiiTVGuy]

On 5/7/2016 at 4:26 PM, ottoDbusdriver said:

Blindspot is essentially the same show as Blacklist.

Haha...true, but Blacklist came first, and Spader's acting allows me to believe the show doesn't take itself too seriously.  Unfortunately, Liz's self-righteous attitude completely overshadows that attitude.

[Margherita Erdman]

On April 29, 2016 at 7:02 AM, PreviouslyTV said:

he spends some time browsing through boxes of Liz's old stuff in the garage there

View the full article

It was Katarina's not Liz's — there has been no contact between "Mashable" and her grandfather, remember? — which made it all the more poignant to me and made Grampa Dennehy's outrage more earned (i.e., if we're right that Katarina was Red's great love, his father not only considers that his claim to her memory — especially her childhood — is greater than Red's, but that Red is to blame for his loss).

On April 29, 2016 at 9:12 AM, SierraMist said:

The best thing about it was Brian Dennehy.

I did think Dennehy was great, but as with other well-cast guest stars, the acting between him and Spader really had some lovely moments... And the coda, when Dennehy was ready to make peace with the requested single malt, only to return to an empty house, a ticking metronome, and a restored piano — well, that worked for me, but I am a sentimental soul

On April 29, 2016 at 1:15 PM, morgankobi said:

You guys, "never underestimate the power of glitter."

I love Aram.

I, too, love glitter, and Aram (see sentimental, above). It was to my great regret I never had a daughter and therefore no excuse for craft boxes full of glitter as an adult — in fact quite the opposite, a son with autism who has such a sensory aversion to glitter that he can't tolerate even greeting cards or wrapping paper with glitter because the residue might get on his clothes or bed linens or furniture :p

So no glitter magic for me

On April 30, 2016 at 11:07 PM, CaptainE said:

I agree Drusilla.  The bilge  about Liz at the funeral only made me think of the harbourmaster she watched her now hubby kill and the AG she murdered.  Now she is a poor widdle dead girl and he's a cute daddy.

GMAFB

Totally agree.  That harbor master and his sweet wife. Plus, props for bilge, boat, harbormaster, hee!

On May 2, 2016 at 10:40 AM, betsyboo said:

ETA: I thought the stuff in the garage was Katarina's. but I guess it could have been Liz's. "Never underestimate the power of glitter."

No, I think you were right the first time.