S05.E02: Greyson Blaise

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Liz and the Task Force join Red on an international adventure in pursuit of a billionaire who moonlights as a high end art thief. Meanwhile, Dembe chases a lead and Tom seeks outside help in identifying the remains in the suitcase.

[Loandbehold]

Since Steve McQueen is currently unavailable, will they be getting Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo to play billionaire and insurance agent / partner?

[paigow]

If this was a Minions episode...the Blacklister would be Toma Crona

ETA: So the list will return to normal? No more stupid, non scary "Job titles"....The Wigmaker...The Nanny...

 

8 hours ago, Loandbehold said:

Since Steve McQueen is currently unavailable, will they be getting Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo to play billionaire and insurance agent / partner?

Edited September 30, 2017 by paigow

[saber5055]

If Neal Caffrey is the billionaire art thief, I'd be all in with that.

[paigow]

1 hour ago, saber5055 said:

If Neal Caffrey is the billionaire art thief, I'd be all in with that.

Too busy doing Magic Mike XXXLLLVVVV.....

[ottoDbusdriver]

That was just plain stupid.  Here's a Blacklister and a long convoluted plan to screw him over.  Because reasons.
Plus, how can the task force even use the information on that data drive and the necklace as evidence ? It's tainted because it was illegally obtained by criminals during a crime.

Blaise's staff taking orders from Red to wipe the place clean was just ridiculously stupid.

Lizzie was useless as always.  Half the time she was just .... there ..... contributing nothing. And she is growing to believe she is her daddy's daughter because stealing stuff is just too much fun.

Tom is off hunting down the name of the MacGuffin .... err .... skeleton in the suitcase.

Still no sign of Agnes or the dogs -- though we did at least get a reference to Agnes.

Not sure what the purpose was of wasting time with Dembe's cooking lesson.  Is there really so little plot that they are adding needless filler.

And I wish they would dial back the oh-so-trying-to-be-hip music played over scenes.  It's just annoying and way too loud.

[paigow]

13 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

And I wish they would dial back the oh-so-trying-to-be-hip music played over scenes.  It's just annoying and way too loud.

No music choice will be worse than Patti Smith from the most recent Ray Donovan...

[VinceW]

ottoDbusdriver said: "That was just plain stupid.  Here's a Blacklister and a long convoluted plan to screw him over.  Because reasons. Plus, how can the task force even use the information on that data drive and the necklace as evidence ? It's tainted because it was illegally obtained by criminals during a crime."

Probably the worst episode since I started watching the series.  Cooper taking in Red's explanation about the stolen evidence made no sense at all.  Is Liz responsible for what happened to that person whose bones are in the suitcase?

Edited October 5, 2017 by VinceW

[Dowel Jones]

Why in the world would a master criminal like Blaise let his entire staff in on his enterprise, such that they know where all the evidence is and what to do in case of emergency?  And why are they, as staff always seems to be, so gullible and willing to act simply because a stranger is spewing out bullshit at a high rate of speed?

This "Take Your Daughter to Work Day" is getting just a bit tiring. 

I finally realized what is off with Reddington (for me, anyway).  He has ditched the uber-stylish fedoras for a nondescript ball cap.  He just doesn't look right. 

[dwmarch]

On tonight's Blacklist, it's the battle of the social engineers! Watch as Red tries to trick an art thief into getting himself arrested! Watch as Tom tries to convince a doctor to identify a mystery body in a suitcase! Watch Dembe cook dinner for some random dude rather than just beating some ass!

 

6 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Plus, how can the task force even use the information on that data drive and the necklace as evidence ? It's tainted because it was illegally obtained by criminals during a crime.

Blaise's staff taking orders from Red to wipe the place clean was just ridiculously stupid.

Lizzie was useless as always.  Half the time she was just .... there ..... contributing nothing. And she is growing to believe she is her daddy's daughter because stealing stuff is just too much fun.

The FBI certainly can and will whitewash that information which is to say that will start from a crime and work backwards to establish where they could have plausibly "found" this information in a more legal manner. I wish I still had the link to an article I read about how the NSA would tell the Podunk PD that they ought to find a reason to pull a certain vehicle over and while they are in the midst of their traffic stop they just might discover something illegal. Podunk PD writes it up as "broken taillight led to discovery of..." So that did not surprise me at all, especially considering that they've already done stuff like that on this show (indeed, it's kind of central to the premise as Reddington's information has to be whitewashed to hell and back since they can't even admit to other FBI agents that this task force exists). I specifically remember Liz asking Aram for some info to which he reminded her that she would need a warrant. She responded by saying "of course I have such a warrant! You don't actually need to see it do you?" Wink wink nudge nudge.

I enjoyed Red going into the bad guy's lair and ordering his lackeys around. Seeing him create chaos and then exploit it to his advantage was more entertaining than thug Red who just shoots anyone who gets in his way.

I also liked Lizzie going along with Reddington's bad behavior but I didn't like that she felt guilty about it later.

 

2 hours ago, VinceW said:

Probably the worst episode since I started watching the series.  Cooper taking in Red's explanation about the stolen evidence made no sense at all.  Is Liz responsible for what happened to that person whose bones are in the suitcase?

I really enjoyed this one. Usually the FBI are chasing their own tails which was no exception here. But seeing them do it because of Red's manipulations and then having Red kinda-sorta make it up to them in the end was a nice twist on the usual formula where they're just too slow and stupid to keep up with the bad guys.

 

2 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

Why in the world would a master criminal like Blaise let his entire staff in on his enterprise, such that they know where all the evidence is and what to do in case of emergency? 

He didn't necessarily let them know. They're his staff, they know whether he wants them to or not. Did you ever see that scene in Weeds where Nancy is looking for all the stashes of money left behind by her drug lord husband and the maid tells her "look here, here and here" but neglects to tell her about the biggest stash of all (which she kept for herself)?

[milkyaqua]

A fair-to-middling episode.  As implausible as it seemed for Blaise's staff to just take Red at his word it was funny and Red got what he wanted.  Also, how great of an art thief could Blaise have possibly been if he couldn't tell wet paint.  Also, how long was it going to take for the authorities to figure it out as well?  I kept thinking they'd come driving up as Red was doing his thing at Blaise's (them or Blaise himself which would have been interesting to see...).

Now Tom is off after some other McGuffin re: the suitcase (Oleander?)  and what the heck was that dinner party about?  Tom is going to "clever" himself into a royal beat down which I won't feel at all bad about.

If those bones aren't Lizzie's mom I will be highly annoyed.

I still don't think Red is Lizzie's dad so her talking herself into any of her bad behavior because she believes he is, is just Lizzie being her usual dumb self.

Yes, Lizzie and Tom did at least acknowledge Agnes but where the heck are she and the dog(s)?

And as amusing as it always is to see Cooper lose it when dealing with Red, his questioning the legality of the FBI assisting Red with his criminal enterprises is silly considering that's pretty much been the formula (whether Cooper admits it or not) since day one...

Edited October 5, 2017 by milkyaqua

[saber5055]

So the art forger can dupe a (long-missing) masterpiece in 20 hours, and delivers it wet. Well, yeah, that'll work, because oils take as much as a week to dry, and even then they can be touchy. All the arrested guy or the cops have to do is poke a finger onto the canvas and there you go, big old smear on the canvas and paint all over that finger. No way could that painting be a hundred-year-old anything. Plus, it would smell up the vehicle. I'm sure even old pigments smell similar to new oil paints. (Five years of art school here, guys, and lots of painting classes.) I forgave Neal Caffrey his insta-forgeries, but not this show. Meanwhile, I was wishing for that French woman, when she found Navabi inside her apartment, would have pulled a pistol out of her purse and shot Navabi square center. The lady would be justified in shooting a burglar and I'd be saved from more Aram/Navabi oh-so-uncomfortable make-out scenes.

Red asks the guy tied to the chair to tell him where the suitcase is, since obviously this guy know where it is, then freaking SHOOTS him because he doesn't spill the beans immediately? WTHeck, Red. Now I guess you'll never find out where the suitcase is. He should have asked Lizzie for assistance. You know, so the guy could be chained inside a old, rusty cargo ship for a few weeks and tortured. For a successful criminal, Red sorely lacks patience.

[Kelda Feegle]

I thought this was really funny in the way Scorpion used to be, before it got stupid and boring. I love Spader and the hijinks don't have to make sense as long as I am laughing, bonus Picasso in the back seat indeed.

[Ottis]

On 10/4/2017 at 7:47 PM, ottoDbusdriver said:

Lizzie was useless as always.  Half the time she was just .... there ..... contributing nothing. And she is growing to believe she is her daddy's daughter because stealing stuff is just too much fun.

Actually, that is when Lizzy is most tolerable on this show. She isn't good at her job, and whenever the show focuses on her personal issues - her daddy search/her baby/her marriage - it drags and she makes decisions based on her own needs, not those of the team, the country or the mission. So Lizzy's best possible role is as a sidekick to someone, and in this case, I thoroughly enjoyed her tagging along with Red, being surprised by his schemes and showing a bit of a fun side in enjoying it all. They did throw in a line about how she didn't have jurisdiction, which while weak at least tried to address her gleeful participation. That was enough for me on a TV show.

As for the implausibility of the bad guy's staff, or the FBI's looking the other way, meh. It's an escapist show with lots of fanciful aspects. I just want to enjoy the ride, this one was enjoyable.

Edited October 6, 2017 by Ottis

[kassygreene]

What Red did at the guy's mansion was basically steamroll the staff into action without giving them time to think.  The threat of imminent arrest, or at least of being detained and questioned, can be a powerful motivator.  I know there is a term for it, but I have forgotten it.

[Texasmom1970]

Is Megan Boone pregnant again? Her wardrobe looked like they were trying to hide something.

 

And Dembe cooks, can I please have a Dembe in my life!

[Brian Cronin]

On 10/5/2017 at 1:25 PM, milkyaqua said:

 If those bones aren't Lizzie's mom I will be highly annoyed.

I still don't think Red is Lizzie's dad so her talking herself into any of her bad behavior because she believes he is, is just Lizzie being her usual dumb self.

What if the bones are of Red Reddington, who the person we now know as Red replaced 30 years ago? I think that could be cool. "Red" replaced the real Red years ago (probably because he was a Russian spy, as well) but then went rogue when Liz's mom was in trouble (Liz's mom was a spy who was sleeping with the REAL Red Reddington - the straight arrow guy who was not a  criminal).  Cooper tested DNA from BEFORE "Red" replaced the original Red, which is why the DNA matched. No one has ever matched the current Red's DNA with Liz.

[calipiano81]

3 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

What if the bones are of Red Reddington, who the person we now know as Red replaced 30 years ago? I think that could be cool. "Red" replaced the real Red years ago (probably because he was a Russian spy, as well) but then went rogue when Liz's mom was in trouble (Liz's mom was a spy who was sleeping with the REAL Red Reddington - the straight arrow guy who was not a  criminal).  Cooper tested DNA from BEFORE "Red" replaced the original Red, which is why the DNA matched. No one has ever matched the current Red's DNA with Liz.

I strongly believe this is all highly probable. You just concisely summed up the "Impostor Theory" that has been circulating the fandom for a while, but has been gaining traction since the Season 4 finale (particularly with the 30-year DNA sample that Cooper had tested).

If you believe in this theory, a lot of clues from throughout the series seemingly click into place. For instance, in 1x10, when Liz flat-out asks Red, "Are you my father?", Red hesitates before saying "No," likely because Raymond Reddington technically IS her father but he, as impostor "Red," is not. In that moment, he opts for the plain truth. This is the only time he addresses and answers the paternity question directly. (If you notice, ever since Liz presented him with the DNA test at the end of Season 4, he has remained silent, changed the subject, or answers in the form of a question everytime Liz references him as her father.)

The Impostor Theory also would explain the mystery of the two families. Naomi Highland/Carla Reddington and her daughter Jennifer would be the family of the real Raymond Reddington, whereas Red's family would be the one that died Christmas Eve and who lived in the house Red had blown up in Season 1.

And in the series pilot, when Red first meets Liz, he says to her..."Everything about me is a lie..."

Edited October 7, 2017 by calipiano81

[Brian Cronin]

I guess my only problem with the Imposter theory is the question of why would Red care if that news came out now? He's a world-renowned criminal for over 30 years now, so what would it matter if he was not actually a former highly-decorated U.S. agent? Who would care? Maybe Liz NOW, but Red wanted the bones before Liz found out that he was her dad. So I don't get it. 

That said, it would set them up beautifully for the finale by having the last name on The Blacklist be his real name, right?

[No 2 in our Hearts]

Another problem I have with the impostor theory is how would this make Liz turn on Red for good which is what Kaplan wanted in the first place? She'd probably be pissed for a while but she would eventually get over it like she did when she found out Red killed her adoptive father or that Red put Tom in her life in the first place.  IIRC Liz actually led herself to believe that Red had killed her biological  father for a time in season two, and  was still willing to work him. 

I think they should just say Red's her father and be done with it. The writers dragged out the mystery of Liz and Red's relationship way, way too long and I'd be happy if they just moved on. 

[calipiano81]

If Red became Raymond Reddington all those years ago, it was for the purpose of keeping Liz safe (he alluded to this in the Kaplan-centric "Requiem" episode last season).

If Red's cover is ever blown, I believe it jeopardizes Liz in some way (or Red thinks it does). Why Liz is so special is another piece of the puzzle that is waiting to be sorted out.

[Just my 2 cents]

On ‎10‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 11:05 PM, Texasmom1970 said:

And Dembe cooks, can I please have a Dembe in my life!

I love Dembe.  He's sincere, loyal, competent, intelligent, and cooks!!

23 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

What if the bones are of Red Reddington, who the person we now know as Red replaced 30 years ago? I think that could be cool. "Red" replaced the real Red years ago (probably because he was a Russian spy, as well) but then went rogue when Liz's mom was in trouble (Liz's mom was a spy who was sleeping with the REAL Red Reddington - the straight arrow guy who was not a  criminal).  Cooper tested DNA from BEFORE "Red" replaced the original Red, which is why the DNA matched. No one has ever matched the current Red's DNA with Liz.

I've been thinking what you just said.  It also frees up the fake Raymund Reddington to reinvent himself again and fade off into the sunset to live the rest of his life in peace.  Of course, he'll have to change his look again.  I think the first season alluded to the fact that it appeared that he had some type of plastic surgery or some cosmetic procedures.

Edited October 8, 2017 by ally

[Just my 2 cents]

4 hours ago, calipiano81 said:

Why Liz is so special is another piece of the puzzle that is waiting to be sorted out.

I always wondered if she was a pawn in something of higher importance, did Katerina really give birth to her and if she did was there a bigger reason.  Was Liz supposed to be used for something else such as an experiment or was Katerina trying to create another spy in her image.   It was interesting that Katerina wanted Mr. Kaplan to watch the way she interacted with her when she was around, staying in the background so that when Katerina was gone Kaplan could interact in the same manner.  Although I suppose that could be seen as continuity of care so that the child transitions and adapts easily.  However, I was curious as to why you would hire someone to take care of your child whenever you were gone and to behave exactly as you did with the child, but her one rule was that she must never love her.  Maybe it's just me, but if I'm paying someone to watch my child when I was gone I would hope that they had some kind of love for them.  I would think that would ensure that they were well-cared for in my absence.

Edited October 8, 2017 by ally

[CaptainE]

The madcap adventures of ...whatever.   Simpleton episode, what with the auction bs, wet painting, villa borrowing.  

Just too juvenile, which is saying a lot for the show.  And where's the baby again?  A pseudo sex scene, after reuniting with Tom, but no Agnes.  Again, very poor writing.

 

The only somewhat redeeming part was the turn at the end but still dumb as can be.  What happened, red and dembe just got some coffee mid torture then came back to finish?  WTF?

I also don't like  Dembe in that role, as bad guy, torturing the guy, just because Red says so.  He was estranged not too long ago but I guess we're not supposed to remember that. And he can't sit next to Red at the motel pool?  Come on.

 

D+

Edited October 8, 2017 by CaptainE

[VinceW]

13 hours ago, CaptainE said:

The madcap adventures of ...whatever.   Simpleton episode, what with the auction bs, wet painting, villa borrowing.  

Just too juvenile, which is saying a lot for the show.  And where's the baby again?  A pseudo sex scene, after reuniting with Tom, but no Agnes.  Again, very poor writing.

The only somewhat redeeming part was the turn at the end but still dumb as can be.  What happened, red and Dembe just got some coffee mid torture then came back to finish?  WTF?

I also don't like Dembe in that role, as bad guy, torturing the guy, just because Red says so.  He was estranged not too long ago but I guess we're not supposed to remember that. And he can't sit next to Red at the motel pool?  Come on.

D+

Ditto....

On 10/5/2017 at 1:21 AM, VinceW said:

.....Probably the worst episode since I started watching the series.  Cooper taking in Red's explanation about the stolen evidence made no sense at all......

[saber5055]

Well, if this Red isn't the real Red, then this Red can take off with Lizzie as his new squeeze once the truth comes out. Then his rather creepy father/daughter dancing won't be incest. It seems Lizzie and Tom aren't married after all, or again, since Tom said he wanted to marry Lizzie this episode. That leaves her free to hook up with Pseudo-Red at the end of this series, something made simpler with the Evaporation Of Agnes.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 10/4/2017 at 9:47 PM, ottoDbusdriver said:

Not sure what the purpose was of wasting time with Dembe's cooking lesson.  Is there really so little plot that they are adding needless filler.

Perhaps to give us more Dembe.  He usually barely gets to talk and just serves Red.  Here he gets to show us how he's more than just the muscle.

On 10/6/2017 at 9:12 AM, Ottis said:

They did throw in a line about how she didn't have jurisdiction, which while weak at least tried to address her gleeful participation.

To me that meant that she could be arrested like a normal person, not that it gave her the right to participate in a crime.

Edited October 11, 2017 by ItCouldBeWorse

[Ottis]

12 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

To me that meant that she could be arrested like a normal person, not that it gave her the right to participate in a crime.

Could be. I don't remember the exact context now, but I thought she said something like, "I'm an FBI agent in another country, and that's the only way I'll allow this." I could be misremembering.

[TheGreenWave]

On ‎10‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 9:47 PM, ottoDbusdriver said:

And she is growing to believe she is her daddy's daughter because stealing stuff is just too much fun.

Don't forget - she can also make a quarter disappear.  Clearly an unequivocal sign that Red is her father.

Notice how Previously TV no longer does those funny write-ups of The Blacklist anymore?  Not that I blame them....just not worth the time.

On ‎10‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 3:43 AM, CaptainE said:

villa borrowing

or villa strong-arming.  That scene reminded me of why I was cheering Mr. Kaplan on last season.  I don't mind Red killing his fellow baddies, but that makes me hate Red - and stupid Lizzie for having no problem going along with it.  YAY, let's scare some innocent folks today, Dad!

[Loandbehold]

20 hours ago, TheGreenWave said:

Notice how Previously TV no longer does those funny write-ups of The Blacklist anymore?  Not that I blame them....just not worth the time.

Previously TV has pretty much gone to podcasts and has stopped doing write-ups of practically any show. Which is not to say that The Blacklist hasn't gone off the rails, to the extent it ever really was on the rails.

On 10/11/2017 at 8:47 AM, Ottis said:

Could be. I don't remember the exact context now, but I thought she said something like, "I'm an FBI agent in another country, and that's the only way I'll allow this." I could be misremembering.

That's how I took it as well. She's an FBI agent in a foreign country so she doesn't have any investigative authority.

[Ottis]

34 minutes ago, Loandbehold said:

Previously TV has pretty much gone to podcasts and has stopped doing write-ups of practically any show.

Which is sad. I loved TWOP, and some of the Battlestar Galactica write ups that Jacob did were works of art. Then it went away and we got this site, which is clearly trending downhill. Now all I come here for are these user threads.

Oh, and uh, Lizzie sucks ... in this episode.

[pnkj1208]

On 10/5/2017 at 1:25 PM, milkyaqua said:

A fair-to-middling episode.  As implausible as it seemed for Blaise's staff to just take Red at his word it was funny and Red got what he wanted.  Also, how great of an art thief could Blaise have possibly been if he couldn't tell wet paint.  Also, how long was it going to take for the authorities to figure it out as well?  I kept thinking they'd come driving up as Red was doing his thing at Blaise's (them or Blaise himself which would have been interesting to see...).

Now Tom is off after some other McGuffin re: the suitcase (Oleander?)  and what the heck was that dinner party about?  Tom is going to "clever" himself into a royal beat down which I won't feel at all bad about.

If those bones aren't Lizzie's mom I will be highly annoyed.

I still don't think Red is Lizzie's dad so her talking herself into any of her bad behavior because she believes he is, is just Lizzie being her usual dumb self.

Yes, Lizzie and Tom did at least acknowledge Agnes but where the heck are she and the dog(s)?

And as amusing as it always is to see Cooper lose it when dealing with Red, his questioning the legality of the FBI assisting Red with his criminal enterprises is silly considering that's pretty much been the formula (whether Cooper admits it or not) since day one...

Just before Mr Kaplan jumped did she not say to red We'll always have oleander"?

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 10/10/2017 at 8:19 PM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

On 10/6/2017 at 9:12 AM, Ottis said:

They did throw in a line about how she didn't have jurisdiction, which while weak at least tried to address her gleeful participation.

To me that meant that she could be arrested like a normal person, not that it gave her the right to participate in a crime.

 

On 10/11/2017 at 8:47 AM, Ottis said:

Could be. I don't remember the exact context now, but I thought she said something like, "I'm an FBI agent in another country, and that's the only way I'll allow this." I could be misremembering.

You're both correct; she was saying that since she didn't have jurisdiction there, she could play along.  I said it clumsily. I meant that despite what she said, not having jurisdiction didn't give her the right to break laws in a foreign country, but it did give her the opportunity to be arrested like any other civilian.

I just think that it' was a ridiculous justification for being Red's accomplice.  You don't get to commit crimes just because you're not a member of another country's law enforcement.  You should hold yourself to a higher standard than the typical person.  If she were arrested, what would be her excuse?  "Yes, I'm an FBI agent, but not here, so I can do what I want?"  It was beyond dopey.