S05.E13: The Invisible Hand

[ottoDbusdriver]

Episode Description:

When bodies are discovered in abandoned woods, Red points the Task Force toward The Invisible Hand, a group that targets those whose actions are morally reprehensible yet fully legal. Meanwhile, Red steps in to assist one of his employees, and Liz discovers a major clue about Tom's investigation.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Two weeks in a row we get pretty weak Blacklisters.  They were really unimpressive.

Lizzie finds her grandpa, but doesn't know it's her grandpa.  Yawn.  It's just all so dull at this point.

Can they just take some samples from everyone involved and send them off to Ancestry.com to solve Lizzie's paternity issues already ?

Edited February 8, 2018 by ottoDbusdriver

[dwmarch]

The unexpected laugh line of the night goes to Ressler for his deadpan snark of "I know, isn't he adorable?"

I liked the twist that the bad guy is a cop (was that a Texas Ranger badge?) but I don't know how closely it aligns with the brutal killer he's been shown as in previous episodes. And his guys are obviously not cops although he does have a few on his payroll.

I am someone unsuprised Ressler had trouble chasing down a guy who's had bone cancer for two years. That dude should have had the stamina of a fart on a windy day but apparently Mr. Cancer Victim who lives in a toxic waste dump can at least briefly outrun an elite FBI agent.

It was nice to see the actor who played the air traffic control officer in Sully getting some work here. Although I am worried he's being typecast as the guy with the world's worst luck!

[ottoDbusdriver]

5 hours ago, dwmarch said:

I liked the twist that the bad guy is a cop (was that a Texas Ranger badge?) but I don't know how closely it aligns with the brutal killer he's been shown as in previous episodes. And his guys are obviously not cops although he does have a few on his payroll.

It appeared to be a US Marshal badge.

[Chaos Theory]

Hey Lizzie eventually an arrest or at least an arrest warrant is gonna stick.  I am kinda disappointed cop guy is a villain because I liked him threatening to throw Lizzie in jail.  That’s always fun.   You know if it turns out she isn’t Reds kid I’m gonna be disappointed.    How many people has she murdered at this point? 

 

Also so I kinda have a pet peeve about the show.  I know a lot of people dislike Elizabeth and think Megan Boone is a bad actress but I don’t really think that is it.  Oh she will never be the best actress on the show but she is severely stunted by one of the worst tropes (I hate that word!!!!!) the fact that everyone is lying to her.  It made sense in season one when a master criminal surrendered after decades for no apparent reason but now we are in season 5 and Red is still lying to her.  It makes Elizabeth look stupid and in a weird way it effects the acting of Megan Boone.

Edited February 8, 2018 by Chaos Theory

[ottoDbusdriver]

Maybe Lizzie thinks that the pardon she got from the President is perpetual -- and she can just keep on killing anytime.

[saber5055]

I'm going to go back to the last job I quit and tell them I'm coming back, so put me on the payroll. Of course, my boss will be thrilled and welcome me with more than open arms. Hey, it worked for Lizzie The Murderer. I haven't even wounded anyone lately. Of course, I'll reveal that I'm only coming back so I can use office materials/bargaining powers for my personal gain. I'll bet I even get a pay raise.

[Chaos Theory]

1 hour ago, saber5055 said:

I'm going to go back to the last job I quit and tell them I'm coming back, so put me on the payroll. Of course, my boss will be thrilled and welcome me with more than open arms. Hey, it worked for Lizzie The Murderer. I haven't even wounded anyone lately. Of course, I'll reveal that I'm only coming back so I can use office materials/bargaining powers for my personal gain. I'll bet I even get a pay raise.

It’s how you ask.  And if your boss already watched you kill a dude before and not only covered for you but then did other shady shit to get you out of prison.   We should all have that kind of boss.

Edited February 8, 2018 by Chaos Theory

[paigow]

If Garvey is so well connected, why does he use so many incompetent minions?? They were so dumb, Tom looked like John Wick killing so many of them single handed while seriously wounded....

[ItCouldBeWorse]

I wonder if the surviving Invisible Hand member who has 2 kids contemplated that her kids might be affected by what is likely poisoning her.

[TheGreenWave]

4 hours ago, saber5055 said:

I'm going to go back to the last job I quit and tell them I'm coming back, so put me on the payroll. Of course, my boss will be thrilled and welcome me with more than open arms. Hey, it worked for Lizzie The Murderer. I haven't even wounded anyone lately. Of course, I'll reveal that I'm only coming back so I can use office materials/bargaining powers for my personal gain. I'll bet I even get a pay raise.

Don't forget to get your badge, gun, and security clearance back as well.

14 hours ago, dwmarch said:

I am someone unsuprised Ressler had trouble chasing down a guy who's had bone cancer for two years. That dude should have had the stamina of a fart on a windy day but apparently Mr. Cancer Victim who lives in a toxic waste dump can at least briefly outrun an elite FBI agent.

H AHA HA!!!  Yes, and the guy who got shot in the stomach had no problem driving the get away van! 

[milkyaqua]

18 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Can they just take some samples from everyone involved and send them off to Ancestry.com to solve Lizzie's paternity issues already ?

Haven't you heard that some insurance companies are using that information to cancel or deny insurance to people because of possible pre-existing health conditions based on the family background?

10 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Hey Lizzie eventually an arrest or at least an arrest warrant is gonna stick.  I am kinda disappointed cop guy is a villain because I liked him threatening to throw Lizzie in jail.  That’s always fun.   You know if it turns out she isn’t Reds kid I’m gonna be disappointed.    How many people has she murdered at this point? 

Yeah, that disappointed me too.  But it does make me wonder what the heck kind of stuff Garvey is into.  I've said all along I don't care if Liz is Red's kid (I've never thought she was) but at this point, it's just way past time for that part of this show's story to be wrapped up.  OTOH, it's always nice to see Brian Dennehy.

Of course it was going to be easy for Liz to come back to work because she's super Liz and apparently the Task Force can't function without her.

[saber5055]

Quote

Haven't you heard that some insurance companies are using that information to cancel or deny insurance to people because of possible pre-existing health conditions based on the family background?

Yeah, heaven forbid Red would lose his health insurance.

[paigow]

Red is probably listed as a dependent on the USPS, FBI & Pet Grooming employee health plans...

[paigow]

Nobody burned to death this week :-( .... Buried alive is so CSI / Criminal Minds

23 hours ago, saber5055 said:

I haven't even wounded anyone lately. 

Saved by the Statute of Limitations....

[Dowel Jones]

Well, shucks.  After reading the episode title, I was wondering how the free market could be a blacklister, and how they would ever bring it to justice (Adam Smith reference).

I had to laugh when the IH woman claimed that they would never find the van in time because the superfund site was ten square miles and they could never search that large an area.  Ever hear of a helicopter?

[paigow]

They should have been called "Kids In The Hall" That guy looked like Dave Foley...

[paigow]

21 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

 Ever hear of a helicopter?

Red took it... 

[Ottis]

Does the network have access to market research that indicates the opposite of what is plainly obvious? I really need to know why this show continues with the "who is Liz's family" plot. The only one who cares is Liz, and that's because the writers keep insisting she cares. It's not interesting, show. It's barely interesting that Liz wants to find who killed Tom, and he was on the show and a decent character.

To make it worse,, the show has Lizzie informing the FBI that she is back - and that she is back because she needs *the FBI* to help *her* find Tom's killers. Lizzie is like the KellyAnn Conway of law enforcement. It's always about what Lizzie needs, even when she makes no sense. 

I do not understand this show's refusal to shift focus away from Lizzie and move to interesting, and topical, blacklisters. Say something about the world and make the plot interesting, show. Lizzie is good in small doses. Move her issue to a C or D plot.

Edited February 12, 2018 by Ottis

[paigow]

Red wants to take down a drug cartel controlled by cops....to get the suitcase? If the contents are made public, Red would be destroyed...so Garvey is keeping quiet...WTF?

[Lunula]

On 2/8/2018 at 11:56 AM, saber5055 said:

I'm going to go back to the last job I quit and tell them I'm coming back, so put me on the payroll. Of course, my boss will be thrilled and welcome me with more than open arms. Hey, it worked for Lizzie The Murderer. I haven't even wounded anyone lately. Of course, I'll reveal that I'm only coming back so I can use office materials/bargaining powers for my personal gain. I'll bet I even get a pay raise.

Did I miss something with all of this? Wasn't she terminated when she was on the run, after she killed...the Secretary of State (can't remember exactly who it was)? Then she comes back to the team, but only as a consultant, right? I might be thinking of some other show, but I thought she couldn't even carry a gun? Was she reinstated last season as a full agent? Just curious how she just came back to her job back so easily - first, that's just now how the FBI works and second, I don't remember her ever getting her full agent status back. 

Also, just a small nit, but how do all of these criminals know who Reddington is just by seeing him? My thought would be that an international criminal of his stature wouldn't go around posting photos of himself online. So how does everyone seem to just know him, even when they do not mention him by name?

Which brings me to Aram and Navabi...I like them, I think they are nice together - but it is SO out of character for Navabi to moon over Aram at work and coo over him "being so cute." It doesn't work for me.

[ottoDbusdriver]

2 hours ago, Lunula said:

Did I miss something with all of this? Wasn't she terminated when she was on the run, after she killed...the Secretary of State (can't remember exactly who it was)? Then she comes back to the team, but only as a consultant, right? I might be thinking of some other show, but I thought she couldn't even carry a gun? Was she reinstated last season as a full agent? Just curious how she just came back to her job back so easily - first, that's just now how the FBI works and second, I don't remember her ever getting her full agent status back. 

Also, just a small nit, but how do all of these criminals know who Reddington is just by seeing him? My thought would be that an international criminal of his stature wouldn't go around posting photos of himself online. So how does everyone seem to just know him, even when they do not mention him by name?

Which brings me to Aram and Navabi...I like them, I think they are nice together - but it is SO out of character for Navabi to moon over Aram at work and coo over him "being so cute." It doesn't work for me.

That pretty much summarizes Lizzie's path on this show -- technically, she killed the Attorney General -- and don't forget that somewhere in there she also faked her own death before Red blackmailed the President for a full pardon for Lizzie.  And she shot a cop while she was on the run, too.

[VinceW]

On 2/27/2018 at 12:38 PM, Lunula said:

....Which brings me to Aram and Navabi...I like them, I think they are nice together - but it is SO out of character for Navabi to moon over Aram at work and coo over him "being so cute." It doesn't work for me.

After both of them were on edge with each other at work for most of last season, their interaction now is pretty nonsensical.  Can the writers give viewers just one scene with them together away from the workplace chaos acting as a real couple? 

Edited March 3, 2018 by VinceW

[VinceW]

On 2/28/2018 at 1:04 AM, VinceW said:

After both of them were on edge with each other at work for most of last season, their interaction now is pretty nonsensical.  Can the writers give viewers just one scene with them together away from the workplace chaos acting as a real couple? 

 

Finally, some progress....

Spoiler

Episode 17 -  April 04, 2018  Anna-Gracia Duerte
When an associate of the Nash Syndicate is murdered, Red sets Liz and the Task Force on the case in order to recover evidence crucial to bringing down Ian Garvey. Meanwhile, Aram considers a step forward in his relationship with Samar.

Edited March 14, 2018 by VinceW