The Blacklist: Questions We Have

[Reishe]

Does anyone else out there have a problem with the audio on The Blacklist? For whatever reason, we have found in our household that the dialogue is difficult to distinguish from background sound, the bass is out of balance, and the sound overall is muddy. the Blacklist is the only show that we've observed these problems with, so I don't believe it's my TV setup, and I've even compared other NBC programs on the off chance that it was that particular channel in the cable lineup, and found no other shows that sound this bad. I was just wondering if anyone else watching had experienced the same issues, or if there's some low-level baddie nicknamed The Distorter who was messing with me. ;p

Edited May 27, 2014 by Reishe

[Birdee]

Yes! We have to turn the TV up so loud that I'm surprised the speakers haven't busted when switching to a commercial. And we have to rewind at least once a scene to catch something we missed. Glad it's not just us!

[Reishe]

something techy that has to do with the cable/satellite

 

I understand what you're saying, but I have compared The Blacklist with other shows from the very same NBC channel to make sure it wasn't the channel feed in general. None of the other NBC shows (or anything else that we watch) had sound issues, just The Blacklist.

Edited May 28, 2014 by Reishe

[Happytobehere]

I decided to start this topic since every other topic for the Blacklist seems pretty specific and I have a general question I am seeking help with.

Does anyone know where I can watch the entire first season sans buying it? Several people have told me it is a good show and the kind of program I would like, but NBC never has the full season On Demand, it is either the middle six episodes or the last six episodes.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

[Happytobehere]

Thanks for the response. Those I know who watch it either don't DVR (I know, what's wrong with them), or they watch so many things and prioritize savables (GoT, Hannibal, Sleepy Hollow, Scandal).

[GarnetGirl]

It's on Hulu.

[Happytobehere]

Just finished watching the first episode. How is it possible that the female agent and the rest of the not too bright can't seem to figure out the James Spader must be her father.

Now I am worried because with the obvious plot twist and the bad acting of the female agent and the blonde male agent, how good can this show possibly be?

[Julia]

FWIW, I thought that Ressler improved across the season. Lizzie, unfortunately, was every bit as bad in the last episode as she was in the first. I've watched a number of things the actress has been in to try to figure out if it's her or the writing, but from what I've seen the kindest interpretation is both. I don't have a take on the actor who plays Tom - the character is profoundly creepy - but I see whiffs of his being better than his material (not that being better than that particular material is a high bar).

 

I think my following this show may be about a watching him read the phone book relationship with James Spader. Given that, it can be a fun show.

[kaygeeret]

Sorry to tell you Happytobehere that her acting remains awful.  The writing is mediocre - except bizarrely, Spader either is consulting with the writers for his character or he is so damn good that he can take bad writing and make is snarky/funny/believable - the last for only a second.

 

The plot thru line remains murky and confusing - sometimes contradicting itself in the same episode and certainly major differences between episodes.  Do NOT look for continuity or clarity here.

 

That said, I will watch Spader in anything and am enjoying Tom.  The actor has made the character interesting given the complete lack of coherent character development reveal.

 

Don't worry about is he or isn't he her father - - - I have concluded it doesn't matter.  They'll reveal it to universal yawns and then move on in the new season.

[formerlyfreedom]

Here's a place to post all your questions in general about the show.

[ToxicUnicorn]

I don't really expect an answer, but I wonder how much the actor who plays Dembe makes per episode.  He's always there but he doesn't do much.

[Danielg342]

I believe this is supposed to be the thread for all of the mysteries behind this show, right?

Anyhow, a few that I have:

-What information does Red have that would cripple the “global alliance” that Fitch is a part of?

-What *is* Fitch's alliance and what do they do?

-What's the relationship between Lizzie and Red and why are both so secretive *and* obsessive about it?

-Have Tom and Lizzie legally divorced or are they still technically married? What is Tom doing about it?

-Is Lizzie just as much a criminal as Red is? Does she have the capabilities for crime that Red does?

-What's Harold Cooper's ailment?

-How does Samar Navabi, an Iranian, join Mossad?

-What relationship does Samar Navabi have with Red?

-After the events of “The Front” and other instances last season, does Aram Mojtabi secretly work with Red from time to time?

-What does the U.S. Government feel about The Blacklist taskforce?

-Just how big is Red's empire and what kind of people are on his payroll?

-Will we ever learn Sniper Dude's name?

Oh, and though this is more of a question for the writers, it could work here too:

-Since it's established that Sniper Dude likes hockey, I'm wondering if we'll get a sports-related episode. You'd think Red might at least have ties to gambling.

That will suffice for now.

[Bort]

-Have Tom and Lizzie legally divorced or are they still technically married? What is Tom doing about it?

This one actually has an answer. Lizzie got an annulment, on the basis that his whole identity was a fraud. I don't presume Tom is doing anything about it, other than possibly sitting behind a locked door while Lizzie drinks beer and glares at him from the other side.

[Danielg342]

Thanks. Must have missed that...although I'm disappointed Lizzie isn't guarding a big tub of ice cream behind that door. :P

[ottoDbusdriver]

Moving over from the S2E21 Karakurt topic

 

Any insight into what turned people off so quickly?

 

Off the top of my head, here a few reasons:

• For a while there, Lizzie and/or Ressler got captured nearly every week and it got pretty boring pretty fast.
• The Lizzie that was introduced in the Season 1 premiere is not the Lizzie that has been shown for the past two seasons.  She was supposed to be this experienced FBI agent in charge of the mobile psych unit in New York, was such a bitch that her underlings called her 'sir', a board certified psychologist and a recent grad of FBI profiling school, but what the writers have given us is this inexperienced newbie with virtually no profiling skills, little psychological skills, and no real natural talent for the job, yet she is now teaching at the FBI profiling school in her spare time.
• Season 2 has consisted of Lizzie saying she is "done with Red" at least once a week, but then the very next episode she is back to working with Red again.
• For the last 6 or 7 episodes, nothing has happened to the Blacklister of the week -- not captured, not killed, nothing of significance
• The clip show.  The frakking clip show where Lizzie explains to the judge every little secret about Reddington and Tom and the FBI's work at the FBI's secret Post Office facility.
• The multiple episode arc about the harbormaster's death that went absolutely nowhere and had no consequences -- not even Tom who actually killed the harbormaster never went to prison. So it was all just so much padding and filler -- this show really should have been 13 episodes a season tops.
• The whole reason behind Berlin's revenge was because he thought Red had killed Berlin's daughter and sent her bones to Berlin while Berlin was in prison, only it turns out Berlin's daughter was alive and well the whole time.
• Megan Boone is a terrible actress and should never have gotten this gig in the first place, not to mention the terrible wig she wore throughout all of Season 1.
• The Blacklister of the week stories have been especially weak and stupid in Season 2 -- a lot of them have nothing to do with national security or imminent threats to the country.  You know, the kind of things that the FBI would setup a super secret task force to deal with.
• The redemption of Tom -- Lizzie is falling back into his arms after all the crap that he has done to her, after she had repeatedly said she wanted to kill him and she hated what he did to her.  Because of twu wuv -- and Tom really really loves Lizzie too.  He'd do anything for Lizzie, even though we found that Tom dating and marrying Lizzie was a paid gig, paid for by Reddington.
• Lizzie's parental issues -- first it was all about her father, now it's all about her mother.  Nobody cares.
• The fact that after nearly two full seasons, we still don't know what the real connection is between Red and Lizzie, and I don't expect it to be revealed any time soon.

Edited May 6, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[saber5055]

The fact that after nearly two full seasons, we still don't know what the real connection is between Red and Lizzie, and I don't expect it to be revealed any time soon.

 

 

And on top of that, I don't think anyone really cares. I don't, anyway. If he's her father, godfather or next-door neighbor ... it means nothing. And for sure the earth won't stop revolving when the relationship, if any, is finally (or ever) revealed.

[Julia]

And on top of that, I don't think anyone really cares. I don't, anyway. If he's her father, godfather or next-door neighbor ... it means nothing. And for sure the earth won't stop revolving when the relationship, if any, is finally (or ever) revealed.

 

What's more, unless this is the genderbent remake of the Manchurian Candidate, nothing on heaven or earth that is dreamt of in our philosophies explains why he thinks Lizzie is special.

[saber5055]

I'm thinking this show would be greatly improved by miles and miles if Lizzie were gone. I'd be up for Donald and the other FBI people working with Red and Dembe to catch criminals and fight crime all over the world. Lizzie and her angst just get in the way of my enjoyment of the rest of the cast.

 

Yeah ... that's the ticket.

[paigow]

Are Grant Ward (Agents of SHIELD) and Tom Keen "character arc twins"? Are they deserving of "redemption"? If more viewers care about Tom than Lizzie, should the showrunners care?

[Julia]

So many commonalities between AOS and the Blacklist...

[Danielg342]

Personally, I've actually enjoyed this season. It may not be “bellwether” television, but it's been fun and James Spader is always a treat. I also think in the back half, the show has gotten better at “getting to the point” instead of middling around, and the episodes themselves are more tightly written.

Only issue is that a lot of fanwanking needs to be made for much of this to work, chief of which is forgetting that “Pilot Lizzie” isn't the same as “current Lizzie”. Even then, “current Lizzie” is too erratically written and acts way too much like a child- I mean, I get the “father/daughter” thing they want to do with Red and Lizzie but they're a little overboard with it. There are times when I agree with others that Lizzie's presence holds down the show.

The other problem is “the blacklist” itself. At this point, I'm not sure what the point of it is, with so many Blacklisters escaping police or winding up being “good guys”. Does Red need a list or could it have worked better if- most of the time, anyway- the FBI just needs Red's “inside knowledge” to solve a crime? That's more believable than a list and it's closer to the course of writing this season.

My other thought in revamping “the blacklist” would be that the numbers would start at the Pilot, with the first episode featuring “blacklister No. 1”, the second one featuring “blacklister No. 2” and so on. I'd also have it so that each season takes down a different “Big Bad” and we build up to that. Sure, it's formulaic, but it gives the show focus, something it clearly doesn't have. I also think it's a better way of dealing with building Red's threats than they have so far.

[saber5055]

My other thought in revamping “the blacklist” would be that the numbers would start at the Pilot, with the first episode featuring “blacklister No. 1”,

 

 

That made me think: Each week the Blacklister has a number, but the numbers are double-digits, right? So if No. 64 was this week, are there 63 that we haven't seen yet? Not that I've paid that much attention, but I think the numbers jump randomly around.

[ottoDbusdriver]

That made me think: Each week the Blacklister has a number, but the numbers are double-digits, right? So if No. 64 was this week, are there 63 that we haven't seen yet? Not that I've paid that much attention, but I think the numbers jump randomly around.

 

Yeah, the numbers jump all over the place -- remember the episode when Tom Keen was the Blacklister and he was #7.  And the Blacklist numbers have gone into triple digits -- the Stewmaker was #161.  I think that's the highest number so far.

 

ETA: Confirmed -- someone put together a list of all the Blacklisters so far, their respective numbers and current status (http://www.blacklistsupportgroup.com/p/blacklister-numbering.html)

Edited May 6, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[alias1]

 

• The whole reason behind Berlin's revenge was because he thought Red had killed Berlin's daughter and sent her bones to Berlin while Berlin was in prison, only it turns out Berlin's daughter was alive and well the whole time.

 

I thought this was one of the better plot lines.  I enjoyed the reveal that the girl Red had been watching was not his daughter but Berlin's daughter.  If that was obvious to others, I admit to being obtuse (or maybe just easy to please).

[saber5055]

someone put together a list of all the Blacklisters so far, their respective numbers and current status

 

 

LOL! Thanks Otto. 

[Danielg342]

Yeah, the numbers jump all over the place -- remember the episode when Tom Keen was the Blacklister and he was #7.  And the Blacklist numbers have gone into triple digits -- the Stewmaker was #161.  I think that's the highest number so far.

 

ETA: Confirmed -- someone put together a list of all the Blacklisters so far, their respective numbers and current status (http://www.blacklistsupportgroup.com/p/blacklister-numbering.html)

 

I wish there was a rhyme or reason to the numbers. Apparently, the numbers are not indicative of threat level or the level of importance of the criminal- I read somewhere they're actually a "code"- although I can't see any reason why those numbers cannot be about importance, since the "more important" criminals always had high numbers (Anslo Garrick, #16, Alan Fitch (The Decembrist) #12, Berlin #8, Tom #7). I get that the show wants to be cagey, but right now the numbers- or even the Blacklisters themselves- have yet to add up to, well, anything. A few of them led Red to Berlin, but I wish we had more of that.

 

I also wonder how the "Case of the Week" gets picked anyway- does Red hear something on the news, tells Lizzie and tells her, "it must be X"? If so, I think it might be nice if, just once, Red thinks it's one criminal only for the criminal to really be someone else- and someone else on the list he hadn't prepared for.

 

Right now, everything is just too random for me to care.

[themadman]

I squarely blame Meagan Boone and her one-expression face. Just get someone else. Such a waste of James Spader.

[estellasmum]

For me, I compare it to my experience with Revenge. It was a once-good show that started to go slightly downhill and then went on hiatus. And then I forgot about it after it came back until I have a look at the master list of shows and lo and behold The Blacklist has activity again.. So I come here to see what is going on, and there isn't much good being said about the show. And I watch an episode just to see if you all are right, and you are, and I stop watching. I'm perfectly content to check in on this forum every now and again to see if I'm missing anything, and nothing on here makes me feel that I am. That and I don't really enjoy watching Megan Boone.

[Wynterwolf]

From back in season 1, did they ever reveal what her stepfather wanted to tell her before he died?  

[DrSpaceman73]

I see comparisons to Agents and Lost here. Does anyone see Burn Notice in the The Blacklist?

Its like Burn Notice in the fact that its takes a character whose life is turned upside down by outside forces and she keeps digging deeper and deeper to figure out the whole mystery of it all. Every time she gets a step closer she finds out there was someone else behind it and has to keep digging more to find the real answers.

I wish there was a rhyme or reason to the numbers. Apparently, the numbers are not indicative of threat level or the level of importance of the criminal- I read somewhere they're actually a "code"- although I can't see any reason why those numbers cannot be about importance, since the "more important" criminals always had high numbers (Anslo Garrick, #16, Alan Fitch (The Decembrist) #12, Berlin #8, Tom #7). I get that the show wants to be cagey, but right now the numbers- or even the Blacklisters themselves- have yet to add up to, well, anything. A few of them led Red to Berlin, but I wish we had more of that.

 

I also wonder how the "Case of the Week" gets picked anyway- does Red hear something on the news, tells Lizzie and tells her, "it must be X"? If so, I think it might be nice if, just once, Red thinks it's one criminal only for the criminal to really be someone else- and someone else on the list he hadn't prepared for.

 

Right now, everything is just too random for me to care.

Red picks the cases based on a combination of local happenings in the news he hears about and those blacklisters he needs to find in order to help himself. He always seems to have an angle or a reason why he needs to find the person being looked for in each episode to help out his own situation

[Drusilla]

The Liz character is all over the place. One minute she's bossing them all around like she owns the FBI and is the font of all knowledge, next minute she's walking into a lab saying "what's this place?" As much as I love Megan Boone, she is sometimes extremely overstretched as an actress.

[JasmineFlower]

I'm attempting to stick with Blacklist, but I'm not interested in watching all of Blacklist:Redemption. I tried it, and I'm not into it. How little can I get away with watching. Is background watching the first two and last two of the series enough to clue me in to what Tom did while he was away and whatever he discovered? Thanks in advance.

[VinceW]

On 9/20/2017 at 5:56 PM, JasmineFlower said:

I'm attempting to stick with Blacklist, but I'm not interested in watching all of Blacklist:Redemption. I tried it, and I'm not into it. How little can I get away with watching. Is background watching the first two and last two of the series enough to clue me in to what Tom did while he was away and whatever he discovered? Thanks in advance.

The series was more about the conflict between the parents. IMO. The father played on Tom's emotions all along in order to get revenge on the mother and regain control of the security corporation. The company takeover process orchestrated by the father in the end was not credible. I suspected all along the father was somewhat diabolical in his dealings with the wife. Not sure that anything Tom found out working with his mother will effect his future relationship with Liz.

Edited September 22, 2017 by VinceW