S06.E15: Olivia Olson

[ottoDbusdriver]

Episode Description:

The Task Force searches for a woman who specializes in hostile takeovers of criminal organizations, and may have intelligence connected to an international conspiracy involving presidential advisor Anna McMahon. Meanwhile, Aram enacts a daring plan to gain leverage over Red.

[paigow]

Red was running a top tier Criminal Organization....If she kept acquiring all his competitors, why is she still alive? Or was she his best customer???

[Passepartout]

Aram what were you thinking? Red is always going to be a step ahead of you no matter what. 

Really Elizabeth is nagging on my nerves. She is acting so holier than thou these days. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

That really was boring.  All that time spent on Aram, quite literally flying in circles.  I guess this means we won't get evil Aram as a Blacklister.

Are we ever going to find out what is Reddington's medical problem ?

Olivia Olson's truck had the smoothest ride in the history of panel vans -- so no one was ever able to guess that she was constantly on the move until Aram figured it out.
No potholes or bumps in the road.  Ever.  Did she live in the van too or have a house/apartment somewhere to crash at in between evil takeovers ?  The one thing I didn't see on that van were antennas for broadcasting, and you would think that Olivia Olsen could spring for some tinted windows so people like Lizzie couldn't ID her driver.

And if you are running a supersecret criminal organization using wireless communications, how come Olivia Olsen's comms weren't encrypted ?  That seems pretty sloppy, as anyone could have scanned and snooped on her chats with evildoers.

Olsen's cover company (the CPA firm) was found out WAY TOO EASY.  All because Lizzie talked tough to that assistant.  Give me a break.

And the 2 electrician trucks that blocked Ressler and Lizzie were beyond stupid -- for them to be ready to set that trap, Olivia Olson had to know that she was going to be followed after virtually meeting with Reddington, and she had the drivers on standby with the truck motors idling just waiting for Olson's van to show up.

At least it was good to see Richard Brooks, who formerly played Assistant DA Paul Robinette on Law and Order back in the 90s.

Still no sign or mention of Agnes, Lizzie's "sister" or the dogs .... or Vesco's cat.  :)

Edited April 6, 2019 by ottoDbusdriver

[ForumWarVeteran]

I like how Lizzie went from “I’m going to destroy him!” to “I wuv my dead daddy and I’ll never let him go!” for no real reason at all.  If you’re that starved for affection Lizzie there’s always the daughter you left with her ruthless, murderous, war-profiteering grandma. 

[mxc90]

1 hour ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Olsen's cover company (the CPA firm) was found out WAY TOO EASY.  All because Lizzie talked tough to that assistant.  Give me a break.

I couldn't believe he cracked right in front of his boss. 

Maybe the people at the CPA firm took his favorite parking spot and it pissed him off, so he grabbed the whistle and blew at the first chance.  I don't think he made it home in one piece (Liz left and never offered protection).

Will they replace Samar or why bother at this point of the show?

[ottoDbusdriver]

14 minutes ago, mxc90 said:

Will they replace Samar or why bother at this point of the show?

Maybe they can dig up the bones of Meera Malik, bring her back to life and make her part of the Post Office team again.  </sarcasm>

[mxc90]

4 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Maybe they can dig up the bones of Meera Malik, bring her back to life and make her part of the Post Office team again.  </sarcasm>

I was pissed when she was written out.

Anna should plant one of her own to watch the group and report on their findings to her. 

[NeenerNeener]

2 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Are we ever going to find out what is Reddington's medical problem ?

Wasn't someone on a tv talking about Parkinson's Disease while Red was shooting up? It seemed rather random to me at the time but maybe....

Edited April 6, 2019 by NeenerNeener

[preeya]

The whole exercise of reports/reporting is ludicrous. The dialog went like this:

Cooper speaking:

Let me say it back to you, see if I understand what you want...

a justification memo once Reddington gives us a case

but before we start working on it, a real-time memo where we take time out

from what we're working on to tell you what we're working on...

...and a case file memo where we detail what's in the case file attached to the case file memo.

McMahon:  It's all about the flow of information.

Cooper: Tell me, with all this information you want us to flow, when are we supposed to actually work?

[KittenPokerCheater]

Pissed off that Red didn’t forgive Aram’s financial debt to him.  It’s not as if Red doesn’t have islands/Swiss bank accounts etc. etc.  $50K is tipping money for him.

[Neiman]

Not one of their best episodes, but at least Aram is getting back on track and we're moving away from the Samar plot.  Would like to see Olivia on Red's team for a while.

[paigow]

59 minutes ago, Neiman said:

Not one of their best episodes, but at least Aram is getting back on track and we're moving away from the Samar plot. 

[Interior: Mossad surveillance room]

Agent 1: Hey! That hacker boyfriend found our camera....

Agent 2: He drones on a lot...just like Reddington...

[saber5055]

With Reddington giving himself an injection like that, it made me think he's diabetic. He needs to watch what he eats and drinks. And that's all I've got right now. Except for this hysterical line:

Lizzie saying to Ressler when Ressler now all of a sudden is all hot to find out who Red really is: "Best thing is to just let it go."

You know, like viewers are suppose to just let the main plot of the last six seasons go.

[saber5055]

Would someone explain the bank-transfer stuff as I tuned in a bit late so missed if Aram was draining Red's account or did Aram have an off-shore account too, where he'd been stashing cash? And why now is Aram broke, did Red steal his money? And the interest accrual, why the different amounts? And don't banks just insure up to $100,000 or some such, not millions?

Or was Red making Aram pay for the jet ride around the globe? That has to be expensive. (Was Dembe flying? Ha ha!)

It's too weird that now Lizzie is all, "So my mom might be alive but I don't care, she's not a good person, I don't want to know her." WTH show. Did Lizzie get a brain transfer during that week off or what.

Actually, I think she did. She and Ressler did a brain swap when we weren't looking. You know, using those tin hats connected by a curly wire.

I do hate that the show tricked us into thinking this was going to be a big fight episode between Aram and Red. Psych.

Edited April 6, 2019 by saber5055

[ottoDbusdriver]

53 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Would someone explain the bank-transfer stuff as I tuned in a bit late so missed if Aram was draining Red's account or did Aram have an off-shore account too, where he'd been stashing cash? And why now is Aram broke, did Red steal his money? And the interest accrual, why the different amounts? And don't banks just insure up to $100,000 or some such, not millions?

Or was Red making Aram pay for the jet ride around the globe? That has to be expensive. (Was Dembe flying? Ha ha!)

In summary, Aram still had access to one of Red's offshore accounts from an old episode that contained $60 million.  Aram transferred the money out to his own offshore account in order to get Red's attention (which it did), and then Aram went on a plane ride under the guise of Red taking him to Samar in exchange for the return of the $60 million.  The money that Aram owes Reddington is basically the earned interest on the $60 million while Aram had possession of it.  I think.

[preeya]

12 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

The money that Aram owes Reddington is basically the earned interest on the $60 million while Aram had possession of it.  I think. 

Which means the accrued interest is in Aram's account. So all he needs to do is return the $60MIL plus the interest and everything should be OK.  If not, with Aram's newfound cohones he should just tell Red to fuck-off.

Edited April 6, 2019 by preeya

[saber5055]

11 minutes ago, preeya said:

Which means the accrued interest is in Aram's account. So all he needs to do is return the $60MIL plus the interest and everything should be OK.

Well, yeah. But Aram told Lizzie he was broke, didn't even have enough money to buy a pitcher of beer at the tavern. So he was living paycheck to paycheck I guess. I'd think he'd at least have a few bucks in his pocket. Or maybe that was just his way of getting Lizzie to spring for drinks.

13 minutes ago, preeya said:

With Aram's newfound cohones he should just tell Red to fuck-off.

I'm not so sure he still has those. I think they shriveled off somewhere over the Atlantic.

[Chaos Theory]

The whole Aram thing ended quickly.  But hey at least he already is forever indebted to Red.  

Edited April 7, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[VinceW]

 2 HOURS AGO, PREEYA SAID:

"Which means the accrued interest is in Aram's account. So all he needs to do is return the $60MIL plus the interest and everything should be OK...."

Aram was using an accrued interest rate of 4% @ $273/hour, but Red's payback rate for taking the money was 25% @ $1700/hour equals $56,100 total.  Aram planning to use that money as leverage against Red just further illustrates his naivete in dealing with criminals aside from the fact he was just accepting that Red was taking him to meet Samar.  Aram's best attribute is total loyalty to the Task Force which Red used to get him moving forward after Liz called with the captured data.

Edited April 6, 2019 by VinceW

[preeya]

30 minutes ago, VinceW said:

 2 HOURS AGO, PREEYA SAID:

"Which means the accrued interest is in Aram's account. So all he needs to do is return the $60MIL plus the interest and everything should be OK...."

Aram was using an accrued interest rate of 4% @ $273/hour, but Red's payback rate for taking the money was 25% @ $1700/hour equals $56,100 total.  Aram planning to use that money as leverage against Red just further illustrates his naivete in dealing with criminals aside from the fact he was just accepting that Red was taking him to meet Samar.  Aram's best attribute is total loyalty to the Task Force which Red used to get him moving forward after Liz called with the captured data.

As I said above, he should just tell him (Red) to fuck-off, after all, he's not a loan shark.

[dwmarch]

2 hours ago, preeya said:

As I said above, he should just tell him (Red) to fuck-off, after all, he's not a loan shark.

In that case, Aram would have had the satisfaction of saying something rude to Reddington as his final words. By and large, those who steal from Red are just killed outright. Being given an opportunity to pay back the interest on what he stole is rare mercy indeed and Aram seems to appreciate it as such.

[torqy]

4 hours ago, dwmarch said:

In that case, Aram would have had the satisfaction of saying something rude to Reddington as his final words. By and large, those who steal from Red are just killed outright. Being given an opportunity to pay back the interest on what he stole is rare mercy indeed and Aram seems to appreciate it as such.

I totally expected Red to push Aram out of the plane, which I suppose was flying in a big circle over the Atlantic.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

5 hours ago, dwmarch said:

In that case, Aram would have had the satisfaction of saying something rude to Reddington as his final words. By and large, those who steal from Red are just killed outright. Being given an opportunity to pay back the interest on what he stole is rare mercy indeed and Aram seems to appreciate it as such.

I completely agree, but it does make 2 recent episodes in which Red did not kill people who stole from him: Robert Vesco and Aram. One might think he was getting soft had he not suffocated Eli in the episode that came between.

Mossad can hope that when Samar starts mumbling state secrets as her condition worsens, she'll be doing it in Farsi, far from anyone who might understand her.

[paigow]

48 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Mossad can hope that when Samar starts mumbling state secrets as her condition worsens, she'll be doing it in Farsi, far from anyone who might understand her.

It might actually be a good way to spread misinformation to enemies...all the access codes would be jumbled, dates and locations would be switched, etc....

[Dowel Jones]

Reddington to Cooper:  "Sit down, relax, have a drink, read some Calvin and Hobbes... "  Heh.  How appropriate.

Ressler can't even chase someone in a car.  He should have jumped out, gone to the truck driver in front, yanked the door open, put a bullet through the cab roof, and ordered him to move the truck, like, now.

I'm guessing the CPA had a lot more to fear than getting fired by his boss.  That's why he caved.  As Liz said, every one of them is now under suspicion of first degree murder.

That was some mighty shoddy construction on that building.

17 hours ago, paigow said:

[Interior: Mossad surveillance room] 

Camera pans back to show the face of Harold Finch...

I don't even want to think of what a night of whiny, lost love conversation between Aram and Liz would be like, even with alcohol. "I lost the love of my life."  "I'll see your love of your life and raise you a husband, two dogs, and a kid."

It seems to me that the entire scheme of getting the PD chief to clean up the former cartel in favor of Ms Olsen's is doomed to failure.  It wouldn't take any time at all for one of the cartel bosses to rat him out, and then either he cops a plea to both setups, or he's killed straightaway.  In either case, the supply chain is broken.

[edhopper]

So super FBI tech wizard Aram can't scan his apartment for bugs?

[ottoDbusdriver]

23 minutes ago, edhopper said:

So super FBI tech wizard Aram can't scan his apartment for bugs?

And who was watching him via the camera in the clock ?  Aram's old girlfriend (who was also a hacker type) ? Reddington's team ?  Mossad ?  Lizzie ?  The dogs ? 

I guess that means that Aram can't ever AirBNB his apartment. </sarcasm>

[saber5055]

15 hours ago, dwmarch said:

In that case, Aram would have had the satisfaction of saying something rude to Reddington as his final words. By and large, those who steal from Red are just killed outright. Being given an opportunity to pay back the interest on what he stole is rare mercy indeed and Aram seems to appreciate it as such. 

I completely agree with @torqy that Red could have asked Aram if he'd ever visited Scotland, then shown him the door. I wouldn't be lipping off to Red while a passenger in his jet. Or any time, really. Red would tell me some entertaining story, offer me a drink, then shoot me point blank. Dead people don't get to enjoy their last words.

7 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

Ressler can't even chase someone in a car.  He should have jumped out, gone to the truck driver in front, yanked the door open, put a bullet through the cab roof, and ordered him to move the truck, like, now. 

I KNOW! WTH was that. The truck pulls behind him and he sits there, all, "Well, I guess we're done." Geesh. Even Lizzie didn't do her "FBI! MOVE IT!"

7 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

Camera pans back to show the face of Harold Finch...

That would have been AWESOME. If only.

On 4/6/2019 at 6:12 AM, ottoDbusdriver said:

Olivia Olson's truck had the smoothest ride in the history of panel vans.  The one thing I didn't see on that van were antennas for broadcasting, and you would think that Olivia Olsen could spring for some tinted windows so people like Lizzie couldn't ID her driver.

Hey, it was a Mercedes. I'm guessing the antenna on the top center front of the roof was the "broadcasting" antenna. Except it's the radio antenna and is on all Sprint vans. Interestingly, I drive a high-top black Transit with tinted windows, it's a twin for Olivia's Sprint in every way (even the antenna placement) except it's smaller ... and has a Ford emblem on the nose, not a Mercedes. Olivia could have hired me to run decoy.

[Dowel Jones]

2 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

I guess that means that Aram can't ever AirBNB his apartment. </sarcasm>

Unless he moves to Ireland, apparently.

[paigow]

12 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

Ressler can't even chase someone in a car.  He should have jumped out, gone to the truck driver in front, yanked the door open, put a bullet through the cab roof, and ordered him to move the truck, like, now.

There was supposed to be a TAC team "within the perimeter".... They must have got lost....