User Reviews

Perhaps I'm jaded, but I wasn't blown away by this installment. It wasn't bad, but it's another one that was missing a touch of oomph or chutzpah. The scene of the security box(?) being airlifted out of the taskforce HQ felt like something meant for a Bond movie, or a cartoon. Perhaps from setting that wasn't the FBI building, it wouldn't have felt too over the top. The appearance of Teddy and his wife Edna was delightful. The actors did great with the material. Townsend is still a hollow villain filled with a dull bark but over exaggerated and unconvincing bite. I don't think it's the writing so much as it is this actor wasn't right for the part, but I'll be glad when the show is finally rid of him.

Elizabeth forever seems oblivious about the gravity of her situation. Red clearly means her no harm. She killed Anne right in front of him and he never so much as mentioned it to her. Townsend is supposedly the most dangerous person ever. He had Liz's group of "super friends" killed, but she is so sold on the breadcrumbs of vague information from the woman who claimed to be Katarina, that she opts to reach out and offer Townsend her help AGAIN rather than cooperate with Red. Red who wants to protect her. Red who wants to tell her everything. At the very least, anyone else on earth would be curious enough to stop sabotaging the man long enough to hear him out. Not Elizabeth, nope. I'm not angry that she opposes dealing with Red. I wasn't nearly this irritated with Liz when she got Red imprisoned and put on death row. It's the way she has been written for the better part of two seasons adding to my argument that she's more of a plot device than a character. Are women THAT hard to write? I could give the showrunners several strong, complex, conflicted fictional females to study spanning many genres of television. For all the flaws, BTVS got so much right in regards to our vampire slaying heroine, while The Blacklist's Liz has become a study of what NOT to do.

Back to the show, Red has decided to tell Elizabeth everything. While I strongly detest Liz's actions this season, I do feel Red let things go too far from his end. We can blame the writers or network or studio for this. The powers that be really hate giving out answers while the show still has a big audience, and instead likes to shed half the audience and force some shark jumping before spilling the beans. Season 3: Red could have told Liz the truth while she was pregnant, this may have helped her understand Red's role in her life and decide how to proceed for the sake of her and her child. Season 4: Red could have told her after the drawn out kidnapping of Agnes, so she could know what potential dangers truly lurk and perhaps she'd make future decisions accordingly, same for after the Kaplan ordeal and the DNA test that said he was her father. Season 5: Red could have told Liz after Tom died in an effort to build trust as they teamed up to track down Ian Garvey. Season 7: He could have told her once the woman claiming to be Katarina made herself known. That's just ideas off the top of my head.

There were ample logical opportunities, none which would have felt forced or "too early" for Reddington to tell Liz something. Not necessarily everything, but anything meaningful enough to assure her he has always had her best interests at heart, that he truly means it when he says the last few decades of his life has been about protecting her. But no, a whole lot of people had to die before Red decided too much had happened and the truth must come out. I highly doubt the truth will make us say "Gee, golly Red! It was so worthwhile to keep quiet about that! I also totally forgive Liz's descent into ungodly stupidity!" especially after the incredible damage done to Liz's character this season, even more so if it's all been in an effort to protect her from some horrible truth about herself. If we're supposed to view Liz as an emotionally stunted, unsympathetic and shallow nutjob, then I will have to re-evaluate this season and give them a standing ovation. Unfortunately think we're still supposed to root for Liz and for plenty of us they've done too much damage to make that a possibility.

Solving a mystery, or even solving only half of it does not mean the show is over. It means you have opened up a door for more story opportunities, but you have to be creative about it. Perhaps I have an over active imagination. Regardless, that doesn't seem like too daunting a task for people being paid to tell stories for a living. At this rate the answers are almost certain to feel underwhelming or absolutely ridiculous. Red tells Liz, and essentially the viewer "Forget everything you thought you knew." It's equal parts horrifying and exciting, but with the uneven way this season has gone, I'm far more concerned than excited. Will the answers restore my faith that they've always known what they're doing? Will they leave me scratching my head and wondering how anyone could think this is a feasible and worthy explanation? Or will we get partial answers and before the most important things are revealed, Townsend interrupts and ruins everything with his over dramatic and campy presence? I'll find out Wednesday, June 16th at 10pm. Until then, I'll be wondering why someone with Reddington's resources and dislike for loose ends would allow the big bad Townsend to live all these years when he posed such a massive threat. See how dumb everything has to be for this plot?

While most of the episode was even more Liz being stupid AGAIN, the last part made up for it as it was spectacular. Even after everything Liz has done to Red, he is still unwavering in his quest to protect and watch over her. The scar, the Baltic Sea, the bunker, the actual Blacklist. Red finally coming out with some real information and background. Now Liz better shut up and listen and hopefully understand.

This show was a fantastic show. I absolutely love all the other characters. Recently the shows writing has gone mad. James Spader is a power house.

It's time maybe that this show ends. We all know that poor Red will die in the end and stupid Elizabeth will live on eventually regretting what a nightmare she has been to him.

The stupidy of Keene has reached its limit this time.

Ok, Red should've told her the truth long ago so she would understand why he does everything like that but no, he had to keep the mystery.. ok But Keene is becoming more and more anoying.. stil the rage over someone she barely even knew and had no actual time of proper bonding.. a woman who claimed to be her mother.. oh come on.. and even tho she cried about the friends Townsend killed.. she runs straight back to him asking for help.. that's over the top Hopefully, we'll get some real answers but I'm not really expecting that much.

I think Neville will go after Raymond because of the microchip.

For me, there are only two types of character hate:

• the "king jofrey" hate, which implies impeccable acting which naturally induces emotions;
• and the "elizabeth keen" hate, which implies gut wrenching cringe moments induced by scenes like: Red: what did you do?

Keen (with mentally slow puppy eyes looking around the cell): Nothing, why, did something happened?

God, this is getting hard to watch...

I don't even know where to begin.

-Cooper yet again proves he has no business being an FBI agent, let alone the assistant director, because he's completely incompetent. "Liz wants to do the right thing!" Except... she literally has not given that impression a single time. She only went to turn herself in because she wanted to be kept safe.

-Liz has the audacity to say she "doesn't regret what she's done"... really? Not even all the innocent people you got killed? And then her reasoning. "Anyone who went through what I did would have done the same... or worse." EYE ROLL. Everything you went through was by your OWN doing. If you would've listened to Red and stopped meddling in things you didn't understand, none of this would have happened.

-NO ONE saw Liz grab that knife? Really? Two of Red's guys were standing right there!

-how did Liz know how to explain how to get that tracker out? And Red didn't think to check Liz for the tracker after Godwin escaped?

-Liz goes running back to a man who murdered her friends and her sister, and wants to murder her, because "Reddington won't tell me what I want to know! Waaaah!" Forget the fact that he's saved your stupid life countless times, and even let you live and CONTINUES TO TRY TO PROTECT YOU after you killed the woman he loved right in front of his eyes.

-Red seriously just let Elizabeth call someone privately? Why do the writers insist on making Red into an idiot whenever she's around? Oh right, because that's literally the only way to make her look even the slightest bit intelligent.

I'm so sick of this storyline. I'm sick of Keen's terrible, self-righteous, moronic, and completely unbelievable character; the FBI's unrelenting stupidity; and the lack of any real answers still. But I gave two stars because the last few minutes was at least intriguing, and we do know for sure Red is N13 now.

I guess we'll have to wait to see what happens in order to establish the success of this episode. It starts with Elizabeth being taken into custody when she contacts the Task Force. She is put in one of those cages that we've seen so many times. Apparently, people sit there with nothing to do forever. Eventually, she is going to be tried but Reddington springs her and off they go to Latvia. So now it's time to tell the old girl the truth. Of course, she never listens and begins her stupid accusations again. If conclusion jumping were an Olympic Sport she could hang on to the gold medal for decades. So, as I said, they need to explain to me what Red's plans are. And, of course, the bad boys are just a few jet miles away.

This episode begins with Red, Dembe and Liz, they got surrounded by Townsend and his guards. Red, Liz and Dembe escaped, but Liz betrays Red to get away. Liz surrenders herself, Harold puts her into the box. Liz got ubducted by Red his helpers, they dragged the entire box out of the Task Force hideout. Red locked up Liz. Ressler has blood poisoning. Godwin pulled the chip out of his neck, he gave it to Liz. Godwin escaped, Liz helped him. Harold is furious on Red because he attacked the Task Force hideout. The Taskforce arrested Godwin. Red and Liz fly together, they arrived in Latvia. Red tells to Liz that he is N-13. Red tells that this mansion is The Blacklist. Amazing Episode of The Blacklist Season 8, what a good ending. Really nice to see that Liz and Red have been reunited, excited for what will happen next!

Episode 20: Aside some circus events in the middle, a good and interesting episode, again revolving around Red and Keen (unfortunately), but! With big reveals and "sceneries" by the end.

Accounting her bewildered face, something big's coming next.

What on earth has happened to these writers? They seem to have lost all sense of logic with the character of Keene.

End of last episode: The mafioso is determined to hand Keene over to Townsend. Keene knows this means death. Reddington shoots him and saves her. Although she knows Townsend is on his way, and will kill her, and she was previously desperate to escape before he arrived, she now chooses to wait and have a long chat with Reddington instead.

This episode: Thanks to her delaying their escape, Townsend has arrived. While Reddington looks for a way to eescape, she complains that the mafioso, who was clearly not going to help them, can't help them now because Reddington shot him. (Is your brain aching yet?)

Reddington helps them escape, only for Keen to try to get Reddington arrested.

Then, when she knows Townsend is hunting for her and seems able to track down anyone, she chooses to go off on her own, mainly in the open air on busy streets.

She summons her ice-cream-brained boss Cooper, and, even though she must know she's putting him in danger, too, she chooses to have a long chat with him standing around in a car park, which is open for access from every direction.

Back in custody, her equally dim-witted colleague, in a weird Kirk-Spock style chat through a perspex screen, says she is good/bad/old/new/right/wrong, and makes no sense at all. Judging from his expression, he's eaten something that has given him tummy ache. She, on the other hand, insists she regrets nothing, having caused multiple deaths, blundered into multiple matters she doesn't understand, and has randomly claimed the high ground and the low ground ethically to the point of breaking all moral compasses.

Cooper insists Keen should be saved because she was good before she was evil. (Are you taking notes, lawyers?).

Keen is then spirited away even though Cooper runs towards her with a hankie over his nose. These must be ruthless people.

When she discovers she has not been taken by Townsend, who would definitely kill her, but rather by Reddington, who definitely won't, she is clearly appalled and wants him dead - and she wants to escape so that, presumably, Townsend can have a better chance of killing her. Ingeniously, she first helps Townsend's assistent to escape so that Townsend will have an even better chance of killing her. (People have been wrapped up in tight white jackets for less than this but still we're supposed to be rooting for this risible buffoon.)

Then Reddington gets infected with her stupid gene, allowing her to have a private natter on her phone to, you know, anyone. Then he ignores calls from people who, you know, might have crucial info for him.

Then Cooper, who is stupid anyway, is also infected with the stupid gene, making him stupid twice over, and thus incredulous when his own bosses suggest Keene is a bit, you know, irresponsible.

Then Keene, who has previously been so enraged with the desire to kill Reddington without hesitation, suddenly just listens to him.

Take a bow, writers. How you've managed to get people to actually pay for this stunningly awful gibberish is one of the great mysteries of our time. Much more mysterious than The Blacklist.