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The Blacklist: The Chairman (No. 171) (2022)
The past is in the past
I liked this episode a lot because it gently closed Liz's story, leaving no room for doubt that she's dead. They said their last goodbye, they gave her the "funeral" which they rightly didn't show us in the first episodes because it would have been a deja-vu.
They also permanently erased the theories that for years supported the fact that Red could be Liz's lover and/or Agnes's father.
Now there is no doubt that grandfather/grandmother, this is the relationship he has with Agnes.
Anyone who has followed the series knows what it means.
So, now that the past is in the past, the mysteries they will deal with in the next episodes are, in my opinion, very interesting and I can't wait to find out more.
I figured the season wouldn't really start until March, because from now on they won't have any more interruptions.
The Blacklist: The Avenging Angel (No. 49) (2021)
Don't mess with Italian women... ;)
I liked everything: the direction of Andrew McCarthy, the relationship between the sisters and Red, the problems between Red and Dembe, Red who (compatibly with his age) is back to being a badass and also dispenses words of wisdom which I share, Cooper who will have his own intriguing story arc, Park helping Ressler with a plot twist, the choice of Annabella Sciorra as a villain and Laura Esterman as a black metal singer!
I had a lot of fun and that's all I ask of a show like The Blacklist.
The Blacklist: The Skinner (No. 45): Conclusion (2021)
The Skinner: Fan Service
The only ones who can do harm now are the writers.
The basics are there, perhaps not very courageous (I would have dismantled the Post Office and kept the Blacklist described in Nachalo, with the 17 technological offices around the world) but finally all the characters have space and importance, Red is no longer the sick grandpa of the past two seasons and everything portends action, fun and introspection on the private life of each of them.
This episode screams "fan service" in every scene but that's exactly what the viewers want, including the irony.
Megan Boone wanted to leave and will discover, as happens to everyone in life sooner and later, that she is not indispensable.
The Blacklist had been spinning on itself for a couple of seasons due to its own mythology, now it can finally explore all those aspects that already made us love it (the blacklisters, the task force, the intrigues, the mysterious and fascinating Red's life) but which were becoming less important because they needed to make room for Liz's life too.
It is too early to claim victory but the path is right.
The Blacklist: The Skinner (No. 45) (2021)
"The Skinner" is "What If ...?" by The Blacklist
This is clearly a reboot, although it has its roots deep in the eighth season and in this episode there are still references to Liz. It is likely that as the weeks go by, only Agnes will remain to act as a bridge with the past.
And after 8 years it's definitely a lot of fun to be able to review The Blacklist without having to refer to the old mythology, who Red is or what trouble Liz is up to.
The character who has undergone the most changes, not necessarily for the worse, is definitely Dembe. Expect some surprises from him, I doubt he'll still be Red's loyal sidekick. If they wanted to give Hisham Tawfiq more space, they had to come up with something. The role of the silent sidekick, after 8 years, had given everything it could give. Now the task passes to Diany Rodriguez.
The other characters, all things considered, remained quite faithful to how we would have imagined them in that situation. Especially in the case of Alina Park, they have also matured, as it should be to give them more serious and complex roles.
Red? Well, he's a work in progress... they had to show him weird somehow, because of the grief, the guilt and so on. I really prefered his griefing opium version than this spiritual one but I hope things will change soon for him. Monks, witches, Santeria? Nah... that's not Red nor James Spader. He knows how superstions and religions can be bad and the show was not kind about those topics in the past. He's perhaps the most subdued character in the episode but as he should be. We will watch him evolve in the next ep and return to himself (or a new version of himself) from the third ep onwards.
The hype was a lot but it will take a little patience for the machine to come back at full speed. If this is a first taste of what we will watch, we have a lot of fun weeks ahead of us.
Provided, of course, that you don't want to live in the past (we know who Red is, stop pretending you don't understand) and don't expect that after 8 years The Blacklist suddenly becomes realistic. It always has been a graphic novel, with sci-fi gimmicks at times, if you spend time wondering how Dembe became an FBI agent, The Blacklist is not for you and you probably never really understood it.
The Blacklist: Konets (2021)
I am very disappointed, not by the writers but by the fanbase.
I am very disappointed, not by the writers but by the fanbase.
People who prided themselves on discovering clues even in the flowerpots' shadows, once they get to the grand finale, they can't figure it out just because Red didn't have a neon sign erected in the middle of Central Park saying: "I'm Katarina!"
You don't like that Red is Katarina, that's okay, it's your choice.
You don't want to understand or accept it, well, that's your problem, not the writers or the viewers who have quietly understood the final scene and are now confidently waiting for the ninth season.
The episode is funny, sweet, sad and dramatic as it should be the farewell to the co-star and the creator of the show.
You don't like it, that's fine. I am 50 years old and have hardly ever seen a fan happy with how their favorite series turned out. Let alone one as brave as The Blacklist.
To me, just the fact that it has tickled the nerves of so many people makes it a successful ending! XD
Let be crystal clear. Not supporting the Rederina theory doesn't mean you're homophobic, but threatening to not watch the show just for that reason ... it really sounds like it.
The Blacklist: Nachalo (2021)
"Where are we? A nest in Latvia?! Even for you that's a bit dramatic."
The news of the farewell of Megan Boone, by mutual agreement before the renewal of the ninth season, finally explains many things!
At times the writers seemed crazy, instead they were trying to steer the series towards an ending that would tell everything and get Liz out of the picture.
For so many episodes I wondered why they made us hate her so much, now it's obvious, it's easier to say goodbye to a character you hate than to one you love.
Nachalo is a historical episode for those who are passionate about the show. The definitive answer on who is Red is still missing but now everything is quite clear. I guess we'll find out more in the season finale.
Personally, I'm happy with Megan Boone's departure. I think showrunners and writers now have a unique opportunity to change the format of the show, to be free to do whatever they want. Without a central and bulky character like Liz, they can indulge themselves and leave room not only for Red but also for the other characters, who unjustly had to remain in the rear.
In the ninth season I expect more space for Aram, Cooper, Dembe and maybe to see them interact with new characters like Paula, Ivan, Priya, etc.
I hope for the actors and viewers that the writers will enjoy being crazy, funny and unpredictable next year.
They are lucky enough to write for very good actors, able to make anything credible. I am optimistic that without the presence of dissatisfied and temperamental actors, the environment will benefit and the results will be seen on the screen.
The Blacklist: The Protean (No. 36) (2021)
"Loyalty to individuals. Relationships. That's what makes the world go 'round."
I do not understand the criticisms of this episode which in my opinion is one of the best ever, certainly one of the best of this season along with "The Wellstone Agency" and "Anne".
Some apparently did not realize that the hitman's purpose was not to kill Keen but to bring her alive to Townsend. It wasn't a mistake to shoot Jennifer and not her, it was intended. It was enough for him to have the license plate of the car used by Keen.
However wonderful episode for many reasons. Red playing with the parakeet and threatening to put it in the microwave was very funny. The whole bingo scene alone is worth an Emmy to Spader, who doesn't miss a beat this year. James Spader is a monster this season! He goes from comic to dramatic, from sensual to goofy in the blink of an eye.
And Liz's story as a villain finally comes to an end. The theme of the episode is trust and loyalty towards individuals. Liz did not have them towards those who love and protect her like Ressler, Cooper, Aram, Red and Dembe, and she rightly paid the consequences. All her plans have failed and all the thieves and mercenaries she surrounded herself with are dead. By allying with Townsend she left behind a long trail of death, even of innocent people, and she did not achieve her goal of uncovering the truth about her mother.
Elizabeth Keen is nearly 40 and has a daughter, it's time for her to take responsibility like all grown-ups do.
Some quotes I liked:
Red: "And it doesn't bother you? Helping me find some criminal? Not knowing what might happen to him if I do?"
Paula: "I think you're a good egg. A bit poached for my taste, but you want to do what's right, and I am tickled to carry on the family tradition of helping you get it done."
---
Red: "The moral of poor Mr. Spencer's tale of woe is that you should never worry about betraying your workplace, because, given the chance, your workplace will definitely betray you.
Loyalty to individuals.
Relationships.
That's what makes the world go 'round. "
---
The Protean: "Were they really friends?"
Great, GREAT episode!
The Blacklist: Ivan Stepanov (No. 5) (2021)
It bodes well for the season finale
Random thoughts after episode 8.17:
1- Aram is the only one in the TF who understand the situation. He said exactly what some of us have been writing for weeks. Do they seriously think that a person who allowed them to stop 150 criminals (on American soil and/or potential threats to the United States) could be a traitor to the US?! Even if he was trafficking Russian intels, who cares?
2- Park got a well deserved earful but it was also destined to Cooper and Ressler. Sorry to say this but the TF, apart from Aram, is made up of incompetent people at all levels.
3- Elizabeth is clearly wrong, she was wrong to judge the situation from the beginning. We'll see what she does from now on but it goes without saying that in this season she has only done damage.
4- Priya Laghari is a fantastic character, congratulations to Rana Roy. She has a remarkable charisma and stage presence.
5- If Townsend repeats one more time that his wife and children have been killed, I enter the monitor to silence him forever because I can't take it anymore. We are neither fools nor deaf.
6- More than answers we got new questions but I would say that we fans tend to complicate the plot even more than it actually is.
7- With episodes like these the writers try to keep alive all the theories dear to the fans (Redarina, Daddygate, Lizzington). I really hope this season ends with some answers because I'm really tired of all these misleading clues.
8- Given how the season was handled, I no longer believe that Boone was missing for plot reasons. I believe the whole story about Anne was added later, probably as a filler. Characters act as if 8.13 and 8.14 never existed. The madness that seemed to pervade Liz has disappeared as it arrived, no one refers to the bloody events that took place in Kansas, Red has quietly overcome the death of his beloved and treats Liz as he would have done before 8.13.
It makes me smile to imagine that the showrunners didn't foresee the success of the story with Anne. That a subplot would have led to one of the best episodes of the whole series.
Having said all this, 8.17 is a good episode, finally it is collective, there is action, pieces are added to the mythology and there are some outspoken dialogues. I can't wait for Liz to get her personal earful but there is still time (and she has time to do more damage).
The Blacklist: The Russian Knot (2021)
A fun filler episode but at the wrong time
Here on IMDb there is a user who signs as MidnightWanderer21 who has already written what I think too.
I add that the whole episode sees the characters acting as if Misère never happened.
Townsend puts an entire town on fire but nobody talks about it, apparently he just got away with it.
Liz shows no remorse for Anne's death. Having heard the audition leaks weeks ago, I had hoped she was the one to give something to Anne's daughter but evidently her character is now one dimensional evil.
Even Red, aside from having teary eyes a few times, seems to have quickly shelved Anne by giving her daughter $ 3 million.
Same thing for Dembe, who doesn't even care about having a daughter who cheats on him.
In the task force the only one with a bit of salt in her pumpkin is Park but no one listens to her because she is the newcomer. Ressler thinks with the second brain, Aram would hug everyone.
The episode is saved thanks to Paula and the fact that this was a humorous filler episode.
The Blacklist: Misère (2021)
Total lack of empathy with the audience
I consider this episode the worst of the series and I'm sad to write this because I always defended and supported the writers and producers, even in the face of courageous and unusual choices like "The Kazanjian Brothers". But mistakes happen, I guess.
The main problem with "Misère" is not that it's a recap episode, the real issues are that it sacrifices the characters' credibility treating viewers as naive and the total lack of empathy with the audience by killing Anne, who was a new character but already loved by the fans. Plus in a season where viewers (and the show itself) already cried for Dom and Glen (and their actors).
We knew what Liz had done to meet Townsend and work with him.
It was already clear that Liz had lost her mind too, the curiosity was to what extent. Now we know that she's in total nervous breakdown, her bad conscience speaks to her with the features of Mr. Kaplan, she acts in the grip of a desire for knowledge and revenge that cannot coexist.
In Misère they made us realize that everything she has done since Katarina's death was not the plan of a criminal mastermind but the obsessive pursuit of revenge of a weak and delusional woman who needs medical care.
Because of her quest, innocent people died.
That's all she achieved by setting in motion a plan worthy of Wile E. Coyote, while she could have paid a sniper or shot Red by herself to get it over with, without endangering anyone else.
The Blacklist is a lot of things but so far it has never been cheap.
Anne's death was cheap.*
We all saw it coming but we didn't have the courage to admit that they would make Liz's character stoop so low.
It is not clear why the writers need us to hate Liz SO much.
I'm sorry for Megan Boone because for many viewers her character has now hit rock bottom, even for those who defended her throughout the seasons. Sure the writers will try hard to rehabilitate her (nervous breakdown, mental manipulation) but there's a limit to everything. Liz, from the sixth season onwards, was already on the Blacklist of many viewers, now she has gone too far.
After this episode, Liz has entered the Olympus of the most hated female characters, right next Skyler White from Breaking Bad. XD
*Maybe she isn't dead but auditions' leaks lead to say otherwise.
The Blacklist: Elizabeth Keen (No. 1) (2021)
Worst kind of "fans"
The problems of this episode are not the writers, the real problems are about fifty whining viewers. Average age (probably) 40, mental age 12.
Is it the best episode of the series? No. Is it the worst? Neither.
It is an introductory episode to what will be the main theme of this season, Liz vs. Red. A theme that they had widely anticipated in recent seasons.
You don't like it, change the channel, but these kinds of smear campaigns are the worst disrespect one can think of.
The Blacklist, its cast & crew (including James Spader) don't deserve these kind of "fans".