The Blacklist S1E10
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
Leg wounds are never as bad as they appear. At least on television.
This week's episode is the second part of "Anslo Garrick," and it also serves as the mid-season finale. All in all, an exciting hour of The Blacklist.
The gunshot that had the audience anxious for the past seven days? The one where we were left wondering if Dembe would see Red again in this life or the next? Turns out it was Aram (Amir Arison) making his bones. Yes, our favorite computer geek can add "gunfighter" to his LinkedIn account. Unfortunately, right after Aram shot a baddie that was threatening Lizzy, both he and Lizzy were captured.
Garrick, unable to get anyone to open Red's Rubik Cube, deduces that Lizzy is Red's greatest weakness. And he is right, because Red gets the code (ROMEO, really?) from the dying Ressler. But Red smartly leaves Ressler a gun, so that Ressler can pop up out of a near-death coma in time to shoot bad guys as Garrick and his minions make their escape.
Not one to be outwitted by FBI incompotence, Garrick has one of his folks remove the GPS tracking chip in Red's shoulder, as Lizzy is commandeering cars and chasing after the bad guys. After her escape from the getaway vehicle. Great chase scene, and lucky for Liz that she found a random driver who had Grand Theft Auto skills. But that dastardly Garrick gets away when the tracking chip is used to mislead the FBI. <twirl mustache here>
The mole-on-the-task-force storyline is advanced a little, as Lizzy discovers that produce-munching voyeurs are living across the street and watching her and her fourth-grade-teaching significant other. And Lizzy kills one of them, so apples everywhere will sleep better tonight. Then she hops into a car with Mr. Caplan, who is interestingly the local librarian (and a "she"). Or maybe she just looks like the local librarian. While Tom the Teacher (who never teaches, by the way) looks on through the window of his and Liz's home. Creepily, I might add, but maybe its just because I don't like Tom. Because of his secret box of passports, guns, and money and his involvement in past assassinations. Or the fact that he is married to a smoking hot rookie FBI profiler/hacker/budding badass and does not appreciate the work she does so that he can live in a free society and skip a lot of work. Where was I?
Ressler undergoes four hours of surgery on that horrible leg injury. But thanks to the miracles of modern medicine, he is awake and flirting with his ex-fiancee immediately after surgery. I was sure that leg would have to be amputated, after Reddington had to cauterize it and practice field medicine with stuff you find in a Rubik's Cube. But it appears that Ressler will be OK soon, and able to resume his duties of blowing himself up. I truly hope Ressler enjoys the next month or so, as The Blacklist is not slated to return until January 13th and Ressler could likely use some time to recuperate without being involved in a weekly explosion. This guy is a bomb bloodhound; if there is an explosion about to happen, he can always enure he is within the blast radius.
Apparently, there is a lot of abandoned warehouses available in the greater DC area, because guess where the #TwoHourBad takes Reddington? If you guessed "abandoned warehouse," keep reading. If you guessed something else, click here. Garrick has told us for the past hour and a half how he looks forward to torturing and killing Red for that little misunderstanding he had with Spader-ton. The misunderstanding that culminated in Red shooting Garrick in the face. But, (oh, those mischievous writers) turns out that Garrick is just hired help for Hawkeye Pierce (Alan Alda), who is using the alias Mr. Fitch. And "Mr. Fitch" only keeps Reddington alive because apparently Red has some kind of dead man's switch that Fitch and friends want to avoid. Our anti-hero thinks of everything.
The Concierge of Crime is crafty, as he effortlessly finds or steals scissors and field medicine supplies. After Fitch threatens Reddington, Garrick gets shanked by a scissors-wielding Red and the Concierge is on the lam again. And he has traded in his trademark fedora for a toboggan. But not before he calls Lizzy, so that she can ask him, "Are you my father?" To which Reddington replies "no." And why not believe him? Oh, that's right, he is a diabolical criminal mastermind.
A good action-packed mid-season finale that sets up the second half of the season nicely. I think The Blacklist is beginning to find its Voice. Sorry, I could not resist.
Random Thoughts:
- It could be my imagination, but Ressler seemed more intelligent this week. Maybe Red's blood did make him smarter?
- I am so happy that Dembe did not get killed. And I don't know why I'm happy that Dembe did not get killed.
- No Grey this week. But we were introduced to Mr. Caplan.
- I really enjoyed the past two episodes. This is the kind of fun I signed up for in the pilot. More "Anslo Garricks" and less "Gina Tacolokus" (or whatever her name was).
What did you think?
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