by Lee Padrick, December 3, 2013
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.
by Lee Padrick, November 8, 2013
The Blacklist S1E7
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
The beauty of The Blacklist is that it is a satire of other popular TV dramas.
As Andy Greenwald describes it, television is cannibalizing itself. In this new era of Walking Dead Miami and Better Call Saul, The Blacklist stands out as a big-budget over-the-top hour of wickedly nonsensical badassery, driven by the riveting performance of James Spader as Raymond Reddington. As I have mentioned previously, the best way to view the show is to suspend logic until after the credits roll.
by Lee Padrick, October 23, 2013
The Blacklist - S1E5
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
Ford F-150 versus Jeep Cherokee!
The strength of The Blacklist is size of the budget. Every week, the show continues to up the ante on its action scenes.
There is a new unknown international badass ghost that is known as the Courier. The Courier specializes in moving things, often across international borders, for his clients. His service is expensive, and if the buyer or seller does anything untoward, he executes them both. And, he happens to be on Reddington's (James Spader) blacklist.
by Lee Padrick, October 23, 2013
The Blacklist - S1E4
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
OK, by the fourth episode of a new network show, its fate has usually been sealed. Future episodes are ordered, or the ones already in the can will likely be burned off at 8 PM on fall Saturday nights.
The fourth episode of The Blacklist worked for me, as it moved back to the promise offered by the pilot. Not coincidentally, this episode (along with the pilot) was directed by Joe Carnahan, and it showed. Carnahan may not be able to do much about the writing, but he put the "creep" in "creepy" as our latest Villian of the Week was an odd bird indeed.
by Lee Padrick, October 22, 2013
The Blacklist - "Wuijing" S1E3
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
OK, James Spader is bringing a world class 'A' game to The Blacklist. Trouble is, the script cannot keep pace with Spader's acting chops.
At least in this third episode of the show, the FBI is no longer pretending to have Reddington in custody. So watching the first half of the episode was more enjoyable, considering I didn't have to keep wondering how he comes and goes from custody. You know, since he is a High Value Detainee and all.
