A Review of 'The Blacklist' 4x08

After last Thursday's fall finale of The Blacklist, ideas have been running wild through the internet.  Let's get down to the basics of what happened before we dive into the ideas that I had as I watched, which I have had throughout the series.  We had another situation where Alexander Kirk took Elizabeth and once again Red had to save her.  The situation was more dire this time around because Kirk learned in episode 7 that she is not his daughter.  After some normal Blacklist events, Red trades himself for Elizabeth and undergoes terrible torture which James Spader brought to life heartbreakingly beautiful.  This was almost too much to bare as a viewer.  But, during this torture scene Red finally said the magic words, "Yes, Elizabeth is my daughter."

Not only did we get a reveal from Reddington, himself but he also told Alexander Kirk something that saved his life.  So, Red had a very busy episode but so did Liz, who was finally happy at the end...for now.  And we got an update on Mr. Kaplan and her captor.  So, the woodsman decided to let her go and she revealed information about Reddington to the man.  

So, now it's time for some ideas that I had after watching the episode.  First of all, how did that man who saved Kaplan get on Red's property and does he work for Red?  Was that all a test for Mr. Kaplan?  If so, she may have failed because she gave up Reddington's name and some important information and if not then we don't know what's in store for her next.  Who picked her up in the truck?  Was it Dembe?  How could he know she would be walking down the road?  And lastly, Kaplan is a huge threat to Reddington if she decides to turn on him so let's hope that she helps him from the shadows.

Now, to the most important question from the fall finale of The Blacklist, was Red telling the truth when he said Elizabeth was his daughter and if he was how can he claim he has never lied to Liz? The writer of this episode, Daniel Cerone, tweeted on both questions.  Take a look:

So, how can both of these statements be true?  Well, some on the internet have gone to a theory that Red is Katarina but I think it's so much simpler than that.  The question Liz asked Red in the fall finale of season 1 was, "Are you my father?"  He hesitated before answering, no.  The hesitation was him processing how to answer without lying to her.  I believe two things about Red:  1, He believes the father is the person that raised a child and his mind that man is Sam for Liz and 2, I truly believe that a version of him died the night of the fire and he no longer thinks of himself in that way.  So, Red saying no to Liz was not a lie but a twist on words which Reddington frequently does anyway.  I 100% believe Red is her biological father but I don't think for one moment that is why he tracked her down and gave himself up.  There's more to their story and we won't know that until the very end.  

Also, a co-worker and I mused today that Liz could have all Katarina's secrets locked inside of her ready for a certain trigger to awaken the spy within and that might be why Reddington erased her memories and is so desperate to protect her from her past.  

And finally, what did Reddington whisper to Kirk?  It could be one of two things in my view.  I think he either told Kirk that Katarina is alive or he told him the real reason he surrendered himself to the FBI to work with Liz.  Only time will tell what he actually revealed, though.  

I, for one, am very happy with the closure the fall finale gave me.  I don't need Liz to know but I needed to know.  Now, that that mystery is solved, I can move on and get excited about what the

writer's have in store for us next.  What do you guys think?  Is finding Katarina our next mystery? 

Or, are we going to go back to hunting a weekly Blacklister?  PS:  What is Red doing with the Cabal? I guess I need that answered too.

Until January 5th....

#amwriting 'Blacklist' Fanfiction

Almost three years ago, I started a simple fanfiction to follow along with season 2 of The Blacklist and I never dreamed that I'd be in part three of that story now, following along with the 4th season.  I had not expected the positive response I got regarding my story which is Reddington/OC centric but I have loved it so very much.  My readers convinced me to write a prequel as well, which I did and it did make the story flow more smoothly.  The point of this blog is just to say that this show is the first show and only show which I have been able to write weekly and work my character into so easily.  The show has allowed me the ability to work each week without too much hardship regarding my character and how she fits into the timeline.  I hope that she never feels forced.  Anyway, this is really just a nice post for me to ramble about how much I've enjoyed and been shocked by my writing in The Blacklist verse.

If you're curious...feel free to read all my many pieces that follow the story of Raymond Reddington and Haylie Storm...

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11608650/1/Work-Ethic-Beginnings
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10711048/1/Work-Ethic
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11538712/1/Work-Ethic-Part-II
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12166839/1/Work-Ethic-Part-III

The Blacklist: A Darker Shade of Red

Since The Blacklist has returned for its 4th season, we have seen a broken group of characters.  Red has been deeply hurt by the actions of his closest advisor Mr. Kaplan and Elizabeth, faking her death to get away from his hold on her life.  Elizabeth thought she was getting away with her husband and baby and out of Red's grasp but instead got pulled into captivity by her 'father', Alexander Kirk.  Elizabeth's team at the FBI has been extremely hurt by her 'death' and 'life' and are being forced to help find her.  Some of the team can't put their emotions on the matter aside but are being forced to anyway.  The team works with Red and there is no choice.  Mr. Kaplan did what she thought was right in helping Elizabeth get away from Red but inadvertently threw Liz into danger.  Red has dedicated the first two episodes of this new season to find Liz and Liz's baby, Agnes.  We are seeing Red in a darker shade than previous seasons where he only hurts the bad guys because now he is acting out what he has said all along.  This week's episode ended with Red finally making a choice on what to do with Mr. Kaplan and that was her death.

Red, with the help of the FBI, found Elizabeth at the end of the episode though her 'father' escaped.  We finally saw a glimpse of his pain because when they brought Elizabeth back, he chose not to speak with her but just to see that she had arrived and then drive away.  They still haven't found the baby but now, the team is unified to help.  Red, then, took Mr. Kaplan to a beautiful piece of property to give her his decision on her betrayal.  He told her it  the land is her's for eternity and he shot her then walked away leaving her for dead.  We are seeing the Red that he has always claimed to be.  He has always said that he values loyalty above all else and even though, Mr. Kaplan believes she did what she did in his best interest, it's still betrayal in his eyes.  This season will be tense as all the characters find a way to regain trust for one another while still doing the main job they have on this show, which is to catch the bad guys given to them by Raymond Reddington.



http://www.ew.com/recap/the-blacklist-season-4-episode-2