It feels like forever since we last saw The Blacklist. And in the interim, James Spader picked up a Golden Globe nomination for his role! This week, I will experience a technical difficulty about half way through. I was taping two things and watching other shows on DVR. When I finished my recaps the TV was on The Blacklist. I didn’t want to start in the middle so I turned the channel and the show stopped taping. So I manually restarted it. Hopefully, whatever I missed was not important.
We begin at a kid’s birthday party at some sort of Chucky Cheese like place. It all seems very deja vu, I think I recently watched a Law & Order rerun that started this way. It did not end well for one of the children. On this show, a mother just drank some punch a random dude thrust into her hands. I my opinion, she deserves what is coming. I mean who does that? Yep, She did not even make it out of the parking lot before she fell out and got abducted by a crazy man.
The crazy man looks at tons of X-rays of Karen, the Kool-Aid drinking mother before he begins to torture her. This show looks like it is going to be a gory one, like The Stew Maker. I hate when these shows get all gory. The crazy dude calls 911 from a pay phone when he is finished and says, “I’ve done it again.”
Liz and her husband are chatting in the kitchen. He is going to Nebraska for an interview. She doesn’t want to live in Nebraska. They need to talk about their relationship, but they are interrupted by a call from the FBI about the crazy guy. Liz goes to work.
Reddington has been missing since the incident with Alan Alda on the Anslo Garrick episode. We need to find him immediately because he is the entire reason people watch this show. The FBI is questioning Liz about his whereabouts, but she doesn’t know anything. The FBI also concerned about her husband being brought to the premises. They are also interrogating Agent Ressler and the hot middle eastern guy. They are looking for a mole.
The crazy guy is called the Good Samaritan because he never kills his victims. He just tortures them and then calls 911 so they have a chance of survival. Wait, that is what modern society thinks is a “good Samaritan” is these days? Wow. Karen did not make it.
Red is taking care of the body of his right hand woman, Dembe, who was shot in the last episode. It has been so long since we watched this show, it’s hard to remember what happened previously. Winter breaks suck. Later, Red interrogates a man about “the man with the apple” he leads Red to a female EMT at the hospital. It seems that everyone involved in the job was anonymous and did not know each other. The EMT is the one who removed the chip from Red during the Anslo Garrick investigation. Red also meets up with the doctor who gave Red the injections during his torture. Everyone was paid in small bills. Red kills them all.
Red calls Liz. He asks about the Good Samaritan. He wants to help. This case is important to Lizzie because one of his first victims died in her arms. Red says that torture is usually tailored to that specific person. He hangs up. Liz goes to review the injuries of all the victims. Liz discovers that the victims inflicted on the mother were the same injuries that the kid had. He was being abused. The Good Samaritan inflicted the same injuries on the mother as the child had received from his abuser.
Cooper tells Agent Meera Malik that she has been cleared. She immediately rats out Liz for not telling him about Red calling her.
Red strolls into a restaurant with a gun. He says, “Hello Theodore” and then starts shooting. He kills everyone but Theodore. Theodore is the one that paid the minions for their part in the hit on Red. He set everything up. Red wants to know who is behind the entire job and is torturing Theodore until he talks. Something tells me Theodore doesn’t have long to live. In a brilliant, gory, hysterical scene, Red kills poor Theodore and leaves to go after the banker that Theo just gave up.
Back at headquarters, Liz and Ressler are interviewing the abused son of the latest victim. The kid gives the I fell off my bike story. He says they were accidents, that is all I am supposed to say. Ressler asked who told him to say that. He says, “my mother.”
The Good Samaritan, or Sam as I will be calling him, is a nurse. It seems he chooses his victims from his clientele. When a patient is being abused, he tortures the abuser in the exact same way.
Reddington confronts “the banker” outside his home as he and his wife are headed out to dinner. Something tells me they are not going to make it to dinner. Red demands all of his wire transfer information by tomorrow. And the banker and his wife live to enjoy another dinner.
NO!!! They are going to pin the whole mole thing on Aram, the hot middle easterner? NO! The FBI goes to get him, but Red gets him first. Red tells Aram to steal five million dollars from an account and deposit it into Red’s account. Why is everyone being mean to Aram?
And of course, this is the scene that got lost in the DVR hookup. I am just going to assume Aram got the job done and nary a luscious black hair on his head was disturbed.
The good Samaritan whose name, at least in this group meeting, is Victor. He shares that he was abused by his mother. Oddly, he still lives with his mother who is in a wheelchair and apparently can’t speak. Victor is at the meeting scouting for new abusers to victimize.
Henry, the banker, walks in from work to find his wife and Red having drinks and chatting. Red whispers in his ear, “I know what you’ve done.” Henry tries not to pee his pants. He calls for help, apparently from the police. The wife asks Red if he prefers rice or noodles. He says, “Whatever is faster, I believe the police are on their way.” Will they survive to enjoy this dinner? Or was last night’s their last? Henry after some persuasion by Red gives him the name “Newton Phillips.” Red apologizes to the wife who he has shoved into a closet saying he must take a rain check on dinner. Red leaves, shockingly not killing Henry the banker.
Victor goes home and rolls the mother out to the torture chamber where he plans to torture the husband of one of his patients. He by detaching his retina.
Meanwhile, Liz and Ressler are on the heels of the Good Samaritan. How? Well you see the guy who runs the confidential group meetings told them that Victor was there and chatting with George. He also shares his abuse story with Liz, telling her that Victor was abused by his mother. So Liz immediately knows that Victor has George at his childhood home. Mind you none of the other tortures were at his childhood home, and Liz has been working this case for years. But now she knows exactly where Victor is, right there in DC, at his mommy’s house. See how that works? Yeah. Me neither. But just like that, Liz goes and shoots the Good Samaritan , Victor, or Carl, or whatever his name is this scene. And she goes to the hospital to threaten George, the abuser that if he ever puts his hands on his wife again, she will hunt him down and finish what the Good Samaritan started.
Oh thank goodness! Aram is alive, albeit not so well and back at the FBI with scary escorts. He gives Cooper a file from Red that identifies the mole as Newton Phillips.
The next scene shows Red somewhere that looks like Scotland releasing Dembe’s ashes into the water. He turns to his assistant, and calls him by name, “Newton”. Red says he should have come to him. Newton says that they threatened his family. He begs Red to make it look like an accident for his wife’s sake. Red suffocates him and pushes him off the rock,
Red shows up at Liz’s house to congratulate her on her case. Liz asks if that means he is back. He says, I don’t know. My house is clean, but yours is not. We all know he means Tom, but Liz doesn’t get it. Red says he has the next name for The Blacklist.
Ok in the scene you missed Aram did the deed for Red and that proved to Red it wasn’t Aram who was the mole because of how he transferred the money (it wasn’t how the mole did or the banker or the candlestick maker).
Now… how did you not post about Alan Alda in the last scene? This is what is confusing me. What’s his deal and why?
Lizzie’s husband was no way in Nebraska was he? WHAT HIS IS DEAL???
Alan Alda is supposed to make some sort of speech to a Senate sub committee about the security breach last week. If you are wondering why a bad guy is giving a briefing to a senate sub committee, I am right there with you. Sadly, it’s probably common IRL.
Tom was likely never in Nebraska. Red keeps trying to tell Liz he is a bad guy.
I like how not only do the bad guys all live in DC but Lizzie can get across town in minutes. Ive always had traffic when in or around there. Was a good episode Red kicked butt.
I still think that Indian gal is the mole.
me too! GNG!
Or… the head guy? I dunno this whole thing is a very good type of confusing though and that DAMN HUSBAND I almost thought it was him who showed up when Red was dumping the ashes. Like he was the banker.
I don’t think that. but I am concerned about the husband.
and btw keep posting Blacklist stuff will ya? It’s good to find a place to actually talk to people who watch! Gonna send the Twitter folk over too!
Thanks GNG.
Great reacap. I love this show.
Thanks lady magenta!
I still don’t get how he wasn’t nominated tonight for a SAG!
me neither!
I love reading the recaps, I need to rematch the episode, I find I always see/hear things I missed tge 1st time around.
Great recap. Alan Alda is “Reds ” boss, but that doesn’t mean he is a bad guy, at least to me. Guessing Alan Alda is Secretary of State or FBI chief or CIA top dog.
In real life our government uses independent contractors, isn’t that what Red would be IF he did work for the government.
In that scene when Red was being tortured by Alda, he said “We allowed you to continue … ”
Having your own personnel bad guy do things the government can’t do.
I’m just guessing.
Great recap.
Anyone want to move to Nebraska?
I think I should always watch it twice, I seriously find things I need to rewatch to figure out. I DVR it so I can watch that way. I’m a Blacklist nerd.
I’ve never seen this show, but looks very interesting. I might have to check this out for sure. Thanks
I love Blacklist mostly because of James Spader. The rest of it has a lot of logical fallacies that make me want to beat my head against the wall. I did find myself getting really caught up in the whole “abused serial killer” thing, but it seems odd that the same team goes from investigating international terrorist to nabbing home-brewed local nutjobs. Doesn’t matter, though. James Spader shoved a woman in a closet and then thanked her for the dinner invitation. The whole show was redeemed in that scene.
in the scene you missed they showed how they linked all the victims through their hospital records. they were all seen at different hospitals but all had the same nurse, carl. he worked for a nurse service who staffs you when you are short staffed, that is how he found the victims. also, the torture place was the same, looked the same, in the garage or shed type out building at his home.
and i really want to know what the husband is up to and why in the hell alan alda is a bad guy and what the hell is he.
Haven’t had a chance to check it out yet will be watching it soon have all of them on my DVR
Like, I live james spades in this role or whatever.
Love. Not live.
The best line of the show was when Red says, “The suspense is killing me,” and then shoots the guy! I love this show! And so glad you recap it, as I have found myself over time not really watching Bravo anymore. I’m not sure why just starting missing an episode here and there and found myself sort of “over it.” I guess the whole set-up and scripting thing has gotten so obvious that I’ve lost interest.
Great recap. Makes me want to watch the show.
I continue to like this show, but am ready for some of the ambiguity to end, especially re Liz’s husband.
I think the writers are on drugs or lazy. They need to be taking some stories far a field, not all next door, almost. Red, surely is an international man of mystery, scrapes, contacts, and world wide influence. They are only dealing with people being bad in DC. Save the rest of us, please.
Trailers have been saying next week we learn who the mole is.
Kay Rock … Liz asked her boss if she could back to her original team to help solve the Good Sam murders. That it was her case and he said okay.
That was how Liz was able to cross over.
ARRGGH THE MOLE TONIGHT THE MOLE!!!!!
I am so happy to finally have story lines and characters who keep me guessing. Unlike “reality tv” which only begs the question… What color toupee will NeNe be sporting this week?…
lol.
Dembe isn’t dead. Luli is dead. Her body is the one that’s missing from the assault on the ‘Post Office’ black site. Her body is wrapped in gold silk, with her face covered because she was shot in the head/neck. Red asks Mr. Gray, the third close associate, to take care of things personally, because he wants it done right.
While searching for the people who assisted Anslo Garrick, the background music is Johnny Cash’s song, “the Man Comes Around”. The lyrics include, “There’s a man goin’ ’round takin’ names, And he decides who to free and who to blame. Everybody won’t be treated all the same.” It’s full of allegories about the Apocalypse and Judgement Day.
Note that the first three people, small potatoes and ignorant, were killed quickly and relatively painlessly. Red doesn’t start inflicting pain until he gets to the contractor at the restaurant, and even then, he relents after setting the guy up to burn himself to death. The last clip from the song is, “”And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts. And I looked, and behold a pale horse, and his name that sat on him was Death, and hell followed with him.”
I think Red knows of the Good Samaritan and doesn’t necessarily disapprove of what he’s doing. Red doesn’t give Liz a clue until she explains why catching the Samaritan is important to her.
When the banker says the name, Newton Phillips, Red knows exactly who that is – you can see it in his carefully blank face. It rattles him enough so that he leaves the banker alive.
The Good Samaritan followed his next victim to the group meeting. In the meeting, he mentions that he and his mother/abuser finally came to an understanding. When we see her in the wheelchair, we understand that Victor put her there. That’s his ‘home remedy’. The torture chamber is in the detached garage to her house. He makes her watch as he works on most victims so she understands what victims go through.
The challenge to Aram (move the $5 mil untraceably or die) was just a test. Aram is too smart to leave the money trail that exists, so the real mole is just trying to set him up.
In the final Good Samaritan scene, Liz shoots the Samaritan as he tries to kill one last person – his mother in the wheelchair. Liz transforms from being driven to find the Samaritan to promising the last ‘victim’ that she’ll finish the Samaritan’s work if the husband abuses his wife again. Liz is becoming more like Red every episode.
As Red releases Luli’s ashes, we realize that Mr Gray, the first voice we ever hear in this series, is Newton Phillips. There’s no joking, no levity, as Red says, “you should have come to me.” There’s no whining or begging, either, as Gray explains. He knows he’s going to die. Red promises to take care of his family – whatever they need. Newton is suffocated with the bag from Luli’s ashes. There’s very little struggling. We’re reminded of Red killing Liz’s dad; this is a death that will cause Red sorrow.