We start this episode of The Blacklist with a woman getting into a NYC taxi to go to the airport. She calls her kid and tells her she is on the way home. Then the cab driver goes nuts, begins driving erratically and blows up the taxi in a massive fire killing both the driver and the women. In less than a minute, the body count is at two!
Next, we see a man looking at a picture of the dead woman on a client information dossier . As he begins shredding the file he makes a phone call to make a wire transfer. Looks like he is our bad guy of the week, Milton Bobbit.
Because the producers of the show love filming scenes in utter darkness, we now have a mushroom farmer with an indoor farm which he tends loving. I suppose, I can’t really see much, because contrary to the producers of the shows apparent beliefs, I can’s see in the dark! Oh that is Milton! Off topic, Milton and the Magic Mushrooms would be a great name for a band, but I don’t think this Milton is musically inclined. Um. y’all? I’m really not sure how to recap what I see next. Milton takes his pulse, drinks a magic mushroom smoothie takes of everything but his undies and sits down in a chair in the dark. He’s bleeding moderately from several oozing on his body. THEN HE TAKES OFF HIS NOSE! Don’t ask me! I’m just telling you what I see. Maybe it’s a prosthetic nose. Then he puts on some protective eye gear and appears to be trying to tan in the dark under some sort of funky light. Gross. 
Moving on to Tom and Liz, for reasons not explained they are both in the apartment where Tom is preparing breakfast, working the role of dutiful husband. Liz’s ability to find comfort in the arms of Red the night before and somehow pull herself together, get home with out Tom noticing and play the role of happy wife are apparently not important to the storyline. Liz wisely doesn’t eat any pancakes. Out of nowhere Tom proposes to Liz saying that he wants to renew their vows. He leaves for work and she immediately begins destroying thing and searching through Tom’s belongings. Because that is what they teach in How To Keep Your Cover 101 at Quantico. Who the hell is going to clean all of that up? How will she explain all the missing items she broke?
Then just like that we are no longer in the rubble of Liz’s apartment but at some sort of a windowless command post. Of course it has to be windowless with one forty watt bulb to light the small area because otherwise they could see each other and we could see them and apparently none of the producers what that to happen. So there we are at, let’s call it Keen Kamp, where Liz is devising yet another crime scene board. There, slap dab in the middle of the board is a picture of her husband, with the name Tom Keen written underneath. At least this one is a white board so that when the enemy arrives at camp, all they will have to do erase the dry erase marker and take down the center picture. Am I being too understated with the stupidity of this board?
Red arrives with pimento cheese sandwiches made by Eartha Kitts recipe. I really wish he would pontificate even more on the glorious sounding sandwiches, say for the next 48 minutes as it would be much more interesting than listening to Liz demand information about Tom from Red. Her acting is particularly bad in this scene. Red says that he doesn’t know who Tom Keen is or who he works for. He has been monitoring him since he came into Liz’s life and know he bought some forged passports. That’s hardly work having a whole white board for, y’all. Liz throws a tantrum trying to get Red to tell her his connection to her. She blames Red for all of the things that are happening. He says, that is irrelevant. They must concentrate on finding out who he his and who he works for. He promises Liz her answers will come. They must remain working at the blacksite as normally as possible. He gives her a case, The Undertaker. He convinces people to become assassins in a murder suicide set-up, and fortunately for us he is probably just down the road somewhere at the moment.
Next we see Milton convince a woman to kill a guy named Bennett Cochran. She pulls up next to him at a gas station begins spill gas while talking to him, she asks him to forgive her because she has a brother, (huh?)and then drops a lighter into the gas setting them both ablaze. Death count 4. Should I even bother to point out that the lighter would go out before hitting the gas?
Liz goes to the blacksite to brief our country’s finest agents on The Undertaker. They begin to interview the killers’ families starting with the taxi driver. His wife said they had a rich uncle leave them an inheritance, her husband did not even need to work. He was also beginning to forget things, like which way to push the faucet to get hot water. Please don’t let this mean he had a deadly disease because I can never remember which faucet is hot and which is cold when I am in the shower. Well, shit. Dude had a brain tumor. I may drop dead of a brain tumor before I complete this recap. Pray for me y’all. The other girl had less than a month to live, she had stage 4 cervical cancer. So they were both going to die. They both received great financial benefit. The girl’s brother is ill and is now receiving 24 hour medical care.
Milton goes to what appears to be a hospice facility to get his next killer.
Meanwhile, Tom comes home to find Liz looks beautiful and entertaining a group of their closest friends and family flown in from all over. If Tom wants a vow renewal, a vow renewal he shall have. Liz has even invited his brother “Craig Keen.” Tom and Craig argue a bit in the bathroom as Tom is shaving and preparing for the ceremony. Tom says he should not have come. Craig says he tired to get out it. Craig says he thinks she “knows” because she was acting about the accident with their parents in Tucson. Craig says she is onto them, he says he is over his head. Tom says he knows what he is doing he knows how to read his target and she doesn’t no a thing. Point Liz.
So they had a renewal ceremony and all I could think about was Tom’s wonky mouth. Has it always been wonky like that? Liz’s vows were rather ominous. Craig performed the ceremony.
Sidenote: I’ve been working on this recap for an hour and a half and am still only 20 minutes in. Not complaining, because it’s fun. There is just so much to talk about!
Back of Kamp Keen without any idea of how much time has passed since the vows, Liz is coloring on her white board and watching surveillance videos of her life with Tom. On the surveillance tape she sees Tom hide a key inside a lamp. She goes home to retrieve the cleverly hidden key. But what is it for? She also has Dembe run some prints for her from a champagne glass that Craig used at the vow renewal. That was apparently the whole point of the vow renewal.
Aram, my favorite middle easterny guy and the only one with any skill set whatsoever has found the bank that the money is coming from. He also found that the next transfer is to go to a Danny Moss. He’s the guy from the hospice looking place. He is dying of congestive heart failure.
Danny lives 8 hours away in Dorchester, MA to a political rally. But fortunately for us, he just so happens to be right up the street at a political rally and it just so happens he is going to blow someone up there right at the exact time the Feds figure all this out. Liz didn’t even have to call Daddy Red for help with this one! The only two people who bother to get there are Liz and Ressler. They arrive just in the nick of time and everyone clears away and Liz saves the world.
Red, unlike the Feds, has to travel all over the damn place. In this case El Salvador to run the prints from the champagne glass. The Bosnian scientist is very cranky and unhappy to see Red. In another fantastic James Spader scene, the two come to an agreement and he attempts to identify “Craig Keen” from touch DNA. Bet they can’t do that back at the post office.
On the flight back we have the usual scene where Red tells Liz how to crack her case. He knows who Craig is and he says it is time for the three of them to have a little chat. He tells her to follow him. He sits his drink down next to a wooden carved Chinese egg on a stand. (Available for four dollars on Etsy, yes of course I looked, why do you think it takes me so damn long to write these? No luck with the pimento cheese recipe, btw.) The camera lingered on it a bit, it may be a puzzle of sorts, or have some sort of clue to something carved on it. Or maybe I just wasted my time.
The very next shot is Liz beating the shit out of Craig. Then she stands over him with a gun and say, “Hey Craig! Can we talk?” They are at the hotel (apartment) where Craig is staying. Although it is broad daylight, it is of course very dark in there. She handcuffs him to the bathroom sink for no apparent reason. I suppose the plumbing is a secure anchor? She tells him she knows everything. She know about his prison time, the warrant, that his name is Christopher Malley. He says she has no idea who she is dealing with. She responds with, “I never did like you.”
Ressler calls and she responds that she is on her way. Then Red and Dembe arrive. Liz has to go. She tells Red she has to leave. Red plans to take ole Christopher Malley on a field trip! I love field trips! But on this show that means someone is going to get planted.
Meanwhile, Liz is back at the blacksite (AKA post office) and they are trying to figure out how the guy knows how to pick the terminally ill killers. (Another good band name The Terminally Ill Killers.) They find they all have a connection to a life insurance company. Liz and Ressler dash off to track down the lead. But Liz asks Ressler if she can go handle some business and he lets her.
The field trip is to a museum! I love museums! So does Red. He is going on and on about the artist and how he got his start in puppetmaking. Now it seems he is fascinated with body parts. Christopher/Craig is not amused. But Red continues his monologue. Then Dembe walks by pushing a woman in a wheelchair. It’s the guys mother. Red talks about how much he misses Bob Ross, the dude who used to paint trees on TV. Christopher freaks out and agrees to talk.
Ressler and Malik track down Milton at the life insurance company but he overheard them talking and bolted. Next, they show up at his apartment, AKA the mushroom farm. Out of sincere respect for the mushrooms, they opt not to turn on any lights and hold their flashlights like Kate Jackson on Charlie’s Angels. There is a folder laying on the table that is the next victim. Because that is how things work in the FBI. Files are just right there amongst the shrooms begging to be picked up.
Milton is indeed off to kill the guy who is one of his former doctors. He pulls a gun on him and laughs a scary laugh.
Meanwhile, Red and Dembe are back at the hotel room watching The Three Stooges when Liz arrives. The Christopher guy is chained under the sink again. He says that he thinks Tom has a real brother in Chicago. There is a woman named Nikki that he mentions. The phone rings. He is expecting a call from Tom. They are supposed to meet to talk about Liz. It’s only a matter of time before he shows up at the door. They get the guy to take the call. Tom mentions Berlin. Red, Dembe and Liz prepare to move him to another location, but he takes his life via defenestration. Body count: 5.
Milton was apparently part of a clinical trial for a diabetes medication. The medicine is what is killing him. Apparently it is also the reason he has a removable nose. Which he removes again, just for effect. All of this is happening in cemetery. Miraculously, the FEDS all swarm in on this cemetery at just the precise moment so that Ressler can save the world, since Liz is busy with Red. No wait, somehow Liz made it to the cementary with the rest of them. Milton is strapped with bombs. Ressler, who has a bit of a death wish these days, just walks past the suicide bomber and arrests the doctor. As he walks the guy to a squad car, Milton blows himself up. Body Count. 6.
Ressler continues to work himself to oblivion. Liz works on her crime wall adding Christopher’s name and the key. Red was in Cooper’s office going through all of Bobbit’s clients. Cooper asked if that was what this was about, getting to see the files. Red said yes. Cooper asked if he found what he was looking for and Red said, “Good Night, Harold.” Then, at Kamp Keen Liz tells Red she can’t do it anymore. She can’t look at him let alone touch him. He tells her to be patient. Things have been set in motion. How Tom reacts will tell us a great deal. He tells her she needs to stay the course. She says she is not sure she can. Red fiddles with a burnt bit of paper on the board that says Berlin. Later, in the obscure timeline that is this show, Liz is seen replacing the key in the lamp. Later when Tom comes home, they seem to be testing each other, looking for signs the other knows. In order to keep her cover she sleeps with Tom.
TT sorry to be off topic but i know you follow abby lee and that assault charge. Nancy grace is covering it tonight. Just a heads up. 🙂
Crap, just now seeing this watching now. Thanks.
On Tue, Apr 1, 2014 at 8:12 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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So much to digest.
The whole Milton thing was kinda lame to be a “Blacklister” I think but hey the guy hired the people to do the killing just at a time that they needed the case so who am I to question the ‘shroom trippin, nasally disabled diabetic madman?
Lizzie, while most of the time horribly acted, is not always stupid and naive. Calling the brother into town was freakin’ amazing! I didn’t quite get it at first, but then when it clicked I said out loud “you sneaky bitch!”. And of course she has to have Red run the prints since A) she can’t run it through at the Blacksite because they have NO idea she has creepy Tom in her life or they’d try to butt in and B) the REAL database of bad guys is somewhere in the underbelly of Red’s world. Red gave the guy a villa in exchange for that. He lurves Lizzie. So much.
and HOW ABOUT LIZZIE KICKING HIS ASS? Wow she was good. I will say I did not see dude taking the face dive out the window. Great scene.
SO, WHO IS TOM KEEN???? How is he so blind to the fact Lizzie knows? I mean really?
and Berlin. I think that means Terri Nunn is behind it all.
But really, it can’t be a PLACE it has to be a person or persons right? Berlin?
I don’t get why Red doesn’t know who Tom Keen is… He’s known about him for years but he has nothing?
And why was Milton’s removable nose not mentioned at all?
So many ridiculous plotholes this episode, it hard to tell what if anything was an actual mistake and what if anything matters.
I read some other recaps and you can tell the bloggers all burn out about halfway in and stop giving as much detail. The show is sort of the same way. It’s like suddenly they are bored with the blacklister and in the end the Feds just end up at the cemetery with no explanation as to how they know where to go and end that part of the episode quite awkwardly.
I get all off track googling pimento cheese sandwiches and Eartha Kitt recipes and Chinese red egg carvings… It’s like information overload. I still haven’t gone back to edit this. Maybe in the morning. My brain, she is full.
Thanks for reading. It’s a small audience, but a fun smart one!
On Tue, Apr 1, 2014 at 9:39 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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Ok the nose (along with all his sores) are from the drug study he was in that went very wrong. Hence him wanting to kill that doc (who ran the study and then seems did not report the horrific things that the drug did including kill people) And I seem to recall then knew to go to the cemetery where Milton wanted to die. So I guess they knew where he had a plot? I mean that’s the conclusion I drew.
Red is trying to figure out who sent Tom. All he knew is that he had to cover all his “liabilities” and Lizzie is one of them so he knew Tom was fake but he still doesn’t know who or why he’s there. I think all the times Red is looking through the classified docs he’s getting more and more information and closer to who Tom really is and who sent him.
I still think Lizzie has to be his daughter and he can’t tell her until Tom is out of the picture. I just wonder if it ends up Tom was possibly sent to protect her FROM Red? I dunno. SO much to ponder.
Get get why he had a fake nose. I don’t get why no one ever mentioned it. Didn’t he take it off at the cemetery at some point?
I also get that Red has been looking into Tom, but I don’t understand how every week he can find out anything about anyone in a single episode but with Tom he’s been searching for the scoop on him for years? Bad writing or is there a reason for that?
On Tue, Apr 1, 2014 at 10:03 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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GNG I think they went to the cemetery because while at Milton’s office, they asked what he cared about and his office could only come up with the fact that he regularly sent flowers to that cemetery.
Exactly! Red knows everything. How is Tom Keen a mystery?
Gina Zanetakos was on the white board. Here is that episode. http://s17948.p858.sites.pressdns.com/2013/10/30/the-blacklist-recap-gina-zanetakos/ But why would Liz know to put her on the board. Have Liz and Red talked about Gina’s connection to Tom?
Because remember Red has pictures and SHOWED them to Lizzie when he was trying to prove that Tom was a bad guy. He was with Gina ZAnatakos when he said he was in Boston at that job interview or whatever. Right? Or am I imagining that? I was sure that there were pictures of Tom and Gina at some point from that supposed trip.
Oh. I guess. I don’t remember that. Then again, my brain is full from one episode. I can’t hold a dozen or so episodes worth of info in my brain. That is what you are for! 🙂
On Tue, Apr 1, 2014 at 10:05 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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oh and maybe it all comes back to Alan Alda?
Oh… and was it a coincidence that Milton’s last name was Bobbit and he had an appendage chopped off?
Perhaps he was related to Lorena. 🙂
On Tue, Apr 1, 2014 at 10:07 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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I can’t figure out how to reply to your reply so”
Oh I see, you mean why didn’t they all gasp when he took it off? Like how did they know? Didn’t they read all the records on the doctor? Hmm I know I’d have gasped if dude pulled a “I’ve got your nose” like that.
I need to see if I have the Gina saved on my DVR and re watch now.
and yea there is a reason he can’t figure out who Tom is, I think it’s the ONE thing that scares Red because he can’t figure it out.
Did Red see something on the back of the paper that read “Berlin”, or was that a Red herring too?
It almost looked like letterhead to me that was burnt up. I assume it is from the HUGE TRASHCAN OF INFORMATION THAT Liz just stood there and watched burn!
On Tue, Apr 1, 2014 at 10:52 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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When Red said something to the affect of, I need a hack saw because you’re going to be leaving here in pieces. .lol.
I agree with you about the plot lines/time lines being wonky. They really should tighten that up, along with focusing in on one story line, I feel they have to many balls in the air or something. Like you’re watching two shows rolled into one, but not necessarily in a good way. My husband probably says the FBI is stupid 50 times during every episode. (Speaking of the husband mouth being weird, I noticed that too. It reminded me ALOT of Apollo from rhoa’s mouth, for some reason)
Was the actor TRYING to do that with his mouth for some reason? I’ve never thought he had a wonky mouth before! Also sometimes he is hot and sometimes he is not. I think he’s a guy that looks better with a bit of facial hair.
On Tue, Apr 1, 2014 at 11:08 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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And don’t forget the yogurt covered pretzels! LOVED how Red wanted to go back to the room (from museum) to eat them, and then when the “brother” jumps out of the window, Red tells Dembe to clean up their finger prints… AND grab the pretzels from the mini-bar. ROFLMAO!
I watch but unsure how to comment. I enjoy the weekly “crime” idea because it what they do. I don’t buy the story line that Red doesn’t know who Berlin is. At least that story line doesn’t fit. Tom was planted in Liz’s life two years ago plus he had years of training so Berlin has to be a big player. I’m confused again because Red knows everyone.
Touch DNA originally was perfected in Sweden or Finland, one of those countries so that was confusing to me also.
I do feel the show is beginning to tighten up however new writers would be better.
That is what I was trying and failing to say about Red and Berlin/Tom. It makes no sense that he is so clueless about the most important thing.
On Wed, Apr 2, 2014 at 1:18 AM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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“I know a ravishing Dane who would adore you. She’s slightly cross-eyed, and there’s something very hypnotic about her gaze.”
Oh my goodness, I freaking loved that! Red was priceless in that scene. Ony Red could convince a guy whose wife he slept with to do him a favor.
@ Emma – Wow, you are good! I heard that and did not put that together! You connected that. Hope we are not reaching.
So if you are going to fly to El Fucking Salvador to have the touch DNA of Tom’s “brother” analyzed. Why not bring some DNA from oh I dunno, TOM? n
Great point TT, why hasn’t Tom’s DNA been processed, your good. I didn’t catch that.
I do have to give the writers a ^5 for the Bobbit name to the nose job man. That was hilarious.
Funny, I was thinking that was her plan when she asked him to shave – I thought she was going to take the razor for DNA analysis.
Although I’m not convinced that Red doesn’t know who Tom is, or who he works for – seems like Red’s having fun letting it all play out, while staying near Lizzy to keep her safe. Just a theory.
Yes, I considered that also and it may play out like that. The problem that I have with that idea is that Red stood there and said to Liz that he had no idea about Berlin. That would be a out right lie. Red evades, scoots around questions but I don’t recall him out right lying in situations like this. He avoids questions or asks a question in return, lying to Liz about this doesn’t fit for me.
Your recaps are always more succinct than the show. Hopefully there is drinking involved before during or after the show because one needs to take a break as it does switch scenes at lightning speed without warning. I’m glad you pointed out how she trashed the room breaking all kinds of shit. Who cleaned that up since she had the damn vow renewal ceremony AT the apt. WTF???? They need to work on continuity as everyone doesn’t have a TT to recap and keep us grounded. Another stellar recap ^^^^
Maybe Liz has a special maid on call to clean up things like that…or uses one of Red’s people! Re: Tom, sometimes terrorist type organizations use sleeper agents that don’t previously have any obvious background that would send up red flags when that person is investigated. In other words, they take someone seemingly obscure & ordinary and gives them secret intensive training and practice for a while. Then maybe supply them with a false identity (or their own identity) and plant them somewhere far in advance of when they’ll be needed. Just an idea…sounds like that might be the case with Tom.
I just finished reading your recap. Now on to watching the show. I have been saving it. Been busy with other TV shows and other ways of procrastinating about what I should be doing, taxes and stuff. This recap is delicious. Love knowing it doesn’t roll right from your brain to keyboard instantly. Love that you take side trips to Etsy, etc. I had to do one for meaning of defenestration. I even did it once, quickest way to exit a situation. Such a fancy name for jumping out of a window.
Now, if the show will only be half as good as your blog, it will be very entertaining.
Just a couple days before all the shit hits the fan between Liz and Tom. She is kicking his ass on the previews and I am giddy with anticipation. Can’t wait for your recap of this one.
Anyone know the name of museum that RED took Christopher/Craig go ?