The Blacklist: The Decembrist (No. 12) (Recap)

First, I am sorry once again for this taking so long. Y’all know I love The Blacklist, but sadly brawling housewives take precedence here over scripted shows.  I have to pay the bills. 🙂  But I’m excited to finally have a moment to see what I missed. So let’s get going and find out what a “Decembrist” is…

Oh crap. I am already pissed and I am one second in. I hate flashbacks. Is this really necessary?  I guess that was necessary sort of. It just explains what Liz has been doing with Tom, but I think we all assumed that anyway.  The bit where Tom implies he may have actually fallen in love with Liz is mean and gives us all false hope that Tom and Liz could still be a thing. Or that Tom will live through this. I have a soft spot for ole Tom, so sue me.

I am trying  to care about the backstory of Berlin’s daughter. But I really don’t. Whatever. The Decembrist is the dude that set Red up as the murderer of Berlin’s not dead daughter. Red is going to go rub him out. He ropes Liz in by saying he is the one ultimately responsible for “gutting Cooper” and killing Agent Malik.

Meanwhile back in the belly of some ship, the ship guy tells Liz that Tom must die. She is hesitant. But really, with the Berlin thing all straightened out now, what is he good for other than looking pretty?

Liz goes to the post office to convince them to get on the Decembrist case. Which makes no sense to anyone as their target was Berlin. My favorite TV middle easterner, Aram works his magic to find out who the Decembrist is he’s some high ranking Russian official named Kiero Morozov. Isn’t it amazing he can do this in five minutes every single week? The man is a genius. And hot. The lady who I think is Cooper’s superior tries to point out the difference between the FBI. You know, things like the FBI is a national police force that focuses on things happening in the US whereas the CIA is in charge of shit that goes down overseas.  But since when has anyone on this task force followed that protocol. They seem to get around it by making it a “joint taskforce” of sorts with some token CIA member that usually gets killed. Plus, all the blacklisters are usually apprehended a couple blocks from the post office in the end anyway.

Back at the ship, a problem has arisen. The harbor master has discovered Tom. The dude who was supposed to be guarding Tom apparently went for a beer or something and when he came back he locked the dude up with Tom until Liz could get there. Tom tells Liz that she has to kill the harbor master or he will talk. Liz says no. But Tom manages to kill the guy while the dude in charge of babysitting Tom tries to hold her off. But not before Liz shoots her own guy in the foot with a warning that the next one goes to his chest. So um, she’s willing to kill her own guy but not the sweet old man harbor master? Tom calmly says to Liz, “I think maybe you should call Mr. Kaplan.”

Oh snap! Red and Berlin go to Russia and kill all of the people around Morozov in the elevator. They get Morozov to admit he is not the Decembrist, Alan Fitch is!  That’s Alan Alda, y’all. If you remember from last season Red and Fitch have a weird sort of relationship. They both seem to have the goods on the other. Red can usually get Fitch to come around to his way of seeing things. But now Berlin wants to kill Fitch. Red explains he can’t do that because Fitch belongs to Red. Berlin does not care.  This will be a problem for Red, and more of a problem for Berlin who will probably have to die soon. Mr, Kaplan is going to be one busy chick on this episode!

Red tells Dembe to call the florist. Next we see a giant arrangement of white lilies enter a big time meeting with Fitch. He leaves as soon as he sees them and goes to meet with Red. Red lets him know he has killed Morozov and offers him a drink.

Meanwhile,  Cooper’s superior is flinging a hissy fit and blaming Cooper for Morozov’s death. It’s a political nightmare if it gets out that they had any idea what was going on. Cooper says he didn’t sanction anything and had no knowledge of the events. She is even more pissed when they say that Fitch is behind the bombings. He’s the assistant director of national intelligence!

Red is pissed. He tells Fitch they had an agreement. Fitch said that the incidents he is referring to pre-date their agreement. Red shows Fitch a picture of a girl that was left on the body of one of his associates. He traced it back to The Stewmaker (ugh) who told him that he agreed to make it seem as though the girl was dead and sent the photo of her in a locket to her father in prison. It was Fitch who had The Stewmaker (gag) make her disappear. And now Berlin is coming to kill Fitch. Fitch is unmoved. He reminds Red that he stole some very damaging information on his little secret alliance when he disappeared. They were not on good terms when all of this was happening. Fitch tells Red he has no allies in his alliance. Without Fitch running interference, they will just kill Red and let the chips fall where they may. This is as big a problem for Red as it is for Fitch. FYI the scenes with Spader and Alda are always so mesmerizing.

Homeland security moves in to protect Fitch. But Berlin has managed to infiltrate somehow and they take Fitch hostage. This is so ungood. And just like that, Tom has a purpose again. Red goes to Liz and confronts her about Tom. He is disappointed that she lied to him. She says she kept him alive for intel. He says she kept him alive because she still loves him. I think they are both right. Liz looks like a scolded child as Red leaves. Tom tells Liz that she is in over her head. And that the body guard she shot is likely coming back to kill them both. She is not a killer and he is. He needs to listen to her. He says he can give her Berlin she just has to let him go. Meanwhile, the poor, dead harbor master’s phone just keeps on ringing. Time is running out, Liz. What’s it gonna be?

Next we see Tom on the payphone trying to reach Berlin. His password is no longer valid. He tells the person on the phone to tell him Tom Keene wants to talk. Meanwhile, Ressler is in the car with Liz giving her a lecture on kidnapping a fugitive and holding him captive. Oh Ressler, stop with the moralizing. Ressler says he has to bring him in. Liz says he is an informant, like Reddington!  Ressler says, “The difference is you’re not in love with Reddington.” OOOHHHH Burn. Tom comes back and says he has an address. Ressler says there is no way he is letting Liz go there. It’s a setup. Ressler and Tom have an interesting back and forth. Tom says, “What are you her boyfriend?” Basically the two are sparring over Liz. It’s kind of cute in a murderous gun for hire versus potential beau for Liz next season sort of way. In exchange for the address, Liz takes off Tom’s leg tracker. Um why is he wearing a tracking device is he is chained to the radiator in the belly of a ship? Was that something she had handy to put on him when they left the ship?

Tom walks away and Ressler says he is coming for him.  Tom says, “Good Luck with that.” And just like that Tom is freed into the world. Um, Yay?!

A black ops or homeland security group arrives to where Fitch is being held and kill everyone holding him but Fitch has a bomb around his neck. He says to the rescue squad, “I think we have a problem.” And everyone backs out of the apartment for a minute to regroup. The bomb has a remote detonator. So they have to get him somewhere where the detonator will not work. They need a special box to put Fitch in. It’s the one at the post office where Red was held with Ressler for a while.  But there are more problems with disabling it. It’s all very complicated.

Ressler says that Berlin gave them Fitch on a silver platter. It was too easy. The HBIC of the taskforce wants Liz to produce her source that led to Fitch. She wants his name and she wants him produced for interrogation. Well, that ain’t gonna happen lady. Ressler tells the lady the source is Reddington.

Red goes to see Berlin’s daughter. Next we see her sitting with Berlin. She is the bait so that Red can kill him. Red walks in and Red gives her a passport and his eternal gratitude. Red holds Berlin at gunpoint until he tells him how to stop the bomb.

Meanwhile back in the box… The bomb squad is probably gonna get blown up. Fitch starts some sort of confessional. He is worried about the bomb squad guy. He says he has killed 763 people in the line of duty. That is enough. He tells the guy to leave him to die. And he does.  Fitch  says he needs to talk to Red. Red shows up, presumably with a way to stop the bomb, but first Fitch starts another confession. Fitch asks Red if he has it. The fulcrum. Red responds only to tell him that he cannot stop the bomb. He tried, but he can’t. Fitch says his death will trigger a series of events. The moderates will be run over by the radicals. The closer they get to 2017 the more radical they will become. WTF is going to happen in 2017? And will the show still be going then?  He tells Red to talk to Mitchum and Hobbs two moderates who he might be able to sway as allies.  Fitch’s bomb makes a foreboding noise. He tells Red it is critical he gets to his safe. The combination is 8-30-44 it’s in St. Petersburg. That’s his wife’s birthday. He is teary-eyed knowing he is going to die. Red says they have had a wonderful life together. Fitch says, 51 years… Red goes back to the safe. Fitch says it is in St. Petersburg, in the wall on the second floor…KAPLOOOEY! the bomb goes off and blood and guts splatter all over the inside of the box. I guess there will be nothing for the wife to bury…

Next we see Red and Dembe walking into some sort of cathedral. Berlin is the there. I was so sure Red had already killed him. The share some Russian vodka. Berlin is celebrating the death of his enemy. They drink shot after shot. Berlin shares old memories. Once the bottle is empty, Red shoots and kills Berlin.

Red then shows up in the ship’s belly ( I just like that phrase, can you tell?) where Liz is trying to clean up her mess. Mr. Kaplan is on it. Red tells Liv that she should have come to him.  She in over her head, trying to mop up her own crime scene, and yet she still doesn’t get it. Liz confesses that she could not kill Tom. Liz tells Red she thought that by using him for information she was finally in control. But she wasn’t. Everyone but her knows that. Red says, “When you love someone, you have no control. That’s what love is… being powerless.” Live says, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me…”  Red hugs her and his her forehead and tells her there is nothing wrong with her.

Oh my, Tom looks hotter than ever. He has taken his beard down, but not off and he has cleaned up oh so very nicely. He walks into a bar and sits down with…RED!!!! OMG!  Tom asks Red if he has it. Red gives him an envelope. He tells Tom he is never to see her again. Tom says, “Yeah I got it.” and begins to leave. Red grabs his arm and says, “I don’t think you do. Look at me. You are never to see her again.”  Then Tom says, “You know, for what it’s worth. I spent four months on that ship chained up. And I never told her about us.”  TOLD HER WHAT ABOUT YOU TOM? Tell us! For the love of God Tom, you can tell us!” But he does not.

So now we wait until February 1st. Are we going to watch State of affairs tonight? Well, are we?