The Blacklist 6x22 Thoughts
Jun. 3rd, 2019 10:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaIt was an okay episode but the resolution of the season arc was super disappointing.
I'll start with the positive:
+ The escape from the Post Office was very fun. I enjoyed that whole sequence.
+ I loved that it was Liz’s plan, that she refused to leave the others (and let Red take care of things for her) but instead took control of the situation and they worked together to get it done. I really want more of this next season.
+ ”I said I needed to follow my own path. I did. It led me back to you.” Aww. ♥ I’m so glad Dembe's back, the show felt subtly wrong without him there. I do wish we'd actually seen some of what lead him back to Red. But I loved Red touching Dembe’s hand. I loved that he refused to be distracted by important matters until Dembe told him why he was back – because for Red Dembe is more important. I loved Dembe showing up out of no where to save Red's life because that's what Dembe does.
+ Kat! She survived Redemption and is still working for Scottie, oh, I’m very pleased about that. I never thought we’d learn her fate. I just really wish that she’d shown up this season once or twice. It’s clear from the way Liz greets her, the ease between them, that they know each other pretty well. Her look at Agnes said she cares a lot for her and thus has probably spent a lot of time with her. Somehow in just this one little exchange I find myself really interested in the Liz/Kat relationship. Are they friends? Liz needs a girl friend. I’d love if they brought Kat back to the show.
+ The fact that Agnes comes running into the apartment, and Liz’s arms, yelling “mommy” definitely indicates that Liz has been spending a significant amount of time around Agnes. They know each other, they’re close. I just wish that we could have seen some indication of this over the last season and a half. It would have been so easy to do! Have a scene start with Liz getting off a call with Agnes, or Liz late because she was getting back from a visit, or having Liz annoyed over a case going long because she was supposed to be doing something with Agnes that day. Sigh. That said, I am glad that we get indirect proof that Liz was seeing Agnes off-screen and I'm going to happily accept it as canon.
+ I liked that shot of Liz highlighted in red light as Red says "Love is blind". What I really want next season is for the two of them to talk about her betrayal and his feelings about it.
+ I enjoyed the Red/Trusted Stranger scene. I thought the two actors had great chemisty and it left me very intrigued about him, their relationship and where this is going.
... and yeah. This episode mainly left me going '???' to be honest.
+ I hated the resolution to the season plot arc/mystery. This is what this entire "plot against America" has been about? Seriously? All this because President Diaz drunk killed two people, his wife pushed for him to come forward and he felt he had to kill her to keep the secret... by bringing a bunch more people into the secret to create a months spanning elaborate plan to have her publicly assassinated, which then devolved into a mess of killing a bunch of people (including a diplomatically important one) when a part of it somehow comes out as a secret plot against America. Dear god, dude. WTF? Has there ever been a plan so dumb? I don't understand! Have her 'accidentally' drown or take a fall while vacationing alone in Camp David, or have her poisoned with an undetectable poison, or put her on a private plane for a trip and have it crash, or literally anything else would have been better!
I think as a couple episode arc this could have been okay. As the season long arc that takes place over months and drives a lot of the season it's just confusing and lacklustre, and honestly terrible. It's definitely not compelling in any way. It leaves me so many questions - like why was Diaz so set on such a showy death for her, or how the hell were so many people okay with it, or why did McMahon thinks this was for the good of country or, no seriously, why didn't one of them have her quietly killed before this? Why so elaborate? Why did they continue forward with this when they knew Red/The Task was investigating them? Honestly as an explanation it does not work at all for me.
+ Katarina being alive is really not a surprise but I'm definitely interested to see where the show is going with her. An antagonist towards Red, probably. It was interesting to see him let down his guard with her so much and I'm curious why her first reaction was to kiss him and then knock him out and kidnap him. It really seemed like it was a trap since she had everything ready.
+ I really need an answer about when Red knew she was still alive. He has reassured Liz several times that Katarina was dead and he supposedly never directly lies to her so, when? Did he only suspect and didn't let himself believe until he saw her picture? Considering how important she was to him why did he never try to find her? I guess he was the Aram to her Samar post-Cape May? But why find her now just because Moscow is looking again when they never found anything the first time? Or has he been content to think her dead because of whatever that Hobson's Choice he made with regards to her and Liz, that Dembe thinks Liz wouldn't understand?
+ The appearance of Trusted Stranger at this juncture - a childhood friend of Red's, who knows everything, who Red trusts completely, who talks about how "we've been in worse situations" like they're a team, and who Red is open enough to say 'I love you' to - is weird. I'm not sure how I feel about it. If he's that close to Red then why have we never heard a hint about him before? Where was he during all the drama that has been happening in Red's life over the past six years. I find it hard to buy this stranger's supposed place in Red's life because there has been no evidence for it in the past. He doesn't make sense.
Honestly my first though after watching their first scene several times is that Trusted Stranger is actually Ilya but that leaves so many questions. Not the least of which is if TS is Ilya than who the hell is Red and how does he fit into this situation? It doesn't work with the flashbacks so that can't be right. So ???? A part of me feels like this episode doesn’t actually conclusively disprove the Redarina theory even with Katarina showing up at the end because of this scene. Childhood friends, talk of consulates, trusted ally who's been through many tough spots with Red, knows Dom, calls Dom's explanation to Liz a 'story' and is confused about why he told her it, Red calls Liz 'Masha'. There are certainly pieces there. The theory still doesn't work for me, and I don't buy it, so now I'm honestly really annoyed at the show.
- "I want this done before Masha's daughter comes home." Has Red every called Liz 'Masha' when talking about her like this before? I can't remember it. Maybe with Dom? So is it because TS is Russian from the old days? Verrrrry interesting.
- "I love you because I can trust you." This is so weird to hear from Red but I do really want to know more about their relationship.
- Dom's flashback explanation to Liz is put even more into doubt, and while it was always obvious that some part of it was false or that he was skipping incriminating detail, the way TS calls it a 'story' makes me wonder if any of it was true.
+ The Liz/Red conversation at the end annoyed me a little in how much it was screaming 'foreshadowing!'
“I know who you are.” … but does she? She thinks she now knows who he was but even then it's only the bare outlines of which she's fine not looking into any deeper. After how important knowing the truth has always been to her, and especially with where she ended season 5, it is weird to have her accepting this as the whole truth, while knowing it's probably not, and being fine with not digging deeper. At the same time hasn't she always known who he is? Knowing what she now does, doesn't change who Red is now and who he's always been the entire time she's known him.
“I know that you care.”… but she already knew that. Yes, sure, their relationship has been full of lies and manipulation since day one but Red has always been very obvious in how much he cares for her, to the point that other people have questioned over and over what he is to her. He protects her to the point of being willing to give his life, he's always willing to help when she gets in trouble and he has her back, all of which she knows and has taken advantage of. Him caring has never been in question, only the genesis of that caring.
“I know that I’m safe.”… except for how she’s an FBI agent who gets shot at and attacked a lot. And the fact that she’s Masha Rostova. And almost died literally the day before after getting into a shoot out with the secret service after trying to foil a fake presidential assassination. But okay.
“I know that my mother cared.” … what. No seriously. Post the Dom talk Liz was still on “she’s the devil” and then Red tells her Katarina isn’t and that's enough that she’s switched to “she cared”? I guess it's not out-of-character to throw in a random Liz opinion change whiplash, and I thought her unwillingness to see her mother as someone other than dangerous or a terrible was weird, but I'm still annoyed.
+ I'm so sad that Agnes doesn't remember Red at all. He raised her for ten months (or at least was a major part of her life) and loves her so much, and I found it very sad.
+ So much for Liz claiming Red as her father and Agnes's grandfather from that bench scene. You'd think if that's really how she felt her answer to Agnes wondering who Red was would have been a simple "your grandfather".
+ Red's distraction from the big fire fight at the end, including risking himself, to save random minion we don't even know the name of felt off. If it had been Liz shot, yeah sure he'd give up shooting and jump to pull her out of the line of fire bu random dude? Eh.
+ Considering all the talk about what an expert marksman Sanquist is the First Lady was looking and sounding damn good in that hospital room. I mean, distractingly okay. If I’d just flipped to the channel I wouldn’t have know that she'd been shot.
+ The First Lady seemed very ready to believe that her husband tried to kill her. I mean, she doesn't even want to confront him first before spilling all his (and her) incriminating secrets? Maybe ask for some physical proof? No? Okay then.
+ While the Post Office escape was fun I was also left with questions. Like how did they actually get out of the building? I feel like that should not have been so easy it didn't even need to be filmed, especially when McMahon and her people were on high alert. Why even bother to bring in Rudiger and his men when they were never going to blow anything up? You could simply use random minions for that. It was disappointing. Probably for them too. Or how did Liz know which doors needed to be opened to help everyone ‘escape’? Though I can fanwank that as her watching their movements through the security feed, that she’d had Tadashi also scramble for McMahon’s people, even though we don’t see anything like that. Whatever. This specific one is like the least of the the confusing things in this episode.
+ Okay, with Dembe showing this episode that he once again always has Red’s back it came off very weird that he wasn’t there during the meeting with Katarina. He knows the entire truth about Katarina, whatever it is, and even met her, so there is literally no reason for him not to be there!
On the whole this was the weakest season of the show for me. Characterisation-wise Liz was all over the place. She didn’t start off where I was expecting based on the season five finale and I think that caused a lot of the emotional momentum leading into Red’s almost execution to not play out as well as it could have. For me they really fumbled her arc. Her feelings about her mother confused me. The Agnes situation was handled poorly. The overarching plot went in fits and starts and then it’s resolution was really lacklustre and the wrap up of it all very slapdash. I was also a little disappointed that the emotional fallout to her betrayal of Red kind of disappeared in their interactions in the last few episodes for no reason. It wasn’t a bad season, as there was a lot I did love (the execution storyline with regards to Liz/Red, Liz and Dembe, the episode where the truth comes out, Red and Dembe, the Samar two-parter) and lots I liked (McMahon, some of the court drama, specific episodes) but it felt full of missed opportunities and inexplicable writing choices.
I'll start with the positive:
+ The escape from the Post Office was very fun. I enjoyed that whole sequence.
+ I loved that it was Liz’s plan, that she refused to leave the others (and let Red take care of things for her) but instead took control of the situation and they worked together to get it done. I really want more of this next season.
+ ”I said I needed to follow my own path. I did. It led me back to you.” Aww. ♥ I’m so glad Dembe's back, the show felt subtly wrong without him there. I do wish we'd actually seen some of what lead him back to Red. But I loved Red touching Dembe’s hand. I loved that he refused to be distracted by important matters until Dembe told him why he was back – because for Red Dembe is more important. I loved Dembe showing up out of no where to save Red's life because that's what Dembe does.
+ Kat! She survived Redemption and is still working for Scottie, oh, I’m very pleased about that. I never thought we’d learn her fate. I just really wish that she’d shown up this season once or twice. It’s clear from the way Liz greets her, the ease between them, that they know each other pretty well. Her look at Agnes said she cares a lot for her and thus has probably spent a lot of time with her. Somehow in just this one little exchange I find myself really interested in the Liz/Kat relationship. Are they friends? Liz needs a girl friend. I’d love if they brought Kat back to the show.
+ The fact that Agnes comes running into the apartment, and Liz’s arms, yelling “mommy” definitely indicates that Liz has been spending a significant amount of time around Agnes. They know each other, they’re close. I just wish that we could have seen some indication of this over the last season and a half. It would have been so easy to do! Have a scene start with Liz getting off a call with Agnes, or Liz late because she was getting back from a visit, or having Liz annoyed over a case going long because she was supposed to be doing something with Agnes that day. Sigh. That said, I am glad that we get indirect proof that Liz was seeing Agnes off-screen and I'm going to happily accept it as canon.
+ I liked that shot of Liz highlighted in red light as Red says "Love is blind". What I really want next season is for the two of them to talk about her betrayal and his feelings about it.
+ I enjoyed the Red/Trusted Stranger scene. I thought the two actors had great chemisty and it left me very intrigued about him, their relationship and where this is going.
... and yeah. This episode mainly left me going '???' to be honest.
+ I hated the resolution to the season plot arc/mystery. This is what this entire "plot against America" has been about? Seriously? All this because President Diaz drunk killed two people, his wife pushed for him to come forward and he felt he had to kill her to keep the secret... by bringing a bunch more people into the secret to create a months spanning elaborate plan to have her publicly assassinated, which then devolved into a mess of killing a bunch of people (including a diplomatically important one) when a part of it somehow comes out as a secret plot against America. Dear god, dude. WTF? Has there ever been a plan so dumb? I don't understand! Have her 'accidentally' drown or take a fall while vacationing alone in Camp David, or have her poisoned with an undetectable poison, or put her on a private plane for a trip and have it crash, or literally anything else would have been better!
I think as a couple episode arc this could have been okay. As the season long arc that takes place over months and drives a lot of the season it's just confusing and lacklustre, and honestly terrible. It's definitely not compelling in any way. It leaves me so many questions - like why was Diaz so set on such a showy death for her, or how the hell were so many people okay with it, or why did McMahon thinks this was for the good of country or, no seriously, why didn't one of them have her quietly killed before this? Why so elaborate? Why did they continue forward with this when they knew Red/The Task was investigating them? Honestly as an explanation it does not work at all for me.
+ Katarina being alive is really not a surprise but I'm definitely interested to see where the show is going with her. An antagonist towards Red, probably. It was interesting to see him let down his guard with her so much and I'm curious why her first reaction was to kiss him and then knock him out and kidnap him. It really seemed like it was a trap since she had everything ready.
+ I really need an answer about when Red knew she was still alive. He has reassured Liz several times that Katarina was dead and he supposedly never directly lies to her so, when? Did he only suspect and didn't let himself believe until he saw her picture? Considering how important she was to him why did he never try to find her? I guess he was the Aram to her Samar post-Cape May? But why find her now just because Moscow is looking again when they never found anything the first time? Or has he been content to think her dead because of whatever that Hobson's Choice he made with regards to her and Liz, that Dembe thinks Liz wouldn't understand?
+ The appearance of Trusted Stranger at this juncture - a childhood friend of Red's, who knows everything, who Red trusts completely, who talks about how "we've been in worse situations" like they're a team, and who Red is open enough to say 'I love you' to - is weird. I'm not sure how I feel about it. If he's that close to Red then why have we never heard a hint about him before? Where was he during all the drama that has been happening in Red's life over the past six years. I find it hard to buy this stranger's supposed place in Red's life because there has been no evidence for it in the past. He doesn't make sense.
Honestly my first though after watching their first scene several times is that Trusted Stranger is actually Ilya but that leaves so many questions. Not the least of which is if TS is Ilya than who the hell is Red and how does he fit into this situation? It doesn't work with the flashbacks so that can't be right. So ???? A part of me feels like this episode doesn’t actually conclusively disprove the Redarina theory even with Katarina showing up at the end because of this scene. Childhood friends, talk of consulates, trusted ally who's been through many tough spots with Red, knows Dom, calls Dom's explanation to Liz a 'story' and is confused about why he told her it, Red calls Liz 'Masha'. There are certainly pieces there. The theory still doesn't work for me, and I don't buy it, so now I'm honestly really annoyed at the show.
- "I want this done before Masha's daughter comes home." Has Red every called Liz 'Masha' when talking about her like this before? I can't remember it. Maybe with Dom? So is it because TS is Russian from the old days? Verrrrry interesting.
- "I love you because I can trust you." This is so weird to hear from Red but I do really want to know more about their relationship.
- Dom's flashback explanation to Liz is put even more into doubt, and while it was always obvious that some part of it was false or that he was skipping incriminating detail, the way TS calls it a 'story' makes me wonder if any of it was true.
+ The Liz/Red conversation at the end annoyed me a little in how much it was screaming 'foreshadowing!'
“I know who you are.” … but does she? She thinks she now knows who he was but even then it's only the bare outlines of which she's fine not looking into any deeper. After how important knowing the truth has always been to her, and especially with where she ended season 5, it is weird to have her accepting this as the whole truth, while knowing it's probably not, and being fine with not digging deeper. At the same time hasn't she always known who he is? Knowing what she now does, doesn't change who Red is now and who he's always been the entire time she's known him.
“I know that you care.”… but she already knew that. Yes, sure, their relationship has been full of lies and manipulation since day one but Red has always been very obvious in how much he cares for her, to the point that other people have questioned over and over what he is to her. He protects her to the point of being willing to give his life, he's always willing to help when she gets in trouble and he has her back, all of which she knows and has taken advantage of. Him caring has never been in question, only the genesis of that caring.
“I know that I’m safe.”… except for how she’s an FBI agent who gets shot at and attacked a lot. And the fact that she’s Masha Rostova. And almost died literally the day before after getting into a shoot out with the secret service after trying to foil a fake presidential assassination. But okay.
“I know that my mother cared.” … what. No seriously. Post the Dom talk Liz was still on “she’s the devil” and then Red tells her Katarina isn’t and that's enough that she’s switched to “she cared”? I guess it's not out-of-character to throw in a random Liz opinion change whiplash, and I thought her unwillingness to see her mother as someone other than dangerous or a terrible was weird, but I'm still annoyed.
+ I'm so sad that Agnes doesn't remember Red at all. He raised her for ten months (or at least was a major part of her life) and loves her so much, and I found it very sad.
+ So much for Liz claiming Red as her father and Agnes's grandfather from that bench scene. You'd think if that's really how she felt her answer to Agnes wondering who Red was would have been a simple "your grandfather".
+ Red's distraction from the big fire fight at the end, including risking himself, to save random minion we don't even know the name of felt off. If it had been Liz shot, yeah sure he'd give up shooting and jump to pull her out of the line of fire bu random dude? Eh.
+ Considering all the talk about what an expert marksman Sanquist is the First Lady was looking and sounding damn good in that hospital room. I mean, distractingly okay. If I’d just flipped to the channel I wouldn’t have know that she'd been shot.
+ The First Lady seemed very ready to believe that her husband tried to kill her. I mean, she doesn't even want to confront him first before spilling all his (and her) incriminating secrets? Maybe ask for some physical proof? No? Okay then.
+ While the Post Office escape was fun I was also left with questions. Like how did they actually get out of the building? I feel like that should not have been so easy it didn't even need to be filmed, especially when McMahon and her people were on high alert. Why even bother to bring in Rudiger and his men when they were never going to blow anything up? You could simply use random minions for that. It was disappointing. Probably for them too. Or how did Liz know which doors needed to be opened to help everyone ‘escape’? Though I can fanwank that as her watching their movements through the security feed, that she’d had Tadashi also scramble for McMahon’s people, even though we don’t see anything like that. Whatever. This specific one is like the least of the the confusing things in this episode.
+ Okay, with Dembe showing this episode that he once again always has Red’s back it came off very weird that he wasn’t there during the meeting with Katarina. He knows the entire truth about Katarina, whatever it is, and even met her, so there is literally no reason for him not to be there!
On the whole this was the weakest season of the show for me. Characterisation-wise Liz was all over the place. She didn’t start off where I was expecting based on the season five finale and I think that caused a lot of the emotional momentum leading into Red’s almost execution to not play out as well as it could have. For me they really fumbled her arc. Her feelings about her mother confused me. The Agnes situation was handled poorly. The overarching plot went in fits and starts and then it’s resolution was really lacklustre and the wrap up of it all very slapdash. I was also a little disappointed that the emotional fallout to her betrayal of Red kind of disappeared in their interactions in the last few episodes for no reason. It wasn’t a bad season, as there was a lot I did love (the execution storyline with regards to Liz/Red, Liz and Dembe, the episode where the truth comes out, Red and Dembe, the Samar two-parter) and lots I liked (McMahon, some of the court drama, specific episodes) but it felt full of missed opportunities and inexplicable writing choices.
