The Blacklist 2x19 Thoughts
Apr. 24th, 2015 08:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaLeonard Caul (No. 62)
First I have to get my main issue out of the way: Liz giving the Director the Fulcrum, WTF?! I can't believe she did that. I don't care if she has copies of the information she should never have given the original away. Plus her driving over to meet with the Director physically instead of just calling him and reeling off some of the material was a waste of time and dumb. It's stuff like this that makes me shake my head and wonder if the writers are purposefully trying to undermine their female lead.
How the hell did she even get copies? Considering the time frame she was working in and the fact that it's a one of a kind machine it doesn't seem likely that it would be a simple or quick procedure. Even with it's creator with her. Did Caul have another Fulcrum apparatus lying around? It doesn't make sense to me.
Anyway.... I really liked it.
+ Red/Liz were great. I loved how she softly pleaded with Red to "hold on" in the car and her focused worry for him. I loved Red reaching out to Liz and her going to him, assuring him she'll look for Caul, and then grasping his hand in hers as she backed away. I liked that Red's first word upon waking up was Liz's name. But I also really liked that things aren't suddenly back to good between them. Liz is angry and distrustful and she has reason to be. Red straight out tells her at the end that he's keeping secrets from her. So I like that she isn't just forgiving and moving on because of his injury.
+ Mr. Kaplan being fucking awesome. She was excellent and needs to be on this show more. Her competency at everything is wonderful to watch. Putting together the surgical team/suite on such short notice, clocking that the 'FBI' guys weren't and taking them out, having the money ready.
+ Red/Mr. Kaplan and the wonderfulness of her loyalty and closeness to Red. I loved her taking up position beside Red when things went bad and her "I'm not leaving you Raymond." I love that when she did leave it was a kiss to the forehead and a gun to the hand. ♥ I like that she leaves because of her deep loyalty to him and because of the knowledge that he's counting on her.
+ Have we ever heard Dembe talking this much? It's great. I love how he's been having more of a presence recently. I love his devotion to Red - "I can't leave him alone." He doesn't trust anyone to have Red's back when he's vulnerable not even for an hour, not even to protect Red's privacy/secrets.
+ Dembe and Liz talking and working together! I loved it. The way she said "He's going to be okay." made me awww, just the fact that she was trying to reassure him. Hopefully with him being a series regular next season we'll actually get to see a relationship between them develop.
+ Liz/Tom. I'm really enjoying them. I liked the last scene and Liz turning to Tom to learn about Red and her past. I liked him reassuring her that the situation/Red won't 'devour her'.
+ Red being his usual competent self even immediately after surgery. I loved that he took out three guys himself.
+ Liz on Aram: "The smartest man I know..." that made me smile. I love the little moments they used to share and I miss them.
+ I like that they addressed the hospital Red/Tom meeting and I liked Red's explanation for why he hired Tom.
+ I'm glad that Red's soldier minion who's name I can't remember but who I'm sure we've seen before survived.
+ Red has a cat! I just really love that.
We got a couple new mysteries:
+ "You know what to do.", hmmm. What does Red have Mr. Kaplan as a contingency for? Something so important that it would get her to leave?
+ Reddington's secret apartment. Clearly this is his personal place. Who was the graduation picture of - Liz, his daughter? Little Liz on the swing - is thather birth father with her or Red? Probably her birth father considering his face was obscured. It's interesting if so that Red would have that specific picture of her framed considering he has many of her throughout her life. It indicates the man is important too. That Red's relationship with him was important. I watched that scene again and it's a woman in the picture not a guy. So - Liz's mother, it has to be. So Red's connection is via Liz's mother not her father?
+ "I never saw it before... how much you look like your mother." Love it. Most of the talk about Liz's past centres around her father so the fact that her mother is being brought into things excites me. I wonder if she could have been one of the Cabal?
Other:
+ I'm sure this isn't the last time we're going to see Nick. So Liz cheated on him with Tom?! Huh. That surprises me. It's clear that even after years Nick's still very bitter about it and yet he's kept tabs on Liz this whole time and when she pleaded for him help he came. Perhaps he has some residual feelings?
+ The show is all over the place with Mr. Kaplan's competency and it's kind of annoying. Most of the time we see her she is super competent and together but then she made massive inexplicable mistakes in cleaning up the ship in the harbour (the body, Alecto, the bullet) and here, despite being amazing in all other respects, I found it weird and difficult to buy that she wouldn't have a back up surgeon on speed dial. Not when Red's life was on the line.
First I have to get my main issue out of the way: Liz giving the Director the Fulcrum, WTF?! I can't believe she did that. I don't care if she has copies of the information she should never have given the original away. Plus her driving over to meet with the Director physically instead of just calling him and reeling off some of the material was a waste of time and dumb. It's stuff like this that makes me shake my head and wonder if the writers are purposefully trying to undermine their female lead.
How the hell did she even get copies? Considering the time frame she was working in and the fact that it's a one of a kind machine it doesn't seem likely that it would be a simple or quick procedure. Even with it's creator with her. Did Caul have another Fulcrum apparatus lying around? It doesn't make sense to me.
Anyway.... I really liked it.
+ Red/Liz were great. I loved how she softly pleaded with Red to "hold on" in the car and her focused worry for him. I loved Red reaching out to Liz and her going to him, assuring him she'll look for Caul, and then grasping his hand in hers as she backed away. I liked that Red's first word upon waking up was Liz's name. But I also really liked that things aren't suddenly back to good between them. Liz is angry and distrustful and she has reason to be. Red straight out tells her at the end that he's keeping secrets from her. So I like that she isn't just forgiving and moving on because of his injury.
+ Mr. Kaplan being fucking awesome. She was excellent and needs to be on this show more. Her competency at everything is wonderful to watch. Putting together the surgical team/suite on such short notice, clocking that the 'FBI' guys weren't and taking them out, having the money ready.
+ Red/Mr. Kaplan and the wonderfulness of her loyalty and closeness to Red. I loved her taking up position beside Red when things went bad and her "I'm not leaving you Raymond." I love that when she did leave it was a kiss to the forehead and a gun to the hand. ♥ I like that she leaves because of her deep loyalty to him and because of the knowledge that he's counting on her.
+ Have we ever heard Dembe talking this much? It's great. I love how he's been having more of a presence recently. I love his devotion to Red - "I can't leave him alone." He doesn't trust anyone to have Red's back when he's vulnerable not even for an hour, not even to protect Red's privacy/secrets.
+ Dembe and Liz talking and working together! I loved it. The way she said "He's going to be okay." made me awww, just the fact that she was trying to reassure him. Hopefully with him being a series regular next season we'll actually get to see a relationship between them develop.
+ Liz/Tom. I'm really enjoying them. I liked the last scene and Liz turning to Tom to learn about Red and her past. I liked him reassuring her that the situation/Red won't 'devour her'.
+ Red being his usual competent self even immediately after surgery. I loved that he took out three guys himself.
+ Liz on Aram: "The smartest man I know..." that made me smile. I love the little moments they used to share and I miss them.
+ I like that they addressed the hospital Red/Tom meeting and I liked Red's explanation for why he hired Tom.
+ I'm glad that Red's soldier minion who's name I can't remember but who I'm sure we've seen before survived.
+ Red has a cat! I just really love that.
We got a couple new mysteries:
+ "You know what to do.", hmmm. What does Red have Mr. Kaplan as a contingency for? Something so important that it would get her to leave?
+ Reddington's secret apartment. Clearly this is his personal place. Who was the graduation picture of - Liz, his daughter? Little Liz on the swing - is that
+ "I never saw it before... how much you look like your mother." Love it. Most of the talk about Liz's past centres around her father so the fact that her mother is being brought into things excites me. I wonder if she could have been one of the Cabal?
Other:
+ I'm sure this isn't the last time we're going to see Nick. So Liz cheated on him with Tom?! Huh. That surprises me. It's clear that even after years Nick's still very bitter about it and yet he's kept tabs on Liz this whole time and when she pleaded for him help he came. Perhaps he has some residual feelings?
+ The show is all over the place with Mr. Kaplan's competency and it's kind of annoying. Most of the time we see her she is super competent and together but then she made massive inexplicable mistakes in cleaning up the ship in the harbour (the body, Alecto, the bullet) and here, despite being amazing in all other respects, I found it weird and difficult to buy that she wouldn't have a back up surgeon on speed dial. Not when Red's life was on the line.
