The Blacklist 5x11 Thoughts
Jan. 22nd, 2018 10:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaAbraham Stern [No. 100]
I loved it. It was a fun.
+ I loved the reveal at the end that Liz had been playing Red from the beginning. I didn't see that coming! Red having a backup plan and playing Stern, sure, that was a given (and also fun) but Liz? I suppose I should have guessed after that line about the apple not falling far from the tree. I love that Liz is becoming more like Red. I love that she actually managed to pull one over on him... and I think he does too. I think he was a little impressed with her over it.
+ I just really love how together Liz is throughout. I mean she drove around with a body in the trunk of her car and made stops at the Taskforce and the police station. During her interactions with the detective she stayed collected. I liked that Liz didn't turn to anyone for help but solved her screw ups herself. I loved the plan she came up with to fix everything and how damn quickly she did it. I loved getting to see her using what she'd learned from Mr. Kaplan to protect herself. I loved her going full Stewmaker on the body, complete with the same music.
"I've cautioned you that in the pursuit of Tom's killer you need to restrain your dark impulses." - Red
"Which I've done, mostly. More or less." - Liz
Heee.
+ I loved how much fun Red was having all episode. His glee at going on a treasure hunt and the fun he clearly had pulling one over on Stern and then his joy at getting Churchill's hat - he was so happy! It was great.
+ I loved Harold cracking up about Red getting robbed.
+ The Aram/Liz reunion was sweet. Hug! Liz telling him that she missed him too and that little arm rub was nice. Him being all enthusiastic and sad about seeing her again made me aww.
+ Always fun having Glenn show up.
+ I loved Red, Liz and Dembe teaming up. I really wish we got more of that.
+ Honestly the most interesting, and dark, part of Liz's actions for me was the way she played, deceived and used her friends for her own goals. How very Red of her. I mean she didn't need to trick Red, he would have helped her get the evidence anyway.
+ We got the first unintended death consequence to Liz's quest: the murder of the insurance investigator. Because she called in the tip Stern got away and murdered him and that is partially on her. He doesn't get brought up but I do hope it's touched upon in a further episode. I especially want to see Liz's reaction. The harbour master's death in season 2 haunted her and how she reacts to the insurance investigators death will really show just how dark she's gotten.
+ This episode did that thing that really irritates me where they have Liz doing something dumb/inexplicable for plot purposes when they could have done it slightly different and not had it be an issue.
Mainly - why the hell would Liz stuff the bloody rag into the garbage disposal? That made no sense! It's not even like she had to get rid of evidence quickly - she took the paper towels and cleaner into the closet with her. The show easily could have had her miss something in her clean up instead of making her do something dumb, and it annoys me so much. (At this point directed at the writers not the character.)
Or when they steal back of the coin - they have her being loud and obvious drawing attention to Glenn but also making herself memorable instead of having her blend into the background while he is the one drawing all the attention. She sneaks into the evidence locker to steal something but isn't wearing gloves and gets her fingerprints everywhere. There is no mention of cameras. When evidence is found missing those are all points that could be traced back to her and it should have been addressed.
There were also a couple other things that felt unbelievable. Liz dragging Navarro's body out of the apartment and into her trunk, unseen and by herself, isn't believable at all, nor was her getting him into the motel. Liz being able to walk into the Post Office and look at case files even though she even says she's not back working there. The fact that they have files of all their cases sitting around so unsecured. The fact that the money was sitting in the boiler the entire time and no one ever noticed. The 'suck the money out' plan would never have worked. These points however didn't bother me as much.
+ So Liz covering up her accidental killing of someone tracks with Ressler calling in Prescott to help with Hitchens body. If we continue to follow that path than I'm guessing at some point in the future Liz is going to find herself at a crossroads with a right choice towards light and a wrong choice that will keep her on the dark path. I'm thinking the detective gets too close and backs her into a corner - she either has to get rid of him or turn herself in.
+ I don't want Liz to rejoin the FBI. Again. I'd much rather this end in her working with Red.
I loved it. It was a fun.
+ I loved the reveal at the end that Liz had been playing Red from the beginning. I didn't see that coming! Red having a backup plan and playing Stern, sure, that was a given (and also fun) but Liz? I suppose I should have guessed after that line about the apple not falling far from the tree. I love that Liz is becoming more like Red. I love that she actually managed to pull one over on him... and I think he does too. I think he was a little impressed with her over it.
+ I just really love how together Liz is throughout. I mean she drove around with a body in the trunk of her car and made stops at the Taskforce and the police station. During her interactions with the detective she stayed collected. I liked that Liz didn't turn to anyone for help but solved her screw ups herself. I loved the plan she came up with to fix everything and how damn quickly she did it. I loved getting to see her using what she'd learned from Mr. Kaplan to protect herself. I loved her going full Stewmaker on the body, complete with the same music.
"I've cautioned you that in the pursuit of Tom's killer you need to restrain your dark impulses." - Red
"Which I've done, mostly. More or less." - Liz
Heee.
+ I loved how much fun Red was having all episode. His glee at going on a treasure hunt and the fun he clearly had pulling one over on Stern and then his joy at getting Churchill's hat - he was so happy! It was great.
+ I loved Harold cracking up about Red getting robbed.
+ The Aram/Liz reunion was sweet. Hug! Liz telling him that she missed him too and that little arm rub was nice. Him being all enthusiastic and sad about seeing her again made me aww.
+ Always fun having Glenn show up.
+ I loved Red, Liz and Dembe teaming up. I really wish we got more of that.
+ Honestly the most interesting, and dark, part of Liz's actions for me was the way she played, deceived and used her friends for her own goals. How very Red of her. I mean she didn't need to trick Red, he would have helped her get the evidence anyway.
+ We got the first unintended death consequence to Liz's quest: the murder of the insurance investigator. Because she called in the tip Stern got away and murdered him and that is partially on her. He doesn't get brought up but I do hope it's touched upon in a further episode. I especially want to see Liz's reaction. The harbour master's death in season 2 haunted her and how she reacts to the insurance investigators death will really show just how dark she's gotten.
+ This episode did that thing that really irritates me where they have Liz doing something dumb/inexplicable for plot purposes when they could have done it slightly different and not had it be an issue.
Mainly - why the hell would Liz stuff the bloody rag into the garbage disposal? That made no sense! It's not even like she had to get rid of evidence quickly - she took the paper towels and cleaner into the closet with her. The show easily could have had her miss something in her clean up instead of making her do something dumb, and it annoys me so much. (At this point directed at the writers not the character.)
Or when they steal back of the coin - they have her being loud and obvious drawing attention to Glenn but also making herself memorable instead of having her blend into the background while he is the one drawing all the attention. She sneaks into the evidence locker to steal something but isn't wearing gloves and gets her fingerprints everywhere. There is no mention of cameras. When evidence is found missing those are all points that could be traced back to her and it should have been addressed.
There were also a couple other things that felt unbelievable. Liz dragging Navarro's body out of the apartment and into her trunk, unseen and by herself, isn't believable at all, nor was her getting him into the motel. Liz being able to walk into the Post Office and look at case files even though she even says she's not back working there. The fact that they have files of all their cases sitting around so unsecured. The fact that the money was sitting in the boiler the entire time and no one ever noticed. The 'suck the money out' plan would never have worked. These points however didn't bother me as much.
+ So Liz covering up her accidental killing of someone tracks with Ressler calling in Prescott to help with Hitchens body. If we continue to follow that path than I'm guessing at some point in the future Liz is going to find herself at a crossroads with a right choice towards light and a wrong choice that will keep her on the dark path. I'm thinking the detective gets too close and backs her into a corner - she either has to get rid of him or turn herself in.
+ I don't want Liz to rejoin the FBI. Again. I'd much rather this end in her working with Red.
