Courtesy of NBC
The Blacklist phones in a sub-standard case of the week that packs 5 minutes worth of plot into a 42 minute episode.
Let’s bitch it out…
Ugh. Episodes like ‘Dr. James Covington’ are a good argument for why conventional network television should move towards the shorter seasons adopted by cable. This episode has very little to offer aside from a very generic case of the week which makes it feel excruciatingly long and drawn out for no particular purpose. This week’s Blacklist-er is a black market organ harvester who secretly uses the money he earns keeping evil rich dudes alive to fund a secret hospital for sick kids. It’s meant to be a shocking twist, but the revelation that Covington is kind of a good guy doesn’t make the preceding ~35 minutes more interesting (I mean honestly, an illegal organ ring? We’ve never seen that before. Zzzzz)
Honestly just save yourself the time and watch the trailer for Repo: The Genetic Opera (Bousman, 2008) instead. It’s a silly little musical by the guy who made Saw and although it’s straddles the line between awesome and terrible, its less polished take on rental organs that are repurposed is far more interesting than anything from tonight’s episode of The Blacklist. Plus: it has Giles from Buffy (Anthony Stewart Head) and Paris Hilton in it. What more could you ask for?
*Hell, even the terrible dystopian film Repo Men (Sapochnik, 2010) is likely better more interesting.
Other Observations:
Red Alert: Unfortunately the Red (James Spader) stuff isn’t much better. There’s the usual back and forth betrayal stuff with underlings that we don’t know which is so very dull that I can’t even begin to explain it. Hell, when Paul Reubens shows up in an atrocious wig and 70s sweater and that’s not enough to turn things around, you know the episode is in trouble. In truth, it’s just all very blah
- Side Note: is this truly what the conflict with Berlin has wrought? Dull encounters with petty middle men? Yawn).
- Double minus bonus points for once again barely using Mary-Louise Parker.
Bad Lizzie: Turns out Lizzie (Megan Boone) isn’t handling things so well, but since she’s the protagonist the best agent (?) Harold (Harry Lennix) has, he doesn’t care that the shrink thinks she’s crazy pants. That seems reasonable. Oh wait, no – it sounds like something that only happens on TV. Kind of like hiring a Mossad agent like Navani (Mozhan Marnò) without even performing a background check.
Boring Ressler Update: Yup – Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff) is still boring. Though thankfully no “spiraling addiction to whores and booze” plot line like I was expecting. Fingers crossed for a future episode, though, right?
Conspiracy Theory: Initially we’re meant to tie Lizzie’s unhealthy diagnosis into her paranoid encounter in the parking lot with a suspected stalker. Naturally it just turns out that he really is a crazy person (with a high-powered weapon to boot). What’s this guy’s story? How about: who cares? He’s basically just the new Tom Keen (Ryan Eggold), who coincidentally makes his S2 debut (albeit in a dream sequence. Très original, The Blacklist).
Best Lines:
- Red (suggesting Lizzie drink a slushie): “Try a grapefruit gusher. It’s just like you today: a bit sour.”
- Red (looking at a picture of Mr. Vargas): “Does that even look like real hair?”
- Mr Vargas (to Red, protesting against bloodshed): “You know I don’t have a strong constitution”
Your turn: did the organ harvest story entertain you? Do you care if Red’s underlings defect to Berlin or not? Are you surprised that Lizzie has become a paranoid motel lady? Did you groan aloud or simply die a little on the inside when the new mystery conspiracy man was introduced? And will Mary-Louise Parker finally get to do something next week? Sound off below.
The Blacklist airs Mondays at 10pm EST on NBC