My dog got me up early and I couldn't go back to sleep so I rewatched this episode.  The beginning felt a bit slow and choppy, like we were just stomping through to get to the stuff we needed.  That happens sometimes. I don't know if it was the early hour or the contrasts between the levity of the heist and the scene in the apartment while Tom hid in the closet, but this suitcase feels more ominous than ever.   Like we are watching Pandora's box being opened at an agonizing pace. (Not to mention, the time in the BL universe from the season 4 finale to this episode is like less than a week?)  I have to admit I'm sharing some of Red's anxiety now.  And I feel like the task force is more and more likely to have to go on the run or something as the season progresses.  Samar and Aram seem to be the only ones without something darker lurking around the corners and they may get dragged into it by association. 

Red: He was a bit difficult to read this time. I think the tension of the missing suitcase is getting to him a bit.  The longer it is unaccounted for, the increased likelihood it gets to Elizabeth.  He only seems concerned about it getting to Elizabeth right now, but I have a feeling the longer it is missing, the more concern he will have about other parties being interested.  But he is on to Tom.  I don't know if he suspects that Tom has the suitcase, but he knows that shady dude has something going on.  No way Tom normally invites Red over for dinner, even if he is Liz's father, and then asks "so what have you been up to?"  This cat and mouse game is going to be fun to watch.  When Liz said that Red's plan was "cool" about robbing Blaise, I was unsure of what his reaction was to that because you can't see his expression once she gets in the car, only that he's standing outside of it looking at her.  I think he's torn between enjoying the fact that she's loosening up a little bit and worried about her getting too much into the black.  I tend to lean towards concerned because in that last scene by the pool, he was a total stone wall emotionally when she was talking about being afraid of being like him and that she's his daughter in more ways than she cares to admit.  The dynamics of this relationship are going to be absolutely fascinating as the season progresses. Something about Red killing that man in the apartment was eery.  We've seen Red kill a lot of times, but he feels darker than he was in the first three seasons.  I think Liz's death and Kaplan's betrayal broke him in some ways.  Sure he can be light-hearted, but is that to balance out the deeper darkness?

Liz: I like Tom has an operative and a character, but I don't like him as a romantic partner for LIz.  He was a total fraud, she tortured him, shot him, saved him, only to hold him hostage and torture him again.  Bananas even in this universe.  Anyway, not a fan of the relationship stuff.  Liz wore red (or some shade of it) in several scenes.  Her fun during the heist got away from her, and scared her afterwards.  I think her certainty about not becoming Red is waning fast.  Not intentionally, but I think she may start believing she can't overcome it and fall into it.  I noticed she was glancing at Red and Tom while they all drank wine and had their awkward question time.  I hope she becomes suspicious.  I get a little tired of Liz constantly being overprotected by the men in her life with their secrets instead of letting her decide things for herself.  I want her to take charge and demand answers, not get so wrapped up in her own anxiety that she's blindsided by the storm brewing.  

Tom:  He is cut from the same cloth as Red.  Thinks he has to protect Liz by keeping a secret instead of letting her figure out things for herself.  He just watched Red shoot a man, and is still digging into this.  Surely he knows that Red wouldn't hurt Liz (physically), but that he is treading on thin ice.  I don't think Red would kill him without good cause because Red loves Liz and Liz loves Tom and he wouldn't want to hurt her that way, but Tom is no longer Agnes's only surviving parent.  Red couldn't kill Tom in season 3 because he believed Tom was all Agnes had.  That's not the case any more.  The only thing saving him now is Liz's love, and even that may not be enough.  

Cooper: I've been suspicious that Cooper had some agenda going on, but after watching him again I am thinking that he has a problem that he's trying to keep quiet and that the scrutiny from higher ups may expose it.  I forgot that sometime in the next few episodes Cooper has a story arc about something personal that results in him being in the field with Red.   So perhaps Cooper isn't being as shady as I thought...though he's not totally off the hook yet.  I still wonder if Cooper's daughter comes up this season.  I feel like Red mentioning her being ill last season wasn't just a coincidence.  

Samar was on point.  Her skills at the party and the apartment and that comment about the dog were priceless.  

 

Last edited by Brittany (10/05/2017 7:48 am)

Tuxie400 wrote:

The family dinner was the perfect time to add Agnes into the mix. I was surprised she didn't show up. I guess she has gone the way of Hudson.
 

HA! I had an image of the many dogs used for Hudson and wondered if they would do the same with babies. LOL!
My guess is that we'll never see Agnes or Hudson on the screen again.

I'm all for a glimpse of Red and Agnes because Red's adorable with children, but I'm good with little to no Agnes from day to day. 

I love the tension Tom adds to Red and Liz's relationship, the way he can be an adversary to Red because he isn't generally afraid of crossing him, and the way he can be used to move the story forward.  I know there are a lot of people against Tom because they consider him an abuser (not necessarily unwarranted), but I think Liz is the worse one in the relationship (or has been in the past).  

lara1-you made a good point about it being there to show how dangerous Red is.  We know it, but sometimes it gets brushed under the charm and love for Liz. 

Tuxie- I agree...I think Tom has redeemed himself. I don't think Liz has, in terms of the relationship.  She's pretty narcissistic (apple didn't fall far from the tree) and the relationship is more about her own needs than his.  

But I do wonder if Tom is trying to manipulate her with the marriage thing.  Why bring it up now after a year or more?   I think he is doing it because of the revelation of Liz/Red connection and the suitcase being in play. 

lara1 - You make a good poiint about adding Agnes to the scene would have minimized the tension.

Brittany - I'm OK with very little Agnes on screen. But Red hasn't seen Agnes since Season 4 when he hired Tom to be Edgar Legat.  Liz wouldn't let him the other times he asked in the second part of Season 4.

IowaWatcher - You may be right about not seeing Agnes again. From now on, it will just be her toys.

JackPow - Your cousin was great in the Nervous Myron role. Wouldn't that be great if he got to appear in the show again.  I'm looking forward to finding out who the mysterious Oleander is.

Last edited by Tuxie400 (10/05/2017 11:28 am)

Funniest line: If anyone shows up, the alert word is "pumpkin." 

Tuxie400 wrote:

Funniest line: If anyone shows up, the alert word is "pumpkin." 

 
I agree!! 

I was listening to the Blacklist Exposed podcast today and they brought up an interesting point: Red told the task force he needed to get into business with Blaise and all of that.  But when he got the call about the painting not being in Paris, he seemed genuinely surprised and in a lurch when the forger wasn't initially wanting to do it. Without the portrait, he wouldn't have been able to get Blaise arrested in order to rob him and then allow the FBI to have him later.  Do you think that was the original plan (to have him arrested by the Italians) and he was just manipulating them with the missing portrait thing or that Red had to change up things a bit and worked out a new plan on his feet?  I can see it either way.  He could have sent them for the original portrait so that he could justify the cost of the forger once they were in a ' bind'.   Red is always so many steps ahead that it's hard to tell what is planned and what is improvised at times. 

Also asked: is Red as broke as he portrays?  Both guys think he is overplaying the broke status.  My thoughts are that his liquid assets have been severely damaged (money in accounts, cash on hand, etc) so his desperation for cash on hand is real, along with the need to rebuild a large portion of his business and allies, but that he still has lots of illiquid assets (business interests, properties) available.  We saw him bring on Smokey and Hawkins by offering them an interest of his business.   Kaplan not only took the $200 million from the planned cruise acquisition, but also drained a lot (possibly all) of his other bank accounts and Dembe found that she had been emptying his storage units he kept around the country/world.  

Last edited by Brittany (10/05/2017 1:37 pm)

Tuxie400 wrote:

Funniest line: If anyone shows up, the alert word is "pumpkin." 

Thought I heard "Trumpkin" - but then again it could have been edited in USA, not Canada! lol

Brittany - It's hard to tell if Red was just improvising as he went along, or if he always that endgame in mind. His desire to get that $3 million penny at the auction may have changed his plans.  Afterall, he didn't want to be penniless. LOL

Of all the possible opponents in his way - I do believe Red is most wary of Tom. Tom has proven to be a most capable and devious operative - on both sides of the law. He's also been a loving husband and father (they've subverted that aspect immo) to Lizzy & Agnes . . . . after that I'd say Red is also wary of the clumsily brilliant Aram. He has no real fear of Harold Cooper or Ressler. He's also fortunate to have Samar working on his behalf behind the scenes at FBI