lara1 wrote:

Did anyone see the City promo on Aly's site - for next week?  It keeps featuring papers flying around that have a series of dark rectangular like shapes in boxes.  I'd say they were fingerprints (looks like two rows of five) but they look too solid to be prints.  May just be how they were photographed and/or appear on screen.  anyone have thoughts on that?  In the scene where there are multiple such papers flying around, there are also some papers that look like they could be intelligence reports, stamped "Classified" in red at the top with a black and white photo clipped to the top left side.  It looks like there are either multiples of them, or just the same one blurred image the way they photographed it......very excited to see next week.  

 
Yes I did. It looked like the papers were classified and there were fingerprints that were blacked out unless it was the angle?

I thought the episode was excellent. The writing and direction was good, the acting from Spader and Tawfiq superb.  

I thought Red's reaction to Liz's news was a sign of just how far their relationship has come from the beginning.  His reaction felt like a parent's response:  no matter what your feelings may be (past or present), your child's happiness is your happiness and he sees and respects her as a grown woman capable of knowing herself and making her choices (and mistakes). In season 1 he almost taunted her with Tom's lies until she finally realized it and was heartbroken, then he was sympathetic into season 2.  In season 3, he's trying to get her to stay away from him, but after Agnes is born and he believes she's dead for a while, I think he realized it was pointless to try and stop her because this was the man she loved and had a child with.  He could no more stop her from being with Tom than anyone could have stopped him from being with Katarina in the past.  

His monologue about Dembe trying to save him in order to save his soul broke my heart.  His line about Dembe being the light in the darkness was beautiful because I think at that point in his life (it was 1993, I believe when he found Dembe) he was probably at his darkest and most dangerous. It was the point in time when Raymond Reddington was the most formidable enemy anyone could have and I think had Dembe not entered his life and did what he could to try to make Red a better person, Red wouldn't be where he is today.  I imagine Dembe helped to form (or remind him of) some of his moral compass.  He's still not a 'good' man, but I don't believe he's as bad as he once was and much of that is attributed to Dembe. He talks about how he is a terrible, violent man in the City previews and while I think that is still in him, he has restrained it to a degree over the years.   Dembe knows that Red could have easily left him there to die, or just have unchained him and walked away. Instead Red saved his life, educated him, and made him feel loved, which speaks to Red's overall humanity.  While the Blacklist and the task force benefit Red in multiple ways throughout the series thus far (and will continue to do so), I do believe it is ultimately his attempt at redemption.  Both for his own soul and for Liz, to help her have as normal of a life as she can have.  

I was both surprised and not surprised about Crespin working for Red.  I had wondered if it was a possibility, but had thought it seemed more likely that he worked for someone else.  

Apparently Pete was just a poor dumb guy who got dragged into something dangerous because of the search he ran.  I think talking to people in the fandom has started making me more wrong about things than when I was just a casual fan because I start to overthink.   I always figured things out correctly back then. LOL.  

Next week looks like an excellent episode.  I really hope we get the answer to who is in the suitcase and they don't attempt to drag out the secret into the B-block.  I'm fine with ramifications playing out, but not the secret.  Especially if Tom knows, surely Liz will finally learn the truth.  

 

Eastcoast - What I got from Pete was that he was being tortured in another room and passed out. He woke up while Nik was being strangled and ran. He may have gone out another exit or window.

I agree that it's more Red's fault than Tom's that Dr. Nik, Pete and Lena died. He's the root cause of everything that's happened in the show.

Last edited by Tuxie400 (11/09/2017 8:48 am)

lara1 wrote:

I found Garvey's words about the suitcase very interesting.  And yes he is absolutely ruthless.  (I'm intrigued by why he has the same haircut  as Red and wears glasses too.) He seemed to imply that there are a LOT of people out there who would kill for the suitcase.  Even though its of most value to Red.  Probably to keep all of those others from getting it.  I think that's the final nail for me, that it's not a child.  I just can't forsee how the death of a child would cause that reaction.  Anything is possible of course.  

I think Garvey's haircut is more severe than Red's, or maybe he's just balder. Also, while Red often has the sunglasses, he doesn't often wear glasses unless they're part of an undercover disguise like when he had to meet with Scottie in an airport.. Spader wears glasses, but Red doesn't. I did have a weird thought that maybe Garvey is working for Red too. Remember how Red built his empire - circles within circles of protection.

I don't think Garvey's observation about there being a lot of people who would kill for the suitcase is unusual. If it's seen as leverage to get back at Red, there are hundreds of criminals who would love that. And what about all the families  of people Red has killed? We know that globally there were a lot more than 86 bodies. Wouldn't they want revenge on Reddington? I don't think it necessarily means anyone knows whose body is in the suitcase.
 

Last edited by Tuxie400 (11/09/2017 9:13 am)

eastcoast #62 and Tuxie400 #65 - cool, yes, maybe blacked out fingerprints!!  If you watch the promo on a computer and pause it when those papers are flying around, you can see the confidential report paper with the photo attached.  Not possible to see who the picture may be though.  I couldn't tell whether there was a number of them, perhaps with different photos, or just one swirling around.....  LOL  

lots of great comments, I'll have to catch up later!

Tuxie400 - do you think maybe Pete was the one working for Red?  which is why he didn't want him found by Tom/Lena.  a rewatch is required! 

Last edited by lara1 (11/09/2017 10:40 am)

Okay, I was just thinking about the Tom/Liz love scene and here is my take on it. I have a bad feeling that Tom is not going to,survive his encounter with Garvey, whether Garvey kills him or if it ends up being Red doing it. Or if he does survive he will never be the same or will disappear. But in any case, if he dies, or not, I think we may be looking at another Liz pregnancy. Think of all the plot complications not to mention relationship complications that would spawn going forward. Maybe she is already pregnant, or suspects she is, and that’s why the hurried wedding this time. She wanted to be married to her kids' Dad at last. If Liz loses Tom and discovers it is by Red's hand, then their relationship will be forever changed. If she’s pregnant then it could get really complicated.

Anyway, just a thought I had last night.

Honey West - I wouldn't be surprised if Liz turns out to be pregnant. But at this point my prediction is that something grave happens to both Agnes and Tom. I think Agnes may be the one who dies, and Tom is in a prolonged coma. Liz will go dark ... very, very dark, perhaps eclipsing Red in her violent revenge.

Good points, Tuxie400. That is a distinct possibility.

My current scenario goes something like Red knows where Tom is and who has him. Red tells Liz "I told him to leave it alone, I can’t help him without severely endangering you and Agnes." Liz says, "you have to. I'm pregnant." Either that or she says, .then I’ll go get him myself!" So Red has to go get Tom. Of course what he does with him, who knows. But I thought the preview showed Tom in a hospital or on a gurney? But which preview I can’t remember. And we know previews are all suspect due to how they are edited.

Last edited by Honey West (11/09/2017 4:04 pm)

I still have to catch up with everyone's comments here but Tuxie400 #77, yes that is right.  Was that before or after Red banished him with $$$.  LOL I can't remember.  I guess it was after, after Tom came back to exonerate Liz at the harbormaster thing.

My own thought (well one of them LOL) is that Tom will go away - either he will not survive the attack on him, or he is kind of banished by Red.  The promos can be so misleading but if he truly "knows everything" (parallel wording to Liz speaking to Red after Connolly), and will tell Liz Red may have no choice, because maybe that information is so explosive that even Liz can't know it, i.e. it then places her in danger.  I don't know.  Its kind of impossible to think what Kaplan really had in mind, even without the "father" reveal.  But the whole thing has now got out of control....and I don't think we are going to find out why.  I think it will give away the entire plot.  but hopefully we get enough clues, or at least one answer or part of the answer, if not "the answer".  LOL

Iowa Watcher - A lot of fans were right there with you speculating Megan was pregnant after the Greyson Blaise episode.