This finale started off with great promise and then came apart. I felt it really did a disservice to the long-time fans.

I don't mind his fate -- that a bull did him in -- but I'm annoyed at all of the loose ends and unanswered questions. And, no, don't try a spin-off with the present cast. It won't fly.

There needed to be more closure, and that could've been done on a budget. OK, I'm going to go take a walk. So annoying !!

Added: I think just about anyone on this board could've written a stronger, tighter last 45 minutes of the show.
 

Last edited by IowaWatcher (7/13/2023 9:28 pm)

Agreed. Having Red wake up in bed next to Bob Newhart would have been far better.

LOL! Bob Newhart . . . Denny Crane . . . excellent!

It's another series ending that parallels "Game of Thrones." If you haven't seen GoT, there's a number of complex story lines that the show runners walk all over and dismiss at the end. That's what I feel happened here: they gave some closure to several characters but most of the spy stuff was left unanswered, including a lot about Liz, who wasn't mentioned at all.

And what was in the box that was given to Dembe?

I could go on, but I won't. I'll try to dwell on the positive. There were some good scenes!

This is the last American network TV series that I'm going to follow for awhile. I will tune into "Call the Midwife" and "All Creatures Great and Small" when they come back this winter on PBS. The writers are a little more trustworthy with those stories. I greatly dislike being led down rabbit holes with no bottoms, and that's what happened to the last portion of The Blacklist, I think,
 

Last edited by IowaWatcher (7/13/2023 11:00 pm)

Well, at least they had “My Way” sung in Spanish. If it had been Frank Sinatra I probably would have thrown something at the TV. LOL!

I was always pretty sure it would end with Reddington's death, just was never sure how that would play out. For a long time I was sure Liz would do him in, until they actually had that almost happen, of course. But it was pretty obvious that his health issues were bringing his end nearer all the time and he chose to go out "his way".

I agree, though, it would have been nice to have a few more things explained, like the Presidential limo.

Appropriately, though, Ressler got his man in the end.

I think Mr. Kaplan should've come back and shot him, and some dialogue before and after could've brought more closure. Sitting on the stone wall and passing out with maybe a "life passes before his eyes" sequence would've been good, too, HW. Good catch! I didn't even think about that.

I'm also wondering how much the upcoming writer's strike influenced the ending. I noticed that there wasn't a lot of dialogue. It worked in terms of the finale, although not the over-all series.

I'll read around the net and see if I can get some of my questions answered. I have a sense that they left some threads open for either a spin-off or a mini-series, but I don't know how that's going to work out with a possible actor's strike, and I hope no one here is impacted by that financially (HW?)

HW, are you going to keep this forum open for awhile?

I'll miss all of you! If I don't see you around, have an excellent rest of the summer! I will check back a few times.
 

Last edited by IowaWatcher (7/14/2023 9:29 am)

RedIsMyCoPilot wrote:

One thing... does anyone else think that, like Red shooting Ressler intentionally in the vest so as not to kill him, Congressman Hudson did the same w/ Dembe - shoot him in the neck because it was not covered by the vest?

Well, if it was intentional, then he was a pretty good shot, but I was thinking more that he probably just hit him wherever he could hit him to advance the storyline and have Red save his life one last time. And the doctor mentioned that Red by doing that  had seriously endangered his own survival  due to his health issues. It also later gave Dembe a good setup for his soliloquy regarding Red. And where Dembe reiterated things we already knew about Red like his attitude towards death and dying, which, of course, set up Red's eventual decision to challenge the bull, knowing full well that it was a fighting bull because he was probably near or on that ranch where the famous Mexican bull had been bred and born. Not to mention that if the bull got aggressive, there was no way that Red would make it back to the fence and he knew it. After all, he had been coughing blood a couple of times to remind us that he was still sick so it was only a question of time and he chose to go out "his way", rather than wait for it. And if we truly didn't get it, then they had "My Way" playing in the background. In Spanish.

Okay, so this just popped into my head... it was El Torrobull end for Red!

LOL! Too funny.

HW, glad you're not impacted by the strike. Yes, I understand it will impact a fair number of people. I wish everyone well! I suspect it'll drag out into fall, and that's going to hurt.

I'm glad you are keeping the forum alive. I just have a feeling that The Blacklist isn't finished, yet. Yes, maybe a prequel. Maybe a move to Netflix. I don't know, but the more I think about it, the more I think that finale was setting up the next series, wherever it lands.