The Blacklist Season 1 (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

I'm out.

I started the "Good Samaritan" episode last night, and quit halfway through the first scene. I finished tonight. Lingering torture and Red's cold-hearted brutality. I couldn't take it. I hated it. The episode shows I can't trust the show. Its creators showed a tremendous lack of sense for that episode (from my perspective) and there's no reason to think they won't do that again.

Deleted the last two episodes and removed the Season Pass from my TiVo.

The show isn't for everyone. I love the brutality of the show.

 

[Matt Hough]

I was quite surprised by the ending of this week's show. I wasn't expecting that at all.

 

[schan1269]

I'm liking this show immensely.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Red is a man with at serene peace with who he is and what he's after. That clarity allows him to act with supreme efficiency without hand-wringing or high-principled thought. At some point, he made the decision that the ends were the only thing that matter, and I don't think he's given much thought to the morality of the means since.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Red is a man with at serene peace with who he is and what he's after. That clarity allows him to act with supreme efficiency without hand-wringing or high-principled thought. At some point, he made the decision that the ends were the only thing that matter, and I don't think he's given much thought to the morality of the means since.

I think whatever happened to his family had a lot to do with that.

 

[Jeffery_H]

The show isn't for everyone. I love the brutality of the show.

Yep, I love this show too for many reasons, but Spader is just awesome in that role. They are great at racking up body counts, it reminds me of the "body count" guess fans use to do for Jack Bauer on 24.

 

[Jeffery_H]

I'm liking this show immensely.

In case anyone missed it, this show was in the top picks of Stephen King best shows he watches in EW. He complimented the writing, Spader especially and even said Liz is good too at their parts. It's one of the best new shows that has really clicked with me in quite a while.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

The final beat redeemed this episode for me. Not that the main story was bad, definitely one of the most interesting numbers from the blacklist, but I was so over the morose husband storyline. Having him be the person Red accused him of being is so much more interesting.

 

[Robert Crawford]

The final beat redeemed this episode for me. Not that the main story was bad, definitely one of the most interesting numbers from the blacklist, but I was so over the morose husband storyline. Having him be the person Red accused him of being is so much more interesting.

Yes, indeed. That woman has been tracking Red for a long time, but she was the person he looked up in that government database when he got access to it that one time. So there is mutual interest in each other. Why???? How does Elizabeth fit into this as Tom married her years ago. Why is she so important for an agent to marry her????

 

[Matt Hough]

Yes, the reveal at the end made the next episode must-see TV (alas, a two-week wait as NBC bows a new show after The Voice next week to give it the best possible start).

 

[ScottH]

In case anyone missed it, this show was in the top picks of Stephen King best shows he watches in EW. He complimented the writing, Spader especially and even said Liz is good too at their parts. It's one of the best new shows that has really clicked with me in quite a while.

I have to say, I just lost a ton of respect for Stephen King if he was really complimenting the writing of this show (and I love Stephen King's writing).

I can understand why people like this show, and Spader, but the writing is certainly not one if it's strong suits. In fact, it's pretty laughable quite often (especially this last episode).

 

[Robert Crawford]

I have to say, I just lost a ton of respect for Stephen King if he was really complimenting the writing of this show (and I love Stephen King's writing).

I can understand why people like this show, and Spader, but the writing is certainly not one if it's strong suits. In fact, it's pretty laughable quite often (especially this last episode).

What I don't understand is why are you still watching this show if you dislike it?

 

[ScottH]

What I don't understand is why are you still watching this show if you dislike it?

I wouldn't say I totally dislike it to the point where it's unwatchable, but I never deleted the series recording on my DVR and I just watch them while working out. It's the perfect work out show because you don't have to pay close attention. I do enjoy Spader's repartee.

I've continued to follow this thread to some degree to see how others feel but try to avoid posting, but the Stephen King thing got me going a bit. I'll try to avoid in the future unless I have something constructive to say.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Did anybody see Peter Stormare in that hospital bed and NOT instantly realize that he was Berlin? You don't get an actor of his caliber and pedigree to play a prison guard in a hospital bed.Liz is basically operating under the assumption that Red is her biological father, even he steadfastly refuses to admit it. And everything we've been shown, from the house he blew up through to the burns on his back point in that direction.Either it's all been a giant misdirect and I feel cheated as a viewer, or they need to just get on with it already.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Did anybody see Peter Stormare in that hospital bed and NOT instantly realize that he was Berlin? You don't get an actor of his caliber and pedigree to play a prison guard in a hospital bed.Liz is basically operating under the assumption that Red is her biological father, even he steadfastly refuses to admit it. And everything we've been shown, from the house he blew up through to the burns on his back point in that direction.Either it's all been a giant misdirect and I feel cheated as a viewer, or they need to just get on with it already.

What makes him so? I recognized the face, but that's all.

If Red is her biological father then it doesn't make sense that the FBI wouldn't know that by a simple DNA test. IMO, I don't think it's that simple, but I do believe that Red is the one that rescued her from the fire.

 

[Marc_Sulinski]

Did anybody see Peter Stormare in that hospital bed and NOT instantly realize that he was Berlin? You don't get an actor of his caliber and pedigree to play a prison guard in a hospital bed.Liz is basically operating under the assumption that Red is her biological father, even he steadfastly refuses to admit it. And everything we've been shown, from the house he blew up through to the burns on his back point in that direction.Either it's all been a giant misdirect and I feel cheated as a viewer, or they need to just get on with it already.

Yeah, I pretty much knew immediately too. Then he started telling that story in way too much detail.

I also noticed the burn scars on Red's back, so he is involved in the fire in some way or the other.

As for the link between Berlin and Red, it must have something to do with his daughter. We don't even know for sure that she is dead - those body parts may not have been hers.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

What makes him so? I recognized the face, but that's all.

For me, he was one of the most memorable parts of Fargo, as Steve Buschemi's partner. There have been plenty of other memorable roles: the Swedish hunter in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, one of the nihilists in The Big Lebowski, the Russian cosmonaut in Armageddon, the eye doctor in Minority Report and Lucifer in Constantine.It was just one of those situations where all of the other passengers were played by no-name day players and then the one guard is a big-screen character actor.

As for the link between Berlin and Red, it must have something to do with his daughter. We don't even know for sure that she is dead - those body parts may not have been hers.

If you noticed, on Red's copy of the photo of Berlin's daughter, he'd written "#79" in the margins. So it's likely that Berlin's daughter is/was on the blacklist.

 

[Robert Crawford]

For me, he was one of the most memorable parts of Fargo, as Steve Buschemi's partner. There have been plenty of other memorable roles: the Swedish hunter in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, one of the nihilists in The Big Lebowski, the Russian cosmonaut in Armageddon, the eye doctor in Minority Report and Lucifer in Constantine.It was just one of those situations where all of the other passengers were played by no-name day players and then the one guard is a big-screen character actor. If you noticed, on Red's copy of the photo of Berlin's daughter, he'd written "#79" in the margins. So it's likely that Berlin's daughter is/was on the blacklist.

I don't think so, remember earlier in one of the first episodes with Tom Noonan, The Stewmaker. He captured Liz and Red rescued her, The Stewmaker had photos of all his victims. Each photo had a number on it indicating the order of his victims. The photo of Berlin's daughter is the one that Red took then and it had the number #79 on it.

 

[David Weicker]

I assume Red is her rescuer from the fire.It might be that her parents were responsible for killing Red's family, and the fire was his revenge. Only after it was set, he realized there was an innocent child in there. Red has watched over Liz as penance for taking away her family.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I assume Red is her rescuer from the fire.It might be that her parents were responsible for killing Red's family, and the fire was his revenge. Only after it was set, he realized there was an innocent child in there. Red has watched over Liz as penance for taking away her family.

I was talking to a co-worker earlier today and that is my theory too. I'm still unsure why her parents were eliminated by Red, but he did rescue her from that fire.