The Blacklist Season 4 Premiere Review: “Esteban” Assists In Search For Liz, Agnes

Alright! The Blacklist is back! I’m so excited to be back and continuing to write about this show for all of you. Season 4 kicked off with a bang, immediately rolling on all cylinders. The premiere episode was pulse-pounding, and every minute of it got me more excited for what’s to come. I always worry that this show will let me down, and then it never does, and it’s such an elating feeling.

This week on The Blacklist: Reddington, feeling betrayed by Mr. Kaplan, begins his search for Liz and Alexander Kirk. The task force, feeling betrayed by Liz, have mixed feelings about helping Liz out of her situation. Ressler goes to Cuba to assist, but Samar stays behind in protest. Tom, meanwhile, must get out of being captured and help his daughter.

As you can see, there was a lot happening this week. The best part about this show is how well it combines action with character building and drama, and tonight, in that case, was peak Blacklist. The emotional conflict between Aram, Ressler, and Samar was tense. Reddington’s emotional rage spiral was absolutely brilliant to watch, and there’s always good action when Tom Keen gets out of a trunk with zip tied hands. Every cast member was at the top of their game for “Esteban”. The direction of the episode was wonderful. The pacing of the episode was excellent. As a huge fan of the show, I have zero complaints.

I’m pleased and also very intrigued at the new plot threads that the show is teasing. Aside from the kidnapping of Liz, which I’m confident will be resolved sooner rather than later, the larger mystery of Alexander Kirk’s true motivation remains. Aside from that, Ressler uncovered some more shady dealings from the US Government (I know, huge stretch). Even aside from those, the emotional stories dealing with Reddington, Liz, Samar, Aram, and the rest of the crew will be enough to carry us through the non-serialized episodes during the long season. Each actor has come into their own so well, and they all carry scenes masterfully. I’m looking forward to their emotional payoffs. Everyone is at the top of their game and I’m so excited!

Don’t forget, on top of all of this, that there is a mid-season exit for Tom Keen in the works. So that’s another fun plot thread to look forward to.

How great is James Spader? I know I say that in basically every review, but it’s true. Reddington just operates on another level. His relationship with Mr. Kaplan being broken is absolutely riveting, and his fascination with Agnes even more so. He’s so complex and nuanced, I’m really surprised that he doesn’t get more attention come Emmy time, honestly. Oh well. I noticed.

Honestly, “Esteban” blew me away. The new later time has thrown me a little, but how great is a show that can keep your undivided attention through a later time slot? Especially when you’re a new parent and you’re tired literally all the time. But The Blacklist has done it. My only hope is that the show can maintain this intensity they’ve come out of the gate with, and if they do, they could have one of their best, most exciting seasons yet.

What did you guys think? Did you enjoy the episode? Let us know in the comments!

The Blacklist airs Thursdays at 10/9c on NBC