At long last, we have finally reached the penultimate episode of The Blacklist‘s sophomore run, and what a ride it has been. There’s been twists, turns, loads of action, and some of the best acting on television, bar none. It’s been a fun ride for me as a viewer and a writer, and we’ve still got one more to go!
This week on The Blacklist: One of the most dangerous Russian assassins finds himself on U.S. soil, and two steps ahead of the task force. Liz and Ressler get a lead on the assassin, and also on information about Liz’s mother. Cooper’s relationship with the new Attorney General once again puts people at risk, so he turns to Reddington for help.
We all know what penultimate episodes are. They (mostly) offer up just enough information and juicy little tidbits to keep us interested to turn into the finale. They (the networks) want big finale numbers that they can show advertisers. However, on rare occasions, a penultimate episode can be more than that. It’s rare, but not impossible, to find a show that carries an interesting stand-alone plot in its second-to-last outing, and The Blacklist has accomplished it. They took the plot about a Russian assassin that’s looking to take out a Senator and made it the focus of the hour, only to toss in little tidbits related to the main plot, and then the ending tied it all together. Honestly, it was perfectly executed.
It sounds like the finale is going to be b-a-n-a-n-a-s, so I may not get a chance to say this again: Megan Boone has come so far as an actress in just a short time. I, like most of you I’m sure, started watching this show because it had James Spader in it. Of course, that wasn’t an unjustified action: Spader’s brilliant. The young, relatively unknown actress starring alongside him, however, didn’t exactly have people talking. But I would just like to point out that, currently, I’m talking. As we continue to explore the mystery that is Elizabeth’s life, her messed up romance with her ex-husband, and her relationships to her fellow FBI agents and Reddington, I’m certain that Megan Boone is going to continue to prove why she got the part in the first place. She’s a talent that (hopefully) will be on television for awhile.
Since we all KNOW it’s going to come up several more times in the final episode, let’s chat about it for a minute. I do not believe that Raymond Reddington is Liz’s father. Is there a deeper connection to them? Of course. He obviously cares for her, and there are not many other people that he cares for, save perhaps Dembe. Since it’s been pretty much explicitly stated that her mother was a Russian, I feel Reddington may be protecting Liz from something else. Not from who her parents are, but maybe from who killed them or why they were killed. Really, it’s quite a layered mystery, and I love exploring it.
This was another solid episode on the way to a strong second season wrap for The Blacklist. It was twisty, turny, and set us up for a pulse-pounding finale. It’s been a pleasure covering the show thus far, and I’m excited to see where the finale takes us.
What did you guys think? Did you enjoy this episode? What are your thoughts on Liz’s parents? Let us know!
The season finale of “The Blacklist” will air Thursday at 9/8c on NBC.
[Photo via NBC]
Follow Us
Trying to frame Keen is ballsy.