The Blacklist
The Stewmaker
Season 1, Episode 4 ~ A Surprise Favorite
I expected to love two new shows this year: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Almost Human. I had been looking forward to them for months and couldn't keep the excitement contained. I adore the first so far (and still do! //1.22.18). The second premieres on November 17, so I can't make a judgment just yet. (It had great potential, but it was canceled after only 13 episodes. //1.22.18) But I didn't even know The Blacklist existed until I saw NBC's fall preview not long before it premiered. I put it off for the first few weeks and I'm just now getting caught up. Still need to watch the fifth episode, but it's already very high on my list of must watch series. This James Spader-led thriller came out of nowhere and surprised me tremendously, and it reminded me why I missed him so much when Boston Legal ended.
The story begins with Raymond Reddington, former naval officer and one of the government's most wanted, turning himself in to the FBI. Over the years since he disappeared, Red built a vast criminal network and sold government secrets, getting himself branded a traitor. Now he's setting the FBI after those in his way, making a deal to cooperate in taking down the worst of the worst only if he's guaranteed to work with brand-new agent Elizabeth Keen. An intriguing start for sure.
I love the mystery of who Lizzy is to Red. In just four episodes, the show has dropped a lot of hints and Spader, as usual, has been superb, giving plenty of insight into a morally murky, conflicted character who works for himself, selling secrets and brokering deals with anyone willing to pay, damn loyalty or patriotism. He's one of the government's most wanted men for a reason. I can't wait to find out what made him that way. The higher ups will tolerate and use him for now, but that won't last forever. Red is very intelligent, so he must know he may not get out of this - or an escape has been planned to be undoubtedly saved for the end of the series.
But it seems Red wants more than the satisfaction of putting away the worst of the worst, and those in the way of his criminal enterprise, or whatever other hidden agenda he may have. He requested Keen to get close to her for some reason. To make up for a wrong in his past? When Elizabeth calls him a monster, he agrees with her without hesitation, but you can tell he wasn't always that way, that he regrets some part of the things he's done, the things he's had to do. No matter how far he may have fallen, he obviously has a heart for the innocent. The evil of the world disgusts him. Spader is playing my favorite kind of bad good guy, or is it good bad guy? Either way, he's a complicated character in a very dark grey area and he's fantastic and fascinating to watch.
Catch up on Hulu Plus, NBC.com, your OnDemand channel, or Amazon Instant Video (Pilot [HD]). I already know I'm going to buy The Blacklist: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray] when it's released.