The Blacklist
Ivan
Season 1, Episode 17 GIFs

3/31/2014


I think at least once every episode of The Blacklist I have thought, "That couldn't have been a more perfect scene." But in "Ivan" I got the one moment that I was absolutely sure, even with all the unpredictability this mystery provides, was inevitable from Red and Liz's first meeting. And it couldn't have happened any sooner or any better. It reinforced Red's love for Liz and showed a significant step forward in trust. That's all I wanted, because they are important to each other...and we still don't know why! Which I am so happy with. I love all the teases and everything that can be interpreted a number of ways. It's a joy to think of all the possibilities.

Subjective evidence to the contrary notwithstanding, some of which I agree with when looking at it from a certain perspetive, to me this moment felt father-daughter, even if he's not, which is just as likely as anything else: the way he held her, kissed her, and rested his head against hers, an expression of contentment on Red's face, Liz closing her eyes and letting herself be embraced, where before she often tried keeping a distance and took every opportunity to remind Red what she thought of him. The theory that they're related in some way hasn't been unequivocally disproven, and only concrete answers will convince me of what their relationship really is. Until then I am open to and ready for anything.

I noticed that Liz recalling that her father would lie in bed with her and hum that song the music box was playing, the box Red spent the whole case building, showed only that he has more intimate knowledge of her than she ever knew. Red barely said a word and acknowledged nothing, as is his way, always either dancing around issues with an amusing change of subject or stiff and tight-lipped, seeming to want to say something but unable to allow himself; he just listened to her and held her. That scene can also play as a shipper's dream or, more simply, a friend comforting a friend. I'm still entertaining all of the other ideas I have had since the beginning - uncle, godfather, family friend, guardian angel, and even the dreaded pawn in a dangerous game theory. I have always been drawn to the idea that Red is Liz's father, but I didn't make it up because of any desire for that to be the case. It was the feeling I got from how much he longed to be with her even before she knew him. He has a strong bond to her that has been hurting him by keeping it secret. If it turns out not to be, then I will celebrate the shippers, because I'm all about the story. It's not mine to tell, only to enjoy. From what I know already about where the series has been and how much it has given, there is no way it can disappoint.

The more mysteries they sprinkle in this show, the more my mind spins off in different directions. I adore the speculation. Speaking of which, boy, has the timeline thrown me for a loop. I have always wondered if there was more than one child that Red lost. From the beginning I thought maybe it was Liz, since they were strongly hinting towards that, but also that it wouldn't be so straightforward, and soon after came the girl in the photo. She was likely dead since she was a cleaner's trophy, so they had to be different people. Maybe neither is Red's daughter, but that photo was the first hint that he was really profoundly broken.

Then there was the daughter at the end of "Frederick Barnes," who would have been young enough to forget her father if she was alive today. (All Red said in "Madeline Pratt" was that "all there was was blood," but he didn't mention bodies.) I previously thought that the memory of her was a time close to the tragedy, the last good memory he was clinging to of his happy little girl playing and laughing in the yard. I didn't think she could be the same girl as the one in the photo until they introduced the ballerina, who struck me as looking similar. So they could just be using two girls to represent Red's memories of his daughter at different ages. The ballerina was maybe eight years old, the Swan Lake performance took place three years before the night that changed his life, and the girl in the photo didn't look much older. So I came back around to thinking maybe his daughter (or one of his daughters) really did end up in Stanley Cornish's tub. I sincerely hope not, because...just wow. It would explain his barely contained rage while telling the story of the farmer in that intensely mesmerizing scene from "The Stewmaker." What he did to Stanley would be completely justified from his point of view.

And to complicate things more, there was also Jolene/Lucy. I went way out there and thought maybe a kidnapped daughter, because Red recognized her in ViCAP. Since she was then later introduced in "The Alchemist," an episode about criminals stealing the lives and taking over the identities of the innocent, as someone who was supposedly dead, I thought maybe she was impersonating a loved one of Red's. When he had no emotion over her death at the hands of Tom, any thoughts that she was family disappeared. But did he know her? Did she turn on him? So many questions, my head might explode.

Even without yet revealing the whole truth, The Blacklist has consistently been one of the most emotionally devastating and fulfilling shows in my life. I don't often connect this strongly with a story or character. It has been a nice slow burn, the bits and pieces revealing themselves only when it's time, making it far more emotional than if it had been given up quickly, which would have created a terrible feeling that all of it was unearned and, therefore, shallow and pointless. The brilliance of The Blacklist is in every drop of heartache that spills from James Spader.

On a sidenote, after I wrote this I realized I was probably going to regret it, still not picking a side, restating the possibilities I love most. I was busy writing and GIFing, but I took a timeout to check a few Blacklist posts and discovered that there are still people putting others down for their opinion. I didn't read further, because I didn't want to be angered and waste my time. Some people need to realize that while they can share their theories and the "evidence" to support it, they have no right to deride others' equally valid theories. As of "Ivan" there is still only speculation, what we project from our own experiences, imaginations, and desires onto the story. Until we are given concrete answers, there is no right or wrong. Ships, please keep sailing. Those who never boarded, keep hoping they're related. And those still stuck in the harbor, I know how you feel. ;)

#PsychOut

3/26/2014

I didn't realize how much time had passed by and now I've just about run out of it. Isn't that always the case? I knew it would have to end someday, but damn if those 8 years didn't fly by. If I had been sure this was the last season, if USA had made it official before the season started instead of just before the last five episodes, I could have had a fitting tribute ready. Instead, my final goodbye to Psych will have to be brief.

I never said much about Psych here. Maybe because it's not one of those shows that is beautiful but always in ratings trouble, making me feel I had to contribute to the effort to save it (Fringe), and not a heart-rending mystery that begs for speculation and interpretation at every turn (The Blacklist). I hardly ever talk about comedies in general, though they are a big part of my life, because there's not much to analyze. That doesn't mean they are any less important. There are multitudes of moments to laugh about together, characters to adore and remember forever, pop culture references to randomly blurt out in conversation, nicknames that will always remind us of the good times. After a depressing drama, a gut-buster like Psych is a necessity. Hopefully, the finale is as successful at finishing the show as Monk, my other favorite USA Network detective comedy. Most series don't get the opportunity, and when they do they often don't do it justice. I've read that I have nothing to worry about.

Thank you, Psych. You made everything better when nothing felt right.

Though the show is ending, you can find the cast on Twitter: James Roday, Dule Hill, Tim Omundson, Maggie Lawson, Corbin Bernsen, Kirsten Nelson, Kurt Fuller. Use tonight's hashtag to say goodbye.

#PsychOut

Now I leave you with a clip from tonight's finale, "The Break-Up."

Finally Getting a New Chair

3/11/2014

I don't like this time of year, even though it brings around my birthday at the end of February, because I have to renew magazine subscriptions at the same time, which can get expensive. I'm good with Game Informer - got that paid up until November, I think - but Entertainment Weekly, Blade Magazine, and EGM Now are about to expire. There are never any deals for EGM or Blade, and I wasn't even going to bother looking for one for EW since they haven't had a deal for a long time.

But why the heck am I up past 12AM looking at magazines that can wait until another day? It has to do with chairs. I've been comparing hundreds of desk chairs lately, specifically hoping to get a reclining one because my combination of chair and work is trying to kill me. So I need a chair that has the right seat dimensions to be comfortable, the right minimum height so my feet can touch the floor (I'm only 5' 4" and that's being generous), a high enough back to rest my head sometimes during 8-hour days, and arm height/chair height low enough to fit under the desk. It was ludicrous how many chairs didn't fit my needs while also being stupid expensive. And I didn't even bother physically going to stores, because every time I've been to Staples, Office Depot, or Best Buy in the past, there was nothing half-way decent. I also checked Costco and found one I really wanted, but suddenly it's sold out and no longer even being listed.

I've been whittling down the candidates for the last three weeks and I thought it would be at least another before I made a decision. But today I actually had it narrowed to half a dozen, only three of which I really liked. Those were the Serta Air Health & Wellness, the Viva Office High Back Black and White, and the Viva Office Napping Chair. The Serta was no longer being sold at a number of places and had only a few reviews that were star ratings only without pros and cons, and the beautiful Black and White is too new for anyone to have shared their opinion yet, so I was somewhat wary of them. Then just before bed I checked the Amazon page of the recliner and saw that the name had changed to include a note that it was going to be $299 on March 11. After that it goes back to $339. Perfect! This is the chair I really want, the one that people seem to love, so I stayed up an extra hour.

You know what that means, and so did I, but I had to be sure anyway. Of course, the price didn't change at midnight. It would be insane to stay up to an undetermined time just to possibly get one of the free gifts for the first ten customers. So I'll go to bed and hope they still have enough of the chair to at least make it through the next eight hours. While I was waiting I used the deal I found the other day for Entertainment Weekly. I love that magazine and deals are few and far between lately. Strangely, it was right on the site's front page for once. The "Subscribe to EW" link at EW.com shows both a 1-year subscription for $25 and a 2-year for $34. I don't know if it changed, but the 2-year deal was not available to renew when I last checked my account. It might be available only with the auto renewal, which this is. It was also not through my account, so I might end up with double issues for a few weeks. (Edit: Nope, we're good. They realized.)

Come on, people! I need this chair. I also have "All This Bad Blood" by Bastille waiting in my cart. I bought "Bad Blood" before, but this is a double CD with a bunch of songs that weren't on the original release. Some of them I've heard, but I love Bastille and have been trying not to spoil myself by listening to them all online before I buy it. Yes, I still buy CDs. I like to actually own my favorite things.

Ugh. I give up. I have a lot of work today. Hope I don't forget about the chair when I wake up.

Edit: It's morning and the chair is finally on sale. Yay! I'm also getting the 5-year protection plan, which I may not have had I ordered it when it wasn't on sale, because that's an extra $22. Also, I had a gift card for my birthday. So I'm ordering the Viva Office reclining chair now, along with Bastille, Blade (1-year) [Print + Kindle] , a favorite as any reader who's been here before and to my other blog, ShinyDangerousThings, should know; Pilot FriXion Ball Erasable Gel Pens, Fine Point, 3-Pack, Black Ink (31556) (love these!); and a Pilot friction eraser light blue, since the eraser on the pens do get gunky after a time and don't erase as cleanly. Darn it, I forgot to check for German music. I know I'm missing some Unheilig. But Amazon probably doesn't have them anyway, as usual. Have to check Amazon.de and IsoTank.