The Blacklist
General Ludd
Season 1, Episode 8 ~ Emotional Brilliance in GIFs

11/20/2013

Red stroking Sam's hair gifRed kissing Sam 1 gif
Red kissing Sam 2 gifRed leaving Sam gif
James Spader and William Sadler | © NBC Universal

I am officially addicted to Tumblr, and I'm blaming The Blacklist and a little less so Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I love both shows tremendously, but The Blacklist came out of nowhere and took my breath away. James Spader is beyond perfect in the role of Raymond "Red" Reddington, the criminal mastermind with a broken heart and a secret worth killing to protect.

What this series does exceptionally well is lingering on poignant moments rather than shying away from them. You ever notice that with other, lesser shows? There will be very dramatic and emotionally draining situations, and if someone needs a hug or a hand to hold they may get it, but the show will cut away after a fraction of a second, on to the next thing like that moment wasn't important. The Blacklist knows those moments are necessary for building a relationship with characters, and it has done so very quickly.

I was hooked when Red started his farmer speech in "The Stewmaker," mesmerized by the carefully chosen words and barely restrained anger, and that was only the fourth episode. I already felt I knew him inside and out, without really knowing a thing, and it only got better. For other examples from The Blacklist and James Spader's flawless work, check out my Secrets posts for "General Ludd." Then get lost in Tumblr looking for more. The Daily Reddington and RumandHookandRedandLizzie, FuckYeahReddington, and NBCBlacklist are great places to start.

For more about this series, I have a convenient link here for you: My Blacklist Posts. I also run Reinbeast Expanded at Tumblr, which is where all those Secrets posts are. While here is mostly for talk, there is mostly for pretty pics and gifs...and having a much easier time finding people with the same interests. I used to hate gifs, but people have made them into an art form with the way they combine photo sets.


{Edit 1/20/18: This post was originally titled "The Emotional Brilliance of The Blacklist." I had to make a change when I finally decided on a naming scheme that appealed to me and gave everything a cleaner look.}

 

0 comments:

Leave your thoughts.