Plotlines

Now, due to ongoing lack of planning, I’ve ended up starting The Blacklist. Although I had my finger on the button to start LOST, Netflix immediately showed me The Blacklist, and that’s where I landed. I didn’t feel quite ready for LOST yet; somehow, I want to save that for later.

But right off the bat, before this goes any further, I must note that I don’t know how much I’ll write, there might be big jumps between entries, and whether I’ll finish the series. Regarding finishing, I unfortunately spoiled myself during research for the first post and saw that Megan Boone (Elizabeth Keen) isn’t there until the end of the series and is missing in the last two seasons. Of course, I want to know how they manage that so it still makes sense somehow, but on the other hand, it feels like they shot a fourth and fifth season of Star Trek – The Original Series, but without Kirk. It probably has its merits, I won’t deny that, but it’s still hard to imagine.

Right in the first episode, I noticed a small mishap. Reddington walks straight into the FBI field office wearing a hat and sunglasses, but before all the alarms go off after checking his name, he’s already taken both off. What bothers me is that none of the agents there recognize him, even though he’s number four on the FBI’s most wanted list, which the series tirelessly mentions again and again, so the viewer doesn’t forget what a bad guy he is.

The first episode and I’m already nitpicking, but these are details I notice; I can’t help it. Nevertheless, I find the pilot successful, and it’s a good start, especially since Reddington’s style, subtly reminiscent of a gentleman criminal, is very appealing and of course carried by James Spader’s appearance. Remember when he played the slightly scatterbrained professor in Stargate (1994)? Yes, quite a bit has changed since then.

What I like right away are the puzzles the series gives the viewer at the beginning. Why would someone like Reddington do something like this? What is he up to? What role does Elizabeth’s husband play (for now, I’m still refusing to call her Liz or Lizzy, maybe that’ll come later)? So many questions, and fortunately, I can’t remember all the answers, which keeps the suspense nicely high.

By now, with Netflix’s help, I also know that I made it to the beginning of the sixth season back then. I think there’s also a sister of Liz who’s involved in all this, but I’m not sure anymore. Let’s see how it unfolds.

I should look for information about the series’ budget because the CGI in the first episodes isn’t quite up to date. Probably a lot went into somehow renting or filming that supertanker where Reddington is initially held captive. His sunglasses or rather the reflection in them and also the helicopter look terrible. Later, a private jet that gets blown up joins in. The explosion looks awful, and it’s made worse by the fact that the private jet suddenly has no shadow. All very dubious!

Isabella Rossellini is somehow a kind of world star for me, at home on international stages and rarely straying into normal series or the like. But we’ve already seen her in a less than five-minute segment in Friends, and here we see her as a shady human trafficker. I always find such appearances interesting and sometimes wonder about the motivations.

This reminds me of a story about Angela Lansbury (Murder, She Wrote). She repeatedly got roles for colleagues in her series so they wouldn’t lose their insurance and pension claims.

I don’t think this applies to Isabella Rossellini, but unfortunately, my brain works like a pinball machine.

At the beginning of this season, we also see a familiar face, namely Jane Alexander, whom we know as C from Elementary. I like such connections, and I immediately thought that the two series might play in the same universe. However, I don’t think so, as Alexander has a completely different role and character here.

There’s also a bit of foreshadowing, though I’d be interested to know if it’s intentional or rather coincidental, as Reddington refers to Elizabeth as his daughter, as a cover in a restaurant, and this will play a significant role later.

Also, through Reddington himself, but also some antagonists, international locations are repeatedly shown or mentioned. This gives the series a certain scale and ensures that it’s not quite so USA-centric. I find this very pleasant, but I can’t quite remember if it’s maintained.

We also see Robert Sean Leonard, known from Dr. House, and I really like that he comes across very differently here than with a doctor’s coat and stethoscope, though it would be terrible if he didn’t. Sure, it’s the same actor and therefore both characters look the same, but this one is something quite different.

All in all, it’s still a bit rough and unpolished, but that will surely improve. Even though I’ve already lost count of how many times Elizabeth has said she’s done with Reddington and wants nothing more to do with all of this. I suspect this will happen more often. It’s definitely exciting, and it’s interesting to see what kind of specialists the underworld has for all sorts of jobs. You know many from other series, but here creativity is given a bit more room to play, which I really like!