Plotlines

Even though it’s a heavy cliffhanger at the end of the third season, it’s somehow a bit without impact. We know that the series can’t continue without Liz, so there must be something else going on. And yes, I know how strangely detached I might sound right now, I’m well aware of that. It might also be because I’m simply tired of the motif or motivation through the death of a specific character. It has been used so often that it has become one of these strange tropes in series narrative structures.

While they had focused on a certain measure of length and complexity in the chase of Reddington and Liz, they’ve completely thrown that overboard here. All this back and forth with Agnes, Kirk, Tom, the pursuit, the separation, reunion, renewed separation…! No, that was too much, and I vaguely remember that this is where a break occurred for me when watching for the first time. Maybe it’s also due to this typical Hollywood manner of not developing or refining something more precisely, but simply wanting to make it bigger. You can also notice this in the introduction of Kirk, as if everything wasn’t already convoluted and complicated enough, no, now they’re adding him to the mix as well.

I can understand to some extent that Reddington is disappointed by Mr. Kaplan and her actions. However, I also understand Dembe very well, who repeatedly tries to make it clear to Reddington that he might be going too far. Both have worked well together for so many years, and you could always tell when they had to deal with a difficult case. But the fact that Reddington goes so far as to actually shoot Mr. Kaplan, even if she survives, which is more coincidence than intentional, I find a bit too intense.

Sure, we’ve noticed in the past that Reddington isn’t just the charming gentleman criminal, but also has his dark sides that aren’t necessarily characterized by mercy. Nevertheless, I find this a bit intense, because here too, as mentioned before, he not only lacks the foresight for Mr. Kaplan’s actions, but also the self-reflection because he’s actually responsible for Liz being in such a situation and needing to be protected with these drastic measures.

For this reason, his actions also give less the impression of being about punishing Mr. Kaplan. Rather, I would be tempted to claim that he does this solely for himself. Because he’s looking for an outlet for his grief, which he certainly hasn’t fully processed yet, but also for his disappointment. Some would talk about it, which Mr. Kaplan also tried to do, but he chooses the path he has taken.

The radicality he thus displays also alienates him to some extent, at least that’s my feeling. His charm, which somehow defines him, is lost in the process, because this form of radical action somehow makes him appear headless and planless.

Do Liz’s memories still fit that she shot her “father,” now that Mr. Kaplan is suddenly Liz’s nanny? Liz’s aversion to Mr. Kaplan is illogical, she was always there for Liz and wants to get at Reddington, not her. But this shows again that this constant “I hate Red” no “I think Red is totally great because…” back and forth is simply tiring and wears off, as it repeatedly leads to strange situations. Especially since Mr. Kaplan also tried to save Liz and enable her to have a normal life. But yes, gratitude has become a rarity in today’s society anyway. And yes, if it’s not clear yet, all of this frustrates me immensely.

Nevertheless, Mr. Kaplan is an interesting counterpart to Reddington, especially because of all the insider information she has. I also found the episode that illuminates her background story very good. Unfortunately, both are only used for the convoluted twists in Liz and Reddington’s stories, instead of building something solid here that could have been easily worked with later.

Reddington built his organization only for or because of Liz, so they could come together at the FBI? Sounds not only unbelievable but also very far-fetched. The writers are slowly getting tangled up in too many twists. Such strange information is often just dropped in this season and then rarely picked up again, which doesn’t really make the whole thing any better!

I would also like to highlight the music, which still excites me, and it’s almost a bit scary how well it fits here and there. Often it’s not necessarily mood music or music as you know it from trailers, but various pieces by artists and bands that don’t immediately appear in the music mainstream. Maybe that’s also the reason why I like the music so much, because you haven’t heard it countless times before and it feels like something new and fresh.

That the FBI is such a really nice bunch of dumb-dumbs becomes clear again when they try to outsmart Mr. Kaplan during the handover of a corpse. Of course, she thought about the fact that the FBI only uses clumsy methods and is very easy to deceive. That was such a wild face-palm moment!