Last night’s episode of NBC’s The Blacklist, “The Front, no. 74″, is front and center here. If you don’t want any spoilers this is your warning. I’m going to vent talk openly about it in this post.
I thought of titling this post “Duplicitous” instead of “Lizzie’s secret?” because, whether intentional or not, that thought rang loud and hard when the episode was over. We were promised “Lizzie’s secret” and although I think we did get that, it wasn’t at all what was implied. Or perhaps I should say understood. Who didn’t think we’d be seeing what Liz has behind that door?!?!? When the episode started Ryan Eggold was even credited as being on the episode (and, ok, so he was) which nearly caused me to jump for joy! Is he credited every week? OH! I have them recorded on my DVR. I’ll go check!
Eggold wasn’t credited in the week prior, “Dr. Linus Creel” and I don’t recall any dream/memory sequences so …. THAT BACKS ME UP! They knew I’d be all over seeing Tom’s name in the opening credits after waiting a week to know what was behind the door so they planned a ‘memory scene’! ARG.
Alright. Venting over.
Last night’s episode dealt with a megalomaniac and his desire to wipe out all of humanity with pneumonic plague (how ironic this one aired in the midst of the Ebola scare!). The Front, the husband and wife team behind the cultish movement to kill off mankind did get the title for the episode but I felt the story for it was filler, not really much meat here. The side plots were far more interesting! Aram getting closer to Samar, for instance. That was sweet and touching! Liz hiring a look-a-like to fool Red’s sniper was clever … having her strip in the window to tease him, however, was …. um, what? Had she stopped at just her shirt and pants, I’d have bought it more.
Oh, and Aram asking Red what happened to the people who were unable to find Jennifer, that was priceless!
Red proving he has a heart and is capable of compassion did not go unnoticed. The insufferable little man at the DMV (haha) who couldn’t work fast enough for Red’s liking hit all the wrong buttons with Red by making him wait so long AND not caring enough to fix the vending machines for the other poor souls who had to sit and wait. Red buying and installing a new and working vending machine went a long way to show he does care for people other than himself!
What was Liz’s secret, though? When Samar was infected and shot (that didn’t make sense, why shoot her after sentencing her to death via infection???) and Liz pushed open the door to sit with her, she confessed a couple of things to Samar as they waited. She’d wanted it all, to have her cake and eat it, too, and had thought she had it all worked out. She’d met and married a teacher, was about to adopt a baby, had a great career … had everything all worked out and in place, all but the duplicitous enemy-spy husband who married her to get close to Red. Her dream came crashing down and Liz is having a hard time dealing with such monumental loss, all on top of Reddington coming into her life and turning it upside down. I think that was either secret number one or the first part of it.
Her big admission, however, was that she was jealous of this other daughter of Red’s, worried she’ll take Red from her (Liz). Reddington knowing her well enough to call her out on that very thing upset her. Was that a nod to just how deep their relationship is getting or her saying she feels like a puppet on a string? I dunno.
We didn’t get to see what was behind the door. We did, however, get to see something come out from behind the door and I have one HUGE question about that. What on earth was hanging from that dude’s ear?? *Shudder* Since we still don’t know I’ll ask again. Do you think it’s Tom behind the door? Berlin’s daughter? Naomi’s daughter? Who was the woman Red found? Is she Berlin’s daughter or Naomi’s? And, is Naomi’s daughter Jennifer also Red’s daughter? I don’t think so. Red posed that question (of sorts) to Liz when he asked her who said Jennifer was his daughter. The snark in his voice could have been misleading but if we believe that he’s never lied to her, and never will, … I dunno. Another very grey area!
What if Naomi is Berlin’s daughter or relative of some sorts and Red hid her by making her “Carla Reddington”? Could that be the reason for the zingers she threw last week when pointing out that her life as his wife had been miserable?
I’m hoping it’s Tom behind the door but if it isn’t, will he take out Red’s sniper dude in an effort to surprise Liz and get the upper hand? I’m probably over thinking again. Not hard to do with this show! SO. MANY. QUESTIONS!