The Blacklist Review: 2×14 “T. Earl King IV”

After early hitches, The Blacklist cranked it up and delivered some outstanding moments. Even when this show swings and misses a couple of times, it can still hit a home run on the next pitch.

The Blacklist — When Madeline Pratt (Jennifer Ehle) is kidnapped, Red (James Spader) informs Liz (Megan Boone) that Madeline’s abduction is part of a generations old tradition by the King family to acquire and sell exotic black market merchandise. T. Earl King IV (Guest Star Jeffery DeMunn, Blacklister No. 94) and his two sons, Francis (Erik Jensen) and Tyler (Alex Manette) have a very deadly family history. The two brothers collect both human and material black market items for auction and the one who earns the most money wins. But it’s not pride that’s on the line. The loser has to play a deadly game of Russian roulette. Eventually only one King will inherit the estate. Red and Dembe (Hisham Tawfiq) move to save Madeline, only to find that she’s bait for the real prize auction item—Red himself. To save Red, Liz goes undercover as one of the auction’s buyers and after her Handler (Steve Routman) loses the Task Force, she finds herself with some of the world’s most notorious criminals hosted by the three Kings.

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When Red is bid upon by General Yaabari (Sahr Ngaujah) who has a score to settle after the first episode of the season, Liz bids on Red as well, driving up the winnings for Francis, much to Tyler’s dismay. Red himself even gets in on the bidding and when all is said and done sells for $18 million to Yaabari. Meanwhile, Cooper (Harry Lennix) gets the auction location by admitting he has an inoperable brain tumor, and therefore nothing to lose in killing the Handler for information. When Liz’s cover is blown, she risks her life to kill Yaabari before he can kill Red. As the Task Force raids the site, Red and Liz confront the Kings and Red kills Earl with the roulette pistol. Tyler may be going to prison, but he just escaped a death sentence. Afterward, Red insists that Liz never risk herself on his behalf again, but her rebuttal stuns him. She did it because she cares about him. Meanwhile, Tom (Ryan Eggold), having transformed himself into a German thug complete with tattoos and a bad attitude, goes undercover on a dangerous new assignment for Bill McCready (Lance Henriksen). With questions and more questions about the reveals and twists lets fire straight into the details of this episode of The Blacklist!

With a 16% chance of permanent checkmate, these Kings don’t play.

Everyone loves a good chess match. Don’t they? In the end, only one King can be the winner unless of course one side is crafty enough to orchestrate a draw. A draw doesn’t seem to be an acceptable outcome for T. Earl King VI and his two sons. There has to be a winner and a loser. Their vicious game of criminal auction and loser Russian roulette ensures that eventually someone’s losing one-in-six odds will run out. We’d say Earl won’t be winning any parent of the year awards.

“Even if you win [the auction], I only have a 16% chance of losing—one in six.” ~ Tyler

This show never ceases to amaze us at it’s varied and dynamic Blacklisters. They just keep hitting us with one after another that are hard to forget. Jeffery DeMunn (The Walking Dead) kept that streak on a roll. While neither of his sons stood out in the episode as either remarkably charismatic or memorable, DeMunn’s greasy demeanor and electronically assisted voice made him quite the scene stealer. His deliberate and forced enunciation of such twisted dialogue left us feeling we needed antiseptic wipes after each scene. Simply put, DeMunn was outstanding.

In a beautifully orchestrated sequence, DeMunn and Spader exchange barbs while Red is being shaved by a barber with a straight razor. The entire scene was disturbing. Between DeMunn’s bile inducing performance and the close ups of the straight razor at work, the entire exchange left us less than comfortable. There’s something about a straight razor that is both a charming throwback and a queasy threat. But it was DeMunn’s struggle to speak with his electronic assisted voice that made the moment vile and unforgettable in a way that no words here can adequately express.

“Red, you taught me an invaluable lesson. Dispassion is the businessman’s best friend. One mustn’t get emotionally involved in business. You have to listen to the market. You hear that? That’s the market telling me you are in demand. What kind of a commodity are you? A wealth of secrets and information? Or are you an impulse purchase for a buyer to settle a score? You scare people, Red.” ~ Earl

As the episode progressed and the two younger Kings reached a winner, DeMunn’s performance didn’t let up. The wild look in his eyes as he demanded the loser of the auction total take the roulette gun and play was definitely a window into a scared individual. No doubt he had to do the same when younger and was now passing the tradition on to his sons. What horrific family gatherings they must have had in-between.

When Red and Liz crash the game and stop Tyler from pulling the trigger, Red takes the gun and fires at Earl, killing him in one shot.

“Oh, my God. What are the odds?” ~ Red Laughs

Red almost always gets the last laugh. As the entire auction was raided and the two younger Kings were carted away in handcuffs we were both glad and sad to see Earl go. DeMunn was fantastic at making our skin crawl, but checkmate goes to Red and Liz.

Don’t mess with a man that has nothing to lose.

Anyone that thought Harold Cooper wouldn’t have consequences to pay for help from his “friend” Tom Connolly (Reed Birney) hasn’t watched enough television. We knew it was coming, but that didn’t make it less jarring when it did. Deep down, even with skeletons in his closet, we’ve come to believe that Deputy Director Harold Cooper is a good man at heart. Harry Lennix has played both good and bad characters in his time, but he’s brought a chivalry to Cooper that we’ve come to respect. Birney on the other hand, has had us convinced that Connolly was slimy from his first appearance on screen in “The Judge” in Season One.

With the exception of a few scenes here and there, Cooper hasn’t played as prominent a role this season as we’d hoped. We knew the story of his illness would play a major part at some point and this week’s episode seemingly started that snowball down the hill. When Connolly asks Cooper for a slippery favor to warn a suspect in a fraud case, we see “friendship” has strings. Lennix’s stunned, disbelieving reaction was priceless.

“You want me to tip him off?” ~ Cooper

“He’s a good friend, close friend. And I take care of my friends. How’s that clinical trial? The one I got you into? You look well.” ~ Connolly

Oh the sticky situations we find ourselves in Cooper. But something clicked in him. With Liz’s cover about to be blown and the Handler (Steve Routman), who delivered Liz to the auction in custody, Cooper lowered the boom. With his pistol on the table he laid it all out for the Handler cuffed across from him.

“My doctors recently detected a mass within the left hemisphere of my brain- an inoperable tumor. Within a matter of weeks, it will kill me. And this has clarified a number of priorities for me. Among those priorities, nothing is more important to me than the safety of my colleagues. I’m committed that no one under my command dies during the remainder of my watch. And I will do anything within my power to honor that commitment.” ~ Cooper

[Cooper swiveled the pistol barrel toward the Handler]

“And since I quite literally have nothing to lose, I suggest you think long and hard before answering my question. Where is Elizabeth Keen?” ~ Cooper

We did some serious fist-pumping for Harry Lennix. This is some of the juiciest dialogue he’s been given and it had to be incredibly fun to play. Director of Photography Eric Moynier also deserves credit for capturing Lennix’s fantastic and care-free performance with increasingly tight shots that shift perspective from below to above before it’s done. In one spectacular moment we learn both Cooper’s diagnosis and Liz’s location.

We’ve waited for some time to find out what sickness Cooper has been battling and what a way to have that little secret slip out in dramatic fashion. Lennix was fantastic in the moment and his “nothing to lose” was delivered with such “I could care less about what happens to me now” conviction that this is officially our favorite Cooper moment of the series. After taking a dance with the Devil, Cooper may very well have decided that if he was going to compromise his principles, he might as well go all the way and do it for a good reason—to save Liz.

Did Red just say what we thought? Wait, did Liz just counter? What? Wow!

The Kings, Cooper and Tom all had spotlight moments, but it was the dynamic between Liz and Red that was likely the most discussed element when this episode was done. Red has demonstrated time and again he’s willing to risk himself for Liz and we know he’s sacrificed more on her behalf than she is aware. Whether that was only for his benefit or if he cares more deeply is still yet to be seen. We’d put money on it being some of both. But no one will dispute that Red believed his last words and thoughts would be of Lizzy before he died had she not killed General Yaabari (Sahr Ngaujah) first. Make of that what you will, but Red must hold Liz in high regard if his last thought would have been of her.

Liz however, has been more difficult to figure out. She’s acted at times like she cared for Red and has taken risks to help him or keep him safe. Recently, when she came to the conclusion he was only interested in her to get to the Fulcrum, she backed away completely. But then of course came back around and agreed to give him some information to fulfill her part of the deal for catching The Deer Hunter. Through it all, it’s felt like Liz has been waffling as she tries to decide what she does feel.

With the shocking admission at the end that Liz risked her life to save Red from the Kings because she cared about him, we’re left a little more confused than before. We think some part of Liz has grown dependent upon Red and enjoys his company. Another part of her wishes she’d never met him and would rather have nothing to do with him. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle for her just as it does Red. But with the realization that Red insists she never risk herself again, her admission is all the more powerful.

“You are so damaged. You can’t accept help from anyone. Has anyone ever helped you? Is that why you are the way you are? Because you don’t feel deserving of it? Is that why you can’t be vulnerable for a second? I risked my life for you because I care about you. Deal with that.”~ Liz

We loved that Megan Boone let Liz’s emotional vulnerability show through this moment. Spader, stoic as ever, didn’t flinch, but she certainly did. Her emotions showed and Boone did a fantastic job of selling us on the caring moment. We also loved that Liz fell back on her roots and psychoanalyzed Red just a bit in this instance. As reserved as Red was throughout, we couldn’t help but wonder if she hit a little close to home on some level that we don’t yet understand.

It may be a long time before we do understand Liz’s feelings for Red but her last statement that she cared was either a truth she’s held on to for a while or something she’s recognized once the thought of losing Red came to the surface. We’re not sure which it is, but Boone sold us that she does care at least to some extent. That could of course explain why the conclusion that he’s only in this for the Fulcrum seemed to hurt her deeply. The writing has left us to question where Liz’s mind is at the moment, but Boone didn’t leave any doubt. Her performance was spot on, even if Liz’s motivations seemed confusing given the things that have happened in recent weeks.

FINAL VERDICT: After a bit of sputter, this episode put The Blacklist into high gear showing that you just can’t keep a good show down. Outstanding performances and a bombshell from Liz made for moments we won’t soon forget.

Overall this episode didn’t move the larger season arc with the exception of that last moment where Liz admitted she cared for Red. We didn’t mind a side story. We get those on occasion and they can be good. What we do mind is not understanding Red’s motivation for saving Madeline Pratt (Jennifer Ehle). Red had to know Madeline would be harboring a grudge. Was he trying to get back in her good graces? Maybe, but we’d say that isn’t required now that they are even. That plot device of her in trouble seemed a little thin. Red put everyone at risk for Madeline, who’s shown before she isn’t the most loyal person. He should think twice before doing that again.

To make matters worse, the Kings left a witness when they nabbed Red. Granted, we don’t want anything to happen to Dembe, but would someone who had gone to such great lengths to capture Red, as Francis King did, really leave a witness behind? We guess Red was right. The Kings have more money than sense. Had they eliminated Dembe, no one would have known what happened until it was too late and this series would have ended with Red on his knees. Don’t get us wrong, we’re glad that didn’t happen, but as good as some scenes were, there were some things that didn’t add up getting to them.

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Once the nonsensical capture was past, the rest of the episode was quite good. Writers Brandon Sonnier and Brandon Margolis overcame the early sticky situation of getting Red into a mess and delivered some fantastic dialogue and moments once Red was in that jam. The entire shaving sequence was a tension filled cauldron of bubbling dialogue fired back and forth between Red and Earl. And throughout his auction and after, Red was his confident and sarcastic self. Spader really is a master at the subtle emotions. The look on his face when General Yaabari cleared any confusion by insisting that it was only Red’s head that had a bounty was priceless. And the shock of Liz saving him was equally good. We’ll just keep reserving at least a small spot of every review to gush over how good Spader is at his craft. And then sometimes we’ll spend most of the review on it just for good measure.

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For all the good performances, perplexing plot movements early and fantastic interactions late, Director Steven A. Adelson delivered a quality episode. Yes, there were a few plot holes, but there were also scenes that blew our socks off. Lennix especially, who has been under used in this show, shined as Cooper casually implied his captive was about to die and later dealt with the stickiness of his now complicated “friendship” with Connolly. But it was perhaps the change of pace moments with Tom that really stood out. As jarring and different as they were in tone and music, they captivated us—even the awkward call to Lizzy. That felt a tad squeezed in, but the rest of Tom’s transformation was absolutely stunning. Ryan Eggold is a gem and we were glad to have him back this week. We have no idea what Germany has in store for him or how it ties to the larger arcs, but bad boy Tom is ten times more interesting than school teacher Tom and we want more.

In the end, an episode with some ups and downs early delivered fantastic moments down the stretch. We question some of the plot moves, but like all episodes of The Blacklist, those are glossed over a bit with outstanding performances and top notch production value. That’s not us letting them off the hook. The Blacklist has set a high bar for plot and writing with episodes that threaded both together so well, they were near perfect. This episode didn’t quite live up to that standard in the early setup, but certainly made up for it in the stretch run. In particular, now that the emotional cat is out of the bag from Liz, perhaps it’s time for Red to do some confessing as well. And we have NO idea what Tom is doing with Bill McCready (Lance Henriksen), but we want to know and we want more. That said, when The Blacklist returns next week, we’ll be sitting in front of our televisions to find out!

Questions, Comments, Concerns and My Reaction on Twitter…

• What do you care, she almost got us both killed. Foreplay. #ThingsRedSays
• Poor Dembe. Always has the door shut on him.
• I take care of my friends. How’s that clinical trial? Sticky, sticky Harold.
• Well played Madeline. Didn’t see that coming Red? Who’s the saucy minx now?
• Well, crap. Dembe has been shut out and now tazed. All in the first 10 mins. Least he’s not for sale.
• Really. I’m all for being thorough but now you’re just taking the nickel tour. HAHA! Little tight? #ThingsRedSays
• How ya been? Anyone taking bets that the sneeze advice gets Liz out of a jam? #ItsComplicated
• Well Dembe isn’t for sale, but it looks like bids are being put in for @HISHAMTAWFIQ! lol
• No hard feelings I hope. Shot below the belt Red?
• You scare people Red. Red scares?? Holy creepy performances @JeffreyDemunn !!
• How are the boys? Little singe on the ear there. (Psst. Red, you’re in deep shit I think).
• I’m kinda disappointed. That had to bruise Red’s ego .. at least a little bit. #ExpectedNineFigures
• Woah. That was a righteously and wickedly scary Harold!! I’d talk!
• What are the odds! But don’t eat the franks and beans. #ThingsRedSays
• Deal with that. And when someone does something nice, you’re supposed to thank them. Wow Lizzy. #MicDrop
• Never do that again. Sorry Red, that ep was freakishly good. I’m watching again.