The Blacklist Review: 2×17 “The Longevity Initiative”

Time is the relentless adversary that pursues us all. Who wouldn’t want to keep it at bay a little while longer or even forever? The price however may be high and the consequences could have huge ramifications as the season draws to a close.

The Blacklist — As everyone in the group marks the passage of time by acknowledging Liz’s (Megan Boone) birthday, Red (James Spader) points her attention toward The Longevity Initiative (Blacklister No. 97) funded by a powerful tech mogul, Roger Hobbs (Ralph Brown). The Initiative’s sole purpose is finding experimental ways to extend human life, but the murder of a cop and the revelation that they have been experimenting on human victims has recklessly exposed them to the world. When Dr. Jeffrey Maynard (Kevin Weisman) discovers all the victims were already mentally incapacitated, the team connects the dots to Lyod Munroe (Elliot Villar) who has been collecting the brain damaged victims from care facilities and delivering them to Dr. Julian Powell (Josh Close) for experimental treatments with rare, and seemingly immortal, jellyfish cells. At the same time, Director Cooper’s (Harry Lennix ) own battle with mortality is going amazingly well. So well in fact that he’s beginning to walk without his cane. When a confrontation with Tom Connolly (Reed Birney) who seeks help deflecting the Task Force’s attention away from Roger Hobbs turns heated, Cooper quickly learns that favors have a price when his doctor informs him that he may be dropped from the experimental trial despite its success. Meanwhile, Tom Keen (Ryan Eggold) is picked up by The Major, Bill McCready (Lance Henriksen) who plans to kill Tom for all the trouble he’s caused. Before that can happen, both are captured by Elias (Chandler Williams) who seeks revenge for the assault in Germany.

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While everyone is searching for key players from the Initiative and Cooper is struggling with his own moral code, Red is secretly meeting with the source—none other than the enigmatic Roger Hobbs. Hobbs would like Red’s help to eliminate Dr. Powell and ensure that nothing clandestine links back to the mogul himself. Red agrees, but not before lecturing Hobbs on the folly of pursuing science, even something as invaluable as immortality, at any cost. As the team closes in on Powell through is brain damaged fiancé, so does Red, who snatches Powell right from underneath an incredibly frustrated Liz. With Powell in hand, Red’s true plans unfold. Hoping that Powell’s research can help restore memories erased in Liz’s mind regarding the Fulcrum, Red soon learns that Powell’s science for regeneration and immortality is a hoax. Powell has been falsifying his findings to Hobbs in order to maintain the secret purpose of his funding—restoring the health to his fiancé. The weight of his misdeeds and his overall failure to find a cure for his fiancé proves too much and Powell commits suicide, thus ensuring Red’s work for Hobbs is done. After delivering the news to Hobbs and ensuring that the mogul is in Red’s debt, Red apologizes to Liz and warns her that a storm is coming and Hobbs will be an invaluable ally when the time is right. Meanwhile, as Elias tortures both Tom Keen and Bill, he stumbles upon the one thing that would turn Tom from Tom’s wallet—the ultrasound photo and Liz’s name. Tom quickly sells out Bill in and warns Elias that powerful people are after him. With nowhere else to go, Tom surprises Liz in her home, who has just gotten done celebrating her birthday with Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff). With clues and hints to a much bigger game afoot let’s take the time to sort through all of this week’s juicy details on The Blacklist!

What price would you pay to live forever? Or even just to celebrate a few more birthdays with someone you love?

The price for immortality, if such a thing exists, would be extraordinarily high. As the episode opened with the Initiative’s courier of bodies, Loyd Munroe, shooting a cop, we were shocked by the gruesome reveal of mutilated bodies with brains exposed. That was creepy—even for The Blacklist.

Dr. Julian Powell, whose research resulted in the bodies found, was a distinctly more complex character than we first thought. Clearly unstable and genuinely creepy in his experiments, he had to be a disappointing pain for someone like Roger Hobbs who seemed likely to plan everything ten moves in advance.

But we’ll give the writing team credit for twisting Powell’s story around to the point that we ultimately realize it’s not the science or glory at all that is his endgame. Hobbs may very well want to live forever, but Powell simply wanted to save his fiancé from the prison cell of her own body.

It would seem that the not so good Dr. Powell, started down a somewhat noble path, only to end up compromising himself further and further. At some point, the price is too high and you either move forward or stop and pay for your sins. The fact that Powell fooled Hobbs into believing in the science made for several outstanding scenes between Spader and Brown.

“What the hell were you thinking, Roger, even to consider authorizing this Powell to conduct human trials?” ~ Red

“It was necessary for the research to reach the next level. I didn’t know he was gonna be so reckless.” ~ Hobbs

“You had to know there was a risk innocent people would die.” ~ Red

“How many innocents died in the search for the smallpox vaccine? All in the name of the advancement of science.” ~ Hobbs

“This isn’t about science, Roger. This is about you actually believing that death is beneath you.” ~ Red

Red’s assessment that Hobbs wanted immortality for himself was on the money, but his agreement to help Hobbs with the problem was the perfect deception as well. Tracking Powell down had two objectives for Red. Leave Hobbs in his debt and find out if the science worked well enough to recover lost memories in Liz. That was a complex plot line that played out extraordinarily well. Kudos to the writing team. This episode was about deception at almost every level and no one is better at that than Red.

While Red and Hobbs considered the effects of immortality, Harold faced a much more real prospect of simply maintaining his health. Hobbs, Red and even Powell had compromised themselves for science, but Harold’s success in his experimental drug trial was playing out as solid parallel to the larger story and Blacklister of the week.

What price does one pay for life and more time with the ones we love? Powell was certainly willing to go to great depths and in the end, found he couldn’t deal with the consequences when he failed. Suicide was his out. Harold on the other hand has also been put in a position of compromise by Connolly. What price will he ultimately have to pay in order to stay in the trial and survive?

By protecting Hobbs in the investigation, Cooper sent red flags up to Ressler and Liz. Both saw it, but only Liz knows there may be more to the story. That may explain why Ressler called Cooper out and Liz only gave him a look. We wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Liz suspects that someone pulled strings to get Harold healthy again.

Liz herself has been the benefactor of such strings. She may even have to face a payment of her own at some point, but for Harold, the continued good health would appear to have a distinct price. What Connolly may ask next might not be so easy to swallow. What price is worth it to keep your life, if you lose your soul in the process? It seemed that everyone in this episode was wrestling with that question.

Trouble is always about a girl isn’t it. Not always, but in Tom’s case, it seems to be about two.

We wondered last week what Tom’s motives were for stepping into the courtroom and sacrificing himself for Liz. Did he already have a deal in place to walk away? The answer is highly likely to be yes, but at his heart, Tom does seem to genuinely care about Liz. Calling her on her birthday was a sign. Even if she didn’t show it, that meant something to her. And it’s no doubt it also left her conflicted.

On the flip side, Tom has now found himself in dire straits. We weren’t surprised to see The Major pull him off the street, but it would seem that Tom is caught in a much bigger vice than just his boss and handler. We were pumped when we found out Lance Henrikson was to be a guest star and Blacklister on this show. We were a bit let down by his episode as it barely had him in it at all.

This episode however gave us the kinds of moments that we expected the first time around from Bill McCready. Henrikson was outstanding. The confrontation with Tom in the car explaining why Tom needed to be put down was incredible work and exactly the kind of power we dreamed Henrikson would bring to the role.

“My uncle was a farmer. He had a beautiful border collie—smart, well-trained, loyal as hell—but one summer, that dog, he got into the hen-house, killed half the chickens. My uncle loved that dog, but he knew he had to be put down.”~ Bill

“I can go someplace far away from here.” ~ Tom

“You burned Reddington for the girl, and I looked the other way. And then there’s Dresden.”~ Bill

“This is me!” ~ Tom

“You went to the feds for the girl, Jacob.”~ Bill

“You’re gonna put a bullet in my head? After Cape Town?“~ Tom

“Roll down the window.”~ Bill

“I’m not just some operative, all right? You know me. You raised me.” ~ Tom

“You knew the rules, kid. I warned you about the girl, and she’s cost you your life.” ~ Bill

As if the scene in the car wasn’t enough, Henriksen only got better. As the Germans interrogated both Bill and Tom, in what turned out to be one of the most brutal scenes in some time on this show, Henriksen sizzled as he got more vile and angry at being burned by Tom Keen.

When the chips were down and Liz was at stake, Tom turned. We admit, we’d have turned at the first little cut of that knife in our leg, but we give Tom, and Ryan Eggold, credit for a stoic, defiant approach that had us squirming. Tom, or Jacob, or whoever he really is, should never have kept that ultrasound in his wallet. In his line of work, you burn everything when moving on to the next job, but Liz appears to be something he can’t get out of his heart.

As Tom bargained with Elias and informed him of his real mission to find out who on Elias’s crew killed Sarah Hastings, we couldn’t help but wonder who Tom was really working for above Bill. The ire of Bill as Tom turned was venomous enough, but warning Elias that very powerful people were looking for Sarah’s killer suggested there’s a much bigger scope to Tom’s story than we know just yet.

Who is Sarah Hastings? Who is Dresden? What level of jeopardy did Tom put himself in for Liz? We don’t know, but Eggold was fantastic throughout the interrogation. We don’t know any of these answers, but Bill’s call at the end to find Tom at any cost seemed to spell trouble for Tom and whoever he’s with at any time. Tom burning his documents at the end seemed to be a moment of cleansing. Is he walking away from his life? Is he choosing Liz? It’s hard to say, but great writing has us asking the questions. Especially since he showed up in Liz’s apartment at the end.

After all she’s been through, Lizzy does deserve something good. Will she, and life itself ever let her have it?

With all the questions about consequences to actions and seeking more from life by so many in this episode, it was fitting that Liz would face a few of her own questions, albeit on a smaller scale. Writing in her birthday was a nice touch to mark the passage of time in an episode focused on immortality and Red waltzing in with a bottle of wine she made with Sam as a child was simply another marker that he’s been in her life for far longer than she’s known.

Liz has struggled with her own conscience in recent episodes. The death of the Harbormaster will certainly weigh on her for the rest of her life, but as she worked through this case, it became clear that she’s battling more fundamental demons in life than just the ones that have caused harm to others. Try as they might, Ressler, Samar (Mozhan Marnó) and Aram (Amir Arison) all made efforts to cheer her but she seemed unaffected. Bigger things were on Liz’s mind and Boone was solidly good in showing it throughout.

But as usual, it was Red that really set off her emotions as the two went toe to toe in his car about his intervention in whisking Powell away. He’s using her and the Task Force. Liz knows it, but in most cases turns a blind eye. This time she can’t see the big picture and that must have rattled her more than she let on in the car with Red. He always has an angle and finding out that he used the Task Force to gain the favor of Hobbs certainly seemed like a slap.

As he explained that Hobbs will be incredibly valuable in the coming storm, we couldn’t help but think that a ton of small clues have been dropped in recent weeks that will all come back into play later. Just like Berlin as Season One came to a close, there’s a big picture we haven’t seen yet and the writing in the second half of the season has done a great job of getting us geared up for whatever the storm may be.

But through it all, Red was honest with Liz in the end about part of his story. He used her and the Task Force yes, but Hobbs will be needed. That had us asking why he admitted this to Liz and the only answer seemed to be that somehow she is involved at a level she doesn’t yet know.

Red flipping through the pictures at the end only reinforced the fact that he’s been in her life for a long time. He’s mentioned that she’s the key to the Fulcrum and even spent a great deal of energy in this episode hunting down Powell before his suicide to try to recover the memories lost by Liz. But Liz is still very much in the dark and her frustration is boiling. We don’t blame her. Being a pawn gets old after a while.

“I thought by the time I was in my 30s, I’d have something to show for it. I would at least be a prestigious profiler. I mean, I was the top in my class. I thought I’d have a loving relationship with someone, maybe we would be raising a family together.” ~ Liz

“At least you’ve got a dog. That’s one up on me.” ~ Ressler

“I don’t know who I am. I don’t know if this is my birthday. I don’t even know my own name. No, I know who I am. I am the puppet of some high-functioning sociopath. I don’t even know what I’m doing here.” ~ Liz

“What you’re doing here is celebrating your birthday with me.” ~ Ressler

Seeing Liz vent to Ressler was heart wrenching. It would have to be deeply unsettling to realize that nothing in your life was what you thought. But as Ressler pulled out dinner and set her at ease we couldn’t help but smile. Liz deserves something good.

Both Boone and Klattenhoff were fun to watch in this emotional sequence. He’s definitely built a trust in his partner and has put his life on the line more times than we can count. She’s returned the favor by helping him through his own issues and that’s the kind of bond that partners build. We were glad to see Klattenhoff get some good screen moments. He’s under used at times and for him to be the reason Liz smiled after so much has happened to her was a good moment for both characters.

FINAL VERDICT: Nothing like a little blood and guts to find out who will stick by you as you search for the secrets to stop time. Decisions and debts are setting the stakes incredibly high and payment is likely to hurt for everyone.

This episode certainly continued the excellent pace and rich story lines from the previous one which is not surprising as Lukas Reiter and J.R. Orci continued as writers. The juxtaposition of the passage of time through Liz’s birthday and the stoppage of time through immortality was a clever contrast throughout. The writing overall was also outstanding in moving from one scene to the next. Great transition dialogue led to exemplary cuts between scenes. In some cases, final lines from one scene perfectly setup the mindset and events of the next. That’s an example of great collaboration between Reiter, Orci, Director Donald Thorin Jr. and Editor David Post. Essentially, everything made sense and the flow of the episode was well done. That seems like common sense on a television show, but this episode simply outdid most in that regard.

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We’ve said before that great guest stars don’t necessarily make or break an episode but The Longevity Initiative was chocked full of fantastic guest appearances. Lance Henriksen, Ralph Brown and Kevin Weisman were all fantastic. We are hoping all three end up with recurring roles that we’ll see again. We suspect we’re not done with The Major and it’s certainly been suggested that Hobbs will play a critical role later. We can only hope the same holds true for Weisman as the Medical Examiner. His enthusiasm, insight and existential debate once the idea of immortality was revealed made for highly entertaining scenes. He’s an ME that geeks out a bit on his job and we loved his introduction. Hopefully we’ve not seen the last of him.

Good episodes are often marked by no bad moments and this entry definitely qualifies. With the exception of a few small hitches, this was another quality episode of The Blacklist we’ve come to know and love. We’d have liked to see a bit more Red, but his moments were all fantastically Spader. He owns a scene when he’s part of it. But even the small moments and cast members that didn’t get extended screen time were memorable and contributed to the story.

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Good episodes are also ones that surprise us as they go. After what started as a search for immortality and ended in a personal quest by Powell, we were left in a much different place than we thought when the episode began. Red’s overall deception of Hobbs, whether Hobbs realized it or not, gave this story layers that we enjoyed seeing play out. Added to that, multiple story lines from previous episodes weaved together well and nothing felt out of place. That’s just great storytelling.

A number of hints were dropped again in this entry. We get the sense that there are some big fish circling our little cast. At some point, those fish will swim in and if they hold true to this show’s mythology, havoc will ensue. Red has admitted that a dark storm is coming. What that means for the big picture we don’t know, but the Fulcrum and Fitch’s (Alan Alda) group seeking it likely play a big part in what will ultimately take place.

Connelly has been a wild card that we didn’t see coming, but he’s now stepped into a prominent role. Does he have connections to Red or someone else in the background that will be revealed later? It’s hard to say. Do the powerful people Tom and The Major worked for play a part? It’s certainly possible. What we don’t know likely far outweighs what we do at this point, but one thing is evident and clear: The Blacklist is ramping up for the end of its second season in style and its got us asking lots of questions. That means we’ll be at our television sets next week when the next episode of The Blacklist gives us a few answers and most likely a few more questions as well.

Questions, Comments, Concerns and My Reaction on Twitter…

• Um. That was NOT fresh produce.
• A bottle of wine she made as a child. Wow. Where did you get THAT Red?
• Careful Lizzy. Don’t look at his ring if he asks you to focus. @Ralphwjbrown
• I don’t know, but I had #IndianaJones flashbacks. o.O RT @TVAfterDark: What the hell?!
• Careful Cooper. That clinical trial might “disappear” ..
• Mental note. Aram has a weakness for red velvet cupcakes. That makes you only 30 Liz!
• Damn. First #IndianaJones nightmares. Now, #OldYeller. WTH @NBCBlacklist .. are you TRYING to traumatize me?
• We’re only 20 mins in and we’ve already got a great guest cast. #LanceHenricksen @kevinweisman @Ralphwjbrown
• Blacklight bunnies, immortal jellyfish and chicken or the egg questions. This is both weird AND deep.
• There are two FBI agents at the door. Red: I gotta go.
• Major Tom is in Major Trouble. @Ryan_Eggold @NBCBlacklist #CouldntHelpit
• Did we call this? Did we? Harold, you’re in trouble buddy.
• You know that girl that cost me my life? She just saved it. Oh boy.
• That’s what happens when #SimlingTomConnolly has you by the tumor strings.
• Red has the Fedora. Dembe .. I don’t know what that is .. but that hat is genius!!
• Wow. Didn’t see that one coming Red?
• I’ll make a call. That’s what friends do. #SmilingTommyConnolly is silky smooth.
• Holy crap! Wing-Ye, Homemade wine and one gigantic surprise at home. #Triangle??