The Blacklist Review: 3×02 “Marvin Gerard”

Liz is going to have to work on her calm. All this time in the crosshairs is disturbing what little she has. On the flip side, Red is as cucumber as ever.

CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD IN OUR DETAILED REVIEW

The Blacklist — Liz (Megan Boone) is behind bars. Just not the ones Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff) would prefer. Having sought refuge behind the locked gates of the Russian Embassy, Liz is beyond the FBI’s legal reach. But the Cabal has tendrils everywhere. A call from Red (James Spader) tips Ressler of the danger to her life and he risks his career ambushing her escort to the airport. In the confusion, Liz escapes both the Russians and Ressler and is once again on the run. When Liz meets Red at a local diner, things go from bad to worse after an anonymous tip to MPDC police leads the FBI, and Ressler, to surround the building. With hostages at gunpoint and facing a no-win scenario, Red demands one thing above all else—his lawyer.

Former attorney Marvin Gerard (Fisher Stevens, Blacklister No. 80), incarcerated for unknown reasons, is released into the diner by the FBI at Red’s threat to kill hostages. But Red is a man with a plan. Unknown to everyone, even Liz, Red has secured the release of the one man who may be able to help them use the information within The Fulcrum against the Cabal most effectively. With one step complete, the only thing in Red’s way are the entire MPDC police force, the FBI and an increasingly incensed Ressler. What else could possibly go wrong this week on The Blacklist?

My attorney’s inmate ID number is…

Marvin Gerard is not your typical attorney, well former attorney, so his inclusion on this show required someone who is not the typical actor and Fisher Stevens fit the bill perfectly. Savvy fans will remember Stevens all the way back to his humorous role in Short Circuit, but he’s quietly built a stellar resume of guest appearances and movie roles through the years including Friends, Lost and Damages just to name a few. It’s not surprising that he’s stayed so busy. His comedic timing is scary good and he can just as easily slip into darker and heavier material. Both were needed for his entry into The Blacklist as a questionable former attorney with an even more questionable list of clients that includes Red.

“You’ve been briefed?” ~ Navabi

“Rousted out of bed, cavity-searched, shackled, transported like livestock? Yes. Briefed? No.” ~ Gerard

“One of your former clients is holding 17 civilians hostage in that diner. He’s demanded that we bring you here.” ~ Navabi

“Which one?” ~ Gerard

The fact that he had to ask with such a “I have no clue who it might be” tone says an awful lot about Gerard’s typical clientele. But while his character’s clients may be suspect, Stevens’s performance was anything but. Characters on this show, especially Blacklisters, need to make an instant impression and what we got from Stevens was gold. Not only did we understand instantly just how savvy he is as his predicament unfolded, we also got a good dose of his sarcastic nature with each twist that pulled him deeper and deeper into the black hole surrounding Red. Everyone gets sucked in, it’s just a matter of being in Red’s good graces that gets you through to the other side unscathed.

“Elizabeth, Marvin Gerard, criminal attorney. Not necessarily in that order.” ~ Red

“Finally. I am in the presence of greatness. You’re the one. You’re the one who made him throw away his freedom.” ~ Gerard

Okay writing team of The Blacklist. Don’t think we didn’t catch that little line indicating that Marvin knows much more about Red’s dive into the criminal underworld than we do. Is Liz the reason he gave up his life all those years ago? Like everything on this show, we can take this line by Marvin a number of ways and bounce theories off the walls until the cows come home. It’s this kind of superior writing that elevates this show above so many others. In one line, learned about both Marvin’s past, Red’s and the true elegance is that we still know next to nothing. Context is everything and that’s the one thing that’s always carefully left out of the clues we get. We love it. Keep that mystery rolling.

In the mean time, we now know that Marvin will be a key player in making the proverbial case against the Cabal and in some way defying them to perhaps save Red and Liz from a lifetime of being hunted. Of course with such a stellar performance including both comedic and serious notes by Stevens, Marvin could simply be buttoning up some legal details in Red’s next career as a restaurant critic. We’re leaning toward the former and Red’s parting line seemed to back that up.

“I’ll be contacting you soon, and when I do, I want this plan of yours to be thoroughly mapped out. We only have one shot at this.” ~ Red

We don’t know what these two are planning, but we’ll be glad to see both Stevens and Spader banter back and forth over whatever it might be. They could discuss the merits of zucchini and it would be a fun watch. But we have the distinct impression we’ll see Marvin again and he’ll have a huge impact on much more important things to Red and Liz that they’ll need down the line.

We’re going to have to nickname him Wreck-It Ressler if this behavior keeps up.

We have to give a round of applause to Diego Klattenhoff. At some point, Jon Bokenkamp and John Eisendrath must have pulled him aside and let him know that despite being FBI decoration in a number of episodes of Season Two, he was going to sit in the Task Force big chair to start this season and he’d have to bring his A game. Because he’s done just that. Klattenhoff has taken his step up seriously and we love the take-action character Ressler is evolving into.

Harold Cooper (Harry Lennix) may be relegated to meaningless desk job while he clears his name, but let’s face it, he rarely left the Task Force desk as it was. He’s just traded down for a much less powerful desk. Klattenhoff on the other hand doesn’t even sit down much and even then only to reflect upon what he’s learned as he barreled through his day. But that fits the values of both characters well. Cooper was a leader that directed the action. Ressler was the one in the field making things happen. The only difference now is that he’s got a bigger, and possibly temporary, title to back that up.

We will say this. We did not see Ressler’s hit and run parade of the Russian convoy coming. That was a very bold decision by the writing team to have Ressler expose himself to that kind of risk and liability. But it fit the character. Ressler is on a mission and he’s not one to stand idly by. His look of determination as he played chicken with the Russian diplomatic vehicles leaving the Embassy was indicative of his personality and where he is right now. If someone won’t comply, make them. When Red gave Ressler intel that Liz was about to die, he didn’t think, he acted.

“Agent Ressler, what part of ‘stand down’ don’t you understand?” ~ Wright

“I was ordered to let Keen go and I did. I wasn’t ordered to let her die. The transport was compromised.” ~ Ressler

…

“You countermanded a direct order and attacked a diplomatic transport on the word of one fugitive in order to save the life of another? ” ~ Wright

Deep down Ressler has to be horribly conflicted. He’s chasing down his partner on the run. A woman he believes he knows well enough to know she won’t let Red harm innocent people on her behalf. On the other hand, he’s an FBI agent and has been entrusted with the job of bringing her, and Raymond Reddington, back into the fold so that everything can be sorted out. He’s not thinking about whether it’s right or wrong and Klattenhoff has been excellent in showing us that stern line between thought and action. Now, what will he do when he compares notes with someone who is now just as equally conflicted about his life? Tom has given up virtually everything for Liz and yet she chose Red. Where does that leave these two men that feel the woman they trust most has left them behind in the mess?

The truth of Red’s world is stranger than pulp fiction, but as Liz spirals deeper into darkness, she is decidedly NOT yet cool.

We swear as we watched this episode unfold we just knew Jules was going to speak up from a booth in a T-Shirt asking what Fonzie does. Be cool Yolanda. Jules didn’t make an appearance, but if he had, we wouldn’t have blinked. We’d have laughed right off the couch, but not blinked. Instead, what we got was a genius plan by Red to get the FBI to give him exactly what he wanted—Marvin—and in the process we witnessed a delightful contrast between how well Red handles his old hat criminal life and Liz handles her newfound one. She’s got a lot to learn, but honestly, we’re just glad this Marvin fared much better than the one riding backseat with Jules and Vincent.

In all honesty, Clayton (Christopher James Baker) was a jerk and though we don’t condone violence (outside of TV) we think he kinda had that beating by Liz coming to him. Liz is unraveling a bit and Clayton’s ribs paid the price when he tried to be the hero he’s not. But all that served to show just how fast things have changed for Liz and how a seemingly good life can spiral wildly out of your control. Is that what happened to Red all those years ago? We’d like to know and so would millions of other fans of The Blacklist. Yes, we critique, nitpick and poke, but we do love this show.

Megan Boone sometimes doesn’t get the credit she deserves for keeping up with the likes of Spader and others on this show, but her fluctuating emotional state in this episode was on par with some of her best work of the series. Liz is in a crisis to end all crises. At least that’s the way it would be for most of us. She may have another one just as bad next week that would have us crying in a fetal position—and she’ll keep on going. But as she struggled to handle the reactions of those around her that see her purely as a criminal, leave it to Red, the wily veteran, to put a prospective spin on things.

“I’m not saying it’s easy to ignore the way people look at you. But I hope you can find some solace in the fact that when I look at you… That’s Polaris, the North Star. That’s how sailors used to find their way home. When I look at you, that’s what I see. I see my way home.” ~ Red

As a free Red and Liz stepped out onto the cargo containers of a ship transporting them to some unknown destination of freedom to the upbeat tune of “Our House” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, we got the distinct impression that blood related or not, Liz is very much family to Red. He’s demonstrated time and again that he will go to just about any length to save her. But Red’s house has a crack in the foundation he hasn’t seen yet. With every scene we get from Edi Gathegi we are more and more creeped by this character who seemingly has no conscience at all. As the torture of Dembe (Hisham Tawfiq) began, we could see clearly that while Red and Liz escaped the slippery fingers of the law, the Cabal has yet to tighten its grip. Red’s house is not in order at all. Will Dembe give up his father figure under torture? We don’t know, but we don’t put anything past The Blacklist.

FINAL VERDICT: The Blacklist has succeeded in reinventing itself and given new characters and stories an inventive new twist. We like the change and can’t wait to see where this is all headed.

The truth of the matter is, we don’t know exactly where this show is going, but we don’t need to know in order to enjoy the ride. In fact, not knowing is a big part of the fun. The Blacklist is so adept at clearing up one small question that then brings up a half-dozen new questions. This series is nearly the ultimate television rabbit hole. That’s not a complaint at all. It’s a massive compliment.

We love the idea that this show is crafted with such care that small clues matter, even a year or more later. Sometimes watching The Blacklist feels like we’re putting together a 3,000 piece puzzle with no image to go by, but there’s more than enough substance in the few pieces we’ve seen to keep us looking for clues to where new pieces might fit. Case in point, Karakurt (Michael Massee) fit perfectly with Liz’s duck for cover at the Russian embassy. It was so perfect that it both kept her from the FBI and set her up for assassination by the Cabal.

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That’s spectacular writing and it’s no wonder that a team effort is listed with Story by credits for J.R. Orci and Lukas Reiter, plus Teleplay credits by Daniel Knauf, Brandon Sonnier and Brandon Margolis. No doubt both Jon Bokenkamp and John Eisendrath contributed in their on unique way as well. After all, the buck starts and stops with them.

It would take an incredibly dedicated team to keep all this straight and to remember that clues like the small mention by Marvin Gerard about Red’s connection to Liz won’t be forgotten by fans. Those moments will have a payoff someday and that’s part of what makes this show so good. We’ve come to trust this writing team with the details and even if there are small things that seem off, there’s a big picture that will make sense someday.

Director Andrew McCarthy again took the helm and guided this episode’s vision. In particular we enjoyed the framing and capture of dialogue between Red and Marvin. These two men have a history and you could see the way they were comfortable with each other. That’s a credit to both James Spader and Fisher Stevens as well for allowing us to feel that.

We were particularly impressed with Megan Boone in this episode. As things went from relative security to complete chaos for her, we could see it in her eyes and in her demeanor. Liz’s life is spinning wildly out of her control and that’s unsettling to say the least. Boone was outstanding. Under the guidance of McCarthy, she shined and we got a very well executed episode that blended humor, compassion, tension and even dread at the end.

With two excellent episodes the “brand new” version of this show has gotten even better. We didn’t know what to expect with the tables turned and Liz on the run. We didn’t expect she’d embrace the thug life willingly, but at the same time she’s a survivor. She’s shown that time and again and we can’t wait to see what twists she and Red need to overcome next on The Blacklist!

Questions, Comments, Concerns and My Reaction on Twitter…

• Liz has one of those faces that might start a war.
• Ressler, you know good and well she’s beyond your reach. Cut the boy scout crap.
• Reciprocity is a bitch. Screw the bear and the bear screws back. Batteries not included. #ThingsRedSays
• Bringing up Karakurt. Smart play Lizzie, but you’re walking a tight rope here.
• Where’s my wedding ring? Bed side table. Beside the ben wa balls. I’m shocked that made it through the censors! lol
• Looks like ben wa balls aren’t then only ones tonight. Ressler finally grew a set.
• Well that wasn’t nice Liz. He just threw away his career to save you and you run?
• Turn around bitch. Well, you can insult Red, but NOT his Liz.
• Boy, you are skating on thin ice there Ressler.
• Bon Apetite. Did anyone else just have a Pulp Fiction moment? lol
• Well, this just got intense. How the hell are they going to get out of this siege mess?
• Only Red would require his incarcerated attorney to wear a suit during negotiations. lol
• That little outburst even surprised Red. Good luck convincing those witnesses you are innocent now Lizzie.
• Red always has a plan. That was freakin brilliant. lol
• I hope you can find some solace in how I look at you. So begins a life of crime for Liz?
• That’s what I see when I look at you. I see my way home. Wow. That can be interpreted so many different ways.
• Dembe! Don’t hurt Dembe! Oh hell, too late.
• We need to talk. What? Huh? Who saw THAT ending coming?