The Blacklist Review: 3×10 “The Director Conclusion”

The Cabal has declared check, but that was Red’s plan all along as part of one final desperate gambit to win Liz’s freedom.

CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD IN OUR DETAILED REVIEW

The Blacklist — With the latest attempt to kill Liz (Megan Boone) thwarted and her testimony in open court a real possibility, the pressure is on for both The Director (David Strathairn) and Laurel Hitchin (Christine Lahti) to end the threat of Elizabeth Keen once and for all. Red (James Spader) however has other plans. Everything he’s done up to now has been to encourage the Cabal to disavow The Director and clear Liz’s name. After shrewdly maneuvering all the pieces in place, it’s time for the endgame.

The Task Force, Red’s most trusted associates, and even Tom (Ryan Eggold) all finally work in concert toward the same goal. They have one chance to set Liz free and it’s a long play with a huge gamble at the end. If anything goes wrong the entire plan could crumble. A dramatic ruse, a kidnapping, and ultimately a high-stakes bluff have to all work in perfect succession for Laurel Hitchin and the Cabal to let Liz live and return things to normal for everyone on this episode of The Blacklist!

Move over Danny Ocean, Red’s Eleven is even better.

Through the first third of the episode, Red spent his time putting all the pieces in place to execute his intricate plan to save Liz. It only took him a two and half seasons and Liz in mortal peril to get everyone we love on this show working toward the same cause. What a team he assembled. Oh the havoc this group could create if they put their superpowers to nefarious use. Oh wait. They just did.

The humorous opening montage of everyone arriving at Red’s location in 1920’s speakeasy fashion was perfectly set to the rebellious tune of “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” by Johnny Cash. The music added a touch of swagger and soul as Mr. Kaplan (Susan Blommaert) had everyone leave their guns, phones and in the case of Samar, knives, at the door. She wasn’t taking chances and neither was Red. As the plan became clear and things were set in motion to kidnap The Director with the old floor 6 is really floor 8 switcharoo, Aram (Amir Arison) spoke for all of us.

“That is so cool. Sleight of hand. I love magic.” ~ Aram

Cool indeed. Dembe (Hisham Tawfiq) wasn’t amused with Aram’s geeking, but we were. The plan was elaborate and impressive. The writers’ room and Writer Lukas Reiter get a ton of credit for an inventive set of dominoes set up perfectly and all knocked down just in the right sequence. From the “spill your drink and switch it with the drugged version con” to the “floor wax finished with seconds to spare escape,” and finally “the one missing detail we hope doesn’t tip The Director off that a game is afoot”—it was all fun to watch. The elaborate ruse to lure Peter into their web worked perfectly.

Everyone had their part to play and everyone came through. Good performances sold every moment. We’d hate to be the mark for this group of actors if they ever decided to use their powers for real. Yes, we know it’s television, but part of the con game is acting and this group is spectacular. As the set up of Peter’s wife played out and we learned all the details of the floor switch, the funk of James Brown’s “The Payback” made this heist sequence feel like it was plucked right out Ocean’s Eleven. Danny Ocean would have been impressed. We certainly were. Everyone was superb and The Director was never the wiser until it was too late.

A deal with the devil.

We’ll say this for The Blacklist, they aren’t afraid of closure nor are they afraid to say goodbye to a juicy villain. This show has done such a superb job of casting its nefarious characters that we’ve just come to expect they’ll serve up another one just as delightful as David Strathairn was as The Director. They’ve earned that trust from us. But as much as we wanted The Director to get what he deserved, we’ll miss Strathairn. He brought depth and layers to a complex man who we’ve come to enjoy loathing.

We can’t say that The Director’s end wasn’t predictable. We’ve known for some time that he was seen as a growing problem for the Cabal. Red had continuously slashed at the underbelly of their organization and The Director’s series of mistakes were the main reason he was able to do so.

As the deal with Hitchin fell into place, we were of the same mind as Ressler. She’ll walk away unscathed, but it was telling that she turned on Peter so easily. The Cabal has no love or loyalty. Red was counting on that and Peter’s indignation showed his arrogance and a bit of naiveté. Apparently everyone within the Cabal is useful, until someone is not.

“We have to now face the hard truth there are enemies of America within our own ranks. In fact, just a short time ago, I learned that the Director of the Clandestine Services of the CIA, Mr. Peter Kotsiopulos, is also part of this conspiracy and has apparently fled the country.” ~ Laurel Hitchin via Press Conference

The Director’s take down wasn’t perfect. The heist was superb, but the introduction of such a fragile wife seemed almost too convenient. Up until this episode he had an aura of invincibility. Red had dealt him blows, but Peter seemed to deflect them all. His frazzled wife exposed him as a much more vulnerable target than we’ve imagined him up to this point.

We still enjoyed all the elements of The Director’s elimination. We just found the shift from invincible to vulnerable a bit jarring. That didn’t diminish the fun, but it seemed a bigger shift than we thought possible. We do know this, the good Director will be sorely late for his next therapy session. Lynda (Kathleen McNenny) may need a much stronger prescription next week.

Things are finally back to normal. Or are they?

Cooper (Harry J. Lennix) is again in charge of the Task Force. Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff) is again an agent. Liz is free on probation and Red again has the trust of the Task Force. On the outside, it would appear that much has returned to normal, but there’s still unfinished business.

What role will Tom take going forward? Where does he fit into the picture without a mission to save Liz? And what of Samar (Mozhan Marnò)? Will she be able to return to the Task Force? Or is the lure of working around the law for Red too tempting? After all, she had more fun in one episode of doing that than in all her days with the FBI.

The writing team has painted themselves into a neat position. They can return to business as usual or go into a completely different direction. They essentially blew up the format of this show with Liz’s crimes and stint on the run. It worked out well and made for highly entertaining television, but it took nearly a full season to get back to a place where things could go in a different direction.

Now that we’re at that point, what happens from here? We’re not sure, but we do know that Liz and Red will be closer than ever no matter what happens. He risked everything for her and she won’t forget that any time soon. Whatever differences they may have, she has at least come to trust and respect him. As he convinced her to take the deal, the bond they shared was evident.

“It’s not everything we wanted, but it’s close. You’ll be safe. You’ll be free.” ~ Red

“But I won’t be an agent. I’ll be an asset like you.” ~ Liz

“Yes. I told you some time ago, when you pulled that trigger, you crossed a threshold. You stepped from your world into mine. I wish I could deliver the perfect outcome, but I’m afraid-“ ~ Red

“This is fair.” ~ Liz

“Fairness is overrated. And maybe there’s a way to get you all the way back. But for now, Lizzy—for today—sign the deal.” ~ Red

She really had no choice. Marvin (Fisher Stevens) was right. This was a far better outcome than we thought possible. And after all done, the most intimate part of this story was the bond that’s now established between Red and Liz. As Liz went through the steps of release and gaining her freedom to the soulful serenade of Andra Day’s “Rise Up” we couldn’t help but raise a glass with Tom. Mission accomplished.

The hug shared between Liz and Red once she was out will again add fuel to the father/daughter or Lizzington shippers. Both sides will see what they want from that moment. The funny thing is, until the truth is known, both sides are just as right as they are wrong and that’s another reason we keep watching.

FINAL VERDICT: The Blacklist isn’t afraid of closure, because even when there’s a win, we all know there’s a much bigger war still raging. The Director gets a dramatic conclusion and things shake up for everyone in this high-stakes game of cat and mouse.

This show does like closure and we certainly did get that with The Director’s demise. If it were up to us, we’d have found a different way to eliminate him other than dropping him from a plane. What if his fall from the sky makes the news? What kind of questions would that bring? Maybe none, but Red doesn’t seem like one to leave things to chance and that made The Director’s fall from grace seemed out of character for Red. Those seemed like curious decisions by the writing team, though a crash through the roof is definitely a dramatic exit.

Either way The Director is gone and his story has largely ended. Unfortunately we didn’t get that for Hitchin or for Mr. Solomon (Edi Gathegi) just yet, but we’d bet there’s an end coming for both eventually because that’s just how Red rolls. Now our biggest question is—what is Red going to do at the Cabal’s table? It’s anyone’s guess, but it’s likely not good for the Cabal and it will be a point of contention for the rest of our good guys. Liz isn’t going to like that very much we think.

RELATED | The Blacklist 3×09 “The Director” Review

Writer Lukas Reiter did a solid job of pulling together the plan to take down The Director. The decision to include the fragile Lynda may very well have come from the writers’ room, but Reiter handled that detail and the entire heist well despite the dramatic shift from threatening to vulnerable for The Director. There were moments of flair and flash. Overall this episode was sassy and fun, but lacked the emotional power of the previous week’s heartfelt choices to get to this point.

Director John Terlesky, who has an impressive list of Castle Director’s credits and got his television directorial start with James Spader on Boston Legal, did a good job of making this episode both tense and fun at the right times. Lizzy’s court appearance was emotional and her time behind bars unnerving. The swag of the heist was just the right feel and gave those parts of the episode a fun and light element that contrasted nicely the heavy feelings of Liz’s situation and Hitchin’s double cross of The Director.

Going forward, everything seems like it will return to normal, but with Red and Liz working on the outside of the Task Force and not the inside. That will likely mean they’ll be working more closely together than ever before, but Liz may be less shackled by the rigidity of the law. Granted, she’s going to want to tread lightly for the moment since she’ll technically be on probation, but nothing in Redddington’s world is black and white. It’s all shades of Red and we can’t wait to see where things go next on The Blacklist!

Questions, Comments, Concerns and My Reaction on Twitter…

• “My kinda girl.” ~ Mr Kaplan. Ours too!!
• “I’ll be the declarer, you be the dummy, and we’ll win the hand.” ~ Red Moments like these Red is like a pig in shit. #Overjoyed lol
• “I’ve killed a lot of people to get this done. You .. will .. talk.” I think I’d listen to the man Karakurt
• Hitchin won’t reveal her “resources” which means she doesn’t trust the dear old Director anymore. Peter, you are screwed.
• Duh Aram. It’s a ruse. Keep up buddy. 😉
• Damn. Johnny Cash AND James Brown in the first 15 minutes? Wow!
• I love magic! OMG Dembe just blew him off!! lol
• Well, Liz’s attorney certainly doesn’t play warm and fuzzy. :/
• Couple of years behind bars and big favors owed. Hmm. Not for me. 😮
• I guess we can officially say Hitchin is a complicit Cabal crony now.
• Everybody likes apples. Red knows his red props. lol
• That whole snatch and grab was pretty damned slick
• “You’re a trend setter Peter! Who knew?” Red is so much fun to watch.
• Well that was a ballsy call Hitchin. Guess you’ve got him on speed dial.
• Signed, sealed and delivered. Welcome to a new world Lizzy.
• Did you see that TV plot twist coming Peter?? Wowza!
• Well, the bigger they are, the harder they fall Peter.
• I love it when a plan comes together.