The James Spader led show has gone on long enough
BY: JACOB POLITTE
Managing Editor
Once upon a time, way back in 2013, “The Blacklist” looked like an intriguing new show, and that’s because it was one.
James Spader plays Raymond “Red” Reddington, the “concierge of crime” and Number 1 on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. Reddington uses his criminal connections to leverage an immunity agreement with the FBI and help them take down criminals, with the only stipulation being that he works directly with new FBI profiler Elizabeth “Liz” Keen (Megan Boone).
If that sounds like a complex description, you should know that it’s not nearly detailed enough. There are so many moving parts to this show, and for many years, those moving parts carried on moving rather seamlessly. Except for Liz. The show never once did right by her character, almost always portraying her as a damsel in distress, and far too quick to jump to the wrong conclusions. She turned against Reddington so many times that it kind of just lost its meaning after a while. Most fans of the show didn’t like Liz, and claimed that the show would be better without her. And the show itself just flat out didn’t include Liz in a significant amount of episodes, including a four-episode stretch in Season 3, and a nine-episode stretch in Season 8. In those instances, it can be argued that the show was largely fine without her.
But the show also made the mistake of stringing along the audience for far too long, making the entire story more and more convoluted, and not ever giving any real definitive answers. James Spader is an incredible actor that absolutely commands every scene that he’s in, but even that just isn’t enough anymore.
The lifespan of a TV is a tricky concept. Usually, a show begins to feel like it spins its wheels in a sixth or seventh season. “The Blacklist” fell into that category. There is only so long that a mystery can be stretched out before giving some concrete answers, and while “The Blacklist” gave answers, nothing was ever what it seemed, and the show routinely pulled the rug out from under the show’s viewers, and by default, from Elizabeth Keen…
Which led to the events of Season 8. Finally fed up with Reddington after one last act of treachery, Liz finally snapped and turned to the deepest depths of the darkside, in the process becoming an unredeemable character. Essentially, a terrorist. No seriously, she tried to crash a plane of innocent people on purpose. That’s evil, something Reddington himself never would have done.
Of course, after finally getting the vast majority of answers that she was seeking, she turns back to Reddington’s side, just in time to die. Thus, the many fans of the show who wanted her gone got their wish. So how is the show without Liz?
Aimless. It’s aimless.
The show is by no means bad. Not at all. There is still an incredible group of actors and characters that we have gotten to know over the years, and they’re not going anywhere.
But there really isn’t a point to any of this anymore. One of the most vital components to “The Blacklist” was Red’s relationship to Liz, and that’s gone now. There really is no reason for Red to be assisting the FBI, and his explanation of “It’s what she would have wanted” is not true and, quite frankly, hollow.
The show has shifted its focus to its ensemble, with considerably mixed results. After a two year time jump, things definitely shouldn’t remain the same, but the fact that Reddington’s former right-hand man, Dembe Zuma (Hisham Tawfiq), is now a full fledged member of the FBI is completely absurd. Not only can you not just up-and-join the FBI, but Dembe was the right hand man of one of the most notorious criminals ever. Not to mention, he’s a lot less fun of a character as a cop, and his continued estrangement from Reddington isn’t what the show needs to keep going. They’re much better, and more enjoyable, as a cohesive unit.
Aside from his decision to not be a tech millionaire, Aram (Amir Arison) hasn’t had much of a story since coming back. Ressler’s never been much more than stoic, and while actor Diego Klattenhoff does his best, it’s jarring to see Ressler try to be anything else this season.
As for the rest of the cast, FBI Director Harold Cooper, expertly played by Harry Lenix, does continue to be one of the more enjoyable characters to watch. Along with James Spader, he is the show’s anchoring presence. Cooper, who is now the caretaker of Liz’s daughter Agnes, has an intriguing story going on, trying to slowly figure out who is framing him for murder before their plan succeeds. It’s not enough to save the season thus far, though.
And then there is Reddington himself. Shortly following Liz’s death, he went into deep seclusion, and after separating from Dembe, found two women to be by his side; one is his lover, and the other is a new bodyguard. It’ll never not be fun watching James Spader do his thing, and it’s not like a show following Reddington’s exploits wouldn’t be great TV.
I’m just not sure that kind of show should be called “The Blacklist.”
