Is it just me, or is the husband the blandest character on television? Was the casting call for the most generic sexually nonthreatening good looking white guy ever? If the answer is yes, then good job casting. I think the fact that the husband is still around after she backed out from a multi-year adoption process mere weeks before the delivery is proof he’s some kind of mole. Nobody would stay after that. I can’t think of clearer signal that a relationship is doomed.
Looks like the bland husband will turn very nasty in next weeks previews. 
He’s been deliberately boring and bland in his undercover role as the doting husband.
A war is coming and Reddington needs Harold Cooper’s help. Saving his butt in last nights episode was a brilliant move.
I’m guessing the war will be between Alan Alda’s group and Reddington with Cooper’s team? I hope this turns out better than the last time. Reddington got tortured and Copper’s headquarters got shot to pieces,
I try not to analyze a show. Just sit back and hopefully enjoy it. I will say that this last episode and the opener, were the only two that I thoroughly enjoyed.
I think Red was telling Alda’s character the truth - his beef isn’t with them; they were just nervous Red was going straight or betraying them. I think he’s pursuing someone from his past with similar resources to Red himself and he’s using FBI resources to find and (later) fight them. The Blacklist is his way of buying a way in and paying them off - note several characters have mentioned Cooper’s raised profile thanks to the reputation the team is building.
That would make more sense. Alan Alda’s group has powerful government tie ins. It seems unlikely even Red could fight them.
I’m glad the story arc with Liz’s husband is finally moving forward. I hope the writers deliver something interesting. That character has been so ambiguous all season.
Yeah, about halfway through the episode I was thinking “man, did they ever show us whether he was a mole or not?” So the end of episode reveal was nice timing.
I’m a bit surprised that everyone basically seemed to a-ok Cooper’s role in beating the confession out of the guy. Yeah, he was guilty in fact, and I suppose we as viewers are fine with vigilante justice all the time. Usually it’s an actual vigilante though, not an actual government official, especially one in that high of a position.
Okay, I re-watched the pilot last week and the end of the new last night’s ep (Mako Tanida) still doesn’t add up. In the pilot, Lizzie takes Red to task for abandoning his family, but the last few eps strongly indicate they were killed the night he disappeared. Maybe the writers just changed their minds.
Overall a strong ep - Tom’s storyline is finally getting some traction, but is still mysterious, and Ressler’s storyline was entertaining, if incredibly cliched.
Hoo boy, but there were so many Idiot Ball moments tonight.
-
Ressler’s girlfriend getting out of the car and purposely walking towards the bad guy with the gun. Moronic! Not to mention that she was basically just a Woman in the Refrigerator moment, ugh.
-
The Cowboy going in after the female spy without any backup or assistance. Sure, he probably could handle her alone, but what if anything went wrong?
-
The female spy turns around and makes the phone call right after Cowboy told her what would happen! At least look at Tom when you do it, you moron!
-
The FBI can’t find Tanida at the end when he escaped from the SUV? The one surrounded by knee-deep snow?
You could fan-wank that by saying she was dazed from the blow to the head when the car was hit. But the counter to that is the trope that on tv everyone ostentatiously buckles up - unless the plot calls for them being injured when the car is hit. Sid and Nancy I can see not buckling up everytime - Donald and Audrey, not so much.
My bigger problem was with Ressler not seeing to Audrey’s safety immediately since she was hurt in the accident, rather than chasing down the bad guys.
Still, it was interesting seeing every action movie cliche run thru in a 40-minute tv episode, and still have time for a subplot.
The phonecall bit was crazy all around. Jolene met Liz once - it’s not like Liz is going to launch a manhunt if she never heard from the woman again.
I’m kinda bummed they didn’t give the Cowboy (Lt. Daniels from the Wire) a better role. Perhaps he wasn’t comfortable faking the accent? 
Still not caught up on the DVR (so didn’t read past page 2) but damn I should remember to not read any tv show threads here. They always seem to be filled with people who hate the show but keep watching for some reason.
It’s called hate-watching. Sometimes the most entertainment you can get from a show is hating on it; it’s cathartic. Much healthier than, say, hating the job you do eight hours a day.
Unfortunately it keeps those who like the show from discussing a show they like.
I try not to nit pick minor details. I do expect the plot to make sense.
Tom finally got his bad guy cred out this week. Killing Jolene and some guy who was following her. Did they ever say who that guy was working for?
They probably won’t reveal who Tom works for until much later. Looks like events will start closing in on Tom next week.
The writers must have heard fans want Ressler and Liz to hook up. They’ve neatly removed his gf. I can see Liz turning to him after she learns the truth about Tom.
I don’t see why… Anyway, I don’t hate this one - it’s pretty entertaining, and Spader makes it more so. It’s not written too well, though, and I see no reason to gloss over that.
Killing Jolene, (Jolene, Jolene, JOLEEEENE! …sorry. How can you not have that happen with that name, though?) Cowboy Hat Leftenant Daniels (with the best line of the episode: “And that hat makes your head look funny!”), then going home to have a nice shower with the wifey while blood is visibly running down the drain. :smack: Honestly, it says a lot about incredibly awesome James Spader is when you look at everything we let this show get away with. (ETA: Oh, and Cowboy Hat Lt. Daniels was working for Reddington, who I’m guessing ad libbed the hat line in the previous ep, setting CHLD up for his ad libbed line in this one.)
Also: Hi, head-in-a-box singing telegram service! What the crap does Ressler do with a god damned head in a box? It’s not like you can just put that in the garbage disposal. Again: James Spader is obviously Just. Fucking. Amazing.
Now the writers are just taunting us. How dumb can they make Lizzie before fans switch the channel? Lizzie enters a building while her hubby is in there burning documents? He attacks her and gets away unrecognized? Why doesn’t he sneak up and pin a kick me sign on her stupid ass?
This weeks episode is a new low. A horny and obsessed teen steals the NSA’s most ultra secret and powerful hacking tool to stalk and meet a girl? WTH? This is just silly and stupid. Are the writers this desperate for ideas?
Well, it took a kids toy but, at least Lizzie finally knows the truth about Tom. Is she capable of pulling off the same deception on him?
That Lizzie is one tough broad. Takes a punch to the face hard enough to knock her down, but it doesn’t even smudge her makeup, much less leave a bruise, split her lip, or loosen teeth. Does get a couple of scratches diving through jagged glass onto a moving train, but they heal like Wolverine for her closeups with Das Wunderkid…but then tiny scratches are back for the tearful reunion with the teenager and super-spy dad. And disappear again for the scenes with Tom and Red that follow…
Not sure what to make of that final scene with Red. They still seem to leave the door open that he’s Lizzie’s dad. Hmmm.
Nitpicks aside, I really enjoy this show. Looking forward to next week.
I didn’t get why he threw the thing away in the first place. He’s been pretty careful with his cover so far, why risk Liz visiting at work and noticing it was missing?
And the whole “calling when I’m right outside” bit - is this show a farce now? It’d have been better writing for him to see her on the security monitor and panic. Still, glad the Tom plotline is moving forward, finally.