The Blacklist: The Decembrist (No. 12)

November 11, 2014 11:33 AM - Season 2, Episode 8

Berlin goes on the warpath against the forces who made him believe his daughter was dead and sent him to the gulag, including officials in high positions in both Russia and the United States. Liz has trouble keeping Tom's imprisonment a secret.

Neck bombs! Factions! The Fulcrum! Radicals! Russian safes! 2017!

posted by Small Dollar (5 comments total)

The Fulcrum! 2017!!! You know I am so on board.

When the neckbomb blew, all I could think of was that party scene from Frankenhooker. And that cut to the empty chair after the gore geyser? Platinum.

This episode pretty much cleared the board, right? Berlin's gone, Tom's gone (yeah right), Fitch bites it to make way for Badder Dudes, a lot of the ~mysterious~ stuff Red collected from Season 1 blacklist targets has been played out, I feel like we just found out who killed Laura Palmer.
posted by books for weapons at 1:16 PM on November 11, 2014

So when did Tom start working for Red? From the very beginning, and Berlin scooped him up, but Red couldn't do anything about Lizzie's marriage (except give vague warnings about Tom) until he better knew who was targeting him? Or was Tom working for Berlin all the way from start, like we were led to believe initially? And Tom convinced him to betray Berlin at some point in order to better protect Lizzie?

I am obsessively in love with Alan Alda, so I'm sad he can't continue to be a bad guy, but the amount of new mumbo-jumbo he dropped THEY'RE GOING TO WANT PROOF YOU HAVE THE FULCRUM, YOU KNOW sounds like it will last the show into Season 3.

I am bummed, however, at how weak they made LIzzie look this episode -- she can't figure out what to do with Tom, she can't handle keeping him a secret, she can't kill ONE dude OR handle his body, she can't deal with Red's disappointment in her, AND on top of it all she's all whiny about everything because she's in love with Tom and it's making her all lady-helpless. C'mon Robot Lizzie! Buck up!
posted by missmary6 at 3:29 PM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]

What was that brief aside with Red and Zoe when he gave her the envelope and his thanks? I'm thinking he played Berlin by getting her to pretend to be his daughter so he could get closer to Berlin.

The side plot with the Russian foreign minister could develop into something.
posted by arzakh at 1:56 PM on November 12, 2014

In the restaurant? He ambushed her in her car before that scene, and then gave her "passports, tickets, and [his] eternal gratitude" after he showed up unannounced at family brunch, the unspoken meaning being that he got her to set up a physical meeting with Berlin so Red could grab him. She really is Berlin's daughter, she didn't enjoy being reunited, and Red sent her back into hiding.
posted by books for weapons at 3:25 PM on November 12, 2014

So I'm a month+ late but oh god I just watched this episode and it was deep hurting. This whole season has been iffy and this episode was just terrible. They tried to stuff way too much into it. If they'd preloaded some of the Big Events; the introduction of The Decembrist, the changes with Tom, the new relevance of Alan Alda. Brought those points in to some of the earlier snoozy episodes. It would have worked. Instead they rushed it all and wasted all sorts of great story and character. Particularly Peter Stormare as Berlin; he's a much better actor than we got to see.

The only redeeming factor was Alan Alda, he was a really nice touch in this whole show. Serious, sincere, also corrupt to the core but lovable. Liked it. But seriously, a remote controlled collar bomb? That's the best the writers could come up with?

I think books for weapons is right, the board has been cleared for whatever plot comes next. Except the one little bit planted about Tom/Red, which gives some continuity. Maybe they can get some new writers to get them out of the mess they're in, otherwise I think we're done with this show.
posted by Nelson at 10:09 PM on December 12, 2014