The Blacklist (TV Series) Nachalo (2021) User Reviews

I want to see Reddington's body language and facial expressions while telling the so-long-hidden truth

[Jullanar_mar · 7/10 · 19 June 2021]

I didn't get my hopes high because I didn't want to get badly disappointed, I never expected to discover the real identity of Ray in this episode and I don't think we'll fully know it even in the finale. However, I was really excited for this episode for one reason: I wanted to enjoy Reddington's facial expressions while telling the truth that he spent so many years hiding, the one that led him to allow the death of all of these people who Liz loves, even though life has a great value for him and liz has an even more value.

Spader is a very talented actor who pays great attention to every little detail in his performance, I really, really wished that the show will invest in his potential in this episode and push him to the maximum and challenge him to the fullest extent. If it happened, it would've been the greatest episode in history and it would've met our greatest expectations and more. Especially because one of the biggest reasons why we love Reddington, even though he's a criminal, is his humane, caring and loving side which Spader expresses so beautifully. Can you imagine seeing this sensitive, emotional, life-appreciative, love-driven, genuine point of heart of this great character portrayed by Spader's moving performance? Here's where I earn my time's worth back.

The style of "fantasy", shades and ghosts telling Liz the truth, and the circle movement of grey ghosts when telling the core truths, somehow imply that the ultimate truth of this show will be also fantasia. I really hope not. Fantasia will not blow us away, some super creative and innovative reality will. I still wish to see the focus on Reddington's face, on his emotional expressions showing his genuine essence in the finale. It's a deal breaker for me that will determine whether or not to get excited for the 9th season (which I really hoped it didn't exist, it's been for too long already and the audience is sticking around to see what happens after we invested all that time watching the series, but, unfortunately, we don't dare to get excited).

Also, PLEASE GOD, please DO NOT let him be her mother. We want a creative answer as to why he cares so much about her and why she is so important so that all of these people pledged their lives to protect her. Reddington being Katarina is not that answer. Reddington, despite all the lies and pretend, is too genuine to be fake or to be someone else.

Are you as confused as I think I am?

[neverenoughgold · 9/10 · 1 July 2021]

Maybe it's my old age creeping up on me, but I'm wishing the actors had labels so I could keep track of just who or what I am watching. Reddington was there, or wasn't he?

At least they tried

[cimorellisteve · 7/10 · 17 June 2021]

Shows like Law & Order are successful for many seasons because they are almost all procedural and each episode has a beginning middle & end. There are some back stories throughout the season but it's just a filler. The Blacklist was so great & successfully because each week they had new member of the Blacklist to catch, sometimes that stretched over an episode or two and there was always this mystery with Reddington. However the way they turned Liz into this nut job, becoming so vengeful & so far over the top of a character was beyond sad. At least they are trying to wrap things up with this episode but they've "jumped the shark" already.

The entire series of Blacklist comes down to this very episode

[mauriceh01 · 9/10 · 5 November 2021]

All the answers of the past 8 season in this one episode! That helicopter yanking Liz out of the FBI black site was totally badazz! The young James Spader looks exactly like James Spader did, they did really good on that one!

"Would you destroy the source of your power" ?!

[cjonesas · 9/10 · 17 February 2022]

Episode 21: One of the best episodes of The Blacklist, all seasons wide.

An episode with a truly unique vibe, marvelously mostly made in grainy B/W, filled with suspenseful long-awaited answers, at last! And provided with a bad-a^^ ending, wrapping one of the dark characters of the season up in a nicely manner.

Reddington is the diamond of this episode, more than the other ones.

WELL IT'S ABOUT BLOODY TIME!

[jeersNcheers · 9/10 · 19 June 2021]

Well, we got a lot of questions answered, and it's about time. But the writers really waited too long, because I barely care. Whose bones were those? What bones? Etc. Many are suggesting here that Red was "constructed" from Katarina, but surely the writers won't jump the shark that preposterously! Katarina was tiny, ballerina-like, and Red is...NOT. And I clearly remember Red and Katarina together at the beach. I'm sad Liz is leaving the show. I don't remember being annoyed with her until season 8, and my annoyance was due to the writers trying to make her out to be a super-criminal (preposterous, she was not even a good FBI agent), and had her change her personality and be evil. I hope season 9 gets back to the weekly big baddy that Red hands to the task force in order to make the world a better place.

Don't deserve 8 although.

[oomanas · 8/10 · 17 June 2021]

After all this hype , we only know about the women Red killed was not Katarina. Looks like Liz not coming to S9 they end up tying loose plots in a very shabby manner.

Still don't want that crap theory of Katarina changing Gender to Red but with the way show is proceeding they will cement more doubts in minds of fan , Ressler is Liz mom and Park is Liz Dad and Liz is Red. Harold is Katarina. That's how writers room is stinking right now.

And yes 8 for the love of James Spader and Cast. For entertaining us all these years. I wish writing could have been improved in S7/8. But this is how it is. I love Liz but writers made us hate her character.

Will miss Boone❤ hoping for a strong ending to this season , for me personally I don't want this gender changing crap to be served up let's see how it goes on. All the best team.

Why did Liz have to suffer so long?

[jon-22643 · 8/10 · 18 June 2021]

The "secrets" could have been reveled on day 1, why to drag 8 seasons? The secret is not that big, it's simple, so many lives and efforts could have been saved... The big question left is who is Red, I read that he is actually Liz mother turned into a man, can't be, Red is a man who loves women. Who is he? We shall have to wait for that, he may be her uncle (her mother's or father's brother). It was a good episode, but still, the 1st season was the best, it was innovative and brought new ideas to the thriller series world but since then it went downhill. It's hard to last so long and still be genuine, but who knows maybe we will have the surprise of our life next episode... once the real identity or Red is revealed (or not).

Almost There

[tprindy-93743 · 8/10 · 17 June 2021]

Terrific episode that is basically a story told by the antagonists/protagonists of the last 8 seasons. It summarizes how Elizabeth is where she's at, how we got there, and what went on behind the scenes.

Unfortunately, like so many episodes before, we tiptoe right up to finding out who James Spader actually is. 8 stars for the storytelling, -2 for not revealing the identity of James Spader.

The consequence of hubris

[gkmacca21 · 6/10 · 17 June 2021]

The arrogance of the writers is to assume that most of the audience has remained obsessed with the storyline for years and years, rather than been worn down and bored by it, so they expect that everyone will recognise all the characters (even though some are played by different actors), remember all the key events and require zero assistance in trying to remember what on earth they're talking about. A lot of the time I was left thinking 'Who??? What???' The writers need to wake up and appreciate that they've lost plenty of viewers, and are on the verge of losing a whole lot more, and they need to re-engage them rather than just think they're all obsessive fans.

Excellent Episode

[ttmdoc · 10/10 · 19 June 2021]

So many complainers! This episode was well constructed with loads of answers. Loved the black & white. They could have shown Liz reading some kind of official history.. boring... instead they chose to show us what she was reading and her thoughts about it all. Wonderful.

Is Raymond Reddington Katrnina!

[shahid-aslam · 7/10 · 17 June 2021]

Nice effort to tie up the loose ends. I hope that Katarina (Lotte Verbeek) was not *constructed* into Raymond Reddington.

Retreads and a few confirmations. Massively overhyped.

[LodgeDweller · 5/10 · 17 June 2021]

If you enjoyed this episode and found it satisfying, good for you. Read no further and go on your merry way, friend. If you're increasingly disenchanted and have hated the story arcs this season, you're not alone. To me this felt like clunky fan fiction. The show has morphed into a parody of itself. It seemed as if the people in charge had a checklist of things the dedicated fanbase would like addressed. Tacoma Park, bubble girl, the fire around Christmas, the scar, N-13, all addressed to varying degrees but without the punch or finesse one would hope for.

Did we learn anything all that satisfying or substantial? We learn the Blonde Katarina was not Liz's mother, but someone set up to be targeted in Katarina's place. Sorry, but I don't care about this woman, her vendetta, or anything about her. I knew she wasn't Katarina and that doesn't make me feel any better about her half baked storyline and the convoluted BS that has developed since she appeared. Liz may have become horrifically insufferable, but the fake Katarina is the ground zero for me as to what has sent this series off the rails.

We learn again that our Red is not the original Raymond Reddington. Again, he is not Liz's father. We've been told he's not her father several times, often from Red himself. So we're getting more confirmation of things already hinted at than actual new information.

The presentation of this episode was bizarre. Liz once again converses with figments of her imagination, maybe? It's presented as real Katarina, real Raymond Reddington, Illya, Dom, fake Katatina, and Ivan Stepanov filling in some blanks for Liz. At least half of those characters are confirmed dead. Liz loses focus early on and our Red tells her to focus on the story, thus drowning out the busy office work around her and keeping Liz in a black & white world of memories and conversations with people who aren't there. Why did they have to go to Latvia for this? Okay, Red wanted her to see his super secret headquarters but why couldn't he tell Liz the story on the plane ride there? It's all so goofy.

Eventually the world's worst villain interrupts while Liz presses for an answer about Red that seems painfully obvious but also so incredibly stupid you can't blame the woman for dismissing it. Townsend arrives because Liz had the tracking thing on her. Once again, Liz brings trouble upon herself. Liz gets shot, Red destroys at least part of this place in Latvia in order to take out Townsend, who I hope is dead and gone for good. He is the most pathetic excuse for a villain I have ever seen, and I watched season 4 of FearTWD with the derranged dirty woman poisoning water and doodling on people with a sharpie. At least she was funny. Fake Kat was the ice cream sundae of destruction for this show, Liz was the whipped cream, and Townsend was the cherry on top.

They hyped this up like a big fireworks show, but handed out snakes and sparklers. Perhaps there's a roman candle or three in the arsenal for next week, whether or not you find them to be impressive or duds depends on your personal preferences and what, if any theory you subscribe to. The notion that our Red is real Katarina is laid on so thick I honestly don't know how to handle it. I've been in the quiet "he's another dude altogether" camp and always viewed the sporadic Redarina hints as the writers trolling a sect of the fanbase.

If they go the "Red is Katarina" path, I think I'm done. Not necause of any hate or small mindedness, but because it would be utterly stupid and Jerry Springer-like. I don't care when things don't pan out the way I expected as long as it's believable enough and a satisfying story. There are two versions of The Blacklist. The good Blacklist seems stuck in the Twin Peaks Black Lodge. The convoluted, evil parody version has mostly taken over and is breaking the spirit of many devoted, loyal fans. We'll see what version prevails next week as we supposedly learn who our Reddington really is. I'm holding out a tiny shred of hope the "Redarina" hints are merely a decoy. I'd swallow Red being a time traveling alien over this Katarina nonsense.

I know it's impossible to please everyone but I feel like they're shooting themselves in the foot with all this. Even without the Redarina aspect, I still doubt I would have liked this episode. Still don't have the heart to rate it below a 5.

Magnificent

[aaalshmiri · 10/10 · 22 June 2021]

One of the best episodes I ever seen really,,, everything in this episode is amazing ... thank you.

Finally some answers

[brittonwayne-287-425268 · 10/10 · 17 June 2021]

Simply stated. The best episode of Blacklist to date. Cant wait for season finale.

Excellent epidode!

[njcohen-92385 · 10/10 · 17 June 2021]

Great storytelling, great suspense and a rewarding ending! Finally got some much-needed answers! Bravo.

Mesmerizing!

[deleonmoshe-58751 · 10/10 · 12 August 2021]

When I understood who is Redington... when I understood finally why he (or actually...) is hiding this truth so desperately...

I was shocked!!

Amazing series!!!

Amazing end!!!

... to find out that everything we thought was completely so far from the truth... think I am going to see it again from the start...

Interesting... we still haven't seen the real Raymond Reddington killed...

[FisherJr · 10/10 · 22 June 2021]

My guess, he's her father... it all points to that. Why else with all the cloak n dagger...all the effort... time will tell. We have one more season... I wish she would be a regular... in almost certain "Liz" will make a cameo for at least the last episode. She's awesome and the show deserves a proper send off... even tho story dragged on too long... anyhow... great episode overall with many conclusions/explanations...

Great finish, looking forward to next season

[danielberma · 9/10 · 18 June 2021]

First of, this review is probably more for the season as a whole rather than just this single episode. The Blacklist has got a lot of critisism for the route they took with Liz but I found it very refreshing. No more 'already seen this' or 'already knew that'. This isn't NCIS. I like that they made something more with this final episode they did something even better: A great story telling to wrap up and confirm much of what we already thought we knew, instead of just another action filled episode with all guns blazing.

And So It Goes

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 12 December 2022]

Where's my scorecard? Most of this episode is a holographic recreation of the Reddington Opus. Elizabeth is taken to Latvia and when Red tries to explain things to her, she defies him, again. She continues to pull toward the bad guys, one more setup. Normally, I hate episodes that rehash events but here it had a narration that helped understand the sequence that lead to our guy. Of course, even though they are in the most impregnable bunker in the world, in come those same guys. I wonder if Liz will be around for next season, because I can't imagine it. And I wonder what's going on back at the good old FBI.

With all my complaining about Keen

[tobynwillysdad · 8/10 · 18 June 2021]

This entire season I could not stand Keen. I still don't care for her character, but I must admit, I enjoyed this episode. It's been a while since I felt like "boy that was a good one." Most series don't last this long or last up to where we are, but I still hope they continue the show.

Horrible recap episode. But hope we are past season 8 woes

[grlym-46849 · 6/10 · 25 June 2021]

This show shines hen it has a beginning, middle and end. Like early in X-files. But when they try to add intrigue, the long running filler plot becomes more interesting than the actual answer. Just like x-files and Lost, it leaves you with silly episodes and a horrible end.

As for Elizabeth character, her character is as never interesting. She was the living prop that made other characters interesting. Season 8 made her character a laughing stock of the show. Her character was much more well crafted in the first couple seasons when they had her husband intrigue going

Hoping season 9 refinds it's roots.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

[dwarol · 5/10 · 17 June 2021]

So finally we got the big reveal episode where all the truths are exposed. And yet at the end nothing had changed.

Yes, yet another layer was added to the Blacklist mythos. We find out that once again everybody is not whom they seem to be. At the crucial moment when Liz is about to find out who Raymond really is and where her actual mother is, Townsend conveniently shows up. Townsend was created by the showrunners just for moments like this because they had killed off all the earlier bad guys. He serves no other purpose. Maybe he's gone, but does it matter? They'll just create someone else.

I get the feeling this episode exists only because the showrunners found out earlier this year the show would get another season. They were headed to a series wrap-up this season, and found out they had to go another. So they tapped danced and this episode was the result. Does anybody actually believe that 8 years ago when this series started that they planned to arrive here?

The characters are the only reason to what this show, especially James Spader as Raymond. Some of the others such as Dembe are also worth tuning in for. Several of the episodes this season have been enjoyable simply because of them. But for all of Ms. Boone's efforts, Liz is the character I care about the least. Liz's quest to find her identity is the least compelling thing about this show because the showrunners have robbed it of all meaning. It's like watching the last season of "Lost".

Questions Finally Answered

[MovieFreak86-415-912531 · 17 June 2021]

First, this is the best episode of The Blacklist I have seen in a long time.

Keen finally got long awaited answers to questions she has been asking since season 1. We the fans, finally have answers. The big mystery/puzzle is almost solved. But with all the questions we had answered in this episode, there is still questions we need answers to, there are pieces of the puzzle still missing. What is Reddington real name? Who is he? I can't wait to see if we will finally get that answer in the season finale.

In my opinion, finding out why Reddington killed Keen's mother earlier in the season was the biggest surprise of the episode. I would even call it a unexpected twist. I know I didn't see coming.

Answer: She wasn't Keen's real mother. She wasn't the real Katarina Rostova.

I guess the question know is, will we ever find out what has happened to the real Katarina Rostova?

Fantastic episode

[mostafamohamed-77889 · 10/10 · 17 June 2021]

After season 7 and 8, FINALLY an episode makes me remember how first 6 seasons were.