The Blacklist (TV Series)

Eli Matchett (No. 72) (2015)

James Spader: Raymond 'Red' Reddington

Photos 

Quotes 

• Elizabeth Keen : I don't know what happened. I used to consider myself lucky. I had a husband I loved, a job I always wanted. I was the kind of person good things happen to.

  Raymond 'Red' Reddington : Have you ever heard of Mugs Kalinowski? Lovely guy. Ugliest man I ever laid eyes on. That's why everyone called him Mugs. Except his dear mother. She was an art professor at Bard. Lovingly referred to him as Picasso.

  Elizabeth Keen : That's kind of sweet, actually.

  Raymond 'Red' Reddington : Well, it was an apt nickname. His face was all over the place. But perhaps as a result of that nickname, Mugs grew up with a great appreciation for art. He fenced some of the most extravagant pieces in the world. He only had one rule. Out of respect for dear mom, he'd never lift a Picasso. Felt it was bad luck. Then one day, he got a tip from a source about a piece sitting in a huge loft in Soho. So one evening, Mugs shimmied up the drain pipe, broke in, and lo and behold, there hung on the wall, Les Femmes D'Alger. A spectacular Picasso. One of a series of 15 and astronomically valuable.

  Elizabeth Keen : Did he take it?

  Raymond 'Red' Reddington : No. And Mugs was convinced that was the single biggest stroke of bad luck he'd ever suffered. Well, what he didn't know was the source who'd given him the tip was working with the feds. The painting had a tracking device on it. Sometimes, bad luck is the best luck you'll ever have.

• Raymond 'Red' Reddington : We're gonna need Mr. Costa's address and maybe some directions. My associate prefers to steal cars that were made before the advent of GPS.

• Raymond 'Red' Reddington : Progress. It's a bitch.

• Elizabeth Keen : Forget about the box. We need to leave. They're one step behind us.

  Raymond 'Red' Reddington : This is life Lizzy. Someone is always one step behind.

• Elizabeth Keen : I shot a cop.

  Raymond 'Red' Reddington : Yes you did.

  Elizabeth Keen : And killed the Attorney General of the United States.

  Raymond 'Red' Reddington : Yes. And when you did that... You crossed a threshold, leaving your world, entering mine. Bad things are gonna find you now Lizzy. This life, has a mind and momentum of its own. That's a reality you need to accept.