
Hello, poppets! Here we are, back after the Olympics. I hope you had a good time, just as I did, watching all those wonderful winter sports (hockey) and are now set to bundle up with our favourite shows. Allons-y!
This episode of The Blacklist, “Madeline Pratt,” is a little less violent and gross than previous offerings. In terms of The Blacklist, it’s practically lighthearted. ‘Lighthearted’ in that we don’t have any human traffickers to contend with and Red doesn’t suffocate anyone lakeside with the bag that held his deceased assistant’s ashes. Red likes orange sherbet in the middle of the night and gets acupuncture! Kooky.

It’s clear that Red and the titular super-thief Madeline Pratt (Jennifer Ehle, A Gifted Man) have a past, and one that’s been somewhat left unresolved. They’re still lovers, yet she holds a smouldering grudge. He stood her up in Florence who-knows-when and she can’t get over it so she sets him and Elizabeth up in the theft of a Russian icon from the Syrian embassy. God, Madeline, in the business you’re both in can’t you just put that in the ‘Loss’ column and move on with your life instead of getting all emotional and holding it over his head for freaking ever?
We also learn that Lizzie has a criminal bent of her own. Not only does her dad have a crooked past, but our Elizabeth can lift a cell-phone, slip out its SIM card, do a bump and relieve a guy’s ID card (and replace it, which is the harder part) and also do a simple card trick, making the ultrasound picture of the baby she and Tom had planned on adopting disappear between her fingers. Because that’s not heavily laden with symbolism. At all.
Now, while this is most likely an attempt to make Elizabeth a more interesting figure to the viewer, because, God knows, right now she needs all the interesting she can get, and to have her have some intrigue or some mystery surround her would be great, this is not a success.
And that’s because it does not surprise me that Elizabeth has the skills of the lowest grifter, because I think it would be in the FBI’s best interest to teach their recruits the basic skills of the lowest grifter. Seriously, pick a pocket, guys. If you’re in charge of national security, I want to know you can lift my cell phone, at the very least, because then I know you can lift the cell phone of an actual bad guy. If you’re coming around my neighborhood for an investigation, and I have to teach you how to pick the lock to a suspect’s back door (I admit to nothing and this is not a legal document) then I’m doing your job better than you and that can only end in tears.
One thing we have learned in all our episodes of The Blacklist so far is to not trust anything that comes out of Reddington’s mouth. He is the ultimate liar. But for some reason, when he and Madeline were in the fake lock-up he schemed up, the story he told her, about Christmas, and running out of gas, having to leave his car on the side of the road, full of presents for his little family and then walking for miles in the snow, the snow that seemed to have been falling for days, upset at himself for ruining their Christmas, then being able to laugh at himself, knowing he would be the brunt of future jokes around future Christmas dinners, “Hey, remember when Dad ran out of gas?” Wanting to hear his daughter playing piano and coming home to blood, only blood. Seeing blood. Smelling blood. His little one’s tiny fingers as she died. For some reason, I don’t think he lied to her. For some reason, I think we learned a lot about Raymond Reddington.
The Blacklist airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC.
Related posts
Classics
John Griffin and Harold Perrineau Talk From on EPIX Season 1 Finale
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] How are we doing, #FROMily? In case you missed it this morning, the very good news is that that cliffhanger will be followed by a second season, which was gifted this morning ahead of the linear broadcast of the finale. I always legitimately appreciate when we…
Elizabeth Saunders Talks EPIX’s From
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] One of the things that makes EPIX’s From such a fun ride is the abundance of Canadian cast members. Elizabeth Saunders, who plays Donna, is a favorite from her turn on the third season of Mary Kills People, which US audiences still have not been able…
Corteon Moore Talks From “Broken Windows, Open Doors”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight’s episode of From had us all in our feels as we learned through flashbacks about the Sophie’s Choice Boyd had to make to save his son, and back in the present as Boyd said his piece with Ellis before heading into the woods with…
Pegah Ghafoori Talks From “All Good Things…”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode] Tonight on From, Fatima’s anniversary celebration turned into a Colony House of horrors when a misguided Kevin let his monster bae in and she promptly killed him and left the window open for her crew. While the party devolved into terror and sent everyone running,…
Shaun Majumder Talks From “Book 74”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight on EPIX’s From, Father Khatri made a bold move, kidnapping Sara instead of turning her in, and then recognizing her as a vessel for some big messages. That startling realization speaks to him on multiple levels–as a man of faith, a man trapped in…
Avery Konrad Talks About Sara’s Struggle in From “Silhouettes”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Over the course of the season so far on From, we’ve witnessed Sara’s battle against the voices telling her to to do terrible things, and tonight we saw her unravel further, threatening the Matthews and lashing out in a moment of terror with horrifying results….
Hannah Cheramy Talks From “Choosing Day”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight, on EPIX’s From, the Matthews participate in the show’s version of the sorting hat, choosing where to call home–the town or Colony House. At the end of the episode, Julie makes the decision to split from her family and instead settle in with Fatima…
Ricky He Talks From “The Way Things Are Now”
[Warning: Spoilers for episode 102 of EPIX’s From.] Epix’s new series From is two episodes in and it’s already laying the groundwork for a seriously spooky season. Tonight’s episode demonstrated the careful balance of relief and horror that the show hits, with our characters’ worst fears realized, just not when…
Catching Up with Ted Lasso and Previewing Season 2
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] The not so dirty little secret about how I approach a new series is that I sometimes make a call based on the headspace I’m in at the time. It’s been a minute since I’ve picked up a show after the first season and then binge…
Interview: Henri Esteve on Grown-ish Season 3
An interview with Henri Esteve, who plays Javi on Freeform’s Grown-ish. He talks about his season three experience.
What They Said: Three Revealing Conversations from Survivor’s Remorse “Closure”
WARNING: Spoilers for Survivor’s Remorse “Closure” The latest episode of Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse featured conversations that showed characters really digging deep into their thoughts, emotions and motivations.
Two Takes: The Catch “The Knock-Off”
Who can you trust? If this episode of The Catch was any indication, the answer is just about nobody. Betrayal was running rampant as Felicity (Shivani Ghai) arose from the dead to seduce-con Margot, Gretchen (Maria Thayer, Gotham, The Mindy Project) played gold-hearted Alice 2.0 before swindling Ethan, Tessa jumped…
What They Said: Top 3 Quotable Moments from Preacher “El Valero”
Both Quincannon and Jesse refuse to give up on what they each think is rightfully theirs. While Jesse is struggling to face the consequences of his actions, Quincannon has laid his past demons to rest and is hellbent on moving forward and putting Annville on the map again. Despite a…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Supergirl “Worlds Finest”
Oh, Supergirl. That ending was cold. But I can’t hate on you because the latest episode has quickly become one of my favorites.
What They Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Black Sails “XXIII”
The dialogue in “XXIII” is phenomenal. It’s always a fun ride when Black Sails carries its viewers along without giving them the chance to catch their breath. When an episode moves at this unforgiving pace, there is no chance for a breather nor is there a respite from the information…
What Lucifer Said: Favorite quotes from Supernatural “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Supernatural episodes are almost always funny but thanks to the dialogue and a certain man speaking said dialogue, I laughed a lot during “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” You know, when I wasn’t busy fearing for Sam’s life or wondering what in the world was going on with Dean and…
What They Said: The Flash, “Legends Of Today” and Arrow, “Legends Of Yesterday”
Two nights of Arrow + The Flash = what more could we ask for?! I don’t know what it is about blending these shows, but I can’t help but feel that every time they come together, they somehow become greater than the sum of their parts. And that’s saying a lot…
What they Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Graceland “Little Bo Bleep”
Shoot outs. Fake outs. And long-awaited revelations. “Little Bo Bleep” was a jam-packed episode that wrapped up some loose ends and totally frayed others. Â It finally gave us one Sarkissian in jail and pulled back the curtain on Briggs’ master plan, but it also set up Jakes for a world…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Poldark “Part 4”
“What have I told you, I don’t require my wife to crochet and sip tea, but I do require her to remember she’s not a beast of burden.†No, I’m not talking about The Rolling Stones! I have to admit though, just for a second, the lyrics popped into my…
3 Moments of Goodness from Brooklyn Nine-Nine “Johnny and Dora”
The most satisfying part of this season’s finale has to the Jake and Amy kiss. Well, they kiss three times but the last one is the best one — and it means something. The Charles and Rosa dynamic was also great. I love how she’s convinced he doesn’t know anything…