The Blacklist Season 5 Episode 5 Review: Ilyas Surkov

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The cat is out of the bag.

Tom answered the phone at the end of The Blacklist Season 5 Episode 5 and effectively ended his life.

There's nothing he can say or do to change the inevitable. Tom needs to pack up and get out of Dodge because he is a dead man.

Arms of Comfort

I can't imagine that Red is going to have much patience now that he knows Tom is the guy with the suitcase. And the fact that Tom doesn't have the suitcase is going make everything even worse for him.

I don't understand why Tom answered the phone in the first place. It had to have shown the call was from Nik's phone, right? Was he thinking that it was Pete McGee trying to get hold of him?

Tom was trying his best to get answers as fast as he could because he knew time was ticking but did he really think he'd beat Red to the punch? He knows Red well enough to know that despite his current predicament, Red is full of resources.

It seemed like Tom was moving at slow speed going to McGee's clinic, but that was the only lead he had so he had to pursue it. 

Tom deserves some credit for not going along with Liz's belief that Red killed Nik. Tom could have taken advantage of that point, but didn't.

What Tom should have done was sat Liz down and told her what was going on. She would have been pissed, but he would have maintained the upper hand. Now that Red knows Tom's involvement, he has no chance.

It wasn't clear if Tom realized that it was Red on the other, but the look on Red's face spoke volumes.

There have to be many thoughts going through Red's mind at this point. His first instinct is to find out where the suitcase is, and he will do whatever is needed to get that information.

The only saving grace for Tom is that he doesn't know where the suitcase is and Red may spare his life. They might even work together to hunt it down, but it's going to be short-lived.

Red is going to see this as a betrayal not only to him but also to Liz and Agnes. And that's where Red's conundrum may lie.

It sort of reminds me of his conundrum with Naomi eons ago. He wanted to kill the husband for cheating on her, but he made her so happy, he couldn't do it. That might be the only saving grace Tom has. Red knows how happy Tom makes Liz.

In the Car - The Blacklist Season 5 Episode 5

But then again, there will always be the threat that Tom will divulge the information to Liz and cause all sorts of trouble Red doesn't need or want. The easiest solution to that problem would be to get rid of Tom permanently.

It would be easy for Red to craft a story about Tom's death. He could somehow tie it into Nik's death. He could make it look like a suicide. There are a number of ways Red could make it work to his advantage, but the risk is always that Liz will find out, and he'll lose her forever. He can't have that.

The other mystery is who is Pete McGee, and what does he want with the bones? 

I'm guessing he figured out who they belonged to, but that doesn't explain why he would kill Nik. Unless it's such a whopper of an identity that he wants to keep all the blackmail money for himself. If that's what his plan is.

But if he killed Nik, will he go after Tom as well? There's more to this story than we know right now.

While the case of the week was interesting to a point, I wish that we would have spent more time on the mystery of the bones. The best part of the case was Aram. Did he actually say he couldn't drive? That made me laugh, because what the hell?

Red and Hawkins - The Blacklist Season 5 Episode 5

What was really great though was that he wanted to get operationally trained. Harold was a little surprised, but it's about time. Aram has spent way too much time in behind the desk per se, so it will be fun to see him out more in the field.

While I'm looking forward to that, I also wish we had more time with Red. Is it just me or is there a lot less Red on screen these days? 

And give me more Hawkins while we're at it. She's a hoot. When she told Dembe he was a "frikkin babe," I died. That was without a doubt the best moment of the entire night even if Dembe wasn't too impressed by it. Hawkins is not a shy woman. Can you imagine her and Dembe together? 

What do you guys think? Is Tom done for? Will Red have mercy on him for Liz's sake?

Will Red keep Tom alive to help him find the bones? Will Tom confess to Liz? Is it too late? What's Pete McGee's story?

Hit the comments and share your thoughts!

If you need to catch up, you can watch The Blacklist online right here via TV Fanatic!

Ilyas Surkov Review

Editor Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
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Rating: 4.8 / 5.0 (25 Votes)
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