The Blacklist Season 2 Episode 14 Review: T. Earl King VI

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Rich siblings vying for an inheritance by using an auction for rare and valuable items to keep score, followed by a Russian roulette final round that could seal the deal and determine a winner?

That sounds entertaining on its own, but throwing Red into the mix made this a great case of the week for The Blacklist.

And we saw Red get captured instead of Liz. (Nice to see the change up!)

The Blacklist Season 2 Episode 14 was captivating pretty much the whole way through, but it was feeling like I wasn’t sure quite what was going to happen that really helped keep things interesting.

We all knew Red would find a way out of his predicament alive (after all, James Spader as Red really makes The Blacklist), but it seemed like there were moments where Red wasn’t so sure he’d find a way out.

He always plays so cool, calm and collected, offering quips to the tailor or trying to goad one of the sons into revealing the truth about their game, all when he’s trapped inside a clear prison (those seem to be really in demand these days) or strapped to a chair.

And I loved when he tried jumping into the bidding war for himself, much to the dismay of one of the brothers. He manages to pull out humor in so many dire or dangerous situations.

But it was when he was told he wasn’t going to Johannesburg, but rather his head was, or even when he was kneeling on the ground waiting for a bullet, that there really seemed to be a reaction from Red that it might be the end for him.

Even calling out Liz’s name?

It’s not often we get Red in a vulnerable situation, or even not in control, so to see him have to get help from Liz was a huge change.

It made for their conversation in the car that much more affecting. From Red telling her never do that again to Liz telling him she saved him because she cares (and man, were those some great teary eyes), it was a much more personal talk than Red trying to convince Liz to stay in a swanky hotel.

I understand Red not wanting Liz to risk her life (and I can’t help but keep thinking Red is her father; the show really needs to definitively answer that one), but she did and she will, much like Red would do for her.

It was nice to hear him at least utter a thank you to her.

The whole auction ordeal really further opened up just how well-known and connected Red is around the world. There’s plenty of people willing to buy him for their own personal vendettas or his wealth of knowledge.

And I enjoyed getting to see Jeffrey DuMunn take on the villainous role. I couldn’t help but want to see Dale from The Walking Dead, but this character was not a nice guy and DeMunn really made his presence known.

Though, maybe it was a bit ironic that he wound up being the one to lose the game of Russian roulette.

But even where the hour could have solely focused on the case of the week, it delved into some of the consequences with Harold’s deal. And I’m not surprised strings were attached.

Yet, I’m really intrigued where the Tom storyline is going to go.

He’s clearly ready to get back into the field and in Germany no less. But what for?

Plus, he must still have feelings for Liz as evidenced by their phone conversation. It was great that his tip on sneezing wound up helping her at the auction.

Could those two reunite and even reconcile? Do we want them to?

This was a fun episode of The Blacklist to watch that did a nice job of combining an intriguing case of the week with just enough tease (and not just in the last seconds) of something bigger.

And yup, Tom is definitely back.

What did you think? What's Tom up to? Sound off below, and catch the episode again when you watch The Blacklist online

T. Earl King VI Review

Editor Rating: 4.6 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 4.6 / 5.0 (43 Votes)

Sean McKenna was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. He retired in May of 2017. Follow him on Twitter.

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