The Blacklist Season 3 Episode 13 Review: Alistair Pitt
Sean McKenna
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An arranged marriage that ends in a bloody massacre?
What is this? Game of Thrones?
Luckily, unlike many of the characters on the HBO series, the likes of Red and company managed to escape unscathed on The Blacklist Season 3 Episode 13. Though, you could definitely still call it the “Red” Wedding.
It’s just unfortunate that for so much going on during the hour, and what should have been an emotional inside look at the lengths Red would go to for a loved one, it all felt rather boring.
The thing is, we know that Red will go to extreme lengths for the ones he cares about. He’s done it for Dembe, and he’s especially done it for Liz.
It’s certainly interesting in getting a glimpse into Red’s past and seeing that someone he loved was hurt, and I’d be curious to know more about Josephine.
But her appearance felt sudden, and while it was all an attempt to look at the layers of Red, I wasn’t as emotionally attached to the story and mission as Red was. I didn’t really know anything about her, though I wish I did.
Granted, bringing on an actor like Tony Shalhoub elevated the presence of the matchmaking villain involved with Josephine.
Having Shalhoub meant getting an intense sit-down scene between two very good actors as Red revealed his motive to Alistair. And did anyone notice Alistair slightly tearing up as Red spoke with him?
It was a solid moment, even if the buildup to the point was lackluster.
Because even with the ultimate endgame being about getting to Alistair, most of the hour was focused on the mob families.
But that mob storyline felt cliche, and there just wasn’t any depth to the warring families.
Plus, I just couldn’t believe that the son whose fiancee was shot and killed presumably by members of the other family would just agree to marrying the daughter of the other family after the fact. Sure, I get the argument was that it was for the good of the family, but he barely put up a fight.
I found myself losing interest.
At the same time, Tom was busy getting back with Gina to go on a heist so he could get some money to help take care of Liz and the baby.
But even that never truly felt like an exciting detour. There’s plenty of reasons why he shouldn’t have even gotten involved in the first place, and there’s guaranteed to be some major repercussions after the fact.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Tom gets sucked back in because of the thrill of it all.
Though, even with Gina’s kiss, it still seemed pretty obvious that he’s only got eyes for Liz. I just hope we don’t try and get a silly love triangle now…
I did enjoy getting to see some more with Samar’s personal life even if it wasn’t a happy ending for her. Plus, watching her banter with Ressler or even enthusiastically talk about planning a baby shower were good moments.
As for Liz, she’s still feeling the effects from her time on the run now bleeding over into her adoption. She’s clearly trying to do what she thinks is best for the child, but her new path is not getting any easier. It seemed like a hard enough decision to even give up the child, and now she’s getting restrictions with the adoption?
She couldn’t even get an answer out of Red about her mother, but let’s be honest, we know that info is more likely to come out on The Blacklist Season 3 finale than some middle of the season episode.
Liz's life is definitely not on an upswing.
With a rather dull mob story and a less than engaging glimpse into Red’s past, the hour left me disappointed. I wanted to like it, especially with Shalhoub as a guest star, but by the time we got to the end, there just wasn’t a satisfying payoff.
Did you enjoy seeing Red’s past? Will Tom and Gina ever get back together? Sound off below, and be sure to watch The Blacklist online!
NOTE: The Blacklist Season 3 Episode 14, "Lady Ambrosia," airs Feb. 11 at 9 p.m.
Sean McKenna was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. He retired in May of 2017. Follow him on Twitter.
