The Blacklist Season 4 Episode 11 Review: The Harem
Sean McKenna
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Dembe’s confession about Red killing Mr. Kaplan on The Blacklist Season 4 Episode 10 should have had a larger impact on The Blacklist Season 4 Episode 11.
Instead, besides being a bit grumpy with Red at the outset of the hour, she jumped right on the latest case he was offering and didn’t mention anything until the last five minutes.
With the way we’ve seen Liz handle things before, it was a bit of a surprise that she wasn’t more forward and questioned Red earlier on.
And even when she did bring it up at the end, there wasn’t the anger I expected her to level at Red.
Sure, there was a sadness that she expressed, and she clearly didn’t think that Red trying to protect Mr. Kaplan’s sister excused him from his actions, but I didn’t get the sense that there was going to be as much of a rift in their relationship going forward.
It felt more like a side note rather than something front and center that really should shift the relationships going forward.
And maybe it will, but it should have played a far more prominent role from the start of this episode.
That said, this was a Liz-heavy hour, resting a lot of the case and action on her.
It’s definitely felt like a while since her character has been at the forefront of a case, so it was nice return to form.
And she seemed to handle herself pretty well in getting in with The Harem.
The Harem was a great idea, a heist group that steals from other criminals. And former Crossing Jordan star Jill Hennessy was believable as the leader of these bad ladies.
It’s just too bad that the group felt rather bland overall.
There wasn’t that spark or engaging set of personalities that made watching The Harem a fun time.
And it’s hard not to want to compare them to the likes of Danny Ocean and his crew, especially considering the music of the hour during the heists was very reminiscent of Ocean’s 11.
But where there was the charm and fun with George Clooney and the various other characters of that movie, this particular crew wasn’t very memorable, nor were the actual heists themselves.
Though, incorporating a character with deep ties to Red that felt trapped was an interesting way to play off Liz’s relationship with Red.
Liz seemed to act like it was easy to get out and get away from what she’d been doing, but Liz hasn’t been able to get away from Red and the dangers that surround him. I don’t think it’s as easy as she thinks.
Granted, the woman was able to get some help from Red and get out of the game and away forever, without getting killed off.
Still, there’s a deeper connection between Liz and Red, and it’s not going to be as simple.
The whole case was a setup for Red to get the witness protection list because of its connection to Mr. Kaplan’s sister. But it also led the way for what’s presumably the next big bad guy for the series.
Is that the Baldur Magnusson that was mentioned? Or someone else?
I was expecting more from this episode, especially after Dembe’s reveal to Liz. And while it was good to see Liz get back into the action, the group of blacklisters just weren’t that exciting.
I’m certainly intrigued by whoever is going after Red and stepping in on his operations, and I’m looking forward to further exploring that.
Hopefully, this new character proves to be just as memorable and interesting as Red.
What did you think of The Harem? Did you expect more fallout after Liz found out about Mr. Kaplan's death? Sound off below, and be sure to watch The Blacklist online at TV Fanatic!
Sean McKenna was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. He retired in May of 2017. Follow him on Twitter.
