The Blacklist Season 5 Episode 9 Review: Ruin
Lisa Babick
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Liz is a badass. Plain and simple.
She might have had the bad guys handed to her on The Blacklist Season 5 Episode 9, but she showed she is more than capable of taking care of herself.
What I loved most is that Red didn't show up to save her. Liz had to fight the guys on her own, and in doing so, she deserves respect.
There were many instances when Red could have broken his promise to Liz and arrived just in time. It never happened. It was a purely Liz-centric hour that focused on her strengths both mental and physical.
I appreciated that we didn't have an hour's worth of Tom flashbacks. It helped make what happened on The Blacklist Season 5 Episode 8 more real and raw.
Tom is not coming back, and we have to deal with it.
It's not to say the installment didn't have its goofy moments. For example, Liz didn't need to tell Bill that she was an FBI agent. She didn't need to spell out everything she was going to do to him and his goons because of her training.
We know her background, so why did the mob guys need to know? She would've kicked their butts with or without them having that knowledge. It would have been a lot more fun if they thought a random woman living alone in the woods was responsible for their demise.
Maybe telling them was to up the ante so they would get down and dirty and offer her more of a challenge. Whatever the reason, it was annoying that she felt the need to justify herself.
I would have been okay with her telling them she was going to rip them all limb from limb just because they killed her dog.
One thing that I don't quite understand is how Liz could leave her daughter during all of that. It's true that Agnes was without either of her parents for a nearly a year, but having mom come back to life and then disappear again had to be difficult.
I tried to imagine what it would have been like had I handed off my five-year-old son to my mother-in-law after my husband died unexpectedly (and not nearly as horrific as Tom did), and I just couldn't imagine it.
It wouldn't have been impossible for me to do, but I remember how raw the pain was at the time, the feeling that I couldn't go on. Having to care for a child while trying to care for yourself after a tragic death is not an easy task.
Megan Boone did a phenomenal job portraying all of Liz's genuine emotions during the flashbacks. So much was said by her expressions.
While I don't necessarily agree with Liz's decision, she made the right choice for herself and what she thought was best for her and Agnes. We have to respect her for that.
Kids are much more resilient than we give them credit, and I'll take a wild leap that Agnes will be fine, for the most part.
Besides, Liz has some serious business to take care of now, and it's better Agnes is somewhere safe. Had Liz decided to take Agnes with her to the cabin, it would have provided more complications than necessary.
And we have to give The Blacklist some leeway to do what they need to do to tell the story of Red and Liz, because, after all, that is what the show is about, right?
I'm surprised Red didn't go after Ian Garvey himself. It's obvious he was doing research for Liz and sending her information, at least that's what I gathered from all those boxes she was receiving.
But what did he do for those months Liz was in a coma? I have a hard time believing the only thing he was doing was sitting in her hospital room reading her poetry.
I'm sure we'll find out more as the season progresses, but I wish Garvey's head would have been in one of the boxes. There are not enough words to describe how much I despise that guy. In a way, I'm happy Liz will be the one to hunt him down. She'll inflict her full wrath on him, and I can't wait!
What did you think of "Ruin"? Were you surprised Liz let Scottie watch over Agnes instead of Red? Will Liz return to the Task Force?
Has Liz had enough time to grieve Tom's death? What has Red been doing while Liz was gone?
Hit the comments and share your thoughts!
If you need to catch up, you can watch The Blacklist online right here via TV Fanatic. Want to know what we thought about Tom's death? Check out our The Blacklist reviews to find out!
