That was one episode worth the honor of being the 200^th.

Raymond continued his strategic plan to play offense on The Blacklist Season 10 Episode 4. With the help of a former blacklister and ally, he accessed a fortune in cryptocurrency from a dead millionaire.

He also continued to wrestle with the outcome of his increasingly uncertain future, and what he considered the most was the possibility of death.

Raymond has lived long, been to many places, and met many people enough to make informed guesses about what might happen to him when whatever he has coming for him catches up with him.

He has seen enough people die and isn't deluded about his mortality.

And from all that he has seen, it has become clear to him that what happens in the last moment of your life is important. Having people you love close to you cannot be beaten by anything. It might have been true that he considers Robert to be a friend.

Robert: So, what gives? First, you burst me out of prison. Now, you're treating me like a princess.
Raymond: I've lost a lot of people Robert. If my circle of friends gets any smaller it won't be a circle. I just want to fill my world with people I care about.
Robert: What a crock of crap! You need me for a job, or what?
Raymond: I need you for a job.

• Permalink: I need you for a job.

Robert's reaction to Raymond's sentimental statement was what one would expect someone who knows Raymond would say. Raymond never does anything out of the kindness of his heart. He always has an angle, and Robert was wise enough to know that.

Even if Raymond craved kinship with Robert, it would be a while before Robert could discern that truth.

Case in point, Raymond gave the unit a new blacklist case, and it was quite interesting. A millionaire had realized that he had raised lazy, ungrateful children and, in his last days, devised a plan to teach them something even in death.

Many variations of this story have been told in different places, and some have a better ending than this one.

The best one is that of a farmer who had spent his whole life living off his land but had some indolent children. He knew that after his death, they would squander his wealth and later sell his farm. He devised a plan to teach them how to work.

He added a clause in his will that a gold mine was at a certain portion of his land. The problem was that he had forgotten where. He told his children to dig until they found out where.

As he'd guessed, the children squandered his wealth in record time. They later realized they could dig up the gold, sell it, and live comfortably.

And so, they set out to do just that. They dug randomly, and after not running into any gold, they would dig another portion. They never found any gold, but the rains began when they were done with all the digging.

They figured that now that the land was ready for planting, why not plant? They had a huge harvest, and that was the gold.

This, of course, is a rosy version of what happened between the millionaire and his daughters. The huge twist was that Cordelia had been looking for the clues on her own and had employed a ruthless man to help her with it.

I became suspicious of her when she received the call from Siya and didn't seem shaken by learning that she might be in danger. And even inside the car, she was acting suspiciously.

Raymond, of course, had a plan before giving them the case.

It begs the question of why Raymond, a wealthy man in his own right, would participate in a treasure hunt as if his life depended on it.

And that's because it just might.

Tadashi: Tada!...shi.
Raymond: Well done Tadashi.

• Permalink: Well done Tadashi.

Knowing what's coming, Raymond knows he needs not only people he can trust but also resources. He indeed has money. But like most criminals, his wealth is tied up in assets and deals with other criminals. Most of it is stored in banks that serve criminals, and the rest is too petty to help in any significant way.

What he needs is clean, untraceable cash accessible from anywhere. He could liquidate his assets and convert the money into crypto, which would raise too many red flags in his world. It would expose his disadvantaged position and trigger an early reaction from Wujing.

It is also possible that Marvin did something before he died; as of now, Raymond is dead broke.

Either way, he will need money, and crypto is the currency of choice for criminals due to its nature.

With a fraction of the millionaire's fortune in hand, he can continue preparing for Wujing.

I'm sorry, but Wujing is amassing blacklisters as we speak to take down Redington. I mean, why would he divert us to babysit a bunch of rich women?

Ressler

• Permalink: I'm sorry, but Wujing is amassing blacklisters as we speak to take down Redington. I mean,...

Even when Wujing outs him to his associates, the crypto money will cushion the blow.

He broke Robert out of prison on The Blacklist Season 10 Episode 3, and we guessed he might be planning something, which was confirmed when he talked to Harold about leaving Robert alone.

Wujing made his play by approaching Robert, but whether he will believe Wujing and go against Raymond remains to be seen.

Extra thoughts

• Seeing Dembe and Ressler together like good bureau buddies on a stakeout is still weird.

• Was Cordelia even doing any relief work in Bolivia?
   
• Raymond looks genuinely happy having a partner with him. The last we saw him that happy was when he was with Anne.
   
• It's always funny seeing older people try to understand recent technology. That scene was hilarious.

Tadashi: Wait, there's something else in his wallet. It's an NFT. Non-fungible token. This one's a video file.
Raymond: Is that what the kids are calling a Tiktok?
Robert: I think that's a chat snap.
Tadashi: Stop!

• Permalink: I think that's a chat snap.

Do we still think Siya is working on taking Raymond down for causing her mother's death?

What do you think Raymond plans with his ever-increasing band of criminals, such as Robert and The Four Guns?

Do you think he will die?

We love hearing your thoughts, so don't hesitate to comment.

As always, you can watch The Blacklist online via TV Fanatic any time.

Denis Kimathi was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on X.