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| Image found on the Internet |
Fair warning, there are spoilers about...
There are actors who chew scenery. Then there is James Spader (playing 'Red' Reddington) who declines to chew, but instead takes a chainsaw to it. But more on that in a bit.
The Blacklist, over on NBC, is quite a good thriller, mystery, action, whatever-you-want-to-call-it. The plot is simple enough: The good guys, with the help of a master criminal, catch the baddest of the bad guys every week. It's all in the details and the questions left unanswered that makes it intriguing...well, that and Spader tearing holes the aforementioned scenery.
Red was, as far as we can tell, a former good guy, but mysteriously breaks bad. He shows up 20 years later as a mastermind criminal fixer, well connected, enjoying the good life, but willing to risk it by turning himself into the FBI, and only willing to speak with one agent, all on the surface at least under the pretext of catch the worst criminals out there, the ones the FBI doesn't "even realize they exist". These criminals comprise the so-named blacklist. The set-up is much like any other procedural - tantalizing clues, running down the bad guy(s), and occasionally killing them. While the FBI does their thing, Red does his thing, and together they catch the bad guy. Red also maintains the illusion he is still a criminal to other criminals. But is it an illusion?
James Spader channels equal parts Hannibal Lecter and Danny Ocean: Mysteriously villainous, cold, and calculating - and occasionally a brutal murderer - while also effusing charm and good will with friends and loyal compatriots everywhere. It's an odd mix, but it works precisely because James Spader is so good in the role. He dominates every scene he is in with such presence you begin to feel sorry for the scenery.
James Spader channels equal parts Hannibal Lecter and Danny Ocean: Mysteriously villainous, cold, and calculating - and occasionally a brutal murderer - while also effusing charm and good will with friends and loyal compatriots everywhere. It's an odd mix, but it works precisely because James Spader is so good in the role. He dominates every scene he is in with such presence you begin to feel sorry for the scenery.
The show tantalizes us with why Red is helping the FBI; what his connection is with Agent Keene (played by Megan Boone); why is there a box underneath the floorboards of the house implicating Keene's husband as some kind of nefarious criminal of his own; why Keene's burn scar looks like the symbol on the box; why when proven (apparently) innocent, Red still insists the husband is guilty despite his own hand in it; who is spying on Keene (shown to be neither the FBI, or Red);...and ultimately, what is up with Red and is fascination for lost girls and is he Keene's long gone, mysterious missing father.
The thing about shows with such hidden puzzles that piece them out to the audience, is that most bait the audience as if they most intellectually deadened and uncritical of mankind (and perhaps they are), but in the 9 episodes I have watched so far, the progression feels natural, things are being revealed at a decent pace, characters are growing as a result...it feels right.
The supporting cast is also magnificent (I could watch anything with Parminder Nagra)...
...but Harry Lennix feels like his considerable acting skills is getting wasted here.
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| Parminder Nagra (Image found on the Internet) |
...but Harry Lennix feels like his considerable acting skills is getting wasted here.
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| Harry knows I am right (Image found on the Internet) |
I conclude by saying that The Blacklist has made my list of shows to watch (via the internet sadly) until such time as I may purchase it as a DVD. Here is hoping it has many more seasons to come.
