TV Show Review

TV Review: THE BLACKLIST: Season 3, Episode 19: Cape May [NBC]

James Spader The Blacklist

NBC‘s The Blacklist Cape May TV Show Review. The Blacklist: Season 3, Episode 19: Cape May is a remarkable change of pace for one of the best shows on television right now.

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Of course, given the game-changing events of last week’s episode, perhaps this shift in tone wasn’t as unforeseeable as one might have thought. Like viewers, Raymond Reddington (James Spader) is still reeling from the shocking death of Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone). Trying to make sense of the woman he loved like a daughter’s death, he interrogates Nik Korpal (Piter Marek) about what went wrong after Liz gave birth. Terrified for his life, Korpal explains there was nothing he could do and it is left ambiguous as to whether Red killed the hapless doctor for this tragic turn of events.

Whatever course of action Red took, it didn’t bring him any peace, as he wanders in a dazed stupor trying to make sense of what happened and what will follow. This sojourn is an intensely personal experience for Red, so much so that none of his cronies, not even his bodyguard and series fixture Dembe (Hisham Tawfiq), accompany him. In fact, with the exception of brief flashbacks showing Liz and Tom Keen (Ryan Eggold), not one of the program’s regulars appears in the episode.

The relatively sparse cast complements the unusual pace of the episode, which moves at a rate unlike any other in the show’s history. Whereas a typical Blacklist episode can be thought of as a runaway passenger train taking all on board for the ride of their lives, this one more closely resembles an aimless freight train, ominously lumbering towards God knows where. There are extended periods where nothing is said, with the only cues as to how viewers should feel being the often morose soundtrack and the expressions of Red and the few people he interacts with over the course of the show make. The only perceivable warmth surfaces when Red comes across a mysterious woman (Lotte Verbeek) who he narrowly prevents from committing suicide before confiding his growing issues with her. As he learns more about her, however, he realizes that they share more in common than emotional distress.

Throw in some gloomy lighting and impressive camerawork, and you’ve got the first episode of The Blacklist that transcends it’s small-screen boundaries and displays some truly cinematic quality. While the death of Elizabeth Keen will continue to hang over the program like it does for Red, last night’s show proves that The Blacklist will not only continue, but reach new creative heights as well.

Leave your thoughts on this review and this episode of The Blacklist in the comments section below. For more The Blacklist reviews, photos, videos, and information, visit our The Blacklist Page, subscribe to us by Email, “follow” us on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ or “like” us on Facebook. The Blacklist airs on NBC.

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Reggie Peralta

**** We hired Reggie, fulfilled our obligations to him, and he quit in the middle of covering two TV series w/ no notice and no explanation. He then ignored our emails asking him to complete his coverage (we had no one else to cover those TV shows). He didn't care. We regret hiring him and we regret putting our trust in him. **** An aspiring writer, longtime film junkie, and former UCLARadio.com disc jockey (where I graduated with a BA in Political Science), I've made the jump from penning book reviews and current events editorials for HonorSociety.org to writing movie and TV news and reviews. When I'm not working towards my certificate in Radio and Television/Video Production at Fullerton College, I enjoy reading (horror, science fiction, and historical/political nonfiction are particular favorites), participating in my school's TV and theatre clubs, attending movie screenings, plays, concerts, and other events, and trying to come up with pithy things to say on social media. Believe it or not, there are occasions where I find time to write for my own leisure.
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