TV Review: THE BLACKLIST: Season 4, Episode 18: Philomena (No. 61) [NBC]
The Blacklist Philomena (No. 61) Review
The Blacklist: Season 4, Episode 18:Â Philomena (No. 61)Â blows open an exciting new chapter of the show that puts the FBI task force in hot, uncharted waters.
Last night’s episode saw Mr. Kaplan (Susan Blommaert) fire the opening shots in her war against Reddington (James Spader), an act that, in times past, may very well have been a boon to the FBI but is now an inconvenience due to the bureau’s relationship with the criminal mastermind. In fact, it appears that the head of everybody on the task force is liable to end up on the chopping block after the Justice Department launches an investigation following the very public dumping of 86 bodies identified as enemies of Red at an ice rink. Working on the case is Special Agent Julian Gale (Enrique Murciano), an old chum of Ressler’s (Diego Klattenhoff) whose sharp eye and indomitable spirit threaten to expose the task force’s cooperation with Red. This puts Ressler in the uncomfortable position of feigning ignorance and obstructing his colleague’s investigation. As trying as it may be for the straight-shooting FBI agent, it’s interesting for viewers, particularly those who like seeing him wrestle back and forth with his own moral compass.
At the same time, Kaplan enlists the services of one Philomena (Susan Misner), who is a sort-of criminal performance artist, to track down and kidnap Red’s old friend Marvin Gerard (Fisher Stevens). Thankfully, everybody’s favorite sleazebag lawyer is spared by the vengeful Kate (at least, as much as being turned over to the police counts as being “spared”), but not after she raises questions about how much Red has actually done for him. True, the last thing we see him say to her is that he won’t crack and betray his boss, but some words have a way of sinking in well after they are initially said. We don’t know how long Marvin is going to be in prison, but it’s safe to assume it will be a long time, and probably long enough to reconsider what Kate had to say. Personally, I hope he remains steadfast and loyal to Red, but we’ll just have to see in future episodes of the show.
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