TV Review: THE BLACKLIST: Season 4, Episode 21: Mr. Kaplan [NBC]

The Blacklist Mr. Kaplan Review

The Blacklist: Season 4, Episode 21: Mr. Kaplan builds things to a head and leaves viewers eager to catch their breath before the second half of the season’s finale.

I said it in my review of last week’s episode, and I’ll say it again: Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff) has the unlikely honor of being the interesting character (or at least the focus of the most interesting storyline) on the show at the moment, faced as he is with the troubling task of obstructing his old friend Special Agent Gale’s (Enrique Murciano) investigation. Gale, in turn, gets in one of the best scenes in the program as he confronts Ressler about the evidence he has tying the FBI task force to Red (James Spader) and promises to bring him and everyone involved to justice. It’s the most agitated we’ve seen Gale in the short time he’s been on the show, but it certainly leaves one wanting to see more of the perky FBI operative.

And that’s exactly what we get when Mr. Kaplan (Susan Blommaert) approaches him to offer damning testimony against not just Red but the bureau for aiding and abetting him as well. This plot point, in addition to generating dramatic tension, is one of the highlights of the show’s history, perfectly illustrating its morally-ambivalent tone and themes. While Gale condemns Ressler and the FBI for shielding Red, he is willing to protect the woman who cleaned up the Concierge of Crime’s messes because she is willing to give him he wants. This is almost exactly what the bureau did with Red, and judging by the reluctant expression on Gale’s face when she talks to him, this parallel is not lost on him at all.

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