Konets

So sad. Shed tear. Spader is a super actor and the whole crew is great. Cant wait until next season.

This episode made me realise, more than ever before, that I have only ever watched The Blacklist to see James Spader, Hisham Tawfiq, Amir Arison and (to a lesser extent) Diego Klattenhof. Not to forget Susan Blommaert. It has never been to watch Megan Boone, nor her constantly conflicted character. As unrealistic as the story lines often are/were, I bought the stories of Red and Dembe far more than that of Elizabeth.

The episode was ultimately a bit disappointing, but I am hoping that things can get back on track and be more interesting (as they used to be).

Thank you, dear reader, for taking the time to read this review!

In his recent book 'Upheaval' Jared Diamond argues that one of the most worrying effects of the Information Age is that it can, somewhat counterintuitively, lead to a loss of compromise and to an unwillingness to respect discrepancies. It is quite easy, for example, to write an angry comment on the Internet in response to an anonymous user whose reactions we will never see. I write this review in praise of common (kommon) sense. Please let me explain. One of the things that worry me about platforms such as iMDB is that, in an effort to respect a plurality of opinions, they may actually end up intensifying collective anger and eradicating empathy. Hopefully this point will become clearer as I comment on 'Konets' as a possible example.

As a Blacklist episode 'Konets' does contain an important flaw insofar as it deprives fans of a moment that the series had been building up since its inception. I agree with this view. But this is clearly not enough to automatically give the episode a 1/10. In fact, I think this aspect is the only negative thing about the episode and, in what follows, I hope to argue for this hypothesis. On the other hand, some users are giving it the highest possible grade (10/10). Let's all calm down and be sensible for a moment. Personally a 10 or a 9 is the grade I would give to a cultural product that is truly remarkable in terms of acting, story-telling, cinematography, aesthetics... Something similar happens when, at the end of each review users are asked whether they found it helpful. I cannot help feeling that sometimes the polarities of agreement or disagreement are projected here. The question is not 'did you agree with this review?'; the question is 'did you find it useful? Did it help you choose what to watch?'

With all of this in mind, yes 'Konets' is imperfect. Yes it is flawed. Yes, it makes a major creative and narrative mistake that future seasons will have to solve. However, it has some undeniable virtues that, in my opinion, really make it rise above the standard of what, I think is fair to say, has been a relatively uneven Blacklist season.

James Spader has consistently offered riveting performances as Reddington since 2013, showing Reddington as a fully three-dimensional character. But it is in this episode where he absolutely delivers an impressive, fantastic (and perhaps his most definitive) portrayal of his character: he shows his humanity with great emotional power, ranging from joy to Stoic acceptance to hilarious comedy to tragedy and devastating loss. This combination could hardly be more polished. Spader truly elevates the quality of the episode and his performance is somehow reminiscent of his outstanding work in 'Sex, lies and videotape'. The scenes he shares with Megan Boone on this occasion are beautifully made and, although the writers of the show should probably have invested more time in delineating the excessively swift transitions these characters experience, their scenes together work well. This dynamic is made possible thanks to the believable and well-constructed pieces of dialogue that sustain their conversations. The other characters (with the exception of Dembe) lack some depth, but they did not need to be at the centre of the episode on this occasion.

From the standpoint of the photography, 'Konets' is probably one of the most visually striking episodes of the whole series, effectively combining a well-selected set of colours and including them in the exactly most emotionally tense scenes of the episode. Similarly, the music is used to poignant effect throughout. These two stylistic choices cleverly come into dialogue in the final montage, which is very well-shot (no pun intended). The episode as whole focuses less on the plot itself and more on the internal struggles of the characters, which, after the information-packed 'Nachalo', was an apt creative choice to make. 'Konets' is self-contained, calm and seems interested in adding layers of complexity to the main characters.

For all these reasons, as I say, 'Konets' is certainly not a disaster. In fact, it works considerably better than the majority of the episodes of Season 8 and a good deal of creative thinking has been invested in putting this episode together. Its positive qualities outweigh its problematic ones. In terms of writing for series, I also think it's important to know when it feels right to end (cf.: the excellent Fleabag). It is preferable to leave audiences wanting more rather than twisting things excessively: The Blacklist should probably start approaching its final resolution soon and wrapping up its plot-lines and questions in order to have a truly satisfactory ending, but 'Konets' is a reminder that this show remains an entertaining, rewarding and enjoyable piece of TV. And I am happy to say that I think it deserves a 7.6/10 on my part.

To sum up, my broader reflection is the following: can we all just calm down, listen to each other and appreciate the value of things even when they are not perfect?

I thank you for your attention and I hope these comments make us all think holistically about our everyday practices as spectators and critics.

This episode has the required to be a great ending for the season. Some may argue it's about time that the big secret will be revealed - who is Red to Liz, is her mother alive and where and I agree that this is dragged too long for no reasonable reason. I can only say I'm glad that this is no end of The Blacklist, and looking forward to the next season which I hope will be better as there is much that can and should be done to make it more like the first few seasons.

Don't care what happened in the rest of the episode, it's irrelevant if you embrace the child in you in the first part. Honestly, some of the best TV.

The helium sold it for me.

Say no more. Brilliant TV.