The Blacklist

Okay, I was one of those geeks who was totally intrigued by THE BLACKLIST. The premise sounded very cool – a chilling mastermind super villain is willing to help the FBI catch a list of the world’s worst evil doers in exchange for working with one specific hot FBI profiler. It’s SILENCE OF THE LAMBS meets MY NAME IS EARL. James Spader is always at his best when he plays weird characters and the girl, Megan Boone, is suitably TV attractive.

I watched the pilot and liked it. There were a few bumps like what was the point of that glass cell that rolled on tracks? It looked like they were holding Jimbo in a failed game show set. And she’s an expert FBI profiler but didn’t realize her husband is Jason Bourne but with even more aliases? (Or he’s just been framed, but still, how hard would it be for an expert FBI profiler to investigate his background?)

But the show was fun and I set a season pass. Week two was somewhat disappointing. First of all, Megan changed her hair and seemed to gain a few pounds since the pilot – which would be okay if the story didn’t pick up the next day.

As is so often the case, once you get past the cool premise pilot and have to sustain the contrivance things start to fall apart. Suddenly the jumps in logic start becoming jarring. The far fetched premise alone uses up their allotment of creative license. By week two I was already going “what the fuck?” That’s generally not a good sign.

James warns the FBI that a catastrophe is about to happen and he gives the location and time. Cut to FBI agents standing on train tracks saying “I don’t see anything wrong.” And then to their utter shock, a train derails.

And then there’s the big “secret.” Why did Spader pick Boone? She can’t figure it out. No one can. Uh, let’s see. They’ve established that her father was a criminal who disappeared. She doesn’t know who he is (again, good background checking). James Spader is a master criminal. And when she specifically asked why her he said it’s because of her father. Frustrated, she walked away.

Megs, am I the only one on the planet who thinks it might be because HE IS YOUR FATHER? Even Lois Lane would figure this out. And if it turns out he’s not your father, well… then the relationship won’t be as interesting. Plus, that would allow for a romance between them and I’m sorry, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS wasn’t that creepy.

By week three the show was seriously stupid. A ridiculous convoluted plot, and whenever there are action sequences the other FBI agents have to do all the running and fighting. Some shady guy who eats apples has now bugged Megan’s house. We’re supposed to wonder whether Spader is really just playing the FBI, but you KNOW he’s really a good guy because… well, it’s network television. No one trusts anybody. Everyone has secrets. And like ALIAS and COVERT AFFAIRS, the heroine leaves for work in the morning, catches a notorious bad guy, is almost killed, and is back home in time for dinner.  Sure the work is dangerous, but the hours are great! 

I may be bailing on THE BLACKLIST soon. I’m asking the question the network apparently didn’t ask when they first heard the pitch – “What happens week four?”