‘The Blacklist’ season 3, episode 2 review: Reddington takes hostages, also Fisher Stevens!

With Liz and Reddington separated on “The Blacklist” there were few options left for Liz if she wanted to escape capture by Ressler and the FBI. She headed to the Russian embassy and claimed that she was a Russian spy asking for diplomatic immunity. Is this plan going to work or will it just buy her a little time before the whole world caves in on her?

Liz pretending that she is her mom saying that she is finished her undercover mission and is seeking asylum. Her farce doesn’t work, but she is able to talk to the man in charge, and tells a little him about the Cabal’s plan to start up a war between the USA and Russia. In return for helping them stop this from happening, she wants diplomatic immunity and they say okay, but they want to send her to Moscow for debriefing first. She agrees and is sent to an airport – what she doesn’t know is that the man that is holding Dembe captive (and beating him for information on Reddington’s whereabouts) is going to be the person meeting her there instead.

Reddington learns that Liz is in danger, and after explaining the situation to Ressler, he decides to take matters into his own hands to make sure she doesn’t get on that plane. Ressler is able to stop her from getting on the plane, but now she’s on the run again and right back into the arms of Reddington.

After Reddington calls into the FBI  giving them an “anonymous” tip that he and Liz are there, Reddington takes the entire place hostage. One of his demands is that he asks for a lawyer named Marvin, (and it’s Fisher Stevens who we love!!!) saying that he wants him to help make a deal, but really Reddington is just helping to bust him out of prison and set him up with a pretty sweet life after having some fairly terrible things happen to him and his son. Once Reddington has Marvin (and some new information about the Fulcrum), they all escape with the help of a secret lair in the restaurant – turns out the restaurant is owned by a friend of Reddington’s and has a secret drug den/escape route.

This episode was very focused on James Spader and it was a beautiful showcase of how sexy, stunning and fearsome he can be. There is really no other actor that would have been able to play this role the way that Spader does and we love these episodes that put him front and center. There was a beautiful moment at the end of the episode where he tells Liz that he sees her as the North Star – his way back home and it made us feel like “The Blacklist” has found it’s perfect stride this season. Also if you are wondering where Tom is… he’s back and trying to have a “talk” with Ressler.  Episode grade: A

What did you think of this week’s episode of “The Blacklist” and do you like where the story is going this season? Leave us a comment below and tell us your thoughts.

(Photo: NBC)