Crime Dynamic Duos 2018: The Blacklist (Reddington / Liz) vs. Strike (Strike / Robin)

blacklistWelcome to CarterMatt’s Crime Dynamic Duos 2018! This is the third year in which we’re doing this tournament, which is a way to honor some of the best crime-solvers in all of TV. This tournament runs throughout the month of August, and over the course of it we describe what makes certain pairs the perfect crime-fighting duo while also allowing you to share some of your thoughts on the competition! Each article is accompanied with a description and a poll; the winning duo will advance to the next round leading up to the winner being announced on September 1!

What are the rules of the tournament? Basically, all eligible shows have to still be in the midst of their run on TV as of August 1, and at least one character involved needs to be involved in solving crimes in some capacity. They can be a cop, a private investigator, a federal agent, a lawyer or a high-ranking officer. What matters is that they put plenty of bad people away.

Voting Rules – Vote however often you like! Voting for Round 1 is open until Friday, August 10 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific time. Round 2 will begin the following day; the image at the top of the article should explain everything.

In this article, we’re looking at two very different shows that originate in two very different countries — as well as pairs that have very different relationships between them. We’ve got Reddington and Liz of The Blacklist facing off against Strike and Robin from Strike, otherwise known as CB Strike here in America.

Reddington and Liz, The Blacklist (#1 seed) – One of the best things about this relationship is that it’s always evolving. Reddington went from being a noted criminal and someone Liz reluctantly worked with to a valuable ally to a potential adversary to her father. Now, she knows that he is not actually her father and because of that, all hell’s about to break loose in season 6. Their relationship is so nuanced and full of depth that we could watch it for many more years. They’ve got serious trust issues and secrets, but somehow, they do still find a way to put much of that aside for the sake of taking out Blacklisters and making the country, at least temporarily, a little bit safer. Somehow, we do still think that the best could be to come when it comes to these two when the series returns next year.

Strike and Robin, Strike (#8 seed) – They are certainly the underdogs in this particular showdown, and that makes sense given that the majority of American viewers out there have yet to see CB Strike. If they did, they would know about the smart, layered partnership that exists for these two and how they often manage to resolve any case even in spite of some serious hardships that both of them have endured. Like with Liz and Reddington, there is a ‘shipping community out there for the two characters, and there is also more story to tell for them moving forward. There have been three limited runs that have aired on the BBC featuring Strike and Robin to date; those episodes were packed together for Cinemax as a single CB Strike season. (For those out of the loop, these characters were created in book form by Robert Galbraith … otherwise known as JK Rowling.)

Photo: NBC