The Blacklist (Reddington & Liz) vs. Station 19 (Andy & Ryan) – Crime Dynamic Duos 2019
Within the first battle that we’re highlighting today, we’re highlighting two pairs that you could certainly call some of the most non-traditional of the entire mix here. With Liz & Reddington from The Blacklist, you have a character in the mix here who is a bona-fide criminal — while he certainly does his part in order to ensure that criminals are off the street, his means are not exactly that of a typical hero. Meanwhile, with Andy & Ryan of Station 19, you’ve got a firefighter and a police officer working together. While neither one of them are necessarily your typical crime-fighting pair, we’re happy that they’re both a part of the tournament this year!
If you’ve been around for past editions of Crime Dynamic Duos, then you know a thing or two about how this works — at the bottom of this article is a poll to vote for who you want to see advance! One duo will, and at the end of the month, we’ll officially crown the champion in all of their glory.
How voting works – Vote however often you would like! (Technical instructions for multiple voting can be found right above the poll.) We will keep this poll open until Friday, April 12 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific time. The winner here will face off against either Mac & Riley from MacGyver or Michaela & Jared from Manifest — which we suppose are certainly some unique pairings in their own right that sort of break past the typical crimefighter mold.
You can see the full bracket (including start dates for each individual round) in the graphic at the top of this article.
The competitors
Liz & Reddington, The Blacklist (#1 seed) – With Elizabeth Keen and Raymond Reddington, you really can’t argue with results — they’re one of the most effective duos on television in terms of rounding up some fictional baddies and making sure they can’t hurt anyone else. What you can argue more about, however, is the means in which Reddington often gets said results. We wouldn’t label him strictly a hero, given that this is a guy who has no problem with killing, lying, or deceiving. We also wouldn’t label him a vigilante, especially since he hardly operates in the shadows to the Task Force. He’s more like an antihero, but one who is necessary for the FBI to do some of their job.
No matter how you label these two, there’s absolutely no question that they are incredible to watch, and we imagine that their relationship and their work will only get more and more complicated as season 6 continues.
Andy & Ryan, Station 19 (#8 seed) – The relationship between police officers and firefighters can often be akin to a friendly rivalry — they each want to boast that they’re the best at what they do, but they all have the same goals. Andy’s job isn’t so much to stop crime, but we think that she and Ryan together are a formidable problem-solving duo and when working together, they can makes lives a little bit easier.
On the job, the two are compelling to watch because of their style, their approach, but also how their history off the job carries into it. Their backstory is a big part of their appeal and we think that this is almost exclusively a strength. It’s not just about giving them great moments to spend with each other away from work. They’re new to the tournament this year, so we’ll see exactly how they fare.
Photo: NBC