The Blacklist - The Kenyon Family (No. 71) - Review: "The Devil We Know"

"There are good ships
And there are wood ships
The ships that sail the sea
The best ships are friendships
And may they always be."
Agent Cooper and Connolly toasting to Cooper getting in the medical trial

Last Thursday's episode of The Blacklist had been the lowest rated of the entire series with just under eight million viewers. Some might consider it one of the worst episodes, but I actually enjoyed it, especially with some of the mysterious things we saw Red doing at the end of the episode. The ratings for The Blacklist have been on a downward spiral since the end of Season One and I hope it picks up with only ten episodes remaining this season.

The blacklister this past Thursday was the Kenyon Family, a polygamist cult whose compound doubles as a storage facility for the criminal underground. When a cartel, criminal or villainous group needs to hide anything of value, they seek out the Kenyon Family, who place their goods in shipping containers spread throughout the compound. Our team has encountered more threatening blacklisters, but they were put in danger at many points throughout the episode. I enjoyed watching Navabi step up as an important part of the team as she helped defuse bombs and come in at just the right time to save Liz and Ressler from The Watchers.

The best part of the episode was the "B" story that involved Red searching for Alan Fitch's safe with Glen. It provided just the right amount of comic relief and their scenes stole the episode. I couldn't stop laughing while watching them argue back and forth. We are learning a little more about Red this second season as the writers focus more on what precisely he is after in The Fulcrum. They are also doing an exceptional job at keeping the audience guessing how all the puzzle pieces fit together. We have learned Red always has an angle when he introduces a blacklister to Liz and the FBI team. This past week was no different as Red needed to get into the Kenyon Family compound to gain access to one of the underground shipping containers they had stored. Inside was what appeared to be President Kennedy's presidential vehicle from the day he was assassinated, but it is unclear whether or not that was the same automobile.

To the tune of Bobby Darin's "Beyond The Sea", Red walked to the back of the car to retrieve a small, silver suitcase from the inside of the trunk. Just as the words to the song go, "It's far beyond the stars, it's near beyond the moon, I know beyond a doubt, my heart will lead me there soon", so too does Red's heart search for The Fulcrum; a search he will no doubt go to any lengths to retrieve. He will delve into Liz's subconscious to grab at a memory and feed the FBI what is basically a 'to-do list' of criminals for his ultimate goals. Red is the Devil we know. 'How far will he go' and 'where to' are the questions Season Two will hopefully try to answer.

The episode was overall a good hour of The Blacklist. Red and Glen's scenes were amazing and I hope Glen comes back for more episodes this season and in season's to come. We were also treated to more of the pieces Red is gathering for his grand puzzle. We saw him grab a suitcase, with unknown contents, as well as find a mysterious phone number inside Fitch's safe in St. Petersburg. On the other end was a man even Red did not know. Why did Fitch have just that phone number hidden away in a safe? What does the number lead to? Who was the other end? This adds an entirely new layer to the story since Red, the Concierge of Crime, knows everyone in the criminal underworld. Red may be the Devil we know, but the things we don't know will keep us on the edge of our seats for the remainder of the season.

Music from the Episode

- "Beyond the Sea" by Bobby Darin
Cooper is informed that he's been accepted into the medical trial; Dembe gives Red a phone number that he traced from the safe.

-"Down to the River to Pray" - (arr. Philip Lawson) Pacific Boychoir Academy & Kevin Fox
Navabi talks a boy down from detonating the bomb in the van; Ressler and Keen discover the murder scene in the Kenyons' church.

Thoughts and Discussion

- The country the number belonged to is Russia, indicated by the "+7" country code. This adds more to the 'Russian' elements of Liz's past I wrote about before such as - Liz's name (which her younger self mentions in the fire flashbacks) is Masha, which is Russian in origin, and also the Russian lullaby playing during those same flashbacks.

- Did Ressler take the bottle of pain pills? I didn't think his addiction to controlled substances was still an issue, but he stared a long time at that bottle.

- We still don't know what medical condition Agent Cooper has been diagnosed with by his doctors. From the evidence we have, it appears to be terminal and the best bet would be cancer. Lets's hope this medical trial he has been accepted into works and he gets to stay on as director because I enjoy watching his character.

- Did you notice...There is a "Mustache Mug" on Glen's desk that reads "Mr. Right". Lol, I thought that was hilarious. I wonder who owns the "Mrs. Always Right" mustache mug?

- Did you notice...Red mentions Glen helped take down that "mobster in needles". I think Red is referring to Al Capone and his fear of needles. Al Capone was afraid of needles so much it caused his death. Rather than get an injection to cure him of his Syphilis he refused and died as a result.

- Who is on the other end of the phone call Red made to the number he found in Fitch's safe? Why does that phone number still work? Is he a friend or foe?

- Did you notice...When Liz is walking through the forest, right before she gets captured, she sees dolls and animals hanging from tree branches. One of those dolls looks like Steve Rogers (I could be wrong, but it looks just like one I had when I was a kid) with a missing leg. Steve Rogers is the name of Captain America - fitting, since 'The Watchers' want to take down the country.

- What was in the metal briefcase Red took from that Presidential vehicle's trunk? We don't know who the container belonged to or who's vehicle that is for that matter. Many of you speculated it was President Kennedy's vehicle the day he was assassinated, but I don't think we have enough information to go on.

- Did you notice...The painting, that Fitch's safe was behind, was a portrait of Juliette Récamier (if you've ever heard of a Recamier Sofa it was named after her) by François Pascal Simon, Baron Gérard, in 1802. The interesting part is that she was engaged to be married to Jacques-Rose Récamier. A rumor arose that he was her natural father who married her to make her his heir. It is still unknown whether or not he is her natural father or not, but the marriage was never consummated. Also, they were married when she was only 15, which mirrors what the Kenyon family was doing to underage girls.

Thank you for checking out my review! Please comment below so we can discuss the episode and the series some more. Have a great week everyone!

About the Author - Geo N

Geo N is from Detroit, MI. His favorite shows include The Blacklist, Hell On Wheels, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, LOST, The Leftovers, The Strain, Sons Of Anarchy, Sleepy Hollow and countless others. When he's not watching tons of TV, he enjoys reading, playing hockey, comic books, weightlifting, and writing. Thanks for checking out my post.

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