The Blacklist - The Longevity Initiative (No. 97) - Review: "The Puppets"

"I don't know who I am.
I don't know if this is my birthday.
I don't even know my own name.
No. I know who I am. I am the puppet of some high functioning sociopath.
I don't even know what I'm doing here."
- Liz to Ressler

Last Thursday's episode of The Blacklist, "The Longevity Initiative", detracted from the courtroom stories we have seen lately and offered up an intriguing blacklister reminiscent of some season one villains. Five episodes remain this season and I am guessing we will start to see more answers regarding The Fulcrum, and the Cabal that is after its contents. Now that Liz is safe from a murder trial the series can focus more on the overarching mythology as it heads into the season two finale.

The main character the Task Force was after this past week was Dr. Julian Powell, a scientist hired to conduct research on immortality on behalf of Roger Hobbs. Hobbs is a billionaire tech mogul whose fascination with life and immortality led him to create and fund The Longevity Initiative in the first place. Powell, however, had ulterior motives as he used the money given by Hobbs to fund his own research and returning his fiancé to the mental state she was in before her accident.

The above quote from Liz summarizes her involvement (and other pair-bonds as well) with Red concisely. She doesn't know who she really is and what her true mysterious origins are anymore. In the present, she is exactly as she stated, "...the puppet of some high functioning sociopath".
Red might not agree with this personal account, but witnessing everything from our point of view, it does appear that Red pulls the strings and all of his little marionettes move to his will. this would put Red into an almost God-like light and if any one character on The Blacklist could exhibit such tendencies it would be him.

Red is extremely meticulous in his endeavors. He is detailed to the point of perfection and even when we see him in a precarious position he still seems to own the upper-hand. I am not saying Red wants Liz to be his puppet purposely, but the actions he takes occasionally can be viewed as such. At times it appears completely coincidental and other times it looks as though he 'pulls back' just a little as we see that he truly care about Liz and is trying not to overstep. We can see him navigate this delicate balancing act with what he wants (The Fulcrum) and that which he genuinely and sincerely cares about (Liz).

In last Thursday's episode there were other such instances of 'puppet and master' that I noticed. Hobbs and Powell, of course, could be considered as master and puppet to some degree. Although Powell did corrupt his relationship with Hobbs causing his own demise, he still performed Hobbs' bidding to some degree. Little did Hobbs know that in the background Red is the real master manipulator.

The Major and Tom are another example of a master manipulating his pawn. Tom (or Jacob as The Major calls him) has been The Major's puppet since he was young and still runs to him when in need. It's almost as if Tom needed and required someone to instruct him on what needed to be done. This gives credence to the fact that Tom actually loves Liz because he betrayed his 'master', the man pulling the strings and acted as a father figure to him, in order to save Liz.

The Connolly/Cooper story line is one I enjoy watching unfold ever since Connolly helped Agent Cooper get into the med trial for his medical condition. Looking back, it was difficult to pinpoint the moment when the tides turned in favor of Connolly being the 'master' in the relationship, however, now it appears he definitely pulls Agent Cooper's strings. At one point I thought Agent Cooper would not bend or bow to Connolly's rogue tactics in getting what he wanted, but now it looks like Cooper has no choice in being the puppet in this relationship. It will be interesting to watch when this scenario comes to a head and to witness how Cooper will react when his morals and ethics are pushed to the extreme.

The best example of 'puppet and master' I gathered from the episode is that of Red and Roger Hobbs. We all know from past examples Red always has an 'angle' with his blacklister selections and this time was no different. Red was pulling Hobbs's strings from the very beginning and knows at one point he would need whatever Hobbs can offer in the future. It is why Red decided to help Hobbs out with Powell in the first place. It's as if Red is playing one giant chess match with the world; seeing twenty moves ahead as only a grandmaster can.

The episode, "The Longevity Initiative", was an exciting hour from The Blacklist. I enjoyed it as it reminded me of some of the better episodes from season one. I imagine more answers to the major mythology of the series are on the horizon as season two of The Blacklist winds down. There are still plenty of episodes and stories left to bring The Fulcrum and everything in its orbit back to the forefront of The Blacklist each week. We all know many questions remain and little by little we should see the answers to them revealed. Red wants The Fulcrum and we want to know exactly what it is, but as long as Red is pulling the strings we will just have to wait for all of the answers we seek.

Red's Quotes

- "Humans as a species are untrustworthy creatures. We don't deserve to live forever."
Red to Roger Hobbs

- "It's not easy being God"
Red to Roger Hobbs

- "I’m happy to discuss the day’s events, but not if you insist on doing so at this volume."
Red to Liz

Music from the Episode

- "Baby That's Not All" - Josh Ritter
Final Music Montage - Ressler & Liz share a birthday dinner; Red looks through old photographs of Liz; Tom burns his passport; The Major wants Tom found; Liz arrive home to find Tom waiting for her there.

Thoughts and Discussion

- Did you notice...The patient Julian Powell is experimenting on and tries to get to speak is patient #4. Red is number 4 on the FBI's Most Wanted List and the number 4 is hidden throughout many episodes of the series. Also, one of the bottom numbers in a game of Solitaire that is being played is "4".

- I enjoyed the final music montage last week. Ressler comforting Liz on her birthday was a great scene. As one commenter in the 'best scene poll' stated it was one of the few times lately we have actually witnessed Liz smile.

- Did you notice...In the scene where Tom and The Major were being tortured for information Tom is shown an ultrasound of the child him and Liz were planning on adopting during the events of season one. At the bottom of the ultrasound it reads, "Parents - Tom and Elizabeth Keen". I went back to the episode, "Madeline Pratt", where we first saw that ultrasound from season one and it did not have Tom and Liz's names on the bottom. Either Tom had a different copy or it's just a production error. I just wanted to mention it because some people think that this was their baby at one point, not understanding that it was the baby they wanted to adopt.

- Also from the final music montage, we know The Major is coming for Tom. Perhaps Red will come to Tom's rescue or maybe Liz will, we will have to wait and see. Whatever the situation is I am looking forward to see that storyline unfold.

- The best part of the final music montage was watching Red reflect over the pictures of Liz on her birthday throughout the years. I won't discuss whether or not he is her father or not (yet), but Red surely holds a special place in his heart for Liz; that much is certain.

- Aram has been making us laugh quite a bit lately. This latest episode he was hilarious when he admitted to eating one of Liz's birthday cupcakes, Lol.

- Did you notice...In one scene, after Red listens to Roger compare his initiative to the achievements of Jonas Salk and Louis Pasteur, Red gives his own example and likens him to 'Josef Mengele'. Josef Mengele was a German SS officer and physician in Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. He was notorious for the selection of victims to be killed in the gas chambers and for performing unscientific and often deadly human experiments on prisoners. After the war, he fled to South America, where he evaded capture for the rest of his life. Red knows his world history.

- With everything that has been going on with Liz, court and the Harbormaster's death it's easy to forget some of the storylines that get pushed back. For example, what happened to the Mystery Man Red was supposed to meet in the apartment, but instead went to make a deal with Aleko? We figure he was abducted from the apartment and left his cell phone (on purpose or not we do not know) so what happened? There was definitely a struggle with someones blood left over. How will Red get a hold of him now?

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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