Warning: Spoiler Alert
In the end it all disappeared under the guise of National Security, blunt words from a very powerful man, ended a Superior Court Judge and a Metro Homicide Detective’s quest to take on the United States Government’s Intelligence agencies, trying to prove FBI Agent Elizabeth Keen killed Harbor Master Eugene Ames. Actually, two powerful men made everything vanish, FBI Criminal Informant Raymond Reddington and the man who believes he’ll become the United States Attorney General, Tom Connolly. The NBC series “The Blacklist,” once again showed that perhaps this country’s greatest enemies, are Government Operatives, willing to make heinous crimes just go way, by eagerly waving the banner of National Security.
The show’s previous episode ended with Metro Homicide Detective Martin Wilcox, presenting Superior Court Judge Richard Renner, with a shell casing found on the boat she hid her ex-husband Tom Keen, trying to obtain the information to insure Red’s enemy Berlin’s demise. Ames wandered onto the wrong boat at the worst possible moment, paying with his life, strangled to death by Keen to protect Liz.
We start the episode off in Dresden, Germany as Keen’s infiltrated German racist gang “The Disenfranchised,” as the old man Tom’s impressed and two of his thugs, race after a dark-haired young man. The old man pushes the younger guy into a chain link fence and tells the man he wants his product and his money. He may live in the old man’s country, but he won’t allow immigrants to deal drugs in his territory.
Suddenly Keen runs at the guy and kicks the stuffing out of him, he tells the guy he’s got 30-seconds to give up his stash and cash, or the old man will kill him. The other guy responds he’ll die anyway, but Keen assures him if he gives them what they want he’ll live.
The man gives up his drugs, then Keen pats him down and takes his bankroll. The guy says I thought you said if I cooperated, you’d let me walk away, Keen says he told him he’d live, he never said walk away, then shatters the man’s leg.
Renner brings Liz into his chambers, shows her the bullet casing and tells her Samuel Aleko’s blood’s on it. She tells the judge she didn’t kill Eugene Ames and Renner says unless you tell me more, I’ll indict you for murder tomorrow morning. Liz refuses to talk and Renner says he’ll see her the next morning.
Red shows up at the Task Force headquarters and reveals to Samar and Aram that Keen’s still alive and tells them about Liz’s imprisoning her ex-husband to get information on Berlin. He then tells them that Tom’s new assignment’s working for “The Disenfranchised,” a gang he describes as racists masquerading as patriots to keep Germany pure. However their true agenda’s dealing drugs and according to Interpol, may have killed a dozen foreign-born competitors in the last year.
He tells them he’s heading to Germany to bring Keen home and to confess that Tom killed the Harbor Master. Ressler says he’s coming with him and Red says that’s not happening, but Tom promises to keep his mouth shut and stay out-of-the-way. Just then Liz arrives and Donald tells her what he and Red are doing, she asks to speak to Raymond privately.
He tells her he’s doing what ever he can to keep her safe, she cries if Red brings Tom back he’ll spend the rest of his life in prison and Raymond says one step at a time. Then she says Keen won’t come back, Red assures her he will.
The next scene takes us to Munich as Reddington’s visiting an old associate at a rehab-center. The man named Max tells Raymond he’s never worked with “The Disenfranchised,” but an old friend was a gun-runner for them. Unfortunately he’s unavailable to talk to as they killed him last year, but he says they’ve got a new guy on board that hooked them up with Austrian arms-dealer Franz Becher. He says if Red puts some money in Max’s canteen fund at the Rehab Center, he’ll get him information.
The next day Ressler and the BMI raid where Becher’s weapons are stored, the German organization impound the weapons, making Red a critical figure in the Austrian getting his shipment back from the BMI.
Reddington visits Klaus who’s covered in body piercing’s and getting a tattoo applied, Raymond tells Becher he heard about his snafu at the airport and Klaus tells the Tattoo Artist to give them privacy. Red then tells Klaus he can get the weapons back from the BMI, but he wants a 35% cut, he then tells Becher they’re now partners and he’ll go talk with “The Disenfranchised.”
Back at Task Force headquarters, Liz calls her financial planner to close an account and have it transferred to another account. She says she realizes the amount of money she’s dealing with, then tells him to close the account and transfer the funds that afternoon.
Cooper walks into her office and chews her out, after he tells her he perjured himself to protect her. She apologizes for forcing him to do that, but she said with Meera dead and him near death, she did what she believed to be right. Cooper says he doesn’t recognize her or himself any longer, his nose starts to bleed, he passes out and has an intense seizure, as Liz calls for help.
Keen and the old man are waiting for Becher and the old man gets nervous, that the Austrian won’t show, seconds later a car pulls up and he says he’s going to get Elias. Tom approaches the car and his jaw drops when he sees Red and Ressler and Reddington says good evening in German.
Charlene Cooper meets Liz at the hospital, Dr. Harper tells Harold’s wife he’s still unconscious and had an intense seizure, it’s too early to tell how he’ll come out of the episode. Charlene then tells Liz that Harold’s got a brain-tumor, but he’s in a trial-program and appeared improving until, this incident. She then begs Keen to keep that between the two of them and Liz says of course.
Tom tells Red and Ressler to leave before Elias and the old man come out, but Ressler says he’s coming home with them, to confess killing Ames, are Liz will go to prison for the murders. Tom says tell her she’s on her own, when she put me down in that hole, that was it. I’m not going down for her, or for you.
The two men come out and Elias asks if there’s a problem, Red says yes, then introduces himself. He then tells them that Becher’s weapons got seized by BMI, but he can get them released in exchange for Keen. He says that Keen’s either an idiot or was setting them up and he wants to find out which is true. Elias says he can kill him out back and Red says that’s splendid, Keen shoots the man who approaches him then runs from the building. Dembe, Ressler and Red kill all the remaining members of “The Disenfranchised.” Donald says they have to go after Keen, but Red says they sent their message.
Cooper’s fine he had a bout of hypoglycemia, that caused him to black out and the trial-treatment seems like it’s slowed the tumor’s progression. He says the seizure may have been a side-effect of the meds, he says it’s too early to call but things are looking brighter for Harold.
Tom calls Ressler from a burner-phone and tells him to put Red on. Raymond asks if he can live with himself knowing Lizzie will spend her life in prison for a murder he committed. Tom shows his internal conflict, but once again tells Reddington he’s not returning to the States.
Renner is about to issue an indictment on Liz, when the Deputy Attorney General asks for a sidebar, saying this is coming from the Attorney General. She tells the Judge that the Attorney General’s representative will soon arrive and asks for him to recess until they arrive, but Renner refuses. He’s about to indict Liz, when a court officer tells the judge there’s a man in the hallway saying he killed the Harbor Master.
It’s Tom as Liz gasps when he enters the courtroom, he tells the judge he killed the Harbor Master and Renner asks his name, he replies he’s Tom Keen. Renner smirks and says he’s relieved to hear that as someone told him he died.
The judge brings Keen into his chambers and listens to his story. Renner says he’ll dismiss murder charges against Liz, but still will indict her on perjury and accessory after the fact. Tom says he’ll give Renner a full-blown confession, but only if Liz gets her name cleared, a man walks in and says you’re not testifying. It’s Cooper’s old friend Tom Connolly and Renner has his officers escort Tom from his chambers.
Connolly proceeds to rip Renner up, down and sideways, telling him he’s a Superior Court Judge and not authorized to hear matters of National Security, that they have a branch of justices for that reason. He says he should get him arrested and locked-up, but he tells him instead, Renner’s going to dismiss the case on grounds of National Security.
Renner addresses the court and says after reexamining the evidence, he’s decided for National Security purposes to throw the case out. Wilcox first insults Renner and then Liz, telling her that he’s got to go to his wife and daughter now and tell them they won’t receive justice. Connolly tells Wilcox that’s enough and he walks out of the court-room, Keen then asks Connolly what happens to Tom and he asks Tom who? He then tells her he’s never met him, or is he in Federal Custody.
Liz sold the apartment that Red bought for her and sent the money anonymously to Ames’ daughter for her college fund. Red comes into the college study room, where Liz watches the young lady talking with classmates. Raymond then tells her to watch out as this could end up as a long-term relationship, then with little pretense explains to Liz what he’s done for her all these years, but the satisfaction wears off. Suddenly you realize you’re doing this for yourself, not the person you’re attempting to help.
Liz looks at Red and smiles, then says you knew that if Tom came back here to testify, they’d throw the case out because of the task force. She says you saved someone you hate, so you could save me, Raymond and Lizzie’s relationship seems to have gotten better in the last few weeks.
The Story Continues Next Thursday at 9:00 pm on NBC.
