THE BLACKLIST SEASON 5 EPISODE 5 SERIAL
THE BLACKLIST SEASON 5 EPISODE 5 SERIES

The threat being real for a brief moment, the suspense was real. Keen would still be alive, so it’s a plausible way of threatening her without sacrificing her character.

THE BLACKLIST SEASON 5 EPISODE 5 SERIES

It was the most uneasy moment in the series this year. On the other hand, there were some benefits to using a pending rape as a plot device. Inserting rape into the framework is a bit too stark an intrusion of real life. The Blacklist is essentially an escapist fantasy, a universe where absurdly beautiful men and women have adventures. Second, it undermines the whole theme of the show. First, it is highly inappropriate for a majority of the audience it’s not a scene that most parents would want their kids to watch, never mind watch themselves. The risks are several and fairly evident. Zakrzewski, Bokenkamp, and DeNoon deal with the aforementioned risk and reward by writing a potential rape into the episode.

It’s a rather shocking moment to have the prelude of a rape featured prominently in a prime time drama. The implication is that he and his men are going to rape Keen as Red watches. In “Arioch Cain”, director Alex Zakrzewski, creator Jon Bokenkamp, and writer Dawn DeNoon seem very aware of this dynamic, and unfortunately come up with an unseemly device that ratchets up the tension.Īfter they’re captured, Solomon (Edi Gathegi) orders his henchmen to drag Elizabeth Keen to a table. So, in the climax of this week’s episode, the audience knows that they’ll somehow extricate themselves from their situation when they are captured at the end of the episode. It would be shocking if either one were to die. We know that The Blacklist is, essentially, the story of Red and Lizzie. This dynamic applies, to a lesser extent, to his partner Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone). Thus, midway through the third season, there are few scenarios in which the writers can position our hero where the audience feels he’s threatened.

THE BLACKLIST SEASON 5 EPISODE 5 SERIAL

In many ways, The Blacklist has been on the air long enough to face similar problems as the BBC sci-fi serial series Doctor Who: what constitutes a tangible, credible threat to the series protagonist? Like the good Doctor, every time Raymond ‘Red’ Reddington (James Spader) escapes a dire predicament, his aura of invincibility increases. If you’re smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never, ever put in a trap.” Didn’t anyone ever tell you? There’s one thing you never put in a trap.

The blacklist season 5 episode 5