Blacklist is an American crime thriller that premiered on NBC on September 23, 2013. Fortunately, that is not when I started watching the series! I got to season 1 only in April 2020, and I got so hooked that I was able to complete all 7 seasons in 90 days! I tell you, this one is one of those series that had me captivated for 80% of the time! Yes, only 80% and not 100%, which is why it is not THE BEST series review for me yet! I keep that special place for Breaking Bad!
Blacklist Story Line (No Spoilers)
I promise I am not going to give any spoilers! So this section is totally safe if you have not seen Blacklist yet! I will however talk about the basics, stuff that you will anyways get to know in episode 1.
The show follows Raymond Reddington (James Spader), a former U.S. Navy officer turned high-profile criminal. And in the very first episode, this high-profile criminal, voluntarily surrenders to the FBI after eluding capture for decades. After his dramatic surrender, he goes on to tell the FBI that has has a list, get it? Blacklist!, of criminals that the FBI does not even know about. What’s even better, these are not your ordinary criminals and are all the big fish criminals who are plot at an international level and influence the world economies! Oh boy! If you are a conspiracy theorist, this series should be a mental masturbation for you!
Of course the FBI is not going to believe Raymond Reddington so easily, and of-course Raymond knew that. So he gives the FBI a case they just cannot resist! Long story short, Raymond ends up with an immunity deal with the government and becomes their top secret informant. He continues his vast criminal empire while the FBI Special Task force becomes his personal squad! Pretty smart and ballzi if you ask me!
Oh, how can I forget about Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone)! The twist is, Raymond Reddington will only talk to Elizabeth Keen from the FBI and no one else. And that is because…… I just remembered no spoilers. Keeping shush now!
What I like about Blacklist
For me Blacklist stands right up their along with Breaking Bad and Money Heist. It is one of those series that kept giving my curiosity enough things to think about and also sometimes try and predict the entire plot, and sometimes I thought I did crack it, but no, it turned out to be something else altogether. Darn!
The real cherry on the cake is James Spader who played Raymond Reddington. He took on the role with such swag that most of the entertainment of Blacklist comes from his acting. The character is so captivating that you would just want to watch what he does next! Additionally, the story line is the kind I like. I am not a conspiracy theorist, but I do like a good imagination boost!
What Could Have Been Better
This is not the kind of series that gives you a well researched criminal plot or something that can be thought to be real, so it would not be fare to compare Blacklist to one of those intricate criminal plot series such as Sherlock Homes. If I had to change something about the series, it probably would be getting to the point a little quick! But then again, this series is the kind that tells you a story that started decades back, and whats a good story if their is no build up.
If I were able to change something, it would be somewhere in Season 3. There were definitely a few episodes that felt like a drag and I really had to push through those episode to get to the main plot! Though in Blacklist story line’s defense, all the cases Raymond Reddington gave the FBI has a reason, but its not until a few episodes later that they connect it all together. So, to keep the viewers a little more captivated, maybe try and give that hint of connection a little earlier! But I tell you one thing, when the main plot picks up, it is realy hard to stop the Netflix auto play!
Get your popcorn ready, and start bing watching!
-Anant Agnihotri
