Review: The Blacklist #2
Previously in The Blacklist #1, ‘The Gambler, Part 1’
Picking up where we left off in Part One, Liz, Navabi, and Ressler race to the Governor’s mansion to stop the bomb. They can’t reach Cooper to warn him, because Kiklinski is jamming the signal. They arrive at the mansion and begin searching for the device, finding it in a vent with two dead staffers. The bomb squad tries to defuse it, but mysterious woman barges into the room, kicking ass, only to work to defuse the bomb herself. Yep, you guessed it; Red sent her to help Liz. Via monitors, The Gambler and Kiklinksi watch the turn of events. Upset about the interference, Kiklinski speeds up the countdown, but the woman is able to disarm the bomb, sucker punch Liz, and escape.
Liz and Red meet and he offers more information about the person who hired Kiklinski, The Gambler. He sets up situations, like a plane crash, on which his clients can bet. His target in this round is the FBI and he won’t lose. Red warns Liz to stay out of it, The Gambler is not a Blacklister; he’s more dangerous. Liz, “Pfft, you must not know ‘bout me. I got this.”
Back in bad guy land, The Gambler takes Kiklinski to task for speeding up the timer on the bomb. And by “to task” I mean, he electrocutes his ass remotely.
Back at HQ, the team still has few answers and The FBI still looks likes bad guys run amuck. Director Hackett takes them off the investigation. Liz gets a call from Mr. Hater 2015. She tries asking for a quick re-test, but he interrupts to tell her she passed with flying colors. He insinuates she got special treatment, and that it must have to do with whoever helped her graduate two weeks early. He is so butthurt; it’s only two week, crybaby. But that might explain why she gets gripped up so easy; maybe they learned evasive maneuvers those last two weeks.
Kiklinksi posts a video to the internet, threatening to attack the FBI, unless the FBI admits to killing Ryan Dupont. Cooper tells Liz to call Red, to insist he gives up what he knows. Pfft, like that’s gonna happen.
Dembe interrupts a video Red is making for Liz, to tell him she’s calling. Ignoring her call, he and Dembe head to New Orleans to meet with an “old friend”, Magnus Dixon, who he threatens into telling him how to find The Gambler.
At the Post Office, Liz finds a clue without Red’s help. Well, not exactly since she remembered something he said the last time they met. She figures out Kiklinski’s next target and the team race to save the day. At The Waterfront Park, HRT and the bomb squad search for evacuate the park and explosive devices. Spotting Kiklinski on a rooftop, Navabi goes after him. They scuffle and Ressler tackles him as he tries to escape. Liz and Red talk on the phone; him telling her she should have stayed away and Liz realizing Red is there, too, in danger of being blown to smithereens.
Thoughts:
This story has great pacing and though short, I don’t feel like I’m missing any details to the plot.
I love how this story is developing and answering questions I had while I watched the show. I knew there had to be an explanation for why Liz is a subpar agent. But seriously, does two weeks make that big a difference?
I can’t wait to learn more about the video and plans Red is making for Liz.
I’ve seen every episode of this show and read the first issue of this comic, but completely forgot HQ is called the Post Office. Well, duh!
