The Blacklist - S3E3 - Eli Matchett (No. 72)

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Previously on The Blacklist, ‘Marvin Gerard’

With the help of an inside man, a group of angry farmers calling themselves Las Segadores destroy a facility owned by Verdiant Industries, an agribusiness , specializing in genetically engineered seeds. On top of murdering folks, the farmers steal proprietary files worth billions of dollars. While some of the farmers want to keep the plans to recoup money they lost, some want to release the files to everyone, but Eli Matchett has other plans.

Instead of going to Spain, Red and Liz end up in Iowa to find Las Segadores. Verdiant Industries launders money for the Cabal, so Red plans to steal the files to use them as leverage against the Cabal. No longer willing to run and hide, Red wants to use The Fulcrum to expose Cabal members so they will turn on the Director and let Liz off the hook. During their adventure, Liz’s self-centeredness leads Ressler and Navabi closer to their trail and things take a turn when Liz shoots an undercover cop.

Tom and Ressler have a short pissing contest about who trusts who and who’s better for Liz. At least that’s what I got from it. Bent on bringing Liz in, rather than trying to prove her innocence, Ressler refuses Tom’s help. But his help is eventually accepted from an unlikely ally.

The Blacklister

Eli Matchett wants revenge on Verdiant because they sued him for infringing on their patent when their seeds blew on to his farm; he lost everything trying to defend himself. He kills the farmers of Las Segadores so he can use the files to create a virus, carried by insects, which will destroy GMO crops. The virus would create a food crisis.

Red’s Best Line

“Ressler is a law-enforcement robot. The FBI winds him up.”

The A-Team

In a matter of hours, Ressler, Saram, and Navabi figure out how Liz and Red escaped, the connection to Verdiant, that Gabriel Costa was in on the attack, and everywhere Liz and Red went afterward, to the point that they end up ahead of them. They even find Matchett and stop him. Ahem, all without Liz.

Red is so Red

Who else but Red would go to someone’s house to talk, making sure their gun is not only visible but within reach?

Glenn on the case

Per Red’s request, Glenn goes in search of Dembe. Finding his car parked outside a restaurant with multiple tickets, he gets security footage and breaks the bad news to Red.

Where’d they get their badges?

On the way into Costa’s apartment, Ressler hits the alarm fob to lock the car doors (I blame Ressler because he seems like the kind of guy who demands to drive.), tipping Red and Liz off that he and Navabi have caught up to them. Is that something agents do when they’re investigating a crime?

Ressler gets his ass handed to him by Matchett. What do they learn at Quantico? Surely some close quarter combat skills.

Not so good at being bad

Liz hot wires a car, then later shoots at and threatens a farmer. When she and Red are made and about to be busted by an undercover police officer, Liz shoots the man, then refuses to leave, making Red drive him to the hospital.

Get a grip

Mr. Solomon is still torturing, but Dembe still aint’ talking. To convince him to give up Red’s location, Mr. Solomon and his people kidnap another of Red’s cohorts, Mr. Vargas.

Get out your feelings

Searching Costa’s apartment is as good a time as any to bemoan one’s bad luck—at least to Liz it is. She whines about how she used to have nice things; she used to consider herself lucky. I’m sure there’s a better time to do that—like never.

Tommy Boy

After spending a couple days in a restaurant waiting for Liz, Tom is joined by Cooper, who recruits him to find Karakurt.