The Blacklist - S3E7 - Zal Bin Hasaan (No. 31)

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Previously on The Blacklist, ‘Sir Crispin Crandall’

A well-known Iranian terrorist strikes in Annapolis, and Red sees it as a way to get further helping Liz. While that works out for Red, it causes pain for Navabi. Tom and Cooper handle, or rather manhandle Karakurt. Navabi deals with the reappearance of an ex-lover and the brother she thought dead, and the betrayal of one of them.

The Blacklister

Zal Bin Hasaan, has killed more Mossad agents than any other in history. He orchestrates the abduction and massacre of Lazarum Systems International employees so he can get to Mossad to find the list of agents assigned to kill him.

Red’s best line

Hasaan: “What do you want?”

Red: “Oh, another spin of the bottle in Melanie Reichman’s basement, but I’ll settle for you.”

Tom’s best line

“And then I’ll personally fix you a nice soybean smoothie, so you can croak yourself vegan style.”

Mr. Solomon’s best line

“You may expel me or let me go, but you may not under any circumstance bore me.”

Number of times someone said “Cabal”

Two; seriously, they need to come up with a real name for that organization.

Number of times Ressler was a dick

Five: talking to Harold on the phone, dropping Mr. Solomon’s permit in his soup, interrogating Mr. Solomon, yelling at Harold in his own house, fighting Tom, and kicking Harold’s garden gnome. What the gnome got to do with it?

Number of times Liz was annoying

Surprisingly, zero. She was on her best behavior and did what needed to be done before anyone had to tell her. Meeting with Tom when Red told her not to, paid off, too.

What did work

• To help Ressler prove The Director is trying to sabotage their search for Liz, Aram hacks the guy who hacked them, then puts a trace on the phone the CIA put a trace on—Tom’s phone. When Tom calls Liz to arrange a meet at Wing Kee’s, Mr. Solomon is already there when Ressler arrives.
• When Karakurt drinks the soy cleaner, Charlene hits up a neighbor to get an epi pen. When he opened his door, the neighbor looked like he’d rather spit on her than talk to her. Charlene even commented that she wouldn’t be there without a good reason. What’s that about? Is just her or does the neighbor not like Cooper, too?
• Turns out Mr. Solomon has diplomatic immunity because he works for the German consulate. The implications of this are huge. The team may not have an easy time getting rid of him and that’s good, because the Blacklisters aren’t around long enough to make them work for the win.
• The Director makes a show of having Mr. Solomon swallow a shank hook; this is to prove they’re not working together. Reven Wright is all, “That’s all good, but how about how we caught him?” When Ressler says they found Solomon because they tapped the trace The Director put on Tom’s phone, the Chairman kicks the Director out of the post office. 

What didn’t work

• At the power plant, Hasaan gets away and several captives are found. Yet, no one thought to search the captives for weapons or makeshift bombs. These are professional government agents and they trusted that everyone was on the up and up.
• Navabi’s brother, thought killed in the Pishin bombing turns out to be Zal Bin Hasaan. Agent Shur made a point to say none of the men killed at the power plant were too young to be Hasaan, but it just made sense that it was her brother, Shahin. Why else bring him back from the dead?
• Agent Shur has got a thang for his ex, Navabi, and everyone knows. His nose is so wide open he can barely do his job right. No, he absolutely can’t do his job right. Navabi kills the guy who was going to kill him, and they destroy the files Hasaan wanted. Why would they take a moment to look longingly in each other’s eyes and share a kiss? It makes zero sense. Navabi has never not been professional. For what reason would she stop in the middle of a mission to share a kiss with someone?
• Tom and Liz meet; he tells her he has Karakurt—and he’s willing to talk. Tom says he never should have left Liz. She says she wanted him to follow his dream. He says the corniest shit, “I am following it.” Tom doesn’t need to be corny or sloppy, so they can stop there.
• Navabi is in her feelings about her brother, Ressler is in his feelings about Tom and Cooper. Their conversation and mutual upset lead to them having sex. And this is just after he tells her that her ex, Agent Shur, is gonna make it. What the fuckety fuck is that?? And isn’t she dating Aram?