The Blacklist - S4E7 - Dr. Adrian Shaw (No. 98)

Previously on The Blacklist, “The Thrushes”

The Blacklist - S4E7 -“Dr. Adrian Shaw (No. 98)� | Starring: James Spader, Megan Boone, Diego Klattenhoff, Harry Lennix, Hisham Tawfiq, Ryan Eggold, Amir Arison, Mozhan Marnó

On the heels of their coup, bringing in Alexander Kirk, Red sends the team after The Coroner, another Blacklister. Liz isn’t in the mood to participate in the case, seeing as how she just got back her baby, but Red’s dig that she’s the person most likely to help Kirk escape, has her signing on. To get to The Coroner, the team tracks down the former head of a Mexican cartel, who quickly rolls and spills all the tea. Navabi goes undercover to make contact with The Coroner, to set up a new identity, but Red somehow knows and is at the restaurant where the meeting is taking place. How is it they didn’t case the restaurant beforehand? How did they not know Red was there?

Images: NBC

The Blacklister  

The Coroner sells new identities to criminals or, in the case of Dr. Adrian Shaw, people with money and means who want to not get killed like their partner. Although the team gets The Coroner, and likely everyone he gave a new identity, he wasn’t the real prize. Once again Red does the old okey-doke, serving up a different Blacklister to get to the one he really wants.

At the Post Office, Kirk is safe in The Box with Liz looking on from the Murder Room, obviously wanting to talk to him. With Cooper’s permission, she does. Kirk wants to tell Liz the truth about her mother and Red, but he never gets to because he starts bleeding and is rushed to the hospital. The doctor tells them Kirk’s condition is bad and he won’t make it to the next morning, well unless a blood relative is willing to donate stem cells. The writers could not be more transparent in how the story will play out. Of course hearing this, Liz will want to step up to help Kirk. Tom doesn’t want her to, considering everything Kirk did to them and Agnes, but Liz is gonna Liz; she Liz talks to the doctor about donating stem cells. Unfortunately the stem cells don’t work out, but surgery—taking cells directly from the hip bone—will do the trick. And yes, Liz signs up for that, too. She doesn’t even know this man and she’s ready to risk necrosis of the hip for him. Regardless of whether or not he’s her father, she doesn’t know hi m and he kidnapped her baby and threatened to jump off a building with her. Liz does the test and is prepped for surgery, only to find out the DNA report Tom found was false; she isn’t Kirk’s daughter.

The Blacklister

Dr. Adrian Shaw, formerly Dr. Sonia Bloom. In her former life, Shaw was a research scientist whose work on genomes was stolen. Her partner was killed by The Lindquist Concern, so she hired The Coroner to supply her with a new identity so she wouldn’t face the same fate. In her new life, Shaw does illegal genome experiments/treatments on people in the belly of a ship at sea.

Ressler, Navabi, and Aram work together to figure out why Red is after Shaw, so they can get to her before he does. They quickly discover she’s a genome specialist who happens to work with a hematologist. That plus the info about her former partner and The Lindquist Concern, have them assuming Red wants Shaw dead so she can’t help Kirk. It hardly matters though, because Red is always two steps ahead of them and gets to Shaw, taking her to a secret lab.

Posing as his lawyer, Odette visits Kirk, reads Liz for filth, and tells Kirk a plan to get him out of the hands of the FBI is in place. Kirk, believing Liz is going to save him, brushes off Odette and her plan. Liz’s claim that she’s not a match because she’s not his daughter has him changing his tune. He believes the new DNA report was faked by Red—who’s nowhere near the hospital—and Liz falls for it long enough to call Red to ask if he faked them. It’s alarming how easily influenced Liz is. To have run that DNA test twice, have it come back with the same results, yet believe Kirk’s adamant stance is ridiculous. While accusing him of altering the DNA test, Liz tells Red that she told Kirk she’s not his daughter. Red warns her that she’s no longer safe, now that Kirk knows; she needs to warn Cooper then leave the hospital. Because Liz is gonna Liz, she doesn’t leave. Since Liz is no longer able to help him, Kirk gives the signal to his men, to move ahead with his extraction.

Best exchange

Liz: “I know I’m breaking my promise, but I have to do this.�

Tom: “You want to. There’s a difference.�

Funny moment

While waiting to speak to Shaw’s partner, Red reads Highlights, playing a hidden object game. He gets mad at Dembe for pointing out the last one before he can find it.