Before any die-hard fans get testy, the IMDb database will show that I have reviewed several individual episodes of Season 1 and overall found BLACKLIST to be one of the most entertaining and best-written shows of the current generation.
But this ending to the first season was a major disappointment. I always call em as I see em and that is the upshot.
The problem appears to be the age-old conflict between the long arc and the short arc. Having balanced the two so nicely for the entire series to date, the producers clearly felt the need to devote the final two episodes of the season to the long arc and the mystery grudge-killer/plotter "Berlin." They needn't have bothered. Because the episode was ultimately messy, out of balance, and overall not very satisfying.
They killed off a regular (which unfortunately has become the "in" thing to do in the current generation of TV), put another regular in the hospital, and, by the time the final credits roll, STILL leave the long arc unresolved...? So much effort for... what? They brought Alan Alda back on screen for very little payback .... ditto for the "Tom Keene" character whose appearance was wasted, with virtually no dialog .... staged an awkward scene involving a dog and a Russian ambassador which is far below the usual standards of the series .... created a "legend" of a villain that could rival Bane from BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT .... allowed Red to get captured and then escape .... teased one more time about who Lizzie's father really is .... and for what?????????
Even the finale where Red goes all Clint Eastwood and takes down a secure facility COMPLETELY ON HIS OWN seems somehow a little offkey??
As a reviewer I prefer to observe that this disjointed episode only makes the earlier efforts in the series stand out by comparison, and fans would have hoped that, as the series chugged along into the upcoming season, the writers would have learnt their lesson and never make the same mistakes again.
But this ending to the first season was a major disappointment. I always call em as I see em and that is the upshot.
The problem appears to be the age-old conflict between the long arc and the short arc. Having balanced the two so nicely for the entire series to date, the producers clearly felt the need to devote the final two episodes of the season to the long arc and the mystery grudge-killer/plotter "Berlin." They needn't have bothered. Because the episode was ultimately messy, out of balance, and overall not very satisfying.
They killed off a regular (which unfortunately has become the "in" thing to do in the current generation of TV), put another regular in the hospital, and, by the time the final credits roll, STILL leave the long arc unresolved...? So much effort for... what? They brought Alan Alda back on screen for very little payback .... ditto for the "Tom Keene" character whose appearance was wasted, with virtually no dialog .... staged an awkward scene involving a dog and a Russian ambassador which is far below the usual standards of the series .... created a "legend" of a villain that could rival Bane from BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT .... allowed Red to get captured and then escape .... teased one more time about who Lizzie's father really is .... and for what?????????
Even the finale where Red goes all Clint Eastwood and takes down a secure facility COMPLETELY ON HIS OWN seems somehow a little offkey??
As a reviewer I prefer to observe that this disjointed episode only makes the earlier efforts in the series stand out by comparison, and fans would have hoped that, as the series chugged along into the upcoming season, the writers would have learnt their lesson and never make the same mistakes again.