The Blacklist's Two Hour Episode of Drama

The Blacklist is wowing viewers in its sixth season. The two-hour episode aired on February 22 of this year and...there is a lot that happened.

For those who have never seen this NBC series, The Blacklist stars James Spader as Raymond Reddington, the head of a criminal empire. He knows every name on the Blacklist, a list of the FBI’s most wanted. In exchange for an immunity agreement, he works with a secret division of the FBI to bring criminals to justice. However, the arrangement is not so perfect. Reddington has a reputation for keeping secrets and using the task force for ulterior motives.

This season is centered on the probability of the task force unraveling. Reddington has broken the rules of the immunity agreement before (namely killing, bribing, among other very illegal things) which was always ignored because a criminal was always brought to justice as a result.

But this time, someone has betrayed Reddington. Someone had him arrested for carrying an unregistered gun and, therefore, being in violation of his immunity agreement. Reddington has strong suspicions that someone on the inside, someone close, turned him in.

Now, Reddington finds himself without the protection of the government and is facing the possibility of being executed. As if that isn’t enough to have viewers on the edge of their seats, another secret of Raymond Reddington’s is on the brink of being revealed....

And that is that he may not actually be Raymond Reddington at all. He may be an imposter. Elizabeth Keen, an FBI agent on the taskforce, believed Raymond Reddington to be her father. Now she wonders if this imposter killed her father and stole his identity.

There is a good reason why this show has survived for six seasons--and is most definitely going to go for a seventh. Every episode has a perfect balance of drama, suspense, amusement and concern. The way James Spader portrays Reddington is impeccable. He makes Reddington a scary figure who rules a criminal empire with an iron fist, but also someone who lightens the mood (at often inappropriate times) with his witty sense of humor. You can tell that Reddington isn’t emotionless--he also cares deeply for Elizabeth as well as his friends and colleagues at the FBI.

The Blacklist is a show worth watching for anyone who is into crime shows that have a lot of action. It should be noted that some episodes are gory and may be disturbing to viewers, but you can fast forward through some scenes if it gets too overwhelming. The Blacklist airs at nine pm on Fridays, and will leave you excited for the next episode and the next and the next.