Yes, Raymond. Are you okay?
It was another hour of events on The Blacklist Season 10 Episode 13 as we learned something about Meera’s past while Raymond acted like he’d lost his mind.
This was also the second episode in a row where there was no Blacklist case, and the Task Force’s operation was predicated on a constant supply of very bad players in the criminal and human world.
In D.C, Congressman Hudson found an ally who would give him a direct ticket into a committee, kickstarting his investigation into the Task Force.
No task force should be operating with seemingly zero checks and balances.
Hudson
When Raymond is working on something, he effortlessly keeps it a secret from the Task Force, which is how he’d gotten away with a lot for so long.
His latest escapades saw him reclaim antiquities wherever they were stashed in different corners of the world. Sometimes it took a regular conversation; other times, gunshots would ring.
If something became clear, though, it was that Raymond was on a personal journey of redemption. A reader made me aware of this theory, making me realize I had been looking at the whole issue from just one angle.
There existed a connection between the past and the present, and that was through Meera Malik, Siya, and Kathleen Sutton.
We met an ambitious Meera who was at the height of her career, caring for a baby.
Her partner Nigel was caught up in some issues, and in trying to help him, Siya dug herself deeper into his mess. It was relatable how a single mistake or a few could dig you deep into trouble.
Nigel became erratic and unreasonable, putting Siya in a tough place. To be a woman in law enforcement during that time and have a successful career was not a minor accomplishment.
We experienced the original corrupting act of Meera in letting her partner be murdered by withdrawing a warning or help when she could have.
And in doing that, a woman lost her husband and was left with only memories.
In the present, Raymond had collected all his prized possessions and made a quick garage sale for pennies on the dollar.
As usual, what he was doing was suspicious because if there is anything we know about Raymond, he never does anything out of the kindness of his heart — at least not consecutive things.
But as we spent more time with him and the other characters, he listened to their stories and told some of his own. That was when the purity and selflessness of his acts became clear.
He had spent his entire life running towards money and expensive stuff because he considered himself invincible.
Age has a way of bringing things into perspective, and as we grow older, we realize that we still have more to learn. Yet, he’d lived long enough to learn enough, and as far as he could see, his end was around the corner.
He had gotten it all except what was important.
In the process, he’d hurt many people. Whether he’d rationalized it as necessary evils, his actions had real consequences on those living like Meera’s action has long-lasting effects on Kathleen’s life.
When he learned that Siya was looking into her mother’s past, he almost came out with a warning.
Maybe what matters most, Siya, is what you already know. That you were loved and cared for by Meera and your stepfather. Un-redacting the past won’t change any of that.
Reddington
And it was true. Siya had been loved and cared for. She never lacked anything because Meera and Siya’s stepfather had given her everything they could and everything she needed as a child.
It is always advisable not to dig into the past because you might not like what you find.
Letting Nigel be killed and lying to her boss straight in the face must have changed Meera, and it would be a fair assumption that she had done some more questionable things throughout her career.
It wasn’t as if Siya wasn’t aware of what happens when you mess around with evil.
When I started on this task force, the first thing Agent Ressler warned me was not to get in debt to Reddington. It feels like a slippery slope I’m not sure I want to start sliding down.
Siya
Raymond knew that whatever she found would significantly affect her idea of who Meera was, and nothing would be the same.
I think taking her on his excursions was a lesson in how someone good can do bad things given the circumstances. Nothing like a crash course in self-defense by being dumped in the middle of a shootout.
And when she didn’t look deterred, Raymond let everything take its course.
Now, there’s looking for absolution and being an idiot.
On The Blacklist Season 10 Episode 13 spoilers, we ran through the history of the Sicilian Error of Color stamps, and when they were last sold in an auction, they went for $2.1 million. Selling it for $2000 was insane, but maybe you can’t put a price on happiness.
Charlie Pélé’s World Cup ball was given to a preteen girl who was mediocre in the game at best. The pain I felt.
And maybe it was noble to redistribute wealth like that. Most of those things would have ended up in a millionaire’s (billionaire, god forbid) collection. Let a woman enjoy the light of a lamp!
But still, the numbers were dizzying.
Cooper took the opportunity to ask about the cases, and one could almost swear he’d brought Agnes because he thought it was the only way Raymond would open up.
Reddington: You get older, and you realize we make life so complicated when it doesn’t need to be. We complicate ourselves to death.
Cooper: That may be, but right now my world, the world of the Blacklist, is complicated. Made more so by your absence. Fret not, Harold. We’ll get back to business soon enough, I promise.
If Raymond keeps his promise, the new cases he brings might be the difference between freedom and prison for the Task Force.
Congressman found an ally whose motivations were in the wrong place, and if we thought Hudson was dangerous, the senator was a bigger threat.
There’s no doubt something rotten’s going on around that Task Force. We’re gonna root it out.
Hudson
“The Sicilian Error of Color” tried to rest some concerns about the story and charted a clear course on Meera and Siya, what Raymond was up to, and the Hudson problem.
The lack of a Blacklister where we usually get the action left a gap but not too big of it.
What did you think? Is Raymond being selfless, or that’s what he wants us to believe?
Are you convinced that the Congressman and Senator are significant threats? Chime in in the comments section.
It’s yours to watch The Blacklist online any time via TV Fanatic.
Denis Kimathi is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on Twitter.