Underneath His Skin (Blacklist Episode 5)

(RECAP AND REVIEW)

THE BLACKLIST

EPISODE 5 "THE COURIER (No. 85) "

NETWORK: NBC 

ORIGINAL AIR DATE: OCTOBER 21ST 2013

SPECIAL GUESTS: Robert Knepper as The Courier

SYNOPSIS: The hunt is on for an elusive courier who's delivering a package worth millions to an Iranian spy. As she scrambles to stop the transaction, Liz gets swept up in a kidnapping scheme. Meanwhile, Ressler is forced to accept Liz's importance to the team

             

RECAP AND REVIEW: WARNING *SPOILERS AHEAD*

  The episode started in a dream sequence (I absolutely hate dream sequences by, the way and I was really hoping that this show wouldn’t include any but…) that ultimately ended with Toms hands wrapped around Lizzie’s throat after he figures out that she knows something about his double life. (We assume it’s a double life cuz he’s just to creepy to be JUST a loving husband) as she passes out in her dream, she wakes up in real life to the sound of her cheerful husband declaring that it is going to be a beautiful day. Apparently some mother wants to give them her baby, and since its still in her uterus they are invited to the baby’s ultra sound. He promises to tell her all about it, since he is sure that her job will pull her into an emergency so she won’t be able to make it. She laughs it off (but we all know it’s true) all this would be well enough if we weren't watching most of it through the camera’s that the old man had installed all around their house.

 In the woods a man (the courier) has kidnapped and hogtied a man and is in the process of burying him in the middle of nowhere. The Courier gives the kidnapped man a mask attached to an oxygen tank, as he walks off to get his video camera; the kidnapped guy grabs the knife the Courier left behind. (Smart thinking) and when the Courier comes back he stabs him, but the man seems unaffected. He simply continues to bury the man in a box with an oxygen tank.

Reddington appears to be making himself at home in an older house full of books and apparently Moonshine and his ever present henchmen, as they discuss needing to acquire a package from an Iranian intelligence package. The Courier is the one delivering the package, and since the last time Reddington had a run in with the Courier it did not end well he decides to let the FBI do his dirty work instead. (Anyone not see that one coming, cuz lets be real the FBI works for him now)

 And predictably Reddington calls Lizzie and tells him about The Courier, but he doesn’t tell her about the package that he wants for himself, instead he just explains that the Courier is delivering a 20 million dollar package to an Iranian spy named Hamid, and therefore should be on the FBI’s radar. He also tells her the time and place of the exchange.

The FBI runs with Reddington’s tip and head toward the market where the exchange will take place. At this higher level of the game, the FBI needs to just do better, because The Courier makes them in the market, kills Hamid and takes off in a car. The FBI in hot pursuit, shoot up the car and when that doesn't work, they t-bone it, and The Courier takes off on foot. Realizing that the FBI is going to catch him, The Courier places the package (a computer chip of some kind) underneath the stab would he got the night before. The FBI arrest him, pick him up and question him at head quarters where they realize that he does not feel physical pain.

The Courier (the scary guy from prison break) refuses to talk and Reddington tells the FBI to call in a doctor, the doctor investigates the knife wound in his chest and they find the package. On the package is a video of the boy, the Courier buried the night before. After seeing the video, they realize that the courier was not delivering information worth 20 million dollars, but that Seth’s ransom was 20 million dollars. And that Seth is running out of air. Seth, (the buried man) works for the NSA as an analyst and if he falls into the wrong hands it could cripple the nation’s security.

 Lizzie goes back to Reddington for more information about The Courier; he exchanges that information for what Lizzie has learned about her husband. Reddington tells her that there is a drug dealer that use to deal with the Courier, and that the drug dealer could lead the FBI to The Courier’s safe house. The FBI ultimately finds the safe house, and inside they find pictures of Hamid and a woman.

The FBI realizes that there are other objects hidden under the skin of The Couriers body, as they transport him to Walter Reed to dissect the other objects out, the Courier makes his escape. It takes little time for the FBI to identify the woman in the picture, she is a French criminal that Reddington use to know, they decide to trick her into revealing where Seth was delivered to The Courier in the hopes that they might get lucky. Reddington offers to help but since he has killed three people so far they are a little hesitant taking his assistance, Ressler goes undercover as The Courier instead.

 Back at the Keen house, Tom calls Lizzie and demands that she return home night then, cuz they need to talk. She thinks it because she did indeed miss the ultrasound appointment but it turns out, that Tom knows she found his finding spot under the floor boards and he is freaking out because there is nothing there no money, no passport and no gun. (now he looks as crazy as I think he is)

The undercover operation goes south, and the FBI is forced to arrest the French Woman. With Seth’s air running out Reddington convinces the FBI to let the French Woman go, he offers his assistance in disappearing if she gives him Seth’s location. Known a good deal when she hear it, she giver Reddington everything she knows about where Seth may be hiding.

Agent Ressler and Malik end up finding the Courier and his hideout but, that lead is useless because he dies before they can arrest him again. The French Woman’s information pays off and Reddington and Lizzie are able to find and locate Seth before it’s too late. Seth also promises Reddington a favor for saving his life.

When Lizzie returns to the FBI, she receives a package from Reddington with the un-redacted version of the case involving a bullet she found from her husband’s secret gun. It turns out the man he most likely killed was named Victor Forkin (I’m sure this is going to be important soon) who was going to defect to the US, but a double agent killed him before he could do so. Lizzie recognizes the picture of their unidentified subject of interest….. It’s her husband.

 Finally ready to face her problems head on, Lizzie heads home to her husband where she finds him sitting next to the open floor boards where he pulls out the box containing; money, passports and the gun.

For anyone who might be worried about this show on the peacock network being cancelled at the end of the year, don’t be this show has about a 1% chance of being cancelled this year. As one of the highest rated dramas of the season, I am confident in saying that this show will be safe, so relax watch and enjoy the ride. This was the perfect mix of serialized drama and a bad guy take down. I was extremely happy to see some real movement on the situation between Lizzie and Tom. Reddington remains a mystery and as long as he remains that way, I believe the show will be an adventure to watch. This was a fairly decent episode, where all aspects of the storyline moved, this is the type of content that needs to be produced every episode.

  

SCENE STEALER AWARD GOES TO:

Watching Ressler cut himself with broken glass, to maintain his rouse of being The Courier, was bad ass, so the scene stealer award goes to him for this episode. Are respect for him has definitely risen. 

THE LINE THAT MADE US PAUSE AND REWIND OUR DVR’S: 
"We Need to TALK" the four words no one ever wants to hear, and both of the KEEN's have not said it. We are on the edge of our seats until next week

WE RATED IT

A cuz we (Loved it)

DID YOU CATCH THE BLACKLIST? WILL YOU BE WATCHING NEXT WEEK?
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