Are there any men out there really like Reddington?
Played by James Spader, this character is truly unique. Where many men in the world of crime are portrayed as impatient with language and discussion Red is a connoisseur of metaphorical stories, symbols, and cultural particularities and unlike his shady counterparts he takes his time to make his point. He is ruthless, yes, but that isn’t all there is to him. So often antiheroes are so barbarically evil that that is their defining characteristic which drives their every move. Red’s willingness to kill without hesitation is a means to an end, not for the actual sake of killing, and his “badness” is a part of him, but it’s not what defines him. Red is a lover of life. He loves the little things: the way the sun shines through the leaves, The exquisite taste of an aviation cocktail, The way the Russian dancers tango , in the midst of his trials he always takes the time to “smell the flowers.” Even in the most pressing situation he will find something to amuse him and his quick laugh is designed to portray his refusal to be intimidated. The people around him may think that his commentary is solely for the purpose of distraction, but I believe it has real meaning to him, it’s his way of staying in touch with his true self, his childlike innocent self, everything else is just a game. His attitude is one of carpe diem “we all die don’t we? So let’s get the most out of life while we are here, lets enjoy the wine, listen to the music, wear the fine clothes, I may kill you, but that doesn’t matter really when life holds such beauty.” Red is the intriguing mystery, he is a puzzle of eclectic pieces and we want to pull off all his fine clothes to figure out what he’s hiding and how all the pieces came to fit so perfectly together to create this polished confident strange man. Well traveled well connected, and ridiculously knowledgable, is there anything he can’t find the answer to?
She is the one thing in his life that makes him vulnerable, that makes him feel fear (of her coming to harm) and the one thing that makes him visibly serious. I’ve said he doesn’t take life seriously, but this is only partly true. I think his lightheartedness is his coping mechanism for dealing with his life tragedies, and he plays it to his advantage. He has accepted himself, his faults, his life circumstances, and he is patiently making the “long play.” This man knows what love is and he shows it! Red knows that loyalty, honesty, trust, compassion, freedom, vulnerability, safety, and presence of mind are all necessary in love. He refuses to run displaying the power she has over him and his willingness to be vulnerable before her. “Nothing can be worse than losing you”. As much as Red is willing to give for this love, his doesn’t make him a push over or weak either. He is charming, challenging, stubborn, shameless, controlling, opinionated, and bold. He goes about his business, doing his thing, killing anyone that stands in his way, taking opportunities that are presented to him. He loves himself in a good way, in the way that gives him the patience to let things come to him, in the way that he isn’t needy and because of this he sees all the little nuances around him and this brings him great pleasure.
Red is always laughing at his own jokes because all the little ironies and circumstances intrigue him. I think one of his most defining characteristics is his patience, it’s the kind of patience that only great confidence can bring.
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