Episode 9.09 “Boukman Baptiste (No. 164)”
An old proverb says, make yourself a sheep and the wolf will eat you. Raymond Reddington is a wolf. He goes after or protects his interests by any means necessary. Yet, after Elizabeth’s death, he becomes a sheep. He wordlessly leaves everyone, including his business empire and Dembe, vulnerable. Quickly, the wolves circle. What we see in this week’s episode are the consequences of Reddington’s disappearance and its impact on Dembe.
As The Blacklist delves into Reddington and Dembe’s side of the story in the immediate aftermath of Liz’s murder in the streets, we again have to endure watching her die. Please tell me we are done flashing back to that scene; it was hard enough the first time. I like that we are getting more stories from that night, I’m just tired of reliving it, frame by frame. Anyway, we see Dembe scoop up Reddington, bring him back to a familiar hideout, sit him down without words or emotion. In two chairs they sit, side by side, shell shocked. When Dembe wakes, Reddington is gone.
Back to present day, Reddington’s lawyer, Marvin Gerrard is the cold slap in the face this show needed. He tells Reddington someone is out to get him and gives the audience a voice: 1) You’ve lost your mind. The world is falling apart around you. 2) Elizabeth was a poor choice for a successor. 3) Dembe wasn’t to blame for her death. 4) Dembe had to keep the empire together when you left us in the lurch.
In a series of flashbacks, we learn that when Reddington disappeared, Dembe had to take over the business. In doing so, went to take out a defector, but inadvertently killed his son. At some point, I suppose when the business was secure(?), Dembe feels alone and without purpose. He wants to help people and is considering joining the FBI. Cooper and Dembe have a frank and important conversation about being Black in law enforcement. Cooper promises Dembe if he wants to join the FBI, he will make it happen. Dembe’s grown daughter has serious issues with it, does not want him to be a cop, and they become estranged over it.
Back in present day, Baptiste wants an eye for an eye, so he kidnaps Dembe’s daughter. Dembe wants to strike a deal: deliver part of Reddington’s empire in exchange for his daughter. And he’s not bluffing; Dembe has no qualms about destroying Reddington. This last half of the show was fun: the good guys trying to save the hostage, Reddington calling the shots, the calvary arriving – it was classic Blacklist but under the new order.
We still don’t know what happened in Brasilia (perhaps related to Dembe joining the FBI). Whatever happened, that was Dembe/Reddington rift number one. The letter and Van Dyke non-sighting was rift number two. But what Dembe and Aram ultimately find out is that Van Dyke didn’t follow Dembe that day. Someone else told Van Dyke to be at that coffee shop. But who? Reddington apologizes for leaving Dembe and forgives him for sharing the letter with Liz. Now they have a common enemy – the person who told Van Dyke where to be, and they will work together find him (perhaps related to the mysterious person going after Cooper?).
We end with Reddington reading Pippy Longstocking to Agnes while we see Dembe reading a story to his granddaughter. Stories about courage, bravery, fear, loss. Their rift, now somewhat healed.
- I get bored with random blacklisters that make the show too procedural for me, so I liked that this week’s blacklister was intertwined with Dembe and his storyline after Liz’s death.
- Ressler had a nice save during the shoot-out at the port. Despite his original distain for Dembe becoming an agent, he provided solid backup. He didn’t have much else to do, but at least there were no drug references or conversations with Park.
- It was cool to see Chuck and Morgan back in action for Reddington. Weecha is most definitely a wolf, and a ruthless one at that. Yikes!
