OVERALL: James Spader makes this show. So expect plot twists and lots of laughs at the antics of a mischievous genius.  Heck that guy could give Loki a run for the money.

POINTS: James Spader; plot twists; lots of women and people of color as secondary characters; this equals good.

PITFALLS:  Ok so I don’t work for the FBI or any law enforcement agency, but I find it hard to believe that the FBI would put up with the manipulations of the Spader character Raymond Reddington. Instead I could see them locking him up. Period. End of discussion. Since he is a manipulator it would really bother him to have no one to manipulate. Plus I would really question his motivations. In short, I find this situation harder to accept then flying through hyperspace in Star Trek.

FEMALE CHARACTER(S): Our heroine, Elizabeth Keen played by Megan Boone, is an interesting character. Since she has just been hired as an FBI profiler one would expect more savvy from her. We get a few glimpses of her smarts, but most of the time she seems weak and manipulated. Ok, she IS being manipulated, but again really? I think it would be more interesting to watch the Keen and Reddington actually approach each other as equals rather than her being a junior and him being in control. I hope to see her grow out of the typical “powerless” woman stance and into someone who could kick Reddington’s butt.

CULTURAL PITFALL(S): I think it is interesting that female characters, even when they have positions and jobs of power and authority, are still portrayed as weak. This is how I feel about the Keen character. Now in contrast Mills from Sleepy Hollow never loses her command of herself. She always seems competent and in control of herself. In short, she is an adult woman. Keen still feels like a little girl.  

HIGH POINT(S): Listening to my Hubby laugh when Reddington pulls a snark. Seriously I love it when my Hubby enjoys the antics of an on screen trickster. 🙂 Also the show is fun and the actors have good chemistry. While I might get annoyed at times with the show, it is enjoyable.

BECHDEL TEST (Website): Can’t find it on the Bechdel site, but I don’t think that it would pass the test. Yet. It might as the series progresses.

IMDB: The Blacklist (TV Series 2013-)

OFFICIAL TV WEBSITE: The Blacklist on NBC

DVD/BLU-RAY WORTHY: Quite possibly. Would get other series first, but I do love watching James Spader, and hearing Hubby laugh at him.

 LION PAW PRINTS:  3 of 5. Enjoy.