Lauren Helen Graham

Fangirl49

Initial thoughts. You literally have this big problem and you don’t call Red? That’s was dumb to me.

Also Ressler treated his brother like crap for years. Robbie didn’t deserve it. And Ressler should have known better.

Sigh.

Miranda

I was looking forward to this episode so much and it did not disappoint me at all! I loved it! This was an episode that I have been waiting for, for 7 years ever since this show started. It was a long time coming but it was amazing.

Now we finally now what happened in Ressler's past and what made him become am FBI agent.

I loved the dynamic between the two brothers. They always had each other's back. Even without sometimes knowing it.

Really liked seeing Ressler's mom as well.

And Liz helping him. I am so grateful to her for doing that. At first I thought she called Red to get rid of the bones but she did it herself. And even though she said she did it for herself, because she relies on him, she did a major thing for him and I am so glad she did that.

Easteregg

I really liked this episode, but I have to admit that I waited all the time for Reddington or Liz to show up. And I really believed that Rezzler or Liz would call him. But I'm glad both didn't. Ressler because he always wants to do the right thing and Liz because otherwise she always needs help from someone to do a good Job. In the past she was an added value because she was a good profiler, today she is an add-on because the task force only exists as long as Liz is part of it - otherwise Red will end the collaboration. It's frustrating. I think she should be more than that.
Therefore I found her head shot great, which saved Ressler's brother.

AND especially the last three minutes of the episode! Wow- I think I've seen them three times. Ressler is her island - that was soooo romantic! I still hope the two find each other!

Lauren Helen Graham

I know that somebody sooo freaked out because of the episode Especially the last few minutes, right Miranda?

I really enjoyed the episode a lot, although it turned out to be completely different than I thought.

It was Ressler who really shot his father's murderer... I thought it was the other way around. Especially the different to who Ressler was back then and who his brother Robbie was... I can't believe it was the other way around back then. I felt super sorry for Robbie and although it was hard between these two at first, I enjoyed that the dynamic shifted and that they both seemed to understand each other and held on to each other in the end. I love that so much.

Liz doing something like that for Ressler... Wow. I really am wondering if she stewmakered that dead body again What do you guys think?

The last moment, yeah, it was surprising. Do you guys think that Ressler is okay with what she did for him and Robbie?

Miranda

Obviously I already knew that they would share a hug again because I saw the promo pics but the scene was even better than I could have imagined. Hearing Liz say that Ressler was her island of calm.. pick me up from the floor people.

I really wonder if she stewmakered the body as well or what she did with it. She did say she learned from the best so who knows..

What do you guys think about Robbie not telling Ressler that is what actually him who killed Tommy Markin and not Ressler? All these years Ressler thought he was the one that killed Markin while he didn't. I get why Robbie didn't say anything. Like he said in the episode, it made Ressler the person he is today.

Lauren Helen Graham

Miranda, I'll just let you be lying there a bit longer to enjoy this moment because you have waited for it for years

Yeah, I thought it super surprising as well that Robbie in the end was the one who killed Tommy Markin. And I get the reason as well but it felt wrong to me and I was surprised that Ressler reacted with such a calm. Believing you had killed a person half your life when it wasn't true...

Fangirl49

Here’s my opinion that is probably unwanted. lol

I am horribly disappointed that we didn’t see james and Anthony in a scene together

I hated Lizs whiny self centered speech at the end and don’t see how that fit in a Ressler centric episode. She called red a sociopath. I’m so sick of her and her treatment of red.

I enjoyed the episode,‘don’t get me wrong. Great acting with great actors.

I have a love hate with Ressler because I absolutely hate his self righteous scenes. And this whole episode was that for me. He literally ruined his brothers life and blamed Robbie for it. After all this time, Ressler never figured out why Robbie changed? It was Resslers fault. And he should have been there for his brother and his family.

I also don’t get how Ressler can be this self righteous cop knowing he murdered someone. And tell Robbie he still didn’t care what he did. He broke the law. That’s what he did. And breaking that law destroyed robbies life. So I don’t see how Ressler can always be this by the book cop when he had this secret in his life.

Red killed Mano taninda for him to keep Him from revenge. It looks like he shouldn’t have bothered because revenge was apparently good for Ressler. This idea goes against the entire theme of the show, if you ask me.

I don’t get the way Ressler has been written this whole time with his backstory. His lack of empathy for his brother reminded me a lot of Liz.

So I’m gonna try to let it go and move on

I thought Diego and Anthony were incredibly good acting together. I loved meeting resslers
Family. I enjoyed the episode. I’m glad the brothers reconciled and I hope Ressler can respect and appreciate his brother from now on. I just didn’t agree with Resslers character development.

Miranda

Yeah leave my laying there for a bit.

But I think Ressler understood why Robbie didn't say anything. Otherwise I think he would have reacted differently.

I get where you are coming from. I do. But Ressler isn't such a boy scout and "by the book" anymore as he used to be in S1 but maybe because he thought he killed Tommy Markin, he became such a boy scout and wanted to do everything by the book to try and make up for things. And yes he broke the law. He knows that. But it was his father's killer that he shot. Not that that makes it okay but I can get where he is coming from. And he was a teenager back then.

JayT2001

There's a lot to unpack for this one being the 150th episode so let me start.

I'm quite surprised little Donny didn't grow up to be a Boondock Saint. Not how I imagined him.
We probably could've been friends with his taste in music and youthful drinking.
It was awesome to see AMH. He was great in his Blacklist debut and maybe we see him again.
This episode was dark. I got 2 1000 yard stares out of it.
1. Ressler killed Markin.
2. Robbie finished him off.

I may get crucified for this but maybe Liz and Ressler have a little more in common than I thought.
Poor Robbie. Left to carry that burden and his younger brothers self-righteous bs. Ouch.
I think Ressler called Liz because he had no intentions of getting away with it. He knows she blabs.
I guess milestone episodes is when we see Liz the Cleaner. 100 and 150.
Liz can really be a self important turd sometimes. That speech was far past cheesy.
Without Red, it did better than I thought.

All in all 8/10

Miranda

I agree. He really didn't want to get away with it. He really wanted to turn himself in for what he did.

Fangirl49

Totally agree.

I was thinking that the brothers totally paralleled liz and red in a lot of ways.

Robbie was just like Red as far as having a big heart and a great capacity for love. And Ressler acted like liz. Robbie totally cleaned up the murder even though it cost him his future and his soul. And then he was willing to go to jail for Ressler. That was totally what red does for Liz. He’s her sin eater too.

I was so glad to see Ressler finally wake up and see the life he caused his brother to lead and to see them reconcile. I hope that means the writers have the same plans for red and Liz.

The only big problem with that is for us to actually believe liz means it. We have so many times where she says something and doesn’t mean it. I don’t know how I’d ever beleive her like I did Ressler.

Miranda

Yeah there are a lot of parallels between the brothers and Red and Liz. Didn't look at it that way when I was watching the episode but you are so right about that Marilyn.

Lauren Helen Graham

Oh Marilyn, don't get me wrong, I agree with most of what you said Maybe even everything when I think about it. And I get it all.

And Miranda, it's not that he isn't such a boy scout and by the books anymore... But he used to or at least wanted to make everybody believe he was and that is self righteous behavior in its fullest if you ask me. I totally agree with Marilyn about it.

Jay, no crucifying here I totally agree... Ressler and Liz have some things in common or say more in common that we would have guessed before that episode.

Marilyn, I love the parallels you're bringing on between the brothers and Liz/Red. I totally can see it. Although we don't know yet how Red came to be part of all of it.

For me it's still somehow hard to believe that Ressler never considered talking to his brother or even taking the time to ask why his brother changed like that... He cleaned up for him, wasn't that at least what Ressler should have been willing to do?

Fangirl49

Thanks kris. I was as irritated with this episode as I was with Requiem. Because the character development didn’t make sense.

I get that the writers wanted to shock us but it didn’t make sense.