Smokey Putnum

"Smokey Putnum"

Season 5, Episode 1

Episode Information

Air date

September 27, 2017

Directed by

Bill Roe

Written by

Jon Bokenkamp
John Eisendrath

Episode Chronology

Previous	Next
“Mr. Kaplan: Conclusion”	“Greyson Blaise”

“Smokey Putnum” is the first episode of Season 5 of The Blacklist and the ninetieth episode overall.

Synopsis[]

Press Release[]

With his criminal empire in ruins, a surprisingly carefree Red enlists Liz in an unlikely plan to simultaneously earn cash and deliver a new Blacklister to the Task Force. As Liz faces the new reality of working alongside her father, Ressler finds himself in a precarious position and Tom weighs his options.

Number on The Blacklist[]

30

Unanswered Questions[]

Elizabeth Keen
1. Why was Keen opposed to Red stealing a car?
  1. A: She is FBI.
Raymond Reddington
1. What type of automobile does Raymond steal at the beginning of the episode?
  1. A: 1954 Chevrolet Corvette
2. How much of Red’s actions were an act? He showed carelessness with Elizabeth Keen and purpose with Dembe Zuma.
3. Why is the suitcase so important? Identifying the skeleton will be difficult.
  1. A: The skeleton contained a horrible secret that Red did that may involve him in Katarina's death.
  2. A: The skeleton contains the truth about the secret truth Red was hiding.
4. Did Red know about Putnum in advance or was he desperate for the money?
  1. A: Probably desperate for money due to Kathryn Nemec destroying his criminal empire back in “Mr. Kaplan”.
  2. A: Desperate for the money. He only knew about Putnum through Maurice, but saw an opportunity as they traveled.
5. Since Red only found out about Putnum through Maurice, why is Smokey number 30?
  1. A: Numbers are assigned at random.
6. Why did Red not consider the possibility of his call being monitored?
7. Why was Red successful in getting a 50 percent finder’s fee from Maurice?
  1. A: A 50 percent recovery is better than a 0 percent recovery.
8. How much of the 40,000 dollars was used to free Hawkins?
Joe Putnum
1. Why did the ceiling break at the house?
  1. A: Most likely rotten wood. The house didn't look to be in great shape and was not meant to hold up a lot of weight.
Donald Ressler
1. Ressler’s behavior with Mitchell Hatley has shown he is losing his self-control.
2. How did Mitchell Hatley run Ressler’s prints?
  1. A: Mitchell probably had blackmail on someone else with the ability to run anyone's prints.
Harold Cooper
1. Cooper’s decision to rebuild Red’s crime syndicate places the task force under Red’s control as they are now working for Red and the FBI.
2. Does Cooper suspect Ressler? Ressler’s answers were evasive.
  1. A: Yes, he does, but blamed it from job stress. In “The Informant”, when Samar voiced her concerns about Ressler, Cooper became more suspicious.
Tom Keen
1. What was the significance of Tom’s dream?
Prosecutor
1. The judge’s speech showed that the case against Putnum had already encountered legal problems.
2. Why was the prosecutor distraught at losing the case? She has certainly lost other cases.
  1. A: It meant another defeat.
Police chase
1. Why did the police have such a rapid response time?
  1. A: Units were in the area.
2. Why did the police car flip over?
  1. A: It ran into the other police car and acted as a ramp.
Roman LeMarc, Friedrich Brigade
1. How did the FBI arrest the neo-Nazis so quickly?
  1. A: The FBI knew about them.
2. How did the neo-Nazis monitor Red’s call?
  1. A: Illegal surveillance equipment.
3. How did the neo-Nazis obtain vehicles that allowed them to imitate the United States Marshals Service?
  1. A: The vans were similar.
4. How did the neo-Nazis find Joe Putnum on the road?