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The Decembrist” is the eighth episode of Season 2 of The Blacklist and the thirtieth episode overall. It aired on November 10, 2014 on NBC.

Synopsis[]

The episode begins with a flashback to when Elizabeth Keen shot her husband Tom Keen after he tried to kill her. She then tells Raymond Reddington that he should leave the room so she can finish him off; she instead kidnaps him, persuades her friend Ellie to treat him and keeps him prisoner on a boat on the docks, and makes him reveal important details regarding Red's nemesis and former KGB member Milos Kirchoff and several other people on Red's Blacklist. It is revealed that Elizabeth has held Tom captive for 4 months.

Elsewhere, Red meets with Milos Kirchoff and reveals to him that his daughter is in fact alive, and he presents her to him, thus making their feud pointless, as Milos Kirchoff believed that Red killed her. Red asks Zoe who told her the lie; she reveals the person's identity as The Decembrist. Red and Milos Kirchoff hunt down several people in order to find out The Decembrist's true identity. They eventually find a name: Alan Fitch, an associate of Red's. After finding out who it is, Milos Kirchoff decides to hunt him down and kill him, something Red is not keen on doing.

Red later reveals to Elizabeth that he is in fact working with Milos Kirchoff and that he knows that Tom is not dead. This angers her, as she has spent months trying to find him; Red shows disappointment that Elizabeth did not trust him enough to tell him about Tom. Back at the boat, Tom tells Elizabeth that she will not kill him despite her supposed want to. A stranger then happens upon the boat, and Elizabeth captures him. Tom then kills him as a way to remove witnesses; Elizabeth watches in horror as her bodyguard Ronaldo holds her back. Elizabeth then demands to know where Milos Kirchoff is: he says if she lets him go, then he will reveal the information. Elizabeth asks for Donald Ressler's assistance, despite his reluctance. The 2 of them help Tom escape into the city unseen after he reveals Milos Kirchoff's last known whereabouts.

Milos Kirchoff later takes Zoe out to lunch. Zoe is visibly uncomfortable being there, especially with Milos Kirchoff's men keeping watch. Red then drops in and demands to know what Milos Kirchoff's men did to Alan, as he has gone missing. The FBI later find Alan with a bomb strapped around his neck. He is escorted to FBI headquarters and locked in the same box that Red was sent into after first being detained by the FBI in the first episode. There, several bomb squad officers attempt to disable the bomb. Eventually, Alan announces he does not want any more blood on his hands than he has already, and asks the bomb squad officers to leave; they reluctantly do so. Alan then asks for Red before he dies. Red stands outside the box, and Alan asks if he has “The Fulcrum”; Red merely says that he cannot stop the bomb. Alan then says that his death will trigger a series of events, which will make it harder for the moderates to resist the radicals, and predicts that by 2017, conditions will get worse. Alan names 2 members who might be willing to ally with Red. Alan then tells Red the combination to a safe he has hidden away in St. Petersburg, but is unable to tell him the location within the city before the bomb explodes.

Later, Red meets with Milos Kirchoff in a warehouse and the 2 share a bottle of vodka as Milos Kirchoff reminisces of better times during the Cold War, such as the military parades and the Soviet space progam. As Milos Kirchoff finishes the bottle, Red shoots him 4 times, killing him. Elizabeth goes back to the boat where Tom was, and finds Red waiting for her there; he once again reiterates his disappointment in her not trusting him. Elizabeth tells him how frustrated she is that she did not kill him, and Red says that love is still a factor. He then embraces her.

That night, Tom meets Red in a restaurant, and Red gives him an envelope, telling him “You are never to see her again.” Before he leaves, Tom then tells Red that during his captivity, he never told Elizabeth about them, implying that Tom has been working for Red the whole time.

Press Release[]

RED GOES AFTER THE NEW THREAT BEHIND BERLIN’S VENGEANCE – Red's motives for Berlin take a sudden turn when he learns Berlin was manipulated by the latest Blacklister to avenge Red. Red and Berlin travel to Moscow to track down a high ranking Russian official who they believe is responsible. Meanwhile, Liz struggles to keep her secret from unraveling.

Number on The Blacklist[]

  • 12

Unanswered Questions[]

  1. The new power arrangement: Raymond Reddington, Milos Kirchoff, Cabal, Post Office task force, the FBI represented by Reven Wright.
  2. Raymond Reddington
    1. Why did Red attempt to stop Milos Kirchoff from killing Fitch? Was it fear of the Cabal or Red taking the long-term view?
    2. Will Red attempt to take control of Milos Kirchoff's syndicate? He knows the bank account numbers from “Monarch Douglas Bank”. It will be needed to counterbalance the Cabal.
    3. Will the death of Milos Kirchoff allow Red to rebuild his syndicate and regain the trust of his employees?
    4. Did Red desert from the navy because he wanted to stop Fitch's plan involving the Fulcrum? It would explain his higher level of morality than the other criminals seen.
    5. Why did Red have a bottle of vodka with Milos Kirchoff before killing him?
      1. A: Milos was deceived and used by Alan Fitch. Red wanted Milos to have one last drink and to reminisce about the Cold War before killing him.
    6. Why does/did Red need “The Florist” as a specific way to contact Fitch? What was wrong with a new messenger for every meeting?
    7. Why was Red unable to stop Milos Kirchoff in Moscow? He could have ran down the stairs.
  3. Cabal
    1. What happens in 2017?
    2. What is the Fulcrum?
      1. A: A blackmail file mentioned in “Luther Braxton”.
    3. Did Fitch tell Red the information about the safe because he came to fear the results of the plan for 2017? He stated that he had been restraining the others.
      1. A: Yes, Fitch became fearful that the more he tries to restrain the Cabal, they become more desperate and extreme. He told Red about the information about the safe plus 2 others in the Cabal who may be of some assistance to Red.
    4. Is Reven Wright working for the Cabal? She seems more concerned with her career than justice.
      1. A: For the moment, no. However, Red's control over the Task Force would make him a likely threat to Wright's career and have her ally with the Cabal soon.
    5. What will happen now that Fitch is dead?
    6. Is the Fulcrum a reference to the series “Chuck” and “Alias”?
  4. Alan Fitch
    1. Why did Fitch use the alias “The Decembrist”? Was it a reference to the Russian Revolution?
      1. A: It was just an alias to hid his true identity and nationality.
      2. A: Fitch's alias, The Decembrist, may be a reference to the failed Decembrist revolt of 1825, in which 3000 civilians and members of the Imperial Army protested against the accession of Tsar Nicholas I and demanded that the empire adopt a constitution and representative government. It may also be a reference to the Russian Revolution. Both revolts have parallels to Fitch's operation to ensure that the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics imploded.
    2. Why did Fitch use Milos Kirchoff to attack Raymond Reddington? The tactic backlashed on him.
      1. A: Probably at the time he thought it best to ensure that the 2 of them concentrated efforts against each other, and when the battle was resolved the weakened victor could be easily dealt with by the Cabal.
    3. Why did Fitch remember the 763 people who have died on missions he has ordered? That resembles Adrian Veidt's statement that he has forced himself to remember every person that he has killed to ensure his plan to avoid nuclear war.
      1. A: Like Red he is a somewhat moral person and remembers the people who he has had to sacrifice.
    4. Why did Fitch have a guard escort when walking into the Box?
    5. Why were the lights shut off when he wanted to talk to Red?
      1. A: Light and cameras were turned off so they would not be recorded or heard.
    6. Why did Fitch believe that the bomb could not be disarmed?
      1. A: He's experienced and heard them talking about how difficult it would be and that it could go off at any moment.
    7. What will be the official reason for Fitch's death?
    8. Why did Fitch save Zoe instead of killing her?
      1. A: Like Red he is a somewhat moral person, not wanting to kill innocent people if not necessary.
    9. What reason did Fitch use for leaving the intelligence meeting?
      1. A: He was the Assistant Director of National Intelligence. He didn't need to give a reason as he was the highest ranking person there.
  5. Milos Kirchoff
    1. Why was Milos Kirchoff sent to the Gulag at a time when the Soviet Union was imploding?
    2. Why was Milos Kirchoff unable to escape the Gulag?
  6. Soviet Union
    1. Why was the Kursk bombing that killed the pro-Soviet loyalists seen as the act of a patriot? They wanted to stop the revolution.
      1. A: The people killed were the old Soviet hard-liners and the enemies of the new regime, so they hailed the bombing as a good thing.
    2. Why did the Russians investigate the Kursk bombing and keep the DNA evidence?
      1. A: It was a bombing of senior government officials so of course it was investigated.
      2. Q: They were the enemies of the new regime.
  7. Pipe bomb
    1. Why did Milos Kirchoff's agents rig a bomb on Fitch?
      1. A: Milos was angry at Fitch for attacking Zoe and lying to him about her death. He intended to kill Fitch as revenge for his actions that lead to the war between him and Red.
      2. Q: Then why not kill Fitch with a bullet? A bomb can be disarmed.
    2. Why were the agents of Milos wearing “clean room” white plastic suits?
    3. Why were FBI agents carrying the bomb when Fitch walked into the Box?
      1. A: To minimize moving the device and accidentally triggering it.
  8. Tom Keen
    1. How long has Tom Keen been working for Red?
    2. Why would Tom risk making contact with Liz?
    3. Why did Liz using a radio tracker? Tom could easily disable that.
      1. A: She had to follow FBI procedure, although what she did to keep Tom hostage for 4 months could bring ruin to her career.
    4. Why does Tom still have a functional thumb despite it being broken in “The Pavlovich Brothers”?
      1. A: Excellent medical attention provided by Milos Kirchoff during his abscence for the duration of “The Kingmaker”.
  9. Donald Ressler
    1. Why did Donald Ressler cover for Liz?
      1. A: He has feelings for her and doesn't want her to get into trouble.
      2. A: Repayment for her not reporting his addiction to Harold Cooper.
    2. Will Donald Ressler hunt for Tom Keen? Red gave him a passport and tickets.
      1. A: Anything is a possibility. Ressler made it clear to Tom that he will be hunted down and taken into custody.
  10. Ellie
    1. Why did Ellie risk her career for Liz?
    2. How was Ellie risking her license by helping Liz?
    3. Is Ellie a nurse or doctor?
  11. Harbormaster Eugene Ames
    1. Why did Harbormaster Eugene Ames return to the boat after Elizabeth Keen told him the convict story?
      1. A: He didn't believe Liz's cover story and wanted confirmation. Harbormaster Eugene Ames found Tom being held hostage.
      2. Q: Why disbelieve a FBI agent? Liz blamed the lack of a fugitive alert on Homeland security.
      3. A: He probably followed up on the lie she told or just did not believe her as she was 1 person and the FBI would have had more people searching if she was telling the truth.
    2. Why did Tom kill Harbormaster Eugene Ames?
      1. A: To keep Liz from letting him go and risking him going to the cops.
      2. A: Tom also killed him as a way to put pressure on Liz to set him free, given that Harbormaster Eugene Ames's death would cause people to start looking for him.
  12. Brimley
    1. Why was Brimley using loud music during the interrogation?
    2. Who was he interrogating?
  13. What will be the aftermath of the murder of Kiryl Morozov?
  14. Why would Mossad be interested in Fitch's kidnapping?
    1. He's a high ranking US official and they are an ally. If he is tortured for information it could be harmful to Israel.
  15. Will Harold Cooper's decision to use Red and the FBI at the same time result in a backlash? It eventually killed Fitch.
  16. Where will Zoe D'Antonio go?
    1. A: Given the passport, tickets, and a new identity Red gave her, it is presumed that Zoe may go somewhere that she can start a new life.
    2. Q: Why did Zoe have to leave the city? Red killed Milos Kirchoff.

Slanders on the FBI[]

  1. How did Milos Kirchoff hijack the convoy transporting Fitch? They had official identity cards and all 3 SUV's were seen driving away.
    1. A: They didn't hijack the convoy, they impersonated it. Government credentials are easy to fake with the right resources.

Cast[]

Main star[]

Guest star[]

Co-star[]

  • Ian Unterman as Assistant #1
  • Hwalan Shub as Dragon Lady
  • Teddy Canez as Captain
  • Dante Nero as Samuel Aleko
  • Tristan Laurence as Mike, Bomb Tech #1
  • Jabari Gray as Bomb Tech #2
  • Justin Saj as Driver
  • Mark Campbell as SWAT Agent
  • Christopher Durham as Deputy Director
  • Michael McKenzie as Intelligence Staffer
  • Vitalliy Shtabnoy as Russian #2
  • Eugene Dmitrev as Russian #1
  • Irungu Mutu as Assistant #2

Gallery[]

External Links[]


Season 2 Episodes
 · Lord Baltimore  · Monarch Douglas Bank  · Dr. James Covington  · Dr. Linus Creel  · The Front  · The Mombasa Cartel  · The Scimitar  · The Decembrist  · Luther Braxton  · Luther Braxton: Conclusion  · Ruslan Denisov  · The Kenyon Family  · The Deer Hunter  · T. Earl King VI  · The Major  · Tom Keen  · The Longevity Initiative  · Vanessa Cruz  · Leonard Caul  · Quon Zhang  · Karakurt  · Tom Connolly  ·
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