“The Director” is the ninth episode of Season 3 of The Blacklist and the fifty-third episode overall.
Synopsis[]
Reddington and Aram resort to bold measures in hopes of guaranteeing Elizabeth Keen's safety as she awaits trial.
Press Release[]
Number on The Blacklist[]
- 24
Unanswered Questions[]
- Elizabeth Keen
- Keen’s justification of killing Connolly will lead to a rift between her and Ressler concerning their views on the “greater good” and the “necessary evil”.
- How can Keen’s story damage the Cabal?
- Why did Keen describe Thomas Connolly as a terrorist?
- A: Probably because he aided Karakurt and Andropov.
- Breathing in an inert gas such as nitrogen should not result in a painful or traumatic response or feelings of suffocation, as it does not increase the level of carbon dioxide in the blood, only decreases the amount of oxygen. Why was Keen in obvious discomfort?
- A: Nitrogen is an inert gas, it doesn't react with anything else. That means that the nitrogen the lungs displaces oxygen and causes the victim to suffocate.
- Raymond Reddington
- Why does Red need the help of the Venezuelan government?
- A. He needs their help to get Peter Kotsiopulos away from the United States.
- Why did Red need to rely on Aram?
- A: Red needed someone on the inside that could change the door code for the box until Liz's escort arrived.
- Was Red serious or joking when he said he avoided the drug trade?
- A: Red has principles. He usually aims to ruin criminals' lives. Taking part in the drug trade would mean he would ruin innocent peoples' lives. However, he will use opium and hashish himself. He also admitted to supplying marijuana distribution centers, and referencing his activities in “The Kingmaker”.
- Q: Considering Red's history in the black market, drug dealing would be in line with his other crimes.
- How did Reddington know Tom, Karakurt, and the Coopers were in the cabin when he talked to Ressler? They didn't have a tail and it's not clear he was contacted by Harold or Tom since they decided to go there.
- A: Deductive reasoning.
- Why does Red need the help of the Venezuelan government?
- Banknote plates
- Using the hard drive from “General Ludd” can backfire if the United States government sends a team to retrieve them. While the White House will want to avoid admitting the theft, they will want to shut down an operation that can print perfect counterfeits.
- What will Red ask in return for the use of the banknote plates? In addition to Keen’s safety, he usually asks for a percentage for the profits.
- A: As of right now, it is unlikely Red cares about money. His major focus is on clearing Liz's name and defeating the Cabal.
- Did Red make a set of banknote plates for himself?
- A: Probably not. However he did give a copy of the banknotes to Mary, a counterfeiter in his syndicate, in “General Ludd”.
- Q: Making a second set would aid Red's counterfeiting operations. Also, Red would make a second set as a backup option. He has multiple safe houses.
- When were the banknote plates made?
- A: As far as we know, between “General Ludd” and “The Kings of the Highway”. It seemed that they were made sometime close to the events of “The Kings of the Highway”.
- Who made the banknote plates?
- A: Possibly Ian Bartleby, or someone he knows.
- What will happen when the FBI discovers that the banknote plates are missing?
- Why did the theft of the banknote plates need to be kept secret?
- A: It was a felony and Red had no leverage in the FBI with the Cabal taking over the taskforce.
- Cabal
- Did Reven Wright suspect she would be assassinated? That would explain the backup protocol.
- A: No, Wright suspected Laurel had connections to Solomon that lead to her being assassinated. The Cabal knew Wright had become a threat the moment she became aware of their existence. Had Laurel failed to assassinate her, Wright would have assisted the task force against the Cabal.
- Why did the Cabal want Karakurt and Keen alive?
- The threat of Karakurt testifying could have been solved by using grenades on the cabin.
- Kotsiopulos did not order his men to open the cell door after Aram revealed the code word.
- A: The Cabal wants Karakurt assassinated believing him to be a liability to them. They only need Liz alive because she is their ticket to hurt Red.
- Q: Kotsiopulos stated that Keen would be executed after she had been transferred to his custody.
- Did Reven Wright suspect she would be assassinated? That would explain the backup protocol.
- Samar Navabi
- Why was Samar surprised at the existence, number, and contents of Red’s safe house?
- A: Most criminals aren't as well prepared as Red.
- Why was Samar surprised at the existence, number, and contents of Red’s safe house?
- Donald Ressler
- Ressler’s self-righteous attitude can easily boomerang in the future.
- Ressler’s threat to Laurel is shaky. Nothing happened after Diane Fowler was killed.
- Ressler’s ego can destroy him in the future.
- Ressler’s need to kill Solomon was similar to “Mako Tanida”. His need for vengeance could destroy his career if another similar situation appears.
- Why was Ressler unable to arrange an early transfer for Keen?
- Aram Mojtabai
- Has Aram ruined his career? Kotsiopulos and Laurel will now see him as a threat.
- Why was Aram unable to access the ventilation controls? He reprogrammed the door code and the Cabal agents could not break them.
- A: Maybe Ressler had them changed and neglected to tell Aram about this.
- A: The Cabal agents reprogrammed the ventilation system. They used a code that would take too long to override.
- Why was not Aram placed under arrest for threatening to kill Kotsiopulos in front of multiple witnesses?
- Harold Cooper
- Is Cooper’s marriage finished?
- A: It's a possibility.
- Why was Charlene unable to find a club she enjoyed?
- Is Cooper’s marriage finished?
- Laurel Hitchin
- Why did Laurel use the term airport novel?
- What does Laurel fear?
- A: She fears being exposed as a member of the Cabal.
- How would Laurel have survived the political fallout if Keen had been murdered during the faked escape attempt?
- A: The whole idea behind the faked escape attempt is that Keen looks like a terrorist. There would not be much political fallout since they could argue killing her in self defense and national security.
- Why did Laurel say Tommy Markin and not Matias Solomon?
- A: She was asking about Tommy Markin because that was the last thing Reven said before she died. Laurel had no idea who Markin was so she asked Ressler. Matias Solomon had nothing to do with it.
- Peter Kotsiopulos
- How would Kotsiopulos have survived the political fallout if Keen had been murdered during the faked escape attempt?
- A: The whole idea behind the faked escape attempt is that Keen looks like a terrorist. There wouldn't be much political fallout since they could argue killing her in self defense and national security.
- How was the nitrogen overload supposed to be blamed on an equipment malfunction? Laurel was skeptical of the plan.
- A: The Cabal would claim that the door would not work, which was sort of true, and the device that supplied the box with oxygen malfunctioned. Then they would only need to cover up any autopsy.
- Why were Kotsiopulos's agents unable to break the door codes?
- A: They weren't prepared for the door to be locked, and they had a time limit to get Liz out before Cynthia Panabaker arrived.
- What did Kotsiopulos mean by “acts of war”?
- A: The Cabal is trying to, if they haven't succeeded yet, start a second Cold War between America and Russia. Through Andropov, Karakurt, and Liz the Cabal is trying to make it appear as if Russia is attacking the United States.
- What was the machine used on the cell box?
- How would Kotsiopulos have survived the political fallout if Keen had been murdered during the faked escape attempt?
- Matias Solomon
- Why were the others opposed to killing Solomon?
- A: They seemed mostly opposed to Ressler killing him. They also probably thought 2 Cabal agents being turned in would be better than 1.
- Q: Solomon bragged that he would defeat the legal system.
- A: Cynthia Panabakar was taking over the Cabal investigation, so Solomon's chances of defeating the legal system might not be as good as he thought.
- Why did Solomon not use more grenades or a greater variety? Such as sleeping gas grenades, stun grenades, and/or smoke grenades? The single tear gas grenade failed to work.
- A. Solomon wanted to give Ressler and Tom a chance to surrender themselves and Karakurt to the Cabal. When he got no answer, he used a tear gas grenade to force them out.
- Why were the others opposed to killing Solomon?
- Karakurt
- How did Karakurt know about the annulled marriage?
- Why did Karakurt aid Tom?
- A: The Cabal already tried to kill Karakurt. Karakurt wanted revenge, therefore he helped Tom and agreed to testify against the Cabal.
- Why was a larger team used for the attack on the cabin? A small team was used in “Kings of the Highway”?
- A: A small team failed, therefore they thought a larger group would be better. Also, during the first attack, the Cabal caught Tom and Cooper off guard. Tom and Cooper had time to reorganize and fortify themselves.
- Tom Keen
- Why was Tom dismayed when he found the can of beans?
- A: He wasn't. It was a joke referencing the fact that Tom used a can of old beans to cut out the tracking device that was in Karakurt.
- Why was Tom dismayed when he found the can of beans?
- Dembe Zuma
- How did Ressler arrange Dembe’s release?
- A: Ressler still had some power within the taskforce, if not more with Cynthia Panabakar now overseeing the taskforce. He most likely dropped the charges so Dembe could aid Red.
- How did Ressler arrange Dembe’s release?
Slanders on the FBI[]
- Why was a Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) used for the guard escort instead of a SWAT team?
- A: HRT is a SWAT team.
Cast[]
Main star[]
- James Spader as Raymond Reddington
- Megan Boone as Elizabeth Keen
- Diego Klattenhoff as Donald Ressler
- Ryan Eggold as Tom Keen
- Amir Arison as Aram Mojtabai
- Mozhan Marnò as Samar Navabi
- Hisham Tawfiq as Dembe Zuma
- Harry Lennix as Harold Cooper
Guest star[]
- David Strathairn as Peter Kotsiopulos
- Christine Lahti as Laurel Hitchin
- Edi Gathegi as Matias Solomon
- Valerie Pettiford as Charlene Cooper
- Tony Plana as Diaz
- Deirdre Lovejoy as Cynthia Panabaker
- Andrew Divoff as Karakurt
Co-star[]
- Dan Domingues as Rafael Gallego
- Thomas Beaudoin as CIA Techie
- Genson Blimline as Morgan
- Tyler Hanes as Pittsburgh Agent
- Justin Swain as FBI Agent
- Bazzel Baz as Baz
- Thad Turner as Driver
- Teren Carter as Aide
Gallery[]
External Links[]
Season 3 Episodes |
---|
· The Troll Farmer · Marvin Gerard · Eli Matchett · The Djinn · Arioch Cain · Sir Crispin Crandall · Zal Bin Hasaan · Kings of the Highway · The Director · The Director: Conclusion · Mr. Gregory Devry · The Vehm · Alistair Pitt · Lady Ambrosia · Drexel · The Caretaker · Mr. Solomon · Mr. Solomon: Conclusion · Cape May · The Artax Network · Susan Hargrave · Alexander Kirk · Alexander Kirk: Conclusion · |