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The Major” is the fifteenth episode of Season 2 of The Blacklist and the thirty seventh episode overall.

Synopsis[]

In 1994, a young boy is seen running away after stealing someone's purse. A car drives past and helps him escape. The Major is inside. He tells the boy, Jacob, that he knows who he is and has been watching him. He recruits him. We then see that the boy is Tom Keen.

In the present day, agent Keen is questioned by Cooper and Ms. Wright about the harbormaster murder. Wilcox is attempting to indict Liz, and brings the case to a judge named Denner. The FBI meet him there, and have imposed security measures on the entire floor. They are trying to oppose the subpoena and demonstrate how they need privacy for national security. The judge rules to require the FBI to share information with him before he decides upon the subpoena.

Red, Cooper, and Ressler are concerned about the case. Red brings the blacklist case of the Major to them. The Major recruits abandoned children that demonstrate sociopathic tendencies, and cultivates them into criminals. Red says he cannot locate the Major, and wants to meet a Malaysian diplomat Mahmat Krishman to help locate the Major. He asks the FBI to abduct the diplomat. Samar and Ressler do this.

Keen explains to judge Denner the case is clasified, she reveals the task force source is Reddington. She therefore asks for secrecy given the sensitivity of the identity. The judge displays interest in her relationship with Reddington. Keen recalls their first meeting in the Post Office.

In Dresden, Tom has befriended a neo-nazi group in his new undercover identity. He suggests a contact he knows in Salzburg to acquire guns. They initially decline but later agree.

Red interrogates the Malaysian diplomat, Krishman. He says Krishman has been trained by the Major and is double-crossing the Malaysian government. He demands information on the Major.

Liz gives judge Denner more information on the task force through a series of flashbacks.

Wilcox finds a hole in Aleko's claim that he caught a stray bullet, and orders the ship to be forensically searched for bullet evidence.

A man in a black helmet on a motorcycle executes a man in his car.

Red and Dembe have tracked down the Major, and tell him that he wants Tom Keen. Red is angry the Major allowed Tom Keen to be transferred to Berlin.

Cooper lies to judge Denner, and says that Liz was on the ship as official business as part of the task force.

Wilcox finds the bullet that hit Aleko and has it analysed by ballistics. It is a match to Liz's firearm. This is brought to the judge, who therefore allows the subpoena.

Dembe advises Red to be honest with Liz about Tom. Red says he can not do it.

Press Release[]

When Agent Keen is questioned in court as a suspect in the murder of the DC Harbormaster, her unusual relationship with Red and their task force falls under scrutiny. Meanwhile, Red enlists Cooper and Ressler to locate “The Major”, a dangerous former associate who is key in keeping Liz out of prison.

Number on The Blacklist[]

  • 75

Unanswered Questions[]

  1. Why did the writers use a flashback episode so soon?
    1. A: It somewhat fit the story. Liz was being asked what the taskforce did, so she had to give examples.
  2. Elizabeth Keen
    1. Why did Keen tell the truth about Red and lie about Tom?
    2. Keen’s reactions showed the influence Red has had on her. She still believes in justice, but realizes the need for compromise, and objects to being interrogated by a person who appears self-righteous. She was outraged when Richard Denner questioned her loyalty.
  3. Major
    1. How does the Major recruit his agents? The file on Tom looked like a police record.
      1. A: He looked through personal files of potential agents from police reports.
    2. Why did the Major double-cross Red when Milos Kirchoff offered more money? What about Red seeking revenge and/or his reputation in the black market?
  4. Tom Keen
    1. What is Tom’s assignment in Germany?
    2. Why did Kohl roll down the window? He should have suspected an ambush.
  5. Richard Denner
    1. Richard Denner’s reaction to Keen’s story is similar to “The X-Files” episode “José Chung’s From Outer Space”. The truth is so bizarre that it is impossible to believe.
    2. Why did Richard Denner semi-threaten Cooper? He should know that there are limits to what the United States government will tolerate when it concerns national security. His siding with Wilcox was because of the violations committed in the name of the War on Terror. However, those violations should also have taught him that there is a limit to what the government will admit. Also, threatening Cooper could lead to a lack of assistance from the FBI.
      1. A: Denner is unafraid of the ramifications. He is a hardline believer of government transparency and finds cover-ups by the government using “national security” as their reasoning, as an insult to the justice system. As such he is willing to do his job at its full capacity, regardless who takes the stand, and even break the law himself if it means contradicting the government.
    3. Why did Richard Denner refuse to believe Keen. Did he suspect she was employing the big lie technique?
      1. A: Denner heard earlier testimony from Wilcox who alleged that Samuel Aleko testified to him that he was a witness to Keen holding Tom hostage and how her ex-husband killed Harbormaster Eugene Ames back in “The Kenyon Family”. It was possible that he knew Keen was lying about Tom's death and that Denner believes she knew where he went.
  6. Martin Wilcox
    1. How did Wilcox gain access to Keen’s handgun? It is FBI property.
      1. A: When she entered the courthouse she had to check her gun. Wilcox got it from the gun check. Wilcox needed further evidence to put Keen in the scene of the crime, since he found a stray bullet in the boat. It explains why he needed the gun in order to run a gun check.
      2. Q: Wilcox would need a reason to examine Keen's handgun.
      3. A: Eugene Ames had Liz's card, which showed that she had met him, and he told his wife that the meeting occurred on the boat where the bullet was found, giving probable cause to examine her weapon.
    2. Why did Wilcox interrupt Reven Wright and Richard Denner? He should know that such behavior damages his argument.
      1. A: He got arrogant and could not keep his mouth shut. It may damage his argument, but it would still be heard by Denner nonetheless.
    3. Why is Wilcox so determined? Has he suffered previous defeats due the accused escaping because of their leverage over others? Has United States Assistant Attorney Brad Marking suffered similar defeats?
      1. A: Wilcox knew Keen was telling her side of the story, but is lying about Tom's death, given the earlier testimony from Aleko. Despite setbacks, he is determined to bring her to court for her to face charges in the murder of Harbormaster Eugene Ames.
      2. A: Wilcox is shown to be an honorable cop, even willing to help a random homeless man. Wilcox deeply values the justice system and won't let the government be excused from it.
  7. What has Raymond Reddington not told Keen? Dembe and Red agreed that the information is vital.
    1. A: It had something to do with Tom's secrets and Red's reluctance to tell Elizabeth about him.
  8. Why did Harold Cooper tell Keen he would not commit perjury? He lied to Richard Denner when asked about Keen’s story. He has committed other felonies, such as in “T. Earl King VI”.
    1. A: Unknown, but there is another felony he committed that may have something to do with the Kuwait Incident mentioned in “Gina Zanetakos” and in “The Judge”.
  9. Will Reven Wright find a way to take revenge on Richard Denner? She said “You’ve made a mistake, Richard”.
    1. A: Unlikely. It was more like a warning that he will regret his illegal action due to his personal biases.
  10. Where was Aram Mojtabai? Why was he absent?
  11. Why were Ressler and the other kidnappers not wearing masks when they kidnapped Mahmoud?
    1. A: They chose an area where there were no people nearby. Red told Cooper he had blackmail information on Mahmoud. Mahmoud would stay silent and deny the kidnapping.
  12. How did Kathryn Nemec miss the bullet when cleaning up the boat in “The Decembrist”? She is supposed to be very thorough.
  13. If Reddington and Tom Keen knew each other prior to the events of the series, why did they act like total strangers to each other when they sat together outside the hospital in "General Ludd"?
    1. A: Tom had violated the contract and Red was reminding him of the power dynamic.

Slanders on the FBI[]

Trivia[]

  • Goof: During the scene where Red has one of the Major's agents meet with him there is an editing mistake. Dembe forces the Major to sit and says hands, the Major complies and puts his hands on the table. If you look closely at the next shot, the Major's hands are on his lap. When the shot moves back to the Major, his hands are back on the table.
  • Goof: Besides most of the German bearing a heavy accent, the German car plates use a format that does not exist (e.g. DD17 36F9). The German car plate starting DD means that it is a Dresden based vehicle. The first 1-3 letters of a German car plate indicate where the car is registered (Large cities have 1 letter: B for Berlin, F for Frankfurt. Smaller cities have 2 letters and towns have 3 letters: Rud for Rudesheim), followed by 1-2 letters and then up to 4 numerals. At least the maximum number of 8 characters on a plate was not exceeded.

Cast[]

Main star[]

Guest star[]

Co-star[]

  • Christopher Dylan White as Jacob
  • Dante Nero as Samuel Aleko
  • Victor Joel Ortiz as Federal Officer
  • Lorrie Odom as Stenographer
  • Raymond Neil Hernandez as CSI
  • Ari Tomais as Kohl
  • Addison Lemay as Skinhead #1
  • Bazzel Baz as Baz (uncredited)

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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