The Thrushes

"The Thrushes"
Season 4, Episode 6
Episode Information
Air date	October 27, 2016
Directed by	Terrence O'Hara
Written by	Daniel Knauf (Story) Dave Metzger (Story) Daniel Knauf (Teleplay)
Guest Stars	Susan Blommaert as Kathryn Nemec Ulrich Thomsen as Constantin Rostov Deirdre Lovejoy as Cynthia Panabaker
Episode Chronology
Previous	“The Lindquist Concern”
Next	“Dr. Adrian Shaw”

For the character of the same name, see Thrushes.

“The Thrushes” is the sixth episode of Season 4 of The Blacklist and the seventy-third episode overall.

Synopsis

Elizabeth confronts Raymond Reddington, accusing him of offering up Blacklisters who have connections to Alexander Kirk, conveniently benefiting from the arrangement. Harold Cooper then calls Elizabeth into his office, where she reveals the DNA evidence that supposedly proves Alexander Kirk is her father and that Reddington has been lying to her for years. Following their discussion, Cooper contacts Panabaker about capturing LeBron, but it becomes clear that someone has intercepted the call. Kirk, aware of the situation, orders LeBron to be killed during the FBI transport. Reddington responds calmly, “LeBron is dead. Right on schedule. Time to send out the invitations.”

In a twist, it is revealed that LeBron is not the true Blacklister but merely a decoy. Reddington summons the Post Office team to a secret meeting, where he explains that their system has been hacked, and they must proceed without any digital connections. Elizabeth steps out of the shadows to reveal that their earlier confrontation was staged to deceive Kirk, making him believe she was siding with him and considering joining the Rostova family for Sochelnik.

The team discovers that the FBI’s system was breached by hackers known as The Thrushes, who specialize in penetrating secure systems for both the challenge and monetary gain. Aram is distressed that he didn’t detect the breach, but the Thrushes are known for leaving no trace. Despite the security breach, Reddington and Elizabeth use it to their advantage in their search for Agnes.

Despite their shared goal, tensions remain between Elizabeth and Reddington. When Reddington checks on Elizabeth at the nursery, she pointedly refers to Kirk as “my father,” challenging Reddington’s warnings about the fallibility of DNA evidence. Reddington counters that just because Kirk was her mother’s husband doesn’t mean he’s her father. He then reiterates his claim, “I have never lied to you.”

Elizabeth receives a phone call from Kirk. She tells him she’s ready to cut Reddington out of her life in exchange for Agnes, and they arrange a meeting. Meanwhile, Aram prepares for an undercover operation at Elise’s apartment. Despite his nerves, he successfully plants a tracer/tracker on her laptop, but it is soon discovered. A struggle ensues, but Samar and Ressler arrive in time to save him.

Elizabeth worries Kirk will become suspicious after Elise’s cover is blown. Still, Cooper reassures her that Elise was forced to confirm the tracer/tracker’s security. Determined to rescue Agnes, Elizabeth agrees to meet with Kirk. Reddington prepares his men for a confrontation at an abandoned subway station. However, Elizabeth warns Kirk not to proceed with the meeting, revealing that the FBI and Reddington are aware of the mole.

Elizabeth arrives at a rooftop, where Kirk tells her Agnes is nearby, but he insists on dealing with Reddington first. Elizabeth horrified, pleads with Kirk not to kill Reddington, reminding him of her loyalty. Just as Kirk is about to relent, Reddington and his team burst onto the rooftop, ready to apprehend Kirk. Despite the chaos, Kirk hands Agnes to Elizabeth, and Reddington’s men take him into custody.

As Alexander Kirk is escorted to the Post Office, Elizabeth’s family is reunited, and she allows Reddington to visit Agnes. However, she informs him they will no longer be living under his protection now that Kirk has been captured. Reddington ominously acknowledges her decision before bidding them goodnight.

Press Release

When Alexander Kirk contracts with a mysterious group that specializes in hacking the world's most secure computer systems, Red and Liz see an opportunity to make a move on Kirk's organization.

Number on The Blacklist

• 53

Unanswered Questions

1. Elizabeth Keen
   1. Where did Keen learn to speak Russian?
      1. A: Liz is actually part Russian. She could have also taken certain language classes as part of her FBI training. Russian is a popular one.
   2. Why was Keen angry at Red? She knows that he is unreliable. Red had a point about a forged Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR RF) file.
      1. A: She believed the DNA file that Kirk is her father, but Red knew better. He knew that Kirk was lying to her.
2. Raymond Reddington
   1. Why did Red state that government sanctions were effective? History has proven that they can be easily circumvented.
      1. A: Depends upon the type of sanctions and by whom.
   2. Will Red move to take over Rostov’s syndicate?
   3. Why did Red allow the FBI to arrest Rostov?
      1. A. As much as Red wanted to kill Rostov, Liz still needed him alive because he has answers to her past that she needs.
   4. Is “Nick’s Pizza” a real restaurant?
      1. A: It’s most likely one of many legitimate businesses that Red uses as a cover. Because it was one of the first he used when working with Liz, it's why she has that on his phone to maintain his secret when he calls her.
   5. Did Rene Le Bron confess anything to Red?
   6. Why did Red want Rene Le Bron’s airplane?
3. Thrushes
   1. How did the Thrushes get voice recordings from the Post Office?
      1. A: They are hackers and Janet, Amar's girlfriend, was a member of the group. She most likely got what he needed through him while he was unaware.
   2. Will the FBI be able to trace the Thrushes based on the confession and the “Rubber duck”?
   3. Were the Thrushes named after the bird or the “Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity”?
4. Constantin Rostov
   1. Is Rostov the man shot by 4 year old Elizabeth Keen?
      1. A: No
   2. Was Rostov’s ambush “army” arrested by the FBI?
      1. A: Not all of them were arrested. Some of his faction were seen posing as orderlies waiting for Rostov's orders via Odette in “Dr. Adrian Shaw”.
5. Samar Navabi
   1. Samar is alternating between caring for the Task Force and wanting to avoid them.
   2. Why did Samar cancel the transfer?
      1. A. She wanted to stay with Aram Mojtabai and possibly be with him.
6. Dembe Zuma
   1. Where was Dembe? Why was he absent?
      1. A: He wasn't absent. He can be seen standing in the background in the analog bunker's first scene, behind the wheel when Liz picks up the phone from the shoe repair store, behind Tom when he brings Liz info/behind Cooper when he reads the paper, with Red as they look at the blueprints, walking behind Red while Liz talks on the roof with Kirk and with Baz when Red visits Liz, Tom, and Agnes at the end. That is 6 scenes; not absent.

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

• Ulrich Thomsen as Constantin Rostov
• Susan Blommaert as Kathryn Nemec
• Leon Rippy as Hunter
• Annie Heise as Janet Sutherland
• Annapurna Sriram as Odette
• Deirdre Lovejoy as Cynthia Panabaker
• Daniel Stewart Sherman as Chester
• JoJo Gonzalez as Oscar
• Patrick Page as Rene Le Bron
• Sanjit De Silva as Navabi's British Embassy Contact Dahana

Co-star

• Joselin Reyes as Romina
• Bazzel Baz as Baz
• Tadeusz Von Moltke as Lead Official
• Kevin T. Collins as Bert
• Yu Lew as Nick's Delivery Boy

Gallery

Thrushes computer system

External Links

• NBC.com
• NBC.com
• NBC.com