Happy International Women's Day, While I can hear the collective eye roll around the world, I hope that you will take a bit of my view to heart. Women are second to men. We are 50% of the population yet we are paid less, worked more, and trapped by outdated ideals that rule how the world views us. I do not hate men, nor do I want to bash them. The way females are viewed, our ideals, and our shortcomings in society are all of our fault. We are all responsible for the position that we are in, and we all need to fight very hard to fix the mistakes of the past. The reason that I am a feminist? Because my life depends on it, and if you are female, so does yours!
There are many examples of why living as a woman is very dangerous. One that people may not think about much, but something that most of us encounter is our health. There is nothing more sexist than the way women are treated in the medical community as patients. The old outdated ideas from the hysterical housewives of yesterday were so damaging that people still believe them! Doctors and nurses of both genders have the horrible notion of emotions actually being the females problem that brought them to the doctor, and not a real medical condition. How many men have been asked on a regular basis if they are upset about anything in their life that would cause them to become ill? Think it's something routine? Why would you ask a question like that when you were in car accident? That happened to me. I was a passenger in a car wreck with a neck and head injury but I was asked by the nurse if I was stressed out about something from work that could be possibly causing me the pain!
I almost died a few years ago due to a male doctor's ignorance of what he thought was emotions. I was having tingles in my hands and feet. This doctor literally told me that I was severally depressed and that I needed to get mental help right away. He assured me every single thing wrong with me was in my head and that I was just another hysterical woman. The truth of the matter was that my gall bladder had ruptured and the reason I was having tingles in my hands and feet was due to poison going through my body. Because of this man, I didn't go back to the doctor because I was so offended and felt trapped. I knew no one was going to believe me. I ended up being forced to go to the ER by some very good friends. I was hours away from death, but I didn't want to seek medical attention because I never again wanted to be turned away from a real issue. That was not the only, or the last time I was told it was all in my head when I went to seek medical advice for an illness.
We, as women are taught that if you are sick you probably are seeking attention, and it's weakness. Because of this terrible mind set, countless women have been ignored, laughed at, and misdiagnosed for years. Women don't tend to fight for themselves because they believe the bad stuff. They constantly underestimate themselves and question what they are feeling because the hysterical woman is so ingrained into our psychology We, as women, call each other out for the weakness of being ill. We are trying so hard to live up to unrealistic expectations and we are literally killing ourselves. Talk to an average woman about their health and get their own story. I bet they will say that they have put off going to the doctor because they have other responsibilities. This is another horrible thing many believe as well. We, as women, are judged on how well we can do it all. That means that we put our own health and well-being on the back burner. We go to work and school sick. We take care of our children and our partners while we are sick. We clean the house, cook, and do all the actives that are needed and we still don't go to the doctor. Women are not only expected to live this cruel and crazy lifestyle, but we are also expected to do it all well. There are so many blogs, articles and movies out there showing the lead female balancing her entire world and still looking her best while she does it. She might look good to the world, but it comes at a tremendous personal cost. They never show how many of these women end up stressed, sick, and addicted to uppers because they do whatever they can do to keep up the illusion.
We need to lighten up on ourselves and allow each other to be sick. We need to allow each other to walk their own path in life. We need to stop saying we aren't woman enough if we admit that we are sick, that we can't do it all, and some of us don't actually want children. We need to let each other live our own way. Women do enough damage to each other and the medical community takes note of that. We go in for issues with our periods, something so controversial that it still is something women are forced to keep silent about even though it's been happening since the beginning of humanity. How insane is it that we feel like we can't openly discuss something that happens to us that is medical? Every other human being has go through a period so what in the world is the issue. When a woman is having an issue with her cycle, and tells a doctor, many times it is poop off as another emotional thing. I truly believe this is why we are missing so many medical issues when it comes to the reproductive organs because doctors are so willing to dismiss women when it comes to their periods. They don't get taken seriously until it's too late.
Medicine needs to catch up or it will kill us! I became a Feminist because of this issue. I stayed one because I, like many women, have been sexually harassed. I, like many women, have been sexually abused. I, like many women, have been asked during an interview the following questions, if I had kids and how many hours would that take me away from the office, if I was married, if I was going to have a baby anytime soon, if I was actually serious about the job, or was it something that I was doing for fun, and if I realize that the office is mostly men and that could become a problem. Who cares if those questions are illegal because no one seems to care about women's rights and their lives. Sexual abuse happens every day, and it's just people being too sensitive when you claim it's sexual harassment. This is how the world works! Women's desperate pleas for help fall on deaf ears. We go from the victim to deserving it. We go from having a real issue to being too sensitive. There are those darn emotions again that not only claim my right for health, but also claim my right to work in a safe environment!
There are hundreds more examples that I can give about why me being a feminist is because my life depends on it. I had to learn to use my voice even when I am being forced to be silent. I had to learn how to stop giving excuses on what was done to me because it wasn't my fault. I had to learn how to tell people that I know myself better than anyone else, and yes I am actually sick, not just having a bad day. I had to learn to stop apologizing for not being as good as other women because they seem to have it all while I fight for the poverty I am in. I had to learn to stop giving people excuses for not having children. I had to learn to stop giving reasons for why I am paid less, yet still work 12 or more hours every single day. My reality as a female is very similar to others and living this way is dangerous. We are not only killing ourselves with our outdated mindset but we are killing each other. Women need to do better by each other, and men need to realize that our lives are in constant danger because we always have to take extra precautions in our daily lives. We have to do things that you may have never considered because we constantly have to explain ourselves and fight to be taken seriously.
It's a sad, sad world that we live in, and it's even harder when you are a woman. So instead of rolling your eyes, celebrate how far we've come. We have a long way to go and I recognize that! However, we have come from a long ling of strong women who were fighters. Let's keep fighting and maybe someday a woman can go to the doctor and be seen for her actual symptoms and not be diagnosed with being a female. Maybe someday we will be hired for our skills, and paid equal wages instead of having to settle for less. Maybe someday the crimes committed against us could be tried against the criminal and not against the victims! Maybe someday, it will be unthinkable to harass a woman. Maybe, maybe, maybe... We have so many maybes that we all wish that could happen. Today, be grateful for all the amazing women that paved the way, and then tomorrow, start the good fight. We need you. We need all of you, or we will all sink. Treat it like feminism will save your life, because it might.
Lisa and her Underdog
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Sunday, March 5, 2017
Who Will Win The Game of Thrones?
Game of Thrones is a show that is one of the most watched series on TV, which is based off the massively successful books by George R. R. Martin. There is a lot of differences between the two, but they both can exist and both be enjoyed on their own, and together. I am not one who will ever tell a person that they aren't a true fan unless they read the book, or if they are only a fan of the TV show. It doesn't matter because you have the right to enjoy whatever you like, and it doesn't make you less of a fan unless you know all of the folklore associated with the story. I am reading the series but I find myself both in awe and slightly annoyed with the world and the pace that Martin has created. That's why I find series on YouTube very helpful when doing my own research to understand their world better. It is interesting enough for me to want to keep going and dive deeper into this story but I don't have the patients to read all of the works. Maybe someday, I will but for now that will take a backseat the to TV series for me which got me hooked on the story to begin with.
Now, that is settled I have my very own theories on who will win the Game of Thrones. There is strong evidence to suggest that the front runners are Dany, Jon Snow, Little Finger, Sansa, and even Ayrea. Cersie will not make it through because she has gone mad, and has nothing left to live for now that her children are gone. That makes her reckless and dangerous and Jamie will be the one who takes her down and will lose his life in the process. The White Walkers are another huge problem that they are all mostly ignoring beside Jon Snow. They will take many of these characters out before he end of the series. There are so many other players in place but who will take the Iron Throne? The truth is the winner will be....no one.....
I'm not talking about no one as in the Many Faced God, or anything of the sort. Not one person will win the Iron Throne because none of it is true. Yes, it's a work of fiction, but I am talking about in this world, this story is nothing more than a tale like King Arthur or Robin Hood. There are some truths to these legends but at the end of the day, it is hard to distinguish what is real and what is a good story. Why do I say these things? Everything that you need to know is spelled out during the beginning credits. We are shown maps that change during each story told to us just like many stories that we grew up with had a story book filled with maps to look at as we read the story. As one Youtuber pointed out, the credits always start with something that resembles a looking glass just as Sam-Well sees at the great libraries. If we are looking through that glass, aren't we just reading a story too?
While this may not be the strongest argument, it is something that I have always thought based on the credits. They do tell us an awful lot and that is so very unusual for any series. Normally, it's just an introduction of the people who are playing the characters. Look at this another way and see if my theory could be true. Again, they are telling you everything and this is as common as what life was like in the our own past. People knew their books and their plays. If people were lucky enough to go the plays, they would already know the story and just be entertained by the process of the play. If my theory is correct, then there is a narrator of this story. He or She is telling all of us a story but providing so many details because we already know how it's going to end. However, this is the narrator's version of events. So, either we have a narrator who is composing this story of Game of Thrones for us, or we are reading it ourselves with the assistance of the looking glass, map, and other means of research, as evident in the credits.
People in the Game of Thrones are constantly talking about books and stories. They write much down, and those who study books are known to have made it a lot further than the ones who battle. Look at Tyroin Lannister. He is terribly outnumber physically, but he is a great study. His quick wit has kept him alive and his education from books taught him how to wage wars in an intelligent manner. He went from an impossible situation to being the Hand of the Queen. By all rights, he should have died many times over, but his studying taught him how to survive. Jon Snow understood the importance of learning and that's why part of his plan had to do with encouraging Sam-Well to go to the library. Sam-Well also should have been dead many times over, but his studies gave him a good place at the Wall, and helped him stay alive. Those who didn't study had quite a bad fate. Look at King Goffery, who laughed at learning his history and any education because he was too busy being a cruel ruler. He was killed by much smarter people than himself and maybe he would have seen it coming if he had bothered to educate himself. It's all about making yourself familiar with the stories to learn your lessons.
My last thoughts on why there won't be anyone really winning the Game of Thrones is because of the details. The saying, "the devil is in the details," is very telling when it comes to this story. It's deceiving because the more details you give to make it a realistic story, the more you should question if it's actually real. It is said to construct a good lie, you must have details. What is a good story but a long lie? The more details that you put into the story, the more you want to know, but the more it seems that the truth is actually lost. If you are in the "real world" of this story and hearing these amazing legends you should question the real truth of it, while enjoying the tale. Just like as a child we heard stories that we all know by heart, like Robin Hood, Sherlock, or many more. They have come to life on their own, but there is some truth to each of these stories. It has just been lost in time. So, no one will actually win the Game of Thrones because it is only a legend and a story being told in their world by a detailed narrator. We are just along for the story. Everyone will die so there won't be anyone to take the Iron Throne. Why go to all the trouble of telling these stories? The same reason we tell other stories, to be entertained, and to learn a lesson. There are many lessons to be learned from the tales of these people all trying to fight and kill their way to the top. It's a lesson as old as time and we still haven't learned it yet. So, the legends continue with greater details in hopes that one day, someone will take notice of the lessons they all are trying so hard to pass along. Stories are a most powerful thing.
Now, that is settled I have my very own theories on who will win the Game of Thrones. There is strong evidence to suggest that the front runners are Dany, Jon Snow, Little Finger, Sansa, and even Ayrea. Cersie will not make it through because she has gone mad, and has nothing left to live for now that her children are gone. That makes her reckless and dangerous and Jamie will be the one who takes her down and will lose his life in the process. The White Walkers are another huge problem that they are all mostly ignoring beside Jon Snow. They will take many of these characters out before he end of the series. There are so many other players in place but who will take the Iron Throne? The truth is the winner will be....no one.....
I'm not talking about no one as in the Many Faced God, or anything of the sort. Not one person will win the Iron Throne because none of it is true. Yes, it's a work of fiction, but I am talking about in this world, this story is nothing more than a tale like King Arthur or Robin Hood. There are some truths to these legends but at the end of the day, it is hard to distinguish what is real and what is a good story. Why do I say these things? Everything that you need to know is spelled out during the beginning credits. We are shown maps that change during each story told to us just like many stories that we grew up with had a story book filled with maps to look at as we read the story. As one Youtuber pointed out, the credits always start with something that resembles a looking glass just as Sam-Well sees at the great libraries. If we are looking through that glass, aren't we just reading a story too?
While this may not be the strongest argument, it is something that I have always thought based on the credits. They do tell us an awful lot and that is so very unusual for any series. Normally, it's just an introduction of the people who are playing the characters. Look at this another way and see if my theory could be true. Again, they are telling you everything and this is as common as what life was like in the our own past. People knew their books and their plays. If people were lucky enough to go the plays, they would already know the story and just be entertained by the process of the play. If my theory is correct, then there is a narrator of this story. He or She is telling all of us a story but providing so many details because we already know how it's going to end. However, this is the narrator's version of events. So, either we have a narrator who is composing this story of Game of Thrones for us, or we are reading it ourselves with the assistance of the looking glass, map, and other means of research, as evident in the credits.
People in the Game of Thrones are constantly talking about books and stories. They write much down, and those who study books are known to have made it a lot further than the ones who battle. Look at Tyroin Lannister. He is terribly outnumber physically, but he is a great study. His quick wit has kept him alive and his education from books taught him how to wage wars in an intelligent manner. He went from an impossible situation to being the Hand of the Queen. By all rights, he should have died many times over, but his studying taught him how to survive. Jon Snow understood the importance of learning and that's why part of his plan had to do with encouraging Sam-Well to go to the library. Sam-Well also should have been dead many times over, but his studies gave him a good place at the Wall, and helped him stay alive. Those who didn't study had quite a bad fate. Look at King Goffery, who laughed at learning his history and any education because he was too busy being a cruel ruler. He was killed by much smarter people than himself and maybe he would have seen it coming if he had bothered to educate himself. It's all about making yourself familiar with the stories to learn your lessons.
My last thoughts on why there won't be anyone really winning the Game of Thrones is because of the details. The saying, "the devil is in the details," is very telling when it comes to this story. It's deceiving because the more details you give to make it a realistic story, the more you should question if it's actually real. It is said to construct a good lie, you must have details. What is a good story but a long lie? The more details that you put into the story, the more you want to know, but the more it seems that the truth is actually lost. If you are in the "real world" of this story and hearing these amazing legends you should question the real truth of it, while enjoying the tale. Just like as a child we heard stories that we all know by heart, like Robin Hood, Sherlock, or many more. They have come to life on their own, but there is some truth to each of these stories. It has just been lost in time. So, no one will actually win the Game of Thrones because it is only a legend and a story being told in their world by a detailed narrator. We are just along for the story. Everyone will die so there won't be anyone to take the Iron Throne. Why go to all the trouble of telling these stories? The same reason we tell other stories, to be entertained, and to learn a lesson. There are many lessons to be learned from the tales of these people all trying to fight and kill their way to the top. It's a lesson as old as time and we still haven't learned it yet. So, the legends continue with greater details in hopes that one day, someone will take notice of the lessons they all are trying so hard to pass along. Stories are a most powerful thing.
Saturday, March 4, 2017
The Blacklist: The Underdog Review , plus Easter Eggs
I love Netflix and I randomly start to watch shows that I haven't had the chance to see yet. This time, I picked the Blacklist which is currently on it's 4th season. Of course, I have now caught up on the series and I am going to provide my own personal review! I know you have been waiting for this to happen!
The Blacklist follows the story of criminal Raymond "Red" Reddington after he randomly turns himself into the FBI and demands to only speak to newbie agent Elizabeth Keen. Red is played by lord James Spader, who is one of the best and most underrated actors. Red provides them details on his own personal Blacklist to help them find and arrest big criminals, and to also help him with whatever personal mission that he is on. Red is based off the real life mobster Whitey Bugler who's life was loosely depicted in the movies "Black Mass," and "The Departed." A taste force is formed around this Blacklist including the very man who has been working to find and arrest him, Agent Donald Ressler. The rest of the Scooby Gang is rounded out by people from the FBI, CIA, and people that Red personally placed into the taste force. You never know what Red's intentions are, but you sure want to be around for the journey.
In the meantime, Elizabeth is struggling with her husband Tom Keen after this whole new life with Red has changed everything, including finding out that he is actually a spy hired by Red at one point. Her whole life has been a fraud, seeing as she was given up for adoption, and has been lied to and not told about anything in her past to protect her for an unknown, awful truth. The audience is unsure of what the relationship between Red and Liz really are, but many speculate Father and Daughter. What we do know is this "sort of" tale. Red was heading home for Christmas during a time when he actually worked for the government. He had presents for his wife, and his daughter or daughters. That is a bit confusing because some shows say that he had a daughter, while others elude that he had at least two. He suddenly disappears with his car abandoned at the side of the road. Red turns up years later as a criminal and is number 4 on the FBI most wanted list. Red also placed Elizabeth in the hands of her adoptive Father who raised her from the time that she was at least 4 years old until his death when she was in her late twenties. It is not clear if Red had any contact with Liz directly while she was growing up directly, but he definitely manipulated the people around her.
While this lifestyle is exciting and full of unknown, it is also dangerous and has come at great cost to both Elizabeth and Red. Elizabeth kills the Attorney General of the United States in cold blood even though he was threatening her and people she loved .It wasn't a physical threat and probably could have been dealt with in another way. Liz also holds her husband hostage after shooting him in self-defense, and allows him to kill a man under the veil of protecting her. She actually almost goes to trial for his murder but Red has a master plan to help her out of the situation. Liz bounces back and forth between wanting and needing Red's help, to despising him and wanting him away from her and her family. She went so far as to fake her own death and flee with her baby, although she needed Red's help to rescue them both. Red holds a lot of information very close to his chest including the truth of her Mother who may or may not be alive, who her Father is and what actually happened to him. In a flashback, Liz is shown shooting and possibly killing someone and who we are lead to believe could be her Father. Liz's Mother was a spy and at one point was said to be dead by killing herself. Later, Red says he really doesn't know what happened to her, but it seems as though she would probably be more dangerous than both Red and Liz.
Liz is a very unlikable character at many points. While she has a right to be hurt, angry, and upset about her life being full of lies, and turned upside down, she is both demanding and repulsed by Red. Every action that he has taken seems to be for her benefit, and she doesn't even seem to care when he has given her so much including shelter, an escape from many different terrible circumstances, and a clean record even though she murdered people on more than one occasion. If she is not Red's daughter, then she is someone he is keeping an eye on for a very good reason. Although he might be a dangerous criminal, he also is very much like Whitey in the fact that he also has a good side, protecting those who cares about, and the community around him. He promised someone that Liz would be taken care of, and he is doing everything that he can to follow through.
To me, the story revolving around if Liz and Red and Father and Daughter is not that important. It would be nice to see why he has this affection for Liz. However, she has become so unlikable that I really don't like the direction that she is going in and can't understand why I should care for her character. Liz is sloppy, ungrateful, and ruthless. She makes terrible choices so often that it is hard to want to see her succeed or even get out of the situations that she put herself into. Red is the real story here, but he needs to be shrouded in mystery or he wouldn't be someone that we constantly want to hear about or root for. The longer it is for us to figure out Red, the more interesting the story! Liz is just a footnote, but since he is involved with her, so are we as an audience. Red once compares Liz to the North Star because when he looks at her, he sees his way home. Is she his way home, or his path to Hell?
On a side note, I truly do not like Tom Keen as a character either and I think that the spin off is a terrible idea. Red is what makes The Blacklist, James Spader is why we keep watching, but not these characters that are not strong enough to stand on their own.Tom is boring and so predictable. There isn't anything about him that I root for, or even want to see on the screen. I could care less about his story line. I would like to see Liz become a bit more likable and end up with Agent Ressler. As a couple, they make a lot more sense and they do have some chemistry, unlike Liz and Tom which I can't for the life of me understand why they are together. The best episodes of the show are when Red and Liz are on the run together, and working with one another instead of her whining about Red being in her life. There needs to be more focus on those two working together, and with some healthy reservations, but not with Liz's disgust that makes her seem like a spoiled brat. Let's not forget that Liz has a past of her own because she knows how to steal, beat, and murder all on her own without any sort of influence from Red. Where is her past story to explain these things instead of following Tom and his band of misfits?
There are so many questions that I want answered! Where is Mr. Kaplin? She is one of my favorite characters and a person that Red describes as his better half. However, he does shoot her and leave her for dead. Who knows what the real story is behind this attempt and if Red knew what he was really doing with her. The last episode of the winter shows that Dembe, who is like a son to Red, seemingly trying to poison him. I would be pretty pissed if that is the case because if Dembe turns on Red, it is too predictable. Dembe stood behind many terrible things that Red has done, so why would he turn on him now. That would be a terrible direction in a show that is more intelligent than that. I hope that this is just a misdirect and a good cliff hanger. Also, Red stopped Constantine from killing him by something that he whispers in his ear. The only thing that I can think that would stop the killing is Red telling him that Liz's Mother is still alive and well somewhere. Constantine raised Liz as his daughter for a time, and thought she was actually his. What in the world is that all about, and what kind of strange love triangle was she in with Red, if at all? During Red's hallucination at the beach house, we get our first real glimpse of Liz's Mother. She is known to be a Russian spy, and has a load of people coming after her. However, we see that she seemly drowned herself and had some sort of breakdown. Who is this woman, and what really happened? How did Red imagine all of this happening, or in his grief, was he just remembering his last time with a woman that he loved?
In the meantime while waiting for the last bit of the new shows to air, I will probably watch the series over again on Netflix. I'm hoping they come back for another season because look at all the unanswered questions that I have listed above, let alone the huge one about Liz and Red's relationship! The characters involved in The Blacklist are all very good, and you want to know more about them. The fact that Liz is annoying and awful, but I still want to see her somehow do better is a sign of good writing. The fact that a career criminal is still someone that we root for, even after some horrible things that he has done, is admirable. If Red was alive in the Old West, he would have been a cowboy, probably a sheriff, If he born later on, would have been a mobster who took loving care of women, children, animals, and his neighborhood. There are too many unknown factors in this story of the Blacklist, but that's what makes it work, and why it should come back for several more seasons.
***Fun nerdy Easter Eggs:
Andrew McCarthy who stared with James Spader in Pretty in Pink has directed at least 7 episodes of The Blacklist.
Fisher Stevens has starred in several shows from the 80's with James Spader, and now is a recurring character in The Blacklist.
The woman who plays Jan from The Office has a very small recurring role on The Blacklist. James Spader played Robert California on The Office.
The last new episode of The Blacklist talks about the bad guy working out of a warehouse right across the street from a paper company on Scranton, PA. Dunder Mifflin, is the fictional paper company in Scranton, PA where Robert California worked, who was played by James Spader.
Most of the task force has starred together in another show called, "The Americans," and even had involving story lines with one another. They have also appeared together in a show called, "House of Cards."
There are a few references to the tag line from Hydra, "cut off one head and another one will grow in it's place." This was uttered by the Attorney General of the United States in Herald Cooper's office. Hydra is part of the Marvel Universe where the character, Ultron, is played by James Spader.
There is also a reference to gama radiation which is what made Doctor Bruce Banner into the Hulk.
There have been many interesting guest stars from the 80's including Paul Rubens himself, AKA Peewee Hermine.
Actress Megan Boone, who plays Elizabeth Keen was actually pregnant while Liz was in the show. They decided to write it in the story rather than ignore it.
The first Blacklist book has recently been published.
In season 3, Red talks about an investment that he made in a play that almost cost him everything because people were not going to see serious theater in the earlier nineties. James Spader actually produced the same play in real life, and it almost made him bankrupt because people were not going to the theater in the early nineties.
In that same scene, Liz jokes with Red that he is a "terrible actor" because he can't recall the next line in the play he was reciting to Liz. In real life, James Spader has what is called eidetic memory, also called photographic memory. James Spader has also been awarded several times for his acting.
Actress Leslie Jones from Saturday Night Live has a cameo in a scene with Red where she basically hits on him. Reportedly, in real life, Leslie Jones is a Blacklist mega fan and a very good friend of James Spader. She has joked that she enjoys flirting with him.
The Blacklist is one of the most diverse casts on TV right now, seeing as they have main characters who are female, African American, Muslim, and more. They also have female writers, producers, and show runners which is still unusual in this day in age.
The Blacklist follows the story of criminal Raymond "Red" Reddington after he randomly turns himself into the FBI and demands to only speak to newbie agent Elizabeth Keen. Red is played by lord James Spader, who is one of the best and most underrated actors. Red provides them details on his own personal Blacklist to help them find and arrest big criminals, and to also help him with whatever personal mission that he is on. Red is based off the real life mobster Whitey Bugler who's life was loosely depicted in the movies "Black Mass," and "The Departed." A taste force is formed around this Blacklist including the very man who has been working to find and arrest him, Agent Donald Ressler. The rest of the Scooby Gang is rounded out by people from the FBI, CIA, and people that Red personally placed into the taste force. You never know what Red's intentions are, but you sure want to be around for the journey.
In the meantime, Elizabeth is struggling with her husband Tom Keen after this whole new life with Red has changed everything, including finding out that he is actually a spy hired by Red at one point. Her whole life has been a fraud, seeing as she was given up for adoption, and has been lied to and not told about anything in her past to protect her for an unknown, awful truth. The audience is unsure of what the relationship between Red and Liz really are, but many speculate Father and Daughter. What we do know is this "sort of" tale. Red was heading home for Christmas during a time when he actually worked for the government. He had presents for his wife, and his daughter or daughters. That is a bit confusing because some shows say that he had a daughter, while others elude that he had at least two. He suddenly disappears with his car abandoned at the side of the road. Red turns up years later as a criminal and is number 4 on the FBI most wanted list. Red also placed Elizabeth in the hands of her adoptive Father who raised her from the time that she was at least 4 years old until his death when she was in her late twenties. It is not clear if Red had any contact with Liz directly while she was growing up directly, but he definitely manipulated the people around her.
While this lifestyle is exciting and full of unknown, it is also dangerous and has come at great cost to both Elizabeth and Red. Elizabeth kills the Attorney General of the United States in cold blood even though he was threatening her and people she loved .It wasn't a physical threat and probably could have been dealt with in another way. Liz also holds her husband hostage after shooting him in self-defense, and allows him to kill a man under the veil of protecting her. She actually almost goes to trial for his murder but Red has a master plan to help her out of the situation. Liz bounces back and forth between wanting and needing Red's help, to despising him and wanting him away from her and her family. She went so far as to fake her own death and flee with her baby, although she needed Red's help to rescue them both. Red holds a lot of information very close to his chest including the truth of her Mother who may or may not be alive, who her Father is and what actually happened to him. In a flashback, Liz is shown shooting and possibly killing someone and who we are lead to believe could be her Father. Liz's Mother was a spy and at one point was said to be dead by killing herself. Later, Red says he really doesn't know what happened to her, but it seems as though she would probably be more dangerous than both Red and Liz.
Liz is a very unlikable character at many points. While she has a right to be hurt, angry, and upset about her life being full of lies, and turned upside down, she is both demanding and repulsed by Red. Every action that he has taken seems to be for her benefit, and she doesn't even seem to care when he has given her so much including shelter, an escape from many different terrible circumstances, and a clean record even though she murdered people on more than one occasion. If she is not Red's daughter, then she is someone he is keeping an eye on for a very good reason. Although he might be a dangerous criminal, he also is very much like Whitey in the fact that he also has a good side, protecting those who cares about, and the community around him. He promised someone that Liz would be taken care of, and he is doing everything that he can to follow through.
To me, the story revolving around if Liz and Red and Father and Daughter is not that important. It would be nice to see why he has this affection for Liz. However, she has become so unlikable that I really don't like the direction that she is going in and can't understand why I should care for her character. Liz is sloppy, ungrateful, and ruthless. She makes terrible choices so often that it is hard to want to see her succeed or even get out of the situations that she put herself into. Red is the real story here, but he needs to be shrouded in mystery or he wouldn't be someone that we constantly want to hear about or root for. The longer it is for us to figure out Red, the more interesting the story! Liz is just a footnote, but since he is involved with her, so are we as an audience. Red once compares Liz to the North Star because when he looks at her, he sees his way home. Is she his way home, or his path to Hell?
On a side note, I truly do not like Tom Keen as a character either and I think that the spin off is a terrible idea. Red is what makes The Blacklist, James Spader is why we keep watching, but not these characters that are not strong enough to stand on their own.Tom is boring and so predictable. There isn't anything about him that I root for, or even want to see on the screen. I could care less about his story line. I would like to see Liz become a bit more likable and end up with Agent Ressler. As a couple, they make a lot more sense and they do have some chemistry, unlike Liz and Tom which I can't for the life of me understand why they are together. The best episodes of the show are when Red and Liz are on the run together, and working with one another instead of her whining about Red being in her life. There needs to be more focus on those two working together, and with some healthy reservations, but not with Liz's disgust that makes her seem like a spoiled brat. Let's not forget that Liz has a past of her own because she knows how to steal, beat, and murder all on her own without any sort of influence from Red. Where is her past story to explain these things instead of following Tom and his band of misfits?
There are so many questions that I want answered! Where is Mr. Kaplin? She is one of my favorite characters and a person that Red describes as his better half. However, he does shoot her and leave her for dead. Who knows what the real story is behind this attempt and if Red knew what he was really doing with her. The last episode of the winter shows that Dembe, who is like a son to Red, seemingly trying to poison him. I would be pretty pissed if that is the case because if Dembe turns on Red, it is too predictable. Dembe stood behind many terrible things that Red has done, so why would he turn on him now. That would be a terrible direction in a show that is more intelligent than that. I hope that this is just a misdirect and a good cliff hanger. Also, Red stopped Constantine from killing him by something that he whispers in his ear. The only thing that I can think that would stop the killing is Red telling him that Liz's Mother is still alive and well somewhere. Constantine raised Liz as his daughter for a time, and thought she was actually his. What in the world is that all about, and what kind of strange love triangle was she in with Red, if at all? During Red's hallucination at the beach house, we get our first real glimpse of Liz's Mother. She is known to be a Russian spy, and has a load of people coming after her. However, we see that she seemly drowned herself and had some sort of breakdown. Who is this woman, and what really happened? How did Red imagine all of this happening, or in his grief, was he just remembering his last time with a woman that he loved?
In the meantime while waiting for the last bit of the new shows to air, I will probably watch the series over again on Netflix. I'm hoping they come back for another season because look at all the unanswered questions that I have listed above, let alone the huge one about Liz and Red's relationship! The characters involved in The Blacklist are all very good, and you want to know more about them. The fact that Liz is annoying and awful, but I still want to see her somehow do better is a sign of good writing. The fact that a career criminal is still someone that we root for, even after some horrible things that he has done, is admirable. If Red was alive in the Old West, he would have been a cowboy, probably a sheriff, If he born later on, would have been a mobster who took loving care of women, children, animals, and his neighborhood. There are too many unknown factors in this story of the Blacklist, but that's what makes it work, and why it should come back for several more seasons.
***Fun nerdy Easter Eggs:
Andrew McCarthy who stared with James Spader in Pretty in Pink has directed at least 7 episodes of The Blacklist.
Fisher Stevens has starred in several shows from the 80's with James Spader, and now is a recurring character in The Blacklist.
The woman who plays Jan from The Office has a very small recurring role on The Blacklist. James Spader played Robert California on The Office.
The last new episode of The Blacklist talks about the bad guy working out of a warehouse right across the street from a paper company on Scranton, PA. Dunder Mifflin, is the fictional paper company in Scranton, PA where Robert California worked, who was played by James Spader.
Most of the task force has starred together in another show called, "The Americans," and even had involving story lines with one another. They have also appeared together in a show called, "House of Cards."
There are a few references to the tag line from Hydra, "cut off one head and another one will grow in it's place." This was uttered by the Attorney General of the United States in Herald Cooper's office. Hydra is part of the Marvel Universe where the character, Ultron, is played by James Spader.
There is also a reference to gama radiation which is what made Doctor Bruce Banner into the Hulk.
There have been many interesting guest stars from the 80's including Paul Rubens himself, AKA Peewee Hermine.
Actress Megan Boone, who plays Elizabeth Keen was actually pregnant while Liz was in the show. They decided to write it in the story rather than ignore it.
The first Blacklist book has recently been published.
In season 3, Red talks about an investment that he made in a play that almost cost him everything because people were not going to see serious theater in the earlier nineties. James Spader actually produced the same play in real life, and it almost made him bankrupt because people were not going to the theater in the early nineties.
In that same scene, Liz jokes with Red that he is a "terrible actor" because he can't recall the next line in the play he was reciting to Liz. In real life, James Spader has what is called eidetic memory, also called photographic memory. James Spader has also been awarded several times for his acting.
Actress Leslie Jones from Saturday Night Live has a cameo in a scene with Red where she basically hits on him. Reportedly, in real life, Leslie Jones is a Blacklist mega fan and a very good friend of James Spader. She has joked that she enjoys flirting with him.
The Blacklist is one of the most diverse casts on TV right now, seeing as they have main characters who are female, African American, Muslim, and more. They also have female writers, producers, and show runners which is still unusual in this day in age.
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