TV Review: The Blacklist - "Monarch Douglas Bank"

  
The Blacklist - "Monarch Douglas Bank" (2x02) NBC, Mondays, 10 p.m.

At the end of season one of "The Blacklist," we learned that everything Raymond Reddington had done to that point was part of a greater "war" between himself and the mysterious Berlin. As simply a name, Berlin was seemingly all powerful, with legions of henchmen around the world as part of a network that could actually rival Red's power and influence.

The problem with a villain who is only a name--a threat in the dark--is that sooner or later, you have to reveal the villain, give him a face. And no matter how good a performance you get from the man or woman you cast as your villain, he or she will never live up to the anticipation.

Which may be the problem facing "The Blacklist" early on in season two. Berlin has a face, played admirably by Peter Stormare. Taking nothing away from Stormare, however, Berlin simply isn't as affective a villain when we see him each week, even if he's sending pieces of Red's kidnapped wife back to him in the mail.

I will say that "Monarch Douglas Bank" is a pretty solid episode, without the giant plot holes we tend to find ourselves in during "case of the week" episodes, but it also feels like a prediction of rougher seas ahead if the writers aren't careful.



There is also a lot going on in this episode, with Red trying to find his wife and Berlin continuing his war on Reddington (whom he blames for his daughter's death), along with plenty of other cogs and wheels turning.

BEYOND HERE THERE BE SPOILERS

Just based on the casting alone, I don't see us saying goodbye to Mary-Louise Parker as Naomi Highland, Red's ex-wife, anytime soon. Until her introduction last week, we had been led to assume Red's family was dead, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Which re-opens the longstanding question of just how Red went bad.

We know he was most likely present at the fire which supposedly killed Elizabeth's biological father. But there is still so much we do not know. But does that have anything to do with Berlin's daughter's death?

Questions are fine. But if the writers don't start providing some answers, or at least stop proving the few answers we thought we had are incorrect, this could get tedious. Which would be a shame, because as I said last week, the overarching plot has typically out shined the case-of-the-week stuff.