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.

TV Review: The Blacklist - "Lord Baltimore"

The Blacklist - "Lord Baltimore" (2x01) NBC, Mondays, 10 p.m.

When "The Blacklist" premiered last year, a friend and I compared it to ABC's "Agents of SHIELD," both agreeing that it had better writing and more fleshed out characters than the comic book tie-in show. By the end of their respective seasons, however, my opinion had pretty much been flipped. Aside from Raymond "Red" Reddington (played spectacularly by James Spader), "The Blacklist" seemed populated by bland characters who would proceed each week to do so pretty stupid things to help service the plot.

James Spader as Red.

Sadly it seemed like there was one writer tasked with Reddington, who wrote his dialogue in seclusion, while the rest of the staff created poorly thought out scenarios to throw our characters in. Without being too harsh, by the end of the season, I began referring to "The Blacklist" as the worst written show I liked to watch.

So suffice to say, I came into the season two premiere, "Lord Baltimore," with hopes for a brighter future. And while it seems like things are in motion for a compelling long-term storyline as Red and the FBI continue to search for the mysterious Berlin, the case of the week once again seemed a bit too outlandish and not terribly well thought out.