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By: Baby Z
Sorry if my continuing to sing the praises of the brilliant James Spader are already getting old, however were I a betting woman, I wouldn’t expect this to change anytime soon. His Brilliance is back for episode 2 “The Freelancer” and he (nor the show) disappoints.
When episode 2 begins, we’re being shown not only Lizzie and RR being questioned about whether or not they have any prior knowledge of one another, but also that Agent Cooper is meeting with Helen Mirren’s doppelganger about RR’s immunity request.
(Seriously - I thought it WAS Helen Mirren at first:)
We discover that she is actually the head of the Criminal Division of Main Justice and she is NOT having any of it. On behalf of the Attorney General, NO DEALS will be made with Raymond Reddington.
RR meanwhile, warns that at 11am, they’re going to want to have some ambulances ready at the Decatur Industrial Park because some shit’s about to go down there, and they know ENOUGH about RR to know they better get a team over there to investigate. Ressler and a slew of FBI agents, bomb squad, dogs, etc.., are shown at said industrial park, searching over every inch, and a brief conversation between Ressler and another agent tells us that it’s now 11:20, nothing’s been found, nothing’s happened - to search for another 20 minutes and call it a day when…….. the bomb squad agent starts to hear something about a passenger train over his earpiece when a passenger train comes seemingly out of no where, barreling towards he and Ressler, the train derails and….whoa boy… things don’t look too good.
Cut to Lizzie in the hospital with her (still in a coma) hubby Tom, asking him to please come to and tell her that RR is responsible for the mysterious box containing a bazillion passports, shitload of money & a gun and that he is not, in fact, someone he’s been pretending not to be to her all this time. We’re told by way of a news report that 60 people died in the train derailment, and now RR is being questioned again as to how he knew about the impending “accident”.
RR informs them that he knew nothing of the train, nor did he ever claim to, only that he knew a time & a place and, oh by the way, was there a Councilwoman from Albany among the derailment’s victims? Once again, RR then reiterates that he’s not saying anything further except to Lizzie (not sure how many times the show’s writers are going to pound it out that this is one of his DEMANDS dammit).
Lizzie shows up to talk to RR about the train, and tries to be “Tough Agent Keen” by telling him that she’s got her own set of rules and that one of them is that she asks the questions & he answers them (ooooooooo!!) and after some quid pro quo banter between the two of them, we’re brought to an investigation room, where RR tells us that the train derailment wasn’t an accident (duh) along with listing off several other seeming “accidents” from the past that really weren’t (a building collapse, a ferry capsizing, a French diplomat dying in a plane crash) accidents but actually the doings of a man called “The Freelancer”, of whom the FBI has never even heard of. He tells them over 3000 civilian deaths listed as accidental are actually the “collateral damage” of this person’s agenda to kill whomever was his target at the time.
RR informs them that The Freelancer’s next target is in New York. Agent Cooper asks how they’re going to find him (um, that would be YOUR JOB, FBI agent….) to which RR responds, “You don’t. I do.”
Bam.
RR informs them that he’s only met “The Freelancer” once, but that he’d brokered a few deals for him, that he works thru an intermediary, who RR can arrange to meet up with (along with Lizzie of course) in Montreal.
Before heading to Montreal, RR asks Lizzie who she told about the mysterious box she found in her apartment, and she confirms she’s told no one, not even Agent Cooper. At various points throughout the episode he keeps bringing the conversation back around to her husband. I want to know what the deal is with ol’ Tommy boy and I want to know NOW dammit.
We’re then transported to the front of a restaurant in Montreal, whereby RR tells Lizzie that the way he sees it (again, talking about Tom) she either turns the evidence over and lets the cards fall where they may, or she confronts her husband about it, to which he’ll deny everything and either way, she’s left with an impossible situation. Upon going in to the restaurant, he tells her that should anyone ask, she’s to tell them that she’s his girlfriend, to which Lizzie is all, “Aw hell no.” so after the coat check & being seated, he says “Fine you can be my daughter.” A response that is lost to absolutely none of us viewers, nor to Lizzie.
They order wine, but Lizzie is brought a drink that is clearly not what she told him she wanted, says this out loud and then drinks it anyway (not sure I’d have done this…?) He tells her it’s an “Aviation Cocktail” and is from the 20’s and smells like spring, no? None of which has to do with anything that I can see, even now looking at it in hindsight. Of course, this IS a show that has you questioning EVERY SINGLE THING that happens, except of course the ONE THING that ends up being the case - - I can tell this already and we’re not even 2 episodes into the season.
RR asks Lizzie to profile him, to which she describes what seems to be pretty damned close to what we can tell about him so far: ruthless, loner, just as comfy with glass of scotch as he is holed up in a cave, his closest friends are strangers, tight bonds make him vulnerable - so he avoids them and hates that he needs Lizzie for some unknown reason. RR again asks her about her hubby, whether he knows about the fire that caused her scar and she comes back with asking him if he knew her parents. The waiter approaches, RR clearly hands him something and tells Lizzie, “All the things you’ve come to believe about yourself are a lie” and excuses himself for a moment.
The FBI outside are immediately on it. RR walks thru the restaurant, grabs his hat from the coat check, goes down a flight of stairs, thru the kitchen, hits the fire alarm, heads up a different flight of stairs, he’s gone before the FBI are even in the kitchen.
Ressler is next seen reading Keen the riot act for “letting RR go,” when they get to their FBI briefing van or whatever it’s called, open the doors and - - WHAMMO. There’s RR waiting for them.
Ressler accuses RR of not meeting with the intermediary, to which RR once again schools the FBI in “what they think they know” by telling him that the intermediary was the FIRST person the encountered upon entering the restaurant. The COAT CHECK GUY! They flash back to Lizzie and RR entering the restaurant, only this time, RR explains that he left money in his hat, which he checked. When he left, he grabbed the hat, which now contained a picture of a woman who is “The Freelancer’s” next victim, Floriana Campo, a human rights activist.
Holy Mary Mother of all that is Holy - Floriana Campo is played by Isabella Rosselini and I cannot believe how, while she looks fantastic for 61, OLD SHE IS NOW?!
I’m a firm believer that I can “6 degrees of separation” just about anything back to an episode of Friends, and - can do so with Isabella Rossellini as well! She was on Ross’s “Top 5 Celebrities” list until Chandeler convinces him that she’s “too international” for it ever to be feasible to meet her, Ross removes her only to have her come in to their little coffee shop not too long after.
See? Proof!!
Anyhooooo…. they go to Floriana Campo to warn her of her impending doom, only she won’t be thwarted by any threats - her human trafficking victims need her and she won’t succumb to death threats by The Freelancer or anyone else. We’re told that the one of the largest human trafficking cartels is known as “The Everheart Cartel” and more than likely, they are who have contracted “The Freelancer” to have her killed. We’re also told they are responsible for having her husband murdered 3 years prior.
Since Floriana won’t cancel the event, the FBI realize that they must be there, however they have no idea who they’re looking for, so they must again enlist the help of Raymond Reddington, who says until his demands from episode 1 are agreed upon - will not help any further. Cut to Agent Cooper again meeting with the Helen Mirren lookalike, and the scene cuts back & forth from them discussing his demands to each of them being met. They choose 2 of the 5 security people for RR that he gave them in the first episode, a black guy and an asian chick, but the Helen Mirren lookalike says that she’s also adding someone from her staff whom she trusts, Agent Meera Malik (best known for her old role on “ER” - at least, to me anyway…)
Even though the Helen Mirren lookalike and Agent Cooper agree that they’ll never agree to immunity, they sign what appears to be an agreement just for “appearances’” sake and bring an event RSVP list to RR to review to see if he recognizes anyone as “The Freelancer.”
Of course, RR pontificates how ridiculous it is that they even THINK that someone like “The Freelancer” would be on any sort of RSVP list, and we’re set up for RR to be able to attend the event himself (along with Ressler, Lizzie, RR’s 2 security people and Agent Malik).
(RR with his Asian chick security person…. whom he is very familiar, meow!!)
During the human trafficking fundraising event, Floriana is given news that one of their “shipments” (of humans, in case I haven’t made this clear yet) has been lost, we hear from one of the victims of human trafficking who informs us that along with forced addiction to drugs, torture, etc., they also burn their “symbol” into their flesh and the camera pans around to show her scar on her shoulder blade.
In the audience, RR recognizes one of the waiters as being “The Freelancer,” tells Lizzie to clear the area.
(Spader….in a tux…. yes, please:)
The Freelancer sees that she’s onto him, Ressler takes off on foot after him and we have another very similar foot chase scene similar to that of Episode 1 - in that Ressler is RIGHT ON THE BAD GUYS’ HEELS for what seems like an eternity but yet said bad guy is JUST OUT OF REACH the whole time. This time even despite being cornered by Ressler on a balcony at one point.
The chase ends up out on the streets of New York City, but instead of the bad guy getting away, he gets hit by a taxi pretty hard and drug by his arms into a basement to be interrogated by the FBI and also by Agent Malik from the CIA.
They keep demanding he tell them what he knows about the Everheart Cartel, and he won’t say shit until Agent Malik gets her hands on him and basically tortures him until he says “Reddington.”
Dun dunnnnnnnnnnn dunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!
Meanwhile, Lizzie brings Floriana Campo back to her hotel room, calms her down and steps out to find out status on The Freelancer. Ressler tells her that Reddington was behind the whole thing, she asks how this is even possible and meanwhile we scene back to Floriana’s room where RR is waiting for her. They have a conversation whereby it comes to light that 1) she knows him, 2) we discover that she’s tried to get him to work for her before thus concluding that 3) FLORIANA IS THE BAD GUY!!!! She’s the head of the Everheart Cartel and has been using her human trafficking foundation to actually FUND human trafficking the whole time.
Ressler tells Lizzie that RR didn’t leave money in his hat at the coat check in Montreal, he actually left Floriana’s picture, thus signaling the hit to begin with. Lizzie heads back to Floriana’s room, Floriana attempts to pretend like she’s a victim, only makes the mistake of saying “Raymond’s” name, indicating she knows him - - and then begins having an attack of some sort. Lizzie yells to RR’s security black guy to get a medic, to which RR says won’t be necessary as he has the “antidote” in his pocket and will give it to Floriana once she admits the truth - that she’s everything I’ve listed above. She finally does so, gasps, and RR says “Looks like she’s dying…” Floriana gasps one last time and he says, “Definitely dying.” and I love him even more than I thought possible.
Cut to RR and Lizzie sitting on a bench on a pier, we discover that 1) there was no antidote to begin with - he couldn’t let her live or else his identity as an FBI informant would be “out and 2) they were able to save the earlier mentioned shipment of children afterall. He again asks Lizzie about her predicament with Tom, saying the way he sees it, she has two options: 1) Turn him in or 2) Confront him. As he’s walking away, he adds, "Or perhaps there’s a 3rd option.”
The closing scene shows Lizzie putting the box back into the floor in their apartment, her hubby “Tom” coming out of his coma at the hospital, her apartment being re-carpeted and her bringing Tom home. That night in bed, Lizzie can’t sleep, so she gets up and looks thru the clothes Tom was wearing the night he was stabbed/tortured. She finds a small yellow envelope labeled “Background Profile - Elizabeth Keen” with a USB looking chip inside. She plugs it into her laptop and all that’s on it is Tom being interviewed by the adoption agency, whereby he talks about her not being able to cook and says that their adoption decision was not because of an inability to conceive but rather because Lizzie had told him that so many children in the world need good families that they should adopt rather than have a biological child.
And, once again, we’re left with that “WTF - WHO THE HELL IS THIS GUY” feeling about good ol’ Tom Keen.
Sidenotes:
This is the 2nd episode in a row that Reddington’s HAT plays a pivotal part in the storyline, just an observation or could this be a recurring theme?
From Ep1:
Have a tutti fuckin frutti day,
-BZ
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