The Blacklist (TV Series) The Skinner (No. 45) (2021) User Reviews

Life Post Liz

[shelbythuylinh · 8/10 · 12 November 2021]

Two years after Liz was killed. And that over in the task force has disbanded and in Red is in seclusion. While for some strange reason that Dembe his former bodyguard and henchman becomes an FBI agent yipes there!

But that does not make sense there. Still though he does not show his feelings you can tell that Red is grieving the death of his daughter but has since pressed on in the two years!

It is weird to not see Megan Boone but hope that they can really keep the show coming!

Finally

[sueelaine · 8/10 · 28 October 2021]

I have always hated the Liz character. So glad she is so over. I blame the casting director. Such a bad match. I can not enjoy this show more. Love the Red character and always have. Sexy bad guy and so yummy. Several good actors. I will always love Reddington.

Probably Too Early to Tell

[EthelredBusybody · 8/10 · 2 April 2022]

Okay, I have only watched the first episode of this season, so it's probably too early to tell, but it looks promising. I am 100% sure won't miss the Elizabeth character! And I always thought Dembe should have a bigger role, so it looks like that might be happening. I will watch the next episode and hope that there is enough in the new format to sustain the season.

I think its time to let it go

[tb4now · 6/10 · 25 October 2021]

I have watched and loved The Blacklist series from the beginning. The only annoying thing about the show is that it has continually dangled the carrot keeping us captive wondering what Reddington's relationship was to Liz, only to still not get any answers in the last season, and Liz never finding out herself.

However, I do think the show has now run its course and its time to give it a good death.

No more Liz

[confidential-67897 · 10/10 · 22 October 2021]

Any episode without Liz is a 10 for me. Wish she had been killed off 4 seasons ago. The show can now just focus on Red.

Bring back criminal Reddington.

Is the show better without Liz?

[MovieFreak86-415-912531 · 22 October 2021]

After one episode, it's to early to say. It might take a few more episodes to find out. But what I have seen so far is different, but interesting. It's still The Blacklist, but not The Blacklist I'm used to.

I will say this, it's not the same without Liz. I don't know about everyone else, but I miss her.

Airplane mode

[kaspercmhermans · 6/10 · 23 August 2023]

Come on Aram. If you have an important meeting like that use airplane mode for crying out loud. That scene wasn't very convincing to me.

Apart from that. Bit dull episode. After the opening with Dembe it takes almost half of it's runtime before the tempo picks up again and then still.

But Aram (apart from the phone thing), Dembe en Red were solid as always.

Good scene with Ressler and Red at the end made it a 6/10.

And yeah, unlike the other characters, I really hope Ressler will keep this haircut with beard. But I highly doubt it. It gives him somehow a bit more character than being some pretty one dimensional smooth boy. Never really liked his character, but the beard was good for a change.

IMPRESSIVE and ENJOYABLE!

[jeersNcheers · 10/10 · 22 October 2021]

I was relieved to see Red not wearing a dress and heels!

Pleased to see Dembe's new job!

Didn't miss Liz and Agnes!

New, intriguing format! I can't wait to see where this new journey takes us...

A Bit Too Much Zen

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 12 December 2022]

So the gang has been put out of business and doing other jobs. Red has joined a sort of Zen cult where he has been trying to find the meaning of life. But Dembe is shot while working undercover and Red doesn't know about it. He is implored by them to get involved but is holding back because he has worked so hard to get into his current state. But there is a serious Blacklister out there called the Skinner, and he is one of those guys who has no respect for life. Things revolve around sophisticated microchips which will be worth a fortune. Also in play is Elizabeth's daughter who has been looked after.

"The Skinner" is "What If ...?" by The Blacklist

[forla-107-463119 · 8/10 · 22 October 2021]

This is clearly a reboot, although it has its roots deep in the eighth season and in this episode there are still references to Liz. It is likely that as the weeks go by, only Agnes will remain to act as a bridge with the past.

And after 8 years it's definitely a lot of fun to be able to review The Blacklist without having to refer to the old mythology, who Red is or what trouble Liz is up to.

The character who has undergone the most changes, not necessarily for the worse, is definitely Dembe. Expect some surprises from him, I doubt he'll still be Red's loyal sidekick. If they wanted to give Hisham Tawfiq more space, they had to come up with something. The role of the silent sidekick, after 8 years, had given everything it could give. Now the task passes to Diany Rodriguez.

The other characters, all things considered, remained quite faithful to how we would have imagined them in that situation. Especially in the case of Alina Park, they have also matured, as it should be to give them more serious and complex roles.

Red? Well, he's a work in progress... they had to show him weird somehow, because of the grief, the guilt and so on. I really prefered his griefing opium version than this spiritual one but I hope things will change soon for him. Monks, witches, Santeria? Nah... that's not Red nor James Spader. He knows how superstions and religions can be bad and the show was not kind about those topics in the past. He's perhaps the most subdued character in the episode but as he should be. We will watch him evolve in the next ep and return to himself (or a new version of himself) from the third ep onwards.

The hype was a lot but it will take a little patience for the machine to come back at full speed. If this is a first taste of what we will watch, we have a lot of fun weeks ahead of us.

Provided, of course, that you don't want to live in the past (we know who Red is, stop pretending you don't understand) and don't expect that after 8 years The Blacklist suddenly becomes realistic. It always has been a graphic novel, with sci-fi gimmicks at times, if you spend time wondering how Dembe became an FBI agent, The Blacklist is not for you and you probably never really understood it.

A Choppy Mess

[lukebernstein3 · 7/10 · 26 October 2021]

I don't mind Liz being gone, I really don't care. The 7 rating is becuase this premiere was a Choppy Mess. Reddington takes over 10 minutes to appear (the first time in a premier ever). And reddington has always appeared in the first scene of every season, until now. But after red appears thats where the choppy Mess comes in. James spaders scenes are choppy and make no sense like so much confetti. You have no sense of the sequence of events for reddington at all.

And like I said mostly the task force. James spaders choppy confusing scenes add up to 12 minutes 2 seconds. Least screen time for him in a premier. I hope that's not what I can expect moving forward in season 9, given that Liz is gone. They need to lean on spader much more.

As for story Reddington doesn't want to come back. We can't have that arc go on to long. Cooper watching over Agnes. Cooper scenes are good with red. Aram working on some invention, we shall see where that goes. Park is married. Ressler let himself go, has a beard and messy hair, working on cars, and is probably a drunk, not over Liz's death. The case of the week story did not develop enough.

Last but not least Dembe is an FBI agent, interesting, considering he was a criminal, this is weird. Why don't red and dembe no longer speak? I think there is more to this. The FBI would not make a criminal an FBI special agent. I suspect a twist. Dembe was always an FBI agent, but undercover in reds empire. And I beleive this is why they are no longer together as a team. Time will tell if I'm right.

And yes my overall thought on this premiere was that it was a Choppy Mess. Sorry writers, you missed the mark on this one.

New start

[jpbuche · 8/10 · 22 October 2021]

I was looking forward s9 ep1. Not disappointed. It did feel like a pilot. I enjoyed watching it, the show will definitely work without keen involved in the storyline. And to be honest Boon was an average actress, i won t miss her and i m not watching the Blacklist for a love story.

Liz & Ressler

[quiggvc · 6/10 · 24 May 2022]

Its great Liz is gone. The worst character in the show by far. Hopefully Ressler will not be far behind. We get more of Red now that the pain in the arse Liz is gone. Long live Red. Drop Ressler please.

I tried. I'm out.

[LodgeDweller · 4/10 · 23 October 2021]

The writers really don't see where they went wrong with this show. Liz was no saint, honestly I wouldn't have wanted her to be but they trashed the woman horrifically in seasons 7 & 8. Her already questionable intelligence dwindled to an alarming point but she was able to outsmart everyone for plot reasoning. But here we are, 2 years after she died and they act like she was an angel on earth. She manipulated and put all of her friends in danger repeatedly for a poorly written grudge against Reddington. Honestly, I think the show was possible without Liz. She was out in season 3 and I thought those episodes were great. The minimal-Liz episodes throughout the series were usually stellar. The problem isn't "Liz is gone, the heart of the show is dead. Everyone's lost without her." No, the problem is the creative team lost their marbles and lied anytime they said they had long term plan. They turned a flawed but decent show into a spiteful dumpster fire. How you can canonize a woman you spent a full season vilifying in the most pathetic and frustrating way? It's baffling to watch. Liz is gone and characters still exist to worship her.

So if you're content watching James Spader do absolutely anything regardless of story quality, I'm sure you'll continue to love the show. He's the writers' "Get out of semi-logical writing" free card and they know it. If Megan Boone wasn't your cup of tea, maybe you'll just be glad to watch it without her. Regardless of whatever drama went on with Ms. Boone behind the scenes, the writers do not get a pass for how convoluted The Blacklist has become. It's not her fault they ran out of ideas and refused to solve any mysteries. For the record, I was never a Liz fan. I tolerated her up until the season 7 BS. Occasionally she impressed me and I'll happily give her credit for those instances. My criticism doesn't have anything to do with her absence. I'll happily rewatch the first 6 seasons and the spinoff, but almost everything beyond that isn't worth revisiting.

Let Marcia Brady from The Brady Bunch become Red's new concern.

[StanleyCupBruins · 21 March 2022]

Here me out. A Marcia Brady look-a-like whose about 25 years old, needs Red's help, and she winds up being Red's long lost granddaughter. This could add three more seasons to The Blacklist. Thank you.

They won't let Reddington meditate

[cjonesas · 7/10 · 18 February 2022]

Episode 1: Above-average restart of The Blacklist that I used to know. Some dramatic and funny moments, a sort of reboot with the whole (former) task force basically going on with their lives, more or less, until...

*Alina Park is more human and she actually can smile beautifully!

P. S. My sole opinion, without Liz in it (good or bad), this Blacklist is something else; and not in a bright way.

good restart

[pablorubio-32951 · 9/10 · 23 October 2021]

This show will be good until Agnes grows up and asks about Reddington. These questions might fill three tedious seasons.

During these two years, Cooper and Reddington were so sad that they have got at least 10 extra Kg ... Cooper running while the family was abducted was a bit grotesque.

Reddington

[bexiibz · 10/10 · 22 October 2021]

I like the new look of Raymond Reddington and I like the new girl I think this duo will be amazing.. I'm so glad that Liz is gone I hope also Ressler die with her I don't like him he's simp.

Red Returns

[ZegMaarJus · 8/10 · 6 July 2022]

This Episode begins 2 years after Liz her death, meanwhile Dembe got caught on a job. Cooper is on Havana, to find back Reddington. Cooper got poisoned a bartender, he works for Reddington. Cooper gets the team back together, Ressler didn't want to return. Ressler decided to join the taskforce. The Skinner ubducted the Asian family. The taskforce visits Dembe at the hospital. It gets revealed that Graeme Anderson is the skinner. Nice First Episode of The Blacklist Season 9, Red is back and better then ever. The taskforce is back, will they catch The Skinner?

S9 Liz? Please?

[hammchristine · 10/10 · 21 October 2021]

I would just like to say that you guys left the story line wide open for Elizabeth to have survived. I'm just saying, I've seen gunshot wounds and the exit wound was hardly noticeable. For Gods sake people Reddman has came back how many times? Give Liz one of those 9 lives, her & Donald can't be finished!!!

Idiotic

[paul31415 · 1/10 · 23 October 2021]

When a special agent during an undercover mission carries upon himself a card saying "Special agent Dembe Zuma", I am sorry but this is pure stupidity.

I will not watch this garbage anymore.

Ooh, a nice familair face!

[chrisboringlife · 10/10 · 31 October 2021]

Got some serious Dexter vibes (while waiting for the reboot of Dexter) - seeing David Zayas - which I was hoping to see in Dexter too.

That is a great actor to add to the show!

There is room for some new actors, not that we are bored of the old ones... but it could definately give some flavors.

Season 9 !!

[okpanachibaron · 10/10 · 21 October 2021]

I've seen it already,just did so don't ask me how lol.

Y'all wait and watch!!!

Crazy!! Who wants me to spoil it ??? Just say it and I'm spoiling already.

What if... Dembe was an FBI special agent?

[somodgodana · 10/10 · 23 October 2021]

A story about 700 year old pirate.... The performance from the crew was ecstatic. But who is Cooper to bring back the Taskforce now that he's not in FBI???

What a joke

[rennerusso · 8/10 · 24 October 2021]

There are best way to continue it...but not like this. It become unworth to watch.

At least they needed give Liz a chance to find out whole situation and feel the pain of her mistakes,insisting to find out some secrets,making the show look poor.

Personal i find the reveal of secrets total worst,and inconclusive.