He Was There: The Blacklist "Luther Braxton (No. 21) Conclusion"

Well, in this conclusion to the two part episode, we last saw Red, Liz and Braxton face to face. Red talks him down about finding the Fulcrum but Braxton knows how powerful it's worth. Then Braxton looks at Liz and figures out that he came for her so she knows where it is. Then those missiles that the CIA ordered hits the Factory.

Where the episode comes in is seconds with Russler, who is freed from the chain hanging and Samar who is still hanging. Russler gets her down and runs to where Red as he tells that Braxton took agent Keen, he was trying to get a signal for rescue.

As they are in the burning Factory, Liz is in a helicopter hoping that everyone was okay and safe til she saw Braxton right beside her telling her that she's the only thing that matters. They head to a hospital in Alaska, where they take an ambiance and get away.

Red, Ressler and Samar got out, made it, Red calls Braxton and the two talk. You can really see that there is some real hatred between these two characters. It's a small theft trying to rob a con man, which in this case probably won't go down well.

Of course, Braxton and his guys try to get Liz to tell where the Fulcrum is at but she has no freakin clue, as they even water board her. Then Braxton got a doctor that specialize into memory restoration, played by Gloria Ruben.

Braxton took her and held her little boy hostage. So the doctor performed the drug on Liz. As she was trying to fight it off, she could see the night of the fire where mostly everything happen to her. We can hear her mother and father yelling and a young Liz Keen in the closet.

As Red was searching for Braxton, he got his business associates together and offer them a deal if they hear from him to contact him first. Well, one of them called him but wouldn't give it to him unless he gets a good deal. The return is life, so the guy was going to get money, more of a knuckle sandwich right to the head about ten times. Just enough that he can't remember the last 20 seconds of the conversation.

We see Liz in her memory, as she tries to go her younger self tells her to go back. Then gun shots were heard and smoke appeared as the two were back in the closet.

Then Braxton meets up with The Director, as we know they call him, and talked about making the deal they had better. The Director decline to do that, then as Braxton leaves he calls his guy to get the job done. We see he's being followed from a distance, thinking that it was Red, but no it was his body guard, Dembe and as Braxton walked tot he car, he sees Red sitting and soon Dembe holds a gun to his head and they talk.

This turned out to be one of the best theft-con man talk I ever seen. You can feel the tension between these two that they have a history. And soon they take a ride.

Later on, we see Liz seeing terrible things, she's fighting with her younger self and soon as this was going on, Red comes in blaze of glory shooting everyone that got in the their way getting Liz out of there. That's when he comes to her side and talks to the doctor about how much can she go on with the treatment.

They go on with the procedure and well, it turned out to be one of the best scenes on television. The scene where she sees the fire, her father holding her hand, getting out of the fire and soon she sees three men out there, one of them looking like Red.

If I had to vote for the scene that I held my breath for the longest time, that would be the scene right there.

Liz does wake up and freaks seeing Red there by her side. She tells him that he was there the night of the fire and left the house while she was there. She thought that they had something special as working colleagues but she now knows that it's not true and she leaves.

You can see Red, with a steel face, look at Liz leaving and the doctor and her son reuniting, that he doesn't seem happy at all.

But later on as The Director make it back to his home, there was a partying gift for him hanging int he room. It was all 500 lbs of Luther Braxton. Red was there and talked to the guy about how Braxton couldn't get the Fulcrum.

The Director tells him that they will try everything they have to stop Red and that turned out to be one hell of a threat. I guess let the games begin on the hit on Red, that's what next week's episode will show.

Also at the end, we see Liz in her room, looking through a box of things, and all of the sudden she picks up the stuff bunny and she sees something in the neck of it. She rips it open and finds a classified flash drive in it. It's the fulcrum!! She had it all along.

This episode did not disappoint at all. Even re-watching part one early it made it into a great two hour TV movie event. The battle of Braxton and Red when they talked on the phone and in person was one of the best scenes seeing Red and a Blacklister face off.

Another thing: we learn that Cooper's health is not in a good condition than we thought. We knew that his health was no in shape when Red told him brief about it.

If I had to vote for best TV villain this week it would be a tied between Luther Braxton and Elliot Gish on Chicago Fire/Chicago PD.

Next week's episode will surely leaving you on the edge with a Blacklister that no one has ever seen before. Apparently he likes to use a wipe. Also the CIA are on to take Red down. But what will Liz and Red's relationship be after this episode?

Any thoughts?

You can catch The Blacklist Thursday nights at 9/8c on NBC.