The Blacklist – “Dr. James Covington” Retrospective. The Doctor is In.

Season 2, Episode 3

Air Date: Monday, October 6, 2014, 10/9c on NBC

Rating: ★★★★★

“We have to let him do this.” – Keen

James Spader as Red Reddington

When the body of a criminal is found in an ally with his internal organs missing, the police assume someone was out for revenge. Amused by their conclusion, Reddington (James Spader) informs Agent Keen (Megan Boone) that this is the work of Dr. Covington (Ron Cephas Jones), a disgraced surgeon who lost his license after someone died. Disgraced, Covington now runs an illegal organ transplant ring catering to criminals and wealthy clients. But, is there more behind Covington’s motives?

I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes between Reddington and Keen; even a casual conversation about a grapefruit slushy has an element of charm and humor about it. Every time Reddington tells a story, I find myself fascinated by it, almost believing it’s a true story because of how Spader conveys it.

Harvesting organs for desperate patients willing to pay big bucks isn’t an original story but I give the writers credit for adding an interesting twist to it. That is, unless you watched last season’s Almost Human episode “Arrhythmia,” which has the same twist. While the writers get an ‘F’ for originality, they make up for it later by doing an excellent job of creating a fascinating moral dilemma for Keen and Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff) when they finally catch Covington and are forced to choose between saving a life or upholding the law.

While the FBI deals with Dr. Covington, Reddington attempts to get his house in order by testing the allegiance of those around him as he awaits Berlin’s (Peter Stormare) next move. Things become complicated when Mr. Vargas (Paul Reubens) shows up and tries to get Reddington’s men to double cross him.

Paul Ruebens as Mr. Vargas

Were you as disappointed as I was by the material given to this season’s guest stars? Mary Louise Parker, Peter Stormare, and now Paul Reubens’ appearances all feel like wasted talent in roles that could have easily been cast with lesser known actors. Reubens has a funny bit at the end of “Dr. James Covington” but that’s it. For a show with a history for having a flair for the dramatic, I expected more. I continue to wonder whether the writers are holding other characters back so as to not outshine Spader’s performance.

The Blacklist is Reddington’s world, and the FBI and audience are simply bystanders. Reddington is 100 steps ahead of everyone and only reveals what he wants people to know. This can be entertaining at times but also very frustrating as questions continue to build. Keen seems to be taking notice of the pieces in motion around her but like the viewers, she has yet to figure out how they all connect.

One of those pieces is Mossad agent Samar Navabi (Mozhan Marno), who, for some reason, is suddenly assigned to the FBI task force. Keen is vocal about her lack of trust in Navabi and assumes Reddington has something to do with getting her this assignment. Ressler isn’t as convinced, telling Keen, “Sounds like someone is a little jealous Uncle Red’s got a new crush.” Navabi has now appeared in the last three episodes yet we still know very little about her.

The other part of the puzzle in “Dr. James Covington” is the mysterious man (Hal Ozsan) Keen meets at the hotel where she is hiding out. Despite their seemingly innocent first encounter, you can sense he is trouble. The question is — who is he working for?

Is he an FBI agent sent by Harold Cooper (Harry Lennix) to watch over Keen because he is worried her paranoia has gotten out of control?

Was he sent by Reddington to keep an eye on Keen, to protect her in the event her husband Tom (Ryan Eggold) or Berlin (Peter Stormare) show up?

Is this man working for Tom or Berlin?

Given that he hasn’t made a move on Keen yet, I am leaning towards the protection side. What do you think?

Diego Klattenhoff as Donald Ressler, Megan Boone as Elizabeth Keen

Between her dreams involving Tom and Reddington, and her paranoia being at an all-time high, Keen appears to be nearing her breaking point. It’s no surprise that both Ressler and Cooper go out of their way to tell Keen how much her personality has changed over the past year. Keen’s behavior seems to be moving closer in line with Reddington, especially when she enlists the help of Mr. Kaplan (Susan Blommaert) to dig up a body. Is Keen’s anxiety pushing her closer to Reddington, or is Reddington perhaps showing Keen who she really is.

It feels like something big is about to happen, and hopefully, answers will be revealed. The question remaining is when will Reddington decide to fill everyone in? For now, all we can do is sit back and enjoy the ride Reddington takes us on.

Tune in to The Blacklist Mondays at 10/9c, only on NBC. Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Dr. James Covington.”

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.