The Blacklist ‘The Freelancer’ Recap – Episode 01.02

The Breakdown

Agent Cooper is talking to a figurehead at the FBI about Red’s deal that includes immunity. The FBI is not going to give Red immunity no matter what kind of information he has. Red and Lizzy take a lie detector test to find out if they know each other or if Red has a connection to Lizzy or her husband Tom.

Red gives the FBI a hint as to where the next “incident” will happen. It is near an industrial district in D.C. The FBI is on the scene and nothing is happening. About to wrap up the investigation a train derails.

Reddington has made it clear he can help the FBI and can prevent a future attack. The person that is the cause of these “random” attacks is a fellow name The Freelancer. Redington does not know who exactly The Freelancer is but has a contact that can get to him. In Montreal, Reddington and Lizzy go to the restaurant where Red’s contact will be, while waiting Lizzie asks a bunch of questions and is trying to figure out what the connection to her is with Reddington and if he knows her husband or her parents.

Red is giving more information about “The freelancer” and what he may be planning next, but he needs to know if his immunity deal will go through. It seems that Agent Cooper has gotten the higher up to go along with Red’s deal on the surface, but they don’t plan to give him immunity, only to use Red for information.

The next target is confirmed; a Florina Campo, a human right activist for sex trafficking. The FBI wants to move her charity event; however she does not budge even tho her husband may have been killed by a cartel that has been her number one opposition. At the party one of the victims of trafficking speaks, and Red sees the freelancer posing as a waiter, a chase ensues and the waiter is tracked down and caught by Lizzy.

The Freelancer is being investigated and gives up that Redington is the one who hired him, but he is a diversion. Reddington is in the room with Florina Campo and it is noticed that the two know each other. Apparently Campo wanted to cut Red in on her business. Agent Keen comes into to save Campo as she thinks Red is the one sent to kill her. As it seems Red is the one who want to expose Campo, as he had her drugged her and has the antidote. Red will not give Keen the antidote unless Campo admits to Keen that she is in charge of the Everheart Cartel, had her husband killed and is behind women sex trafficking.

Reddington and Lizzy meet up and in a park outside of New York. Redington admits he didn’t have an antidote. The FBI found a cargo full of girls that was on their way to be trafficked. Red is wondering what Agent Keen is going to do about Tom and the passports she found and the money under the floor. The show closes with a scene of Agent Keen going through the clothes that Tom had on when he was stabbed. She finds a tape of Tom with the adoption agency talking about how good of a mother Lizzy will be.

The Analysis

It seems that the path of the show is to set Red up as the person that is at first the individual that is starting the crimes. Later, when we see his plan unfold, he is suddenly the hero. There is definitely a connect between Red and Lizzie has even the writers lead us on countlessly throughout the show, even having Red make the joke that she could “be his daughter” as the cover in the restaurant in Montreal. The other underling story of this show is who is Tom and has Lizzie life be carefully crafted by someone the FBI or Reddington?