The Skinner (No. 45)

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.

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.

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.

Hearing the surviving characters practically sob at the memory of Keen ('Let's hold hands and remember her' 'I couldn't have put it better myself' - yuk!) was quite surreal. The writers still don't get it - they seem to think they wrote a saintly, inspirational, character in Keen, whom the world now mourns, rather than a stunning idiot who betrayed all the other characters multiple times). Move on, for goodness sake, MOVE ON!

The 'let's get the old gang back together' routine was all a bit 1970s, but much more clumsily done - Dembe as an FBI agent (but of course!), Ressler doing a Fonz impression as a reluctant car mechanic (the obvious career move!), the one that didn't do much now training agents (whatever), and Cooper, er, nope, I can't even remember and it's only been a day since I saw it. Oh yes, and Reddington has had a lockdown headshave and Spader is having a Brando moment. It's all a bit halfhearted.

If they can quickly move on to some decent stand-alone episodes, maybe the bad memories of Keen and her crazy family/fake family/real family of shape-shifting Russian/American/spies/counter-spies/nice/nasty nonsense will begin to fade, and the show can actually find a focus again. But not a great start.

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...