The Harem (No. 102)

Really?!! The "Harem" episode of The Blacklist is a blatant insult to the intelligence of its viewers. The writers inexplicably thrust Elizabeth Keen into an undercover role despite her being a highly recognizable FBI agent, who has been seen by the entire nation on TV. Not only has she been publicly associated with the FBI, but she has also been pardoned by the President, making her a well-known figure. The idea that she could seamlessly infiltrate a criminal organization without being recognized is absurd and undermines the entire plot. It's as if the writers assume the audience is oblivious to the show's established history, treating us as fools who will overlook this glaring inconsistency. This episode shatters the suspension of disbelief, making it one of the most frustrating missteps in the series. How can the creators expect us to stay engaged when they so blatantly disregard the basic logic of their own narrative?

Clearly this episode was written as a means to introduce a group on Reddington's Blacklist. However, the writers could written a better plot than to have Elizabeth Keen go undercover. It's laughable to think one of the most famous women in the world (ex-FBI agent, fugitive, spy, Presidential pardon, etc.) will be able to infuriate a group of thieves. And who really believes that Raymond really wanted that list for Kate's (Mr. Kaplan) sister. Could it be Elizabeth's mother is on that WITSEC list? OAN: why is IMDb requiring 600 characters when typing a review? Most of us make our point within a few sentences.

I agree with other comments/reviews that this was unrealistic as the women would have recognized Elizabeth since she was so well known on news's a prior fugitive. But what was with Elizabeth's eyes? One scene makeup, next scene none and red eyes. Maybe sick? Pink eye?

The episode is fine, and Megan's rendition of her character is spot on as usual. She does appear a bit tired, though, bit that might be the result of early motherhood and sleep deprivation.

This episode was a long shot given the fact that Elizabeth has gotten so much attention across the news during the events of earlier episodes, up to the point where she was recognized from it by random people near where she lives; it is hard to believe she could function as an undercover agent in a covert operation with that in mind, but once you look past that fact, the episode becomes a fun Blacklist-meets-Oceans-11 concept which works fairly well.

The past episodes have all been slowing the pace of the season as it was racing by in the first couple of episodes, with a lot of seamless transitions into the next one up to the climax of the Red/Kirk arc. Now, its slowly building towards the next threat, and an episode like this is a welcome breath of air between two action packed, high pace story arcs this season.