Everyone seems to be in Townsend’s crosshairs now.
That is due to Stepanov and no matter story he wove to Neville on The Blacklist Season 8 Episode 17.
Fact? Lies? Viewers did not discover out since Stepanov whispered one thing into Townsend’s ear after near-constant torture since his abduction from Russia on The Blacklist Season 8 Episode 16.
So the legend of Agent N-13 stays secret.
Nonetheless, there remained quite a lot of everybody trying to make use of everybody else with out revealing any greater than was completely crucial. Misadventure ensued.
If Crimson and the Process Power had truly labored collectively relatively than round one another, perhaps, simply perhaps, they might have Neville in a vice by now.
As a substitute, Townsend and his group are after Raymond, Dembe, Liz, Priya, and the Process Power, since all of them are vital to Reddington.
Granted, Neville misplaced his house advanced and a warehouse within the course of. However all meaning is that he might want to transfer to a unique property and arrange a brand new headquarters.
If Aram and Ressler had gotten somebody from the accounting agency to interrupt sooner, perhaps they might have gotten their fingers on Townsend’s digital information and would then have a listing of Neville’s properties. However no such luck.
There’s loads of blame to go round on this fiasco.
Reddington needed to make use of the Process Power as a part of his muscle to assist discover Stepanov earlier than Townsend acquired any essential data out of him.
However Harold’s grand plan was to have his inside lady, Liz, discover out what Stepanov disclosed about N-13.
The flaw in that logic was that Liz’s cooperation with the Process Power had been revealed due to Ressler’s hacked cellphone
This meant that Liz wasn’t practically the asset upon which Cooper had been banking.
So the Process Power had been minimize out of the loop. That left Reddington’s mole, Priya, as the one asset nonetheless in play.
Priya did what she was purported to be doing. She created sufficient of a stink with Magnus that Townsend took a couple of minutes out of his torture to talk together with her.
She even slipped the poison Crimson had provided her into Neville’s cup of tea. Solely Liz’s dramatics ruined what might have ended the Townsend downside when she knocked his cup from his hand, ruining Priya’s try.
That maneuver did get Liz again within the recreation as Neville invited him to hitch him in questioning Stepanov after she swore off any additional cooperation with the FBI.
That additionally served to chop Priya out of the image since Townsend had addressed her issues and paid her generously to maintain quiet till he wanted her.
As Raymond’s solely soldier on the bottom, Priya needed to tail Neville and Liz once they left to go to the warehouse when Stepanov was being held captive.
Priya additionally grew to become Liz’s protector as a result of Crimson knew what would occur to her if Stepanov was made to speak.
And for some motive, proper after Liz stepped out within the corridor to confront Priya, Stepanov broke down and spilled his guts.
Why then, particularly after he had spoken so tenderly to “Masha?” Possibly he simply could not deal with any extra torture or maybe he made a strategic determination that Reddington might shield Liz.
We might by no means know. All that was clear was that Liz was abruptly on the outs with Townsend. Priya had blown her cowl as properly explaining that Crimson had despatched her to warn Liz.
Happily, that was when Crimson and his forces selected to storm Townsend’s hideout. Sadly, it was largely a stalemate.
Everybody Neville needed to kill was underneath one roof and barricaded in a cooler.
This too was on Reddington. He had opted to ship the Process Power to Townsend’s house, to hamper Neville’s operation whereas holding them as far-off as doable from Stepanov.
So Ressler and Aram have been interrogating accountants when a badly outnumbered Crimson actually wanted the FBI’s firepower. He ought to have routed them as an alternative to the seat of the issue.
Raymond did have an sudden asset in Priya. How she took out Townsend’s males with a rewired shock collar was completely MacGyverish.
Then, once they wanted a bonus, Liz jumped out of the van with a flashbang, simply in time to stall them till the Process Power burst in after following the surveillance feed to the warehouse.
Crimson and firm acquired away lengthy sufficient to get Stepanov to much-needed medical remedy.
Relatively than killing Stepanov close to the tip, to maintain him from falling into the unsuitable fingers, Reddington forgave him for breaking and placing each Crimson and Liz in peril. Apparently, Raymond wasn’t kidding when he described Stepanov as his oldest buddy.
Crimson and Harold have been each unsuitable once they argued that the opposite was the dishonest one. Cooper should not count on the entire reality from a profession felony mastermind and Raymond should not count on Harold to do precisely what he is instructed with no questions requested.
Aram had the most effective viewpoint. He appeared on the association philosophically. Crimson’s allegiances are sometimes questionable. However he has helped the Process Power get quite a lot of unhealthy individuals, who threaten America, off the streets. If he advantages as properly, so be it.
The large query nonetheless to be answered is why did not Liz forged her lot with the Process Power?
To observe Townsend’s obsession, watch The Blacklist online.
Should not everybody be targeted on bringing down Townsend relatively than combating amongst themselves?
When will Liz come again into the fold?
Would you prefer to see extra of Priya?
Remark beneath.
Dale McGarrigle is a workers author for TV Fanatic. Observe him on Twitter.