The Blacklist Review: Vanessa Cruz (Season 2 Episode 18)

Last week, on The Blacklist, we learned that one of the only men in Lizzie’s life who she’s close to that isn’t a pathological liar is Donald Ressler.

Whether or not you ship these two romantically or platonically, it’s difficult to argue that there’s a better partner for her to have at the moment. Liz didn’t want to celebrate her birthday, because she didn’t believe she had anything worth celebrating – no children, a marriage that was a sham, nearly escaping prison, etc. etc.

But what is so wonderful about “The Longevity Initiative” is that Ressler knows Liz. He knows she would feel like having a pity party and being alone and wallowing — and he refuses to allow her the opportunity to do that. So, he brings them take-out disguised as a box of case files (be cuter, Ressler, I dare you) and Liz is floored.

No one cares about her in her life right now. Just honestly, truly cares about her without an agenda attached, apart from Ressler (and yes, Cooper and Aram too to a lesser degree). Everyone wants something from Liz, and the moment Ressler shares his time and a meal with her is when Liz decides to share the wine that she and Sam made when they were younger. Because that moment is special, and she knows it — even if she can’t properly vocalize it.

In the same vein, “Vanessa Cruz,” this week’s episode of The Blacklist, focuses on the two men in Liz’s life who are toxic in their own ways: Red and Tom. While the team works a case about a woman who murders extremely wealthy men (the 1%) and frames them for crimes, they realize that she’s an extremely intelligent woman who delicately plans jobs down to samples of saliva and blood (ewww). Ressler and Liz find out that Vanessa is funneling money to her ailing mother through a fake insurance company and that’s when Liz decides to enlist Tom with his help on the case. I was apprehensive about the whole Tom-of-it-all, really, and his relationship with Liz.

It’s clear from “Vanessa Cruz” that Liz doesn’t trust Tom, doesn’t want him in her life, and is using him just like he used her. Tom, I guess, has started to develop inklings of empathy and he genuinely asks Liz whether or not she believes he can start over again. Like, really start over and make a life for himself or if he’s doomed to be the way that he is forever. Liz’s response is pretty great, actually, because she notes that what Tom needs in order to secure that new life? He needs to focus on being honest. All the time. About everything.

Tom’s been an actor – a charade, really – for so long that he’s been unable to really be a person who is truthful. Liz so brilliantly tells him that if he’s not honest about everything, he’s not being honest. He’s not really starting over. And then, after Liz gets what she needs from Tom and gives him passports to start over, she kisses him. When he asks why, she tells him that it’s her way of saying goodbye. And you know what? I actually believe that. Liz was really strong in this episode and she was upfront and truthful. Tom’s got one more thing to tell Liz, though, and it’s this: Red hasn’t been upfront with her. HE is the one who placed him in her life and she needs to know that.

Speaking of Red, our favorite morally ambiguous character is in a bit of hot water this week. A secret society is about to vote and their vote will determine whether or not a giant target is placed on the back of Raymond Reddington. If he doesn’t want that target placed on him, he needs to convince the swing vote – a man named Jasper – and oh, yeah, if Red has the Fulcrum? He’s gonna need to prove it. Soon. Unfortunately for Red, the ally on the society that warned him? Yeah, The Director made sure he disappeared. Looks like Red is in more trouble than ever if he’s lost his ally.

On the case, Ressler deduces that Vanessa’s one-woman crusade is because of the death of her husband (who apparently jumped off a bridge). What the team learns, in fact, is that all of the men who Cruz targeted were men who were invested in an inside trading scheme and ended up murdering her husband. But when Ressler and Liz run after Vanessa to catch her… she’s gone and they’re too late.

Female blacklisters are really interesting and Vanessa Cruz is even more so. For one thing, she’s far down on Red’s list and makes Liz wonder aloud why he chose that case for them. Never fear, though, because Mr. Kaplan finds Vanessa Cruz at the airport and tells Vanessa that her employer would like to use her. So Red drew Vanessa Cruz out, apparently, only to recruit her. Interesting.

When Red is confronted by Liz at the end of the episode, she asks him whether or not what Tom told her is true: did he hire Tom to be in her life? Red answers, painfully, it seems, in the affirmative — and Liz is horrified, disgusted, and emotional.

Red tries to explain but she wants nothing to do with his explanations and instead, practically throws the Fulcrum at him, telling him to leave her alone. Very unfortunately for Red, in the next moment, he’s shot and both Dembe and Liz rush to his side and try to stop the bleeding while also locating the shooter and firing back.

And just like that, as soon as Liz pushes both toxic men out of her life, she realizes that there’s only one she still actually wants in it.

Quotes & Notes:

• Hobbs: “I appreciate it.” Red: “No you don’t. You expect it.”
• Red: “With powerful men, one must appeal to their vanity.”
• Aram: “FREAKING Osbourne.” I don’t say it often enough but I really love Aram. A lot.
• “Some women make the same mistakes with men over and over.” I hope everyone caught the fact that Ressler and Liz kept looking pointedly at each other when Vanessa’s mother said this. We all caught Ressler’s look, right?
• Apparently Liz is really good at geography because she knew that the fake companies were named after lakes. Good at geography, bad at profiling your own husband.
• Red: “Intentional pun.”
• “You his woman?” “I’m more like his… ball and chain.” You can tell that Liz had so much fun with that line.
• Liz [to Tom]: “You’re not that good of an actor.”

Well, how did everyone enjoy The Blacklist Season 2 Episode 18? Hopefully the ending was enough suspense to hold you over for the next few weeks while The Blacklist is on a hiatus. Until then, speculate what Red needs Vanessa Cruz for and how he’ll survive being shot!

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The Blacklist airs Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC.