So next week is the fall finale, and “Dr. Adrian Shaw” left us with just as many questions as we had at the start of the season. The mystery of who Liz’s father is was solved, right? Wrong. We thought the DNA test that Liz was given a few episodes ago meant that Kirk was her father, but in “Dr. Adrian Shaw” she took two more DNA tests that both confirmed she is not Kirk’s daughter, which is just what Red told her.
I was inclined to believe Red, and it turns out he was right as usual. If everyone just listened to him, so many problems would be avoided. Liz didn’t listen and now she’s in danger with everyone else in the hospital.
I want to talk about Liz’s willingness to save Kirk’s life for a minute. I understand that she thought he was her father in that moment and was worried the secrets of her past would die with him, but she almost took it too far. First of all, Kirk doesn’t deserve to be saved, whether he’s her father or not. He kidnapped her, killed people, and threatened the life of Agnes.
Nothing Liz could learn from him about her past is important enough to let those actions go unpunished. I never thought I would agree with Tom on anything, but he was the voice of reason in this episode. When Liz told him that she wanted to help save Kirk’s life, he was the one who told her she shouldn’t, and provided a number of very strong arguments as to why.
“Liz, what is there to talk about? He attacked our wedding, kidnapped you, and threatened to throw our child from a rooftop.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Any one of those seems like a good reason to let Kirk die. But Liz didn’t agree.
Liz:”And for that he’ll spend the rest of his life in prison. I’m not talking about freeing him, I’m talking about saving his life.”
Tom: “Why would you do that?”
Liz: “Because he’s my father.”
Tom: “No! He’s a stranger.”
Liz:”It’s not that simple.”
Tom: “It is that simple.”
Again, thank you Tom, for saying exactly what I’m sure most of us were thinking. Which is something else I never thought I would say.
Liz is so wrapped up in her past that she isn’t paying attention to the present or her future. She has Tom, Agnes, Red, Ressler, Aram, Cooper, and Samar, why does she need anything from Kirk when she knows she has people who will be her family and protect her for as long as she lives? As I’ve said before, I hope she straightens out her priorities and realizes who really has her interests at heart. She shouldn’t have needed three DNA tests to finally realize that Kirk isn’t someone she should be protecting.
However, mixed in with this heavy plot was the usual bit of much needed humor. We got a wonderful scene of Red and Dembe playing a “find all of the hidden objects” game in a hospital magazine.
Dembe was the one who found the last item, much to Red’s annoyance, so we all know who the real genius of the group is.
One more moment from Dr. Adrian Shaw, that I feel the need to discuss, was Red’s undermining of Ressler and Samar’s operation once again. We know Red is always working according to his own agenda and his own rules, but you think after how much they’ve all been through together and how much they have all helped him save Liz as a team, he would have a little more respect for them.
He constantly talks to and treats Ressler like he’s an idiot, and doesn’t seem to remember all of the times that Ressler has proved he is a skilled and intelligent agent. He treats Samar with a lot more respect, but still withholds information from her and ignores her whenever it fits his purposes. Red’s complete disregard for authority and his epic monologue take-downs of people are one of the best parts of his character, but not when they are directed at people like Ressler and Samar, who have saved his life and helped him and Liz over and over again without thinking about the extreme risk to themselves. There is a point where his entertaining sarcasm and arrogance cross a line.
Unless they’re teasing us once again, it looks like we are finally, once and for all going to find out from Red himself whether or not he is Liz’s father. This “mystery” has dragged on for four seasons now, with answers seeming to be given, and then taken away. It’s time to wrap up this part of the plot, because frankly, it’s gone on long enough. Unfortunately it looks like the answer is going to come through Red being tortured, which isn’t what any of us want, but if that’s the only way to finally get this part of the plot resolved, then so be it.
Here’s a look at next weeks fall finale which is guaranteed to be intense, action packed, and finally answer the question; “Is Red Liz’s father?” You won’t want to miss it.
The Blacklist airs Thursdays at 10/9c on NBC.