- Title: The Blacklist – Vanessa Cruz
- wiki: link
As Reddington (James Spader) attempts to stop events with the secret cabal from spiraling completely out of control he alerts the FBI to the latest name on The Blacklist. Vanessa Cruz (Ana de la Reguera) is a ghost with means, motive, and opportunity to frame several one-percenters with crimes destroying their lives just as they destroyed the life of her husband. Talking with one of her former victims (Stephen Schnetzer), one that she left alive serving years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, leads Lizzie and Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff) to her latest targets one of whom she become so emotionally attached she’s unable to complete the job. Cruz may escape FBI custody but from the offer she recieves near the end of the episode suggests we’ll be seeing her again very soon.
Despite Reddington’s warnings Tom (Ryan Eggold) sticks around long enough to be of use in Lizzie’s latest case when Red demands the Fulcrum in exchange for information. With Tom’s lead paying off Lizzie returns her former husbands fake passports and says farewell. Before exiting state left Tom offers her a truth, or at least one piece of the show’s larger puzzle, that she’s unable to properly process.
Despite Red’s work with one member (Ralph Brown) of the group to try and turn the key vote (James A. Stephens) to their side the episode ends with Reddington at war with the secret cabal he’s been keeping at bay for years given his threat to use the Fulcrum (which he doesn’t have in his position until Lizzie gives it to him right before the master spy is shot in the street). With the show taking three weeks before resolving the cliffhanger I’m sure we can agree that Reddington will survive but what will happen to both the Fulcrum and his relationship with Lizzie, who still has questions she desperately needs answers to even given the reveal of Reddington’s monstrous betrayal of installing Tom into her life.
