‘The Blacklist’ Celebrates 150 Episodes with Season 7, Episode 18 Recap: “Roy Cain”

Kailey
16 Min Read
Courtesy of NBC.

If you missed the last episode’s recap, check it out here.

This week’s episode of The Blacklist begins with Katarina bringing Imam Asmal food. She asks him about his religion and they begin a discussion, also talking about the idea of faith. He mentions Raymond Reddington and Katarina realizes that Dembe has told the Imam everything. The Imam says he is sworn to secrecy but Katarina decides to test Dembe’s faith. “Clearly the prospect of my death doesn’t shake your faith. How about we see if the prospect of yours shakes his? Why don’t you pray on that?”

Reddington is getting a check up after his health scare. The doctor tells Red that he needs to take care of himself, and he tells Dembe to convince Red to listen to reason because his life depends on it. Dembe begs Reddington to get help but Red ignores his worry and asks about the lead on the fingerprint.

Red and Dembe are at the Post Office explaining that the Imam wasn’t taken for any involvement with extremists. Red tells them that one of his cleaners lifted a print from the Imam’s desk that belongs to Arturo Ruel. Ruel is at Wallens Prison in complete isolation. Cooper has Ressler and Keen go to Wallens to speak with the warden and Red asks for all the names of prisoners in the last 6 months to see if there is a connection to Imam Asmal.

Courtesy of NBC.

Ressler and Keen are talking to the warden at Wallens. He says that Ruel has been locked up and may have been framed. Ressler and Keen want to speak with Ruel to have him try and answer their questions and the warden agrees. Ruel is brought to a questioning room with the warden watching. They ask him how his prints were able to get on a desk and who he thinks set him up. He asks for a piece of paper and a pen and writes a note with the name of a cartel. When Ressler and Keen are in the car, the note that Ruel wrote said, “Wanna talk. Not here.”

Two men are sitting at dinner and one man is asking to take care of a key witness in a trial who knows information that could be damaging. He says that she is in a safe house with her daughter. The other man says that there isn’t enough time. The first man needs it done and we look to see that the man who is being hired for the job is the warden from Wallens.

Courtesy of NBC.

Liz brings Red the list of names from Wallens he requested. Red asks about Ruel and Liz says he’s willing to talk. He tells Liz that he’s transferring all of his assets to her. He tells her that this wasn’t his plan in the first place but things have changed. On the list of names is Marvin Gerard, Red’s lawyer who got out three months ago. He wants to pay him a visit and mend fences.

Roy Cain, the warden, comes into his office and talks one of the guards. He says that there is a situation with Ruel and they caught what he wrote on the note. Cain says to talk to the boys and have them take care of it.

Courtesy of NBC.

Red visits Gerard at his new place of work, a toy store. Marvin is angry that he was in prison for three years. Red tells him that he needs information about Wallens Ridge but Marvin says no. He tells Red that his law license was taken away and after he served his time and passed the test, the D.C. office of Disciplinary Council denied it. “You’re a lawyer. What the hell does moral character have to do with anything?” Marvin wants Red to threaten the Disciplinary Council to get his license back before he gives any information.

Back at Wallens, the prisoners are all walking in a line when one prisoner gets a nod from one of the guards and stabs Ruel. The prison is now on alert and in the warden’s office, he is telling Liz and Ressler that he has to lock down the prison because Ruel’s been stabbed. They tell him they need to question the inmates and staff but he insists on locking down the prison first.

We see Al Roker (as a special guest star) and he meets Red and Dembe at a restaurant. They reminisce about old times and Red says he needs Al’s help. He tells him about Marvin Gerard and they sit down to discuss when Dembe gets a phone call. Katarina is on the other line and she tells him to meet in one hour and if Reddington is involved, the Imam dies. Dembe agrees to meet with the life of the Imam at stake.

Ressler and Keen are interrogating the prisoners about Ruel, the Imam, and all of their unique skills. They find it interesting that these specific prisoners are locked up in isolation when their rap sheets aren’t as bad as other inmates. Liz and Ressler are driving and they discuss why the warden has these inmates in isolation. Ressler says that if Marvin knows anything, Red will get him to talk. Liz tells Ressler that Red is giving her his empire and isn’t sure why since Red knows about Liz hiring a P.I. to investigate Ilya Koslov. Ressler tells her it might be because of Red’s mortality. Spaulding Stark had a file with Red’s name on it in his lab and Red told Ressler not to say anything to Liz.

Marvin has met up with Al, Red, and Dembe at the restaurant. Al’s lawyer, Paul, walks in and meets with them as well. Paul realizes something is up and he and Marvin exchange words. Al asks Paul to listen what they have to say. Red makes a case for Marvin and Al says that if Paul doesn’t reinstate Marvin, he will leave Paul and take his contract with him. Red says to talk it over and he knows the council is meeting in the afternoon.

Courtesy of NBC.

Dembe meets where Katarina requested and they put a black covering over his head to blind him. Red and Marvin are at Red’s restaurant in the kitchen on the phone with the Task Force. Marvin tells them that Ruel’s fingerprint wasn’t planted, Ruel was there. Marvin tells them that the warden keeps his favorite prisoners in isolation lead by a guard named Vincent Martin. The team thinks that they are let out of isolation to commit crimes. We see the inmates in isolation get a file folder with a map and pictures of the witness mentioned earlier with the two men. Cooper has Aram pull up info on Martin and has Park and Liz get eyes on Martin.

Courtesy of NBC.

Liz and Park follow Martin as we see prisoners hiding in Martin’s van. After Martin pulls into an abandoned warehouse, Liz has Park call Aram and goes for a closer look. Liz comes back to the car and tells Park that the inmates are heavily armed. A company van pulls out of the warehouse and Liz and Park follow it. Aram tells Cooper about the inmates and has Aram send a team to help Liz and Park. Liz and Park go quietly after the men and Liz calls in a license plate to Aram. He tells her it’s a U.S. Marshall plate and she tells him to find out any information before the inmates attack. The inmates are getting set up and Liz and Park make contact with the inmates. Aram calls Liz and tells her a witness in a murder trial is being held next door to the address Liz gave him. Liz tells Park about the target but Park goes down. The inmates begin their attack and the U.S. Marshall instructs Sarah the witness to hide as they call for backup. A shootout ensues and Sarah is about to be killed but Liz and Park arrive to save them. We see Dembe, who is unmasked, at Katarina’s hideout.

Liz interrogates one of the inmates about how they escape as Park stays with Sarah. Sarah said she won’t back down from testifying. The inmate tells Liz that they are just given targets and if they do the job, their families are taken care of. Liz asks about Imam Asmal and the inmate says he doesn’t know where he is. We see Vincent Martin calling Roy Cain to tell him that the mission failed and one of the inmates was captured. The rest escaped and Roy tells him to have the inmates meet at the safe house and for Martin to go back to the prison to “discover” the jailbreak. Liz calls Red to tell him that the warden is the one behind this whole prison operation and the inmate doesn’t know where the Imam is.

Courtesy of NBC.

Katarina tells Dembe her expectations and has him speak to the Imam. Dembe asks the Imam if he’s okay and they discuss Dembe’s allegiance to two men. “A man’s life is more important than a man’s secrets.” Dembe is conflicted and the Imam says that none of this is Dembe’s fault. Dembe cries into the Imam’s chest.”

The inmates meet at the safe house and they seem to disagree on the next plan of action when Cain arrives. Cain shoots and kills all the inmates. Cain returns home to find Reddington waiting there for him. Red has him at gunpoint and introduces himself as Raymond Reddington. He tells Cain he is curious how he got the idea to use the inmates to do jobs and make a living out of it. “That’s an order, not a request.” Cain tells Red that he inherited the business from his father and from generations before that. Red asks who hired Cain to abduct Imam Asmal and he says Maddy Tolliver did. Red is taken aback because “Maddy” is the alias for Katarina and she is supposed to be dead. He asks Cain where she had him deliver the Imam.

Courtesy of NBC.

Dembe and the Imam are praying and Katarina comes to find out his decision. Dembe says he will tell her the information if she lets the Imam go. She has him sit down and is going to record his testimony when Reddington arrives at the hideout. Katarina escapes and her right hand man, Berdy, holds the Imam at gunpoint. Red asks where Katarina is and Berdy says that Dembe sold him out. Red doesn’t believe him and one of Red’s men shoots Berdy and saves the Imam’s life. Dembe tells Red that he was going to talk.

Park and the CSI’s investigate Cain’s death and says that they will get the file to the Task Force. Park finds a ledger in Cain’s house. Aram tells Cooper that Sarah testified and the defendant was found guilty. Park arrests the man who hired Cain’s team to kill Sarah Wims. The ledger gives the team all of the names of the people who hired Cain except one, the name of the person who wanted the Imam kidnapped.

Courtesy of NBC.

Katarina and Liz meet in Liz’s car. The Imam is talking to Red in his car and talking about Dembe’s decision and what was right and wrong. “Dembe and I have done this dance before. I made it clear there wouldn’t be an encore.” They talk about struggles and how Dembe asked the Imam not to say anything about the person who abducted him. Liz and Katarina talk about her kidnapping the Imam and her necessary measures. Katarina tells Liz that Red knows she’s alive. Marvin and Red share a drink and Marvin thanks him for getting his license back. Katarina says that Liz will have to make a choice one day between her and Red. Red tells Marvin that he needs to go over Red’s will with Liz. Marvin says it sounds like Red doesn’t think she has a choice. “Sometimes there is no choice.” Katarina tells Liz that the outcome of the battle between her and Red is in Liz’s hands.

Thanks for reading!

Check out the promo for the season 7 finale of The Blacklist below!

The Blacklist airs Fridays at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.

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By Kailey
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Kailey has been a writer for Nerds and Beyond since 2018. She received her bachelors degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders in May of 2020. Some of her favorite TV shows are The Blacklist, Supernatural, and Prodigal Son, to name a few. She also loves all things Disney! You can check her out on social media @kaileygross.
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