Episode five of season six begins with Dembe and an associate of Raymond’s discussing Raymond’s predicament of being in jail. The associate said that he has millions of dollars invested in Reddington and that him being on the front page of the newspaper, possibly receiving the death penalty, complicates matters in their business. Dembe reassures him that his investment has proved favorable before. The associate worries about Reddington cutting a deal with the FBI and that him and his partners are considering to withdraw their investment, cutting their losses. Dembe, seemingly angry and taking it as a threat, wants to make sure that Raymond has the associate’s vote, “Yes, but you prepare for war. Carlo and the others are out for blood.”
We see the associate return to his home, ready for dinner with his wife and their guests. He walks into the kitchen, with food ready to be made on the counter. When he walks into the dining room, he sees his wife, and two others, with their heads back and mouths open. They are dead. Suddenly, he turns around and sees 3 people in monkey masks and black attire. They pour a hot substance into a thermos, and he is signaled to drink it. The associate picks up the cup about to drink when he throws it on one of the monkey wearing suspects. He makes a run for it but he is cornered and thrown to the ground. They hold him down and pour it down his throat. He dies and the suspects place him around the dining table, positioned just as the others are. They turn the stove on, make a run for it, and the house explodes into flames.
Next, we see Reddington back in the courtroom, at a hearing about the unnecessary search which led to the cop finding his gun with the serial numbers scratched off. The judge recommends that Reddington hires an attorney but he proves his knowledge of the laws. He asks the judge to please allow a brief recess as he has a case for the FBI. She objects but when he tells her that it’s an emergency, she obliges.
Liz meets with Red in the holding cell and tells him that he can’t hold off the hearing because he wants to give her a case. Red tells her that since he has been arrested, certain associates of his are trying to cut him loose, saying, “I know you’ve got a lot of enemies out there, but right now your biggest enemy is in that courtroom.” Liz continues on about the severity of the situation when Red mentions a name, Harris Van Hess. Liz says that he was a billionaire that was killed in a fire the week prior. Red tells her that it was no accident and it was tied to Reddington, saying, “There are no accidents around me.”
At the Task Force, Liz gives the team a run down on the case and Raymond’s suspicions. They question Raymond’s motives about this case because it has to do with his “business” and finding out which enemy took out Van Hess. Liz suggests that they start with Van Hess’ family because of his fortune, and many people are going to attend the reading of the will.
Liz and Ressler arrive at the building where the reading will happen and they try to assure the man at the estate hearing that they will do their best to respect that. We see an older man reading out the will and where all the money would be going to. He ends with a statement about leaving the rest of the money to his son, Timothy Peterson. There are whispers in the audience as they have never heard of Van Hess’s son. They had never been in contact and Van Hess also wrote a letter that explained that he didn’t have the courage to stay with Timothy’s mother, but also knows that it’s a very awkward situation to meet his extended family in these circumstances. The man walks the note to Timothy as everyone looks on.
Can Dembe save Red's soul? #TheBlacklist pic.twitter.com/0badWNWck3
— The Blacklist (@NBCBlacklist) February 2, 2019
Dembe meets Raymond in the holding cell. Dembe was there to supposedly give spiritual advice. They discuss the death of Van Hess and that without him, Raymond doesn’t have enough votes to prevent someone named, Androssani, from cutting him off. Raymond orders Dembe to reason with Androssani and if that doesn’t work, kill him. Dembe decides to give some unsolicited advice and asks Raymond to tell Elizabeth the truth. Red is too worried about the votes because he says that, “everything rests on this.” Red seemingly desperate, begs Dembe to get this done. Dembe, just looking out for Reddington, wants him to get his freedom and to “save his soul.”
Samar is seen listening to a video of a man discussing symptoms of aphasia, as she plays a word puzzle game. Aram walks up and tries to help her with the game but minimizes it. She quickly changes the subject and asks about Timothy Peterson. Aram says that Timothy lives in a trailer park, works at a bowling alley, and has a criminal record under his belt. The team tries to figure out the connection between Reddington and Peterson and if they should even continue the case. Cooper says that he wants to know why things just aren’t adding up. He assigns Ressler and Keen to talk to Peterson while Samar figures out the people connected to Peterson through posts.
Keen and Ressler arrive, surprised to see that Peterson has wasted no time spending his father’s money. They arrive at what seems like a frat party and start questioning Timothy. He says that they had never met and the only reason he knew about his father was that his lawyer called saying he needed to be at the reading of the will. Liz asks Tim what questions he has regarding his father and he says that he wants to know why he didn’t reach out while he was alive and not wanting to know him. Ressler noticing the lack of emotion, asks him about his reaction to his father’s death. Seemingly unbothered, Tim says that his father is just a part of his DNA and he didn’t have any emotional connection to him. Tim’s girlfriend Deidre walks up and introduces herself asking if Ressler and Keen want a drink. Liz, who seems annoyed, wants answers to their questions.
Deidre and Tim explain their love story of how they met at Tim’s bowling alley and he helped get her shoe unstuck. Deidre said that because she came from a big family, she convinced Tim to find out about his family. They found his birth certificate and saw that his mother had died. He saw that his mother had another child and that he had a sister. Following Tim’s questioning, they question his sister who said that she is so glad to find out she had a brother. They talk at least once a day and she even flew with her husband to meet him.
Red stays calm until you mention his "bulges." The audacity! #TheBlacklist pic.twitter.com/Z2dwypr67K
— The Blacklist (@NBCBlacklist) February 2, 2019
Returning to the courtroom, the judge is unhappy about their “brief” intermission. Red says that there are no more disruptions and they can proceed with the case. Mr. Sima, the counselor, starts questioning the cop, Officer Michael Baldwin, who arrested Reddington that day and searched him for weapons. Mr. Sima has Officer Baldwin recall the day that he arrested Reddington. Baldwin said that he noticed a, “bulge in his jacket, at his waistline.” Reddington objects but is shut down. Mr. Sima brings the evidence bag to the Officer and asks if he recognizes the weapon. Baldwin said it was the weapon that he recovered from Red and that the serial numbers are scratched off. Mr. Sima asks that they enter Exhibit 1 into evidence. Mr. Sima motions to Red so that he can begin asking the witness questions, saying, “Your witness.”
Amar informs the team that Peterson’s story checks out, and he also has an alibi for the night that Van Hess died. Samar ran background checks on the sister, brother-in-law, and the girlfriend. Still waiting on results of the first two, they did find some interesting information on Deidre. There is no record of her in the school system of where she claimed to work in Virginia. To top it off, her driver’s license and social security number are less than a year old, even though she claimed she met Tim a year ago. Cooper orders Keen and Ressler to further question Deidre Mori.
And this is why you don't mess with Red. #TheBlacklist pic.twitter.com/aJd0JskSyq
— The Blacklist (@NBCBlacklist) February 2, 2019
Once again in court, Red questions the cop witness. The suspicion of Red came from an anonymous tip. Red says that the tip isn’t a trusted source the cop had spoken to before but the officer said he conducted his own investigation when he asked for ID. Red said that the ID was provided and Baldwin said that it was a fake. Reddington had it made from one of the best forgers in the world, there was no way that Officer Baldwin could’ve known it was fake. Baldwin continues that Red seemed nervous. Raymond exclaims that he is the most wanted man in the world and has been evading police for over 30 years. Raymond says that he was disrespectful to Officer Baldwin and that’s why he conducted the illegal pat down which now has Raymond closing in on the death penalty.
Ressler and Keen arrive at Deidre’s location as Aram confirms her location. The duo happen upon a wedding ceremony. Liz doesn’t see Mori among the guests, but Ressler sees her, she’s the bride. Liz finds the wedding programs and sees that Deidre is now going by Hiraki, as Deidre or Hiraki, rides off with her new husband. They find the husband, without Deidre and question him. She apparently left her own wedding reception and the husband knows that his new “wife” isn’t who she says she is. He says that he paid her to marry him and she left after the reception because that’s all he could afford. He explains that his parents are very traditional and that they don’t accept him being gay. He says that this was a way to save them from the shame. They ask how he got into contact with her services and he says that it’s called Alter Ego.
Samar visits Alter Ego and questions the man who runs it. He tells her how they change people’s lives and how their services provide comfort to “fill vacancies.” Samar shows him Deidre picture and he doesn’t recognize her. Samar said that she is conning her “boyfriend” out of money but the man says that he isn’t responsible if his associates don’t follow protocol. She said that he needs to provide Deidre Mori’s real name.
Reddington is seen deep in thought as the hearing continues. The judge requests that since the government has rested, he can either testify or call another witness. Red asks if he can hear the tape of the anonymous call. Mr. Sima says that they haven’t offered the tape into evidence. Helping Red’s argument, he asks how he is supposed to know that the tape is real without hearing it or knowing its existence. Red maintains that he wants to know if they are being fair, since the government had no problem hiding the validity of the immunity agreement. Mr. Sima argues that the only reason Red wants to hear the tape is so that he can recognize the voice and kill them. The judge seems to side with Raymond because under the circumstances, it’s reasonable to prove that the police are also playing fair. She orders Mr. Sima to provide the tape but the only condition, is that she is the only one able to hear the tape.
Samar meets back at the Task Force and catches up with Aram. She hands him a USB drive of all the associates working for Alter Ego. Aram also mentions that he downloaded the word game she was playing earlier so that they could play together. Samar immediately is defensive and says that she would prefer to play alone. The team is seen filing through all of the associates Aram printed out. Ressler is in disbelief that people are hired to be caught up in a huge scheme. Liz even finds a candidate that could be perfect for Ressler as his date for his cousin’s wedding. He says that he just wants to tell the truth and he doesn’t need to hide it. Samar finds the picture of Deidre but finds out her real name is Jan Chuckerman. They also discover that the brother-in-law and the sister of Peterson are fake as well. Liz finds out who they all have in common, the man from the estate hearing who never gave his name. Ressler suggests they bring him in.
We find a very drunken Tim, going back up to a hotel room as Jan, the fake brother-in-law and the sister are shown. Jan is pushed into the wall and the sister says that she has had enough. Jan says that the brother needs to do it one more time and he knocks her to the ground. As Tim hears the commotion, he walks into the other connecting room and finds all three of them, with Jan on the floor. “Hey Tim, you’re early.”
Ressler and Navabi are seen interrogating the younger man from the estate hearing, Roger. Samar shows him pictures of the victims from the Van Hess house and says that he should recognize them, since he killed them. He immediately asks for a lawyer. Samar says that he filed the amendment that Van Hess included his son into his will, because Roger was his personal assistant. Ressler asks if he also had access to Tim Peterson’s will, and whether he made changes to include his new found “family.” Roger said that no one was supposed to die. Since Van Hess had a heart attack and wasn’t doing well, it was only a matter of time. He said that Marcus, the fake brother-in-law, wanted his cut and was impatient. Roger says that Marcus is working much faster to get the money from Tim.
Liz always puts up a tough fight. #TheBlacklist pic.twitter.com/29U9eUHmHm
— The Blacklist (@NBCBlacklist) February 2, 2019
So with that, we are back at the hotel with Marcus, Tim, Jan, and Helen, the fake sister. Tim tries to get answers from “Deidre” and Marcus commands Helen get the pills. Tim attempts to stop Helen but Marcus pulls out his gun. Tim wants to know what is going on and “Deidre” tells Tim that she is pregnant. Jan had Marcus beat her up so that they can stage his murder as self defense against Jan. Tim and “Deidre” would get into a fight about the “baby,” Tim being drunk fits right into the story, along with the pills Helen is retrieving. Then Tim would be shot, since according to the story, Tim became violent and “Deidre” would’ve had to defend herself. Helen arrives back with the pills and Tim exclaims that he doesn’t have a will or estate set up. Jan tells him that since she is pregnant with his next of kin, she will get the money. Ressler arrives as shots are fired from Tim attacking Marcus. Ressler is able to keep Marcus, Tim and Helen but Jan makes a run for it. Ressler calls Keen that she is on the run and as soon as the elevator opens up, Jan is standing right there. She attacks Liz and they struggle. They fight for Liz’s gun. The elevator door opens and Jan is thrown out onto the ground as an older couple looks on. Liz gets Jan into custody and gets her back inside the elevator.
Judge Wilkins is back and has listened to the tape. She doesn’t find it concerning and says that it doesn’t need to be entered as evidence in the proceeding. Red still can’t get over the fact that this anonymous tip, gave specific details which couldn’t have been known. Red couldn’t have been the only 50 year old white male in a suit and hat. Officer Baldwin knew that going in and instead decided to ask for identification. The ID was so wonderfully fake that, “I started to believe my name was George Murphy.” Red wasn’t nervous, he made fun of Baldwin because he got impatient and made a comment. He insists that there was no credible evidence provided from the tip, something they all should be aware of, and that he should be released.
After the hearing, we see Helen, Marcus, and Jan being escorted out of the building by the FBI. Tim wishes he wouldn’t have let himself be played but Liz understands and sympathizes that all he wanted was a family, saying, “I know what it’s like to be fooled by people who you think are family.” Dembe arrives saying that he needs to speak with Tim. Tim asks who Dembe is and he says that he works for the man who saved his life. He now asks for a favor in return, his vote.
Dembe returns to Red’s cell and tells him that Harris Van Hess was killed for his money, not for being connected to Reddington. Dembe says that Van Hess’s vote isn’t gone, but it was transferred from Harris to Tim. Tim is then seen providing his vote for Reddington among the others from which Reddington is associated with. Dembe says that instead of finding an enemy, he found a new friend. “Sometimes you make your own fate. Sometimes, fate makes you.
The moment has come. Judge Wilkins is giving her decision. Before she makes her decision, she agrees that the tip wasn’t enough for the pat down. Also, Officer Baldwin conducting his own investigation wasn’t enough. Whether the decision to pat him down was unreasonable or not. She believes it wasn’t unreasonable. Her decision… she denies the motion to suppress the gun taken from Reddington is denied. Mr. Sima mentions that since her ruling, he thereby violated his immunity agreement. She states that when he is convicted, it will be nullified. Mr. Sima also mentions also pursuing his other indictments as well. The judge says that Reddington made a very good case, and it wasn’t an easy decision.
Does Red have an idea about the tape? We must see if he discovers the truth in next week's #TheBlacklist. pic.twitter.com/SPHfyxmA0f
— The Blacklist (@NBCBlacklist) February 2, 2019
Samar is seen reciting her transition words as she looks to see Aram working. She opens her word puzzle game and invites him to play. Ressler shows up at Alter Ego to hire a date for his cousin’s wedding, not sticking to his earlier statements. Red is seen sitting in a cell as Liz rushes in after hearing the verdict of the gun. Raymond tells Liz that he was wrong about Van Hess and that his enemy all along was there with him. He knows that he was set up and mentions the recording. Liz questions him if he had heard the tape and he says he didn’t but he plans on hearing it, so he will know who betrayed him. He says that no matter what happens to him, the person who betrayed him’s fate will be sealed. “And despite losing today, it’s only just begun.”
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The Blacklist airs Friday’s at 9 pm on NBC.