If you missed last week’s recap and would like to catch up, you can read it here.
This episode begins nine weeks ago, with a couple moving from their home to DC when their realtor asks them to go inside to sign some paperwork. The realtor assures them of their items’ safety as two of the movers suddenly suffocate the couple with plastic bags. The bodies are rolled in a carpet and taken into a truck. The realtor calls Katarina with her new identity, Madeline Tolliver. Katarina tells her driver Berdy that it seems they will be neighbors with Keen after all.
In the present time, Liz is sending Agnes to school and sees Maddie (Katarina). Liz invites her to coffee after she drops off Agnes. Katarina and Berdy discuss Skovic’s methods as we see Skovic explaining what he is going to do, find memories. Katarina walks in and hands him something, and he tells Ilya that Katarina wants him to go back to 1991 when Katarina reached out to him, and he found out she was alive.
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— The Blacklist (@NBCBlacklist) December 7, 2019
Liz opens her door, expecting Katarina, but it’s Red and Dembe. They sit down for coffee, and Red tells Liz that a woman from Paris has kidnapped a dear friend. We see Ilya getting sedated as he tells Katarina that she doesn’t have to do this. Liz asks the name of the woman and he continues that this friend has information that this woman will do anything to get. He says they have a lead, Orion Relocation Services. Liz says she deserves to know her name if she is going after Red’s friends or them. Red asks about the FBI keeping a lookout for her, and Liz changes the subject back to Orion Relocation Services.
Liz briefs the team on Orion Relocation Services. She tells them they kill innocent people and give their identities to their clients. Liz says they have a lead on a Sofia Burke, who is requesting Orion’s services. We see Sofia talking to the realtor from the beginning saying she needs to disappear. According to Aram, Sofia is a jewel thief, her partner, who tried to steal the “Dresden Green,” is awaiting trial in Brooklyn. Cooper sends Ressler and Park to Brooklyn to investigate. Aram gives Liz an envelope from the Hoover Building that has a flash drive inside. She tells Aram that Agnes saw a dead body at the park the other day. There was a birthday party happening at the same time, Liz and Aram watch the video of the birthday party. They see two men walking towards the restroom in the background.
Skovic, Ilya, and Katarina are in her apartment as Skovic prepares to extract Ilya’s memories. He tells Ilya not to fight because it will only make him relax more. He tells Ilya to breathe and picture himself as a young man on the day he found out Katarina was still alive. We start to see a glimpse of young Ilya from 1991 as Skovic tells him to open his eyes. Suddenly, we see the young Ilya’s eyes open.
Liz shows the video from the park to Cooper and says that she sent the screengrab to FBI offices around the world, and no one can ID the two men. A woman is seen cutting her hair and telling someone on the phone to liquidate everything. Liz asks about Burke’s partner, and he says that the partner gave a name, Richard Potash. Red is about to meet with him at a restaurant he frequents, and Liz tells Cooper she is attending. She wants to know how these men are connected to her daughter.
Liz and Red arrive at the dinner, and Red finds Potash. He introduces himself as Raymond Reddington and introduces Liz as Lydia Dart, a client of his. Liz tries to start a conversation with Potash when the chef Rasmus Ray tells everyone to take their seats. He explains that they will be enjoying their meal, without prejudices, in the dark. “Is this for real?” “Well, it certainly just got interesting.”
Back at Katarina’s apartment, Ilya, who is guided by Skovic, recalls the day he found out Katarina was alive. Older Ilya and young Ilya are standing side by side as he watches his 1991 self and Katarina chat. He had heard about her suicide in Cape May but was relieved to know she was alive. He recalls the plan they made about impersonating Reddington, but he remembers it didn’t work out as they thought. He says that the plan involved Katarina, Dr. Koehler, and himself. Katarina asks, “who was under the knife,” but suddenly, Ilya’s blood pressure spikes because he is guarding the memory. Skovic wants to bring him out, but Katarina refuses and suggests letting him rest.
At the dinner, dishes are getting served as Red, and Liz tells Potash they want him to reach out to Sofia Burke to try to steal the “Dresden Green.” Potash says he would need to make a call. The chef’s next dish is to kill an endangered owl but is stopped by Reddington, who turns on the light and says he is taking the owl. He calls Lydia (Liz) and gives Potash a look as he turns the lights back off.
Liz and Red are waiting at a restaurant for Sofia. Sofia walks in and says that she won’t try to steal the Dresden again. Red has her sit and explains that he needs information about Orion Relocation Services. She pretends not to know, but when Dembe brings a briefcase full of money, she seems willing to talk. Liz gets a call from Agent Dentry in Baltimore about the picture of the man from the park as Sofia explains to Red that Orion finds someone who is moving that has no family and is the same age, ethnicity, etc. with the person who needs to disappear. We see the woman who is packing her items and is the next victim. Red asks for the name of her new identity, and she says it’s Denise Young.
Liz gets the name of the man, Tommy Petrov, but Agent Dentry says he answers to Motya Morozov. The agent tells her he was shot and was hoping she knew why. Red tells Dembe that they need to find Denise Young, and to help find Ilya, he needs help from the person who needs to stay away from him, Liz. Red says they have a lead when Liz comes out and mentions Morozov. She asks if he was looking for her mother, and Red says he was before he shot him. Liz asks if they find the woman in Paris will all of this end, he hopes so.
At Katarina’s apartment, Skovic updates her on Ilya’s condition and suggests an unorthodox method to help recall the memory. Skovic tries once again to have Ilya recall a memory, this time in Belgrade, at a cafe. Older Ilya is seen at the cafe as he is guided by Skovic to remember, but he resists. Suddenly, a hand reaches over, and it’s Katarina. She is sedated and trying to get through to Ilya. Katarina tells him that she knows that he met with Dom. Ilya and Katarina are seen looking at young Dom and young Ilya as they talk. Ilya said it was dangerous for them to meet, and Dom said that the plan for Reddington didn’t work. It only angered people after her and created the Townsend Directive, by Neville Townsend. Ilya says he can’t help, and Townsend will not stop looking for Katarina, but Dom reminds him he made a promise to Masha and Katarina. Dom says they will stop looking if Katarina dies. “You want me to kill your daughter?” “I want you to hear my plan.”
The team gathers in Cooper’s office, surprised that the Russian Vory was involved. Liz feels she should move because the Russian Mob is after her family. Ressler assures her the FBI is watching, as Park comes in with some information on Denise Young. She found several but only one matching the description given from Sofia of a woman trying to escape abuse. Cooper sends Liz and Ressler to her house while Park and Aram try to warn her of trouble.
Young Dom and young Ilya are in the car, watching an inn across the street. Dom said that Ilya could get to her. Ilya said that he couldn’t do it, but Dom said it was to protect Masha. Young Katarina is seen leaving the inn as older Katarina and Ilya are retelling what happened from their perspectives. Ilya asked a favor of Katarina, to meet Dom at Volkov Station. Her husband, at the time, tried to stop her and was angry knowing she was still involved with her past. The Townsend Directive were all gathered with guns to try and kill Katarina as Ilya and Dom watched. Pyotr, her husband, insisted on coming and gets in the car when suddenly, the car explodes. It is very emotional for Katarina as she remembers, and Ilya keeps apologizing. Back at the scene, residents from the inn run out just as the Townsend Directive tried to finish the job. Ilya said it had all gone wrong. A phone is heard ringing, and it’s older Katarina’s. Liz had called to have her watch Agnes until she gets home. Liz tells Katarina that there was a dead body at the park, and men were after her. Katarina asks who, but Liz can’t explain. She needs someone she can trust, and Katarina says she will keep Agnes safe.
Young Dom and young Ilya are in the car arguing. Dom says that instead of showing her death, they showed Katarina alive, and now Masha is a target. Ilya says he had no idea as older Ilya is seen in the backseat. Young Ilya says they need to tell Reddington what happened, but Dom refuses. Skovic asks why Red has to know, and Ilya says that he is part of it. Katarina becomes angry that Ilya was protecting him when he was supposed to protect her, and now she is being hunted after losing everything that day. Ilya begins to seize, and Skovic stops the seizure. Katarina tells him she wants the truth, but Skovic says she can’t get it if he is dead.
Liz and Ressler are on the way to Denise’s house and are on the phone with Park and Aram. Aram explains that Young has seemingly hidden from them. Park said that she couldn’t get ahold of Reddington, and gave him the address before she called them. Denise is with Bisset, the realtor, and says she can’t wait to leave because of the memories there. There is a shotgun in case her ex tries to come back. She grabs her keys as one of the moving men try to suffocate her. She sprays him with pepper spray and runs to grab her shotgun. The realtor instructs the other man to help one another as she grabs a knife to kill Young. Red and Dembe arrive on the scene and hear gunshots. Dembe shoots both the moving men. Red is upstairs and finds the realtor woman on the floor with a gunshot wound. He gets out a picture of Katarina and asks where she is, but the woman dies before providing answers. Liz arrives and insists on the woman from Paris’ name, but Red says he must leave because of shots fired in a residential neighborhood.
The veil has finally been pulled back. #TheBlacklist pic.twitter.com/p5tyITIWb3
— The Blacklist (@NBCBlacklist) December 7, 2019
Liz is at Red’s apartment, asking Red to come to identify the woman from Paris from the Orion files at the War Room. Red agrees, and the team searches through all the records. Liz happens upon her nanny and flashes to all their interactions. Liz hides the file under her jacket and tells the team she has to relieve her nanny. She gets home, and Katarina is sitting drinking wine. She asks about the men from the park, but checks on Agnes first. She grabs her gun, puts a silencer on it, and she comes out of the room. Liz tells Katarina that the men at the park weren’t after Agnes; they were after her. “Maddie Tolliver would never kill anyone. But Katarina Rostova would.” Katarina says she can explain, but Liz points her gun. Liz asks why she shouldn’t kill Katarina, and she says, “I’m your mother.”
You can watch the promo for next week’s episode below!
The Blacklist airs Fridays at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.