Recap: Liz Is Out for Revenge in ‘The Blacklist’ Season 8, Episode 3: “16 Ounces”

Courtesy of NBC

If you missed episode 2’s recap, check it out here.

This episode begins with Agent Park and Agent Ressler at the park where Reddington killed Katarina and they are conversing with Cooper and Aram, who are back at the Post Office. Ressler and Park tell them that there is no evidence at the scene, but Cooper is certain that Reddington’s cleaners have disposed of the evidence. Cooper asks if Ressler has heard from Keen, and he says the last time he heard from her was when she called him from Dembe’s phone to warn him about what Reddington was planning to do. Cooper orders Aram to check on Agnes to see if Liz picked her up from school.

Liz busts into her apartment and immediately packs a suitcase. As Liz packs, she listens to all of her unread voicemails. The first voicemail is from Merritt, a friend of Liz’s who picked up Agnes from school. The next message is from Ressler, who says he is worried about her and wants her to call him. The last message is from Katerina’s exchange with Reddington and we see a flashback to their conversation as Liz listens.

Red and Dembe are at one of his warehouses and watch as Katerina’s body is being wrapped up in plastic and duck-tape. Red asks Dembe if he thinks that he made a mistake. Dembe says, “You ask a tactical question. I see only an ethical one. No. It was not a mistake, but it was wrong.” Red knows why: Elizabeth. Dembe continues, saying that Red has pushed Liz too far.

Aram and Park are at Liz’s apartment and discover that most of her clothes are gone. While they investigate, Liz gets a room at a motel and once she’s in her room, she continues to listen to her mother’s voicemail. Simultaneously, Cooper and Aram talk about how Liz left her apartment, and she apparently called Merritt a few hours ago to have her keep Agnes for a few days. Cooper, visibly frustrated, says, “So we’re nowhere. We’ve lost track of Keen and her mother.” Keen finishes listening to the voicemail as another flashback of Red and Katerina’s confrontation is seen.

Next, Cooper is seen in his office, reaching out to his sources to help find Keen as she walks right into his office. She tells him that Red has killed her mother and his first response is that he’s glad she’s okay. She is taken aback and sternly tells him that it was an execution. Cooper tells her that they couldn’t find any evidence at the park, but Liz explains that’s why she’s there.

Cooper and Liz listen to the voicemail. Liz says that she saw it happen and is willing to testify so that Red doesn’t get away with this. Cooper is hesitant, bringing up the fact that Katerina was a dangerous woman with a dangerous past, but Liz says that doesn’t “justify her execution.” Liz continues that Cooper is making excuses and tells him she wanted to take Agnes and leave town, but she didn’t because she thought that Cooper would do the right thing. He knows that Red is out of control, but says that he can’t take Reddington down without taking her down. With her kidnapping her grandfather, the felony charge would destroy her life, and her life with Agnes. “You may be disgusted by my silence, Agent Keen, but you will benefit from it.” She turns in her badge, but Cooper requests that she think about her decision and suggests she talk to Reddington. She says that she would consider it for him and just as she is about to leave, for perhaps the last time, he asks that she call him “Harold.” She says that she has always appreciated his honesty, whether she liked it or not. “Thank you for that… Harold.”

Aram is still hard at work looking for Liz, without realizing she is standing right behind him. He turns around and she hands him a coffee. They discuss Cooper and she breaks it to Aram that she doesn’t want to come back. She grabs his hands and tells a tearful Aram how grateful she is for him. Liz backs up and accidentally knocks over one of the coffees. He runs to grab paper towels while Liz goes into one of Aram’s desk drawers, rips off a piece of paper from a tear pad, and leaves. Aram races back to clean up with Liz gone, and he notices that the drawer is sticking out.

Red is at Dom’s house, talking with Marvin, while he reflects on life. A conversation strikes up with an appraiser about what they should do with Dom’s house, but Red says it’s up to Liz. Concurrently, Liz is at the Task Force on her way to what is called “The Dungeon.” She says Aram has requested something for a case, and he goes to grab it. At Dom’s, Marvin is curious why Red would leave everything to Liz, when she chose Katerina. Red tells him that she may hate him today, but she can change her mind, just as Dom had. Dembe approaches, saying that Liz is on the phone. Red answers as Liz says that she told him what would happen if he hurt her mother. He tells her that he knows what she saw, but it’s not what she thinks. She continues that she told Cooper she’s done, and she is leaving town. He asks her to meet him at Dom’s house, so she can help spread Dom’s ashes, and so they can talk. She agrees to meet with him and she grabs the package to leave.

Liz is wiring up passenger car door with the explosive she got from “The Dungeon,” as Ressler walks up to her in the parking lot of the motel. She tells him that if Cooper sent him, she still isn’t coming back. He tells her that Cooper is right in that they can’t take down Red without taking her down, and that she is right in that she shouldn’t come back right now. He asks what’s going on with her car and she says that her passenger door was sticking, but she fixed it. Ressler tells her that he knows she has no intention of backing down, and he’s worried. She says that everyone is concerned about what’s best for her, but he says that there is nothing wrong with him caring about her. She asks if they are done, and he says he is, while calling her by her alias “Allison.” He found her at the motel because one night when she had too much to drink, she told him her alias. As he leaves, she says she will think about what he says.

Liz meets Red, Marvin, and Dembe at Dom’s house. Red tries to tell her that there is an explanation, but she says that she wants a confession. She plays him the voicemail, but Red tells her that if she only came to play the message, she can either leave, or she can help spread Dom’s ashes and have a conversation with him. She agrees and says that he can ride with her and talk on the way. In an intense, slow-motion scene, Red walks to the passenger side of Liz’s car, and he doesn’t look well. Liz waits, and just as Red is about to open the door, he coughs blood onto the passenger side window. He calls for Dembe and Dembe puts him in the car to rush him to a hospital. Marvin tells Liz that no matter what happens, Red loves her and that he is still leaving everything to her, despite the fact that she chose “that woman” over him. She says that the woman was her mother, and he murdered her. She doesn’t want anything from him.

Dembe arrives at the hospital, as a doctor comes out to meet him. The doctor is surprised to see them at the public hospital, but Dembe says that Red needs help now. The doctor helps bring Red inside as Dembe calls Cooper to say that he needs help. Inside the hospital, nurses are arguing with Dembe because he won’t give out Red’s personal information to them, but Cooper arrives just in time. He asks Dembe how Red is, and he tells the nurses to call security to lock down the floor.

Esi Jackson (PI) meets with Liz at her motel room. Liz tells Esi that she needs her to help finish the job. Esi is hesitant but eventually she offers to do it, since Red trusts her. We see their plan come to fruition at the hospital and Liz’s voice is overheard as the U.S. Marshals arrive at the hospital with news of a fugitive. Liz says that the Marshal’s will create a diversion to give them time, but Red’s men are working to move him as soon as possible. Red’s doctor tells Dembe and Cooper that Red isn’t stable enough to be moved as Ressler advances toward them with the Marshals. The U.S. Marshals and the FBI are now at odds over Reddington. Liz says that her and Esi have to be careful of Aram because he will figure out that she used one of his forms to get the explosives from the requisition locker, which Aram does. Next, we see Esi being searched by Red’s men and she tells them that Liz is on her way to kill Reddington.

It’s Marshals vs. FBI as the Marshals have a court order in the works, and Cooper is calling the DOJ for a mission request. Esi meets with Dembe in Red’s room to tell him Liz’s plan to kill Red. Dembe has Esi call Liz to “trick” her and have her say it’s clear. Liz says that she is at the hospital in the east stairwell and Dembe sends his men to the east stairway to try and stop Liz while Esi stays with Red.

Aram calls Ressler to explain that Liz stole a requisition form from his desk to withdraw 16 ounces of Semtex. Ressler knows that she is coming for Red and tells Aram to get the hospital. Ressler tells Park to tell Cooper and he catches up with Dembe to say that Liz was coming after Red. Dembe says that he is going to stop her, but they need to move Raymond. Ressler tells Park to get transport ready because Liz is in the building. Dembe and Red’s men try and catch Liz as Esi sits with Red. She plants the bomb, just as Red wakes up. Ressler busts in the room and he tells Esi to evacuate because it’s not safe. As Ressler gets word to transport Raymond, a nurse finds the bomb on Red’s bed. Meanwhile, Dembe and Red’s men discover Liz was never there. Esi tells Liz that it’s done and Liz activates the bomb. Thinking quickly, Ressler breaks the window with a chair and throws the bomb out just as it explodes.

Liz is talking to Agnes as Esi arrives back at the motel. She tells Liz that no one will confirm whether Red is alive or not and that she doesn’t think Ressler got out in time. Liz frantically calls Aram, who’s now at the hosptial. He tells her that he knows she took a requisition form. She asks about Red and Ressler, and he says that Reddington survived but doctors are with Ressler now. Aram hangs up walks into Ressler’s room as he is getting patched up. Cooper talks with them about Liz’s plan as Park comes into the room to tell them that the Marshals want a word. Cooper goes out and the Marshals say they have been given a cease-and-desist order.

Back at the motel room, Liz decides to call Red and thanks him for teaching her how to be a criminal but she’s coming for him. Liz goes to Ressler’s home and tearfully apologizes for nearly killing him. She asks that before everyone comes after her, that he lets her rest. He agrees and lets her in. Cooper comes into Red’s room at the hospital and asks to help him understand why he killed Katerina, knowing that Liz may never forgive him. He says that one day she might, but before that, he is worried she will do something she can never recover from. To prevent that, he suggests they put her name at the top of The Blacklist.

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The Blacklist airs Friday’s at 8 P.M. EST on NBC.

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