That was how TV was supposed to be!
Raymond’s plan came into focus when he implemented it on The Blacklist Season 10 Episode 9, wiping his foe from the map and any evidence of his involvement with the Task Force.
It was expected that he had been working on a plan to deal with Wujing, but never in the wildest of dreams could anyone have guessed something like that.
Playing two sides off each other like that? That’s so Raymond.
He is always a couple of steps ahead of everyone else, and even if you know he is ahead of you, you can’t tell what he’s planning unless he lets you in.
When we met him on The Blacklist Season 10 Episode 1, he was looking for a building, and I thought it was a living space, but the size was odd.
The first half of the hour appeared ridiculous to a keen viewer.
Never has there been such a deliberate focus on following the steps, including doing the same thing twice. Usually, the perp arrives at the Post Office blindfolded and is marched into the nearest interrogation room before they can breathe the war room’s air.
The next hint was that Ressler left the file on the table. He has never been that careless, knowing Chang could open it and read the contents.
There was no way Chang would not be suspicious about how things just seemed to be working out for him. The only saving grace was learning later that he was in on it.
No dice. He’s still talking tough. Seems like he knows something that we don’t.
Ressler
He must have had the most fun of all the characters.
A lot came as a surprise, including that Raymond had reached out to Chang and recruited him into his crew.
Sometimes a good dose of humbleness is necessary, and I was much humbled by how the events unfolded.
I had doubted how long Raymond would keep pulling off the same trick, but the trick only needed to work long enough, and work it did.
I was skeptical of Raymond’s decision to minimize Wujing, but he wasn’t. He just didn’t truly consider Wujing a threat worth losing sleep over.
His death almost felt anti-climatic, but too much good stuff was happening; it was not worth thinking about.
You, of all people, know that what you think you see is rarely the full picture. I hope you’re hearing me, Chang.
Raymond
Ultimately, his hate for Reddington was his undoing as he failed to see what was right before him. It should have raised at least a slight suspicion in his mind that a guy escaped an FBI secret site without so much as a broken finger.
As much as pulling off the plan was exhilarating, the fallout will be even bigger.
With Wujing dead, the focus shifts onto other issues and chief among them Raymond.
The Task Force was not just amazed by Raymond’s actions; they were flabbergasted. It was shocking how they could be played off like common criminals by a criminal.
One could see Cooper and Malik grin ear to ear as they set up Chang to escape thinking they knew the game, but they were being played.
What must hurt the most was the embarrassment after learning Raymond had played them. Cooper tried to mask it well, but everyone else did not do a great job.
Despite spending over a decade at Raymond’s side, Dembe was amazed but not surprised.
Raymond: You know this, Dembe. What wins wars.
Dembe: Anticipation.
The Task Force had looked over a lot during their time working together all these years. However, after Wujing’s death, it begs the question, did Raymond cross a line?
The Post Office was the one place that was supposed to be safe, and thanks to Raymond, it would never feel like it anymore. Two murders were committed in the middle of the room.
A valuable government system was stolen and used to destroy confidential documents.
For those reasons only, Raymond had done something terrible. The nail in the coffin is the betrayal, which the task force won’t overcome.
These acts triggered a series of events that gave the Task Force no option but to go after Raymond.
This might be the next big thing.
Raymond is a career criminal, and the FBI had been way over their heads thinking he was anything but.
With Liz gone, he had no reason to stick to the original agreement, which the government cannot prove there ever was. Where are the documents?
The only thing that ties Raymond to this world is Agnes.
Like it was a decade ago, the FBI will have no option but to declare Raymond a wanted fugitive again.
Harold: You went too far this time, Raymond.
Raymond: Perhaps.
Harold: Not, perhaps. We are not just the Reddington Task Force. We are the FBI!
He had become unpredictable, and his unpredictability put influential people in the line of fire in case anything went wrong.
And by influential people, I mean Senator Panabaker. She has the full force of the US government behind her, and it will be in her best interest to preserve that.
We’re about to experience a war between the Task Force and Raymond.
Harold: You’ve finally done it. Turned it all down.
Raymond: You’re angry, Harold. Take some time to figure out if we can continue. I’ll do the same.
“The Troll Farmer Part 3” was everything we loved about this show. It was wild.
The writing was genius, with double-edged statements used right front and center. They previewed what was coming.
By this point, we are all used to James Spader knocking it out of the park as Raymond, but there are certain scenes where he outdoes himself; it feels like the first time you saw him as Raymond. The scene at The Post Office with Sven was one.
The series will feel rejuvenated as we enter the final season’s second act.
What did you think of it?
Will the Task Force agree to hunt Raymond when the FBI demands it?
Is Raymond going to leave Agnes behind voluntarily?
Have we seen the last of Wujing loyalists? Hit the comments section and let us know your thoughts.
It’s yours to watch The Blacklist online any time via TV Fanatic.
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Denis Kimathi is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on Twitter.
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