“Lady Luck” played like a “normal” Blacklist episode, with Reddington throwing his weight around a fun and strange Blacklister, giving the task force fits. After a run of heavy episodes, this was a welcome comeback. This approach worked particularly well because the hour’s events were still tethered to recent events, continuing the season’s more serialized nature.
Freed from prison and interpersonal issues with Aram (Amir Arison), Reddington turned his attention to the narc inside his criminal network. Reddington continued to obsess over who turned him into the police. The new wrinkle is Dembe’s (Hisham Tawfiq) knowledge that the culprit was Liz (Megan Boone). As Reddington got more aggressive and violent in his interrogations of various associates — including everyone’s favorite carny, Smokey — Dembe did what Dembe does. He stood there quietly, helped with needed and eventually made a wise speech about his best friend’s misguided search — even though he’s hiding the truth.
Reddington’s activity here was a needed reminder of what the man is capable of. Though Season 6 has positioned the character in weaker circumstances, Reddington is out of prison now, but he’s obviously not transformed by the time spent. The Blacklist is not that kind of show. Might as well uncork some of the man’s more villainous tendencies, even as he repeatedly expressed disgust in his network’s development of an expansive meth distribution unit. After all, the man has morals.
Meanwhile, as the task force battled with the titular Lady Luck — a woman who preyed on gambling addicts with huge debts to help care for her handicapped husband — Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff) took up the mantle that Liz has emphatically dropped.
The investigation already revealed new information that’s somewhat interesting. Ressler’s contact helped him discover the location and identity of Liz’s maternal grandmother, who is — get this — not dead as previously thought. What a development! At least the story is moving forward.
The Blacklist airs Fridays at 9/8c on NBC.
