The Blacklist – Greyson Blaise

By: Robert Warren

In the New York City night, a thief lowers himself down gently from the roof as Sofi Tucker’s “Awoo” plays in the background. With a room full of expensive jewelry, the thief decides to cut an arm-sized hole in a jewelry glass box that holds a necklace. Reaching into the hole, he grasps the precious necklace, raises himself out and takes off. He begins making the switch from his black burglarizing outfit to a full white suit, topped with crimson red flower broach and classy bowtie. The thief, who we find out is Mr. Greyson Blaise (Owain Yeoman), shows up to a party and hands the necklace off his date as he walks in. Everyone claps for Blaise as Phoebe Attridge (Kathleen Butler) guides him to the glass podium where Blaise begins presenting the Napoleon Diamond Necklace. The guests walk into the room, but to no surprise the necklace is gone, as Blaise had already handed it off to his date. “You`ve been a naughty boy,” the woman says to Blaise in which he responds, “You said you had to have it.”

Episode “Greyson Blaise” (No. 37) opens as Elizabeth (Liz) Keen (Megan Boone) and Tom Keen (Ryan Eggold) start to get it on. Tom wants to get married, but Liz wants to have sex first. Liz is late for work and her boss Harold Cooper (Harry Lennix) is all upset, especially since Reddington is acting like it is summer vacation. He wants Liz to help her with something…finding Reddington.

Reddington is just chilling at a white plastic table overlooking the pool playing Parcheesi with Myron. Myron, sitting opposite of him, passes Reddington a sticky note. Soft music slides in sound in the background.  As Myron leaves the table Reddington takes out the sticky and passes it to Dembe Zuma (Hisham Tawfiq), telling him that the man on the sticky gets them to a man named Dennison who will further lead them to the suitcase.

Cooper and Liz  approach Reddington;s table as Reddington tells them the name of Greyson Blaise, which he says is the name of a Blacklister who stole Van Gough`s poppy flowers from a museum in Cairo, a Picasso in Rio and stole the Napoleon necklace in New York. Reddington says that in Zagreb there is going to be an auction where they can get to Blaise.

Cooper thinks that this will look good for them to take him down, but Reddington wants to go into business with him instead. Cooper agrees because it will make Reddington more fearful and powerful CI, but says that Reddington has to take Liz, Donald Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff) and Samar Navabi (Mozhan Marnò.) Reddington agrees with the sip of some beer because he needs a ride anyway.

Cooper tries to get the rundown for the auction. Navabi gives it to them and tells them he added Samar Navabi to the guest list as Yasmin Shahidi to join Reddington and Liz. As classical music plays Reddington, Liz and Nayabi are looking for Mr. Blaise at the auction.

Tom shows Nik Korpal (Piter Marek) the suitcase full of bones, which he says Mr. Kaplan died for so Liz could investigate. But he wants Korpals help first. Korpal is afraid because last time he helped Reddington he nearly died so Korpal heads away and takes off.   

We soon see Dembe in the kitchen and learn he can cook as he prepares a meal for him and Miles Cho (Brian Yang). Before eating, they give thanks by Dembe’s request to Allah in hopes of talking about about Dennison, as to where he may be. They toast to finding Dennison.

Reddington finds Greyson and talks him into seeing the Rembrandt “Storm on the Sea of Galilee” painting at a get-together Saturday which Reddington claims to have at his house in Lake Como in Italy. Greyson says that he will consider. Liz is shocked because Reddington doesn`t even have a house in Lake Como. Reddington tells Liz to have Cooper open up the bank because he is going to need money for the party on Saturday.

Reddington receives a call from Cooper because he is upset that Reddington wants the FBI to pay for a party he isn`t throwing in a house he doesn’t own over a painting he doesn’t own have. Reddington wants the FBI to take back the stolen painting from the house of Amalia Hammet (Delphi Harrington) who has it in her apartment in Paris.

Navabi is at Paris outside the house of Hammet where she sneaks in. Hammet re-enters the house where Navabi and Nik Korpal confronts her about the painting, asking where it is.

Reddington talks to the couple Paolo Beneventi (Mario Corry) and Analia Beneventi (Caprice Benedetti) in Lake Como about using their house for his house party. After Reddington threatens Paolo about locking him in a wine cellar if they do not let him use the house they agree, it`s cool.

Hammet says that she sold the painting and no longer has it so Reddington talks someone into recreating a look alike of it.

Beautiful music plays in the house of Reddington`s party as they set up. Reddington compliments Liz on looking nice as he walks down in a pumpkin looking color of an outfit that he had to borrow. Reddington had reported a tracking device in the ear of Blasies date that was seen at the auction so that Blaise would gain Reddington’s trust.

Redding is relying on Blasie to rebuild part of his criminal empire. Greyson meets Reddington in the beautiful gardens of the place where Reddingtonis throwing the party at and they stroll into the house to discuss partnership ideas. The painting duplicate strolls in a car.

Blaise agrees to the partnership and Reddington presents Blaise with the fake painting. Reddington tells some men to load it into Blaise’s car.

Reddington calls to report the stolen painting to the Italian police where Blaise is arrested. Reddington is using this as an opportunity to rob Blaise and Liz thinks that this is actually pretty cool. No, really cool. Reddington gets into the house and orders everyone to destroy everything, papers burned, hard drives wet, passports shredded.

Reddington takes some of the stolen material from Blaises house. Reddington and Liz takeoff quickly in their car with a Picasso in the backseat. The wheels hum on the ground and they are off. Cooper is frustrated that Reddington keeps putting Cooper in the dark with what is going on.

Cooper is annoyed because the FBI does not get credit for Blaise’s arrest, but rather the Italian Police do. Reddington reminds him that the painting was false and that the FBI will get credit for Blaises arrest because they have the stuff that Blaise actually did steal.

Liz is trying to figure out why Reddington decided to do this crazy plan. Liz let him do it because it felt like the right thing to do since she is his daughter.

Tom walks into a room with a gun to find someone who might be Dennison all bloodied and tied to a chair. Tom asks the man who tied him to the chair. Then Tom, hears the door creek and he goes and hides in the closet, shutting a door that has spots to look through. Tom sees Reddington walk in and identify the bloodied man as Albert. Reddington tells Albert he needs to know where the suitcase is or he will kill him. Reddington shoots a few bullets into Albert and he dies. Tom, seeing all of this, walks out of the closet shocked.

The scene changes to Tom and Liz`s house where Tom receives a call from Korpal who is willing to get involved, but does not want to. Reddington enters the house, even though he can`t stay for long, to join Liz and Tom for a toast to Tom`s return. Tom asks Reddington what has been up to and just like that the episode is over.