The Blacklist – The Blacklist- Anna-Gracia Duerte (No. 51)

By: Robert Warren

Opening the scene, Reva Jawal (Agneeta Thacker) is listening to music when her dad Jerry Jawal (Andrew Guilarte) walks into the room offering to help with the homework if needed. She doesn’t need it and is reluctant, so he enters another room with a safe and starts spinning its dial. Calling Raymond ‘Red’ Reddington (James Spader) he claims to have what Reddington needs. Sitting back up from reaching into the safe Jerry gets shot and quickly the episode takes flight.

Over at Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters Donald Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff) starts talking to Aram Mojtabai (Amir Arison) about a ring that Aram just bought for Samar Navabi (Mozhan Marnò). Getting the ring for a nice gift seems like a good idea after dating for much time, but Ressler alludes to how this may seem like a proposal if Aram were to give Samar the ring. Unsure as to why it may seem like a proposal, Aram definitely understands how there could be confusion but still is pretty set on going through with the decision.

Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone) and Samar enter the scene as Keen gets a call from Nic’s Pizza. Reddington is cooking food for Dembe Zuma (Hisham Tawfiq) and Elizabeth. Reddington starts talking about another deal that involved the NASH Syndicate and Keen is wondering if Garvey killed the man that was helping Reddington. Yet, all in all, it is still mysterious to the fact of who actually killed the man. Keen makes her way to Ressler, Navabi, and Harold Cooper (Harry Lennix) at FBI Headquaters to talk about finding the information. Keen mentions that Reddington’s ways of looking for the killer she has a feeling may be “a little less than conventional.”

Reddington starts looking to get information on where Coogan is. Reddington figures it out approaches him and gets him against a wall to get information on who the killer might be. Not much information is gained, but there is still some that may go to good use. In a separate scene Reva Jawal is approached by Anna-Gracia Duerte (Jearnest Corchado) saying, “It`s ok, they still have no idea,” making the scene instantly mysterious as it breaks to a quick cut, leaving the audience hanging.

In a pan of a high school, Anna-Gracia Duerte approaches another student to offer help in the way of death of someone else. Duerte works to bond with the student, gives her the number to offer help when she is ready. Breaking into what`s next, Reddington goes with Dembe to get dinner with Brimley (Teddy Coluca) to talk. Aram starts talking to Keen to get advice on the ring situation and if would look like a proposal. Keen just suggests giving the ring and he will find out where the situation leads.

Agents Ressler and Navabi show up to the house of Reva Jawal to get information on what happened to her father Jerry. Jawal denies that anything happened to him. When her mother comes to the door, Ressler and Navabi try asking again. Quickly, Jawal`s answer changes and her response is that Jerry wasn`t her father but rather her husband. The scene cuts and Ressler and Navabi begin investigating her. Not too long after questioning Jawal it goes from simple questioning to interrogating to try to pry more information. It does not do much good. It just leads to Jawal breaking down a bit.

Back at the FBI Headquarters, they start looking at how there are child brides, but it is happening through a part of the culture. Going further there is a support group for the children online where they can reach out to one another for support. It seems that some of these children may be being held as child brides as a forced means for sex. Keen is irritated by the circumstance, but Cooper mentions that they can only investigate so far right now because the case is over a killer and needs to be focused.

At the hospital bed, Reddington reaches out to Jawal who Reddington feels has figured out that she referred whoever was her husband’s killer to another client. Aram is talking to Keen about some surveillance to see if they can pull some information about someone who may have ties to Garvey. Keen knows however that this man isn`t in ties to Garvey because she knows something that Aram doesn’t – that Garvey is working for Reddington.  The scene cuts back to FBI Headquaters.

At the headquarters, Cooper starts assigning how the force should break. Keen heads off to approach Reddington to see if Reddington took out a witness from the FBI that may lead her to Tom`s killer. She is furious that Reddington may have done this. Reddington owns up as there was a duffle bag he needed to get back and he had to make a deal. Keen is just stormed by this and isn`t too understanding but very irritated.

The other high school student that arranged for a killer to attack is being investigated and Ressler is at the scene where an explosion takes place. Ian Garvey (Jonny Coin) is approached by a man about the news that Keen is searching and is warning Garvey that they might be in trouble.

Cooper is talking to Keen about Reddington attacking the convoy. Aram is in the room and Keen mentions how this is in regards to a duffle bag. There is more information brought in about the killer and that the person committing the crimes is only 17-years-old and has been doing so since age thirteen. Navabi and Ressler break in search for the killer as the young lady makes a run for it.

Navabi corners her but the killer breaks out in tears as the person who she was married too not was only a forced marriage, but also a forced way of rape. She tears up and describes her killing as salvation. She says that she does it as a way to heal others. Samar tries to open up with a personal story to connect because the killer is threatening to jump. As the killer freezes with Navabi opening up Navabi is able to guide her away from the edge of the rooftop to avoid having her jump.

In Boston, Keen and Aram end up set up by who they thought were officers. Quickly surrounded by a group of people, Keen realizes that these people probably work for Garvey. She punches one of them and the whole groups breaks out in gunfire. They are trying to make a run for it and get in a car and take off.

Navabi starts talking to Cooper about minimalizing what happens to the 17-year-old killer because she was raped at a young age and is trying to help other girls who are put into these forced traps where they may end up raped. After talking to Cooper, Navabi walks into a room with Keen to talk to the 17-year-old killer and set things straight in a minimal fashion. Navabi ends up getting things worked out to where the young killer, if she confesses will only be put into jail until she is twenty-one-years old rather than life as she would be charged as a juvenile offender. Anna, the 17-year-old, starts tearing up from this wondering why she is only to be put in jail until she is twenty-one-years old.

Navabi assures her that for once in this girl’s life she actually has someone looking out for her, Navabi. The scene breaks from this touching moment as Reddington goes to a dump pile with Keen and Dembe. Reddington and them start digging through things and looking for what Reddington was supposed to get. Meanwhile, Aram sits in a room with Navabi just talking to her. Aram takes out a box with the ring that he got.

Navabi cares a lot about the fact that Aram got him this ring. She kisses him with thanks him. Aram assures her that it was something that his grandmother would have wanted him to give to Navabi, but she knows that it was his idea. You can tell that there is some disappointment to Aram because he had some hopes in Navabi seeing this as a means of proposal after all the talk with Keen and Ressler. Nevertheless, Navabi is still appreciative and they break for a good meal.

Reddington is sitting very nonchalant in a reclining chair and gives a casual call to Garvey. Answering the call, Reddington points out to Garvey that not only Reddington is missing something of value but also now Garvey is too. The camera pans to the small table that Reddington is sitting by where there is a log book sitting. This is what they must have found in the trash. Now Reddington has collateral and has another reason to potentially make a deal in a future episode. Reddington mentions that he will stay in touch with Garvey and the episode comes to a close.