- As evidence mounts against Liz in the case of the murdered DC Harbormaster, a federal judge makes it clear to her that she will face severe criminal charges. Reddington and Ressler jump into high gear to exonerate Liz but the only solution is to find the recently vanished Tom Keen - wherever he may be operating in the world.
- 'The Blacklist" - "Tom Keen (No. 7)"-- March 19, 2015
The day of reckoning has finally arrived for the harbormaster's murder which sends everybody into a tailspin.
When presented with the new evidence-- a bullet from her gun with Sam's blood on it, contradicting her story that she never saw Sam on the boat-- Liz holds fast to her story with the judge. The judge is incredulous. Liz reiterates that what she told him, that she didn't kill the harbormaster, is the only truth he needs to know. He thinks a jury will feel differently and he will issue his ruling in the morning.
Liz heads back to the Post Office and we overhear her on the phone with her financial advisor transferring a large sum of money into an offshore account. Cooper than confronts her about forcing him to perjure himself in front of the judge. They argue and Liz stands her ground. Cooper gets worked up saying that she has turned into someone he no longer recognizes. Suddenly his nose starts bleeding and he collapses.
Meanwhile, in Germany, Tom continues to earn his bona fides, helping his new buddies rough up a competing drug dealer. They take his stash and make sure he doesn't walk away unscathed.
Red takes his lead on Tom's whereabouts to the Post Office where they drop the bomb that Tom isn't dead, that Liz held him captive on the boat, and that Tom killed the harbormaster. Everyone agrees this is insane. Red and Ressler zip off to Germany to try and find Tom with Red telling Ressler to keep his mouth shut since his whole being screams "cop." They inform Liz on the way out the door and she doesn't believe that Tom will come back for her.
Red goes to see an old friend in rehab who gives him a lead on an Austrian arms dealer who is working with Tom's group and says he will get further leads for the right price.
They get their lead and bust a shipment of guns at the airport that were on their way to the arms dealer, Franz. Red goes to see Franz and tells them that his shipment was seized but he has a way to get a back for a cut of 35 percent. Franz notes he was supposed to deliver those guns that night. Red says he will take care of the delivery now.
At the hospital the word is inconclusive on Cooper, who had a seizure. His wife arrives and confides in Liz about the brain tumor and the clinical trial, which they thought was helping. She asks Liz to keep this news between them.
Red and Ressler show up at the meeting place. While the main guy is off in the back, Tom approaches their car and when the windows are rolled down he is shocked to see them. They explain that Liz needs his help. He says to tell her she's on her own. Red won't accept this answer so when the boss returns he improvises. He says Franz was under surveillance by the police and that Ressler is an FBI agent on his payroll and that's how he knew. So either Tom is a terrible source-- since he put the boss onto Franz-- or that he is in on the sting. Tom tries to argue that Red is lying but the boss wants to kill him anyway. There is a shoot out and everyone but Red, Dembe, Ressler, and Tom is killed, but Tom gets away. He later calls Red and tells him he's screwed up his undercover operation. Red does not care. He says Liz needs him to do the right thing. Tom thinks this is pretty rich coming from him since Red has been using Liz from the beginning and tells him that is not happening and he is not going down for her and definitely not for Red.
Det. Wilcox has been monitoring Liz's financials-- illegally-- and thinks that since she wired the money to the offshore account that she getting ready to flee since she is guilty.
The judge returns to make his ruling. The deputy AG asks him to please wait since a rep from the US AG's office will be arriving shortly. He is not inclined to wait. Then a man comes in and tells him that another man has arrived confessing to the harbormaster's murder. Tom is brought in in handcuffs. Liz can't believe it.
The judge takes Tom into his chambers and he tells him that he killed the harbormaster and he wants Liz left out of it. When the judge points out that even if that's true Liz still perjured herself and is an accessory after the fact. Tom pleads with him to leave to Liz out of it. The judge wonders why a man who betrayed and spied on her and then was held captive by her would ask for this and then, suddenly, he realizes that Tom is in love with Liz, which he notes is twisted indeed.
Liz goes to see a recovered Cooper in the hospital. She apologizes for putting the task force at risk and her own behavior. He apologizes for the remark about not recognizing her, noting anyone who had been through what she had been through would be changed by it but he doesn't want to lose the good person he met.
Liz leaves and the doctor informs Cooper and his wife that the clinical trial chemo is working and the seizure was a side effect of that. The tumor is still terminally dangerous but the drugs are slowing it's growth so, good news.
We cut back to the judge and Tom and suddenly the AG Tommy Connolly walks in. Tom is taken away and the AG confronts the judge, and fully dresses him down for all of the illegal things that he actually did in the course of the case: like forcing federal agents to give away national security secrets in his chambers among a long list of other things like a "per se violation of the Patriot Act." He says the case is so far over his head it would make his nose bleed and he should have the judge arrested. He makes some good points and the judge clearly knows it even though his some of the right on his side as well. They go toe to toe and Connolly tells him in no uncertain terms to quash the subpoena and that the judge is now at a crossroads about his future. The judge asks if this task force is so important to him. Connolly says he doesn't know what that is and neither does the judge. Connolly says he's willing to move past this and who knows, maybe someday, Connolly will get the judge onto a "real" court.
The next morning, to the sputtering apoplexy of Det. Wilcox, the judge follows those orders. After pontificating about the dangers of government secrets and the need for transparency he agrees that going forward would endanger national security. He does tell Liz that she will have to live with the death of the harbormaster on her conscience everyday and that she needs to have any good work she does going forward be a tribute to Eugene Ames the harbormaster. Wilcox also confronts Liz and tells her now has to go tell the harbormaster's wife and daughter that he could not get justice for them. Liz, although no doubt relieved, is clearly still troubled by the whole thing. Liz asks Connolly what will happen to Tom. Connolly replies "Who? There's no Tom Keen in federal custody."
The AG goes to see Cooper. He explains that he was briefed on the task force and instantly regretted knowing some things he learned. Cooper says he's starting to feel old. Connolly says he is not, that Cooper may be dinged up but he's at the top of his game and that he respects that Cooper perjured himself for a member of his team. He didn't expect that. Cooper says his principles aren't what they used to be and perhaps neither are Connolly's. Connolly laughs and says he never had any and that's why he's on a rocket ride to the top. He notes, as he leaves, that what Cooper is doing with Reddington is important and has saved a lot of lives and that they would do worse than what they did to protect the task force and then he "jokingly" says now he has something to hold over Cooper's head.
We see Liz watching the harbormaster's daughter afar from what looks like a college cafeteria. She's on the phone with her financial advisor who has transferred the money--which Liz got selling the apartment Red gave her-- into that account in order to set up a trust fund for the harbormaster's daughter to pay for college. Red arrives and they discuss this. She points out that the harbormaster was still working at 67 to pay for it. Red points out that she needs to be careful going down this road because there is no logical conclusion. Clearly also speaking for himself he says that Liz can watch her, pay for her expenses, call in favors to smooth her path, and try to keep her safe as a way to 'help' her and be her benefactor but what she's ultimately doing is a selfish fraud, and is not about the harbormaster's daughter but salving her own guilt for the part Liz played in hurting her. (Subtext: like Red did to Liz.) She notes that Red knew that if Tom came back he would be exonerated and get his life back, that, in essence, Red saved a man he hates to save Liz. Red says nothing.
Liz gets a call, it's Tom. She asks where he is. He asks if she's okay.
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