Never let it be said that fan fiction serves no purpose. Even the Mister can’t tease me anymore since by reading it I discovered our favorite show. I was reading what is called a prompt, where someone requests stories based on a theme or idea. Writers opt in and contribute a piece by a defined deadline. The prompt I read, Media Remix, asked the writers to rewrite favorite a TV show, movie, or book. I read one based on the show The Blacklist. I watched the show immediately after reading the submission because I knew if it was anything like the fiction, I would love it and so would the Mister.
We sat down on the sofa and I told him I found our new favorite show thanks to fan fiction.
He was like, seriously?
I was like, seriously.
Then we watched the first episode and we were both like, seriously.
Here is the season 2 NBC description for those unfamiliar with the show.
For decades, ex-government agent Raymond “Red” Reddington (James Spader, “The Office,” “Boston Legal”) has been one of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives. Brokering shadowy deals for criminals across the globe, Red was known by many as “The Concierge of Crime.” Last season, he mysteriously surrendered to the FBI… but now the FBI works for him as he identifies a “blacklist” of politicians, mobsters, spies and international terrorists. He will help catch them all – with the caveat that Elizabeth “Liz” Keen (Megan Boone, “Law & Order: Los Angeles”) continues to work as his partner. Red will teach Liz to think like a criminal and see the bigger picture… whether she wants to or not. Also starring are Diego Klattenhoff (“Homeland”), Harry Lennix (“Man of Steel”), Amir Arison (“Girls”) and Mozhan
For a 4 minute trailer that sums up the show perfectly, go here.
We stayed up late. We watched multiple episodes per night. We binge-watched the hell out of The Blacklist and counted down the days for season 2. Tonight, at 10:00pm on NBC, it’s happening. I’ll be staying up past my bedtime to watch it since we don’t have a DVR. It better not disappoint.
Things I love about The Blacklist include:
- James Spader | He’s a powerhouse on screen. Some people complain that his on screen persona dwarfs the other actors and that The Blacklist is really a one-man show. It’s a valid argument, but not enough to keep me from watching.
- James Spader, bald | There is no missing the fact that James Spader no longer has the wavy blond mane he brushed from his eyes as Steff in Pretty in Pink. He has more than a receding hairline, and there is something incredibly sexy about a man who does nothing to hide his baldness, especially in Hollywood. He doesn’t shave his head, he doesn’t wear a toupee, he doesn’t fill in his hair with makeup. He owns it and I love that about him. Also, raise your hand if you thought Steff in Pretty in Pink was a more interesting character than that milk-toast Blane.
- The show show has action and clever dialogue.
- James Spader, voice | It’s gravelly and dry, most likely because of years of smoking. His lungs probably look like giant raisins, but his voice makes legions of women want to climb him like a tree.
- James Spader, everything | Pretty much, yeah.
Things about The Blacklist that are a little dicey include:
- Megan Boome, wig |It’s distracting. It deserves its own IMDb page, maybe a mention in the opening credits.
- Sometimes Red (James Spader) is too awesome
- Sometimes Liz (Megan Boone) is too stupid to live
So, are you watching The Blacklist? If not, was has you hooked? Next week, hopefully, I’ll share some other fantastic shows I watched during The Summer of Wrapping Books.
I started this show in real time and am so excited for season two. Because..duh. James Spader everything. (Yes! He totally was the more interesting character in Pretty In pink!) Megan Boone on the other hand? Sigh. She is almost ridiculous enough that I stopped watching. Luckily the rest of the cast is very good.
I agree 100% in re Megan Boone. Sometimes I would watch her and just cringe. (Like I deserve an Academy Award or something. Hah!)
Wig? Boy, I guess I’ve been too enthralled with Red to notice. You won’t be able to pry me from my tv tonight…
Have you seen Leverage with Timothy Hutton? Fabulous!
“Leverage follows a five-person team: a thief, a grifter, a hacker, and a retrieval specialist, led by former insurance investigator Nathan Ford, who use their skills to fight corporate and governmental injustices inflicted on ordinary citizens. “
We’ve been enjoying it too — started watching it On Demand, then started recording it. I guess I’m blind, because you’re the second person to mention her hair is a wig, but I never noticed it.
Any rate, we also like Leverage – they don’t make any more, but the characters are fun, and the stories are a little bit ‘The Sting’ and a little bit Robinhood.
Perfect! I was just thinking how I needed a new show to binge watch. Can’t wait to catch up on this one. LOVE me some James Spader. And I’m so glad to hear I’m not the only one who thought Steff was a MUCH better character. I thought Blane was BORING. Duckie would have been a better choice (and from what I understand, WAS the original choice).
Anyway, James Spader. Yes, please.
Blane was SO boring. I always thought she should end up with Duckie. How interesting that he was the original choice!
Wow! I didn’t even recognize James Spader! Tim and I really loved him in Boston Legal, and I bet we’d like this show. Thanks, Jules! :)
I hope you like it! :)
Yes, the WIG! Luckily the actress’s hair was growing steadily through the season, so they adjusted the wig to accommodate that, and it looked considerable less distracting as the season went along. But wow, at the beginning of the season, the wig was so atrocious, it actually made it difficult for me to watch scenes she was in. I’d hold up my hand to block out her face (not kidding) so I could concentrate on the dialogue instead of that atrocious monstrosity.
Is that why it looked better as the season went on? Because, man, in the beginning it was all I could look at, and I was COMPLETELY confused as to the purpose of the wig. Wouldn’t an FBI agent favor a short, no-fuss haircut like the one she has in real life? I thought for sure it had to be part of the plot, like some psycho cuts her hair off or something, but so far it’s just Wig Town.
I watched this show almost from the beginning and I LOVE it! So well written, for the most part, and Spader is totally awesome.
There are definitely flaws in the show, but Spader’s “Red” makes them so forgivable!
I love James Spader too! And yes, her wig is a terrible distraction to me. Especially when she runs and her hair stays in place, but HIS hair was a choice. I think he actually has a pretty nice head of hair (see �The Office�) but he chose to shave it all for this role. (There’s a good article on it here: http://www.hitfix.com/starr-raving/press-tour-james-spader-talks-hair-robert-california-and-the-blacklist). Either way, he looks good.
I believe he shaved his head, but I think his long hair kind of softened the receding hairline and bald spots. And maybe in The Office he wore a hair piece? Here is an image from him during that time: http://cdn1.gossipcenter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_header/photos/james-spader-goodbye-office.jpg If he does have a full head of hair, who ever is shaving him is doing a damn fine job recreating male-pattern baldness. I think he’s sexy with or without hair. :) (I know you’re not saying he’s not!!)
p.s. I heard he is a diva and kind of demanding, and that’s not sexy at all. :(
Ha–I never noticed the wig. Probably because I was so distracted by the “too stupid to live” part. An FBI agent puts her husband in handcuffs and then breaks HIS THUMB to torture him, thereby allowing him to remove his own handcuffs?? I learned that you could break your thumb to get out of a handcuff from years of watching television–is this not something that is taught at Quantico?
I second watching Leverage. Similar show on the BBC is Hustle, I loved that one. (The first few seasons with Adrian Lester as the leader are better than the last seasons without him.)
We just started watching Orange is the New Black and I love that too.
An FBI agent puts her husband in handcuffs and then breaks HIS THUMB to torture him, thereby allowing him to remove his own handcuffs?? I learned that you could break your thumb to get out of a handcuff from years of watching television�is this not something that is taught at Quantico?
YES!! WTH?? One episode of Law & Order teaches you that one.
Leverage: duly noted.
Orange is the New Black I started, but couldn’t get into. It reminds me of Weeds (same creators, I think) and I didn’t like that show.
I didn’t like weeds at all! Made me really dislike whatshername who showed up in blacklist last night as the ex.
We have been watching since the first night. I know you are on the Hell on Wheels train with us (ha ha!), but I forget if we (your readers) ever talked you and the mister into Justified. Last season starts sometime this fall or next spring. It’s awesome and would be a great binge watch. I think all previous seasons just went up on Netflix or maybe Amazon Prime, can’t remember which. Also, I can’t wait for Grimm to start again!
Justified: making a note of it. :)
Jules, I predict you will LOVE Justified. Apologies if I’ve misjudged you.
I know you like Hell on Wheels, but we couldn’t get into it. We watch Copper instead – same era, different milieu.
Like others, I’ve enjoyed Leverage, but it gets a bit predictable if you binge watch.
Yep. Love it.
One of my recent “binges” was House of Cards. Apply everything you wrote for Spader to Spacey- he is just soooo good. Oh and Robin Wright, her hair, her wardrobe & her greedy aspirations. Oooh she’s so evil.
One of the most annoying things here in Oz is the tv networks screw you over with screening times & abandoning series. Drives me nuts!
Jo
I normally LOVE Kevin Spacey, but I couldn’t get into House of Cards. My husband, on the other hand, loved it, loved it, loved it. So did one of my best friends.
Oh, House of Cards. Love. It was a slow starter for me, but I stuck w it because so many friends loved it, and it just kept getting better. By the end of the 2nd season I was clenching my hands into my chair on the edge of my seat. That knuckle rap!
yes yes yes! Binge watched this last weekend and am ready to watch tonight. Never liked Spader in Boston Legal (didn’t like the show itself at all) but he is amazing in this. Pretty much anyone could play opposite him, although I do have to like her a little because she’s a hometown-ish girl.
I could never get into Boston Legal. I’m glad it wasn’t just me! “Anyone could play opposite him” = perfectly said. She even admits it in interviews.
OMG why am I watching this show? It is soooooo scary! It is everything you said it was, but I am not sure I can take it. Call me a wimp. Going to bed when my heart rate gets back to normal. you have a couple more hours until showtime. Let me know what you thought of this episode tomorrow. It’s the first I’ve seen, so not sure how it compares to last season.
Oh no, I’m sorry! :( I’m a wimp, too, but only when it comes to demons, ghosts, drugs (couldn’t watch Breaking Bad), and stuff that happens to children.
Now you have me wondering about the season premiere!
it’s kind of a replacement for 24 I think. Different bit scary similar, though maybe a tad worse. I did not get into the Breaking Bad thing. . . .but now wish I had started watching that. Too hard to catch up now!
Just finished binge-watching “Mad Men” on Netflix and loved it – have even gone back to re-watch some episodes. Tried “House of Cards” (tried really hard, because I adore Kevin Spacey in this and everything), but it just didn’t have the complexity in the characters that “Mad Men” does – there is something to identify with or be sympathetic of in every character, I feel. There was no one on “House of Cards” of whom I could say, “Wow, I really get this aspect of him/her” (I think that’s probably a good thing). For me, one of the great advantages of this new era of series television we’re in is that it lends itself completely to character development. I have friends who say it’s spoiled them for movies (a feeling that must be fairly widespread as it’s making itself felt at the box office) because they’ve become so accustomed to this luxury of getting to know characters slowly over time, their histories, etc.
I tried House of Cards, too. Couldn’t do it. My husband LOVED it. To be fair, I hate politics and politicians. A show based on both was bound to lose my attention.
We used to love Mad Men–I even wrote a post about it–but after a few years I could not handle Don’s constant existential meltdowns and self destructive behavior!
agree with both of you on H of C–just couldn’t get into the characters.
Just read your “Mad Men” post. Totally agree on the campiness aspect. I think I have a way of brushing aside those kinds of scenes in my mind and mainly recall (and have re-watched) the scenes that have most moved me, which have in large part been those between Don and Peggy (“The Suitcase” episode being the most prominent example). Fascinated by the functional dysfunctionality of that relationship.
I’ve just seen this trailed in the UK, but to be honest was put off by the fact the lead is James Spader- he gives me the creeps. Clearly I’m in the minority, but I always picture him as his character in Mannequin.
I’ll give it a go if I can find it again.
I’m also waiting for Grimm to start again- no date for the new season here yet.
I haven’t watched The Blacklist, BUT I did visit the Blacklist booth at Comic Con!