#Tom Domino theory

[that-rackin-frackin-varmint]

i know you were speaking rhetorically, but in response to your tags on the latest post, i definitely think it’s a sign of the times as to the direction the characters are being taken! Duck Dodgers i think is a convenient domino into TLTS, as it’s the first show to really play up Daffy’s “stupidity” (which i have.. opinions on, lol) and TLTS kinda took it and ran with it. or Porky being subservient to Daffy, and TLTS running (way too far) with that too. i haven’t done a good job of keeping up with this blog so i apologize if you know or have said this already! but the “they’re actors” thing sort of applies by a case by case basis—the assumption is that they’re actors when they establish that they’re actors, (but of course actor aus are great and headcanons are strong 🙏), but i just say that because DD is not a show that follows that “they’re actors” thing EXCEPT for the one episode that DOES do that, Hooray for Hollywood Planet and the last episode (esp the very end with the voice actors), but in the latter case it’s more of a cute consideration of meta rather than a “reveal”. i also (personally) think it’s one of the shows that does Porky and Daffy’s dynamic better than anyone after the original run of shorts, definitely has some issues that domino’s into more issues but i’d say their dynamic is relatively to the blueprint that Chuck Jones established! at least in comparison to other shows that followed

THIS IS A LOT HAHA i just like chatting about DD, if you know all of this already then feel free to ignore! but that’s my personal interpretation of it :)

No need to apologise, I like going over things even if I've said versions of em a billion times before haha!

I dance between my headcanons and analysis of creators' intent without much clear distinction, so it's best when I'm asked for clarification on when I'm actually working under a conspiracy theorist lens, or directly analysing the given text. In this case, I'm very much conspiracy theorist brained using given text.

The reason I'm quite fixated on the 'actors au' viewing of DD is because I found many instances where it broke from the immersion of being a story, and was a "production." Instances for example:

1) The intro having Daffy, Porky and Marvin's names attributed to the roles they played as.

I find it interesting that they used "Eager, Young Space Cadet" here even though this show's version of Dodgers is far too lazy and informal to actually refer to Cadet as that.

2) Season 1 and 2 having a tradition of doing Marvin the Martian shorts, and in K9 Quarry (1), Dodgers makes it a point to say:

"Don't blame me. The martian gets one solo cartoon per season."

My conspiracy theory for why this joke doesn't carry into season 3 is because the writing team for season 3 changed from the core group in seasons 1 and 2.

Seasons 1 and 2: Spike Brandt, Tony Cervone, Paul Dini, and Tom Minton [Tom Ruegger is only credited for the last two episodes of Season 2]

2005: Mark Banker, Spike Brandt, Tony Cervone (...) Kevin Seccia, Ken Daly and John Matta, Michael Grodner, Jeff Goode, Bradford Shultze, Tom Minton, Michael Banker, Tim McKeon

3) Talent Show a Go-Go: an episode that spends a portion of its runtime cutting to shots of numerous women swooning over Dodgers

Feels like something Daffy would write into his own show...

The episode feels driven by fanservicey performance rather than plot or character, I'd liken it to the short "The Night of the Living Duck" or the structure of classic shorts like "Book Revue." The former similarly has a famous singer lend their voice to good ol Daffy to sing sweet songs. The chase sequence afterwards is an afterthought in all honesty.

4) Deathmatch Duck (1): The scene of Taz beating up Daffy instead of the dummy

[The subtitles fib a little. He doesn't namedrop Taz, he just says "Ahh" I don't know why the subs are like that.]

5) Deathmatch Duck (2): On-the-nose flaunting he incorporates into his character's lore.

This is a certified "and then the whole bus clapped" moment if I've ever seen any.

6) K9 Quarry (2): Wile E. makes a cute pointed reference to his formula of chasing Road Runner.

I'm over the image limit-

7) Deathmatch Duck (3):

In 8:05, Taz eats Daffy, we cut to a kid and his parent arguing about the cartoon logic of Daffy fitting in Taz's stomach. (Meta commentary on pop culture's disillusionment with exaggerated logic, and deteriorating suspension of disbelief perhaps?) The parent suggests that it might be less immersion breaking if they do something visually engaging, kid complies. Dodgers does something visually engaging lts-style, we cut back to a tv room accompanied by cricket chirps. Dodgers speaks directly to the camera deadpan: "Once again, I've alienated our target demographic."

8) Hooray for Hollywood

To me, watching this episode after multiple watches feels like I'm watching a character study on Daffy's relationship with Warner Bros. I don't want to go over everything since I've written quite a bit in one post, but one standout scene in this episode for me is when Dodgers confronts the director, Vermin, about the script.

9) The Bugs Bunny references.

Daffy's rivalry with Bugs makes the omission of the rabbit very pointed, and almost cathartic. But because this is Daffy's show, it doesn't completely remove all traces of Bugs' name.

Bugs' name is added in the credits to add star-power to Dodger's movie credits in "Hooray for Hollywood"

In "The New Cadet" dedicates a scene to having Dodgers and Cadet enjoy rabbit stew

(Allegedly) Bugs was offered to play a role as a rabbit hunted by X-2 in "K9 Quarry"

In "Of course you know this means war and peace (1)" when Queen Tyr'ahnee says the episode's namesake, Dodgers can't help but point out the line's significance to a certain someone, with the added air carrot nibble

In "Bonafide Heroes" Dodgers is seen wearing Bugs Bunny slippers

Sorry for the unprompted list! I go overboard in Duck Dodgers discussions!

For me personally, I'm not the biggest fan of Daffy and Porky's dynamic in this show. Don't get me wrong, some episodes I'll come back to and watch with a big dumb grin on my face -- but I personally find that the show starts off pretty strong with a decent ratio of competent and incompetent Daffy/Dodgers moments, and sassy and patient Porky/Cadet moments -- but falls off at season 3, with Cadet radiating burnout murder energy whenever Dodgers so much as opens his mouth, and Dodgers is unironically dead weight on him.

And I'm not sure if you've happened to see some of my tlts posts, but you read my mind ha! I agree with your assessment that Duck Dodgers was sort of the catalyst for popularising a doofier Daffy, and a doormat Porky. I find it a little reassuring that tlts left their relationship development on a high note, which is also funny considering they weren't meant to be the focus duo of the show.

I also agree that this show is more aligned with Chuck Jones' version of the duo -- but tbh, I'm more biased towards Clampett era Dafpork <3 I see Duck Dodgers as a love letter to the classics, but at the same time, I'm very particularly vexed at how Dodgers isn't proactive and overzealous -- I agree @/marsnolias' take on this, even Jones Daffy is a tryhard!

All that said, your ask inspired me to post an old unlabelled ramble I had about this show ahead of schedule! Thanks for reaching out!

[terastalungrad]

BB20: Tuesday 10 October

Let's start by addressing the horrific state of modern TV ads:

If anyone ever says "Domino-OOH-hooooo" to me, or invites me to McDonald's with that sinister eyebrow movement, we are simply no longer friends. Even if intended ironically. No matter how much history we have.

Olivia has a Scots song for any occasion. Whether it's getting herself voted as entertaining, or trying to drive people out of bed.

Fun task: a bed has been set up that fits all 16 housemates. Last housemate to get out of the bed wins a secret prize.

Henry, Jordan and Tom give up early. They're not going to win, so why bother trying.

Big Brother tries to bribe some of the housemates with their favourite drinks. Matty hasn't made much of an impression on me so far, but the he looks so joyful and scandalised when he sees his favourite drink on the screen. I also really like his T-shirt, which I've found online look:

It is really weird that Marcus Bentley does parody Big Brother narration in the ads for the sponsor this year. It's only the speed at which he delivers the lines that helps my brain recognise they're not part of the show.

Now, you know I would die for the Welsh contestants. But - Chanelle doesn't lose well.

(She's thrown out of the bed byu Big Brother for falling asleep.)

Ahh, Hallie's so good at fielding annoying questions about her gender. I could watch her represent all day long. Imagine being this good at talking people through their endless questions when you're only 18.

Kerry leaves the bed to accept Big Brother's latest bribe - some of the contents of Jenkin's suitcase.

Haha, there are some SUSPICIOUSLY sharp cuts in this series. ITV Big Brother clearly has some hard boundaries around what they'll broadcast.

Don't have a great read on Noky yet. She's bonding with Yinrun, who's an S-tier housemate. The S stands for "Steff". I'm saying she's a fave.

Matty thinks the novel 1984 is named and set in 1974.

LET'S TALK GAME THEORY. The bribes keep getting better, and include treats for other housemates. It is in the interest of ALL housemates for the maximum number to stay in the bed, so that they can trade their departures for treats.

That is to say, Henry could have stayed longer and - despite not standing a chance of winning - gained something for the group rather than getting nothing back. But, like the Tory MPs for whom he votes, Henry left when it suited him best, rather than when it could benefit the community.

Hallie leaves, bribed by a cheese board. Noky leaves because she needs the loo.

I like this show. Maybe I'll watch all of the Circle at some point.

Really strange Pot Noolde-related incident in the kitchen. Let's see if I understand it.

A limited number of Pot Noodles are provided. Presumably this is product placement from a sponsor.

Yinrun makes some noodles, but feels guilty about hogging them, and offers them to Dylan - or whoever, really. Dylan doesn't want them. Yinrun tries to convince someone to take them, because she feels guilty about hogging them.

This pushes Olivia's buttons. I THINK what happens is, Olivia's annoyed by Yinrun. Why doesn't she just eat her bloody noodles and shut up? But that's not a reasonable thing to be annoyed about. So instead of telling Yinrun off, Olivia instead tries to be really positive but in an annoyed tone of voice.

So she's like, "Yinrun, don't even worry about it! Don't feel guilty! Just enjoy your noodles! No need to worry about other people! Be your own person!"

Except it's so clear Olivia's annoyed at Yinrun, so this sounds like an attack on her.

Tell you what sounds brilliant in Jenkin's Bridgend accent:

"I would not have argued over a Bombay Bad Boy Pot Noodle."

I hadn't even finished enjoying this sentence before he went on to say, "If it was Chicken and Mushroom, though, I would've lost my shit."

Jordan has taught Yinrun some cheese-related jokes. Absolute highlight of the episode.

Men are bonding. I'm against this in principle, but let's see. Paul, Matty, Zak and Dylan.

Paul talks about his childhood. Dodgy group of tearaway friends, until his headteacher did some good mentoring. Paul got his GCSEs, went to college to focus on boxing, and drinks relatively little as a result.

Matty's childhood - more money growing up, but hard to be gay on the Isle of Man. ("They're CALLED I Love Man" -- obligatory Josie Long quote) Matty has few male friends, but these hetero lads promise they're his friends for life now.

Zak grew up dirt poor. In Thailand, saved rainwater for showers. Used to fish for food, building fires to grill the fish.

"This is a social experiment, celebrating different people, different cultures, and what they're about." This is what Farida says to Hallie.

I think we know how ITV coached these housemates.

I saw a lot of people on Twitter express relief that we "finally have real people" in the show, rather than the "influencers" of later Channel 5 series.

But ... these people kind-of are influencers, right? Surely? There's no way Zak doesn't have an Instagram. In fact, I've just checked, and I'm correct - he has 109k followers, which I believe is the same as the total number of people left on Tumblr.

But they're different sorts of influencers. The level of artifice is the same, but in service of a different dance.

Channel 5 Big Brother would've given us a bitchy, vicious war between Farida and Hallie - microaggressions interwoven with battle cries.

ITV Big Brother shows us a tale of conflict resolution. Offence is caused by mistake, by a housemate who processes the conversation by talking to others, and the situation is resolved with a compassionate conversation at the end of the day.

Course, the other thing that's happening is that Hallie is far happier to be brutally honest about her feelings when Farida isn't around. Will that matter? As the weeks go by, is it the housemates' excellent social skills that'll stand strong - or will the tough situation cause them to descend into the same den of filth the Big Brother house normally becomes?

I hope it's the former. I'm enjoying a wholesome take on the voyeur show. Sure, we're creepily watching strangers going about their lives. But hey, now the epsiodes end with a really lovely conversation about the nature of love.

[kiss-my-freckle]

I think the final 12 are gonna lean on Tom Keen. 

"Raymond would know better than I do. He did his own vetting when Diane Fowler put your mother on the task force all those years ago." 

It's all there. Panabaker with Scottie, Siya with Fowler and Meera... the kill list, the record brush.

And the synopsis for episode 11. 

“When Red is identified as a possible hostage during a deli robbery in Philadelphia, Dembe and Ressler take action. Back in D.C., Senator Panabaker evaluates the task force's dealings with Red while Siya digs deeper into her mother's past.”

My Tom Domino Theory. 

[greenreadsdresdenfiles]

Proven Guilty

Green: OK, in the past few chapters, there has been exposition on both mind magic and time magic

Green: which, when Harry was explaining mind magic, l was like "OK, looks like this is going to be the book in which the bad guys use mind magic"

Green: but then Bob started talking about time magic so now it's like which one's it going to be?

Orange: exposition is my fave position

Green: l mean, probably something else

Orange: ahahaha

Green: it's probably going to be using themes from the discussion on mind magic, which is that some types of magic turn you evil

Orange: i think it's either a setup for this book or the next or like

Green: my guess is there's going to be someone who is like, halfway there

Orange: there's setups several books in advance sometimes

Green: yeah

Orange: sometimes there's been setups the whole time

Orange: and you only learn it when all the dominoes crash down in one book

Orange: and they crash on our boy, harry

Orange: like they were calculated to do so by a malevolent god

Green: Bob's like "if a paradox happens in a weak enough spot, the entire world could be destroyed"

Orange: because they were

Green: and l'm like "l smell a sideplot 10 books from now"

Orange: book theory: butcher is a supernatural entity in his own series

Orange: he's the bad guy behind it all, specifically focusing on making harry suffer as much as possible without actually killing him

Orange: stringing him along with hope so he doesn't go full breakdown and become a hobo

Orange: a cruel and vicious god

Green: hahaha

Green: here is my prediction

Green: harry is going to bang michael's daughter

Green: (not serious)

Green: oh she's 17

Green: even less serious now

Green: l was just thinking, "what's something that would make Harry want to avoid Michael even more?"

Orange: hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Orange: wait

Orange: mind magic

Orange: so are you on book 8

Orange: is the daughter somehow mixed up in shenanigans

Green: yeah I'm on book 8

Orange: hohohooo

Green: she had him bail her bf (who works at splattercon) out of jail

Orange: i remember some of this one

Orange: yeah

Orange: splattercon

Orange: the best

Orange: good stuff here

Green: also all of Michael's kids are incredibly cute

Orange: what kind of father would michael be if he didn't raise very solid great children

Orange: who then have freaking

Orange: GOTH EMO PHASE

Orange: as you do

Orange: as i did

Green: this is my favorite thing in the universe

"Don't call me Leech," she said in the patient tone of someone who has said something a million times and plans on saying it a million times more. "Hello, sir," she told me. "Alicia," I said, nodding. Evidently the use of her actual name constituted a gesture of partnership. She gave me a somewhat relieved and conspiratorial smile.

Green: like, she calls him sir? She really appreciates him using her proper name?

Green: that's cute

Orange: nothing but the best from michael

Orange: nothing but the best

Orange: his wife too

Green: and he just gives her the name greeting

Orange: yes he does that

Orange: it's so weird

Orange: when he's uncomfortable he freaking lets his mouth run wild

Orange: when he's okay, he can do the cool sorta minimal wordage stuff

Green: yeah!

Green: with Matthew he doesn't even say hi he just nods

Orange: yeah

Orange: uncle dresden

Orange: ahahaha

Orange: uncle harry the hairy uncle

Orange: man getting my nieces and nephews to use 'uncle' before using my name is a constant struggle for their parents

Green: also Amanda calls him Bill because they already have a Harry

Orange: waehehehe

Orange: i forgot they have a harry

Orange: why not tom, they can call him tom and have another kid and he can be Richard

Orange: and then you have tom dick and harry

Green: geeze

Green: black magic is always the fucked up stuff huh

Green: oh hey it's maeve!!!

Green: l remember her

Green: she walks in and this isthe first thing she says

Maeve stared at me for a long minute and licked her lips. "Look at you," she all but purred. "All pent up like that. You haven't had a woman in ages, have you?"

Green: also l like her outfit

Green: l know l said l don't like reading descriptions, but outfits are a huge exception

Green: highlights include rainbow-colored hair, blue cut-off jorts, and a t-shirt that says "YOUR BOYFRIEND WANTS ME"

Green: chad

Green:

Maeve waited for her lemonade, wrapped her lips idly around the straw, and sipped. Then she settled back into her seat, chewing. Crunching sounds came from her mouth. The lemonade had frozen solid when it passed her lips. Which made me feel pretty damned smart for avoiding the whole sexual temptation issue.

Green:

"The good guys win!" Bob cheered. "Or at least you do. You're still a good guy, right? You know how confusing the whole good-evil concept is for me."

Green: looks like white court vampires' eyes turn silver when they vamp out

Green: also so far Harry's fought Jason, a Xenomorph, and…a scarecrow? I want to say it's Jack Skellington

Green: heyyy it was mind magic all along!

Green: btw I hope to god that the fairies who clean his house become important at some point

Green: they were a huge plot point in Pale and that was so much fun

Orange: Ehehehee

Green: Btw l love that the security guard sees harry and giving him the once over is like "hmm...big bearded man with a giant dog, wearing a huge coat, looks pretty messed up, looks like he's packing heat- oh he has a splattercon badge this checks out

Green: "

Orange: hahhahahahahaha

Orange: i forget who the scarecrow is

Orange: but you got the xenomorph and jason i think

Green: They just fought a couple rabid animals from a movie I've never heard of, and also "Bucky the Doll"

Orange: there's gotta be some spooki scarecrow out there

Green: Who's clearly supposed to be Chucky

Orange: yes

Green: So yeah the unknown ones are the Scarecrow (who l'm pretty sure is Jack Skellington?), the rabid animals, and the Hammerman

Orange: well like

Orange: it's gotta be horror movie stuff

Orange: horror/thriller

Green: Jack Skellington is scary in-universe though

Green: His whole thing is scaring people

Orange: yeah but i'm assuming these appearances are something to do with the actual fear existing in people right

Orange: phobophage, was it called?

Green: Yeah...

Orange: you know

Orange: i bet someone's already found out what these references are

Green: Yeah

Green: Oh l looked up "horror movie pumpkin head" and it might be Pumpkinhead from Pumpkinhead

Orange: hmm

Orange: i just looked at a picture of Pumpkinhead from Pumpkinhead and i don't see no pump nor kin on any head

Orange: there's a scarecrow in jeepers creepers

Orange: but no pumpkin

Orange: maybe he didn't wanna have too many references because the publisher/editor kept shooting down ideas

Green: Hm also now that l'm thinking about it, the Reaper might be the guy from Scream, rather than Jason

Green: l didnt read the description that closely

Orange: hmmmm

Green: He just soul gazed molly and hot dang am I excited to see more stories involving her

Orange: HAHAHAHA

Orange: MOLLS

Orange: you may or may not have your wish granted

Green: And her thing is she's really good at mind magic

Orange: yes

Green: That's going to be real fun

Orange: she has T-A-L-E-N-T

Orange: while harry, no offense

Green: Lot of potential for "oh shit I messed up big time" plots

Orange: not exactly the most talented magician

Orange: he's got power sure

Green: Yeah yeah

Orange: but like you can have all the muscle without knowing how to tie your shoes

Green: When he messes up big time it's just political stuff or collateral damage

Orange: i stg the magic meta could have so many broken strats in it if people like harry start minmaxing

Orange: they got all the time to train!

Green: But l bet when Molly messes up it's big and tangled and messy

Orange: well see it's tangled because molly, unlike harry, knows how to tie shoes

Green: Lol true

Orange: (jk i'm sure harry knows how to tie his shoes! And he learned at the very young age of 25!)

Orange: yeah well the whole wizard community seems to be pretty black and white (heh) about the whole following Da Rules thing

Orange: and they already hate harry so if harry's associated with someone who breaks the rules they'll go after them too

Green:

Dressed in his formal black robes, with a deep purple cowl that left his features shadowed but for the glitter of his dark eyes, the Gatekeeper stood in the doorway for a moment, and something gave me the impression that he was staying at the Merlin.

Green: What an interesting outfit he's wearing

Orange: HIS COWL

Green: Hahahaha

Orange: there's no way that cowl will let himself be seen wearing a cowl in his non-cowl identity

Orange: unless.. that's what he wants harry to think

Orange: keep your eyes on that gatekeeper

Green: Haha yeah it could be a false flag

Green: Aw

Green: He told Michael everything

Green: V cute

Green: Also Michael knew

Green: Which, not unsurprising.

Orange: MICHAEL IS SO FREAKING BASED

Orange: just

Orange: kiss already

Orange: KISS ALREADY

Orange: HARRY YOU HAVE A DEMON LADY IN YOUR HEAD RN ITS TIME TO BE GAY

Orange: ;u; but like

Orange: i love how harry was so scared and michael was like dude, it's cool

Orange: just don't be a denarian, renounce your wizarding ways

Orange: and harry's like no sorry haha

Green: Yes!!!

Green: I love Michael

Green: And, l love that he's like "we don't know that that's the only way to get rid of denarianism, so try not to be too evil in the meantime"

Green: Also Molly is hitting on Dresden

Green: Slightly overtly

Green: l stg if you were lying about the dry spell l will shit

Orange: molly is sometimes channeling The Girl That Tries To Ruin The Yaoi

Green: Lol

Orange: but harry, harry can't not suffer

Orange: the only time harry should be allowed to have sex is like, moments before his sexual partner dies right

Orange: or he can have sex with bad guys, who then either is revealed to be bad and killed, or who has a really sweet change of heart and is also killed

Orange: harry's ex's shouldn't be in texas, they should be six feet under

Green: Oh nice callback

Orange: what callback

Green: He dumped ice water on Molly

Orange: I DID NOT GET THIS CALLBACK

Orange: so you're finishing up book 8???

Orange: whatttt

Green: Mhm

Orange: or is this not the end

Green: I mean

Green: Idk

Orange: green you're a voracious reader

Green: Its an ebook of 7-12

Orange: oh is it just the whole thing in one

Green: Yeah

Orange: oh nice

Green: But like, it's been hitting all the "we're getting close to the end of the book" beats

Orange: nice

Green: Like l am definitely solidly in the denouement

Green: All the book mysteries got unraveled, he got the girl, he talked to Michael

Green: l don't see many other conflicts other than teacher/student conflicts, which honestly are better left brewing over the next few books

Orange: ehehehehe

Orange: it took me a while to actually start seeing the patterns you're picking up right away

Orange: or maybe you're just thinking on the right wavelengths

Orange: it's cool

Green: l mean, except that next book should be all about "I'm really new at being a teacher oh god l'm fucking it all up"

Orange: YEAH

Orange: there's no way it won't be that

Orange: right

Green: That's going to be cute, and relatable

Orange: it will be

Green: Gosh l hope so

Orange: very cute and relatable

Orange: it has to be

Orange: butcher can't pass up an opportunity like that

Orange: could he

Green: You're worrying me

Orange: i guess he could just kill molly

Orange: but that wouldn't be satisfying!

Orange: he should only kill molly at the time where it will hurt harry the most

Orange: <rot13>ba gurve jrqqvat qnl</rot13>

Orange: i joke

Orange: it's a joke

Green: Yeah!!!

Orange: but yes

Green: Or, better yet, he should be the one to do it

Orange: OHHHHH

Orange: GREEN YOU DEVIL

Green: Hehwhehehe

Orange: that's the sorta thinking that we need in the writing community

Green: Hahaha

Orange: that creative ethic of how to make your hero suffer

Orange: Molly should like

Orange: become twisted by the cruel world into a person who does anything to get what she needs

Green: Yes!!!

Green: I mean

Green: No

Orange: and when harry realizes this, on the freaking, when they play the music and walk her down the aisle

Orange: he goes

Orange: "fuego"

Orange: tears streaming down his face

Green: I want there to be two timelines, one in which that happens and one where he saves her

Orange: ok, so there are the two timelines right

Orange: but in the saving molly timeline, she dies right when he thinks she is safe

Green: And the one where he saves her is the one we follow, but we get to see what happens in the other one sometimes

Green: Hahaha

Green: You're too cruel!!!

Orange: I am not too cruel

Orange: i just really like seeing harry suffer

Orange: i don't care how many girls have to die before he turns gay but i'm gonna find out

Green: He just forbade her to masturbate?

Orange: waitwhat

Green: "Hi, yeah, not only am l not going to have sex with you, you're not going to have sex with you"

Orange: dang harry, that's cold

Orange: but i guess it makes sense

Orange: he knew her when she was a wee lass

Green:

"Sex makes things complicated, and for you that could be bad." "But..." "And no, ah, solo exploration either." She blinked at me and asked in a blank tone, "Why?" "You'll go blind," I said, and walked up to her front porch. "You're joking," she said, and then hurried to catch up. "That's a joke, right? Harry?" I marched her up to her house without answering her. Molly wore a hopeless look on her face, as though she envied a condemned criminal, who could at least hope that the governor might call at the last minute.

Orange: harry you dog

Orange: you should have used your one brain cell to make up a story about how you need to power magic with sexual energy or something

Green: I feel like that would be unwise

Orange: i mean, we are talking about harry here

Orange: i'm not suggesting the wise decision i'm suggesting the funny one

Orange: he is incapable of being wise

Green: Hahaha fair

Green: I like that the Harry and Molly thing is exactly the same situation as Anakin and Ahsoka from Star Wars

Orange: mmmmmmmmm

Orange: is ahsoka the lady who anakin macked on in the prequels

Green: I mean, l say this without having watched The Clone Wars

Orange: ah i tooo have failed to watch that show

Green: No Ahsoka was the protagonist of the animated tv show

Orange: oh her

Orange: the twin tails girl

Green: She was Anakin's apprentice, and eventually the jedi council tried to execute her for turning to the dark side

Green: (She hadn't, really)

Orange: ooooo

Green: Anakin was a little bit mad at the council for this

Green: actually l think they might've actually done it?

Orange: oooo

Green: Finished Proven Guilty

Green: And hot dang I'd like to say that I totally called what it would be about

Orange: dang

Green: Green you genius

Orange: you are pretty solid with at least your immediate predictions

Green: Except it was so much better than I thought it would be

Orange: you're not so far from changes

Orange: changes is hype

Green: I'm pretty far

Green: It's #12 and I just finished #8

Green: Next is White Night but l think l need a bit of a break lol

Green: Also l think that title is a bit of a bummer

Green: Since he already used the Knight/Night thing for book 4

Green: But here's my predictions for White Night - it'll be about the white court, and also about finding a home for his magic sword

Green: And also about his brand new apprentice, on the personal side of things

Orange: hmmmm

Orange: yeah idk if white knight was great

Orange: it's probably alright

Orange: nope nope nvm it's ok

Green: it'd better have a bunch of good dresden and molly moments!!!

Orange: and by ok i mean

Orange: i definitely remember a punchy moment here

Orange: that i think is good

Orange: i think you can expect to see molly show off what a magician with more than one brain cell can do

Orange: but i'm not certain, i just think

Green: that's exciting, but what l want is dresden and molly moments!

Green: their interplay!

Green: their banter, if any!

Orange: well yeah

Orange: you might get a moment or two

Orange: harry is a.. fun teacher if anything

Orange: he's got a whole bucket of trauma and he'll maybe try really hard to make sure molly avoids such trauma right

Green: hahahaha

Green: that's pretty exciting

Orange: but harry is stupid right

Orange: so he'd pick really stupid teaching methods i bet

Green:

Molly: You know, I may not see eye to eye with my mom but I really do love my siblings. Dresden: *sucks in air through his teeth* Don't go down that road, Molly.

Green: hm that phenomenon you were just talking about is probably why Dresden forbid Molly from everything sexual

Green: U_U

Orange: it makes sense

Green: "OK Molly, lesson number one is to trust no one. I mean, sure, there are good people in the world, but l can practically guarantee that none of them will want to have sex with you. lf someone is attracted to you? Huuuge red flag. Are you writing this down? Sex is evil, write that down."

Green: You know dresden files is pretty good mystery novels

Green: each novel has 2-4 interrelated "major" mysteries going on and sometimes a few minor mysteries, and while things are surprising, it's never totally out of the blue like "wait, what?"

Green: l mean there are definitely twists which l don't think l could have guessed in advance even if l went over everything with a fine-toothed comb

Green: but some, like Molly being a wizard, were definitely foreshadowed and l'm like "ohhhhhhh"

Green: ldk these are good books!

Orange: ohohoho

Green: and very readable

Green: l also think book girl being coin girl was a good twist

Green: oh and back in book 2 or 3, where harry's like "there are 3 different types of werewolf, so l guess l need to figure out which type we're dealing with here" and the answer is "ALL THREE"

Green: l thought that was super fun

Orange: ohh yeah!!!

Orange: I forgot those books were so long ago

Orange: must be nearly a decade

Green: yeah they came out in like 2002

Green: so almost 2

Green: Proven Guilty came out in 2006 l think

[kiss-my-freckle]

This post doesn’t contain every detail, only the basic timeline of events as I see them in my domino theory. 2x17 and 2x20 deleted scenes fit perfectly.

Tom is released from federal custody after giving Connolly Liz’s born identity. “THIS deal will happen.” After Peter checks in with Anton Velov to validate Tom’s claim, he then hires him to do what Luther Braxton couldn’t - get the Fulcrum and help him kill Red. They stroke his ego by allowing him to believe he’ll be protecting Liz from Red, while hiding the fact they’re very much planning to frame her for treason. This being the reason he asks, “You okay? Where are you? Are you okay?” He gave them her born identity. 

He turns to Liz for his passports in the following episode because he’s getting paid by Peter and plans to buy a boat. An example of Tom negating Liz...

Liz: You saved a man you hate to save me.

Tom: Hey, don’t hang up. I’m in trouble. It’s not about the harbormaster. Look, when Reddington blew my cover, he exposed me to some very dangerous people, and now they’re looking for me. And the guy who places me, I can’t get in touch with him. And these people, these Germans -

Tom returns after the Germans are taken care of, still wanting the passports. They’re not about the Germans, but about him getting paid. That’s why he’s literally picking pockets, and as soon as he gets them - he buys a boat. 

He baits Liz. By this, I mean... he’s already trying to get her to run away with him on his boat when he has yet to buy the damn thing. It’s not until she tells him goodbye that he chooses to tell her the truth about the passports. He does this because he needs her. Without Liz, it’s impossible to get to Red because he simply would not trust Tom. 

When he sends her the text to tell her about the passports, he has his team in position - ready to track. Their conversation gets cut from the audience, but it coincidentally pushes her to get the Fulcrum for Red. They follow her to get the Fulcrum, then follow her to the meeting location for the sake of killing Red. By the time Red shows up at the location, his shooter is already there. 

Liz: They put a bullet in your chest, and you have no idea how. You’re the most cautious person I know.

They got a bullet in his chest by following Liz. That’s why they were already on the 4th floor and shooting at him within 90 seconds of his arrival. Trust me when I say... if Red couldn't understand how Vandyke got to him and Liz... then he certainly can’t understand how Peter did. It’s the same concept - they followed Liz. Red’s weakness, and she’s not as cautious as he is. 

In 2x19, Tom was forced to help Red because to not help him would’ve worked against Liz. He was literally doing it for Liz, not for Red. As far as he was concerned, Red was supposed to be dead - and he failed. If Red’s team hadn’t been with him, Tom would’ve killed Red. Next episode, he’s desperate to wipe her memory of Red’s shooting. Any truth regarding Red is a certain truth about Red, whether past or current. 

Absurd to believe Tom just hung out while Liz went to Red's second-story flat in 2x20, and did so after asking her who Bill Kershaw was. Tom just woke up that day and said, "Nah, I'm not gonna worry about Red’s secrets. They're private!" Liz heads to Red’s second-story flat where he keeps ALL of his secrets. And by all, I mean all. His life literally depended on the Fulcrum cipher, and he stored it there. Liz was only there for the swing photo. Easy for Tom to track Liz to Bill Kershaw’s second-story flat, and as soon as she left to meet with Red to discuss the photo, he breaks in. There, he finds intel on Dr. Krilov.

2x16, Tom is hired by Peter 2x18/2x19, Tom puts himself in need to wipe Liz’s memory.  2x20, Tom finds contact info for Dr. Krilov.  2x21, Tom introduces Liz to his Krilov dream scenario. 

Tom: All right, dream scenario. We finish our coffee, we hop on my boat. We leave, okay. We never look back. Preferably, we take our clothes off at some point.

Tom: All right, look, I know the whole naked boat thing is a little unrealistic...

Unrealistic meaning not believable - and I’d say more than a little. 

2x22, Tom carries out Krilov dream scenario.

This memory wipe, essentially killing Liz. 

Red: I never wanted you to be... like me. 

There’s far too much for me to add that would make this super long. Details about the passports, details about the flag Ressler put on Tom’s aliases, etc. I just wanted this basic timeline for Tom’s actions. 

This is the basic timeline:

2x16, Tom is hired by Peter 2x18/2x19, Tom puts himself in need to wipe Liz’s memory. 2x20, Tom finds contact info for Dr. Krilov. 2x21, Tom introduces Liz to his Krilov dream scenario. 2x22, Tom carries out his Krilov dream scenario.

Ressler: Damn it, Liz, wake up.

Ressler is stuck between sleep and awake. Literally stuck with Liz on Tom’s boat - since that’s where she wakes. 

[kiss-my-freckle]

A lot of fans ask me how I can interpret so many things for just one character. Yes, I get hit with a lot of Tom questions. For the most part, I don’t answer because my domino theory does that for me, and I feel like... if I have to explain it to everyone who asks, they’re basically asking me to double my work simply because they refuse to read my domino theory. 

It’s easy to find. Find it, read it, then ask. 

Random questions like multiple interpretations, open interpretations, and what I like to refer to as the opposite door. Things like that, I have no problem answering. The opposite door is when they say/show something, and the moment you see/hear it, your mind goes in the opposite direction... and when that happens, it sparks a theory or prediction. 

Opposite door

Connolly's comment when he stops into Judge Denner’s chambers is perfect example. Tom is trying to strike a deal to save Liz when Connolly walks in. 

“That deal won’t happen.” - Connolly

Before I get to the opposite door, let me just show a parallel to this line. 

“That woman no longer exists.” - Carla

The opposite door. The opposite of that is this. 

"This deal will happen.” and “This woman exists.”

See how the opposite door sparks a theory? A parallel to this line...

“I know that this man is an imposter.” - Liz

Opposite “that man” Kate unearthed from the ground. 

Multiple interpretations

A quick example of multiple interpretations, and how these things look when combined. After Tom was released from federal custody, he contacted Liz. 

“You okay? Where are you? Are you okay?” - Tom

Two reasons why Tom could be asking this question. 

1. He needed to know that she was cleared of the charges. 

2. He needed to make sure "This deal” didn’t affect her. 

When combined, it flows well. 

Straight-negation

Liz: You knew about Tom - that if he came back, they’d exonerate him to protect the task force. He’d get his life back. You saved a man you hate to save me.

Straight negation. 

Red: Tom Connolly is there? Connolly made the Harbormaster investigation go away.

Red did not save a man he hates to save her. In fact, he had absolutely no idea Tom would walk away a free man. Red’s exact words tell another story. 

Liz: It’s my fault. I never should have put him there. He’ll go to prison for the rest of his life because of me. Red: One step at a time, Lizzy.

One step at a time. Tom walking away just as Liz walks away isn’t one step at a time. It’s two steps at a time. This straight-negation would’ve given Red reason to question Tom’s involvement with the Cabal, all things considered. Despite that, I don’t think he did because he had to put all of his attention on the higher-ups. After all, his life depended on getting the vote. 

To put it bluntly... they had Tom on other charges. They didn’t need to charge him with Ames’ murder to keep him in federal custody or to protect the task force. I know fans like to pretend killing Ames was the first criminal act he committed in the series... but he was literally wanted on charges due to his alignment with Berlin. 

"This deal will happen.” - Connolly

“You okay? Where are you? Are you okay?” - Tom

No, she’s not okay. She’s being framed for treason. 

[kiss-my-freckle]

"THE MAN IN THE HAT"

“When Red is identified as a possible hostage during a deli robbery in Philadelphia, Dembe and Ressler take action. Back in D.C., Senator Panabaker evaluates the task force's dealings with Red while Siya digs deeper into her mother's past.”

Highly possible Red gets taken hostage. Last night, I made mention to the risks he's been taking. His modes of travel, his walking around without bodyguards, his switch to a new cell phone rather than keeping his flip phone, leaving his bath house unlocked so that anyone could barge in at any time. It's like he's daring someone to take a shot. What makes it less likely, is the fact that he's always armed and always paying attention to his surroundings. 

While I do think Red has plans for The Freelancer other than killing him, I think he's saving him for something special. I think we're gonna get a bearded Red from 10x1, but I think he's gonna have flashbacks while being taken hostage. Perhaps this is what Red needs to feel alive.  

Let's not forget this episode leads into Dr. Michael's episode.

Panabaker is another matter altogether. She could very well pull an Esteban with Red, fully intent on killing him because he’s of no further value. It’s also possible she agrees to the plan Red just mentioned to Cooper... unless that plan goes sideways, and I do think it will. There’s also the matter of that audio recording blackmail Red has on Panabaker, so the outcome of that is a tough call. 

I definitely think Siya will drop my Fowler domino by the midseason. If she does, it’s my theory that the fingerprint on the record brush will connect to two other murders... to the shell casing in Victor Fokin's murder, and to the remaining bullets in the gun used to kill Tom Connolly. The beautiful thing about Siya being an agent and a spy. She’d think like an agent and a spy. She just has to consider the fact that Liz had her service weapon taken when she was interrogated. I always believed Diane Fowler would be the first domino, as she’d connect in both directions, and Dembe dropped her for me. She connects backward to 1x6 and forward to 2x22... which includes Liz’s second memory wipe and the flag Ressler put on Tom’s aliases. 

It’s an easy assumption to make. Tom put Meera Malik on a kill list. This would make him a likely suspect for Diane Fowler’s murder, since Diane Fowler was not only Meera Malik’s boss, Tom was targeting Red... and she gave him an immunity agreement. Tom Connolly replaced Diane Fowler, who was the one responsible for releasing Tom from federal custody in 2x16. This then ties Tom to the Cabal. In turn, it’s an easy assumption to make that he wanted to cover his tracks by having Liz kill Tom Connolly. Insert Peter’s inside man - who helped put a bullet in Red in 2x18. Add in Liz’s second memory wipe to cover his role in Red’s shooting. 

Dominoes. 

[kiss-my-freckle]

"I’m here to tell you a story."

I call it my Tom Domino Theory. Tom Keen wiped Liz's memory the second time because he was involved in Red's Vanessa Cruz shooting. He got conned into aligning with Peter, acted as the Cabal's inside man because in S2, it was about keeping Red from reading Liz's intel. She was the one who had the Fulcrum. It LOOKS like Tom is the father of Agnes, but he's NOT. 

S3 & S8 are gonna collide. Wait for it...

[kiss-my-freckle]

Who the hell’s Agnes Keen?    Tastes like spring, doesn’t it?

[kiss-my-freckle]

"Because you believe love wins?"

[kiss-my-freckle]

Tom Dominoes. 

♪ Hey, so what have you done to my heart? ♪

Cooper: Elizabeth followed her heart. And against all odds, it led her back to the man she loved.

♪ Stuttering fluttering out of time it feels like I'm in love with you ♪

Red: Boy, she played you. She took advantage of your rather significant blind spot - in matters of... the heart.

♪ Hey boy, what have you done to my eyes? ♪

Red: I'm not sure I'd associate a high-security containment cell with my girlfriend, but I guess love is blind.

♪ Lately reality's fooling me, romantically so new ♪

Liz: You’re holding on to a reality that doesn’t exist.                  (Ressler: I can’t let her go)

♪ Take a look at me - and you'll see that I'm not who I used to be There's a stranger dressing in my clothes Who I don't seem to know at all ♪

Cooper: Seven years ago she was kind, enthusiastic, decent. Under your tutelage she’s become someone I fail to recognize.

Aram: Who are you? Liz: You know who I am and why I have to do this. Aram: You forged my signature to get 16 ounces of Semtex. You nearly killed Mr. Reddington and Ressler. I knew who you were, Liz. But I don’t recognize who you’ve become.

Aram: It took me a while, but - I finally realized, this whole time, I’ve been telling myself none of this is you. Like you changed into - Somebody I didn’t recognize, someone - dark. But I realize now this is you. 

♪ Can you tell me please, so what have you done to my smile? You turned it into a sheepish grin since you walked in out of the blue ♪

“Sheepish” is all you need to define. Showing embarrassment from shame or a lack of self-confidence. This parallels Liz with her mother - without the surgery.

Katarina: It meant a complete transformation.

Liz: ...and that if I take one step closer to it, if I lose one more good part of me, I’ll be - transformed.

Red: A mother who died of weakness and shame.    

Liz: I learned that from you, how to prey on the emotions of those that love you most.

♪ Hey, so what have you done to my dreams?  I don't know what's come over me like a fantasy come true ♪

This speaks to her Djinn fantasy and pulls in the Sleeping Beauty theme.

Red: Harold, see if you can round up Dr. Krilov. Donald and I have some catching up to do with the dreamweaver.

Townsend: Go. Pursue. Live the dream. But, Elizabeth - don’t disappoint me again.

♪ Take a look at me - and you'll see that I'm not who I used to be There's a stranger dressing in my clothes Who I don't seem to know at all - (she's not like me) ♪

Again, this is Liz’s parallel with her mother. Just imagine she’s becoming Tom Keen. (she's not like me) He’s not like her. He’s not kind or decent or honest.  

Now imagine this is about Masha rather than Katarina -

Red: You’ll never find Rostova. 

Then add this dialogue Liz gave to Aram -

Liz: If anyone can find me, my money’s on you.

♪ Hey, so what have you done to my heart? Stuttering fluttering out of time it feels like I'm in love with you ♪

It all leads back to this. Liz’s Ruin. Now throw the toy boat in. 

[kiss-my-freckle]

8x3 Rewatch: 16 Ounces

A pound of flesh. William Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. Recompense. The Debt Collector. Because Liz is being held physically and emotionally hostage by Tom through her second memory wipe. 

“We finish our coffee...”

The opening feels like what I would expect of a final season because it hits the core of the show. Dialogues as far back as S2. "Previously on The Blacklist":

Red: As I feared would happen, elements from Katarina's past are circling Elizabeth like a pack of wolves in the night. Red: I need to control the danger to Elizabeth. I've bult a vast criminal network predicated on that very principle.

My Tom Domino theory sits in the two sections they cut from Red’s 4x17 dialogue. Having done it to place focus on current storyline with the woman’s death, but it’s my belief and my theory that those two sections they cut speak to what’s coming in future episodes.

Red: I put Tom Keen in her life to keep an eye on her, and he married her. Red: It's time to live up to my mission statement.

It’s all about why Red reentered Liz’s life at that specific time because Liz and Tom married two years prior, and Red had no intent on killing him then. So the very opening of the episode hits my Tom Domino theory.    

Woman: All those years searching for answers, and you were right in front of me the whole time.

What Red said to the woman from Paris within that voicemail fits Liz just as much as it fits her, so I think that voicemail is gonna hit home for Liz when all is said and done. Liz's mother has been in front of her since the pilot.

Red: But staying safe wasn’t enough. You needed answers. Well, now you have them. And now they’ve destroyed you.

This line ties in Liz's 5x22 dialogue.

Liz: I'm going to figure all that out and then I'm going to destroy him.

Because Red and Liz are one and the same, in destroying Red, Liz would essentially be destroying herself. Those answers are nearly destroying her now. 

Snake skin boots. Only the second time I recall seeing them. Another hit to The Apothecary, which I posted about before. First shown after the woman abducted Dembe's imam and Red first collapsed on the floor. Shown again this episode.

Red: Because of Elizabeth. Dembe: You've pushed her too far. Red: I wonder.

This hits back to Ressler and Dr. Krilov in 7x10, and pushes back to Liz's second memory wipe. That's why Liz is seeking revenge against Red.

Red: Revenge doesn’t suit you, Donald. Ressler: I’m taking him back to prison. Red: Are you? I wonder.

Liz's passport pushes back to Agnes' passport and Tom's go-box in 7x13.

Aram: I spoke to a woman named Merritt Marks. She took Agnes home with her daughter after school for a play date. Now, Liz called her a few hours ago, saying she had to leave town for a work emergency and asked her to take Agnes for a few days.

This episode shows the slow transition Red went through as Katarina. Liz losing that "relatively normal life" Red had. The motel room, Agnes' play date, those family and friends she left behind - people to care about. This is the Rassvet reverse I've been talking about - Liz running opposite just as her Ruin episode ran against Red's Cape May episode. 

This pushes back to Aram's dialogue in 8x1.

Cooper: That's right. Keen, Elizabeth. It's just my gut, but I don't think she left the city.

Aram: That’s right - Keen. K-E-E-N. First name’s Elizabeth.

It's all about that gut, S3

Cooper: You made a decision based on instinct. You should trust that. Ressler: My job isn’t to trust my gut. My job is to uphold the law. I intend to do that.

Ressler: You tell me to trust my instincts? My instincts are telling me to stay as far away from Tom Keen as possible. Cooper: You know what? You’re right. You should trust your gut, not mine. After all, look where my instincts got me. You’re a good agent, Donald. You made the right call.

This one is a hit back to Norman Devane's episode for Stark's storyline.

Liz: You're making excuses, looking the other way like we've always done.

Cooper: You’re asking if we should look the other way. Ressler: Yeah. Again.

Liz does the same thing - makes excuses based on DNA. She did this with Dr. Nik in S5 when she thought Red was her father and let him help The Endling. She didn't just look the other way, she helped him.

Cooper: You may be disgusted by my silence, Agent Keen, but you will benefit from it.

The Sound of Silence.

Liz: Everywhere I go, there's a man who insists on protecting me.

Liz: You, Cooper, Reddington, the whole crew can just sit around and talk about what's best for Liz Keen.

Two dialogues that tie in Red's from 5x8.

Red: I’ll say this for you - you’ve always believed that you were acting in her best interest. Selling me out to Berlin, faking her death - you always thought you were helping her.

And puts her in parallel with the woman, which I think was purposeful.

Woman: Tell Patrick I love him. Like a son. And I’m sorry - I did my best but I am done with men controlling my life!

Woman: All you can see is what I want to do to him. What I want you to see is what he did to me. In the West, you tell your young men to stand up for their country. In Russia, young women were told to lay down with the enemy. That’s how you showed loyalty. As the daughter of a domineering spy master, I never had a voice in my future. I was 15 the first time they ordered me to sleep with a young American soldier. Dom was the man who ordered me.

Because Tom is still controlling his marrionette with a memory wipe. The point of these dialogues - Red is Katarina. A woman. A mother.

Red: It's just a part of life. Watching the generation ahead of you - the people you care about - grow old. And at some point, you start to... do the mental work necessary to prepare yourself for the inevitable. And yet, I'm afraid I stand here, Marvin... woefully unprepared. Marvin: There's no way you could prepare for this, Raymond. Dom didn't die of old age. He was taken from you.

Liz: My mother prepared me for this moment.

Liz: You're sick, you're old. You're an easy target.

Red's conversation in front of Dom's house regarding his fate.

Clemons: Liz asked about your condition. I think it’s unhealthy to keep it secret from the people who care about you. Red: In my position, it’s not easy to know who cares and who wants to cut your throat.

Lou Lou: Who’s Elizabeth? After I got some of those pills in you, you came to. Well, sort of. Kept saying her name. Elizabeth. Someone who’d miss you if you died?

Marvin shows too much interest in who Red names as his beneficiary. I think he's the one poisoning Red, and is trying to get a cut of the business. I posted about this before. Link provided above.

Red: God knows if it were up to me, given my recent bouts with mortality, I find myself more and more in the liquidation phase. Marvin: You are not going anywhere. As your lawyer, I forbid it. But while we're on the subject... Red: You want to know if I still intend to leave most everything of mine to Elizabeth?

Wine vs shakes. Mortality vs immortality. 

Red: Fun fact - Li Qing Yuen ate wolfberries every day of his life and was said to have lived to the ripe old age of 256. From 1677 to 1933. Imagine! [ Laughs ] He could have had dinner with both Newton and Einstein. Separately, of course.

Red: To immortality.

Liz: Your tremors are gone. Red: They are. Liz: But not the underlying condition.

Marvin knows Liz is Red's beneficiary, and because of his scene with Liz, knows where she stands with Red.

Gerard: You’re giving a cop the keys to your kingdom.

Red: It’s about my will and my various trusts. Seeing as how she’s the primary beneficiary, I’d like you to set aside a time to review them with Elizabeth.

Marvin: You don't want me to change your will? Even after she took sides against you? Red: Okay. So, today, she opposes me. Maybe tomorrow. But not forever. Look at Dom and I. There were years when he hated me. Many more bad years than good. And yet, in the end, we... found our way to each other.

I think Marvin is poisoning Red. Without his medical file, he’s getting the formula wrong, and it's taking too long for Red to die. Because of this, I think he'll end up siding with Liz in exchange for a cut of the business. Liz's motel room scenes run parallel to Katarina's in Rassvet. The fake passports, the motel key, washing up in the bathroom. Unlike Katarina accessing wifi to reach Ilya, Liz tosses money on the bed.

Woman: Thank you, Mrs. Thomas. And how would you like to pay for the room this evening?

Allison Thomas, Mr. & Mrs. Thomas the Train.

Liz: She loves Cheerios, and Thomas the Train in the morning. And she gets so cranky if she's hot at night, so just a light blanket.

Opposite "You’re good, I’m better” of S7. 

Liz: This is who my mother is to me – an aura that surrounds me. For better or for worse, I don’t know.

Mark: Whoa. You don't see that every day. What do you got going on? Liz: Same as always. Causing trouble for the worst of the worst.

It also pushes back to The Apothecary.

Aram: You know, he has to be okay. Cooper: There’s no shame in hoping for the best, even for the worst of us.

There are visual dialogues everywhere because Red changed his face. 

Liz: You killed her. In the park. I saw it. Red: I know what you saw, and it wasn't everything you thought you saw.

It wasn’t EVERYTHING Liz thought she saw. Everything about Red is a lie. 

Red: You see, Marvin? It may feel at times like the end, but our story isn't over yet. There you go. Careful, now. Thanks. Wish us luck. You won't need it. I don't know who your target is, but if you use that the right way, he won't know what hit him.

Their story isn’t over yet because they still have more Tom-ground to cover. 

Red: Oh, that’s not the end of the story. I’m confident you’ll come to see that.

This one ties in Orion Relocation Services, along with much of S7 storyline.

Liz: Wish us luck. Mark: You won't need it. I don't know who your target is, but if you use that the right way, he won't know what hit him.

Stella: As we say at Orion, good luck - wherever fate takes you.

Ressler meets Liz as she plants the bomb in her car.

Ressler: Keen, what are you even doing here? I mean, you left your apartment, you parked Agnes with... Liz: That's temporary. Ressler: Until what?

Until she finds out Ressler is the father of Agnes, then finds out Red is her mother. Temporary vs permanent.

Liz: Well, I need to keep looking. Mrs. Williams is helping me out as a favor. I need someone who’s permanent.

Liz: With me you are enduring, permanent.

It also pushes back to S5.

Liz: I gave Agnes up until this is over. If I miss even one more day with her than is absolutely necessary because you’re not being completely honest with -

Liz: She’s with her grandmother until this ends. Fulton: Until what ends? Liz: Until I find closure.

This entire Keenler scene pushes back to Lord Baltimore.

Ressler: Is that why you’re living out of your trunk? Those motels? The aliases? You got to stop doing that, Keen. Tom’s dead.

Not until Sunday. Because Love wins every day and twice on Sundays. 

Ressler: I know you. We've been partners a long time, which is why I know that you have no intention of letting this rest.

Dom: She captured and nearly killed you. She put me in a coma. Anything else? Or on the seventh day did she rest?

Liz: How'd you know that? My alias? Ressler: You got drunk one night. Wing Yee. You told me. So that's how you found me. I'm gonna miss celebrating your birthday there.

Drunk from that "special" wine she made with Sam. The point of that "special" dialogue in Brothers. Keenler's scene at the end of Brothers was a throwback to their dinner in The Longevity Initiative. That's when they started seeing each other. She told both Cooper and Ressler she'd think about what they said, but she didn't. She doesn't think because Tom has control of her mind. That's what a memory wipe does. Not a single care to hear Red's explanation, she set the car to explode when he opens the door.

Red: There is an explanation. Liz: No. Only a confession. I watched you kill her. And before you try to "explain" how you didn't...

This is a throwback to Red's shooting in Vanessa Cruz. I believe they'll be flashing back to that when they reveal Liz's second memory wipe. It's the truth about Red Krilov removed from her memory. They never revealed The Director's inside man.

Liz: Is that all of it? (Katarina) Red: Some of it.  (Tom)

The woman's voicemail completes Red's "explanation" in Leonard Caul's episode, and pushes forward to Red's 4x17 dialogue at the open.

Liz: My mother prepared me for this moment.

Tom prepared her for this moment. To kill Red. To end up a criminal like he was. The marionette with a dead man pulling her strings, just like The Deer Hunter.

Marvin: Whatever happens... he loves you. You know that, right? You chose that woman over him, and he still wants to leave everything to you.

A push back to S7.

Red: I try to leave nothing to fate, but I'm perfectly comfortable with chaos. That's why I trust that whatever happens is probably meant to be.

The entire point of Liz bringing up Kate unearthing 86 bodies. Liz is seeking revenge just like Kate did. The difference in this arc - fate will be having its way. Anything anyone plans will end as it's supposed to because of fate, including Liz's plan in 8x4. When Red coughs blood on the window of the car, they repeat the soundtrack they used when Red killed the woman from Paris.

Liz: "That woman" was my mother. And he killed her. And I don't want anything from him.

Exactly what Marvin needed to hear. He now has every reason to side with Liz for the sake of taking over Red's empire. The entire hospital scene feels like Leonard Caul's episode and their need to move him to a more secure location. I think The Apothecary's snake venom is attacking the lung that collapsed when he was shot, and felt the same when Kate poisoned him. Marvin wasn't around for that. 

Jackson: Woman, are you out of your mind? Liz: Yes.

"Woman" specifically. This pushes back to what I said of the Archive.

Jackson: That archive, whatever it is, he’s obsessed with it. If Koslov has information that could save a woman’s life, my guess - it’s in that archive.

Jackson: And why exactly would I do that? Liz: Because you know he's gonna kill you anyway. That's why you're working with him. He threatened your life, forced you to turn on me.

Everything Liz said in this conversation sounds just like Tom Keen. Same with Jackson. “I can get to him. Reddington trusts me." He did it with Garvey, and I think that’s what happened with Red in Vanessa Cruz. Liz trusted Tom, and Red got shot after she left his warehouse. Jackson will likely die for the same reason Dr. Nik, Lena, and Pete did. Because Liz is playing the role of Tom Keen.

Liz: He'll kill you if he finds out. Jackson: Didn't you just say he was gonna kill me anyway? Liz: Yes. Jackson: I don't doubt it. His threats to me were very real, and I'd rather get this done than be dragged into the grave with him.

This is how Red passed off as the real Red for 30 years, but the point of this dialogue pushes back to Ressler in S6.

Liz: That's the beauty of it. We don't need a story. All you have to do is tell them the truth. Jackson: What exactly is the truth?

Because Liz fell for the woman from Paris just as she fell for Red being Ilya.

Ressler: But is it the truth? I mean, does it make sense that this is the answer he’d kill to keep quiet? That so many people have died trying to find out?

This is for Liz's memory wipe.

Jackson: It's okay. Go to sleep. It's just a dream.

Liz is still on Tom's boat. That's why she spilled coffee on Aram's desk.

Tom: Alright,  dream scenario. [[We finish our coffee]], we hop on my boat. We leave, okay. We never look back. Preferably, we take our clothes off at some point.

They continue this through Keenler. A monsoon is coming. 

Liz: Goodbye, munchkin. Mama loves you very much. Jackson: "Munchkin" is right, because we are somewhere over some kind of rainbow.

Liz: Come on, munchkin! Hurry! The Saltmans are waiting! Again. The woman: Carpool drama?

Ressler: What’s the munchkin dancing in? Liz: Sleeping Beauty. She’s a lilac fairy.

Agnes: What’s that? Liz: Nothing, honey. Your daddy just always taught me to be ready for a rainy day.

Ressler: Like I said. Silver linings.

It also ties in Agnes' question to the woman in 7x10.

Liz: Goodbye, munchkin. Mama loves you very much.

Agnes: Why didn’t she say goodbye?

Liz basically said goodbye to Agnes over the phone just as Katarina said goodbye to Young Masha in Rassvet. They're also covering her mouth the way they did to Katarina in Cape May. The Rassvet reverse. 

This ties in with Dr. Stark.

Ressler: What's the prognosis, Doc? Doctor: Eh, some of the lacerations will require stitches, and I've ordered a CT scan to check for internal bleeding, but all things considered, I'd say you're in miraculously good shape.

Red: And a prognosis.  Ilya: Which was? Red: Stark's treatment was inefective. Ilya: I'm sorry. Red: Sometimes things happens for a reason. And sometimes I just don't know what that reason is.

Ressler is that reason. That's why he's in "miraculously" good shape.

Red: The idea that a whole world that I couldn’t see had suddenly revealed itself and been brought into focus - felt like a miracle. Cassandra: Because it was, given how often we miss what’s right in front of us.

Red isn’t still out there. Katarina is.

Liz: A few years ago, Reddington's cleaner unearthed the bodies of people he'd killed. Handed them over to the FBI. Evidence of murders. And [[he's]] still out there. I've seen how he does it. Stays one step ahead. I know how he does it. And we can do it, too.

Liz thinks she's gonna build an empire just like Red did. Forget inheriting one. This pushes to my Fowler frame theory which will tie in the murder of Tom Connolly and Victor Fokin. For anyone who hasn't seen it but wants to, my full Tom Domino theory can be found here. The only post it's lacking is the double of Alexander Kirk and Agnes.  

The end of 16 ounces is everything.

From Tom.  

"I’m married to a loser, Henry. Trust me, it’s a fate worse than death."

Tom prepared Liz for this, and Red doesn't need to kill Liz. This pushes Alter Ego, Marko Jankowics, and Lady Luck. Liz said it’s her life, but it’s not. It's Tom's dream scenario - for Liz to live as a fugitive, like he wanted in 2x22. Liz's fate. 

To Ressler.

“ ...nothing else mattered.”

Liz should be sorry, tying in Gaia's episode. Liz’s plan to bomb Red failing like Tom's plan to rescue Agnes. 

To Agnes.

She’ll be the one getting hit. 

Red: The truth is, after all these years, I'm not sure I... understand all of it myself.

This dialogue pushes to The Troll Farmer.

Red: There was a time in my life when I was quite sure I knew exactly what happened to Katarina Rostova.

It's all about Little Red, the ballerina. 

Cooper: What you did to her, what you did to... Katarina - I don't think Elizabeth will ever forgive you for it. Red: She might. Some day. But before then... I fear she may... do something that... ...she can never recover from. And of all the tragedies that you and I have experienced together, that would be the most tragic. We have to do... ...do everything in our power to prevent that from happening.

Red: What you endured, most people never recover from. I doubt I would have. But you’ve turned it into a calling. Nikolai would be proud. Vasilia: I never blamed him for what happened. He blamed himself.

Insert the butterflies for rebirth.

Red: Will you be able to forgive yourself?

Rederina (Grandmother) for S7, Agnes (Little Red) for S8. That's why everyone is struggling to locate Liz and Agnes. They’re not “finding” Liz the way they need to. Her memory was wiped. She sounds just like Kate, and for the same reason. Tom Keen. Liz planting a bomb in her car to kill Red looks a lot like the Orea bombing Katarakurt set up with the truck. The very same playout with Liz ending up at Ressler’s, which is where I place Agnes’ conception. 

Beginning -

Red: You think this was a mistake?

Dembe: No. It was not a mistake, but it was wrong.

No, it's Liz's mistake. End -

Red: Do you really want your child to pay the price for that mistake for the rest of his or her life?

Liz has been preying on everyone's emotions to get answers. Jennifer's, Red's, Ressler's, Cooper's, Aram's. But it's what Tom taught her to do. "I learned that from you, how to prey on the emotions of those that love you most." She's exactly who she is right now because of Tom Keen and his memory wipe. "I'm a fugitive again..." That's why she's the next name on the blacklist. Take note how they have Liz grabbing rest at Ressler's house, then cut to Red sleeping in his chair. "before I start running... I need a rest." She's not equipped for Red's "often exhausted" life, and he warned her about losing sleep in Ruin. "One of these nights, you will. It's just a matter of when." She will because of Agnes - my prediction for 8x4

Yeah, this episode was nothing BUT my Tom Domino theory.

[kiss-my-freckle]

This whole father-in-law hates his son-in-law thing, it’s a cliché. Could we just put a stake in it?

[kiss-my-freckle]

Katarina Rostova is N-13. Liz asking Red if he’s N-13 is the closest she got to asking Red if he’s her mother. My Minister D prediction is right here. Red can’t hurt Ressler because harming him would quite literally harm Agnes. Stark’s treatment didn’t work. Tom saving Ressler’s pretty face from fire by wiping Liz’s memory of Agnes’ conception.  Ressler doesn’t have to say N-13. Red is Katarina, and therefore N-13. Looking at his medical file will be enough. 

[kiss-my-freckle]

8x9 Rewatch: The Cyranoid

“I can see it's not Keen. But what I can't figure out is why it's not Keen.” Couple this episode with The Wellstone Agency. Aram and Ressler have what they need to find Liz. They just need to put their heads together. 

This episode gives you everything you need for the rest of the series. If you want my summation, skip to the bottom because I included every pertinent dialogue. 

A parallel to Pete in 5x7.

Man on the phone: They know. I don't know how, but they know.

Pete: They knew I put in a request with CODIS. I don't know how, but they did.

A parallel to Aram in 7x1. The Seventh Seal, for those who don’t know. 

Red: You all look like you're in a Bergman film playing chess with Death.

Aram: Now we are both eating Polish sausage and playing chess with Death.

If you haven't noticed yet, they've got a coffee cup theme going on. This is like their 4th or 5th time with the coffee cups. To understand this, you have to go to the opening diner scene in 2x21. 

Tom: Alright, dream scenario. We finish our coffee...

Bremmer’s statement pushes back to 8x3 and 5x9, for a reason.

Bremmer: He'll never forgive you for this

Cooper: What you did to her, what you did to Katarina, I don't think Elizabeth will ever forgive you for it. Red: She might. Some day. But before then...

Liz: Can you forgive me? Red: Yes. Will you be able to forgive yourself?

Red: I fear she may do something that she can never recover from. And of all the tragedies that you and I have experienced together, that would be the most tragic. We have to do - do everything in our power to prevent that from happening.

Apparently, Neville is the reason Liz lost 30 years with her mother. 

Red: Make no mistake, Harold. By going after Townsend, Elizabeth is putting her life in grave danger.

I like the pest control van Ressler and Park use for their surveillance. The majority of Ressler's scenes push the idea of him turning to Red for help.

Gina: They say two things will survive a nuclear holocaust - cockroaches and twinkies.

A lot of their dialogues push back to Ressler's storyline with Prescott. Turning to Red now to help Liz ... it’s the kind of favor that wouldn't put Ressler in his debt because it's not for him, it's for Liz. if he ended up saving her by pulling her back in, Red would consider himself in Ressler’s debt just as he did with Aram. 

Aram: A war criminal and an international fugitive. Your parents must be proud.

This line of dialogue leads me to believe Neville is an international fugitive because Mary is the war criminal. Aram talks about her crimes later on in the episode. Everyone is led to believe Townsend got his hands on Liz. 

Cooper: You know Townsend. What hope does she have? Red: He's a very dangerous man. Elizabeth kidnapped his sister, and now he has Elizabeth. If I were her, I'd feel pretty hopeless.

Neville knows what Elizabeth looks like, which means he likely saw her in the news when she was on the run in S3. As you watch how Liz controls her Cyranoid, understand this is how much Tom and the woman from Paris have been controlling Liz. It's an emotional hostage-taking.

Liz: No, I know who I am. I am the puppet of some high-functioning sociopath.

Liz: A marionette with a high-functioning sociopath pulling my strings.

When you have someone who controls what Liz believes, and therefore, what she feels... you have someone who has taken Liz emotionally hostage. Period. That's why no one recognizes her. 

Red: I'm not worried about my hide. I worry about Elizabeth's. I strongly suggest you do the same.

Cooper automatically assumes Red killed Rakitin's patsy, and because of that, basically reveals he's the one who has Red's thumb drive. This gives Red his open to demand he return it.

Liz: You believe my mother was murdered by the Kazanjian Brothers. That never happened. They betrayed you, cut a deal with my mother to fake her death and buy her the time she needed to clear her name. Neville: I don't believe any of this.

William: Well, whoever I am is irrelevant. Katarina Rostova is dead.

Neville: Katarina Rostova is N-13.

William: Assuming, for the sake of discussion, you are who you claim to be, what proof could you possibly have? Woman: I have the identity of N-13. William: You're N-13.

Neville Townsend and William Heidegger shared the same belief. Katarina is N-13 and she's dead. By using “N-13″ as an unidentified codename, it allows them to drag out Red's identity reveal further and evens the war with Townsend. Both Katarina and Red are N-13 because Red is Katarina. Liz thinks she's avenging her mother when she's putting three generations at risk... her mother, herself, and her daughter. Using N-13 also makes it possible for Red to survive this war. If they didn’t do it this way, Red wouldn’t, that’s a guarantee. I told people this when they first brought up the idea of Neville being the big bad. If Red’s real identity got outed to the world, he wouldn’t survive it. He’d have to hide out on his island for the rest of his life. 

Neville: Are you saying Reddington killed her to hide the fact he's N-13? Liz: Yes. And I can prove it. That he's the reason your family's dead.

Ilya Koslov is the only person who can prove the identity of N-13 because Dom is dead. It's likely Sikorsky can prove it, but I don't think Liz will be able to push that far. 

Rakitin: The witch hunt is over and there's one less government knob sticking his nose into our business. You should be thanking me.

Red had his witch trial in S6. He’s a witch because he’s Katarina. Rakitin comes off a lot like Tom Keen, and I do think it’s purposeful. He's one of Red's assets.

Red: You tricked them. For a day. Maybe two. But they'll see past it, and when they do, they'll come looking for you.

Katarina: The news of my death would fool most. It won't fool Velov.

I believe his 30 year project is the Devry map and the blacklist, and it's a shared mission because Red is Katarina and Liz is Masha. A mythic battle that he and Liz are central to because they're mother and daughter Rostova. I think he's trying to remove the threats that separated them for 30 years. They've already cleared out the Cabal. Their affiliates likely went blue, so Red and Liz still have a massive blue player war to fight. 

Liz: I wouldn't have gone to the effort of taking your sister, luring you out, of making this pitch unless I was certain. Raymond Reddington killed my mother because she had uncovered the truth.

Most people don’t see it yet, but this war is on the opposite side of S5. 

Liz: You can trust me.

That’s why Liz is telling Neville he can trust her. For the same reason Tom told Red he can trust him. Because Red couldn’t trust Tom, and Neville can’t trust Liz. 

Tom: You can trust me. Red: No, I can't. I hired you to do a job. The rules were explicit, and you violated them. You're unreliable.

Red KNOWS Neville can’t trust Liz. 

Red: Elizabeth Keen is not to be trusted.

Neville is gonna find out she’s unreliable. She’s STILL Red’s daughter lol. This is where Liz's hopelessness will come in that Red spoke of earlier.

Red: He's a very dangerous man. Elizabeth kidnapped his sister, and now he has Elizabeth. If I were her, I'd feel pretty hopeless.

This Cyranoid changed everything when she surrendered herself. 

Cooper: We don't have to find her because she found us. She surrendered herself out front five minutes ago.

A quick gather of dialogues to show you what I mean.

Ressler: I can see it's not Keen, but what I can't figure out is why it's not Keen.

Cooper: Seven years ago - she was kind, enthusiastic, decent. Under your tutelage - she's become someone I fail to recognize.

Red: I'll tell you what she's not doing - behaving like you would.

Aram: Who are you? Liz: You know who I am and why I have to do this. Aram: You forged my signature to get 16 ounces of Semtex. You nearly killed Mr. Reddington and Ressler. I knew who you were, Liz. But I don't recognize who you've become.

Ressler: I'm just saying, if she did reach out to you, if you actually saw her, you might think differently. Aram: Did she reach out to you? Ressler: No, she didn't. But if she did... I'm just saying it might make a difference.

Aram: He didn't "say," he ordered. Ressler: Yeah, but I told you, if you saw her you'd think differently.

Aram: You were right. It is different.

THIS is exactly what the task force needed. To change Liz's face so they can know what they're seeing - a completely different person. Liz IS an imposter. She’s been an imposter since she stepped off Tom’s boat in 2x22. The task force still believes Red is Ilya, but this is where Liz parallels Rederina and both parallel the Deer Hunter. All that’s left for Liz is a gender change. 

She's becoming Tom Keen, but keeping her face. A Pinocchio wife and daughter because they’re holding her emotionally hostage. Tom, by making her believe he’s the father of Agnes. The woman from Paris, by making her believe she’s her mother. Tom and the woman from Paris are pulling Liz’s strings. She’s a fucking marionette. 

Cyranoid: I told you, it's me. Ressler: No.

Cyranoid: Why don't we start with what happened between you and me the night before I went on the run? Ressler: Who the hell are you?

Just like Reddington. “Who are you?” The entire fucking point. Imagine Liz changing her face to look like her Cyranoid. They'd never see Liz again. THIS is what Katarina did by permanently changing her face to become Raymond. You might as well Consider “Raymond” to be Katarina’s Cyranoid.

Dom: Last time I saw my daughter was in this rearview mirror nearly 30 years ago.

Put this entire Post Office playout in 2x22 context and you can see my memory wipe theory. You just have to consider Mary's death like Connolly's. That gif set is here. Liz is wrong. “Almost everything” has changed because she had her memory wiped. The only thing that hasn’t changed is her face. That’ll be left for Agnes. 

Cyranoid: You should let me go. Ressler: Those days are over. Cyranoid: Why? Nothing's changed. Ressler: No. You ordered your puppet to murder Bremmer. Now you're helping her escape. Cyranoid: I've missed you. Ressler: Well, how about we get together? Have a little chat.

I love how Panbaker says this when they haven’t even told her Red is Ilya. 

Panabaker: Which is why I give you a perilously long leash. But it's not so long that I'll approve granting immunity to someone whose identity I am unaware of. Cooper: Ressler, go over the forensics again. Facial recognition, prints. See what you can find. Panabaker: Be good if that included your dignity.

Ressler doesn't see that he has the power to make Liz surrender. They need to stop their physical search and start an emotional one. They lost her in S2. 

Red: She's the master of her own puppet. An avatar of herself.

Liz is a puppet controlling her own puppet. 

It makes her Grendel’s mother. Little Red Riding Hood. 

Liz: Before we had Agnes... I thought Tom and I were gonna adopt.

Tom: Tonight, you are finally gonna see what this little monster looks like.

A parallel to 3x17.

Neville: You need me on your team. This is my price. Are you willing to pay it?

Red: Do you really want your child to pay the price for that mistake for the rest of his or her life?

A parallel to 7x10.

Cyranoid: Your brother loves you very much.

Woman: But she asked me to give you a big hug and tell you how much she loves you.

I believe this will be the means of Agnes’ hit. Revenge for Mary Bremmer. 

Mary: I've done nothing wrong. Aram: Except use chemical weapons on men, women, and children.

Aram: Have you seen what she's done? Chemical Mary. The way her weapons have been used. Against civilians... children. The Agent Keen I know wouldn't use someone like this to get to Townsend or anyone else. She'd arrest her and make sure she couldn't hurt anyone again.

Aram: Whoever she is, she is not our problem. Now, this... this is our problem. Douma and Khan Shaykhun. Syrian children victimized by chlorine gas. We have a war criminal in custody. I am going to confront her with her war crimes.

For the same reason Victor Skovic took over Dr. Krilov’s business when he got arrested. Neville knows his sister. He’ll tailor his revenge to fit her.  

Separating this section. A parallel to 7x10.

Aram: She'd arrest her and make sure she couldn't hurt anyone again.

Ressler: You scrambled my brain, and I'm here to make sure that you never do that to anyone else.

Separating this section. A parallel to 3x15.

Aram: Whoever she is, she is not our problem. Now, this... this is our problem.

Red: Tom is your Tom problem. 

You basically have to put Agnes in Red’s place. She’s the one in danger.

A parallel to 5x8. 

Cyranoid: I don't expect you to understand, but I am doing what is necessary to end this. To stop Reddington.

Garvey: I like to think I'm the kind of man who'd politely ask you to stop this, to let this end here, but I can tell you're the kind of guy who won't get the message and stop.

These bits sell Liz’s surrender should Ressler turn to Red.

Cyranoid: That's why I have a Cyranoid. To eliminate your control.

Cyranoid: You really think you have power over me, don't you?

Cyranoid: I am not surrendering myself to you.

Red: When you love someone, you have no control. That's what love is. Being powerless.

A parallel to Dr. Fulton. 

Neville: Uh, it turns out that you're due for a reckoning.

Fulton: Closure requires a reckoning.

Because Red is Liz’s mother. So run this opposite. 

Fulton: A widow. A mom. A cop. Liz: And one more thing. Fulton: What's that? Liz: A daughter.

A parallel to Ruin. 

Blake: Try and get some sleep. Neville: I always try. And I never do.

Liz: What matters is that I did it and I was good at it. And I didn't lose any sleep over it. Red: You will. One of these nights you will. It's just a matter of when.

Summation.

They’ve covered most of my predictions for this season. Had I grouped these dialogues, you'd see it even more. With Neville, Liz pushes the danger to Agnes. With the task force, she pushes her second memory wipe and her possible surrender later on. A culmination of things for their first hit on my Tom Domino theory, and I do believe this very arc will lead to that reveal. Agnes’ hit is coming and everyone is falling in parallel with each other. They’ll have more coming, so expect a lot of parallel gif sets from me as they do. 

Liz: I want revenge. Alice: You have my full attention.

Liz is seeking revenge for the death of the woman she believes was her mother. That's it. She's not seeking truths, but feeling quite certain Dom framed her mother and set her up as a patsy. Don't confuse a woman willing to break the rules to seek revenge as a woman who's in control of her life. There's no control to have in seeking revenge, only a poisoned soul. The difference between 3a and 8a shows you where they're heading. The only way Liz can gain control of her life is by getting to the truth rather than seeking revenge for what she believes is the truth. Once those truths come to light, Liz will have the power she needs to take control. Because she’s seeking revenge for what she believes is the truth, Agnes will end up in parallel with Red. Liz and Agnes willl basically fall on the other side of The Djinn's episode. She's harming her own daughter by aligning with Neville, and she was stupid enough to take Agnes on the run with her. 

Consider Liz no different than Bahram because this is where they're heading.

Red: Look at that. Pinned like a swallowtail.

Red: I need an ambulance. A man's dying on a cross.

Ressler: So, you go ahead and you nail yourself to a cross...

You simply need to change Ressler's position from the Deer Hunter episode.

Ressler: Don't. Don't ask me to feel your pain, Liz. I got more than enough of my own.

Liz: But if she isn't who I thought she was, if she's a threat - Ressler: Then we'll deal with it.

Because Agnes is his daughter and he’s gonna feel that pain with her. 

Bahram: I wanted to protect you, Nasim.

Tom: We were trying to protect Agnes. Red: I guess that didn't work out.

I’m predicting Neville runs opposite William with the ducks. 

William: There's a park on the corner of Wabash and Grant. I take my granddaughter there to feed the ducks.

Duck, duck, roasted goose. Fire for Agnes. Burn scars like the makeup on the woman at the costume shop. Fire like Alina’s friend. Burns to the face like Mary Bremmer. I think that’s why they’re on the carousel with the unicorn. Unicorns are good luck. Washer necklaces are bad luck. I think he’s gonna drop a deadly weapon through Liz’s skylight on behalf of his sister. 

[kiss-my-freckle]

Agnes Domino, Part 5: Southern Cross

"Face it, Reddington. I beat you." The timing of Keenler baby could help conceal and/or reveal Rederina, imposter Raymond, and imposter Katarina with Agnes' need for genetic donation, so Ressler needs to hit Stark’s lab. It’s all about that two-headed coin Sima talked about. A few Rederina dialogues from Minister D’s episode tie into this as well.