#anti-keen2

[kiss-my-freckle]

2 of 2: The Pretty Loner

Not the prom, but her birthday. Not punch, but wine.

[meetmeatthecoda]

It's funny to me that people ship Liz

with Tom, who lied to her, manipulated her, held her at gunpoint (on numerous occasions), beat her up (on numerous occasions), said that he pitied her but not loved her, told her their marriage and his desire to adopt a baby was "just a job" for him, took her to the man he knew was going to kill her aka fake Berlin, used her as a shield and generally made it abundantly clear that he would always - and I mean always - put himself first, even and, especially, over her and that he had no qualms about hurting her emotionally and physically for his own benefit ( as opposed to Red, who's never intentionally hurt her or put her in harm's way, who would rather die than hurt her, who would always - and I mean always - put his Lizzy first, even and, especially, over himself, who traded his freedom, his well-being, his life for hers on a number of occasions, who devotedly waited ten months for her to wake up from her coma, barely leaving her side, I imagine, who always forgave and staid by her side no matter how much she hurt and/or betrayed him, who was more worried about Liz's mental and emotional state than his own life when she made her repeated attempts to kill him... should I continue? )

or

with Ressler, who's always been like a brother for Liz more than anything - which shows in the way they supported each other when they had problems with their respective partners, in the way Ressler asked Liz's advice about his relationship with Audrey, in the way Ressler offered to beat Tom up for her, in the way they always looked out for each other in a completely platonical way - ( as opposed to Red, who repeatedly told Liz that he is not her father - and he never lies to her, that much is unquestionable - and who is clearly not her mother for a number of reasons I don't feel like it's necessary to list ).

Yet they call us - Lizzingtons, the fans of the most healthy relationship in the whole show - hurtful words like perverts etc.

Just... isn't it obvious how utterly ridiculous it is?

In other words, anon? It's 1000% obvious... At least to us 😒😒😒 You summed things up really perfectly, I'm not sure what else I can add honestly... T*m was unhealthy & dangerous for Liz, R*ssler is brotherly at best, & we're still the disgusting ones 😐 I know the lines have always been blurred with this show (& that's TPTB's fault btw) but the fact that we receive so much hate for shipping Liz with the ONE male character that loves & protects her with his whole self & NOT the abuser OR the mannequin? K 🙄 Long story short, anon, I agree with you, & thank you for this 🥺 Much love to you, my friend!! ❤️

[alyblacklist]

would love to hear your take on this: why do you think Liz slept with Ressler, thought about him, worried about him, called him over and over to say good bye but at the same time she was thinking about Tom and the washer and all that? Do you think she has really moved on from Tom?

I do think Liz has moved on in the sense that I believe her feelings for Ressler are genuine. (And I think John Eisendrath, who was at one time the biggest promotor of Tom/Liz, agrees on that).   

I didn’t take Liz reflecting on Tom or the washer as some sort of regret or guilt for sleeping with Ressler, or an inability to move on (her face in that opening car scene tells me she enjoyed her night with Ressler and regretted nothing). Tom has been dead for more than three years in real time and closer to 5 years in “show time.” The fans who still expect him to magically return from the dead (despite the morgue scene and the endless interviews confirming he’s really dead) seem to struggle more with moving on than Liz does.

I think Liz reflecting on Tom is tied directly to the fact that she’s once again a fugitive and getting ready for life on the run with a fake identity and an invented backstory, the passports stored in his box, the gear stored in his spy apartment.  All of that is Liz trying to embrace her dark, criminal side. As Red said back in season 2 regarding Tom, “I understand what it’s like to be drawn to something that is unhealthy, to a part of yourself that you are afraid of.” Liz is trying to embrace her dark side and emulate Tom right now. 

If that washer was truly sentimental to Liz, it would have been kept at home. Instead, she left it behind in the abandoned apartment until she seizes it like a talisman to give her strength to do what she needs to do. As she explains to Esi when Esi asks about the washer:

Liz: He was – much better at this than I am. He never would have let Agnes get taken into custody. Esi: You know what you got to do.

And what does she do?  She uses all of her relationships with her friends at the Task Force to get her daughter back and to steal Red’s money. As Liz said herself when she spoke to “ghost Tom” at his grave at the end of Season 5:  “I learned that from you, how to prey on the emotions of those that love you most.” 

Later, talking to Agnes on the plane, Agnes points to the unicorn socks Liz is still wearing (the ones she bantered about lightheartedly with Ressler):

Agnes Did they bring you luck?

Liz: Oh, yeah. They did, honey. So much. You want to see what else brings me luck? [she shows Agnes the washer]

Agnes: What is that?

Liz: Did I ever tell you how your Daddy asked me to marry him?

Again, she’s using Tom as inspiration for this dark journey that she’s now on by spinning a warm tale to her daughter of the proposal that she actually wanted nothing to do with the last time she was a criminal.

By contrast, I think her relationship with Ressler represents the “good,” lighter side of Liz, the lawful, “Agent Keen” side. The side that, despite everything, I think she’s still having a hard time letting go of.  The regret of leaving him is palpable when she speaks to him in 8x01 after their kiss and especially in 8x03 and 8x04.  For example, after she kisses him and then takes the gun in 8x01:

Liz: You didn’t trust me when we first met. We’ve come so far– just to end up right where we started.

And in 8x03 when she asks to stay the night:

Liz: I’m a fugitive again– and you have to come for me, but before you do, before I start running – I need a rest. Even if it’s just for one night. Will you let me do that?

And their phone conversations in 8x04:

Ressler: Why’d you call? Liz: I don’t know. I guess– because every time we say goodbye, I’m afraid we might actually mean it.

Liz: I got to go. Ressler: No, you don’t. Liz: I do. And this time I have to mean it.

I was happy to see Liz get Red’s flash drive to Cooper in Ep 8x05 because that, to me, was a sign that the “Agent Keen” side of Liz is not entirely gone. That side of her that wants to be “good” and lawful is still there somewhere and hopefully will prevail in the end.

[kiss-my-freckle]

1 of 2: Between Sleep and Awake

[kiss-my-freckle]

"A proposal’s so much better when it’s a surprise."

When it comes down to Red and Ressler, it will be Ressler. To harm him would be to harm her. A mortal sin. 

[kiss-my-freckle]

I don’t need to fake anything. 

Liz, 2x1: My husband was an imposter, a fake. 

Red: You were wrong about him once. 

Agnes, 10x10: Except one of us is secretly an imposter. 

 Red: What makes you so sure you’re not wrong this time? Do you really want your child to pay the price for that mistake for the rest of his or her life?

Liz: Keen was never his name. 

Nor Agnes'. 

A coincidence that Agnes is playing a game on a spaceship, while Ressler spoke of climbing mountains and exploring galaxies with Liz? I doubt it. 

[kiss-my-freckle]

For those asking, I’m very much looking forward to S10 of The Blacklist. Let me put this into perspective by covering Raymond's dialogue in 4x17.  

Red: As I feared would happen, elements from Katarina’s past are circling Elizabeth like a pack of wolves in the night. I put Tom Keen in her life to keep an eye on her, and he married her. Kate: This isn’t about Tom Keen. It’s about your need for control. Red: Indeed. I need to control the danger to Elizabeth. I’ve built a vast criminal network predicated on that very principal. It’s time to live up to my mission statement.

THIS is why Marvin brought Kate back into the show through her sister. They covered every threat Katarina brought... from the Cabal to to the OUC to Neville Townsend. They covered every threat “Raymond” brought... from Constantin Rostov to Ian Garvey to his treason charges in season 6. They covered Raymond and Katarina so much that they revealed an imposter for each. 

Red: I put Tom Keen in her life to keep an eye on her, and he married her.

Tom Keen is all that’s left aside from Raymond’s reveal. 

Belinda: If you ask me, carnations are the sad flower of weddings past.

The ONLY mistake Red ever made with Liz, was not killing Tom when he had the chance in 1x22. Had he killed Tom in 1x22, Liz would still be alive. I’m predicting serious Tom reveals, and Keenler in a way that no one has seen. And yes, I’m expecting a Keenler sex scene that was filmed back in season 2. 

[kiss-my-freckle]

I have to wonder why fans are allowed to theorize Red's identity. We get a twin, Liz's uncle, Katarina's coworker, some random third man like Seaduke. And somehow, these fans believe there’s a mountain of evidence to support it. 

But me... I theorize Tom being the person who wiped Liz's memory, and people are like "No... there's no evidence to support it!!" I'm laughing over here because apparently, Tom had no reason or means to wipe Liz's memory. And yet... there’s nothing to support Red being a twin, an uncle, a coworker, or Seaduke. 

"You know, I told Harold that I was coming tonight, and he said that Agnes wants today to be a celebration of your life, not a memory of your death."

I’m splitting the difference. Season 9 was the celebration of Liz's life. Season 10 will be the memory of her death. Agnes is centered in both. 

I do have one loyal Keenler baby theorist with me... and she’s a full-blown follower. We talk almost every day. She informed me on Ressler’s year of sobriety and how that plays into relationships... because I had no idea. 

[kiss-my-freckle]

[kiss-my-freckle]

Liz’s alter ego, Tom Keen. Ressler’s comment to Red in the first gif is fact. She’s not behaving like Red would, she’s behaving like Tom would. 

[kiss-my-freckle]

"Until one day... it will be the second thing."

Mako Tanida

[kiss-my-freckle]

And inside the warehouse was... a fake apartment! Oh, look! It's your [ fake ] daddy in your fake living room!

[kiss-my-freckle]

My season 10 prediction for Agnes.

I’ll try to make this as short as possible, but it’s been 6 seasons since Agnes was first brought into the show. I believe they aged her against their timeline for the sake of their religious aspect, and are returning to Lady Ambrosia’s episode.  

The age of religious maturity. Bat Mitzvah. The  end of adolescence. Lady Ambrosia. Rebirth, transformation, Red and Little Red. 

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

Red has a term for this. It’s called a sin eater. 

Red: I’m a sin eater. I absorb the misdeeds of others, darkening my soul to keep theirs pure. That is what I’m capable of. 

Liz was the one considering giving her child up for adoption. 

Liz. I’m thinking about giving the baby up for adoption.

Ressler was the one completely against it. 

Ressler: I’m not saying it’s easy, but I’d never give up my kid for adoption.

Agnes is written with two different outcomes. One to parallel the very dead real Red, like those children in Lady Ambrosia. This is where “Little Red” Riding Hood comes in. Liz parallels Katarina due to her second memory wipe. That’s where Tom Keen comes in. 

Dom: For most people, baptism comes early. My daughter had to wait half her life to be reborn.

Aram: In fact, I was at your christening. You couldn’t have even been a - a few months old.

The age of religious maturity for girls is 12. like Anya in Lady Ambrosia. 

Tatiana: She's an angel.

Cooper: She’s 11.

Shuster: She’ll be… transformed.

Liz: I’ll be… transformed.

Liz: Speak of the devil. It's the devil.

Liz: I’m expecting a little devil of my own.

This is where Laurel Hitchin comes in. 

Hitchin: Hand to God, how amazing was Saturday? I know I’m his mom, but Philip’s Bar Mitzvah - cutest thing ever. Although my idiot husband did order 500 extra swag bags, so one for you, one for you -

Hitchin: The mint-chocolate candies are a little stale, but the red-velvet cake pops - to die for.

Ressler is the idiot husband who had red-velvet cupcakes with Liz on her birthday in The Longevity Initiative. 

Samar: What should I call you - my idiot boyfriend or my idiot husband?

Samar: I’m sorry. Excuse me. Could you help us? My husband is a complete idiot.

Liz: Hey, guys, what you got? Aram: A birthday card and 31 red-velvet cupcakes. Uh, well, uh, 30. I couldn’t resist. When are you coming back?

I believe Keenler baby will be revealed. 

Ressler: All this to hide an unwanted pregnancy? Who’s the mother? Pastor Darvis: There is no mother. I gave birth to Luke myself. 

Liz: Oh, my God. You’re not carrying a child. You’re carrying drugs?! Alexandra: I fell at the airport. I think maybe -  Maybe the package ruptured.

Ressler: The drug test came back negative. I’ve been reinstated, but, um– Park: But what? Ressler: The hormonal levels in my readings, they were irregular.

Red referred to Ressler as the second-string quarterback. Next thing you know, he’s seeing a sports doctor for his drug/pregnancy test. 

Ressler: What does that mean? Red: I mean - that if this were the high-school prom, she’d be the pretty loner standing on the sidelines, and you’d be the second-string quarterback guzzling down the punch, hoping to cop a feel off her during “Stairway to Heaven.”

Ressler: Is that even possible? Dr. Francis: I spent a decade as a team doctor for pro athletes. Believe me, when you’re playing for your next contract, anything’s possible. Those guys want it so badly, they’re willing to do anything. Are you?

Correction for both of them. 

Doctor: What it means is, you were pregnant.

Hannah Hayes, Marko Jancowics, The Avenging Angel. It’s not safe to assume Tom is the father. Better to actually know for sure, considering it took three DNA tests for Liz to find out her biological father was dead and buried. One in 4x7, one in 4x22, and one in 5x22.

Back to their religious aspect, Agnes now nearing 12, and the fact that 10 is the final season. Red is likely to die, leaving behind a criminal empire worth a great deal of money. As Agnes’ father, the discs meant for Liz would fit Ressler.

Red: You will have one blind spot, one weakness that can’t be willed out of you. And that’s Agnes. I have no advice for you there. All I can tell you is, uh - do your best, and hold on to that like it’s the last thing in your heart.

Dembe is now an FBI agent working alongside Ressler. This is how both Red’s granddaughter and Dembe’s granddaughter will become the new Red and Dembe. 

Dembe: Raymond! Ours is a friendship forged once in this life and again in the next. Goodbye, my brother.

Not like brothers, but like sisters - as they push to reveal Red is Katarina.  

Vasilia: The only thing that could change my mind is you bringing her back.

Liz: No matter what happens, I love you to the moon and back.

I’m fully predicting that Ressler and Agnes will find out they’re father and child, and they’ll have a reunion that mirrors Vasilia and Anya. I believe that’s why they’ve yet to actually give them a scene together. They’ve been keeping them apart for the sake of emotional impact. 

Vasilia: How did you find me?

From finding Liz. 

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

To finding Agnes. 

Red: You were wrong about him once. What makes you so sure you’re not wrong this time?

That’s right - Ressler. R-E-S-S-L-E-R. First name’s Agnes. 

Red: R–O–M–E–O Romeo.

Another Theo was added to storyline in Ressler's S9 episode. Agnes is nearing 12 years old, the end of adolescence. Just listen to Red's story to Vasilia, and picture Wujing breaking Shuster out of prison.

Red: And old Zeeb had been signing, “My wife, my daughter, my life.” Six words, unspoken, convinced that guard to let us go.

Dead wife, dead child...

I suspect an attempted suffocation. Like Liz and the cellophane in 5x8. Like the bag Theo suffocated Ethan’s mother with. 

"Share it with someone special."

"I’ve been saving this for a special occasion."

"Oh, I think you’re very special."

My prediction: Wing Yee's and red-velvet cake pops to die for.

Time for Agnes’ 12th birthday, for Wing Yee’s and red-velvet cake pops to die for. All of it tying in Ressler’s sad flower of weddings past. Because Liz didn’t want to marry Tom. She wanted to marry the father of her child. [x]

[kiss-my-freckle]

A hope. A wish. The child that we were gonna adopt, and that I hope is the one we’re gonna have. I’m in love with HIS little nose. Oh, it’s HIS face, and I’m in love with HIM. Oh, my God. It just got REAL. And inside the warehouse was… a FAKE apartment! Oh, look! It’s your [FAKE] daddy in your FAKE living room. You have a healthy, beautiful baby GIRL.

The gender switch. 

[kiss-my-freckle]

But with babies, everything that's old is new again. - Liz

Red & Little Red. One reveal leading to another. 

[kiss-my-freckle]

Belinda: If you ask me, carnations are the sad flower of weddings past. Ressler: Well, sad or not, they’re her favorite.

Ressler: I thought that was your dad at the motel. Theodore: Who? Shane? No. He’s not my dad. He’s my stepdad.

Agnes’ father is alive.