For his mental health, Red needed to let go of his questions about the night that Liz was killed.
As The Blacklist Season 9 Episode 8 proved, he couldn't do that, and he lost the companionship and healing that Mierce provided as a result.
Mierce had only been in about half of The Blacklist Season 9 episodes and wasn't nearly as present as Weecha.
After all, his body was more evidently in danger because of who he is and what he does. But Mierce was the person who helped his soul find peace after Liz's death.
That wasn't enough for Raymond. He needed to understand how someone had gotten the drop on Liz when she was supposed to be mercy-killing him on The Blacklist Season 8 Episode 22.
Mierce realized this was a rabbit hole he shouldn't be going down. But he made the mistake of essentially telling her not to worry her pretty little head about it.
That was a no-no. Mierce was the woman who helped to rebuild his psyche when he was ready to die. She knows what he's thinking, whether he'll admit that or not.
Instead of listening to her, Red tried to distract her with a significant gesture, flying in her favorite chef in hopes of re-creating the good times they used to enjoy.
Only she was too bright for that. She attempted to convince Raymond to look forward rather than keep going back.
Mierce also understood that Raymond's returning to the world of crime was only going to put his mind back in a dark place. That's why she was campaigning for all of them to go back to Cuba.
But Reddington isn't made to be a retired gentleman of leisure. Isn't that why he ultimately came back? He missed the action.
Understandably Mierce doesn't want to watch him undo all the hard work that she had done. So she's sadly removing herself from his inevitable descent.
What's worse is that Red has turned on the other person who knows him best -- Dembe.
In the two-year gap between seasons, Dembe made something of himself. He was wasted as Raymond's bodyguard and confidant.
He took those skills he had learned through the years and went to the right side, joining the FBI. And after Red disappears for that period, he can't fault Dembe for moving on. Fair is fair.
Reddington shouldn't be unfairly blaming Dembe for his role in Liz's murder.
Yes, Dembe did give Liz Raymond's letter before, not after, his death. He did that because he knew the feelings expressed would make Liz happy. Red's calling that betrayal was way too strong.
Did that distract Liz from her appointed task, making her less than hypervigilant? Possibly. But let's face it, her behavior in that final year was erratic at best.
Should Dembe have used his spidey sense to be aware of Van Dyke nearby when meeting with Liz? That's pretty unrealistic. Common sense would dictate that Townsend's people went underground and got out of Dodge.
Most at fault were whoever failed to clean up the remains of Townsend's organization. If Van Dyke hadn't still been on the street, he couldn't have gone after Liz for her betrayal of Townsend.
It's pretty simple, really: Liz pissed off Townsend's organization then failed to watch her back. It has little to do with her conflicted feelings about Red.
It appears, especially now that Mierce isn't around to serve as his conscience, that Reddington will be turning his attention to others he views as involved in Liz's death. Maybe if he can determine who's really to blame, his relationship with Dembe could be mended.
As for the case of the week, it was perfectly timed, with NBC's over-coverage of the Olympics right around the corner.
Early on, it was apparent that the overly helpful sports-gear sponsor and the doping doctor were in cahoots, trying to produce better results and profits through chemistry.
It was amusing to learn that Aram went through an extreme sports phase and that he was the person who was most indignant about what Burgos was doing to the purity of sports.
Hey, is anyone surprised that Ressler still has a monkey on his back despite the revelations of The Blacklist Season 9 Episode 7?
How could we tell? Maybe it was the subtle way he kept trying to steal drugs everywhere he turned.
He and Park have now switched places as the least likable Task Force members. And since Harold keeps throwing the two of them together, their little conspiracy is bound to remain intact.
Indeed, with all of Red's connections, couldn't Ressler swallow his pride and get some off-the-books professional help when detoxing? Handcuffing himself to his desk seems destined to fail.
Poor Harold got no closer to determining who is masterfully framing him. It's one step forward and two steps back for his quiet investigation.
He had bloodwork proving he was drugged. Then he and Lew figured out how.
But before the bartender could be interviewed, he was killed.
Who from Harold's past is so capable as to stay one step ahead of him?
27 Characters Who Have a Secret and Can Keep It
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To follow the dissolution of Red and Dembe, watch The Blacklist online.
Who is Raymond treating worse, Mierce or Dembe?
How lucky is Ressler that Harold is big-time distracted?
Who is attempting to frame Cooper?
Comment below.
THE BLACKLIST Season 9 Episode 8 Photos Dr. Razmik Maier #168 – 01/13/2022 [08:00PM – 09:00PM] [Thursday] : The death of a professional tennis player leads the Task Force to a doctor who may be fixing the odds for a major sports betting syndicate. Red digs deeper into Dembe’s betrayal. Ressler struggles with sobriety. s09e08 9×08 9.08 s9e8
In the two years following the death of Elizabeth Keen, Raymond Reddington [James Spader] and the members of the FBI Task Force have disbanded – their lives now changed in unexpected ways and with Reddington’s whereabouts unknown. Finding themselves each at a crossroads, a common purpose compels them to renew their original mission: to take down dangerous, vicious and eccentric Blacklisters. In the process, they begin to uncover lethal adversaries, unimaginable conspiracies and surprising betrayals that will threaten alliances and spur vengeance for the past, led by the most devious criminal of them all – Raymond Reddington.
“The Blacklist” also stars Diego Klattenhoff, Amir Arison, Hisham Tawfiq, Laura Sohn and Harry Lennix.
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