The Blacklist

I have really become a James Spader fan since he started to age and actually began to care about his craft. It's very evident in his creation of Raymond Red Reddington, the number one wanted man in the world. Think of him as Kaizer Soze from The Usual Suspects.

Reddington is a criminal facilitator. He knows all the major players and where they can be found. He more than proves that during his surrender to the FBI. He has much information to trade but will only speak to one agent - Elizabeth Keen. Why just her? Why an agent on her first day of work? What is her value to Red? I like that the series gets right to all the speculation. I know the reasons are much deeper than mere coincidence and by the end of the pilot I was left with questions that I need to have answered.

Spader of course is channeling his best Hannibal Lecter impression and there will be comparisons between this show and Silence of the Lambs only in that it involves a female profiler (Megan Boone) and a criminal mastermind.

The show can easily evolve into the 'case of the week' but I liked the pilot. It flowed quickly and I thought the writing was crisp with just the right mix of action and mind games to keep me coming back for more.