I’ve only watched the first season of Blacklist but I think it would be safe to say that the American crime thriller incorporates a bit of Jacobean style into the show. There are moments of violence, revenge, manipulation, ambiguous relationships and betrayal. The show primarily centers around the long time wanted fugitive Raymond “Red” Reddington who used to work for the government but has converted into a life of crime selling government information and etc.
Reddington is a very calculated man that has a reason for every move including surrendering himself to the FBI. If you are on move A, he is already on move A plus 4. In other words, he is 4 steps ahead of you. He uses this ability to manipulate the FBI into helping him capture dangerous criminals that are on his blacklist. While watching the show, one can realize that there’s a main plot developing within each subplot. He does whatever it takes to get what he wants including violence; even if it means shooting someone in cold blood or dropping them in acid while they’re still alive.
We realize as the show goes on, every criminal that is on Reddington’s blacklist serves a purpose to his ultimate goal – who wants him dead and how he can protect himself. In addition, as the side plot, there is the ambiguous relationship between him and the only FBI agent he is willing to speak with, Elizabeth Keen, while he acts as a confidential informant. He uses her need for a father figure as a means to access her resources to help him. He purposely doesn’t state what their relationship is in an effort to maintain control over Elizabeth.
