The blacklist The bad guys were different from those from any other television program. While most of the series have set up a clear battle between good and evil, The blacklist prospered in moral ambiguity. Raymond “Red” by James Spader, Reddington was not a hero, but the most dangerous criminal on the planet. However, for years, the public was happy with him on anyone who challenged his throne.
Despite the gallery of antagonists in the series, Red has always had support for fans. The director (David Strathairn) was great, Berlin (Peter Stormare) was ruthless and Neville Townsend (Reg Rogers) was terrifying. However, none was able to move the balance. No matter how dangerous or cunning they seemed to be dangerous, viewers were firmly behind Red’s victory – until a familiar face turned against him.
This moment came with Mr. Kaplan (Susan Blomert). More than any other character, she redefined what did The blacklist The bad guys are so convincing. His transformation of the faithful fixer to the avenging enemy was shocking, but what was most was the reaction of the public. For the first time, the fans wanted Red to lose.
Mr. Kaplan was the best villain in the blacklist
Mr. Kaplan moved away because she was both personal and based on principles
Mr. Kaplan, presented in the second episode of The blacklist Season 1, “The Freelancer”, was first described as Raymond Reddington’s confidence cleaner – a meticulous figure that managed Red Mess with frozen precision. For years, it existed on the outskirts, a silent executor who made the most dangerous man of criminal underworld. However, his loyalty made his betrayal all the more devastating.
The blacklist The bad guys often reflected the world of red spying, power and changing loyalty. However, unlike Berlin or Townsend, Mr. Kaplan was not motivated by greed, revenge or raw ambition. It represented morality within immorality, someone who acted from principle rather than personal interest. When she turned against Red, her reasoning did not concern control – it was a question of protection.
Compared to bad guys like Alexander Kirk (Ulrich Thomsen), who had large diagrams and manipulative minds, the power of Mr. Kaplan came from his humanity. She intimately knew the red – her strengths, her weaknesses and her lies. This made her infinitely more dangerous than any world -class operator or brainless brain that preceded her.
His scenario also had an emotional weight. Unlike the director, who embodied the dark bureaucracy of the CIA, or Berlin, who was motivated by revenge, Mr. Kaplan represented betrayal at his deepest level. She was not only another opponent of the endless enemies cycle of Red; She was from the family and she armed this link against him.
In the end, Mr. Kaplan was The blacklistThe best villain because she forced both red and the public to face uncomfortable truths. It was proof that the most threatening adversary is not that with the greatest army or the most elaborate plan – it is the one who knows where the bodies are buried.
The blacklist facilitated the root for Mr. Kaplan
Mr. Kaplan’s reasons made him feel like a hero rather than a villain
The blacklist The bad guys were still fun to look at, but Mr. Kaplan’s climb to the antagonist made her sympathetic in one way that no other bad guy could match. She was not only another criminal; She was a guardian. Having been the nanny and the protector of Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone), Mr. Kaplan brought a maternal link with Liz who reshaped the conflict in something deeply personal.
Fans were not simply attracted to her because she could challenge the Red Empire (although she could certainly, and with enthusiasm). They rooted for her because her motivations were pure. Mr. Kaplan did not want to be able or wealth; She wanted Liz to be free from Red’s orbit, knowing that he brought danger wherever he went. His actions were not malicious but protective.
This feeling of justice became even clearer after Red shot him in season 4. It was one of the most shocking moments in the series, not only because of violence, but because of whom was the target. Red’s decision was ruthless, and that has fundamentally changed the way the public saw it. For once, his charisma could not excuse his brutality.
Mr. Kaplan also had another quality which made her stand out: the brilliance. The blacklist The bad guys were often strategic brains, but Kaplan was at a different level. She dismantled the RED operation with meticulous efficiency, turning her own tools against him. Watching her shoot the strings gave her the aura of a great chess, always an advance.
Add the performance of Susan Blomert – cool, calm and scary – and Mr. Kaplan became the rare villain who was impossible not to encourage. She was not only hated red; She gave the floor to public frustrations with her lies and manipulations. This is why rooting for her did not want to seek evil, but to support the truth.
Was Mr. Kaplan really on the right in the blacklist?
Mr. Kaplan exposed blurred morality in the heart of the show
The bad guys in The blacklist Everyone had their gray nuances, but Mr. Kaplan was the one who scrambled the line between the villain and the hero most effectively. On the one hand, it was absolutely in the right. Red had manipulated and endangered Liz for years, and Kaplan was the only person courageous enough to stand against him for his protection.
Her argument was simple but powerful: Liz would never be safe while red remained in her life (and she was proven when Liz finally died). Kaplan did not only act out of revenge; She acted out of love. His campaign against Red, also destructive, was built on the desire to release Liz from a toxic cycle. From this angle, his rebellion seemed more heroic than mean.
However, Kaplan was not flawless. His war against red has endangered countless innocent lives. In her quest to expose it, she unleashed chaos that waved her intentions. She believed that she protected Liz, but her methods – calculated and ruthless and bloody – meant that she was still part of the darkness to which she opposed.
This duality is the reason why Kaplan’s story has resonated so strongly. Root her for her didn’t feel bad, but it didn’t seem fair either. It represented gray morality at the heart of The blacklist – A reminder that even the best intentions can have a terrible cost. This tension is what made it unforgettable.
- Release date
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2013 – 2023
- Showrunner
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Jon Book Fight
- Directors
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Andrew McCarthy, Michael W. Watkins, Bill Roe, John Terlesky, Donald E. Thorin Jr., Christine Moore, Kurt Kuenne, Terrence O’Hara, Adam Weisinger, Mahesh Pailoror, Karen Gaviola, Stephanie A. Marquardt, Steven A. Adelson, Daniel Willis, Matthew Paul A. Edwards, Alex Zakrzewski, David Platt, Jean de Segonzac, Jono Oliver, Michael Zinberg, Paul Holahan
- Writers
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Jonathan Shapiro, Kelli Johnson, Brandon Margolis, Daniel Knauf, Dawn Denoon, Aiah Samba, Dave Metzger, Justine Neubarth, Dave Thomas, Kim Newton, Vincent Angell, David Merritt II, Chap Taylor, Daniel Voll, Elizabeth Benjamin, John Zinman, West Spark Kristen Reidel
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Diego Klattenhoff
Donald Repeating
