Anslo Garrick

"Anslo Garrick"
Season 1, Episode 9
Episode Information
Air date	November 25, 2013
Directed by	Joe Carnahan
Written by	Joe Carnahan Jason George
Guest Stars	Ritchie Coster as Anlso Garrick Hisham Tawfiq as Dembe Zuma Deborah S Craig as Luli Zeng Amir Arison as Aram Mojtabai Dikran Tulaine as Max Ruddiger
Episode Chronology
Previous	“[[General Ludd ]]”
Next	“[[Anslo Garrick: Conclusion ]]”

For The character of the same name, see Anslo Garrick (Character).

"Anslo Garrick" is the ninth episode of Season 1 of The Blacklist and the ninth episode overall. It first aired on November 25, 2013 on NBC.

Synopsis

Raymond Reddington is celebrating with some associates (including Luli Zeng and Max Ruddiger) in a bierkeller in Munich, Germany when he sees Donald Ressler arriving. Red greets Ressler and introduces him to his companions as "my man in the state department". Ressler tells Red that Elizabeth Keen needs him because she has been detained. When Red asks why Ressler tells him that it is above his security clearance, and that his job is to locate Red.

Liz is at home sorting through her father's possessions when she finds a slightly burnt stuffed toy rabbit which triggers a flashback to a house fire, which causes her to cry. Tom Keen consoles her.

Upon arrival at The Post Office, Ressler tells Red that Liz is fine and he is being taken into protective custody. Luli and Dembe Zuma are separated from Red and led in a different direction while Red is taken to see Harold Cooper.

Cooper and Meera Malik explain to Red that an imminent threat has been made on his life. When Ressler mentions Anslo Garrick, Red says that the information has been fed directly to them, to make them react they way they have, so that Red would be in a location they knew in time to plan an assault. He says that the only way this could have occurred is if there was an informant in their team and he is saying no more until he determines who it is. Red says that Garrick specializes in extracting people from black sites. He cites a previous raid on a CIA site that was blamed on Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso, Communist Party of Peru, Partido Comunista del Perú), a communist guerrilla insurgent organization.

While this discussion is taking place Garrick's team have arrived using the garbage truck for transport. They begin their assault on the Post Office, simultaneously Liz has arrived for work and entered the elevator/lift. Garrick's team kills the exterior guards, places jamming units to severe the communication systems, and cuts the power lines.

When the power is cut Red states "They're in".

As Ressler takes Red to the box, Cooper orders all unarmed and non-essential personnel to evacuate the building while he leads a team to the armory where they will make their stand. Cooper orders the destruction of the computer hard drives and any other electronic systems that contain information. The remaining FBI guards are overwhelmed while failing to inflict serious losses on Garrick's team.

On the way to the box, Ressler is shot in the leg by one of Garrick's men, but Red grabs Ressler's gun and kills him. Dragging Ressler with him, with a stop for medical supplies Red reaches the box and locks himself and Ressler inside just before Garrick and the rest of his men arrive.

In the armory, Cooper tells Aram Mojtabai to try and re-establish communications to the outside world. Aram leaves to find the jammers.

Liz realizes that something is wrong and climbs out the elevator car and shaft. Once out of the elevator Liz finds some dead security guards and a radio. She contacts Cooper, and is updated on the situation.

While Red tends to Ressler's wound Garrick taunts him about a failed assassination attempt led by Ressler. Red in return taunts Garrick about his wounds from where Red shot him.

Garrick's men storm the armory and capture the remaining FBI personnel.

Liz and Aram team up and go to find and destroy the jammers, while Red gives Ressler an emergency blood transfusion. Red reveals that he knew about Ressler's assassination attempt. To keep Ressler awake Red asks him about his former fiance, Audrey Bidwell. Ressler says that she left him, due to his obsession with catching Red for the past five years. Red then waxes lyrically about all the things he still wants to do, and says that is why he will beat Garrick.

Liz and Aram find and destroy the first of the jammers.

Garrick threatens to shoot Cooper unless he opens the box, but Red talks him out of it.

Liz and Aram destroy another jammer, then decide to split up as that will allow communications to be re-established quicker.

In an effort to convince Red to open the box, Garrick puts a gun to Luli's head. When Red does not open the box Garick kills her.

Just as she finds another jammer Liz is captured by one of Garrick's men.

Garrick then puts a gun to Dembe's head. Dembe tells Red that theirs is a friendship forged in this world and the next. Red realises that Ressler knows the code, but he has fainted through pain. Red and Dembe then recite Al-Ikhlas together and the screen goes black as a gunshot is heard.

Press Release

THE FBI BLACK SITE COMES UNDER SIEGE - Donald Ressler attempts to protect Red from a possible assassination attempt but is misled. The newest member on the blacklist, Anslo Garrick, infiltrates the FBI black site and tries to capture Red. Meanwhile Liz gets caught in an elevator and tries to figure out what is going on. 

Number on The Blacklist

• 16

Unanswered Questions

1. Similarities between "Luther Braxton", "Luther Braxton Conclusion", "Anslo Garrick", and "Anslo Garrick Conclusion".
   1. The Cabal is concerned with the possible release of the Fulcrum blackmail evidence. The Cabal debated the idea that Red is bluffing.
   2. An official of another agency overrides Harold Cooper and tells him that he must obey orders or his career will be ruined. However, the female official also is wary of her male superiors.
   3. Cooper must demand and/or force information from his superiors.
   4. Elizabeth Keen is captured by the Blacklister and used to provoke Red into action.
   5. Luther Todd Braxton and Anslo Garrick have names that contain nearly the same amount of numbers. 5/6 for the first name, 7 for the last name.
   6. Most of the supporting character law enforcement officials are killed during the raid.
   7. Raymond Reddington is arrested at the start of the first episode.
   8. Red and Keen must organize a desperate defense after the location is seized.
   9. Red and the Blacklister have a history of being enemies.
   10. Red is wounded.
   11. Red kills the Blacklister.
   12. Red’s warning to the law enforcement officials is ignored.
   13. The Blacklister despises Red.
   14. The Blacklister is an expert in raiding high security areas and has experience in several nation-states.
   15. The Blacklister negotiates a new price with the Cabal.
   16. The Blacklister refuses to negotiate with law enforcement.
   17. The Blacklister spent time in a Supermax prison and suffered injury.
   18. The first episode ends with the main characters facing death. The second episode ends with Red proving that he can survive the Cabal.
   19. The target location is a top secret government location chosen for its power status.
2. If Anslo Garrick is only 16 on the list, then who could be number 1? What did they do that Red has that person on the top of the list?
   1. A: The Blacklist is not numbered by importance or threat level. Unlike the Most-wanted Iraqi playing cards, Red is certainly using a different set of standards for his personal list.
3. Garrick makes a reference to Red controlling the FBI. Has the black market noticed the recent increase in high profile arrests and begun to suspect that somebody important turned informant? In "The Judge" Connolly tells Harold Cooper that many government officials have noticed that The Post Office task force has arrested the unknown and important criminals.
4. Why was Donald Ressler, an FBI agent, involved in an operation to assassinate Raymond Reddington? Even for the CIA, the chance of such an illegal operation being exposed would make it risky. Even if the foreign government approved the assassination, why include an FBI agent? Why did Harold Cooper not know of the assassination attempt?
   1. A: Ressler chased after Red for 5 years, trying to make a name for himself in the FBI and losing his engagement to Audrey Bidwell in the process. In Brussels, Garrick got him involved in an assassination attempt on Red's life based on the information he provided. The assassination attempt was a failure and Red found out anyway. Red never told Cooper about Ressler's involvement in the failed assassination attempt on his life since it was between both of them.
5. Is Anslo Garrick the adversary Red spoke of? Or was he hired to extract Red for the adversary? Garrick can always kill Raymond Reddington after Red has been interrogated.
   1. A: Garrick makes this fight seem very personal. He wants to make Red suffer, and then kill him. It is far more likely that this is being done for revenge than for hire.
   2. A: Unlikely as revealed in both "The Judge" and "Milton Bobbit", the adversary Red spoke of is very secretive and possibly based in Berlin. Garrick was hired by Alan Fitch to ensure that Red is not backing out of their original deal.
6. How did Garrick learn of Red's immunity deal? Is there a double agent in the FBI?
   1. A: In the beginning of the episode, they make mention of a mole or double agent in the FBI, passing along information to the outside. It's fleetingly mentioned and not confirmed, but it is a distinct possibility that an agent turned informant.
   2. A: Yes, Diane Fowler used infromation from Meera Malik to inform Garrick of Red's whereabouts, as revealed in "The Cyprus Agency".
7. Where did Red learn such a wide degree of medical skills?
   1. A: Red could have learnt battlefield medicine during his time with the US Navy.
   2. A: Another source could be his deals with other criminals. Red has certainly been in several war zones.
8. Why did Elizabeth Keen use a bottle for a silencer? Even real silencers do not reduce the noise by a large degree.
   1. A: Anything is better than nothing.
9. Why did Red tell Harold Cooper to open the cell? Was Red convinced that he could escape from Garrick? Furthermore, why did he believe that Garrick would leave the others alive?
   1. A: Red told Cooper to open the cell for the most obvious reason; he cared about the people being threatened, and believed Garrick when he said that no one else would be harmed if Red came out of the box. Red, Dembe Zuma, and Luli Zeng have a complicated past that we are not completely informed of, but they are trusted and a strange sort of affection has grown between the 3. Red really had nothing else to lose at that point, and was desperately trying to bargain for his friends' lives. Red had worked with Garrick previously, so perhaps he had reason to believe he would keep his word.
10. What happened between him and Red that Garrick wanted revenge after 5 years?
    1. A: It is mentioned that Red and Garrick used to work together, not quite as partners but close enough. Red shot Garrick but failed to kill him, giving him the facial scar and damaged eye. Garrick was also imprisoned for a long period, and it is strongly implied that Red was an integral part in making that happen.
11. Why did Red ask Ressler for his blood type, was he trying to keep Ressler awake?
    1. A: Red was asking for Ressler's blood type in order to figure out if a blood transfusion would be possible. Red happened to be the same blood type as Ressler (B-negative), so Red was able to buy Ressler some time and replenish some of the blood he lost.
    2. Q: Red knew about Ressler's engagement and the failed assassination attempt, the blood type would be easier to discover.
    3. A: Red probably didn't anticipate ever needing to know that information. He certainly never anticipated being in this type of situation. Red was far more interested in Ressler's personal life than medical information; blood type is hardly the type of thing that comes up in a background check.
12. Why did Garrick fail to bring enough explosives? Since he knew how to raid a black site, then he should have known about strength of the cell's glass/polymer wall.
    1. A: The site defenses are probably standardized. The box is probably a one-off construction that most people apart from Cooper (and possibly Ressler) would have no reason to know its exact specifications.
13. Why did the mercenaries continue to obey Garrick after he killed one of his own men from the ricochet shot? Mercenaries know that they cannot be paid if they are dead.
    1. A: Because ricochet kills are accidental, and unlikely to repeat.
    2. Q: Garrick then killed the man without even considering first aid.
    3. A: Their escape plan probably does not include the evacuation of injured personnel, a fact they would know before entering the site.
14. Why was Red handcuffed? Once informed of the threat, it is unlikely he would have caused problems.
    1. FBI procedure.

Slanders on the FBI

1. Why when the Post Office went offline, was this not immediately detected and appropriate action taken?
   1. A: Garrick's jammers were likely sending a false signal to the central computer.
   2. A: More likely, since this is a black site, few people know of it, so it does not throw up flags automatically.
2. For a black site, the security seemed sub-standard. The FBI guards and security systems were easily overwhelmed.
   1. A: "Easily overwhelmed" by a team of highly trained infiltrators with hi-tech gear. This is not an official site, with military protection, but a "black site" designed to stay off the radar.
3. Why did Cooper not order that Red and the rest of the task force evacuate with the other FBI agents? Why did he insist on making a counter-attack?
   1. A: Because he thought that Red was exaggerating the efficiency and ruthlessness of Garrick's team.
   2. Q: What would Red gain from over-hyping Garrick's skills?
   3. A: Control of the situation and possibly his freedom.
4. Why did Harold Cooper and Donald Ressler insist on following protocol? Considering that the site was overrun so quickly, they should have considered a new plan.
   1. A: Because protocol is in place exactly for those types of circumstances.
5. The elevator/lift was of an obsolete design, in that Liz was able to easily access the car roof and then exit the shaft without requiring specialist equipment.
   1. A: The Post Office was to be demolished after the Postal Service ordered it shutdown. The FBI did not see a need to update the elevators. As a black site, they did not expect that it would see combat.

Gallery

External Links

• NBC.com