Eli Matchett

"Eli Matchett"

Season 3, Episode 3

Episode Information

Air date

October 15, 2015

Directed by

Steven A. Adelson

Written by

Lukas Reiter
J. R. Orci

Episode Chronology

Previous	Next
“Marvin Gerard”	“The Djinn”

“Eli Matchett” is the third episode of Season 3 of The Blacklist and the forty seventh episode overall. It aired on October 15, 2015 on NBC.

Synopsis[]

Press Release[]

Red and Liz take a detour towards the Midwest as part of their mission to exonerate Liz and defeat the Cabal. Ressler, Samar and Aram continue to track the fugitives and in the process stumble upon what could become a global food crisis. Meanwhile, Cooper turns to an unlikely ally.

Number on The Blacklist[]

72

Unanswered Questions[]

The storylines in “Eli Matchett”, “General Ludd”, and “Vanessa Cruz” are similar. The attacks on the corporations did more damage to the common people than the direct victims.
1. Eli Matchett’s plan would have destroyed the farmers who rely on genetically modified organisms.
  1. A: Matchett was opposed to the genetically modified foods that destroyed small farms and wanted to force people to see the dangers of relying on a very limited range of foods.
2. Nathaniel Wolff’s plan to destroy the currency system with counterfeit money would have harmed the common people he claimed to represent.
  1. A: Wolff likely wanted the common people to revolt and overthrow the government. The actions were primarily aimed at making the 1% poorer, and any other damage is irrelevant in pursuit of the objective.
3. Vanessa Anne Cruz’s actions harmed the 99% when she framed somebody from the 1%.
  1. A: Cruz only considered the primary result and not the overall consequences of her actions. She only considered the primary result, not any secondary or tertiary damage.
The virus scheme was similar to the below storylines concerning vengeance, corporate power, blaming the disaster on the fanatical extremist, and price manipulation.
Elizabeth Keen
1. If Keen is to survive, Red will have to break and/or destroy her morals.
2. The officer in the bar called Keen the “Russian”. That means most people believe the accusations that she is a spy.
3. Keen’s career will not be saved if the Cabal admits the truth. The Cabal loyalists will use her other crimes against her. Red said that she had crossed the threshold when she killed Thomas Connolly. Her situation is similar to Red’s, she has created enemies that will demand her execution if she is captured. Similar to: Warner Caslet, Alidar Jarok, the Soviet defectors in Tom Clancy novels, and “Avalanche Express”; Keen can never return home.
Raymond Reddington
1. Why did Red state that he was number 1 on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list? He is number 4.
  1. A: He may have moved up since going on the run with Liz.
  2. A: He has been on the list for the longest number of years.
2. Did Red learn anything about the Cabal from Susan Hanover?
  1. A: Red already knew about Project Genesis and that she laundered money for the Cabal. He wanted her to deliver a message to The Director.
3. Why was Red so harsh on Keen about calling Ressler? While it did help Ressler locate them, Ressler located Costa's apartment before Keen called. The traffic photo was taken by pure chance. In “The Troll Farmer” and “Marvin Gerard” Red called Ressler. The undercover officer recognized Red at the bar without help.
  1. A: Her phone call implied she knew Ressler was close to them. In “The Troll Farmer”, Ressler had already lost Red and Red didn't lead him to Liz. In “Marvin Gerard”, Red had hostages so Ressler couldn't risk casualties. Also, Red had a secret escape route ready.
Eli Matchett
1. Did Matchett know the identity of his employer?
2. What will happen to Los Segadores (The Reapers)? Will they be blamed for Matchett's terrorist actions?
  1. A: They probably won't be blamed. Matchett betrayed the members that were left behind. He killed the members that attacked Verdiant. Matchett was the only terrorist in the group.
3. Why did the sand adhere to the keys Matchett used?
  1. A: The hand left oils that the sand adhered to.
Donald Ressler
1. Ressler's description as a “FBI robot” could lead to a situation where he must decide to follow orders or take action against the Cabal's FBI loyalists.
2. Why did the writers use the cliché of Ressler missing Red and Keen by mere minutes?
  1. A: Red told Liz that in the life of a criminal someone is always a step behind.
3. How did the FBI obtain the Fulcrum?
  1. A: Liz and Leonard Caul made copies of the Fulcrum. The main reason for the Task Force is to take down the Cabal, so they would need the information on the Fulcrum.
Harold Cooper
1. What is Cooper’s new job?
  1. A: It is a low-level desk job that he was reassigned as part of the deal with Wright.
2. Cooper’s use of Tom could lead to new legal problems.
3. What is the status of Karakurt?
  1. A: Active. There was no evidence against him and he had the Cabal covering for him.
4. How did Cooper find Tom?
Susan Hanover
1. Will the Cabal save Hanover from a trial?
  1. A: Probably not and would likely abandon her for becoming a liability to them.
  2. Q: She could confess as revenge for being abandoned.
  3. A: The influence of the Cabal means that any deal she discussed would be with a Cabal operative or someone who reports to a Cabal operative, meaning that any information would be discounted.
2. What damage will Verdiant Industries suffer from the indictments and trial?
3. Why did Hanover not try to escape? She could have used a corporate jet to flee.
Tom Keen
1. Why did Tom decide to wait for a telephone call at Wing Yee?
  1. A: He really didn't have anything else to do. He wasn't working for the Major and the FBI didn't want his help.
  2. A: He is a hopeless romantic.
Glen Carter
1. Was Glen questioned by the FBI?
  1. A: Probably. He said they questioned him and he told them everything. Then he said he didn't tell them everything, leaving us to believe he was questioned.
  2. Q: How did the FBI know that Glen worked for Red?
  3. A: They don't, he was questioned as part of the general sweep.
  4. Q: Why would Glen be involved in the sweep?
  5. A: They probably questioned every federal employee that had ever met Liz, she met Glen in “The Kenyon Family”.
2. How did Glen find the restaurant? What trail did he follow?
  1. A: He could have talked to Dembe's daughter.
  2. A: He works at the DMV. Finding a car should be easy for him.
3. Why did Glen not hire somebody to steal the video recorder?
  1. A: There was no one else in the restaurant after the host disappeared. This gave Glen enough time to steal the video recorder and investigate it at his office.
  2. Q: Glen is an office worker, not trained as a field agent.
  3. A: Which is why the recorder's disappearance was noticed.
Matias Solomon
1. Why did Solomon not have the security camera turned off when he captured Dembe?
  1. A: It seemed like he ran the place. Also, Solomon wants to find Red. Solomon knew Red would look for Dembe. Once Red saw that Solomon took Dembe, Red might surrender himself.
2. Why is the Cabal torturing Red's allies? He and Keen have been leaving a visible trail.
  1. A: They want to meet Red on their terms, not his.
3. Was the other torture victim real or a Cabal agent?
  1. A: It was Vargas.
Was the undercover police officer a criminal? He said that many people wanted Red dead.
1. A: Possibly. He didn't identify himself as an officer. The badge was seen after Red searched him.

Slanders on the FBI[]

Ressler should have won the fight with Matchett.
The roadblock did not block the road.
1. A: It wasn't meant to block the road. It was meant to slow vehicles to look in vehicles.