The Caretaker

"The Caretaker"
Season 3, Episode 16
Episode Information
Air date	February 25, 2016
Directed by	Don Thorin, Jr.
Written by	Dave Thomas
Guest Stars	Margarita Levieva as Gina Zanetakos Reg E. Cathey as Albert Janus Deirdre Lovejoy as Cynthia Panabaker
Episode Chronology
Previous	“[[Drexel ]]”
Next	“[[Mr. Solomon ]]”

The Caretaker" is the sixteenth episode of Season 3 of The Blacklist and the sixtieth episode overall.

Press Release

After a State Department official is found dead in Beijing, Red and Liz link the murder to a secret keeper known as "The Caretaker", who maintains an impenetrable safety deposit vault for criminals. Red and Liz work with the task force to find the Caretaker and his collection of lethal and classified secrets. Meanwhile, Tom makes a risky decision, while Liz persists on her quest to find out more about her mother.

Number on The Blacklist

• 78

Unanswered Questions

1. Post Office task force
   1. None of the task force members have the right to use the argument of moral superiority. Why did they take those positions?
   2. Why did Donald Ressler state that the secrets should stay secret? He has usually taken a pro-justice approach where the guilty are held responsible.
      1. A: Secrecy does not imply guilt, especially with larger organizations.
   3. Why did Samar Navabi state that the secrets should be released? She knows the importance of secrecy from her Mossad career.
   4. Cooper stated that Red only helped stop the terrorist attack to gain control of the ledger. However, Cooper’s past actions have been illegal and/or questionable.
   5. The characters stated the benefits of forgiveness, but refused to forgive others.
2. Diplomatic relations
   1. What will be the aftermath of the Chinese/American retaliation murders?
   2. Why did the Chinese kill an official from the United States Department of State? Killing a diplomat usually leads to vicious reprisals.
   3. Why did the German government blame the United States for the publication of the airline bribe?
      1. A: Because the FBI released it.
   4. Why did the German government refuse to help after the release of the airline bribe? By stopping a terrorist attack they can combine that debt with the accusation of the release for more leverage.
3. Terrorist groups
   1. Why did the terrorists warn the German government of an attack?
      1. A: Terrorists often did this in the past to cause property damage and disruption, while avoiding the killing of humans. Even if no humans are killed, such an attack demonstrates the capability to perform future attacks.
   2. Why did the German government not warn the airlines?
   3. Why was the German warning a secret? Terrorists will publicize warnings and attacks to promote terror and fear.
   4. What was the target of the truck bomb?
   5. Why did the terrorist activate the truck bomb?
   6. Why did the truck bomb have a timer?
4. Elizabeth Keen
   1. Keen’s anger to Red seemed weak. Her anger towards him has diluted.
5. Raymond Reddington
   1. Why does Red see Katarina Rostova as a threat to Liz?
   2. Did Red take any other canisters from the graveyard?
   3. What did Raymond burn in the graveyard?
      1. A: His confession.
   4. Did Red know of the terrorist attack? He told Cooper that the German airline bribe must not be made public.
      1. A: Red assumed that the Germans must have had good reasons to store something with the Caretaker.
   5. Why did Red not ask for the letter back?
   6. What is Red’s history with Katarina Rostova?
   7. This is the second time Cooper has ignored Red’s warnings concerning political fallout, the first was “Ruslan Denisov”. Will Red restrict information and demand more control since the Cabal has political allies that can override Cooper?
6. Albert Janus
   1. Why did the Janus family continue the tradition for 3 generations? Unlike the King family, the family had not made money from the service.
   2. What happened to secrets that were no longer secret or the owners died? Were they destroyed?
      1. A: Red's statement regarding the red letter implies that there are multiple options, including delivery to someone in case of death.
   3. Why use a graveyard for safekeeping?
      1. A: It could have been the original family business for the Janus family. People wouldn't think to hide secrets inside dead bodies.
   4. Why only 1 canister per grave?
   5. Will the FBI dig up the other canisters?
      1. A: Probably. They are evidence in the Caretaker case and the original crimes.
   6. Will the other secrets be released or used for blackmail?
7. Rose Janus / Jessica Van Zandt
   1. Why did 1 of the false kidnappers reach for the gun? They were surrounded.
   2. Will Rose and/or any of the kidnappers face prison? It was a false kidnapping.
   3. Why did Rose force Albert Janus to release secrets? How was that revenge?
      1. A: She wanted to ruin his life. By releasing the secrets, Albert would lose clients.
   4. How did Rose choose which secrets to release?
      1. A: She probably didn't care. Given enough time, she might have released them all.
   5. Was Rose part of the terrorist attack?
      1. A: No she only had the secret released, which led to the terrorist attack.
   6. Why use an armored van?
8. Aram Mojtabai
   1. Where did Aram learn about explosives and detonators?
   2. Why did Aram force an apology? Ressler and Samar could have been killed.
9. Harold Cooper
   1. Why did Cooper say the ledger should be destroyed? Was it because of the client names?
      1. A: He thought the secrets in it should never be revealed or used as leverage. Numerous lives would be ruined.
   2. Why did Cooper use the “patriotism” reason when asking for help with the truck bomb?
      1. A: He thought they were Americans. He didn't know that they were Mexican.
      2. Q: The “patriotism” reason would not work in the black market.
10. Tom Keen and Gina Zanetakos
    1. What happened with Gina Zanetakos in the end?
       1. A: She contacted the Major.
    2. Why has Tom not killed the Major? With the Major dead, the hunt will end.
       1. A: The Major is probably good at hiding and has a number of assassins protecting him.
    3. Why did Gina not leave the country after the robbery?
       1. A: She is likely after the bounty on Tom.
11. Hugo
    1. Will the FBI make an effort to infiltrate the tube system? Ressler said that it was a highway for the black market.
    2. Where did Hugo get the money to maintain the pneumatic tubes?
       1. A: He most likely charged his clients to use them.
    3. Why use pneumatic tubes? In the event of a malfunction, repair work would attract attention.
    4. Why did Red say “do not stare”?
       1. A: He was referring to Hugo's eyes.
12. Why did Anton Velov not tell Liz that the letter was for her?
    1. A: Somehow he knew Red had people watching him.

Slanders on the FBI

1. Why did the FBI fail to recognize the armor in the van?

Cast

Main star

• James Spader as Raymond Reddington

Gallery

External Links

• NBC.com
• NBC.com