The Deer Hunter

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"The Deer Hunter"

Season 2, Episode 13

Episode Information

Air date

February 26, 2015

Episode Chronology

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“[[The Kenyon Family ]]”	“[[T. Earl King VI ]]”

"The Deer Hunter" is the thirteenth episode of Season 2 of The Blacklist and the thirty fifth episode overall. It aired on February 26, 2015 on NBC.

Synopsis

The FBI team tracks down a serial killer nicknamed "The Deer Hunter", who has been on a killing spree for nearly twelve years. Detective Wilcox continues to question Aleko (Liz' helper on the boat) about the harbormaster's murder, who agrees to testify if he gets immunity. The mysterious caller sets up a meeting with Reddington, telling him that they need to discuss something in person. Red then meets with Elizabeth and inquires about the Fulcrum, which she unsuccessfully lies about. They agree to a deal that he will help bring down The Deer Hunter in exchange for the Fulcrum.

The Deer Hunter turns out to be the murdered husband of Tracy Solobotkin (Amanda Plummer), who is an employee in an organization that helps battered women. Kidnapping Liz, she reveals that she killed her husband in self-defense and decided to continue his legacy in the form of killing men who hurt other women. She claims her husband still "pulls the strings from beyond the grave." Liz disagrees with her, telling her she is just like her husband, that she enjoys the killing. The two argue. In a move reminiscent of when Tom killed the Harbor Master, Liz manages to choke her into unconsciousness, just as Ressler and the task force arrive. The irony is not lost on Liz, and she tells Ressler she is going to go to Wilcox and tell him everything. Ressler argues with her, and says if she does, the task force will be shut down and all the good work they do will be lost.

Separately, Reddington finds out about Aleko's deal with Wilcox and tells him he will arrange for the Samoan's brother to get a needed heart transplant if Aleko will to lie to the U.S. Attorney and clear Elizabeth. But the only time Red can speak with the Samoan falls at the same exact time as the intended meeting with the mystery caller, so Red sends Dembe instead to take the call, which angers the mystery caller who hangs up during the phone call.

Wilcox interviews Aleko under oath, who says he can't remember. When Wilcox presses him, Aleko said he only told Wilcox what he wanted to hear.

Red later manages to trace the Mystery man's location, but only finds the cell phone he was using and signs of a fight, including blood on the floor. Liz drives to the police station, but doesn't go in. Red meets with her to inform her of his deal with Aleko. Liz confirms that she has the fulcrum, and says she will give it to Red if he tells her what it is. He says he can't. She refuses to give him The Fulcrum. Reddington calls her out for being afraid that he would lose all interest in her if she gave it to him.

Press Release

When Liz learns of a serial killer known as "The Deer Hunter" who tracks his victims like prey, Red helps the task force search for the killer. Meanwhile, the local DC police suspect the city Harbormaster was murdered as Liz struggles to keep her secret from unraveling.

Number on The Blacklist

93

Unanswered Questions

This episode seemed to be a reference to the failures of profiling. Red, Keen, and Chuck Kruse were 50% correct about the Deer Hunter.
There were multiple warped, broken, and/or abusive relationships.
1. Elizabeth Keen asked Tom Keen to “set her free”/“let me go” when strangling Tracy Solobotkin.
2. Red’s statements about Keen keeping the Fulcrum so Red will not leave.
3. Tracy Solobotkin's victims.
4. The similarity to “The Good Samaritan“.
5. Ressler’s statements to Keen, after the arrest, reference “Mako Tanida“.
6. Tracy's references to “Psycho” about relatives controlling others.
References to codeine.
1. “The Deer Hunter” -- “Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene” is the song used at the end.
2. “The Kenyon Family” -- Ressler finds the drug in a storage container.
Elizabeth Keen
1. What would Keen have done if she had killed Tracy Solobotkin?
  1. A: Had Ressler not stopped her from killing Tracy, Keen's career in the FBI would have been ruined. Her position in the FBI had been precarious due to everything that went on starting with the faulty FBI background check, her involvement in keeping Tom hostage and Harbormaster Eugene Ames's death. This had been made worse with Samuel Aleko's original confession that lead Martin Wilcox to Keen.
  2. Q: Keen could have claimed self-defense. Without a witness, her word outranks that of a dead serial killer.
  3. A: But not a coroner, an autopsy would should that Solobotkin was unconscious for several seconds, but Keen continued to apply pressure so as to kill her.
  4. Q: Keen could have claimed ignorance of Tracy being unconscious and that she had been trained to "shoot to kill". ("Frederick Barnes")
2. Keen's remarks to Solobotkin about her amoral/immoral personality could easily apply to Keen.
3. Is Liz becoming similiar to Tom? The interactions with Red and Tom have resulted in a personality shift.
Raymond Reddington
1. Where did the blood come from at the house of Leonard Caul?
  1. A: Failed assassination attempt.
2. Why did Red go to Aram for the phone trace?
3. How did Red learn about the prisoner transfer of Samuel Aleko (Samoan)?
Tracy Solobotkin
1. Why was Tracy on the Blacklist? The Blacklist is supposed to be all the dangerous "big fish" criminals the FBI doesn't even know about. They know about The Deer Hunter, and Red even states he is not interested in serial killers, finding them "unimaginative and woefully predictable", so why would she be on his list?
Donald Ressler
1. Why did Ressler state that the police would enjoy having a FBI agent sent to prison as a headline?
  1. A: After stopping Keen from her attempt to kill Tracy, Ressler learned about her involvement in keeping Tom hostage that lead to Harbormaster Eugene Ames's death in "The Decembrist". Even though Liz was planning to turn herself in to Wilcox, he talks her out of it knowing the media too well that a FBI agent standing trial for murder would result in a media circus.
  2. Q: Ressler made the headline argument before she was captured by Tracy.
2. Ressler has shifted his concern about the law. In “Dr. James Covington” he censored Keen’s remarks about James Covington. In this episode, he stated that Keen should accept Harbormaster Eugene Ames’s death, use Cooper to stop Wilcox, and ignore the crimes that she has committed.
Aram Mojtabai
1. Why did Red make the statement about Aram’s hair?
2. Is Red using Samar Navabi to compromise Aram?
What did Harold Cooper mean when he used the term bolo?
1. A: It is a law enforcement term meaning "Be On the Look Out", similar to an APB. It is an instruction for all law enforcement units to look out for any vehicle registered to Solobotkin.
Why did Mary Henning decide to confess?
1. A: Mary saw Tracy's actions in the murders she committed as wrong.
2. Q: She agreed to the murder initally.
3. A: She probably thought that the conversation was eupahmistic.

Slanders on the FBI

Why did the FBI fail to compare the teeth marks from the victims?
1. A: The bite should have left foreign DNA material on the bite site (saliva). Testing for the DNA would be a simple way to make sure whether victims were indeed killed by the same person. Additionally, the sex of a source of DNA material can be determined.
Why did not they get the United States Attorney General involved sooner regarding the subpeona and court issues? They deal with national security issues. At their clearance level they should know they should never disclose anything to a superior court judge.