The Blacklist Declassified

I looked up Reddington’s birthday on the on-screen display of the female security guard in the very first scene of the pilot: Feb 7, 1960, same as James Spader (enhanced screenshot: http://bit.ly/1zkNgXZ ). If he “graduated at 24 from the Naval Academy,” that would have been in the spring of 1984 (simple date arithmetic). My husband was on the Honor Committee at West Point and every single time cadets went off base, when they came back they had to sign a statement saying they were “unmarried, … and have no incurred obligations of parenthood” http://1.usa.gov/105GExy. If that signed statement was found to be false, they could be kicked out.

Many graduates married right after graduation. It’s unlikely that someone as highly respected as Reddington would have had a biological child born earlier than spring 1985. Now, the Naval Academy may have been a little more lax. (In the original script, Red went to West Point, not Annapolis: my husband says maybe that’s why they changed it – joke). So, it seems that a biological child of Red’s would have been no more than 2 (at most 3), on March 22, 1987, the date of the Swan Lake performance. (Photo montage from end of “Mako Tanida” episode: http://bit.ly/1rEIAU1 ). I read the actress who performed was 12. It’s possible the girl in the ballet is Red’s step-child, or maybe it was not a memory but Red’s dream of the future for his daughter. Any other explanations & the writers have some ‘splainin’ to do.

Or maybe the writers goofed, like when Lizzie said in the pilot that she was 14, not 4, when the fire happened. Frustrating. I think this will be last time (not just the first time) I’ll be watching a show in real time instead of waiting until the whole thing is over and binge-watching it all at once. When I decided to watch it this year, I was trying to get my mind off the election (yeah, I’m a Democrat). I had no idea a show could be so addictive. In fact, even with the possible goofs, it’s still the best drama I’ve ever seen. James Spader has blown away Daniel Day-Lewis as my favorite actor.

Birthdate on Reddington’s profile on FBI security screen: Feb 7, 1960 (same as James Spader’s), Pilot http://bit.ly/1zkNgXZ #NBCBlacklist

Performance of Swan Lake (collage): program dated March 22, 1987; dancer (long & close) http://bit.ly/1rEIAU1 #NBCBlacklist

[Cross-posted at WSJ Speakeasy]