BWW Recap: FBI Hunts the 'Mombasa Cartel' on THE BLACKLIST

"The Mombasa Cartel" proves you can never trust a trailer. There's human-hunting, all right, but not enough for real fun or for an episode of CRIMINAL MINDS, which makes sense because this is THE BLACKLIST and not something starring Joe Mantegna. What we do have is that behind door number one is Not-Tom, which is a big Not-Surprise. Behind door number two, we have an evil cartel that traffics in illegal animal parts and substances for big money. And behind door number three? Peter Fonda. Because THE BLACKLIST is an A-list "I want to be on that show" show for major stars, and Peter Fonda is one of those.

We open twenty-nine years ago in Sierra Leone, where goons with machine guns take down a brush-farm family, except for a small boy they drag off. We move then to today in Paris, where an African businessman in a hotel is killed by his waiter who seems to be a professional killer. A tag's clipped to his ear.

Liz listens to a program on wildlife preservation as Red introduces her to the Mombasa Cartel, which trades in illegal wildlife trafficking. Liz protests that "the FBI's job is to protect people," while Red explains that the illegal trade wipes out villages, causes murders, and so on, all in the name of profit. We learned last week that Red may shoot people but he loves nature preservation. Everyone has a good point.

Ressler tries to get his painkiller prescription refilled. He's stooping to the "my pills got stolen" fib to get drugs. The pharmacy knows he's lying. Houston, we have a problem.

Liz sees that a body's been found on the shores in Alaska, dead and skinned. It may be the businessman from Paris. Other skinned bodies have been found as well. The Mombasa Cartel is apparently offing its enemies. Samar explains that illegal animal trafficking is a billion dollar a year business.

At Liz's warehouse pad, Sniper Guy has discovered her Big Secret: "Will you tell Reddington or shall I?" Tell Red what? Let's bet on what or who is obviously in the broom closet; it's her information Secret Santa, right?

A super-tall bald guy who ought to be in a horror film- TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE comes to mind- is taxiderming. He's played by Carel Struyken, who's played tall and bald elsewhere too. His mama tells him he's doing his best work yet. On the African businessman's skin that he's busily stuffing. He officially out-creeps The Stewmaker and The Courier.

Red wants Liz to meet Jeff Pearl. He's filthy rich (the thirty-third richest man in the world), a successful businessman, and an animal protection devotee. Pearl knows about the Mombasa Cartel. Red tells Liz to pretend she's a journalist when talking to him. The biggest thing about Pearl is that he's Peter Fonda. Oh, and he knows a business that might be a Cartel front. Liz and Ressler go there and pick up a businessman who's got illegal animal goods, possibly for shipment to China. Liz notices that Ressler is edgy and that he's also running late. "Thanks, Mom."

Aram, Smartest Guy Ever (no, Walter on SCORPION, it's not you), has found another skinned person. Aram and Samar, the Dynamic Duo, have determined that someone is actually killing and skinning Mombasa Cartel members. Liz figures that "someone's poaching the poachers."

Liz and Sniper Guy are on their phones making calls. As they talk, he's raided by guys with machine guns and hauled off. Liz gets a news piece that one of Red's associates has been captured and Red might be next. Liz is mean. Red is not happy. We're baffled. Liz, aren't you past this?

Red meets Zoe at the food truck. They hit it off. It is not at all likely that she is his daughter; she doesn't recognize him at all, and he passes himself off as a guy named Kenneth, which she buys. She also likes his fedora, proving that she has good taste even if she's no relative.

Aram and Samar tell the rest of the task force about the former animal rights group, or maybe terror cell, the Animal Underground, that was around forty years ago in Alaska. The bodies are showing up in Alaska. Is there a connection?

Peter Kincaid comes to see Mama and The Bald One. But wait, he killed the African dude in Paris. Now he's been ordered by Papa to kidnap poachers for Tall and Bald to taxiderm. What a swell, loving family. The family that taxiderms together... well, something.

Ressler cleverly slams a car door on his thumb in order to get more pills. Liz directs him to Alaska, where there may be former Animal Underground members lurking. He arrives at Ed Gein's- sorry, the Kincaids'- cabin. The Kincaids claim to know nothing about the Animal Underground. Ressler gets suspicious, which causes him to be turned once again into the punching bag he was in nearly every episode last season. It's another Ressler knockout!

Aram the Omnipotent has found some private jets that have flown to Alaska at times when skinned dead people have been found. All the planes are connected to a company called Wendigo, LLC. Talk about an overtly relevant name for a business. This almost redefines "lampshading." Liz asks Red to investigate Wendigo in his own unique way.

Ressler wakes up in a cage with a tag on his ear. Peter Kincaid tells Bald Eagle to hunt only animals with tags, and then Ressler's cage is opened. Run, Ressler, run! You finally landed in that human-hunting episode of CRIMINAL MINDS!

Because he's a federale, Mama Kincaid calls Papa Kincaid to check on what to do. He warns her to be careful. He should be careful too, because he's Peter Fonda. That is, he's Jeff Pearl. And he should be particularly careful because Red's just walked in and has remembered that Jeff used to be in the Animal Underground. And also because Red's figured out that Wendigo, LLC is owned by Jeff Pearl, and that Wendigo owns the business that Jeff told Liz was a Mombasa Cartel front.

Jeff explains that he's a conservationist but he's also a businessman. The cartels were out of control in the illegal animal trade. But if Jeff runs all the illegal trafficking, he can restrict it and protect the animals. Red's disgusted and offers Jeff a deal: if Jeff gives up the names of Mombasa Cartel members, Red won't kill him.

Ressler and the Tall Bald Taxidermist fight in the woods. Ressler shanks him. The Alaska FBI unit and Liz close in on everything. They shoot Peter just as Mama Kincaid and Baldest of All climb in the bathtub with some electrical appliances and parboil themselves,

Red becomes pensive. He tells Jeff of a family in Sierra Leone, twenty-nine years ago. They were killed and their six-year-old son sold into sex slavery. Red found the boy when he was fourteen, chained in an abandoned brothel and left to die. Red saved the boy, got him an education, sent him to university. The boy majored in English Literature, and now knows ten languages. His name is Dembe. Yes, that Dembe. Dembe says that Jeff should be forgiven for what the Mombasa Cartel did to his family. Red tells Jeff that Dembe's goodness is much different than Jeff's badness, or than Red's badness. Red shoots Jeff, and the audience rejoices. How does Red make murder so heartwarming? He's got powers of making you like his killing people that you couldn't even find on DEXTER.

Aram has the Mombasa Cartel super-secret membership list. Red and Zoe sit outside and have a lovely conversation. Ressler needs drugs. Liz tells Not-Tom she's not sure what to do with him. He's shackled now, and back in her warehouse pad broom closet. Kinky, Liz, kinky.

Will Liz play S&M torture with Not-Tom? Who is Zoe, and why does she love Red's hat? Will Ressler find a doctor that will just write him some Vicodin prescriptions on demand? Who will we next enjoy watching Red kill, and how loudly will we cheer?

Have any thoughts to share? Know who's on the Mombasa Cartel list? Got a victim for Red? Share your intel with us at @MarakayBWW or @BWWTVWorld!

Photo Credit: V Sherwood/NBC

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