BWW Recap: Major Twist Ends 'Vanessa Cruz' on THE BLACKLIST

Well, it's one of those episodes. In any other series, the last minute would indicate a midseason or season finale, but this is THE BLACKLIST. So the resulting shocker means just one thing: a question actually got answered. Meanwhile, there was a storyline to get us to there. A convoluted one to be sure, but a storyline.

A seriously hot, long-haired, mysterious Latina with wings tattooed on her back kisses a man in a tub. "Save your breath, sweetie; you're going to need it." He goes under; she goes out. At her place, her hair goes off, and she showers off lots of dark temporary ink. We see her again as she walks into a small apartment, now dressed up, where a cute young woman is waiting for Miss Mystery on the bed and displaying that she's made drawer space for her in the bedroom. And we all say, "Please, not the crazed murderous lesbian plot line."

Not-Tom begs Liz for a passport or five. He explains that turning himself in to save her saved him (audience chokes on cliché), and that once the judge let him go, his life changed. Besides, his handler and East Germans want him dead. Wait -East Germans? Study current geography much, writers? She tells him to go, as she did last week and will again this week. When the door opens, Red and Dembe, pointing guns, tell him to go. When will someone finally just shoot what's-his-name? Please? Red tells Liz, "I understand what it's like to be drawn to something unhealthy." That would seem to be most of the women Red involves himself with, no? Most of his acquaintances? His hotel dinner menus? He offers her a new case to distract her from the evils of Jacob/Not-Tom.

Cut to the Post Office, where our team researches names of powerful men who have all been convicted of crimes and who have all lost all of their money. Just as Ressler celebrates criminals getting theirs, it's realized that they were all framed by an Unknown Woman. Hint: It may be the one from the opening! Could she be Vanessa Cruz, Number 117?

A victim testifies to Lizandressler that a ranch hand named Abby Issa created a frameup to ruin him. Footage of his memories during his narration shows that Abby Issa was the gorgeous girlfriend of she who drowned the guy in the cold open. While Lizandressler visits him in the prison, Red visits Roger Hobbs in a parking garage. Roger warns him that the Director wants the Alliance to take a vote and unless Red can produce The Fulcrum, he's in danger.

Although Samar reports that nothing's been found on Mystery Date, Aram The Amazing finds photographs of her and partial fingerprints, and mystically creates a complete fingerprint that identifies Abby Issa, Woman of Mystery, as really being Vanessa Cruz of Edison, New Jersey. Meanwhile another businessman is flirting with Abby Issa online and she wants to meet him at the Drake Hotel because she's classy like that.

Lizandressler finds Vanessa's mama in Edison. Her son-in-law Fernando, a stockbroker, committed suicide after an insider trading mess, and Vanessa left her clothes at the seaside and her body was never found. Fortunately, a huge and mysterious insurance policy of Vanessa's left disabled mama in comfort. While they find this, Businessman finds himself hoodwinked and handcuffed to the bed while Vanessa tosses things in Ziploc bags and then dresses, leaves, and lets him be found by hotel staff. Good thing her mother thinks she's dead, if this is what she's into.

Aram finds that Vanessa has dealt in shelf (not shell) corporations. One of them sent her mother the insurance policy. Liz calls Red to learn about shelf corporations but he wants the Fulcrum in exchange. Liz gets pissy during a swap offer. While Not-Tom's picking pockets on the street, Liz calls to get HIM to teach her about shelf corporations and also so they can just kinda pal around like you always do with your murderous ex. In the process they drop in on his friend Ziggy, who thinks Christof's name is Billy, and wind up with a mailing address for Vanessa in the process. Duh. Vanessa has files, blood samples of her victims, saliva, their used underwear and dental floss, cups and glasses with their fingerprints, everything neatly labeled, and computer records that dazzle Aram himself. So wow, she has indeed framed her victims into being criminals.

Roger Hobbs lobbies for Alliance member Kenneth Jasper's vote for Red when Red walks in and offers to let Jasper run the Alliance when the Director is mysteriously killed after the upcoming vote. Allusions are made to JULIUS CAESAR, because everyone is literate. Is Red Cassius? "No, I'm the Rubicon." Is that hubris we smell, Reddington?

Christof/Billy swears to Liz that he's no worse than Red. They argue, as always. Liz suggests that at least Red appears to have a moral code. Jacob/Not-Tom still wants a passport or three so he can go diving in Japan, even though he doesn't dive. When they split up (why is he surprised he's not invited in?), he asks Liz if "someone like me" could start over." Perceptive comment of the day: "Isn't that what you did for a living?" She wants truth. He tells her Berlin gave him his old passports. She kisses him. "That was goodbye." Nah, Liz, he's a bad penny. He's everywhere.

Oh, Vanessa! Her girlfriend is so happy that Vanessa's given her the strength to go to HR and file a sexual harassment suit against her boss. Vanessa suggests they get a hotel room. Vanessa, you do weird bad things in hotel rooms! Girlfriend says, "I love you." Vanessa gets a weird bad look. Oh no, maybe she IS a crazed murderous lesbian. NBC, that plot is so tired. Also offensive.

Let's see what the Director's up to! Why, he and Ken have double-crossed Roger, who's about to be banished to another country. This makes no sense as the Alliance is international, right? Why keep him anywhere? But it's one of those episodes.

In a surprising display of aptitude, Ressler realizes that Vanessa's motive is revenge -her victims are related in various ways to the insider trading deal that caused her husband to kill himself. They framed him and killed him, looking like suicide, to cover themselves, and she's doing the same things to them. Meanwhile, Aram's Peerless POWERS of P2P Protocols connect him to a chat between Vanessa and Mr. Tie Me Up And Leave Me In The Hotel Room Naked. They're gonna play again at another hotel! And, oh my, he's her late husband Fernando's former boss!

She overpowers him, draws blood and other samplings, then follows the time-honored procedure of Explaining Her Evil Plan. He's about to die. So is the woman who's... filed a sex harassment complaint against him... as her girlfriend enters to see Vanessa about to shoot her boss. Lizandressler arrives at the same time, but when they're let into the hotel room, girlfriend is trembling and can only say that Vanessa "said she made a terrible mistake." Lizandressler pursues, but loses Vanessa.

Cooper says, "but the people she framed will be set free." He wonders why Red gave them the case. But at an airport bar, Mr. Kaplan -where has she been! -makes Vanessa a job offer, because a certain employer wants Vanessa's skills. Perhaps Kate Kaplan thinks Vanessa is as attractive as Vanessa's victims did. Go, Mr. Kaplan. Thanks, Harold. Good luck, Red.

Jacob, he who isn't Tom, Christof, or Billy, catches up to Liz, because he wishes he knew how to quit her. He tells her that Red gave him the original passports and that he is telling her The Absolute Truth Now. But isn't the definition of him lying that his lips move?

Ken calls Red and says everyone should meet, but Red knows he's been double-crossed. "It's time to go away, Dembe." But not until he meets with Liz in the middle of a busy street. She all but throws the Fulcrum at him, which he tries to refuse, as she demands a yes or no answer to an unstated question. Red, who knows all and tells whatever, answers the unknown question. "Yes. I'm the one who hired Tom Keen to enter your life." But did he get Tom the passports? Hah!

Liz doesn't want the probably-useful explanation Red offers and stomps off to her SUV as bullets are fired. She and Dembe fire back, but Red's flat on the sidewalk, bleeding out from his mouth.

Is this a surprise season-ending cliffhanger? Is it a setup to fool the Alliance in some way? Why in God's name hasn't Liz quit the Man of Many Names? And will we please see more of Mr. Kaplan this season? If you have answers to these or any other questions, give 'em below or tweet to @MarakayBWW!

Photo credit: NBC Universal

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