BWW Recap: 'Miles McGrath' Incubates a Virus On THE BLACKLIST

Okay, let's just say it now. Mr. Kaplan has magic powers of magic. She may be alive. To get the most important thing over first, she comes to where she was shot, recovers her glasses, crawls to a nearby pool of water, and passes out over it. A dog finds her, as does its owner, whose face is hidden in bright sunlight. She's dragged off on a pallet by the unseen person. Is it one of the South American Bad Dudes? Is it Baz? Is she still alive at the point she's dragged off? She might be, because that pallet looked slightly padded. She's gray-white but she's lost some blood. What will happen if and when she comes back? Will she go to Red? To Liz? To the task force? Will she go rogue or to her own series? I would totally watch a Mr. Kaplan series in preference to the Tom and Scottie spin-off

Oh, there was more episode? If you're in a rush, Red tracks Blacklister, FBI tails him and louses things up, Agnes isn't found because of Things, and mama's diary and Red explain what we all knew last season, that Kirk - Konstantin Rostov - wants Liz or Agnes only for their blood, because he's dying of a blood disorder and needs a genetic match. But for details:

This week's Blacklister, Miles McGrath, is an evil young ex-Silicon Valley dude with lots of money who invests in other criminals' enterprises. Liz meets Red at her "grave" and is told about McGrath, who is working with Alexander Kirk/Konstantin Rostov. Red wants to handle the matter alone to get Agnes back. Liz complains to him that no one loves her or wants to work with her just because she betrayed all of them with her Fake Death.

She shows up at the Post Office where Aram is happy to see her after giving her the Look of Disappointed BETRAYAL and Samar demands a transfer, tired of mopping up on Liz. She then betrays Red by briefing everyone on McGrath, who's taken out the entire power grid around Savannah, Georgia. Red said McGrath was going to London, so Cooper calls London to have McGrath watched.

Thanks, Liz. Someone working for McGrath gets photo'd by Scotland Yard watchers, the bobbies get killed, and McGrath runs. BETRAYAL is death. One of the Yard stakeout team had tried to upload a photo of the killer, but it's corrupted. Aram uses his patented Mad Computer Skillz to get a composite on the guy. He's identified, but McGrath manages to have the man killed before anyone can get to him. McGrath is that kind of guy.

Ressler tells Liz and Tom that the FBI grabbed all kinds of papers from Kirk's house, Liz's childhood home. They try to deal with internal bureaucracy to get to see the papers but no luck, so Liz fakes a phone call for a meeting in a conference room, uses her Mad Criminal Skillz to break into one of the now-empty offices, and photographs papers and swipes evidence, including her mother's diary.

The dead Bad Guy operative killed by McGrath worked for a criminal named Johan, who just happens to be a Friend of Red. Red goes to see him and finds that he'd like to get out from under his new investor/partner. Red tells a long story of the only time he worked with a partner, in his summer lawn mowing business as a kid. Johan gets the "Red's telling a story, I must confess now and stop the torture" look and says that if he had another guy, he could try to ditch his partner. Red volunteers Tom, who proves his cred to Johan by strangling someone with a hoodie tie. Liz reads mama's diary and finds that Red had tried to persuade Katerina to leave Konstantin. She has a revelation then, realizing that her mother was sent from Russia to be a honeytrap for Red, just as Tom was set up with her, and that both plants fell in love with their marks.

Tom goes with Johan to jump on a train. The task force can't find a schedule for it - it's a CDC train that's secretly left Georgia because its deadliest matter can't be left in storage that only has temporary power for more than 72 hours. The train disappears completely from any video. Ressler and Samar investigate, and find that Johan had built an unmarked split-off track to a hangar, where the train is hidden inside. Red arrives and claims his cut of the deadly goodies, which Johan is almost fine with, but Red is furious to hear that Johan had just handed Sample 17 off to an agent of McGrath's. Red goes after it just before the FBI raid team comes in and takes down Johan.

Red and Dembe meet up with McGrath and his agent who has Number 17. McGrath is thrilled to meet Raymond Reddington, "the spy who stayed out in the cold." (All right, best line in the show this week goes to the Blacklister.) Red wants Number 17 because Kirk wants it. McGrath says no, but the youngster doesn't understand what Meeting With Red And Saying No entails until Red kills his buddy. Then he takes the sample and handcuffs McGrath to the dead guy so that McGrath, who is about to be picked up by the FBI thanks to Tom, can have his own criminal tall tale of dealing with Red. And so the legend continues.

Red and Kirk don't meet up; Kirk calls. Red now knows what Number 17 is - it's Rabowski virus, which is even deadlier than a pissed-off Red. He says he knows why Kirk wants it, and that some things have obviously come to pass. Kirk says he'll die before Red holds Agnes again.

Samar calls Aram, apparently to get him to talk her out of transferring. She offers to go for coffee, but he's cooking dinner and has a guest. Who is a real live female, and a cute one, who takes off her clothes right in front of him. Samar sends the transfer request. Samar, it's your own fault you slept with Ressler when you could have had Captain Computer. No wonder you are sad and miserable now; it's not just the Liz thing.

Red arrives at Liz and Tom's without Agnes. Comments in Katerina's diary make it clear to Liz that Kirk/Rostov is very ill. In fact, he's dying of a hereditary illness in the male line of his family (shades of the Tsars). The Rabowski virus, deadly as it is, Red explains, is a temporary antidote to Kirk's blood disorder, although it's toxic itself; an uncle of Kirk's contracted it and lived longer than any other male in the family, so Kirk wants to infect himself. Without it, the only other choice is blood-relative blood product. That's why he wanted Liz and now wants Agnes - because Kirk thinks Liz is his daughter. That latter is Red's word choice. It still doesn't quite seem that Red is her father, but the suggestion is that Konstantin Rostov isn't. If neither of them is, then who is? Or is this all just one more "Red" herring?

Where, oh where, is Agnes? Who's your daddy, Liz? Who's got Mr. Kaplan? And what will she do when she comes to? Tell us, oh wise and gentle viewers, either below or on @MarakayBWW!

Photo credit: NBC Universal

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