Recap of 'The Blacklist' Season 2 Episode 18: Vanessa Cruz
Last week on "The Blacklist," Tom Keen took a break from hanging out with his Neo Nazi drug dealer buddies and snuck into Elizabeth's house for an after-hours reunion. This week, this odd couple team up to take down a Blacklister and while they're at it Tom blows Liz's mind with what might be the biggest reveal in "Blacklist" history. Also spoiler alert: a main character gets shot and might be dead. Don't say you weren't warned!
Vanessa Cruz Goes After the 1%, Elizabeth Tries To Stop Her
First thing's first: let's get to know our newest Blacklister –– a frame-up artist named Vanessa Cruz who preys on the rich. This broad seems to spend most of her time dressing up in fun outfits and setting up one percenters for crimes they didn't commit, and she's been getting away with it for years.
Liz and Ressler get to work hunting down Vanessa, and after chatting with her latest victim they do a computerized composite of selfies which puts a face to her name (that's right, selfies solve crimes now). Turns out Vanessa faked her death after her husband was caught insider trading, and she's been loving the long-con ever since!
Tom and Liz Get Cozy, Ressler Closes In On Vanessa
Everyone pray for Tom because between the Nazis and the geriatric orphan stealer, this poor guy is in desperate need of help. The only thing that might save Tom is fleeing the country, and he's desperate to get his hands on passports he kept hidden in his shared home with Liz. Unfortunately they're locked up in evidence –– but Liz agrees to give Tom what he wants if he helps out with the Vanessa Cruz case.
Thanks to Tom's intel, the FBI break into Vanessa's home and find a giant collection of blood and saliva (that's not creepy or anything) that she's been using to plant evidence. Meanwhile, Ressler realizes that Vanessa's entire life's mission is to get revenge by framing the men who framed her husband (meta-framing!), and she ends the episode being officially wanted by the FBI. Which brings us to Red....
Tom Makes A Shocking Reveal, Reddington Gets Shot (And Might Be Dead!)
Red never offers up a Blacklister without having an angle of his own, and now that Vanessa's on the lam, she might come in handy –– especially when it comes to Red's ongoing feud with The Director. In fact, this week Red tries (and fails) to assassinate The Director, but in the end Lizzie hands over The Fulcrum –– which might just be his "get out of jail free" card. The catch? The Fulcrum hand-off didn't come without a little sweat, tears, and blood. Raymond's blood.