The world’s most dangerous and obscure criminals have landed on Red’s Blacklist.
Let me say right off the bat that it was really difficult to compile this list. Because while I feel a lot of one-off Blacklisters are pretty much throwaways, especially all the different cults and kooky people that the show likes to keep introducing, many of the better ones (in my opinion) were bad guys who had been around for multiple episodes, maybe even entire arcs or seasons.
So, picking out my Top 10 — based on how unique they were, how memorable they were, how intimidating, how threatening they were to the main cast, etc. — was relatively easy, but ranking them was difficult. Because, again, a lot of them get way more screentime than others.
So, I’ll try to rank them based on a combination of how much I personally liked them, how much of an overall impact to the story/characters the Blacklister had relative to their screentime and build-up, how well the actor did with the role, how unique and memorable they were, etc. Also: this list only includes Blacklisters up through the end of Season 5.
Obviously: SPOILERS AHEAD.
You’ll notice that people like Laurel Hitchen, who was an antagonist but not technically a Blacklister, isn’t on the list; and you’ll notice that “good guys” like Dembe or Marvin Gerard who were technically Blacklisters, but weren’t antagonists for Red or the Task Force aren’t on here either. Tom, who flip-flopped between good guy and bad guy as the show progressed, isn’t on here either; but that’s because there’s so much material to judge from as he was a main cast member for at least three seasons, which is unfair.
HONORABLE MENTION: MR. KAPLAN
I really wanted to put Mr. Kaplan on this list, and I had at one point, but then I realized I forgot one of the more imposing Blacklisters and had to slide him into the spot where I had Mr. Kaplan. The only reason I took her off completely rather knocking every lower-numbered entry down a spot, was because while I really liked Mr. Kaplan in the first three seasons, I hated how the showrunners forced the storyline where she had once been Liz’s nanny and hated Red for doing her and the Keen family wrong. I love Susan Bloomaert and think she’s a very talented actress who’s incredibly underrated; but I loved her character more when she was on Red’s team — his cleaner, his friend, his confidant. Granted, there were some really good episodes with her as an antagonist, but I hated the way she died — throwing herself off a bridge.
So, I want to emphasize that this list is purely subjective. As I said: I loved Mr. Kaplan, but I felt the whole late-Season 4 storyline completely assassinated her character as we knew it up to that point.
10. LEONARD CAUL
This is one of those entries where I guess I kind of cheated. Caul didn’t really end up being an antagonist for Red, Liz or the Task Force. But he was introduced to us a little ambiguously with him developing photos of Liz and Red, listening to the police scanner — and then holding Liz at gunpoint (briefly) in Red’s Bethesda apartment… I really liked all of that and how it was kind of vague from the beginning whether he was on their side or not. Granted, he doesn’t get much screentime even in his own episode, and honestly, after Season 2, I’m not really sure what happened to him. I know he was hanging around with Red up until the Season 2 finale or thereabouts, but yeah, whatever happened to that guy?
Anyway, it was a really tense episode, and I felt like Caul brought a level of adrenaline and urgency to the situation with Red and the Cabal, as well as the show in general.
9. IAN GARVEY
You’d think Garvey would be higher on this list, but I was never really a big fan of him. Granted, he did pose a pretty serious threat for our main crew, after he stole the Real Reddington’s bones, killed Tom and his goons knocked Liz into a coma. And the actor did a fine job. But, I just felt that — up until his connection to the Reddington family was revealed — he was just kind of cartoonish. A dirty cop who runs a drug cartel? Yeah, I don’t care.
But, again, while I don’t really like Garvey, I felt like he had such an impact on the show and the characters that he deserved a spot — even if it was a low one.
8. MADELINE PRATT
The only female Blacklister to formally make it onto the list. (Sorry, Mr. Kaplan.) I thought her character and this episode was incredibly well-done. It was a little bit of a heist storyline, and Pratt was a good foil for Liz and Red, forcing both of them to open up in ways we hadn’t seen before (up to that point). Liz became more comfortable doing criminal-type things, using her slight-of-hand, infiltrating locations and lying/manipulating people; while Red, conversely, became more human and opened up about why he has been so distant with people and the hurt he has experienced in the past.
Also, Madeline is one of the few past/current love interests of Red that we see on the show, and I really like Jennifer Ehle (mostly because of the 1995 version of Pride & Prejudice). I felt like she matched well with Spader and wasn’t overpowered by his always-charismatic performance. And, while we only ever saw her in this episode and briefly in 2×14, I felt like she deserved a spot because she was such a unique character and that episode introduced a lot of character details and traits that became important later.
7. THE STEWMAKER
I really, really liked the Stewmaker — both the bad guy and the episode. The only reason I didn’t put him higher on this list is because I feel everyone else is too good (or bad, depending on how you want to look at it) to be displaced.
So, I remember reading on one of those TV-watching websites that if you weren’t entirely sure about a show but you wanted to give it a chance, you should watch at least four episodes to see whether it was any good. By the fourth episode, the show should have established its characters, its dynamic, its continuing plot points, its feel, etc. Pilots, of course, always feel a little different than the shows themselves because they’re filmed months before any other episode; so you have to give shows a chance to establish themselves and walk on their own two feet.
So… when THIS was the show’s fourth episode… oh, buddy.
The Stewmaker posed a serious threat as he was the first person to ever hold Liz captive and feel the wrath of Red for such an offense. The episode gave us the infamous Parable of the Farmer; and continued the then-mystery of Liz finding out about Tom’s shady past.
But, as for the character himself, he was just really weird. Walking around naked while he was working, but having that mask on; disintegrating bodies; having his dog with him; actually being a family man but having this criminal work on the side. And, also, we had a little bit of interaction where Liz was actually trying to do her job (for once) and profile him and use that info to her advantage.
He was a character that I feel the show has tried to redo several times — the kooky weirdo who’s very calm, apologetic and doesn’t like violence but who is also fascinated by death, bodies, etc. But, of course, this was the FIRST time the show had used such a character, so it was much more memorable then and not so watered-down.
In any case, I really liked the Stewmaker and thought he was a fantastic Blacklister for the show to have in its fourth episode of the entire series.
6. MATIAS SOLOMON
So, this is actually the spot where I had Mr. Kaplan. But, while I was doing some background research on my #1 choice, I ran across Edi Gathegi’s name and remembered that I left Solomon completely off the list. He had been an antagonist throughout the whole of early-Season 3 and then came back for his namesake episodes where he and his crew attack Liz and Tom’s wedding, Liz gives birth to Agnes, and later she “dies” with Red by her side.
Solomon is either directly or indirectly responsible for a lot of major drama that happened on this show — hell, just in those two episodes. And, I really like Gathegi’s performance, especially considering how Solomon was a little Extra™. So he had to play him as dramatic with a penchant for flair and style … but without him becoming cartoonish. He was just a little bit eccentric but could still hold himself and lead a team of goons in shooting up a church.
Again, I hated to leave Mr. Kaplan off the list but I felt it was a greater disservice to not put Solomon on it, considering how much of a threat he posed to our main cast throughout various points of Season 3.
5. THE DECEMBRIST (A.K.A. ALAN FITCH)
This is basically just an outlet for me to talk about how amazing Alan Alda is and how much I love him and wish the show hadn’t killed his character off. Seriously, he’s just so adorable, and it was hilarious to see him partly playing against type here. Fitch was intimidating, but I also kept wanting to give him a hug.
And, I felt like that was how Red felt toward him. He hated Fitch for the raid on the Post Office, but yet, he also respected him. That look on his face when he’s having that last conversation before the bomb on Fitch’s neck goes off… just heartbreaking.
And while so many actors seem to bow under the weight of Spader’s performances, Alda is also one of the few actors who I felt like was on-par with him in terms of charisma and acting chops. It seems he just strolls onto the set and does whatever is required of him without a care in the world. “Need me to be gruff and menacing? I can do that. Need me to be sad and fearful? I can do that. Need me to look bored and indifferent? I can do that.” Gah! I just love Alan Alda, and I want to give him a hug.
But, seriously, Fitch was a Blacklister whose impact on the story goes all the way back to setting Berlin on Red decades before Season 2 takes place, and he was one of the few people (at that time) who seemed to know Reddington from the pre-Night of the Fire era. (It’s unclear now whether that was actually true; he probably knew the REAL Reddington, but never knew our guy was an imposter.)
Anyway, Fitch had a major impact on the story because he was the one person/thing who had a connection to the raid on the Post Office, the Cabal and Berlin.
4. BERLIN
This is a weird entry, because Berlin is hardly in either of his two namesake episodes; and even when he is, his identity is obscured until the very end of “Berlin: Conclusion.”
Berlin had been built up for a long time, and, to be honest, I’m so frustrated that it was never addressed how he organized a giant criminal syndicate while in a Russian prison. And, for all the build-up around the character, I feel like the pay-off was a little bit disappointing. Which is why he’s at #4 for me.
Still, when he came back in the first half of Season 2, he was such a good baddie. I absolutely love when he and Red meet on Coney Island, and that weird, dynamic and layered conversation that they have. And overall, Peter Stormare’s performance is fantastic. He’s mustache-twirling, sure, but he was so intimidating at the same time… threatening Liz, capturing Naomi, being responsible for the attacks on Cooper and Meera, etc.
3. ALEXANDER KIRK (A.K.A. CONSTANTIN ROSTOV)
Like Berlin, Kirk is hardly in either of his namesake episodes, but we get to see him more fleshed out as a character/villain in early-Season 4.
Unlike most villains, we actually got to see quiet moments of Kirk, where he was caring, respectful, loving and just … generally not villainous. Most of these other Blacklisters never got those opportunities, and Kirk — in hindsight — was built up as a kind of hero out of a Greek tragedy. Odette tells Liz that he was a kind, caring and gentle man up until he found out about Liz’s identity as Masha and her connection to Red. Then, he flipped his shit and did whatever it took to get his (step)daughter away from him. And, honestly, I really liked his little farewell speech to Liz about how she would only ever remember him as a villain who kidnapped and threatened her and her child; and she would never remember him as the young, happy father who held her in her arms, excited at what the future would hold for their family.
Gah! Just thinking back to that speech makes me feel such sympathy for the man… not the one he became but the one he used to be. Kirk was hurt and betrayed multiple times by Katarina, the Real Reddington, the Fake Reddington, and all these other people who played him like a puppet for their own ends. Really thinking back on it, it’s no wonder he became the broken man he is, so desperately trying to cling to this frayed prospect of happiness with the family he once had. Yes, he was hoping that Liz or Agnes would help cure him of his disease, but I truly believe that was only a bonus in his mind and he was really hoping to piece his family back together — to have a second chance in his (step)daughter’s life and help her with her newborn.
He’s also one of the few villains with his own arc who wasn’t killed off at the end of said arc, so I really hope he comes back. I doubt it, but I would really like to see it. Maybe he could help Liz understand what all happened with Katarina, Real Reddington, Fake Reddington, and everything on the Night of the Fire.
And, again, like with Fitch, he was a really important Blacklister as he was connected to both Red’s past and Liz’s. And, that scene where he’s about to kill Red, and the two stop to reminisce about Katarina, who she was, and how important she was to them … that’s the kind of depth we don’t get out of most Blacklisters.
Honestly, even though his introduction to the audience was a little too Darth Vader/Alias-esque, I still really enjoyed the range of emotions Ulrich Thomsen got to run through in his portrayal, especially in that final episode. And while he doesn’t really have a lasting effect on the story once his arc is resolved, he was a major threat to everyone, including Liz, and the main characters to make major decisions in the latter half of Season 3 and the first part of Season 4 that showed us who they really are.
2. ANSLO GARRICK
It might seem a little weird to have a one-off villain this high on the list, but Anslo Garrick — both the character and his namesake episodes — was an actual game-changer. Here we were, skipping along through Season 1, pretty complacent and chill. And then all of a sudden, Anslo Garrick shows up and turns everything on its head! The Post Office is under attack; Ressler gets seriously injured and he and Red have to make due hanging out together inside the box; Cooper et al is captured; Liz and Aram, who have little field experience between them, have to team up to try to get to safety. Luli is killed; Dembe is almost killed; Liz is threatened; Red is captured and later escapes.
So much happened in those episodes, and I still think “Anslo Garrick: Part One” might be the best episode of the show to date. Seriously. Intense, dark, with high-stakes and important character moments — and there have been very few episodes like it since.
But, anyway, as for Anslo Garrick himself… he isn’t really all that much. He was a rabid dog sent by Fitch to bring Red in. He was intimidating, coarse, violent and gave zero shits about his actions.
This entry doesn’t really celebrate who the character of Anslo Garrick was, but more of what he represented and the major impact he had on the show at that point in time. He introduced us to Fitch, who first brought up the whole “Cabal” storyline, which was responsible for a lot of stuff in Season 2 and early-Season 3.
Again, Garrick woke us viewers out of our little complacency that Red & co. were just going to glide through their Blacklisters with only a few cuts and bruises and no real stakes (outside of the Tom/mystery storyline that was going on at the time). This was a good kick in the pants to make us realize that we were wrong.
1. THE DIRECTOR
So, you’re sitting there, wondering who the heck could be sitting at #1… above Garvey, above Kirk and Garrick and Fitch and everyone else?
It’s the man who if I could push a button and bring any of the show’s dead character back to life, he would be the one I’d pick:
Peter Kotsiopulos, The Director … played by the amazing David Strathairn.
Even though he appeared in 12 episodes over what amounted to an entire season of the show (from 2×09 to 3×10), I really wish The Director hadn’t been killed off. Seriously, I have no idea how much money the showrunners had to throw at Strathairn to get him to appear for as long and as many times as he did, but it wasn’t enough. I’ve always said that this show deserves a Big Bad, and he would’ve been great as the Big Bad for The Blacklist.
While Strathairn’s basically just reprising his role as “Unethical and Shady AF Government Official and Resident Mustache-Twirler” from The Bourne Series, it’s a role he’s really good at. And even though he didn’t get a lot of quiet moments to be humanized or come across as sympathetic, like Kirk did, I still feel like it was such a bitch move for Red and his crew to play on The Director’s feelings for/obligation to his wife as their opportunity to abduct him. I know that Liz was facing trial for murder and desperate times called for desperate measures, but I can just imagine that poor lady sitting in her therapist’s office, wondering where her husband was only to find out that he was a villain who had ditched her and fled the country, when that wasn’t the case at all.
Yeah, I know The Director’s an absolute piece of filth who’s responsible for threatening the entire Task Force, publicly demonizing Liz and almost killing Red… but he was so good at being bad that I wanted him to stick around long-term. I wanted to see him and Liz have more interactions; and again, Stathairn was one of the few actors who held his own in scenes with Spader without any effort.
He was also the first one, as I recall, to set Liz on this path toward Katarina Rostova’s backstory and finding out how alike the two of them were. In Episode 2.19, he remarks how much Liz looks like her mom, and I feel like that sends Liz down a road to get answers from Red about who she was and what his connection was to her mom and her family.
But, anyway, I just love David Strathairn; I loved him in this role, on this show; and I loved how diabolical, manipulative, and just conniving his character was. I also just absolutely love the look on his face in 3×10 when he and Red are watching Laurel Hitchen on the TV and Hitchen just outs The Director as a member of the Cabal. He just goes from angry and staring daggers at Red to flustered and “oh shit” in an instant.
So, just like my Fitch entry was my opportunity to celebrate how amazing Alan Alda was, this is my chance to celebrate how underrated David Strathairn is as an actor and how much I wish he was still on the show.
But, putting all of that aside, why should The Director as a character be ranked above all those other people as a better Blacklister?
Because, The Director represented the Cabal, which was an entity that had been built up from Episode 1.09 as a major force that had power to easily destroy everything Red, Liz and their crew was trying to work toward. They sent Braxton after info about the Fulcrum, they sent Karakurt to frame Liz, they sent that team of commandos to attack Red. They were a force that seemingly could not be stopped, and the Director was at the head of it all.
Plus, he was one of the worst kinds of people as he constantly did evil in the name of the greater good. He was the embodiment of all the worst parts of The Blacklist’s villains, actual real life government officials and humanity at large. He had dozens of people killed without batting an eye because it’s all in the interest of “national security.” Or so he tells others. But, deep down, we all know that he’s only really concerned about his own self-interest.
Now that the show has killed him off, obviously, there’s no way for Strathairn to return as The Director; but perhaps, if/once the show delves more into Katarina and Red’s backstory, maybe we will see a Young Director in a flashback so that we can see exactly how he was connected to Katarina, the Cabal, and that whole mess with the Fulcrum.