Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Blacklist: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 14, 2020

'The Blacklist' is a complexly interwoven show that offers both episodic and serialized components, though narratively favoring the former as its characters and world dynamically evolve with regularity. In that light, viewers are strongly encouraged to begin at the start rather than jump in with season seven. Find below links to the previous six seasons on Blu-ray.

• Season One
• Season Two
• Season Three
• Season Four
• Season Five
• Season Six

Some spoilers for this and previous seasons appear below.

Official synopsis: After being abducted by Katarina Rostova, Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader) finds himself alone in hostile territory, unsure of who, if anyone, he can trust. Surrounded by old enemies and new allies, Red must stay one step ahead of the Blacklist's most dangerous criminal, who will stop at nothing to unearth the very truth Red wants no one to know about. To find it, Katarina will insinuate herself into the life of Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone), who has finally reunited with her daughter Agnes. Katarina's presence will bring danger to Liz's doorstep and forever alter her relationship with Red.

Season seven is quite unlike anything seen before in The Blacklist, and not for any of its narrative twists and character turns. While the show has had its share of memorable season finales that have forever altered the series' landscape, season seven stands in stark contrast for a different kind of unforgettable ender. Live action production was halted on The Blacklist while filming episode 19 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Four days worth of live action footage was captured before production went dark. Originally scheduled for the typical 22-episode run, the sudden stoppage left the production team scrambling for a way to end the season with some sense of closure, and doing so without the final three episodes or a completed episode 19. With no opportunity for additional filming, The Blacklist mailed microphones to its cast which recored dialogue from home, which was inserted into quickly constructed comic book-style animation. It's obviously a bit jarring but cast and crew interject before the animation begins to introduce the season finale and offer a few well-wishes. The episode does enrich the Blacklist world and it will be interesting to see where the show goes, and how, towards an uncharted and unknown future.

What comes before is another standard-issue season of The Blacklist, standard in its maintenance of a high level of excellence and standard in its ability to twist and turn and offer a number of surprises along the way. The show digs more deeply into character pasts. Once again Liz finds herself in the spotlight, learning more about who she is, where she has been, and what all of that might mean for her future, positioning her to face her greatest moral challenge as the season draws to to a close. One of the season's best episodes comes towards the end. "Brothers" flashes back to mid 1990s Detroit to explore a formative moment in Ressler's past that has come knocking in the present, which for him, too, opens up a chapter of his family's dark dealings in the wake of its darkest day. Performances and production values are again top-notch. The show has not lost its legs, and hopefully the virus will abate and allow production on a much-anticipated season eight to begin.

The following episodes comprise season seven. Summaries are courtesy of the Blu-ray packaging.

Disc One:

• Louis T. Steinhil: After being kidnapped by Katarina Rostova, Raymond "Red" Reddington finds himself alone in hostile territory unsure of who, if anyone, he can trust. With few leads to go on, Liz and the Task Force venture into unknown danger as they race to find him.
• Louis T. Steinhil: Conclusion: Liz, Dembe and the Task Force continue to search for Red, who attempts to escape his abductors with help from a surprise ally, but discovers he is not Katarina Rostova's only target in her hunt for information.
• Les Fleurs Du Mal: Aram goes undercover to infiltrate a secret society of wealthy thrill-seekers, whose entertainment hinges upon spectacular acts of violence. Red tries to negotiate with a former associate involved in the Townsend Directive.
• Kuwait: Cooper's moral compass is tested when an officer with whom he served as a young man, long presumed to be dead, resurfaces as a POW.

Disc Two:

• Norman Devane: Liz and the Task Force investigate an infamous assassin who has a long history of weaponizing diseases, but has now turned to even more insidious activities. Meanwhile, Red and Dembe travel to Cuba in search of a lead, and Aram considers a new relationship.
• Dr. Lewis Powell: Red alerts the FBI to the suspicious death of a scientist specializing in artificial intelligence research. Meanwhile, Francesca Campbell further entangles herself in Red's criminal activities.
• Hannah Hayes: The Task Force investigates the unexplained disappearance and sudden re-emergence of a governor. Meanwhile, Red and Dembe surveil someone close to Katarina Rostova, as she inadvertently involves Agnes in an operation of her own.
• The Hawaladar: Desperate for information on the whereabouts of a longtime friend, Red directs the Task Force to find a Blacklister specializing in untraceable money transfers. Meanwhile, Liz receives some disturbing news from her daughter Agnes.

Disc Three:

• Orion Relocation Services: Red and Liz investigate Orion Relocation Services, an organization that surreptitiously facilitates the disappearance and relocation of criminals. Meanwhile, Katarina delves into the memories of an old friend in order to get additional information about the Townsend Directive.
• Katarina Rostova: Red and the Task Force pay a visit to a former blacklister, as an explosive confrontation leads Liz to make a critical decision.
• Victoria Fenberg: With the help of the Task Force, Red tracks a gifted art forger who has thwarted his plans to sell stolen pieces. Aram's love life becomes increasingly complicated. Liz and Ressler confide in each other.
• Cornelius Ruck: Secluded on a private island, Red reunites with an old flame and a ring of thieves in a plot to make millions off stolen art. Plans are quickly derailed, however, when guests on the island mysteriously show up dead.

Disc Four:

• Newton Purcell: The Task Force investigates a series of attacks on data centers perpetrated by a Blacklister with a peculiar condition, as Liz conducts a secret investigation on the side. Meanwhile, Glen desperately tries to prove his value to Red after a shipping mishap.
• Twamie Ullulaq: A Blacklist case becomes personal for Agent Park when the team investigates a mysterious disappearance in the Alaska Triangle; Aram enlists Red's help to find out what really happened to Elodie's husband.
• Gordon Kemp: A Blacklist case forces Liz to choose sides between Red and the Task Force. Meanwhile, Red tries to calm a panicked Ilya Koslov, who believes he is under surveillance.
• Nyle Hatcher: Liz and the Task Force take on a cold case that may have some new victims. Meanwhile, Red tries to help a friend of Dembe's who is in danger.

Disc Five:

• Brothers: Ressler is forced to confront past trauma and family secrets when his brother takes him back home for a risky job.
• Roy Cain: As the Task Force investigates a kidnapping executed by seemingly impossible abductors, Dembe lands in a perilous situation. Meanwhile, a recent health scare causes Red to think about a successor.
• The Kazanjian Brothers: The Task Force investigates an accountant who works for lucrative criminals in order to find the violent and thuggish brothers hired for his protection. Meanwhile, Liz must make a momentous decision.

The Blacklist: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Blacklist: The Complete Seventh Season's 1080p Blu-ray transfer is unsurprisingly in-line with recent season efforts. Image clarity is exceptional, offering stable texturing and intimate clarity across the board, most distinctly on faces, clothes, and broad environments but also finding good image definition on finer point details throughout most any given frame. There's a wide range of characters with varying features, a broad array of costumes, and plenty of interesting locations, all of which contribute to a superior Blu-ray presentation. Colors are well versed in neutrality and core tonal output. There's no feel for over saturation or underperformance; everything is in good balance from distinguished primaries to earthen supports, from natural greens to urban grays, from black levels to skin tones. Noise is present but not in so much quantity as to disturb most of the presentation. Additional source or encode issues are few. The animated scenes from the final episode were obviously created quickly, and it shows. The comic book aesthetic offers solid enough detail and color, but the core elements are rather crude. Aliasing is frequent but banding less so. The score above reflects only the live action content which, of course, comprises the bulk of the season.

The Blacklist: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For this Blu-ray release of The Blacklist: The Complete Seventh Season, Sony has only included an English language DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. As with other tracks in the series, this one is very good, highly engaging and quite dynamic in most places. Width and depth are never in question, and neither is low end response. The track offers well defined elements in all areas of need, including music, ambience, and more intensive action effects, such as gunfire. No elements are volume challenged, either; at reference level the track outputs impressive depth and density and holds clarity even in its most intensive moments. Discrete effects are plentiful and the track offers good harmonious immersion when everything plays together, too. Dialogue is clear and center-focused. This is a good one.

The Blacklist: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Blacklist: The Complete Seventh Season contains several deleted scenes, two audio commentaries, and a few brief additional extras on disc five, one of which is a Blu-ray exclusive. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not currently appear to ship with a slipcover.

Disc One:

• Deleted Scene (1080p): From "Les Fleurs Du Mal:" We Got Him (1:05).
• Audio Commentary: For "Kuwait:" Actor Harry Lennix and Writer Sean Hennen.

Disc Three:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): From "Orion Relocation Services:" Where's Sofia? (1:52), That's On Me (0:31), and I Shot Her (0:52). From "Cornelius Ruck:" Since When Are You White Collar? (0:49).

Disc Four:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): From "Newton Purcell:" What You Want (0:55). From "Gordon Kemp:" The Law is the Law (0:59).

Disc Five:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): From "Brothers:" In His Corner (1:29), Bowling Injury (0:35), and Bring Me What's Mine (0:28).
• Audio Commentary: For "The Kazanjian Brothers:" Co-Editor Chris Brookshire, Co-Editor Elyse Holloway, Animation Supervisor Matt Perrin, and Animation Supervisor Adam Coglan primarily discuss the episode's unique characteristics as it was made as the COVID-19 pandemic began to take shape.
• Uncharted Territory: The Animated Episode (1080p, 11:50): Cast and crew discuss ending the season on a hybrid live action/animation episode due to the COVID-19 pandemic with emphasis on the daily process of remotely building the episode and the unique artistic opportunities inherent in the animation process. It also explores the Katarina Rostova character, Donald Ressler's past, Aram's love story, new arrival Agent Park, and some of the season's additional narrative and character beats. This supplement is a Blu-ray exclusive.
• Blooper Reel (1080p, 3:50): Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Behind the Blacklist: Season 7 (1080p, 22:18): Executive Producers John Eisendrath and Jon Bokenkamp offer a thorough breakdown of the series and the season's production, from story origins to the final cut. It also includes blooper and trivia segments. The piece was made before season seven's release and ends with a sneak peak for it.
• Brian Dennehy Tribute (1080i, 3:18): Cast and crew remember the late legend.

The Blacklist: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Season seven was rudely interrupted before it could wrap, but what wasn't? Despite not getting to its true finale, cut short by a few episodes, what exists of season seven -- which is the bulk of it -- is quite good, focusing extensively on building more of Liz's background and exploring how her past impacts her present and will help to define her future. The season still manages to end on a good little cliffhanger that should have fans, again, salivating for the season to come, which will hopefully arrive at some point sooner rather than later though probably nowhere near the series' usual late September/early October debut timeframe. Sony's five-disc Blu-ray set likewise lives up to expectations, delivering first-rate video and audio presentations as well as the usual assortment of Blacklist extras. Highly recommended.