Pilot 

Ex-government agent and one of the FBI's Most Wanted fugitives, Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader) mysteriously turns himself in to the FBI and offers to give up everyone he has ever ... See full summary »

Director:

Joe Carnahan

Writers:

Jon Bokenkamp (created by), Jon Bokenkamp

Stars:

James Spader, Megan Boone, Diego Klattenhoff

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
James Spader	...	Raymond 'Red' Reddington
Megan Boone	...	Elizabeth Keen
Diego Klattenhoff	...	Donald Ressler
Ryan Eggold	...	Tom Keen
Ilfenesh Hadera	...	Jennifer Palmer
Harry Lennix	...	Harold Cooper
Chance Kelly	...	Daniel Ryker
Jamie Jackson	...	Ranko Zamani
Delphina Belle	...	Beth
Charles Baker	...	Grey
Donnetta Lavinia Grays	...	FBI Lobby Guard
Annet Mahendru	...	Agent Rosen
Jeremy Beiler	...	Tech (Hive)
Christine James Walker	...	Cooper's Aide (as Christine Walker)
Jennifer Kim	...	Analyst (War Room)

Storyline

Ex-government agent and one of the FBI's Most Wanted fugitives, Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader) mysteriously turns himself in to the FBI and offers to give up everyone he has ever worked with including a long-thought-dead terrorist but under one condition - he'll only talk to newly-minted female FBI profiler, Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone) with whom he seemingly has no connection. For Liz, it's going to be one hell of a first day on the job and what follows is a twisting series of events as the race to stop a terrorist begins.

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Plot Keywords:

series title spoken by character | worried wife | standing on a ledge | black site | sliding over the hood of a car | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [United Kingdom]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 2013 (USA)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Davis Entertainment,Universal Television,Sony Pictures Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo Dolby Digital DTS (HD MA) (blu-ray)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

The engraving on the box Elizabeth (Megan Boone) finds under the floor boards in her living room containing her husband's fake passports seems to have the same shape as the burn mark on her inner wrist.

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Goofs

When Liz stabs Red in the neck you can see the blood pack/pad between her hand and his neck.

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Quotes

Raymond 'Red' Reddington: You won't find the girl until you learn to look at this differently.
Elizabeth Keen: And how should I look at this?
Raymond 'Red' Reddington: Like a criminal. May come easier than you think. Shall I show you?

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Connections

Featured in The Blacklist: The Freelancer (No. 145) (2013)

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Soundtracks

State of the Art
Written by Jim James
Performed by Jim James

User Reviews

Mistakes in the Storyline

I like this TV-show very much, but I have to mention some apparent mistakes in the story of this episode.

Firstly, the terrorist Zamani was said to be Serbian, but Zamani is actually an Albanian family name.

Secondly, Reddington said that he is Serbian (Christian) Orthodox and that he would not have a tattoo because of that (when Lizzy was calling him from the park). The Christian Orthodox church does not forbid tattoos and it is common for Serbians to be tattooed. Also Albanian's are mostly Muslim, and definitely not Christian (Serbian) Ortodox. So this is double false.

I understand that it is only a small group of people who watch the show and understand this, but a show loses it's appeal if such apparent mistakes are made.