NBC’s The Blacklist already shown us its view of how little facts matter in the world today. I guess it’s no surprise then that they fill in the gaps with their own narrative. The latest example is appealing to illegal immigrant supporters by literally pandering to them in action.
The February 15 episode “General Shiro” has the FBI investigating the crimes of a modern-day General Shiro. That is, they’re looking for a man using genetically modified water beetles to infect and kill people by eating their insides. To prove that, the story begins with watching a man choke to his death as beetles emerge from his throat after dissolving his lungs. Unfortunately, there is more after that unpleasant image.
The agents search for the suspect by contacting any inadvertent witnesses to the recent deaths. One such lead sends Agents Aram Mojtabai (Amir Arison) and Samar Navabi (Mozhan Marnò) to the restaurant where a victim ate a week before his death. When they confront the manager about the situation, he’s helpful to their mission until they ask to speak to the busboy who worked that night. The manager tries to avoid mentioning him, but eventually reveals that the busboy is undocumented. And, as the liberal media suggests, “undocumented” immigrants and law enforcement don’t mix.
Luckily for them, the FBI agents support amnesty - they throw in their support for refugees, as well - which means they don’t report him as they continue their investigation. Really, this is how the world works on this show.
Schmock: Poisoned? While eating here?
Navabi: We believe so, yes.
Aram: They had lunch here a week ago.
Schmock: Yeah, I-I don't remember them. But there was an incident in the kitchen.
Aram: What kind of incident?
Schmock: A stranger wandered in. One of the busboys followed him out. I mean, nothing was taken, so I didn't give it another thought.
Navabi: Is the busboy here today? We'd like to speak to him.
Schmock: You know, I'm afraid that won't be possible.
Aram: He may be able to I.D. the killer.
Schmock: Look, I-I want to cooperate with you and I-I'm sure he does, too, but you're with the FBI, and he's –
Navabi: Undocumented.
Schmock: And in the current climate, people are understandably reluctant to talk to law enforcement, even about murder.
Navabi: We're not looking to report anyone. We're just looking for some answers.
Aram: [ Speaks Spanish ] Me llamo Aram. Mucho gusto. [ Chuckles ] Uh, yeah, that's -- that's the extent of my Spanish. It was a first period in high school and I've never really been much of a morning person. Right. Okay, uh, here's the thing. My parents were refugees. [ Speaks Spanish ] Agent Navabi was a-a political refugee herself. [ Speaks Spanish ] Tell him that we both believe in amnesty. [ Speaks Spanish ] And that we'll go as soon as he tells us what he knows.
Of course on television are illegal immigrants shown to be both persecuted victims and vital assistance. Somehow, I doubt the angel moms would agree with that. Nor should anyone agree with the image of FBI agents bending over backwards to appease people who illegally enter the country. It’s important to get the witnesses testimony to catch the killer, but they really go overboard in pledging their belief in amnesty
On the bright side, The Blacklist does manage to be a little original in the end. The one behind the killer water beetles turns out to be an environmentalist nutcase raging against a pesticide company. By the end of the episode, he’s ranting things like, “These people are poisoning the planet. The insects can save us!” At least this series lets us see green movement supporters as the psychos they really can be, as if the Green New Deal wasn’t enough for us.
In the end, The Blacklist should have just stuck with the deadly beetles. It would have been way more palatable.
