Fun & Famous

WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH THE BLACKLIST

I have been hooked on The Blacklist for over half a year now. My favorite I-don't-feel-like-doing-anything series, I-have-a-hangover series, I'm-sick series, I'm-pretending-to-be-sick series, let's-just-hang-on-the-couch series, it's-the-weekend series, and it's-a-weekday series. In other words: a series you can watch endlessly in all circumstances. A whopping 78 hours long and counting.

Here's a summary so we know what we're talking about: America's most wanted criminal Raymond Reddington teams up with the FBI to solve a number of high-profile cases. He has one condition: he only wants to talk to young profiler Elizabeth Keen. From that moment on, ‘Lizzy's’ life is turned upside down, and she discovers that everything is different from what she ever thought.

This is why you're going to have a lot of fun with The Blacklist:

Hours and hours of viewing pleasure

Nothing is as frustrating as the moment when you've finished your favorite series. Better Call Saul has only ten episodes per season, and then you have to wait a damn year for the next season. Bloodline likewise. Homeland… yep. With The Blacklist, it just never ends. Each season has no less than 22 episodes, and there are already four seasons! By the time you've made it through all these seasons, the fifth will probably be available again. Just one tip: if you want to binge-watch for hours on end, The Blacklist is less suitable. After two episodes, at most three, I've usually had my fill. But that's nice too, because that way you can enjoy it longer and you don't risk still watching at four in the morning.

Exciting stories

Each episode has a complete story. The nice thing about that is that you can take a month off from watching and still know what it's about when you come back. And those stories are delicious. Think of a psychiatric disorder that could lead someone to start killing, and that will definitely come up at some point. Furthermore: wild chases (where the FBI is always just a bit too late, mind you), kidnappings, spectacular escapes, and a lot of fuss in private jets.

“Ryan is da shit.”

James Spader

I've been over my father complex for some time now, but James Spader, who plays Reddington, is hot! Yes, I know, he's well into his fifties and doesn't exactly have a six-pack, but the humor. The mannerisms. The intelligence. The charm. The calmness he maintains at all times, even when he's getting electric shocks from a chick in a leather catsuit. It's just that I've been in therapy for years to make healthier choices in love, but otherwise…

Ryan Eggold

But the real eye candy is of course Liz's man, Ryan Eggold. One of the hottest bad boys turned good turned bad that the screen has ever known. And we get to see him in all sorts of situations. Think Ryan half-naked tied to a heating pipe, think Ryan as a good husband serving fresh organic meals, think Ryan as a superhero who takes down an entire motorcycle gang without breaking a sweat… Ryan is da shit.

Megan Boone

Alright, also kudos to our Lizzy. What I really like about her is that she looks like a human. With hips and all. A real breath of fresh air next to all the super-thin complex-inducing other Hollywood actresses. Besides, she's very smart and strong and all. But that can't be any different if you work for the FBI.