So, I watched this show live through the end of the Kaplan arc. Her killing herself was at that point enough to make me stop watching the show for a bit. With Season 8 coming up, I decided to go back, and binge the entire series and catch back up, and start watching again.

I love James Spader - he absolutely carries this show. The writing of the show is getting to me. I'm still angry about the whole Kaplan arc. It made sense for Kate to fake Liz's death and Red's response was absolutely in character. Her response seemed wildly out of character. Trying to destroy Red in that manner was just going to make him less capable to protect Liz and Agnes. I just don't buy she'd put Liz and Agnes in harm's way like that.

And don't get me started with Liz. It's like she's willing to side with anyone against Red if they give her a kernel of truth, even if they lied to her multiple times, took her prisoner, put her or Agnes in danger, whatever. At this point, I've pretty much given up on the character of Liz. The whole Suitcase/backpack storyarc ruined her for me. He admits he keeps things from her, but she has no qualms lying directly to him. By the end of it, she didn't care who got hurt, who it harmed, who lived, who died - she wanted the backpack because she "deserved it" even though it wasn't her secret to have. She blames Red for Tom getting killed, but it was clearly Kaplan's fault for involving him. Now the whole Katarina story.

As the other lead character - I only see Liz as a spoiled brat who doesn't care who she hurts, lies to, betrays or disappoints to get her way. She is literally every bad thing she accuses Red of being and then some, and yet is indignant of Red. And lets be honest, a majority of the bad stuff that has happened to her and the people surrounding her wouldn't have happened if people would just listen to Red.

Admittedly, we wouldn't much of a show if everyone just listened to Red - but that's become it's own trope within the show. When the show started, the idea that this world-class criminal was working with the FBI to take down other criminals to solidify his own place in the world was a hell of an idea. Using kernels from each episode to craft a larger narrative of what he's up to was brilliant.

The problem is the problems have gone from Red cleaning up loose ends from when he went rogue and why he went rogue to putting out fires that Liz starts because she's stumbling around in a world she's largely ignorant of - and thinks she's entitled to the answers. I think that comes down to the key issue I'm having with the show: The Writing.

To Be Honest - The writing has become season long tropes with a different MacGuffin every season. The mystery is there, but it's hanging onto the reveal too long. Every major arc will have:
- Character isn't who you think they are, they are someone else.
- Character isn't who they think they are.
- Dead Character who isn't Dead
- Purposely misleading and vague statement by Red about truth, lies and perception is shown to be a "clever" take on how a lie in the show is actually a truth.
- Morally ambiguous character point at Red about how awful and terrible he is and how every bad thing is his fault, even when he's spent the last season telling them not to do a thing because they won't like the result.
- A kernel showing why Red's gave the task force this member of the Blacklist, but the actual substance of the kernel isn't exposed until the big reveal where the whole tapestry is sewn together for the audience and how it all revolves around the season's Big Bad.

First Red was Red, then he wasn't. Then he was ilya. then he isn't. He's not Liz's dad, then he isn't. Now he may be this 13. Who cares? He's been Red for 30 years. Would anyone actually care anymore?

We had Red's mysterious Blacklist. Why are the names and the number's important? (I don't think they were/are - I think its just a storytelling convenience).

Then we had the nature of his mysterious relationship with Alan Fitch and the Cabal. (at this point, the Cabal are nothing more than a footnote/plot point with no teeth).

Then it was all about the Fulcrum and how to access it. (Another MacGuffin, that lost all of it's teeth as soon as it was revealed).

Then the suitcase with the bones. (After 30 years, I don't think it would matter anymore. Red's been Red long enough that it shouldn't matter anymore to anyone but Liz. He's Red. It certainly wasn't important enough to kill as many people as it did.)

Now we have the Skiorsky Archive. A new version of the fulcrum, but its just more cold war era secrets - again, we are so far removed from the cold war (I have several family members that were involved in US intelligence during the cold war, so I have a tiny amount of knowledge on the subject) it's simply not actionable intel anymore.

Honestly, I'm too emotionally invested to walk away from the show at this point, and James Spader is so wonderful as Red. Honestly, I like most of the cast's acting ability, even if there's a couple characters I wouldn't mind being killed off or reassigned.

At the same time, I kind of want them to wrap everything up, sew up all these loose ends and answer the all the big questions.

TL:DR - I hate Liz.