Tonight on NBC their hit drama The Blacklist starring James Spader airs with an all-new Friday, May 14, 2021, episode and we have your The Blacklist recap below. On tonight’s The Blacklist Season 8, Episode 17 called, “Ivan Stepanov”, as per the NBC synopsis, “Red tries desperately to rescue an old friend at all costs, while Liz and Townsend conduct an interrogation.”
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Tonight’s Blacklist episode begins with Ivan Stepanov, Neville Townsend has him, with an electric collar around his neck. Neville tells him that he is incredibly still alive and every time he zaps him it takes him back to a memory. Neville keeps thinking about when his family was killed. Ivan says he has nothing to say to him. Neville says sooner or later, he is going to tell him everything about Raymond Reddington.
Red is trying to get in touch with the general in Moscow but he can’t be reached, Red tells the person on the phone that when he can be reached, tell him that he is off the payroll. Red tells Dembe they both know who did this, then he asks if he heard from Priya Laghari.
Then we see her at Townsend’s house, she is trying to gain access to meet with him. Meanwhile, Harold Cooper meets with Red who tells him that Ivan Stepanov has been abducted, he belongs to the most secretive and lethal branch of the SVR, he knows where all the bodies are buried, because he is the one who buried them. Red knows when and where he was taken from. Cooper tells Red he will look into it, but he doesn’t plan to.
Cooper goes back and meets with the task force and says his next move depends entirely on Keen, and she has just called in. They put her on speaker, she asks them if they have Ivan, they say no. She says she sent a team, but by the time they got there, he was gone. Cooper asks her if she shared the intel about Stepanov’s whereabouts with Townsend, she says no. Cooper says he was worried because these days when he says stop, she usually goes. She swears she didn’t say anything. They believe Townsend has Stepanov.
Laghari is with Townsend, she is regretful that he made her wait, it appears this is not going to work. Furthermore, it is discourteous. He tells her he is going to pay her an obscene amount of money, but it is going to be on his schedule. She asks him how rich is she. She says she is all his, let her know when he needs her. Just then, Keen shows up and tells Townsend that he has Stepanov. Agent Ressler’s phone, the malware, he found it, he has been recording her.
She says they had an agreement. Townsend turns on the video and she sees Stepanov, Townsend says he will be seeing him soon, maybe she would like to join him and see what he knows about Reddington and N13. In the meantime, he tells her, no more phone calls to the FBI.
Once outside, Laghari calls Reddington and tells him that she failed, Townsend it is not dead. She goes on to say that a woman arrived and accused Townsend of abducting Stepanov. He says he just wants the address of that building, he tells her to text it to Dembe. Red knows that he needs Cooper’s help, he knows they will take him into custody, but the risk is worth the reward. Red goes to see the task force, he tells Cooper that Stepanov is more than a Russian intelligence officer, he is one of his oldest and closest friends.
He is in danger now and he needs his help to save him. He believes that Townsend has him and he could put him and Keen in danger. Stepanov has knowledge about Red, his relationships, and his business. He needs to get him out. Cooper tells Red that they have been in contact with Keen. Red tells Cooper that he needs help to extract him, please. Red says again, he is his oldest friend. Cooper takes charge.
Laghari calls Red and tells him that Townsend is leaving the building with the woman, he tells her to follow them.
Aram ran a list of companies in the building that Red gave them, there is an accounting firm, two of their clients are shell companies and the owner is disguised – it could be Townsend. Aram tells Cooper that he wants to be a part of this, Cooper calls Cynthia and asks for her help in getting a warrant. Aram, Ressler, and Park are inside, we see one employee press a button that is under their desk. Aram announces that their hard drives are coming with them. Ressler says he is bringing them into the conference one by one. It is Townsend’s office, his people behind the scenes are trying to delete everything asap.
Laghari gives Red the address where Keen and Townsend are. Dembe tells Red they should call Cooper, Red says no, call Chuck. Red begs Laghari to stop whatever is going on in that building, he will give her a fortune. Inside the building, Townsend is still zapping Stepanov and Keen is with him.
Keen asks Stepanov to talk about his relationship with Red. Stepanov looks at Keen and calls her Marcia. Stepanov tells her that her mother was his friend, he can’t believe it is her. Meanwhile, Laghari is slowly making her way there, she is inside the building. Darn, Keen has found Laghari, she tells her that she is there to save her, Reddington sent her. Laghari goes on to say that if Townsend knows the truth, he will kill Keen. Then, we see Stepanov whispering in Townsend’s ear.
While the task force is speaking to the employees of the accounting firm, others are destroying information as fast as they can.
Laghari tells Keen that Red initially hired her to kill Townsend, but now, if Stepanov talks, she is in danger. Townsend discovers that Laghari is there, he takes her and when Keen asks him what he is going to do to her, he says nothing compared to what he is going to do to her.
Townsend’s men ask him what they should do with the Russian, he says to put a bullet in his head and make sure nobody finds the body. Red and Dembe arrive, they plow right through the door in an SUV. Bullets are going off everywhere. Laghari is loose and she goes to save Keen, Dembe sees her and calls Red to tell him that he found Keen. Red is with Stepanov, he is not leaving him behind, no matter what. Dembe calls Red and tells him there are too many, they have to get out of there.
Finally, the task force gets some intel as to where the rest of Townsend’s team is and his personal residence. Ressler is in a surveillance room and looks at a video screen, he sees Red rescue Stepanov.
In the garage, Townsend shouts that he is going to kill Keen in front of Red. Keen, Red, Laghari, Dembe, and Stepanov are all in the same room; they are trapped. Outside the room, Townsend’s men are trying to break into a large vent from above. Laghari gets them out of the room, they go into a vehicle and Townsend finds them before they can get out. The task force arrives and as they are shooting up Townsend and his men, Red and the rest escape with Stepanov.
Liz calls her team, she tells them, and Skip to go dark. Stepanov is in surgery, Laghari tells Red that she didn’t get there in time. He says he had no right asking her to do what he did. He says he is going to give her a number of Marvin Gerard, he will give her what she is owed. She shows him her hand, it is full of jewels, she says she got what she was owed and deserves Townsend’s right for having a safe at home.
Red tells her that he misses her already, she says she knows. The doctor tells Red that Stepanov is tired but stable, he is going to be ok. Red goes in to see him and tells him that he is going to be ok. Stepanov says that Townsend knows, and he is to blame. Stepanov says she is so beautiful, he waited 35 years to meet her and now he has painted a target on her back. Red tells him to rest, Dembe comes in and tells him the FBI is there.
Cooper comes in and says he is taking Stepanov into custody. Red tells the task force that he was honest, he didn’t share certain information because he didn’t want to put Keen in danger. Now his oldest friend was shot, Keen is on the run and Townsend is after her. Cooper goes into the room to get Stepanov, he is already gone. The gems that Laghari took, are worth 36 million, Townsend put a new directive on Keen, the task force, and Laghari.
THE END!