The Blacklist Episode 2.16 Tom Keen

Tom hangs back while Gerst and two of his cohorts chase young drug dealer Ali down an alley. Cornered at gunpoint and pelted with racial slurs, Ali still doesn't want to give up his meth stash, so Tom punches him in the mouth, and he topples to the ground. Pulling Ali close, Tom whispers that Ali will leave with his life if he gives up the stash, so Ali complies. When Ali complains, "You said I could walk if I gave you what you wanted," Tom corrects him. He said Ali could live - not walk - and with that, Tom delivers a joint-crushing kick to Ali's knee.

Judge Denner plops the evidence bag containing the magic bullet in front of Liz, explaining that it came off the Phoenix, was matched to her gun and contains trace elements of Aleko's blood. Should this bullet be Exhibit A in Liz's murder trial? At a minimum, it's proof of her perjury, since she said she never saw Aleko on the Phoenix. After Liz insists the only truth is that she didn't kill Eugene Ames, Denner dismisses her, promising to issue his ruling in the morning. Meanwhile, Red is at the Post Office offering the task force the name of their next Blacklister: it's Tom Keen, the only man who can exonerate Liz. Aram and Samar are taken aback to discover Tom lives and that he killed Eugene Ames to keep Liz from going to prison. While Samar finds it all terribly romantic, Aram is busy bringing up the command structure of Die Entrechteten, the Dresden gang Tom has infiltrated, who, in point of fact, cares more about white powder than they do white power. They're the most ruthless drug dealers in Europe, currently in the midst of a street war. Ressler is just insisting on accompanying Red to Dresden when Liz walks in to admit she lied to the court. She's thinking the whole debacle is her fault, and if Tom returns to defend her, he'll spend the rest of his life in prison because of her.

First stop in Germany for Red, who's hoping for a line into Die Entrechteten, is rehab, to visit his old friend Ruddiger the bomb maker. Ruddiger allows that the gang has recruited a new boy, and they're looking to buy F2000 machine guns from an Austrian named Franz Becker. Once they're on the ground in Munich, Red, Ressler and a German SWAT team bust into an airport hangar to interrupt an arms deal, uncovering Becker's precious load of the F2000s.

Liz calls her financial planner and against his advice, closes an account and immediately transfers its sizable balance to some unknown party. A knock at her door ends the transaction as Cooper enters her office to angrily state that he crossed a line and perjured himself, despite his direct order that Liz not put him in that position. Liz explains that she wanted Berlin to pay for what he did, and she brought Tom to the Phoenix for the sake of the task force. She doesn't regret it, and she won't quietly go to prison for it! Cooper insists that what she did was a crime; not only does he not recognize Liz, but after today, he doesn't recognize himself. That's when Liz notices a trickle of blood coming from Cooper's nose. He claims he's fine, then crumples to the floor, seizing. Later at the hospital, Liz is talking to Dr. Harper when Charlene Cooper rushes in. When the doctor mentions that the seizure could have been brought on by a high level of stress, Liz admits she and Cooper were arguing.

Red finds Franz Becker in a tattoo parlor getting inked. Red's offer: he'll get Becker's F2000s released in exchange for 35% of the shipment as a transaction fee. Since the weapons have been paid for and the deal is slated to close that night, Becker has already made arrangements with another supplier. Nevertheless, Red pronounces them partners and offers to handle negotiations on their behalf. Later that night, Tom is none too happy when Ressler drives Red into the warehouse where the arms deal with Die Entrechteten is to go down. He hisses at them to leave now and refuses to return to D.C. Suddenly, Elias, the leader of Die Entrechteten appears, demanding to know what's happening. So Red swashbuckles in to ruin Tom's carefully laid plans, claiming Becker is under heavy surveillance. Tom is either working with the authorities or he has exceptionally poor judgment. When Elias considers taking Tom out back to shoot him, Tom snaps into action, killing one of Elias' men and starting a firefight, which allows him to duck out. That's when Red, Ressler and Dembe step in to kill or injure Die Entrechteten's central command. Tom returns to his apartment, then calls Ressler asking to speak to Red - who just ruined everything. Tom's not going back to the United States - he's the only reason Liz isn't in prison already! Despite Red's urgings to do the right thing, Tom insists Red is using Liz - has been for a long time - and he's not going down for either one of them.

Back in D.C., Detective Wilcox has discovered that Liz moved all her money to an offshore account an hour ago - she's getting ready to run! U.S. Attorney Markin knows that monitoring Liz's finances is illegal, but Wilcox, desperate for justice, doesn't care. At the hospital, Liz waits at Charlene's side, hoping for word that Cooper's out of the woods. Charlene admits Cooper has a brain tumor and although stress - like arguing with Liz - can exacerbate it, his job means everything to him. Now it seems like the new chemo drug he's been receiving from the medical trial may not be working. When Charlene begs Liz to keep this information to herself, Liz gives her word, and indeed she calls the Post Office to tell Samar that Cooper has a case of hypoglycemia. That's when Ressler hustles in, furious to announce that he failed to return with Tom.

The next morning, Judge Denner starts out cranky as he reconvenes the hearing, then gets more so when he notes Cooper's absence. Reven Wright insists on a sidebar on behalf of the attorney general, so the judge angrily waves both Wright and Markin to the bench. If the AG is so interested in the proceedings, then he can damn well make a personal appearance! Wright promises a representative is on his way and asks Denning to withhold his ruling until then. Denner is just denying her when a court officer announces that the killer is in the hallway demanding an audience with the judge - it's Tom! Moments later, Tom is in chambers admitting to the murder of Eugene Ames. Moreover, he doesn't care what happens to him, he's only come to defend Liz, who's returned to the hospital to apologize to Cooper. He's the only person in the world she trusts completely. Cooper admits he's only upset because he doesn't want to see the Liz he first met - the good person - get lost in all the goings-on of the task force.

Back in chambers, Denner plays the skeptic, grilling Tom: why has he come to defend the woman he spent the last two years betraying?! Aha - he must be in love with her! So twisted. In the end, Denner concedes to Tom's wishes, sort of. He'll recommend that Liz not be charged with murder, but she'll be at the mercy of the grand jury for all the other possible charges. But it's not good enough for Tom, who's just offering a full confession and a deal when Tom Connolly busts in to pronounce Denner "out of his mind." Denner has no right to hear national security cases, period, and his orders are in violation of so many acts it's ridiculous. And yes, Denner is supposed to just take Connolly's word that this case is so far over his head it would make his nose bleed. In fact, Connolly should have him arrested here and now! So here's what Denner is going to do: quash the subpoena. Furthermore, neither one of them has ever heard of the task force...

Dr. Levin tells Charlene and Liz that the clinical trial treatment has slowed the growth of Cooper's glioblastoma, and the seizure may well have been a side effect. Liz rushes back to court to hear Denner's ruling, which doesn't come without a lengthy delivery of his opinion on the grave threat of an all-powerful government with no accountability... Nevertheless, having reviewed the case, he's satisfied that if either Cooper or Liz were compelled to testify, national security would be put at risk. Both Denner and Wilcox, disgusted by the Feds' imperviousness to the law, underline the point to Liz that a good man was killed. Nearly in tears of frustration, Wilcox comforts Mrs. Ames and her 19-year-old daughter in the hallway, trying to explain the inexplicable: no justice today. On the way out, Liz asks Connolly what's going to happen to Tom. Connolly smiles wryly. He never met Tom, and furthermore, there's no Tom Keen in federal custody...

Connolly stops by the Post Office to check in on Cooper, who thanks his old friend for making all the trouble go away. As for Cooper's perjury, Connolly didn't expect it, but he sure as hell respects it. Connolly never had any principles to begin with; that's why he's on a rocket to the attorney general's job. Besides, the task force's work with Reddington is important; they've done more since they started than most covert units do in a lifetime. On the way out he jokes, "And hey, now I have something to hold over your head."

That night, Red finds Liz on her phone, finalizing the scholarship for Ames' daughter that she funded by selling the apartment Red bought for her. Red warns her to be careful when it comes to thinking she can unring a bell: once she starts down this road, there's no stopping. She could watch Ames' daughter or have her watched, try to keep her safe... but someday Liz will realize it's about her own guilt. It seems clear, as he walks away, that Red is talking about himself. Liz calls after him. Red knew Tom would be exonerated if he came back for the sake of protecting the task force. So he saved a man he hates in order to save her? Red just walks away as Liz's phone rings. It's Tom, asking if she's okay...