James Spader and The Blacklist return with “The Director,” easily one of the most highly anticipated episodes yet. Elizabeth Keen has been taken into FBI custody, but the Director and the rest of The Cabal are not far behind. Will Reddington and what little friends she has left be enough to keep Liz alive?

In the fall finale, we found out that the Chairman, Laurel Hitchin, has been in The Cabal this whole time. She killed US Deputy Attorney General Reven Wright, solidifying her role in The Cabal’s scheme to take out Liz. Laurel and the Director are now at the FBI’s post office site, and they are trying to find a way to make sure that Liz never makes it to her court hearing.

Raymond Reddington calls both Ressler and Aram to tell them that Liz’s life is in their hands. First, he tells Ressler that he’s the only one who can keep Liz safe. Ressler promises to never leave her side. Then, Red tells Aram that he is the only one who can keep Liz safe. Aram is more confused and wonders how he can do this but agrees that he will do everything he can to keep her safe. The first smart thing Aram did was to change the code to the box where they put Liz at the FBI site. The Director can’t figure out a way into the box buying them time until the US Marshals take Liz to her hearing.

Photo from the episode “The Director, Part 1”

Meanwhile, at Lake Yvonne, Maryland, Harold and his wife are with Tom and Karakurt at their neighbor’s cabin. Harold wants to get his wife far away from the danger, so he starts to drive her away from the cabin. Ressler makes the mistake of talking to Laurel Hitchin about Karakurt. He tells her that Karakurt is at the cabin in Lake Yvonne and that he is ready to confess to his involvement with the Cabal. Laurel then makes the mistake of telling Ressler Reven Wright’s last words. Laurel tries to play it off that Reven just mentioned the name Tommy Markin to her in passing, but Ressler knows better. Tommy Markin was the crooked cop who got his father killed. Now Ressler understands the mistake made and tries to call Harold to keep Karakurt alive.

Since Harold is over an hour away from the cabin, Ressler decides to go up there himself to keep Karakurt and Tom safe from the Cabal. The Cabal comes and attacks them in the cabin. Tom, Ressler, and Karakurt are vastly outnumbered and outgunned. Thankfully, they come up with a plan to make it out alive. They even catch Mr. Solomon, but not before Mr. Solomon puts a gun to Tom’s head. Tom continuously tells Ressler just to shoot, but Ressler goes to put his gun down right before Harold saves the day by knocking Mr. Solomon over the head.

Back at the FBI site, Liz is struggling to breathe in the box. Aram figures out that the Director must be doing something. He doesn’t have time to fix it before Liz collapses on the floor. Aram reluctantly gives The Director the correct code, “Navabi,” and the Director takes his sweet time opening the box. Aram resuscitates Liz, saving her life. The Director is ready to take Liz into custody now, but Aram pulls a gun on him. They talk Aram down, but thankfully, he wasted just enough time. The US marshals and Ressler both show up ready to take Liz to her hearing. The Cabal is thankfully one step behind this time.

Photo from the episode “The Director, Part 1”

On the outside, Reddington is still on his way to clearing Liz’s name. He enlists Samar’s help now that Ressler had her fired. Red wants to meet with the Foreign Minister of Venezuela to offer an exchange. First, he needs to get his package back. Red, Samar, and some trusted allies stage a crime scene to get the transfer vehicle to them. Samar gets back the package and takes it to Reddington.

Red’s meeting with the Foreign Minister goes well, but we still are unaware of what he wants from the Minister. Red says that he can put money back into Venezuela’s bank. Whatever Red is asking makes the Foreign Minister very uncomfortable. He’s not sure that he’s willing to do the exchange. Red presents the package which just so happens to be chromium plated master printing plates for the US’s 100 dollar bills. These are the upgraded designs with layers of security measures. It seems that with this, the Foreign Minister of Venezuela is on board.

Lastly, Red asks Aram to meet him over an open grave. Aram is very concerned and afraid, but Red quickly explains. He says, “I’ve stood over the open grave of something I’ve loved too often. I need to recall this feeling because I’d be staring at another body right now if not for you, Aram.” Aram can breathe a sigh of relief as Red goes on to say, “I am forever in your debt.” That was very nice of Red to show his respect for Aram.