From Chuck Towns

Another Way of Looking at The Blacklist

A few weeks back, I posted a comparison of The Blacklist to the social structure of a wolf pack. It recently occurred to me that another comparison is appropriate. A trope is defined as a "figure of speech" or a "metaphor." In our day, it is often used as a means of categorizing television or film series.

Here is a series of television series, characters and films that are categorized together under a trope. This is my list, by the way, not borrowed. Let's see if you can figure out the common category that defines all of these: James Bond, Serenity/Firefly, Lone Ranger, Batman, Kung Fu, Merlin, Have Gun- Will Travel, Quantum Leap, Doctor Who, The A-Team, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, The Saint, Man of La Mancha, Robin Hood and various renditions of the King Arthur story.

The trope that fits all of these is that of The Knight Errant. This is a medieval knight, lordless and landless, wandering in search of chivalrous adventure, exhibitions of military skill and those in need of the assistance of such a one as he. Walking the earth, following the Code of Honor, a knight in search of adventure, to save armies, Nobles and Serfs alike and to fight monsters. This knight seeks wrongs to right, evil overlords to defy and bring

down, monsters of all sorts. Often accompanied by a faithful squire, he leaves allies wherever he goes, he is stoic, an incarnation of justice with a mysterious past. Often accompanied by a Distaff counterpart known as the Damsel Errant. Knights of old, Cowboys, Samurai, Ronin and Space Westerns all fit this category.So, does this not fit The Blacklist. A knight errant with military skills, Red has a mysterious past and is pitted against an evil cabal with world dominion as their goal. He is accompanied by a faithful squire named Dembe. He leaves friends and allies throughout the world. He rights wrongs, battles evil and monsters and does chivalrous deeds. He is accompanied in this quest by a Damsel Errant named Liz/Masha. He seeks justice and a place to call home. The quest is long and frought with many dangers but worthy of a valiant hero knight (or admiral).Comments anyone?