The Blacklist: The Complete Fifth Season

The fifth season of the high-concept thriller starring James Spader as international crime kingpin Raymond "Red" Reddington, who helps the FBI bring the most dangerous criminals in the world to justice with the help of his FBI profiler daughter Liz Keen (Megan Boone), opens with his network dismantled and his fortune gone. It makes this season more fun as Red puts together an eccentric new coalition of associates and pulls off a series of elaborate scams with long-con endgames to rebuild his empire and replenish his coffers with the help of Liz, who enjoys the family business more than she expected. When her husband (Ryan Eggold) is murdered, she returns to the FBI to track down his killers, with the trail leading to a corrupt U.S Marshal running an international drug ring who has the mysterious suitcase that Red has been desperate to recover. The show delivers top-notch action and visual spectacle, but is ultimately sustained by Spader's mix of charming ruthlessness, personal loyalty, and dark wit. Compiling all 22 episodes from the 2017-18 fifth season, extras include episode audio commentaries, a behind-the-scenes featurette (the Blu-ray release has a bonus featurette), deleted scenes, and a gag reel. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)