"They are... part of a global conspiracy; a shadow organization that spans across every continent and has for the last three decades; consisting of leaders in world governments and the private sector. Some call this group the Cabal. The world you live in is the world they want you to think you live in. They start wars; create chaos; and, when it suits them, they resolve it. Cabal members will move more money in the next quarter than the World Bank will in the next year. Their alliance affects a sea of change in every aspects of human life. The value and distribution of commodities, money, weapons, water, fuel, the food we eat to live, the information we rely on to tell us who we are."
The Blacklist, episode 2.22
Written by John Eisendrath and Jon Bokenkamp
The Frustrated CFO's Note (to explain the post's title): It's impossible for an intelligent person to take the action-packed storytelling about spies and secret agents at face value, even if the writers manage to sneak in ideas and opinions that resonate with one's own political, social, and world views, which frequently happens on The Blacklist. The very basis of a good thriller about things that are "known only to a few" is that shit is mostly made up. Luc Besson once said that La Femme Nikita and Leon: The Professional were as much sci-fi creations as The Fifth Element. What pushed The Blacklist into the shenanigans territory for me was the recycling of the "unknowing daughter of the KGB agent-mother" plot turn. I guess it's difficult for J.R. Orci to shake off the Alias baggage.