The Criminal [R. "Red" Reddington | J. Spader] #5: "You can't judge a book by its cover. But you can by its 1st few chapters, & certainly by its last"

Raymond 'Red' Reddington | James Spader
5 th A P P R E C I A T I O N T H R E A D

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Never trust a criminal until you have to...

Raymond "Red" Reddington, a former government agent, attended the United States Naval Academy graduating top of his class at the age of 24,
and was being groomed for Admiral when he disappeared while coming home to visit his family for Christmas in 1990.
4 years later, he resurfaced, selling classified documents to the enemy.
Over the next 20 years he built a syndicate of contacts: Spies, thieves, smugglers, drug dealers, people smugglers, human traffickers, arms dealers, forgers, hackers, mercenaries, and assassins.
Eventually he went from just selling secrets to also starting wars, toppling governments and influencing geo-politics to suit his needs.
He became known as "The Concierge of Crime" due to his ability to arrange deals between the various black market factions.
He willfully surrenders to the FBI and provides information on a roster of criminals that he refers to as "The Blacklist".
Dangerous criminals who are so careful to avoid leaving any traces behind that the FBI has not even detected their existence.
His ethics are somewhat murky, and he espouses the use of some crimes in the service of "the greater good".
He uses his arrangement with the FBI to pursue his own secret agenda.
.......

James Todd Spader was born on February 7, 1960 in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Jean and Stoddard Greenwood "Todd" Spader.
Both his parent were teachers.
During his early education, James attended The Pike School (where his mother taught art) and enrolled in the Brooks School (where his father taught) in North Andover, Massachusetts for one year.
He later transferred to Phillips Academy but dropped out in the 11th grade to pursue acting at the Michael Chekhov School in New York City.
Before becoming a full-time actor, he held a variety of jobs, including yoga instructor, busboy, truck driver, stable boy, and railroad car loader.
James is married to actress Leslie Stefanson.
They have a son together; Nathaneal who was born in 2008.
He also has two sons (Elijah and Sebastian) from a previous marriage.
.......

#4 on the FBI Most Wanted list ღ



Red's aliases ღ

Bill Kirshaw
Kenneth Rathers
Mr. Hirschfeld
Mr. Homan
Robert Bortner
Roger Raymond
William Burchfield

"I'm a criminal. Criminals are notorious liars."

"Everything about me is a lie."

"Let me put your mind at ease. I'm never telling you everything."
.......



The day he surrendered ღ






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Let’s call it "The Blacklist". That sounds exciting.
That’s why we’re all here of course. My wish list.
The list I've been cultivating for over twenty years. Politicians, mobsters,
hackers, spies… I'm talking about the criminals who matter.
The ones you can’t find, because you don’t even know they e x i s t.





The fans ღ

01. Jade Lizabetta Lautner
02. Lostcandy
03. keroppi
04. xlennie
05. Sanni23
06. cheersgifoltc
07. Nadine
08. Donna L. Crawford
09. deep within me
10. JMRamos
11. Ceta_Cea
12. Stacie18
13. TeamWilson
14. Nekoshoujo
15. nilo2207
16. b4dark
17. L i N d $ @ y
18. SensationalShay
19. olicitybubble
20. Lauren Helen Graham
21. Miranda
22. baelfire24
23. Wes&FredFan
24. Logan
.......

"We never really know anyone, do we?"

"I'm not perfect."

"Value loyalty above all else."

banner by Miranda

Quote of the moment ღ

"You can watch her. Or have her watched. Keep her safe.
Try to ascertain her hopes, dreams, desires.
Pull strings, call in favors to discreetly smooth the path.
And for the first few years, it may work. You’ll draw some measure of virtue from being her invisible benefactor.
But that won’t last. It’s all a fraud. That it’s really not about her at all.
That it’s all about you.”
Episode 2x16
.......

"These friends you mentioned, the ones whispering in the shadows, tell them from me, shut the hell up!"

"My God! It tastes so good! I hesitate to swallow and I certainly don't wanna spit it out. Oh, what the hell? I told you so."

picture credit|text by Miranda

The reasons ღ

Because he has the most amazing quotes on the show.
Because his sense of humor is unique.
Because no matter how many people he kills we still love him so much.
Because he only kills bad guys or people who endanger those he cares about.
Because his wisdom and life experience pretty much seethe to amaze us.
Because the twitch of his eyes is kind of his trade mark.
Because most of the time we forget how dangerous he really is.
Because he doesn't feel deserving of getting help from anyone.
Because he can be vunerable even if he doesn't want too.
Because nobody knows love and loss like he does.
Because he'd always put Lizzie's life before his own.
Because he's damn hot with his shirt sleeves rolled up.
Because he is the only one that can rock a fedora like that.
Because even reading a phone book his voice would make us faint.
.......

"There are few that understand love and loss more than I."

"There is nothing that can take the pain away. But eventually you will find a way to live with it.
There will be nightmares.
And everyday when you wake up it will be the first thing you think about.
Until one day, it will be the second thing."

"Revenge isn't a passion. It's a disease. It eats at your mind, and poisons your soul."

banner by Miranda

Future titles ღ

"Time is the only thing that will allow you to find yourself again."
"It's hard to not say goodbye. I have lost so many people. Never seems to get any easier."
"Then you'll just have to find another criminal to talk to Elizabeth Keen and make fun of Agent Ressler."
.......

"The FBI is in the business of my business. Why else would I be in business with the FBI?"

"You know the problem with drawing lines in the sand? With a breath of air, they disappear."

"You can't judge a book by it's cover. But you can by it's first few chapters, and certainly by it's last."

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Meaning & History of the name Raymond ღ

From the Germanic name Raginmund, composed of the elements ragin “advice” and mund “protector”.
The Normans introduced this name to England in the form Reimund.
German name meaning - wise protection.

People with this name have a deep inner need for quiet, and a desire to understand and analyze the world they live in, and to learn the deeper truths.
People with this name tend to be passionate, compassionate, intuitive, romantic, and to have magnetic personalities.
They are usually humanitarian, broadminded and generous, and tend to follow professions where they can serve humanity.
Because they are so affectionate and giving, they may be imposed on.
They are romantic and fall in love, but may be easily hurt and are sometimes quick-tempered.

banner by Miranda

Previous threads ღ

01| 02| 03| 04|

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The Criminal [R. "Red" Reddington | J. Spader] #5: "You can't judge a book by its cover. But you can by its 1st few chapters, & certainly by its last"