It is perhaps telling of America’s perception of law enforcement that nearly every piece of media that features the police or the FBI also features an individual who does the aforementioned departments’ work hilariously better than they do. Not only that, but the outsider does the job with style. Also a fedora, probably (looking at you, “White Collar”). In 2013, NBC introduced the world to “The Blacklist,” a crime thriller series starring the lizard king himself, James Spader, as Raymond Reddington, a former high profile criminal who turned himself in after decades of successfully eluding the law who now assists the FBI in exchange for immunity.
It’s exactly the kind of series it sounds like it is, that is to say that it’s dramatic and engaging and predictable and, according to Rotten Tomatoes, it has been loved by both critics and audiences alike for years. Sometimes, though, “The Blacklist” makes a choice that leaves viewers less than pleased. Here’s the character that fans feel as though deserved more love than he ever got.
Fans mourn the loss of Mr. Vargas
In a subreddit dedicated to the NBC series, u/AppleFanMZ posted a picture of Mr. Vargas (Paul Reubens) along with a caption that read, “appreciation for this underrated character.” For those who are unfamiliar, Mr. Vargas is a recurring character who appeared in the second and third seasons of “The Blacklist.” Now, a quick aside: the term “recurring” is a bit of a stretch — “featured” would be more accurate, considering he only showed up in five of the 196 listed episodes (via IMDb). Mr. Vargas was a criminal who specialized in cleaning up delicate messes (read: murder, he does murder), and he did so with the quirky flare long associated with such productions.
According to Entertainment Weekly, executive producer Jon Bokencamp described the role as a unique adventure with Reubens, who is best known for playing Pee-wee Herman. He said, “we’re forgoing the bow tie and the bicycle, and it’s going to be something totally different, and it’s gonna be awesome. It can’t get strange enough for me. One of the most fun things is being able to write for actors who I’ve admired and think are interesting and try to play against expectations. I think this will be a fun one.”
In his final episode, Mr. Vargas met the wrong end of Raymond Reddington’s gun, so it’s not as if there’s a chance for him to return. He’s not only gone, he’s in the ground, so even though the series is still running, Reuben’s role has received all the screen time that it will ever get. Hilariously, if the fans are to be believed, the series is long overdue to go the same way, so maybe Mr. Vargas managed to jump ship while there was still time.
