Two households, both alike in (in)dignity, put Red in the middle.
Red has been quite shoot-y lately; I wouldn’t try him.
As Dembe (Hisham Tawfiq) will later explain, the families own a valuable mine together.
James Spader.Will Hart/NBC
Years ago, a Sandoval made a mistake that killed a Montano.
The Montanos responded by killing two Sandovals.
Yada, yada, yada, generational blood feud.
Alex Brightman as Herbie Hambright, Harry Lennix as Harold Cooper, Hisham Tawfiq as Dembe Zuma, Diego Klattenhoff as Donald Ressler, Anya Banerjee as Siya Malik.Will Hart/NBC
Red is there to quash the feud and ensure his access to the mine’s cobalt and aluminum.
Three members of each family sit with Red in Vincente’s private dining room.
Our loquacious mediator gets them through dinner as only he could, laughing at parables disguised as funny stories.
Gabriela Torres as Gabriella Sandoval.Will Hart/NBC
Which is, of course, the moment it isn’t.
Vincente, who has a sulfite allergy, sips apple cider in lieu of the wine.
Almost immediately, he begins to gasp.
When Michael Montano (Manny Urena) goes to call 9-1-1, Red pulls his gun to stop him.
He recognizes what’s happening.
He’s seen it before and warns that the room must be sealed so you can protect everyone.
Whatever is happening is definitely not a normal poisoning.
Red calls the Task Force, and Dembe catches everyone up.
So, if you’re allergic to pollen, the effects go from itchy eyes to dead eyes.
“Going into a room with mortal enemies, two dead bodies, and three decades of recrimination?
I’m good,” he tries.
It doesn’t work.
Herbie is soon in a full hazmat suit in Miami.
Red has to break up a fight between the last Montano and Raoul, which triggers Raoul’s urticaria.
Red invokes the Bard.
“There’s a pox on both your houses.”
Act II: Oh Sweet Apothecary, Your Drugs Are Quick!
That’s enough for the Task Force to work from.
Soften the blow a little bit, Herbie!
Gabriella watches through the French doors of the dining room.
She’s distraught, but in the wrong direction… and Red catches exactly who she’s looking at.
That’s right, she’s our Juliet, and Michael Montano is our Romeo.
But I’m sure it’ll work out this time, right?
Red notes that he was surprised to see him.
She definitely could not be the poisoner.
But Tito has moved up the suspect list!
Red speaks to the last two standing.
He urges them to make peace now.
Izan suspects Red may be the cause of the poison, but he scoffs.
“I intended to talk you all to death, not kill you.”
Malik (Anya Banerjee) and Ressler burst into Tito’s hotel room.
He goes for a gun and Malik gets into a wrestling match.
Hilariously, Dembe just watches, knowing she can handle herself.
Which she does, the badass.
But in the interview, it’s clear Tito is stunned to hear what’s happened.
Tito is the latest to go down from the Wormwood poison.
Which also explains why the waiters wore fancy white gloves to serve.
Red is not here for her protestations.
“I’m not afraid to die.
You, on the other hand, are terrified that Michael will.”
Red being there was a bonus, since law enforcement would assume he was the target.
The one thing she didn’t plan on was Michael stepping in at the last minute.
“I am sorry,” she says, and Red nods.
“Some killers are.”
Gabriella’s bottle of poison leads Malik and Dembe to a pharmaceutical company.
The trials were run by Dr. Harris (Dashiell Eaves).
The guy who is just across the room, frantically deleting computer files.
He runs to the stairwell, but Dembe quickly corners him.
They’ve got their Wormwood.
Izan and Michael are both horrified to learn about Gabriella, for different reasons.
At the French Doors of Revelation, Michael confronts Gabriella.
Spoiler: He will not.
What he will do is make peace with Izan.
He admits that he’s in it for the money.
That’s less interesting than the cure; the poison is temporary, filtered out by the kidneys.
Except that Red has already left the room.
So, bad news.
He’s at the ballet, of course, beaming.
It’s worth the risk.
