The adoption storyline in The Blacklist is one of the many reasons that I love the show so much. I am so impressed with the writers and the way they have introduced it to their viewers throughout the seasons. While they’ve used the words “giving up the baby” way too often (something that made me shudder every time), it still sheds, for the most part, an awesome light on adoption. In what has so far been 3 1/2 seasons, the main character of the series, Elizabeth Keen, has experienced each side of the adoption triad: adoptee, adoptive mother, and most recently, birth mother. While I feel that the way they make this happen is incredible, because I’m a birth mom, I would like to focus on the birth mother aspect of it. Below are the top three things I loved most about the the way they portray adoption in Blacklist: 1. Open Adoption: I was so excited and even grateful towards the writers of the show for including open adoption in Elizabeth’s decision. Right now we are in the 3rd season of Blacklist, where Elizabeth is pregnant. One of her main deal breakers in placing her baby for adoption is that it has to be open. Open adoption is important to her, which makes finding a couple even more difficult since she had recently been all over the news, falsely accused of crimes she didn’t commit. After finding the first couple that she just knew was a perfect match, I could feel her pain and disappointment when they turned her down because that they didn’t feel comfortable having an open adoption with someone who had just recently been a wanted felon. I honestly was so torn. I could understand why that couple felt the way they did, but was devastated for Elizabeth, who had been framed and was innocent. After choosing the second couple, Elizabeth met with them to discuss the amount of openness she wanted and whether or not that was okay with that, based on her past. This scene just hit me to the core. I found myself holding back tears when they spoke to each other. It was so tender and beautiful and brought back so many memories! I was so excited and relieved when this second couple was more than happy to welcome her into their lives. 2. Adoption Was Her First Option: While many TV shows and movies consider abortion as the first choice when experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, I was relived and happy to see that this was not the case here. While it doesn’t exactly explain how far Elizabeth is into her pregnancy when she learns that she’s pregnant, I feel like it really portrays just how much she loves this child. Not once does she show any sign of not wanting this child. The love she has for her child is undeniable as you watch her create a pros and cons list on whether or not she should place her baby for adoption. It’s beautiful and was really a breath of fresh air. 3. Real Life Opinions: When I decided to place my baby for adoption, everyone had their own opinion. It was shocking to me that so many people would say whatever came to their mind whether it was hurtful or not. Some people agreed with my decision 100% and others thought I was a horrible human being. In Blacklist, Elizabeth encounters this as well. She hears different opinions from those who care about her. Some support her, and some not so much. It really gives viewers a good idea of the real-life aspect of it. No matter who you are, if you choose to place your child for adoption, there will always be those people that feel they need to give you their opinion, whether you ask for it or not. Blacklist is a great TV show. When I first began watching it, I wasn’t very interested. In fact, it took a few episodes for me to really become a fan, but once I did I was sucked in fast. To me, as the seasons move forward, the story line gets better and better. I’m excited to continue watching and I’m very impressed and grateful to the writers and team for portraying adoption in such a beautiful way.
