It is mostly the same crap, over and over. Last week's part 2 was awesome. Best episode in the series. Too bad you needed to be a fan to get it.

That's what kept me interested. Yes, some parts are formulaic, but I'm confident that it will end with a bang, not a whimper.

I liked the actress that played young Mr. Kaplan. Good casting.

That was a sweet and sad story. Meeting Annie Kaplan right after Katrina breaks her Ice Queen role and tells Katherine that she loves her. Emotions must have been flying all over the place

Liz is the daughter of a Russian double agent; Katarina Rostova who had a fling with an American agent Reddington.

Rostonova hires Katherine Nemec (later known as Mr. Kaplan) in Russia(?) to be a nanny for her new infant Masha(Elizabeth Keen). Rostonova isn't sure who the father is, but she tells Nemec , Reddington thinks he the father.

After several years Rostonava's cover is blown(?) which causes her to uproot her child (Masha) and Nemec and flee to America. As far as I can tell they spend most of their time living in motels, until Rostonava realizes there are too many adversaries after her and she must separate herself from Masha and Nemec in order to protect them. Nemec pledges to always look out for Masha. However, a short time later Rostonova contacts Nemec and tells her she must take the child Masha to someone(?) an American(?) a relative (?) and make herself disappear as her life is in danger as well.

This person does not want the responsibility of bringing up Masha, but I guess is convinced to do so. So we are to understand that is where Masha (Liz) spends the rest of her childhood, takes on a new identity as Elizabeth Keen, goes to college and becomes an FBI agent.

Katherine Nemec meanwhile meets up with an attractive woman and they become a couple. The woman's name is Annie Kaplan. She is tragically killed and in her honor, Katherine takes on the name Mr. Kaplan.

At some point Red tracks Mr. Kaplan down. How he knows of her is a question. But she is now in Red's employ as his cleaner.

Evidently she has a big score to settle with Red and I'm not entirely sure what's at the root of her need for vengeance against Red.

So there we are. Liz doesn't know that Mr Kaplan exists, except as her Nanny when she was a baby and young child.
She doesn't know that Red thinks he's her father, although a DNA test could quickly solve that issue.
We assume Rostonova (Liz's mother) is dead.
Dembe is still true to Red and is trying to hunt down Mr Kaplan.
Mr Kaplan is trying to expose Reddington.

Helps for me to write it all out. But may still not have it all entirely correct.

And I confused some of the back ground in this series with another series "The OA" where the headliner is also born in Russia, mother deceased, and father (who is some kind of important person) has to send her away when political issues begin to threaten their lives. She also ends up with adoptive parents in America.

Elizabeth Keen was his. And he held this belief for many years. But, the DNA would prove otherwise.

For some reason, Red doesn't think Elizabeth is his, but has said he was in ways that could be taken as a misinterpretation. In sum, we don't know for sure, but I'm convinced he is.

Mr. Kaplan distrusted Red in the beginning because she saw him as the catalyst that put an end to her happy relationship with Katarina and Masha. Everything was fine, until Red came into the picture. She thinks he is putting his ego and lust for power ahead of the Lizzie and her baby's interests.

Remember, Mr. Kaplan gave up raising Liz in order to protect her. That was her sign of love for the child. She can't understand why Red can't provide the same sacrifice.

As for Red talking about a castle within a castle, I suspect that he has two reasons to keep Lizzie close. First, to protect her, second to hopefully catch up with Katarina in the future.

and left her for dead.