James Spader as Raymond "Red" Reddington. (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC)
The Blacklist returns for its sixth season tonight, and with it, the aftermath of last year’s shocking twist. Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Keen (Megan Boone) will still be reeling from the news that series anti-hero Raymond Reddington (James Spader) is actually an imposter. Read on for spoilers as to what the season premiere has in store for both characters.
While Keen has been betrayed countless times over the course of The Blacklist, series creator Jon Bokenkamp tells TV Line that this time is different. “She almost has more questions now than the day they met,” he explains. “She has felt so betrayed and had the rug pulled out from her in such a significant way. It is such a betrayal that it’s hard for her to meet him with open arms.”
Liz Keen Is a Step Ahead of Reddington for the First Time In the Series
The season premiere, titled “Dr. Hans Koehler”, explores the details of what happened to the real Reddington. “Liz is faced with this choice of, ‘What do you do with this information?’ Do you go to the FBI? Do you confront Reddington? What do you do?” Bokenkamp explained. “She is going to make a choice to stay quiet about it, which will put her in the driver’s seat in a way that we really haven’t seen before… She has to present as his daughter. She has to continue as if it’s same old, same old.”
Boone elaborated on the perspective that her character will have heading into the season premiere. “[The] line between what’s right and what’s wrong has become blurred,” she told Econotimes. “She now believes what’s morally correct can sometimes be sacrificed for the greater good. Her means to execute justice have definitely gotten darker and somewhat more desperate.”
Series Creator Jon Bokenkamp Promises an Exciting ‘New Dynamic’ Between Keen & Reddington
To make matters even more complicated, Bokenkamp says that Reddington doesn’t know that Keen is aware of his big secret. “As far as he’s concerned, he burned those bones, he got the bag away from Liz and he bested her,�� he revealed. “He has no reason to believe that he is not three steps ahead of anyone else.”
“And so we now get to have this new dynamic where Liz is working the case presenting to Reddington as if she is his daughter, and in fact she knows far more than she’s letting on. She’s using that sort of cover as a way to figure out who he really is,” he added. This is a stark departure from previous seasons, where Reddington is always a few steps ahead of the tortured Keen.
For details on how to watch The Blacklist online, check out the post below.