“The Blacklist” has skeletons in the closet…ahem…suitcase, and those secrets will continue to spin Liz and Red’s relationship like a turbocharged washing machine, airing their dirty laundry for all the world to see as season 5 begins.
From paternity tests to mysterious bodies, check out what the “Blacklist” creator has to say about the season premiere.
The ‘Blacklist’ vs. the Mystery Corpse
Before she shuffled off her mortal coil, Mr. Kaplan (Susan Bloommaert) dealt one final blow to Red (James Spader), and it’s one that will have repercussions long after her body grows cold.
Stopping by a tree marked with a “K,” the cleaner reversed her role – revealing rather than concealing. Kaplan passed the fruits of her labor on to Tom (Ryan Eggold), a man who now has to decide if unveiling the body's identity is worth the ramifications.
“That bigger secret involves, in part, some bones that were dug up by Mr. Kaplan, and that Elizabeth Keen is unaware of, and that Red is desperate to keep Liz from finding,” Jon Bokenkamp told Entertainment Weekly. “That bag of bones represents a much larger story that is the ultimate hook of the show.”
In fact, this plot twist will dovetail nicely with Red’s apparent role as Liz’s (Megan Boone) father. Apparently, the international criminal mastermind didn’t come back into his daughter’s life to merely play catch up.
That should have been evident by his utter reluctance to confirm their genetic link.
"We've answered this paternity question, but at the same time, we realize that that's not why Red entered her life,” Bokenkamp said, according to TV Guide. “There is something much larger at play here, and it's going to cause Reddington problems."
For some fans of "The Blacklist," however, even Red’s identity remains in doubt.
Is Red Who He Says He Is?
Voice of the fans, Cooper (Harry Lennix) used the finale to say enough is enough. After four long years, it was time to get an official beat on Red’s DNA. Using a bloody shirt from Reddington’s days with the CIA, Cooper sussed out the former spy’s paternal connection to Liz Keen.
Because Cooper didn’t use Red’s current blood, however, can we be sure?
Is Spader’s character the original Raymond Reddington? Is he merely parading under the alias of another man? Will a certain bag of bones solve all these mysteries?
Fans will have to tune in to find out. “The Blacklist” returns to NBC on Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. ET.
