Spoilers below for anyone who hasn't yet watched The Blacklist's big season finale.
Over the course of its four current seasons, The Blacklist has provided viewers with one mystery that rose above all to become one of the integral driving forces in this story of not-always-good vs. not-always-evil: what is Liz and Red's true relationship? Perhaps thankfully, last night's giant season finale answered that question with a DNA test proving that Red is indeed Liz's biological father. And while it may not have been the biggest shock to savvy fans, actress Megan Boone revealed that familiar connection will definitely change up the story dynamics in the recently ordered Season 5. In her words:
Now that [viewers have] spent four years with these characters, I think that they have a natural connection, an affinity, a relationship with them despite the fact that the mysteries are really starting to be revealed. We move forward with Red at a very different place because of the war with Kaplan in season 4, wrapping up with Red completely broke and all of his connections in the criminal underworld have been diminished. You see Red in a vulnerable place that you've never seen before. That's going to dramatically change the direction of the series. We take that natural relationship that we already have with our dedicated audience members, the ones who watch it religiously, who will be interested to go along with these characters on the next chapter of their journey.
Now, it would have admittedly been hard for creator Jon Bokenkamp to break open Season 5 in a way that felt exceptionally similar to Season 4, considering all that occurred in the finale, not to mention in past weeks. Liz now knows who her real father is, and Red no longer has to bear the cross of keeping that secret, which has to be a mega-relief. Plus, he temporarily doesn't have to worry about his entire world crumbling down because of Mr. Kaplan's deviously clever plotting, since Kaplan's scheme to publicize Red's connection with the FBI task force was foiled. And he might not have to worry about Mr. Kaplan at all anymore, since she appeared to commit suicide by jumping off that bridge. Although she's seemingly risen from the dead before, so all bets are off there.
Red is in a place where he can likely start off Season 5 in a pretty good place, all things considered. And we're betting he will be pleased as punch to see that the apple apparently doesn't fall far from the tree, so long as the apple realizes which tree it came from. Here's what Megan Boone told EW about how Liz will personally be affected by the big paternity reveal.
When it comes to playing Liz, I really roll with the punches, so I try not to anticipate very much because I really know a week ahead of schedule what is going to be happening in her life and in her story. I can tell you where Liz is coming from: Having learned that Red is her father, she has a new sense of her own genetic makeup and the potential for a certain kind of behavior, a criminality, so I think that awareness will give her freedom to behave in different ways.
Because The Blacklist could not have simply ended Season 4 without a cliffhanger of sorts, viewers watched as the long-absent Tom Keen returned from his now-cancelled spinoff in order to retrieve the mysterious suitcase that Mr. Kaplan had stowed away for a rainy day as a way to give Red trouble. She made it clear that it contains something that both Red and Kaplan have kept secret for possibly as long as Liz has been alive: skeletal remains. The question now becomes whose bones those belonged to, and whether or not Liz's newfound affinity for immoral behavior will drive a new wedge between her and Red. So many questions, and so many months until we'll get answers.
The Blacklist may be finished with Season 4, but that doesn't mean there aren't a ton of other shows that are willing and able to catch your attention. After checking up on NBC's fall schedule to see that The Blacklist will air on a new night later this year, head to our summer TV schedule to see all the awesome stuff that's returning and debuting on the small screen soon.
