In the annals of "life-changing moments," high on the list would be finding out the highly dangerous criminal you've been working with is actually someone responsible for having conceived you. That's exactly what happened to Liz Keen on The Blacklist finale, when she got back the test results that clued her in on Red Reddington being her biological father. And as fans might imagine, that realization is not going to sit well with Liz as the days and weeks go by. In fact, here's what creator Jon Bokenkamp teased about Liz's struggle with the info in Season 5.
Liz is terrified of becoming Red. She knows this is in her DNA -- dark, violent tendencies. When we start Season 5, Liz really plants her flag in the idea that she's a cop -- a good cop. And she stands by that.
There's no denying that Liz has gotten into some crazy situations in the past that definitely wouldn't have happened had she been born to a bookkeeper in Alabama that didn't shun parental responsibilities. But as it happens, Liz is most definitely Red's daughter (barring some unforeseen twist in Season 5's finale), and so she's got to confront that knowledge head-on. And in her mind, the best way to do that is to put all of her energy into cementing herself as the best FBI agent she can be, which is the reason she ended up on Red's path in the first place, but still. Whatever gets her mind right is the correct decision.
Of course, Red is also responsible for Liz getting her job back at the FBI after managing to acquire a Presidential pardon for her, which essentially bypassed the aftermath of her involuntary manslaughter plea over the shooting of Attorney General Thomas Connolly. That's just the kind of thing dads do for their daughters, right?
Red will definitely be going through his own major struggles in Season 5, considering his life is in shambles after Mr. Kaplan vengefully destroyed almost everything he held dear. At least as far as money and contacts go. Here's what else Jon Bokenkamp told TVLine about the upcoming season.
Liz is safe, but Reddington is now broke. He has literally lost everything --- money and relationships --- to save her. Now it's time to rebuild, and that is going to be a total blast.
That could possibly make things harder for Liz if Red's attempts to reconstruct his former empire involve needing Liz's assistance in any format, especially if Tom's back in her life, be it borrowing a few dollars or needing a couch to sleep on. (Or maybe needing a good home for a pet snake.) Tom will provide his own set of hurdles for both Liz and Red, considering his involvement with the bone-filled suitcase. But maybe Red will give his old buddy Glen Carter a call to seek out a wealthy benefactor to get him back on his feet.
With some rebuilding and some soul-searching to come in Season 5, The Blacklist will return to NBC for all new episodes on Wednesday, September 27, at 8:00 p.m. ET. To see when everything else is returning to primetime and beyond, head to our fall premiere schedule.
