When The Blacklist Season 5 returns from its break in January, the show will have a lot of ground to cover. Beyond the fact that fans are going to see Liz in a completely different place in life thanks to that wild midseason finale, the series will also air its 100th episode that same month. Elizabeth Keen actress Megan Boone recently teased some things fans can expect, and also revealed that the episode will feature actor Nathan Lane in a guest star role:
We were really fortunate to get Nathan Lane as our guest star and his role was tailored for him; he played it so well. It was nice for me personally because he was the first actor I ever saw in a play. When I was young my grandparents took me to see A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and he made me fall in love with theater. So this was serendipitous for me personally. But as far as the audience goes they probably want to know he plays Abraham Stern, who is this cunning manipulator who has devoted his life to recovering this fortune that he feels is his birthright. Meanwhile, Liz is still on this quest to find Tom's killers, so she's being led down this really dark path and studying the methods of one of the Blacklist's most dangerous blacklisters. In the way Liz decides to take care of her business there's an homage to one of the more popular blacklisters, as we're sort of reprising those methods. I think fans will like it.
The Blacklist's 100th episode will be titled after Nathan Lane's character Abraham Stern, and it appears Elizabeth Keen will be in pursuit of one of the most dangerous people on Raymond's blacklist. That's a bold move, considering series creator Jon Bokenkamp has previously revealed that the first episode back from break will feature Keen out of the task force and away from the F.B.I. Of course, she'll always have Reddington to call upon, should she need some help on her warpath to avenge Tom's death. But even so, it sounds like Liz is entering some dangerous territory in the latter half of Season 5.
Megan Boone also shares with Variety that the 100th episode of The Blacklist will feature her character taking care of things like another former blacklister. With so many episodes centered on twisted criminal minds, it's almost impossible to think of any specific character Liz will emulate, but it doesn't sound like whatever she's going to do will be legal. It makes one wonder whether Liz is going down the path of one of the more cunning blacklisters, or taking notes from someone more over the top like "The Stewmaker". With Nathan Lane's Abraham Stern teased as one of the more dangerous blacklisters, it wouldn't be at all surprising if Liz needs to get her hands dirty to get this job done.
The Blacklist will air its 100th episode Wednesday, January 17 at 8:00 p.m. ET and will return with new episodes before that starting Wednesday, January 3 at 8:00 p.m. For more on shows premiering or returning to television in 2018, head on over to our midseason premiere guide. Those still wishing to see which shows will be on television in the final days of 2017 can find out by visiting our fall premiere guide. For a look at some shows that were canceled in the past year, visit our cancellation guide.
