There is no way around it. When The Blacklist returns for Season 6, Liz and Red will be at odds. Red just does not know it yet. The Season 5 finale set the stage for a massive battle between the dynamic duo and Season 6 is going to kick that up a notch.
The Blacklist has already revealed that Red is going to prison and the trailer hinted that Liz was behind it. In the first promo for Season 6, Red can be heard saying that he suspects someone close to him. Few people currently have that standing, which means Red is bound to figure out -- it is Liz.
The show has flirted with their being at odds before. It was not out of spite, but Liz went so far as to fake her death to get away from Red's effect on her life. The thing is, The Blacklist is better when they are united. To drill down further. Season 6 needs to fix things quickly between them and here is why.
The crime drama is at its best when they are working together. The Blacklist has visited the idea of Red and Liz being at odds before. And, by "at odds" I mean that Liz typically goes up against Red, not the other way around. Season 6 is set to switch things up quite a bit because Liz is not just conflicting with Red. She is trying to destroy him.
Obviously, the truth Liz learned will require a shift in their relationship. Liz knows that she is biologically related to Raymond Reddington, and with him being dead, she no longer believes she is current Red's daughter.
Believing she is Red's daughter has influenced a lot of how she has acted and perceived herself. Liz has received a significant education in the world from the man she knows as Red. So far, it seems she will funnel that knowledge into taking him down in Season 6.
In truth, she is the only one who can do that. She is his protegee and he, her mentor. No one arguably knows Red better than Liz, and with him having a soft spot for her, she is the only one he is vulnerable too. If The Blacklist has her continue down this path, she could theoretically destroy him.
That would be bad for both Liz and Red. It is not as if she does not need him in her life. She would be hesitant to admit it openly, but Liz needs him. He has been there for her countless times. What would her life be without him in it at this point?
For one, the task force would be without one of its most crucial informants. Losing the ability to catch a myriad of criminals should not be something Liz wants to forego. No matter her personal issues with Red, she has tended to put the task force's needs above them because Red does possess information the FBI needs.
The Red she knows was also there the night of the fire that changed everything. He has saved her life, time and again. Whoever Red is, he clearly cares for her. For her part, Liz has also, begrudgingly, grown to care about him deeply.
Liz does not necessarily know enough to proclaim Red her enemy. After all this time, he has earned the benefit of the doubt. Liz should be learning from previous experiences, and not jump to conclusions without giving Red the chance to clear things up. With everything they have been through together, doesn't she at least owe him a clarifying question or two?
While he has been deceptive, it may not be the domino of truth she thinks it is. What does Red's true identity prove? That is a crucial mystery Season 6 will hopefully uncover quickly. For his part, Red also needs Liz. She has given him something to fight for. What is he without her?
In having their relationship disrupted to this extent, The Blacklist risks forever altering the relationship that has been at its fore. The show's very DNA is founded in the complicatedly tangled relationship that is Liz and Red's. Whether he is or is not her biological father, they have had a daughter/father relationship.
If Liz does irrevocable harm to Red, The Blacklist cannot take it back. It all depends on how far the show takes her vendetta. It is difficult to imagine that viewers have been witnessing the prelude to Red's downfall all these seasons.
Red forgave Liz for betraying him by her faking her death. Even if he sees it from her perspective, there are lines that Red will never accept her having crossed. Things between Red and Liz need to be repaired before The Blacklist crosses over its own lines.
Find out if things can be fixed between Liz and Red when Season 6 premieres. The Blacklist's sixth season premiere will get things started with a two-night premiere. The two-part Season 6 premiere begins Thursday, January 3 at 10 p.m. ET and concludes on Friday, January 4 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. The Blacklist will continue airing in the latter time slot throughout the midseason.
