The Blacklist Season 6 has complicated the mystery of Raymond Reddington -- the original and the imposter -- in some big ways, which leads to a clear question: why doesn't Liz think Red is Raymond Reddington's identical twin brother? It is the most obvious answer, and so far on The Blacklist, Liz is ignoring it. The explanation for who Red really is could quite literally be staring her straight in the face.
If she utilized the Occam's razor rule that the simplest solutions are the most likely to be correct, Liz would know that the twin possibility is a valid one. During the first three episodes of Season 6, Liz has gone to every other possible explanation to explain Red's true identity. It is evident that he could be Red's twin brother. Why not look into it?
Perhaps that is where the medical records she was talking with Jennifer about getting will come into play. Raymond Reddington's birth records could indicate that he had an identical twin. The Blacklist has seemed to hint that Liz will start looking into Raymond Reddington's past and that is what could help put her on the path to asking if Red is his twin.
At the least, Liz should be investigating who Raymond Reddington's biological parents were. Medical records from his mom would show if she had twins. If Red has gone to the lengths of wiping Raymond Reddington's medical records, it could be to keep the twin angle from getting out.
The Blacklist has confirmed that the man whose remains Red was desperate to regain possession of are the original Raymond Reddington's. Therefore, the current Red is an imposter. There could be two men who walked the planet with that DNA though.
The second incarnation of Raymond Reddington is certainly not the person everyone knew Reddington to be when he went off the grid. According to The Blacklist's pilot, Raymond Reddington disappeared in 1990. He resurfaced four years later, when he was linked to a series of classified documents being leaked. In the Season 6 premiere, Liz said the FBI could track the current Red from 1995 forward.
Hence, his acquired moniker as the "concierge of crime." Who Red was before he assumed Raymond Reddington's identity is currently a mystery. There is a reasonable explanation that could resolve a lot of it.
Red could be the secret identical twin brother of the dead Red. Several points hint at this. First off, Red did not kill the original to take over his life. As a child, Liz shot and presumably killed him. So, he is not so sinister that he murdered the original Reddington to take over his life.
Secondly, consider the place Raymond Reddington's bones were laid to rest when they were dug up. His remains were under a tree. Maybe that made them easier to locate. However, it seems to hint at some measure of care for the deceased. It indicates whoever buried him had some sort of feelings for him.
Presumably, whoever Red is, he had the original Reddington interred. He is one of the few people who knew he was dead. If Red is a brutal imposter, why show that level of care for where his grave was located?
This all brings us back to one key question. Why and how does Red look just like Raymond Reddington?
Liz is currently operating under the theory that the imposter underwent extreme facial surgery to make himself look just like Raymond Reddington. Those are elaborate lengths to go in order to take over someone's life. Why would taking over Raymond Reddington's specific identity be so important that he would undergo all of that?
It makes more sense that Red is the identical twin brother of Raymond Reddington. It would explain why Red would have been at the house the night of the fire. He had to have been there that night. While a total stranger could have been at the house, it makes more sense for it to have been a family member.
It is obvious that Red has intimate knowledge about Liz's mom, among other things. How could he know all of that as a complete stranger? Someone who just stepped into Raymond Reddington's life? All of these are questions Liz should be taking into consideration.
Earlier in Season 6, it was revealed that Red had work done by a top-flight plastic surgeon. Liz sort of took this as confirmation of her theory. However, we know that Liz and Red both sustained scarring from a fire. Red could have hired the doctor to work on that. The point is, Red's face may not have to be entirely redone.
Why Liz has tunnel vision and cannot see that Red may be related to Raymond Reddington is frustrating. If he is not, it needs to be addressed. If it is as simple as saying it is not the case, why not just say it? That way Liz's theories could be focused elsewhere.
There is another thing that speaks to the twin theory. Let's assume Red was an unknown criminal and stranger to Raymond Reddington. How come no one recognized a pattern between them and the man claiming to be Reddington? Shouldn't this person have been on authorities' radar too?
Plus, when Red was arrested in the pilot, Ressler said that his fingerprints matched Raymond Reddington's. Identical twins' prints are not an exact match, but they can be very similar, per The Washington State Twin Registry.
While one of The Blacklist's vast array of evil geniuses could have done something, it could be the simple answer. Red's fingerprints are close enough to the original's that they came up as a match.
So, why is The Blacklist not crossing this possibility off the list? Well, the show has taken viewers down many shocking paths through the years. Given what Liz has learned about the world, she may be assuming it is more complicated than it seems.
The Blacklist is one of the most brilliantly written shows on television. So, if Liz has not wondered if Red is a twin, maybe there is a reason. Perhaps the show sees no sense in walking down a path that would ultimately be a dead end. There is one way to know for sure.
Keep watching to find out who Red actually is when new episodes of The Blacklist's sixth season air Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. The crime drama is among many series returning with new seasons throughout the midseason.
