The Blacklist has thrown viewers some curveballs during its six seasons. From Red turning out to be an imposter to Katarina Rostova showing up alive, anything and everything has been possible. Given the way things left off, it makes you wonder. Are Blacklist fans headed for their biggest doozy yet when it returns? I sure hope so.
The Blacklist Season 6 ended with Red meeting up with Katarina in Paris, France. Following a warm reunion, Katarina shocked Red and the audience with what she did next. She drugged Red and had him put in a van, taken off to parts (currently) unknown. By the end, she even had possession of his signature fedora. It left this fan with a lot of questions.
Given the way things ended, it would not be surprising for Red to wake up and realize that Katarina is his mortal enemy. Will The Blacklist give fans the duel of a lifetime between Red and the woman he has devoted his life to? Here is why I hope the series seizes the moment to make Red and Katarina mortal enemies.
It Would Be The Best Twist
The Blacklist tends to make the audience think one thing is happening when it has been another scenario all along. Throughout its six seasons, the show has seemed to want us to feel somewhat positively towards Liz’s mom. Or at least, I got that sense from the flashback episodes. What better way to shake things up than to reveal that she is actually the villain?
If anything could snap the endgame of The Blacklist into focus, it would be this twist. For years, Red has talked about Katarina as the one that got away. I always thought she was the love of his life. If it turns out that Red is indeed Ilya Koslov, as the show hinted he was, then there was something between them.
The Blacklist showed them sharing a moment of passion. What better twist than having Red’s true love turn out to be his truest enemy? It has it all. Love, betrayal, revenge, and Red would allow himself to go after her full tilt -- once he picks up the shattered pieces of his heart.
Red Would See Red
If you thought that Red was angry about Liz’s actions, you have not seen anything yet. Like Liz, it would make sense for Red to be unable to see what has been in front of him. That Katarina is an enemy, not a friend. There is no wrath like Red scorned, and if the person he may have altered his appearance to protect is a villain, it is going to be scorched earth.
There are a lot of missing pieces regarding Red's identity, but Katarina is involved in it somehow. Considering that, I would like to see Red struggle with going after her. All of Red’s conflicted emotions over traitors usually lead in one direction -- to their grave. The Blacklist already gave viewers a hint that he could put some of his grudges aside. He showed mercy to Liz.
Liz is not her mother, though. She was protected because, for all intents and purposes, Liz is a daughter to Red. Katarina does not have that luxury. I could see Liz trying to get in between them. Siding with Red yet wanting to bring her mom down without harming her. That could be another fun family-fueled feud to delve into.
Katarina Would Be Red’s Worthiest Opponent
Red has gone up against some tough opponents. However, none of them can offer him the adversarial relationship that Katarina could. Love turning to a sense of loathing is a powerful thing. Given all he has done to help her, his love could quickly turn into contempt.
As a spy who has managed to survive all of these years, Katarina has been shown on The Blacklist to be a capable person. A worthy opponent to anyone who crosses her. Her turning all of that loose on Red would make for quite a fireworks display. Much like the situation with Red versus Mr. Kaplan -- Red is the only one who could take either of them on.
If Katarina has been good enough to fool Red all of these years, that speaks to her prowess. No one else can give him a run for his money. He is the only one with enough power and skill to combat her. Red going up against his maybe-former-love is too exciting a storyline to turn down! The question is: What could she possibly be after?
The Foreshadowing Has Been There
Katarina and Red becoming mortal enemies would not come out of the blue. The Blacklist has hinted at Katarina being a villain throughout the series’ run. The show gave the most substantial clues to date in Season 6. Liz was so scared about her mother that she was reticent to bring Agnes home. She only did so when Red reassured her.
The Blacklist has always given viewers contradictory accounts about Katarina. Traditionally, she has been a heroine to Red and a villain to others. Liz even started seeing her mother in a different light after learning about what she did to Raymond Reddington. Following the Season 6 finale, it would seem that Red was off-course about Katarina.
Do you drug and abduct a guy because he is your best friend in the world? Maybe, if someone threatening is watching and you want to protect him. However, Katarina’s steely demeanor as Red was carried away, and she strolled off into the Parisian night told another story. I would argue the twist has been set. The wait is on to see if The Blacklist goes that way.
On a Red-related note, it would also give Liz something challenging to sift through. The Blacklist showed us what it was like for Liz to go up against Red. It has to be said that while she did learn a lot from him, she was arguably no match for him either.
Red has been in the business of subterfuge for a long time. The experience taught Liz a lot. Was The Blacklist priming viewers for Liz’s real foe? Her own mother? I cannot wait to find out!
The Blacklist Season 7 premieres Friday, October 4 on NBC -- after enjoying this summer’s premieres, of course. New episodes will air on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET. You can currently catch up on (or relive), the series' previous seasons via Netflix along with lots of upcoming content on the streaming giant.
