The Blacklist knows how to end its seasons on cliffhangers that drive fans crazy over hiatus, and Season 6 was no exception as Red was kidnapped by Katarina after a reunion in Paris that did not go as Red expected. Katarina's motives have always been more or less shrouded in mystery, so it's difficult to predict just what is in store for Red -- or "Red," as we learned at the end of Season 5 -- when the show returns. Fortunately, the new poster for Season 7 has some clues:
Well, the image first and foremost shows Red looking as spiffy as ever and alongside Liz. Admittedly, a promo poster for Season 7 was likely to include both of the show's leads, but this could be a sign that Red won't be a captive for too long into Season 7, if at all. We don't know why Katarina took him; maybe she just needed to give him a mission and then send him back into his life.
Still, he wasn't pictured in a Season 7 return photo shared by Megan Boone, although that could have just been to preserve secrets. For all we know, James Spader was taking the picture!
Throw in the caption of "He Told You Not To Trust Him," and I'm thinking that Red was indeed sent back to his old life with an agenda that Liz and Co. are not in on. Could he have been pressured into becoming a spy for Katarina somehow, for some reason?
She'd have to have leverage on him, as he may not feel too sympathetic toward her after she drugged and abducted him. Would she really threaten Elizabeth or Agnes? What/who else might be close enough to Red's heart that he'd give in to blackmail? Would he do it for his own good?
Alternately, Red could have an agenda of his own rather than Katarina's or the people she works with. If he's wants to take her down, he might not want to even try to recruit Liz to his cause after everything that went down in Season 6.
Of course, the Task Force knows pretty well that Red shouldn't be 100% trusted, so are viewers the ones who should be wary of Red at this point? Fans are often privy to more information about Red than Liz or even Dembe or any other characters. Maybe The Blacklist will keep viewers in the dark as much as characters in Season 7.
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It's possible that it will take a fresh face or two to see through Red at this point. The Task Force could be kind of desensitized to some of Red's shiftiness by this point. Some newcomers may be on the way to compensate for the loss of Samar. Will Liz and Ressler be distracted by leanings towards a relationship as well?
The Blacklist could well continue beyond Season 7, so not all the answers we're looking for may be forthcoming when the show returns. Luckily, that return is coming sooner rather than later. NBC brings The Blacklist back to primetime on Friday, October 4 at 8 p.m. ET.
