Spoilers for The Blacklist Season 7 episode entitled (“Norman Devane (#138)”) are discussed below.
Could Red really be dying on The Blacklist? Season 7 finally provided an update on the health crisis the crime drama teased last season. The Pharmacist returned, and it was revealed that he has been working on a cure for Red. What is Red sick with, exactly?
Fans of The Blacklist were not given the answer. There was a worrisome update they were afforded, though. The Pharmacist’s treatment did not work, and the latest Blacklister may be a dead-end, literally and figuratively. Red told the mysterious stranger about his prognosis, and it seems dire. At this point, Season 7 could turn into a search for a cure!
Is Red really dying? Or is someone making him think he is? Red has been showing no outward signs of illness -- and remember his near-execution? The doctor who gave Red a full workup (even though he was supposed to die) indicated Red was healthy. Is this some sort of illness you cannot find through traditional methods?
Maybe. It would explain some of it. Red may believe he is dying, but it feels like it could be a ruse. That is because there are still a lot of questions that The Blacklist has yet to answer. Yes, besides the ongoing mystery of who he really is. When did Red learn he was dying? Obviously, it was before Season 7.
What are the symptoms of his illness? How much longer does Red have, and how did he learn he is sick? Does any of this circle back to Katarina? She is The Blacklist’s “most formidable big bad.” Did she inject Red with the mystery illness at one point?
As evidenced by what happened in Paris, Katarina knows her way around a hypodermic needle. The Blacklist’s latest Season 7 episode indicated that someone could be injected with a fatal illness. What if she injected Red with something, to make him pursue a cure?
In case I missed something, The Blacklist left the possibility on the table. There are a lot of ifs as Season 7 continues moving forward. Not among the realistic potential outcomes is Red dying. Or at least, I hope not. Just one season after The Blacklist almost executed him, Red is facing another life-or-death situation.
Red is currently working to have Liz remain in the dark about his mystery illness. Ressler is in the know but agreed to keep Red’s secret. How long will that last, and will Ressler harboring that from Liz hamper their potential at romance? Liz is no stranger to keeping secrets, so I would hope she would not hold it against Ressler.
As for my prognosis for Red, his death seems unlikely. He is the star of the show. The question becomes how he will get himself out of this latest wrinkle and what it will take to get him out of it. The Blacklist should have some fun twists and turns in store as he attempts to get cured in Season 7.
Tune in to see if Red survives his latest scrape when new episodes of The Blacklist air this fall on Fridays, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. You can catch up on Red’s past near-deaths via previous seasons of The Blacklist that are streaming on Netflix, along with lots of upcoming content.
