Spoilers for the December 6 episode of The Blacklist Season 7 entitled “The Orion Relocation Service” are discussed below.
The Blacklist came in hot after a hiatus that left viewers wondering what was going to happen with Ilya, Katarina, and that pesky memory removal. Well, as hoped for, Season 7 just gave fans some major Red reveals! Viewers still do not know who on earth the man pretending to Raymond Reddington is.
However, The Blacklist officially ruled out who he is not. Or at least as formally as the crime drama usually gets with these sorts of things. The latest Season 7 episodes provided a lot of teases between the Red lines, some firm reveals, and tantalizing clues that brought fans closer to the truth surrounding Red and Katarina. These were the most significant!
Liz Knows "Maddy" Is Her Mother
At the end of The Blacklist episode, Liz confirmed that Agnes’ new nanny is actually her mother, Katarina Rostova. A reveal that occurred earlier than expected. It was probably not the reunion that Liz may have been imagining for herself and her mother all these years. At this point, it was the only one they could have. That brings us to the next reveal.
Liz Majorly Threatened Katarina
The Blacklist left viewers with a massive cliffhanger. Liz had been holding her mom at gunpoint, threatening to "end this." The teaser for the next episode showed Katarina’s assistant breezing in and knocked Liz out. I was a little shocked that Liz went for the jugular so quickly with her mom. Apparently, everything with Agnes sent her over the edge.
Katarina Got Remarried
Liz’s mom started another new life for herself after the events of Dom’s Red "reveal" story. She married a man by the name of Pyotr. Her husband was who Katarina was living with in Belgrade when Ilya and Dom’s plan went into action. Did she and Pyotr have children? My sibling theory is still alive!
Katarina Does Not Know Who Red Is
The Blacklist seemed to confirm that Katarina has no idea who has been masquerading as Raymond Reddington all these years. Nor did she appear to be aware of the plan to have an impostor take his place, even though Ilya said Katarina was involved in it. I am confused! As for who actually ended up going through it, Katarina and viewers remain none the wiser.
Ilya Koslov Confirmation
After everything that has happened with Red, I had to wonder if Brett Cullen’s character is actually Ilya Koslov. You can fake or misinterpret a lot of things. His memory should not be able to be altered. Of course, there is such a thing as memory manipulation. So, with The Blacklist, there is always an outside chance.
Dom's Betrayal Revealed
When Katarina took near-deadly action against her own father early in Season 7, alarm bells went up. She said that Dom had betrayed her, and The Blacklist finally revealed how. Dom went to Ilya and convinced him that Liz/Masha would not be safe until Katarina was dead. They set up a car bomb, but it killed Katarina’s husband instead.
More Red Identity Clues
Red insists that Ilya Koslov is “like” a brother to him. Meanwhile, Ilya resisted any questions about Red’s true identity to the point of almost dying. They are clearly very good friends. Who is Red, and why did Ilya choose him to become Raymond Reddington? Was Red running from something/someone and needed the out? Two birds, one stone?
Katarina’s Face Got Obscured
This was one of those subtle hints that The Blacklist loves to give. Remember, a lot of times, it is what viewers do not see that holds the most important keys. It is why all those missing pieces from the original Red is Ilya reveal kept undermining it. Why did they not show Lotte Verbeek as Katarina in the Belgrade flashback?
That was not an accident. Lotte Verbeek was shown as Katarina earlier on in The Blacklist episode. So, why not show her in the role again in Belgrade? Did Katarina have a procedure that altered her appearance too? Maybe by the time she was in Belgrade, she was also sporting a new look. Perhaps it was more involved than going from reddish hair to blonde.
The Blacklist loves its subtle clues, and this episode provided another layer of answers. At this point, I am wondering if the Raymond Reddington twin theory is back on the table. Liz never really considered it last season. It is the most straightforward answer, so Occam's razor may still apply. How could Ilya have known Raymond Reddington’s twin?
As you may have surmised, there are many questions still left to consider. The fall finale should be a doozy! New episodes of The Blacklist will air this winter on Fridays, at 8 p.m. ET, on NBC. You can catch up on the Red, Ilya, Katarina situation via previous seasons on Netflix, which also has lots of new content in 2020.
