Liz is currently harboring a huge secret on The Blacklist, and she has only let Ressler in on it so far. Both she and Ressler now know that Liz’s mother, Katarina Rostova, is alive. If you are trying not to judge Liz too harshly, consider that Red may not feel the same, and fans are currently waiting for the fallout from Liz’s latest secret.
The Blacklist’s executive producer, John Eisendrath, has teased that there's “craziness” ahead for Liz and Red. A not entirely surprising development when you consider that Red believes his kidnapper is dead, and Liz knows she's alive. You can see how and why some tension would be ahead between the duo.
Putting an emphasis on Liz and Red’s complicated relationship was one reveal from Red’s past. In the March 27 episode of The Blacklist, Red reconnected with his ex-girlfriend Cassandra and even considered leaving with her. It turns out Red was in a deep relationship with Cassandra before he entered Liz’s life in The Blacklist’s series premiere.
After seeing the bond between Liz and Red, Joely Richardson’s Cassandra decided to leave things alone. Liz comforted Red by saying that they may not have larger lives, but they had each other. Red’s face lit up at the notion. Asked about the impact of Red staying with Liz instead of leaving with his ex, Cassandra, The Blacklist’s executive producer John Eisendrath told Variety:
At the moment in some ways Liz is the one who is not being honest with him because she knows Katarina is alive and not telling Red that she’s giving her mother time to hunt down whatever she’s looking for. We go back and forth in terms of who is ahead between Red and Liz, and who knows what. Right now Liz is ahead of Red and so Red is really in earnest in his feeling that they’re in a good place. And the Joely Richardson character was in part designed to underscore that. He really did have a good connection with Cassandra — they were going to go off and get together — but he didn’t because Liz was in danger. It was our desire to really bring them close together from Red’s point-of-view in particular, in anticipation of the craziness that will come later on in the year.
Red and Liz have never been closer, and it sounds like they're going to get blown apart. As a fan of The Blacklist who loves when Red and Liz are both on the same page, it is a tough pill to swallow. Of course, it is not one that shocking when you consider that Liz is keeping Katarina’s secret.
Liz’s previous betrayal on The Blacklist almost got Red killed, and he still forgave her. Forgiveness isn't exactly Red’s forte. It comes with the territory of being a criminal mastermind and multi-decade imposter! Hence, Red forgiving Liz was a major thing for him. Can Red and Liz really make it past her latest secret? I can see why Red would consider this relationship “game over.”
Meanwhile, Katarina isn't just off standing in the shadows. As The Blacklist’s executive producer reminds viewers, Katarina is off searching for the truth about Red. As fans also know, Red is not a big fan of his secrets getting revealed or researched. Liz’s future investigations aside, she knows that Katarina is doing one on Red, which adds another layer to the betrayal.
The Blacklist left Katarina out of the midseason premiere, and her impact is still being felt from an off-screen distance. Based on what's being teased, it will not stay off screen forever. Fans will need to buckle up. Sadly, another feud between Red and Liz may be in the offing. Here's to it not lasting long!
Katarina is Liz’s mother, so Red may understand on that basis. You can find out if he does,when new episodes of The Blacklist air Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC as one of the midseason’s offerings. To check out Liz and Red’s past clashes on The Blacklist, you can watch previous seasons on Netflix alongside content arriving in 2020.
