The Blacklist is mourning one of their own. Actor Brian Dennehy passed away yesterday at the age of 81. Ever since the third season, Dennehy has appeared as Dominic “Dom” Rostova, Liz’s grandfather. They just met last season. Red has had a relationship with him for some time, though. Despite Dennehy’s passing, The Blacklist’s boss says that Dom will definitely return to the series.
The news comes as Dom has not been seen alert since the second half of The Blacklist’s Season 7 premiere. In that episode, Brian Dennehy’s Dom was wounded in a firefight against the forces of his daughter, Katarina Rostova. The jaw-dropping development has put Dom out of commission ever since. Following that shocker, The Blacklist’s creator, Jon Bokenkamp, assured that viewers would likely see more of Dom.
Since The Blacklist’s 2020 return, though, that has not happened, and mentions or updates regarding Dom’s health have not perked up my ears. That said, I could have missed something. But, now that Brian Dennehy has passed away, Jon Bokenkamp has offered an update as to Dominic’s future on the show. On the fan favorite, Bokenkamp told Deadline:
Fans will get to see Brian again. We’re working with existing and previously filmed footage to complete the season finale.
The Season 7 finale is not the one that was originally planned, because production on many shows, including The Blacklist, had to be shut down early, last month. The move means that the NBC drama, like fellow network series New Amsterdam, will have to call it with an episode not initially intended to be the season-ender.
Brian Dennehy was reportedly supposed to star in Episode 19, which will now serve as The Blacklist’s impromptu Season 7 finale. It sounds like some editing will allow the series to bring Dennehy’s Dom back. Fans will have to see if the Dom’s storyline will progress through flashbacks, or if he has awakened to tell his granddaughter some of his secrets.
The Blacklist could take Dom’s story in a number of directions. As fans will recall, he is privy to some intriguing knowledge. Albeit, not all of it may be as accurate as it once seemed. Last season, Brian Dennehy’s Dom rocked The Blacklist by telling Liz, Red’s “real” identity. Fast forward to Season 7, and viewers learned that Dom was either mistaken or he lied.
The Blacklist confirmed that Red is not Ilya Koslov, and mystery has remained as to whether Dom knows that or not. As of now, the two options are that Dom purposely or unknowingly misled Liz with the bombshell. Will Brian Dennehy’s next appearance as Dom in the Season 7 finale clear the air either way? Whatever The Blacklist does, Dennehy will be missed.
Stay tuned to see what happens with Brian Dennehy’ Dominic “Dom” Rostova when new episodes of The Blacklist air Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC as some of this spring’s fresh content. You can check out Dennehy’s past appearances as Dom on The Blacklist via the previous seasons streaming on Netflix along with content arriving in 2020.
