Every TV show tends to have a will-they or won’t-they couple, and The Blacklist’s has been Liz and Ressler. They're partners, friends, and depending on what side of the law Liz is operating on -- adversaries. For the past few seasons, Liz and Ressler have mostly been on the same team together, which has meant an increasing degree of potential romantic tension in Season 8.
So how will the pair progress when the crime drama returns? It's been a while since The Blacklist raised eyebrows with an episode that seemed to hint at Liz and Ressler finally acknowledging their less-than-platonic leanings for each other. Nothing is a straight line on The Blacklist, though. To that point, the writers have admitted to being torn over whether to pursue a romantic relationship between them.
Fast forward to the lead-up to Season 8, and The Blacklist has continued to tease a possible relationship between Liz and Ressler. Fresh off of keeping each other’s most important secrets, things could be changing between them. Asked if he thinks there is more going on between Liz and Ressler, Diego Klattenhoff told The Blacklist’s Comic-Con@Home 2020 panel:
Yeah, I think it's inevitable. I think we've gone through so much together over the years that obviously I mean who wouldn't trust me? So, if she comes to me and reveals her secrets. I think it's a good place as an actor to be in. The two Jo(h)ns [Jon Bokenkamp and John Eisendrath] set it up so well over the years of trying to walk this line of “where your mom is,” “let's go to Cooper,” and then also trying to hold on to that relationship with Liz, and do the right thing. So, it's a very conflicted fun thing to play there. I've heard rumors about these last three episodes and what's gonna come up for the beginning of Season 8, so very interested to finally get the scripts, and see where we kick off Season 8.
The three episodes that Diego Klattenhoff is referring to are the ones that were initially supposed to close out The Blacklist’s last season. That is until the coronavirus pandemic led to production shutting down, and an impromptu (animated) finale concluded it instead. Klattenhoff indicates that those installments could hold the key to something occurring between Liz and Ressler.
The Blacklist has confirmed that it will use those remaining episodes for Season 8. So if something was going to happen between Liz and Ressler last season, viewers could find out what it is in the next one, specifically whether or not it's another tease of something more without actually heading there.
The Blacklist has been dancing around a Liz and Ressler pairing since the beginning (if we're being honest). I felt the show prepping it in Season 1. While the second season cemented Liz’s dedication to Tom and put any flirtation asunder with Ressler, Tom’s brutal death would eventually tear him and Liz apart forever. Liz has not moved on with anyone else since Tom died.
Liz has had a lot going on, and she's guarded the place that Tom has in her heart quite vigilantly. The Blacklist did have a scene last season where Liz made it clear just how much depends on Ressler. So the show has not ignored her connection to him.
Diego Klattenhoff referred to a Liz/Ressler pairing as “inevitable,” so fans will have to wait and see. A part of me is still holding onto some hope that Tom is alive somewhere, and he and Liz will reunite in The Blacklist’s (incredibly distant) series finale. Why else wait so long for Ressler and Liz to get together?
Or is romance just not part of The Blacklist’s “prime directive” to put it in terms of Star Trek? If Liz and Ressler get together, that is absolutely fine with me. He's a good guy and, if he can somehow get Liz to think clearly where her mother is concerned, I would be eternally grateful. Someone needs to help her see reason.
Stay tuned to see what happens between Liz, Ressler, and any potential romance in Season 8. The Blacklist will return for its eighth season on NBC. Here's hoping it ends up as one of this fall’s premieres. In the meantime, you can check out Liz and Ressler’s romantic tension through past seasons of the crime drama on Netflix, along with lots of 2020 arrivals.
