Spoiler Alert: This article discloses information contained in the final episode of Season 3 of “The Blacklist.” If this episode is still sitting on your DVR, go watch it and come back.
Fans of the popular TV show “The Blacklist” can breathe easy again. Elizabeth Keen has returned from the dead… again. A few weeks ago, I submitted an article about the show’s decision to kill off its lead character. There were a few possible scenarios that surface when Liz “died.” Certainly, it was possible that her character had actually been removed from the story, but I found that to be highly unlikely. Part of what led to that feeling is the fact that it was said her character was killed because she was pregnant in real life and wanted to take the time to be a mother. In the business world, we call this a maternity leave and it is a temporary situation. I never thought that the show would carry on without its main character. If anything, Elizabeth Keen would have been replaced by a different actress. I do not believe the show would have lasted very much longer without her return.
This was made pretty clear in the episodes that aired while we were all supposed to believe she was dead. The episodes centered on James Spader’s character and though Raymond “Red” Reddington is potentially most peoples’ favorite character in the show, the show would not have been as good revolving around him. As beloved as he is, the show and his character are much more entertaining when he is operating from the shadows and the audience is unaware of his every move. When the episodes focused solely on Reddington, it lost that edge and fans were left wondering what future, if any, there would be for a Keen-less Blacklist. Fortunately, that is no longer something that needs to be debated.
We are now left with a whole new slew of questions for the writers, directors, and producers of the show. As any show worth watching will do, they leave you on a cliff and fade into the offseason. For the last few episodes since Keen was killed, the rest of the cast has been in search of a man named Alexander Kirk. He was believed to be the man responsible for everything that had been happening and ultimately, the death of Elizabeth. Shortly after Tom eludes Reddington’s men with his daughter in tow, he is shown meeting up with Liz in Cuba where Mr. Kaplan had arranged for them to be. Not long after that, there is a scene in which it appears the three of them are kidnapped from that location. Reddington arrives to find the three of them missing and it appears as if he wants to kill Kaplan who he would hold accountable for anything bad that may happen to Liz or the baby since Kaplan arranged for Liz, Tom, and the baby to get away from Reddington in the first place. There is a great scene at this point in which Kaplan looks truly terrified and it is clear she thinks she is about to die. The show did not disclose the outcome.
Meanwhile, Liz is shown tied to a chair in a dimly lit hallway without any sign of Tom or the baby. A man walks into the light and introduces himself as Alexander Kirk before dropping a bombshell as he informs Liz that he is her father. What? All this time, viewers were going back and forth thinking that Reddington may be Lizzie’s dad and now that has to be abandoned until further notice. I am sure I am not alone, but I was left scratching my head at the end of this one. However, that leaves Season 4 to look forward to and that should be a good one. Hopefully, we will find out Kaplan’s fate, why Liz is so important to Reddington, and where Alexander Kirk fits into it all. Until then, go outside and enjoy the summer; The Blacklist will return to NBC in the fall.
