And the Red weve come to know on the show is actually an identity constructed by the real Katarina to watch over Liz. Not that strange she might have some feelings of revenge. So he was hunted by the FBI, in constant danger from the Cabal. And I just don't see I was your mom's childhood best friend and I did it to protect her! Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from, maybe we could be each other's soulmates". Sexual relationship with Luli is implied. He was on the most wanted list. A conspiracy theory insinuating that Reddington is transgender man is gaining steam world wide. But then he agreed to work with the FBI to catch his "blacklist" of mobsters, spies. But decisions like that have costs. With viewers eagerly awaiting episode seven, the series revealed it would focus on Donald Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff) and how he mourned the death of Liz, with a series of flashbacks. "We did everything we could, we got him out," Ilya says as he takes Katarina's photo for a new passport. These most certainly were not answersthey weren't even questions! It's also why she is upset with Red. The alleged Katarina probably is the wife of Dom or another mistress of the original Raymond Reddington. Also he had romantic relationships with Naomi, Madeline, Josephine and Cassandra. And y'all I admit, when I saw Mann appear on the screen, as a former lover of his eccentric performance on Revenge, I thought: Wow, what a perfect addition to a show with fellow eccentric, James Spader. "You think you deserve to know the truth? Later he learned that the marriage had all been arranged to make the two crime families unite. Only a few people in Reddingtons close circle had been aware of his true identity, including. After he told liz about him? The Blacklist fans have been waiting eight months for the NBC drama's return, excited to see how Raymond "Red" Reddington's (played by James Spader) story ends. In Episode 22 there are small details that made people think that Reddington is Elizabeth Keen's mom, which would be one of the biggest plot twists in TV-show history. Katarina was working with the Cabal with Fitch. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. However, she was briefly mentioned in Season 2. And maybe he is. She is not in a good place. Was there a later reveal that I missed? Red is convinced that his mysterious illness is terminal and the only way to keep the criminal underworld at bay in the wake of Townsends death is for Liz to rise up as a formidable enough threat herself. Check out the top ten facts about Raymond Reddington every The Blacklist fan should know! Emmerdale pregnancy as Vanessa Woodfield expecting Paddy's baby? "Everything about me is a lie." That is how Raymond "Red" Reddington, the notorious most wanted career criminal . We finally found out the truth about Raymond Reddington's (James Spader) real identity, from one of the only living people in the world who knew it. "I have this Forrest Gump-ian way of touching something and it becomes a hit!" That you're entitled to that?" Despite this, a viewer has spotted a major clue which could suggest The Blacklist may never reveal Raymond Red Reddingtons (played by James Spader) true identity. The NBC show aired a two-hour special on Friday, and in the episode Rassvet, longtime fans finally got some answers about who the real Raymond Red Reddington, played by James Spader, really is. Youve been warned! Red asks Liz, as she replies with both immediate and apologetic yeses. But the story that Dom tells Liz doesn't have the same awe-inducing effect. The Blacklist season 9: Charlene exposed as Dougs killer? To spend two hours thinking we were getting those sweet, sweet answers we've been searching for, only to have one millisecond of Spader's face twitching turn it all on its head? The Blacklist is an American crime thriller television series that premiered on NBC on September 23, 2013. Is it a reference to being in the navy? Express. This news comes as a shock to many viewers who have been devotedly watching since its premiere in 2013 and were looking forward to more thrilling stories from Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader) and his FBI task force. Raymond Reddington was an American Navy intelligence officer. Box, all that stuff she told Red circa an hour ago about no longer needing to know his secret because she realized, "I don't care about who you were, I care for who you are"oh yeah, that goes super out the window as soon as she gets a bonafide lead. Why would Katarina reach out to Liz? I can still s-smell the nape of her neck feel her little fingers on my cheek her whisper in my ear. Hes even enlisted the help of the FBI to ensure her protection. The second clue is the letter that Red gives to Liz before she dies in The Blacklistseason 8. The Blacklist season 6 seemingly revealed the truth, revealing that yes, Raymond Reddington IS Liz's father but the man Liz knows isn't Reddington. In the thirst to reconnect with his granddaughter, Dom spills out to Liz a fabricated fact. says the actress. But after meeting up with him she couldnt go through with it and was shot dead by Townsends hitman, before getting a chance to read the letter. But when she shows up at his door, with Ilya waiting in the car, it is not all relieved hugs and rejoicing that she's alive. He shows her a letter from her mother, promising that it will answer all her questions once the plan is complete. After four seasons of wondering, The Blacklist season finale confirmed whatlet's be honestmost fans have suspected from the beginning about Raymond Reddington's ( James Spader) relation to. That's because when he emerged a year after the fire, Raymond Reddington was in fact Ilya Koslov, disguised as Raymond Reddington by Dr. Hans Koehler, and fed all the information he could possibly need to know about Raymond Reddington by his former spy-lover, Katarina Rostova. 30 years ago, Dr. Koehler performed plastic surgery on Reddingtons face to change his appearance. The latest episode of Blacklist ends before Liz can get a straight answer. "I guess I don't understand," Red says in stunning stillness. Why Trust Us? However, the one condition he had was to solely work alongside rooky Liz Keen (Megan Boone), which later made fans believe he was her estranged mother Katarina Rostova (Lotte Verbeek). THE BLACKLIST Rassvet Episode 619 Pictured: Megan Boone as Elizabeth Keen (Photo by: Will Hart/NBC), 'The Blacklist' recap: The death and birth of Raymond Reddington. Every time Liz says that she is, she just ends up mad again and ends up curious again. No one knew who she was. FREE delivery Fri, . Especially if they take place near that cursed Cape May. Despite this, a viewer has spotted a major clue which could suggest The Blacklist may never reveal Raymond 'Red' Reddington's (played by James Spader) true identity. Others made light of Lizs excitement that she finally figured it all out, responding with, Of course you are, Lizzy, alongside sarcastic gifs, while others tried to figure out the next set of clues. Raymond Reddington is a main character in the NBC series The Blacklist. All we know is that the real Raymond Reddington is dead. 33) - kidnapped by the Corsican to surgically alter his face in preparation to carry out an assassination. In the season 6 episode, "Rassvet," fans finally learned the real Raymond Reddington's backstory. Reddington found Zuma in 1993. See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. "That's part of why, every year, we've been able to give genuine, legitimate answers that the audience has been able to enjoy. It appears fans have a lot of different theories. But questions remain. As a reminder, he was also a Russian agent, and his daughter Katarina was his protg, so he took the news that she was a traitor to her country especially hard. Express.co.uk has all there . In the show Red never had any female romantic companion. The Blacklist season 6 revealed Katarina is also alive after she supposedly committed suicide by walking into the sea following Reddington's death. If this were true then lots of stuff in season 1 was a lie. When Liz was only four she shot Reddington while he was attacking Katarina and then a fire broke out. The Blacklist 's real Raymond Reddington was in a relationship with Liz's mother Katarina Rostova, who was really a KGB agent sent to seduce and enter into a relationship with him. Once a most-wanted criminal, now an FBI informant, he's able to do technically illegal things for the betterment of all mankind by bringing his unusual expertise to every case he's assigned to and, of course, to protect himself in the wake of the many, many things he's doing wrong during his time on the other side of the law. The penultimate episode concluded with Red pressing a button that put the entire epicenter of his intelligence up in flames, both killing Townsend and destroying his decades of collected intelligence. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. "Whatever your theory or whatever your camp is, you can probably turn the story a few degrees and make your theory make sense. That is what separate men like him from men like you and me.". American actor James Spader has held a long and impressive career as an actor since the 1980s. It was more than 20 years ago. $5 delivery Feb 17 - Mar 13 Many fans, invested in Liz and Red's relationship, would prefer to think that the theory is just a theory and that if it were true, Red would tell Liz instead of lying to her. Ilya Koslov. Although fans dread the show's conclusion, actor Harry Lennix dropped hints about his character Harold Cooper's conclusion. Another agreed. The Katrina Rustova whom Reddington shot was not Elizabeth's mother. At 24, not only did he complete his matriculation, but he graduated at the top of his class. Elizabeth is the child of Raymond and Katarina Rostova, while Jennifer is the child of Raymond and Naomi Hyland. For reasons that are still not entirely clear, Reddington has dedicated the latter part of his career to protecting Elizabeth Keene. In Nachalo, Katerina confirmed that yes Raymond Reddington is Liz's real father. Tune in to the Season 8 finale, Konets, when it airs June 23 to hopefully find out. Most audiences know him from his early portrayals of eccentric characters, such as Graham Dalton in Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989) and Dr. Daniel Jackson in Stargate (1994). He was listed as arrest on sight on the list, which audience members were able to see in the Pilot episode back in Season 1. But the men muscle their way inside, and it comes down to a fight with them on one side and Katarina and Dom on the other. The American C.I.A spy who befriended Illya Kuryakin on their mission earlier in series Man from Uncle. What Dom told Liz was probably disinformation they cooked up in advance to tell Liz if she ever got close to the truth. "Who told you this?" We know for sure than the real Red is dead. The Blacklisthas proven to be a highly entertaining procedural. While it can be a lot to keep up with all the clues and details that make up Reds complicated character, we at Nerds & Scoundrels have compiled a thorough list of all the things you should know about this character. The Blacklist has at long last revealed the answer to the shows central question who is Raymond Red Reddington (James Spader) and how is he connected to Elizabeth Liz Keen (Megan Boone). Katarina succeeded and built the extraordinary information network that supplied "The Blacklist." Hence, Red would be Liz's parent, after all. Red asks Dom if he's at peace with his decision to forgive Katarina, and Dom says that he is: "I am because I loved her. The smell of the tree and the fire, oyster stew on the stove. He later revealed to Kathryn Nemec that this was all for the sole purpose of protecting Liz. He wears clothes that can go from a bank to a cave.". So how about a few quick Q's to get you rolling on what I'm confident will be a much-considered analysis in the comments: Sure, that's a great plan to hide Ilya in plain sight, but uhwhat part of that plan was for Katarina? The network announced the show would be coming to a close earlier this month, prior to the first episode airing. Article Highlights: The Blacklist mythology says Raymond Reddington died when Liz Keen was a child. While I readily admit that it was naive of Liz to think that she could just get Red put in a holding cell for a few weeks while she put on her detectives' cap and got to work figuring out his true identity, I don't begrudge her stance that she deserves to know the truth. Fans were devastated at the season eight finale which ended with Liz murdered, just before she was about to learn more about Reds true identity. 99. That's when he presents his plan: The world doesn't know what happened to Raymond Reddingtonso we give them an answer.". In the show Red never had any female romantic companion. That's not true at all. But then, after they've slept together, and he finds her head-hittin' mallet and asks her to kindly leave him alone, she locks him in a freezer. According to Entertainment Weekly, Ilya took on Raymonds identity to protect Elizabeths mom, Katarina (Lotte Verbeek). 6. The Blacklist is delving into long sought-after answers in its final Season 8 installments and the most recent episode, Nachalo, is teasing Reds (James Spader) true identity. Of course you are, Lizzy pic.twitter.com/pLnDZTZNru, Currently analyzing 'I yam what I yam, Popeye the sailor man.' All signs point to the Redarina fan theory that has been circulating online among Blacklist fans for years. Rather, the man who had claimed to be Reddington for over six seasons was actually Ilya Koslov, a man who assumed the identity of the real Raymond Reddington over 30 years ago. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. Throughout the series, fans. I recommend searching this forum for "Rederina" or "Redarina" as this theory is commonly known. An emotional montage closes out the finale, with highlights from Lizs life and relationships replaying on screen. , and Jennifer Reddington. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Adding that the show's writing staff tracks the more outrageous fan theories, he nonetheless avoided confirming or denying the notion of Redarina being canon. "She told us when she resurfaced, she would make contact with us." Dom seemingly spills everything, including that the real Raymond died years ago, and that Jamess character is actually named Ilya Koslov. What to see another side of Red and the other characters? Did we leave anything out? The first comes from a conversation in The Blacklistseason 8between Red and Liz when she asks him if he knew her mother, to which Red responds that he knew Katarina "very well" with a knowing smile. Ilya does it all to protect Katarina, the girland now a womanhe pledged his life to all those years ago. [THEORY]The Blacklist plot hole: Huge error in pilot episode exposed[BLUNDER], User Slider5876 agreed with the Reddit post and responded: At this point, they would have been better off playing Red as straight up the real Raymond Reddington and going Burn Notice where there was a big bad every season.. Red: It was Christmas Eve. During a 2019TV Lineinterview with Bokenkamp and co-producerJohn Eisendrath, Bokenkampstated that he's well aware of the fact that fans of the show continue to speculate that Red is actually Katrina. After 10 seasons of thrilling NBC drama, fans of "The Blacklist" are in shock after hearing the news that their beloved show has been canceled. He later revealed to Kathryn Nemec that this was all for the sole purpose of protecting Liz. You can unsubscribe at any time. Did we leave anything out? Throughout the series, fans have come up with countless theories to identify Red after his bizarre appearance in season one. ; Some fans think Reddington survived and that it might be shown in season 9. This latter series focused on Liz's spy husband Tom Keen (Ryan Eggold) and his mother Scottie (Famke Janssen), a private contractor. pic.twitter.com/Tnlh8o0hbi, OK time for #TheBlacklist rewatch where I can despise Elizabeth Keen more today than yesterday & try to figure out the unfigureoutable . Parents is one and that goes for both biological and adoptive parents. He asks to meet her daughter, and she says yes, A meeting I would love to see because I just thought we were pretending Agnes didn't exist at this point.