Red had previously revealed to Liz that he is N-13, the spy she's been hunting all season, and in Wednesday's episode shared with her the true story of her life, which began when Katarina (Lotte Verbeek) became a spy and got involved with her father, the real Raymond Reddington, to gather intelligence on the U.S. operative for the KGB. In one of the finale clips, Katarina is shown holding Liz as a baby. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more! Through the twists and turns of fakeouts (Ilya Koslov) and altered memories that revealed different events the night of the fire depending on who retold the story its difficult to accept the real RR died from the gunshot wound just because writers told us so. She is shot in the back by one of Townsends men in front of Reds very eyes. Some took this montage as confirmation of the Redarina fan theory. - June 17, 2021 03:47 pm EDT. For example in The Blacklist Season 9 Episode 6, Agnes tells Red that her mother informed her Pinky was Russian. In the series finale, Red is kidnapped by a former Russian agent, Katarina Rostova, who also happens to be Liz Keen's mother. Cookies help us deliver our Services. Of those characters, only Red himself and Dembe are still alive. He discovered that an individual aided VanDyke in getting to the restaurant the night Liz was murdered and he wont stop until someone is held accountable. In a new episode of the NBC series, the former soldier-turned-criminal bea That may just make Red's coworker's plight all the more relatable to audience members worldwide. SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE. That's the sound of your checks bouncing." Red and revenge are a natural pairing throughout every season of The Blacklist, but it wastaken to new heights in Season 9. We say almost, because the installment, titled Nachalo, ends before Liz can get the answer to exactly who Red is though its pretty much guaranteed that reveal will come on next weeks Season 8 finale. Beloved Children's Show Being Turned Into Movie, Seth Meyers Prepares Viewers for Possible Writers Strike This Week, Ryan Seacrest Weighs in on Mark Consuelos First Week as 'Live With Kelly and Mark' Co-Host, Don Lemon's 'CNN This Morning' Co-Hosts Enjoy Joyous Night out Following His Ouster, 'Law & Order: SVU': Benson Learns Information That Could Ruin Her Career, Tyra Banks Ripped by 'America's Next Top Model' Winner, Scott Disick's Reported Reaction to Ex-Girlfriend Sofia Richie's Wedding, 'Young Sheldon' Avoids Major 'Big Bang Theory' Plot Detail. Liz becomes fixated on learning more about Red's mysterious past and his connection to her and the skeleton. Viewers also meet Milos Kirchoff, a.k.a Berlin, a former Russian KGB officer who causes issues for Red in Season 2. The Blacklist Season 9 picked back up two years after Lizs death. Youll get roasted on here for saying that hes the RRR, and if u dont agree, hes Katarina, well, thats even worse, but Im with you. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. And you missed Ilya, Ivan, Renard, Koehler, a fan wrote. By visiting this site, you consent to have cookie data stored. In some ways, Konets appeared to confirm this theory. The real Katarina Rostova is still alive somewhere. As the show progresses, fans falsely come to believe that Reddington is Liz's biological father only to learn that he has assumed the identity he currently sports, as the actual Red Reddington died years before. Yet, entering tonights big finale Nachalo there was more hope than ever that some of these questions would be answered. WatchThe Blacklist's final season premiere on February 26that 10/9c on NBC. During Wednesdays The Blacklist, Red, who revealed to Liz in the previous episode that he is in fact N-13, the elusive spy shes been hunting this entire season, brings Liz inside the epicenter of his operation in Latvia and begins to tell her the story, the true story, of her life and how he came into it. This instead got Tatiana dead at Reds hand. Arguments could be made for all sides of the identity conversations because eight years worth of contradictory events and dialogue make everything feel unsettled. As The Blacklist nears its Season 8 finale, the most pressing questions might be coming from behind the scenes, following the news that Megan Boone will exit . And where have you gone? Meanwhile, Red spent a significant chunk of time in federal prison during Season 6, but he maintains his puppeteer status even behind bars. The scene is done in such a way that it strongly implies Katarina is the one who became Raymond Reddington. . Other fans debated many of the characters on this lists knowledge. The Season 8 finale of The Blacklist airs next Wednesday at 10/9c on NBC. Eisendrath was a little more direct, explaining that the show's writing isn't influenced by online theories and that the direction and storyline of "The Blacklist" has been cemented since its inception. Theories about Raymond "Red" Reddington's (James Spader) true identity have circulated 'round and 'round since his opening words in the pilot episode but "Konets" was the first time writers. Liz loses her mothers face in her mind as she hears Reds voice shouting at her while she keeps demanding to know who he really is. But there was one catch: Red would only provide this intel if he could work directly with Liz Keen (Megan Boone), a new profiler at the time. And were left with some big clues as to who Red really is, though not an outright answer. Unfortunately for Liz and for viewers hoping for concrete answers, she never gets a chance to read the letter and find out the full truth. But we still dont have confirmation of who Red is, even though Katarina becoming Red is a definite possibility at this point, so its likely that piece of the puzzle will be revealed on next weeks Season 8 finale. Another user responded to AnalyticalTraders theory by expressing their disappointment over never finding out Reds identity: What a waste of eight years and eight seasons, OH! 8. Raymond "Red" Reddington, an ex- US Naval Intelligence officer who had disappeared twenty years earlier to become one of the FBI 's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, surrenders himself to FBI Assistant Director Harold Cooper at the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, D.C. Taken to an FBI "black site", Reddington declares he wishes to help the FBI One thing still stands out there, and its undisputed, everyone that has died on the show, or weve been told they were dead by a character, when theyre truly dead, they show it. Well, kind of. 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. The Blacklist Season 9 returned to the mystery surrounding Raymond "Red" Reddington's true identity. The episode ends with Red pressing a button that puts the entire epicenter of his intelligence up in flames, both killing Townsend and destroying his decades of collected intelligence. We first meet Red in thenail-biting premiere ofThe Blacklist, when the illusive member of the FBI's Most Wanted turned himself into the authorities. The Cabal is a group of criminals in positions of power throughout government and commerce who have control over The Fulcrum, a digital archive of all their illegal dealings as a conglomerate. What wouldThe Blacklistbe without the endless mystery that is Raymond Reddington (James Spader)? You are my mother, but you let someone else watch over me, let me believe you were dead, but you are living. With the help of Ilya Koslov (Gabriel Mann), the pair come up with a plan to steal $40 million from the real Red in order to finance their escape from the KGB's grasp. The user seemed to have their mind firmly made up and went on to discuss Lizs tragic end in season 8 when she was killed. A new FBI profiler, Elizabeth Keen, has her entire life uprooted when a mysterious criminal, Raymond Reddington, who has eluded capture for decades, turns himself in and insists on speaking only to her. ET The Season 8 finale of The Blacklist had social media in shambles. We dont know where the new season will take us, but we cant wait to find out. "I love reading all of the fan stuff, the theories and what's on Twitter," he admitted. Not kind of vague suggestions real, concrete footholds for the audience that has allowed them to feel like we're not stalling, we're not giving them lies or half-truths," he said. Is there anyone in The Blacklist Season 9 who knows the truth? Meanwhile, Tatiana was trying to figure out where the real Katarina was in order to get her own life back, and she tried to get close to Liz and told her she was her mother Katarina, in a long con to get the location of the real Katarina out of Red. The Blacklist': Was Raymond Reddingtons Identity Actually, Finally Revealed? We know for sure than the real Red is dead. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Within the last decade of shows filtering on our screens, one series that has always managed to float within the sea of new content is The Blacklist and fans still dont know the true identity of James Spaders Raymond Reddington. spoiler. Copyright 2023 PopCulture.com. Reds identity is a complicated question. SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE, Megan Boone to Exit The Blacklist After 8 Seasons, The Blacklist Creator Says Next Episode Will Reveal Truth Behind Why Red Entered Lizs Life, The Blacklist': Fugitive Liz Has an Awkward Chat With the Task Force About Reds True Identity (Exclusive Video). Currently, his actual identity remains an unsolved mystery on the program. ex-government agent Raymond Reddington (James Spader) has been one of the FBI's most wanted. Red and Dembe take Liz down into a bunker and block the hatch to protect them all from Townsend, who says Liz tipped him off to their location in order to gain her freedom by allowing him to kill Red as revenge for what Red did to Townsends family. Who became Reddington? NBC's crime thriller has left fans with major questions since Blacklist first aired in 2013.The biggest one being why Raymond 'Red' Reddington (played by James Spader) would only work with . In the end, the skeleton is revealed to belong to therealRaymond Reddington, a man who had been dead for 30 years. Liz did learn that her mother, Katarina Rostova, is still alive because the dead woman she thought was Karatina ended up not being her at all. Raymond Reddington's Real Identity On The Blacklist According To Fans. The episode showed a clip of Katarina holding Liz during a montage when Liz was dying. . Liz says to the imaginary black-and-white version of her mother telling the story, Now we have the why, now I want the who. The episode ends with Red pressing a button that puts the entire epicenter of his intelligence up in flames, both killing Townsend and destroying his decades of collected intelligence. Instead, the only thing we know for sure is that if Liz knew who he was, she wouldn't want to kill him . Mr. Kaplan ultimately failed to dismantle Red's criminal empire, but she reveals the existence of an incriminating suitcase that haunts Red well into Season 5. Rostova once again casts doubt on who is Raymond Reddington, and . Red = the man who surrendered in ep. We suppose that some could view the closing seconds as some evidence that Reddington was Katarina since she was in her final visions, but we don't really view it that way. All content copyright 2011-2023 CarterMatt.com, This site uses cookies to track and store data. Tonights finale episode, titled Konets, saw Red hatch a plan to have Liz kill him and take over his operation. Liz becomes fixated on learning . There were a lot of major theories out there entering the episode, with one of the biggest ones being that he was actually Katarina Rostova. Liz says to the imaginary black-and-white version of her mother telling the story, Now we have the why, now I want the who. 'The Blacklist': Was Raymond Reddington's Identity Finally Revealed? Meanwhile, Red's health began to take a turn for the worse, leading him to think about his future plans. So, who is Red, really? Red's actual identity, which comes into question after a suitcase of unidentified human bones went missing, causing Red and Dembe to go after it. In The Blacklist Season 9, Red made a shocking discovery that led him to believe Liz knew the truth about his identity before she died. The premise follows the former U.S. So did we learn the truth tonight? Season 9 may finally reveal Reddingtons true identity. But before this, Marvin paid Season 1 blacklister Wujing a visit in prison to disclose Red's role as an FBI informant. I also think Reddington knew his life in Naval intelligence was done because he was compromised with all evidence pointing to him being a traitor, the logical step for him was to become Red. Though the origin of Reds connection to Liz isnt fully explained by the end of Wednesdays Season 8 finale, the hints laid out across the last two episodes of the season strongly suggest that Raymond Reddington is actually Lizs mother, Katarina Rostova (played in flashbacks by Lotte Verbeek). On last weeks The Blacklist, titled Nachalo, Red, who revealed on the previous episode that he is in fact N-13, the elusive spy shes been hunting this entire season, brings Liz inside the epicenter of his operation in Latvia and begins to tell her the story, the true story, of her life and how he came into it. But who is the new Red? Besides Red himself, there is a list of characters dead and alive who may have known the truth (or part of the truth.) Through black-and-white scenes featuring multiple Blacklist characters we know and love reliving events in front of us, Liz is given a detailed explanation of how her then-married mother, Katarina Rostova, became a spy and struck up a relationship with her father, the real Raymond Reddington, to gather intelligence on the U.S. operative at the request of Dom, Katarinas father, and the KGB. Since it's impossible to know whether Red is lying or telling the truth throughout the whole run of "The Blacklist" now on Season 10, which some fans feel conflicted about it may take a long time for fans to discover the truth. Red's past leads to more questions than answers, butBlacklistfans can't help but marvel at the larger-than-life man. While the theory may seem far-fetched to some, "The Blacklist" has made a name for itself making such notions seem quite possible. Red agreed to become an informant and help the FBI arrest members of his "blacklist," a horrendous lineup of criminals that Red encountered throughout his illegal dealings. Unfortunately, fans will have to wait until February 25, 2022, to see the series continue with episode 10, as a lot of channels are postponing a number of shows to mitigate any competition during the Winter Olympics. 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. But we still dont have confirmation of who Red is, even though Katarina becoming Red is a definite possibility at this point, so its likely that piece of the puzzle will be revealed on next weeks Season 8 finale. If I look at that if I come back even once I fear all that work will be for nothing. Reddington's identity. Liz is then shot, and rushed down into a bunker by Red and Dembe. For example,u/Desdemona1231 admits they can't get around the level of cruelty Red would have to display toward Liz in Season 9 when the character leaves the show, by which time she's become a trusted friend to him to make the theory work for them. Season 6 picks up where Season 5 left off, with the shocking discovery that Reddington is an imposter and assumed the identity of the actual Raymond Reddington. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. Red is out for revenge and convinced that someone helped Vandyke kill Liz. As shes about to go through with the plan and kill Red, Liz is shot through the chest by Townsends right-hand man Vandyke (Lukas Hassel). While Liz attempted to clear her name, Red went after The Cabal's horrendous representative, Peter Kotsiopulos, a.k.a The Director, who was dead-set on keeping The Cabal running. Names, for clarification. As Liz is demanding these answers, the black-and-white story is receding as shouts and shots ring out in the real location they have been this whole time, Reds epicenter, which is being stormed by Neville Townsend. Raymond Reddington = the idea / persona of a criminal mastermind. Red's primary target inSeason 2 ofThe Blacklistwas The Cabal, who was introduced in the first season. Once you do, remember to then SUBSCRIBEto Matt & Jess on YouTube! Reddington is fully on the run from Liz and Katarina at the beginning of The Blacklist Season 8, leading him to eventually kill Liz's mother. By Anna Rumer - June 17, 2021 03:47 pm EDT. The latest season of The Blacklist kicked off on October 21, 2021 and returned with episode 7 on January 6, 2022 after a month-long winter break. One thing he certainly is a chameleon. This is our answer, I believe we wont know his identity until the very end of The Blacklist or not at all.. Wednesday's [], By Anna Rumer It also seems like Agnes could even know the truth. The drama continues. The show has already been renewed for Season 9. "That's part of why, every year, we've been able to give genuine, legitimate answers that the audience has been able to enjoy. Meanwhile, Tatiana was trying to figure out where the real Katarina was in order to get her own life back, and she tried to get close to Liz and told her she was her mother Katarina, in a long con to get the location of the real Katarina out of Red. Investigate the twists of No Return's dramatic ending. There was even a theory circling around, at one point, that claimed Red was Katarina all along, which all attested to the characters elusive qualities that make great television. In the jaw-dropping season finale, fans realized the quick-witted man in the fedora that had been taking down blacklisters for years stole Reddington's identity many years ago. Katarina went into hiding at this point and Liz was sent off to live with her . Katarina and Ilya are hatching a very complicated plan. Still, some fans believe that only Red holds the true answers. Through black-and-white scenes featuring multiple Blacklist characters we know and love telling us the story, Liz is given a detailed explanation of how her then-married mother, Katarina Rostova (Lotte Verbeek), became a spy and struck up a relationship with her father, the real Raymond Reddington, to gather intelligence on the U.S. operative at the request of Dom, Katarinas father, and the KGB. Still, some fans believe that there is only one person who definitely knows the truth. I think that Fowler, the Director, Fitch, Garvey, Ross didnt know who Reddington is. She became pregnant with Liz (real name Masha Rostova) and let her husband, Constantine Rostov, believe the child was his, while continuing on with her relationship with Raymond, who was also married and had another child. #TheBlacklist pic.twitter.com/ofXcRQ5Nx9. Did The Blacklist finally just reveal the true identity of Raymond 'Red' Reddington? "We're talking about the Blacklist here, where loads of unrealistic stuff happens. Well in a word, no, though there may be different interpretations. They think they've figured out what Red's real identity might be, and it pays into such a fan theory that's been so frequently mentioned in the show's online circles, that even series' showrunner has spoken about it. Fans can expect the series to keep that secret close to its vest, at least until it finally concludes. Weve been told RRR is dead, but we never saw him dead. Things took a dark turn on the night of the infamous, yet mysterious fire, during which a very young Liz shot and killed her father, who was in a fight with Katarina, as she had come to take Liz. People can spin it anyway they want, but the last they show of RRR was in the car with Lottekat and Illya, and he wasnt dead. Destroyed by the development, Liz goes on a revenge tour against Red, abandoning her post at the FBI and the task force to use her own methods against him.