The Blacklist: This Is The Raymond Reddington We’ve Been Waiting For
From the beginning of The Blacklist, fans knew that Raymond Reddington was special. Labeled as one of America’s Most Wanted, Reddington has done things that even the most sophisticated criminals can only dream about. But still, for most of the series fans have been robbed of what made him such a feared and wanted man. All that has changed in the last few episodes.
Reddington has killed and given threats before, but this time, it’s just the way that he has carried out his business that has him as possibly the best criminal ever on primetime TV.
With Elizabeth Keen on a personal revenge mission, Reddington has his back against a wall fighting a foe he can’t hurt. As much as Liz wants him dead, Raymond cannot muster up the strength to bring any harm to her. It was the same when he was at war with Mr. Kaplan. Despite his ties to the crime world, Reddington is loyal. He will do anything for those he loves but what he won’t tolerate is someone double-crossing him. Unless it’s Liz.
It wasn’t until this season that fans caught a glimpse of that fine line that Reddington must walk. Is he dishonest? Yes. Is he a criminal? Yes. Does he have compassion? Yes. Can Reddington be trusted? Well, that depends on the person and situation.
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But what’s been missing from his character throughout much of the show has been what has made Reddington so dangerous before he walked into the FBI building in Episode One. Liz has him on the ropes and this has flushed out the Raymond Reddington fans were waiting for. His long-winded stories we’ve become accustomed to are few and far between. His temperament is more straight to the point and his actions are way more threatening than they’ve ever been.
His exchange with Harold Cooper will go down in TV history. Copper has a job to do but Raymond has warned him countless times to stay away. Now, with everything out in the open, Reddington is leaving the majority of his cards on the table for everyone to see.
Red refuses to admit that Liz is getting the better of him. Instead, what she has done is awaken that side of Red that has been reserved for his enemies. Does it matter if Red is N-13? No. Fans understood that his past was murky at best. We knew that he has done some terrible things but yet, he’s the one we cheer for. He’s the one that we want to come out on top while all signs are pointing to his death by the end of the series.
Liz is needed for the show but Reddington is now carrying it alone. We don’t want to see him fail, double spy or not. What we’ve been waiting for is for the real Raymond Reddington to emerge. He’s here.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
