The Blacklist: Time For Red To Take The Kid Gloves Off
We’ve finally arrived at a point in The Blacklist where it’s time for Raymond Redington to take the kid gloves off. With the capture of his friend, Ivan Stepanov, Red is now put in a situation he’s only been in a few times. His back is truly against the wall now.
One of the issues with Season 8 has been Red’s unwillingness to show his true character. In other seasons, we’ve seen Red angry but now, he’s just going through the motions as if what Liz, the Task Force, and now Townsend is doing is not getting under his skin. It’s time for him to go on the offensive for once.
As much as he loves Liz, she needs to understand who’s she’s dealing with. Red has given her a pass since their initial meeting and she has taken his ruthlessness for granted. She has stolen money from him, tried to kill him, and because of her, Anne is dead. Red should want revenge.
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The Task Force has Red in their sights and Cooper is playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse but at some point, Red has to assert his criminal authority over them. He’s the Most Wanted Man for a reason and they need to see why.
As for Townsend, there’s bad blood there and as lethal as Reddington is, Townsend seems more than up to the job to show Red how dangerous he is. Time for Red to pay him that same courtesy.
With Townsend having Ivan in custody and by the look on Red’s face at the end of “Nicholas Obenrader”, it appears this may be the path the writers are taking.
All it takes is for something drastic to happen for someone to snap. For Red, even with his criminal background, one thing he does hold dear to him is his personal relationships. He doesn’t want to harm Liz or anyone in the Task Force but there comes a time where all that must go out the window.
Those looking to bring harm to him must be reminded of who he is. As much love and respect he had for Mr. Kaplan, Red did not hesitate to put a bullet in her head. We miss that Reddington. He needs to return.
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.
