NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
We all want a happy ending for Raymond Reddington as The Blacklist closes out the series this coming Thursday with a 2-part finale. But is that what we’re going to get? Think about how The Blacklist has treated characters in the past and the only ones to make it out alive so far has been Aram and Samar. Why should Reddington be any different?
Yes, he’s the star of the show but keeping Reddington alive does what exactly? The reason I say this is because if he does indeed ride off into the sunset, there will always be speculation that he could return somewhere down the line and that alone would be an injustice to the legacy of The Blacklist.
Remember when Elizabeth Keen was killed off, fans waited for her return for the past 2 seasons and so far—nothing. The same was said for the fake Katarina Rostova. We never actually saw her dead body. The same for Kate aka Mr. Kaplan. What about Tom? Most of those were major characters in the show and the writers had no trouble killing them off. For Red, it’s a tad harder to let him live.
Red is dying. He’s been dying since season 7 and for some reason, that storyline was forgotten. He’s sick and has been sick for some time now and let’s be truthful here, Red is no spring chicken. After his emotional scenes with Harold Cooper a the end of Episode 20, you hit the notion that he’s tired.
Will Raymond Reddington Die On The Blacklist
“Catch me if you can” was a good way to begin the cops and robbers chase but it’s also a good way to end his journey. For much of Season 10, Raymond Reddington has been dissolving his criminal enterprise. While he’s still flushed with cash, are we really to believe that he can be left on an island somewhere and not have any thoughts of returning to crime? As he said, did you really expect me not to be the devil?
Red is Red no matter where he is. You can’t remove what makes his character so appealing in 2 episodes. He has lost so much that death is the only thing that’s waiting for him. Will it be hard to say goodbye to him? Hell yeah. He is by far one of the most complex, yet fulfilling characters to ever hit the small screen.
I would love to see him with Agnes as she grows up. Would love to see him and Dembe back as a pair but that can’t happen. Red riding off into the sunset with Keen would be wonderful but how long until Red gets a call and that urge hits him? The Blacklist needs closure and keeping him alive is not it. His story must come full circle.
It’s sad to see our heroes meet their demise but the writers have been building up this storyline for quite some time now. Red has been fighting death since he walked into the FBI building 10 years ago.
This is the same man who when Agnes asked if was he going away, touched her heart and said he will always be right there. That was telling enough. For a man who loves that little girl, there is no way he can be alive somewhere and not be a part of her life. Red knows, understands, and accepts he’s dying. What’s satisfying is that he will die so everyone else can live.
The Task Force and those on it, careers are on the line. The higher up’s want Reddington arrested but he’s not going back to jail. He knows there are only two options for him—death or prison. And if either one happens, that means that everyone on the task force is redeemed. Despite their constant quips, Raymond Reddington considered them family. Hell, they’re the only family he has left (besides Agnes). He would lay it all on the line for them and that’s why his death is so vital to the ending of the show.
If he does indeed ride off into the sunset and then happens to return, what would that mean to Cooper and the rest of the team? He couldn’t and would never put them in that type of situation. He will surrender his life. And that’s the only way The Blacklist should end.
