The Blacklist Love Me Again Scene
With their bookend titles, I expected the tone of this "Konets" installment of the flavor viii Blacklist finale to lucifer the "Nachalo" installment that came earlier it. I expected more flashbacks, more black-and-white memories, more unraveling of the mysterious Blacklist mythology, and maybe fifty-fifty Liz dying a irksome death subsequently her bullet wound in Latvia. I didn't expect a quick recovery followed by sun-dappled strolls in Key Park, silly helium voices, a series of sweet telephone calls to family and friends, and a adequately unproblematic programme for how to move frontward after spending an unabridged flavor at odds. It wasn't arthouse Blacklist or high octane Blacklist… it was The Blacklist boiled downwardly to its most component parts: Raymond Reddington, Elizabeth Keen, and what they hateful to each other.
In the end, the flavor 8 finale was a retrospective of lives — well, maybe not lives well-lived in the most moral sense of the word, but certainly lives lived fully. And all forth, nosotros knew that Reddington's full life was scheduled to end this night, at his own insistence. Merely near the time Liz started calling anybody on her speed dial and telling them how much she loved them, we probably also realized that who lived and who died in this episode was never destined to go according to plan.
I'll tell you correct at present, I did not desire this ending; I did non desire this konets. I understand that Megan Boone's fully reasonable desire to take season viii be her last on The Blacklist necessitated an cease to our journey with Elizabeth Great. But couldn't she accept gotten some answers on the fashion out? Couldn't she have learned the truth near Raymond Reddington? And I don't know, depending on how you saw the final moments of her life flashing before her eyes, maybe she did. But we definitely didn't. Non-Chekhov's-alphabetic character explaining in corking deal who Raymond Reddington is to Elizabeth Nifty went unopened just like nosotros knew information technology would when it arrived in the start act — yous learn a matter or two subsequently watching a prove for 8 seasons…
But information technology does make an eight-season-audience-member wonder: if Liz is no longer the motivation for exposing the truth about Raymond Reddington on The Blacklist, then who or what is? What does the mystery of The Blacklist look like moving forward? Because yous tin rest bodacious that after every end comes a new beginning — at to the lowest degree when information technology'southward a story that's already been renewed for a season 9.
KONETS
I dearest the opening shot of this episode where it seems like we might still exist in the black-and-white memory limbo that near of the last episode took place in. But it's just the ash settling from Reddington blowing upwardly an entire Cold War-era bunker. Cherry, Dembe, and Liz sally from the bunker-inside-a-bunker that protected them from the smash and ostend that Townsend is expressionless, which Liz tells Red ways she's not just feeling good plenty to walk; she'due south ready to wing.
Indeed, the side by side time nosotros see them, everyone is aboard a jet dorsum to D.C., including a doctor who's giving Liz a generally clean bill of health. As before long as they're dorsum, Reddington surprises Liz with Agnes (who calls him "Pinky" instead of "Reddish," which is extremely ambrosial). And then he heads to the Post Office to tell Cooper what's been hinted at all season long: Raymond Reddington is dying. Simply when Red gives Liz the aforementioned news, information technology comes with quite a few more than caveats. He seems genuinely nervous when he tells her that the conversation he'southward been trying to have with her for days — the ane nigh who he is and why Katarina arranged for him to lookout over her — ultimately ends with a letter. A letter written by Liz's mother "for when the fourth dimension was correct to know the truth." Liz exclaims that the time has surely come up, only Red tells her there'southward one matter she has to do before she can read the alphabetic character: "Take my life… literally and metaphorically."
Okay, at present HEAR HIM OUT!
Reddington says that Liz has known for a while that he'due south sick, and killing him and taking over his empire is the merely matter that can truly protect her. Townsend establish out things about Reddington that he surely didn't keep to himself, and at present Liz and Agnes will exist in more than danger than ever. If Liz kills Reddington and takes over his empire, it will prove to any homicidal parties that she is a force to be reckoned with: "That you lot did what no one else could… yous found and executed Raymond Reddington."
Of grade, Liz's reaction is an immediate no — not only does she not want to have over Red'southward empire, merely she doesn't really want to kill him anymore. But when she links upwards with Cooper, he tells her that his greatest desire is for her to be condom, and points out that taking over for Ruby means taking over the Blacklist, which could potentially mean taking over his immunity bargain, as well. "Y'all'd have a reason that you could feel skilful about," he tells her. And that feeling is reinforced when Liz runs into a teenage girl who recognizes Liz as "Agent Dandy." Her proper name is Beth Ryker, and she's the grown-up petty daughter that Liz saved from a flop in the pilot episode of The Blacklist. Beth tells Liz that she thinks nigh her all the fourth dimension, and thank you her for saving her life all those years ago. But when Liz tells Beth she's no longer an agent, she seems disappointed: "Most people just live their lives, just you fabricated the globe a meliorate identify… so whatsoever you make up one's mind to do now, I actually hope you can go on doing that." Yeesh kid, no pressure level!
Even so, Beth triggers something in Liz, and she meets Reddington in Central Park to enquire him what taking his life — literally and metaphorically — would actually look like.
He tells her that the next night, his friend Pascual's restaurant (the 1 he'southward used as his office all season) is finally opening, and there'south a party for friends and family unit. Red volition stay late, until subsequently the children and families take left, and then he'll brand his exit. Dembe will still be inside saying his goodbyes when Red leaves the restaurant, where Liz will exist waiting in her car outside, prepare to shoot him. It will happen correct exterior the door of the eatery so that when Pascual is asked for CCTV footage by the law, they'll find Elizabeth Dandy standing over Raymond Reddington'due south trunk — an image that will be splashed across every newspaper in the world past the next morning time.
So… that's what it would look similar if Liz killed Ruby-red and took over his empire. But Liz says she doesn't call up she could actually pull the trigger, no thing how many times she's wanted to earlier. Red tells her not to worry well-nigh that right at present: "Let'due south just… exist."
And for a few moments on a nice afternoon, they are. Red, Liz, Agnes, Dembe, and Mrs. French wander around Central Park; they get popsicles, they look at the Alice in Wonderland statues, and sheet boats in the Conservatory Water pond. And they do it all to the lovely, and a little bit heartbreaking tune of Keane's "Somewhere But We Know." And despite Ressler and Aram both advising Liz non to get through with killing Reddington in social club to take over his criminal empire, somewhere within this twenty-four hours, she decides that she will — in exchange for an reply to one question. Liz wants to know why she can't read her female parent'south letter until after Reddington is expressionless. "Considering if you knew who I am before, yous'd never agree to impale me."
And so, with that, there's only i thing to practise: kill Raymond Reddington.
Reddish and Dembe have a number of poignant, introspective moments in this episode, including Red telling Dembe that what they've congenital has been thrilling and fulfilling in ways he tin't brainstorm to describe: "But at some point, it became articulate to me that I wasn't actually in control of whatsoever of them… no matter how much I try, I have no command over how any of this ends. And that is crushing."
Oh, how truthful those words will soon come to be. Red hands Dembe the letter with explicit instructions not to give information technology to Elizbeth until he's gone, and they head to Pascual'due south. Liz waits outside the restaurant on the phone with Agnes, who asks her mom why she sounds so sad. Liz tells her that her friend is sick, only she thinks he'due south trying to be dauntless. "I think he feels fortunate… that he's lived a good life, that he's seen a lot of interesting places, and has a lot of friends that love him," Liz says sadly. And Agnes, little wise one that she is, tells her mom that it sounds like her friend is blessed, a word Agnes knows because it's how Liz always describes her dad: "Fifty-fifty though daddy had to leave, he was okay with that because he felt blessed to know me when I was a petty baby."
It's at that point I start crying and don't really finish until the credits ringlet, although the steadiness of the stream rises and falls at diverse points. While Liz exchanges I-love-you with Agnes, the Task Force starts exchanging notes nigh the conversations they've had with Liz over the last few days. Most notably that there's no way Reddington could just hand over his empire to her and everyone would accept information technology. She'd have to make a statement to earn respect and demonstrate her value — and that's when they realize that Liz is going to kill Reddington, and it was probably his idea.
Ressler makes a break for it from the hospital, and Cooper, Aram, and Park head out with an infantry toward Pascual'due south — just information technology's too late. Reddington is already heading exterior, as Dembe hangs back. We see Liz sally from a car in the background, and they round the corner to get in the right position for maximum visibility. Elizabeth Dandy pulls a gun on Raymond Reddington…
"I can't do it, I don't want to," Liz tells him. "That's alright, I understand," Ruddy says back as a gunshot rings in the air, and a bullet tears through Liz'south back, into her breast, blood spreading all over her white shirt.
Liz drops to the ground, and behind her stands Townsend's righthand man holding a gun. Red immediately shoots him dead, merely there's no unringing this bell. As the photographic camera lingers on Liz's confront, we enter her heed where all the good things in her life are flashing by: the swing with her mother, a million moments with Tom, Cooper, Aram, Dembe, Sam, Dom, Jennifer, Ressler, Ressler, Ressler. As Reddington runs back to her, she's envisioning every moment with Agnes, and she's smiling — it'south a blessed life she'southward had, no affair its obstacles. When Ruby gets to her, Liz sees him… she sees him at present, and the twenty-four hours she met him, and all the moments in between. There's the fire, and there's Katarina, and then Katarina's confront becomes Liz's face up, and then in that location's just Reddington, property Lizzie every bit she dies.
Dembe forces Reddington off the street earlier more of Townsend's men prove up, just as Ressler, Cooper, Aram, and Park converge on the scene and find their friend and colleague dead on the ground… but not the 1 they were expecting. It's the end of Elizabeth Keen, and for Raymond Reddington — and us — it simply has to be a new beginning.
A FEW LOOSE ENDS:
I'yard sad. With deaths on The Blacklist, you never truly know — only with actor's contracts, yous do. This really is the terminate of Elizabeth Swell on The Blacklist. The final montage, at least, was a lovely manner to send her out.
Did anyone else think that all those lingering shots on teacups and wine glasses meant Reddington was poisoning himself so that Liz would be forced to impale him whether she wanted to or not??? But me??? Is viii seasons also long to lookout The Blacklist???
It honestly hurts my feelings that Ressler and Liz finally roughshod in love minutes before her death, and so I really can't talk nearly it.
Was killing Liz (and presumably intending to kill Reddington) Townsend's righthand man's attempt at commandeering his empire?
And as for the Reddington/Katarina of it all, we only get i real clue since the alphabetic character is never opened, which is Liz pulling out the archetype photo of herself as a child, with a sunday-covered Katarina standing behind her, and asking Red what his relationship was with her female parent that he would dedicate his life to keeping Liz safe. She asks Red if he was in that location that day of the photo, if he was the one standing behind the camera. "I was there," he answers, ambiguously.
What could Liz have read in that letter of the alphabet that would have made it impossible for her to kill Reddington, hmm? Hmmmmm?? HMMMMMMM?!
As ever, cheers for reading along — and along, and along, and along — with me hither. I'll miss y'all like I miss Elizabeth "Lizzie" Smashing.
Hisham Tawfiq and James Spader on 'The Blacklist'
| Credit: Will Hart/NBC
(Video courtesy of NBC)
Related content:
- The Blacklist boss on Ruby-red's determination to finally tell the truth and what comes next
- The Blacklist bosses and star Megan Boone await dorsum at Elizabeth Bang-up's most defining moments
- The Blacklist begins a new affiliate with Liz as No. 1 Blacklister
The Blacklist - Season 2
The Blacklist
James Spader is Raymond "Scarlet" Reddington, a mastermind criminal who teams upwards with the FBI.
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Source: https://ew.com/tv/recaps/the-blacklist-season-8-finale/