In case you missed it, Red will be heading to jail in The Blacklist's sixth season. It may not be a bad thing for the NBC drama, though, as the development will bring about a new set of circumstances for the rogue to maneuver through. The Blacklist creator Jon Bokenkamp teased how Red is handling the arresting twist, saying:
He's really been stripped of his superpowers. He's disconnected from his resources, he may have friends who will fall away and he's sort of on his heels, which is new for us. . . . If anyone could embrace the solitude of a cell and the experience of incarceration with open arms, it would be Raymond Reddington. We have really high stakes, but we also have some of the most fun we've had, as well.
If there is one thing that The Blacklist looks armed to deliver in Season 6, it is Spader-driven fun! As Jon Bokenkamp told TVLine, if anyone can embrace the particular amenities of jail, it is Red. The Blacklist's ability to continue rebooting Red's circumstances every season is part of what keeps the show so exciting.
Red's "superpowers" may be gone for a bit longer than others would be comfortable with. If he remains true to form, though, that won't truly be the case. If Red wasn't forever toppled after Mr. completely gutted his resources, being incarcerated should not permanently sideline him, either. Still, it will be neat to see Red have such limited resources to handle this latest set of circumstances.
Red never stays down for the count for long, and Season 6 will hopefully show us nothing different. As a fan of the show, I was certainly shocked by the twist of him going to jail. The Blacklist likes painting Red into stark corners and watching how he gets out of them is part of the draw.
It will be interesting to see him handle life behind bars during his temporary stint. If anyone can charm fellow inmates, it is Red. Of course, he could theoretically run up against some of his one-time nemeses and possibly those he helped put behind bars. That is not going to be a good situation. Footage from Season 6 showed Red looking a bit bruised and battered. Will seeing Red injured make Liz take a second look at her assumptions?
Perhaps the greatest shock of all will come when Red realizes who is probably behind his jail stint. All signs indicate the surprise incarceration is the handiwork of Liz. At the end of last season's finale, she learned that the bones Red had indefatigably worked to procure belonged to Raymond Reddington. That led Liz to the conclusion that Red is an imposter, and that her biological father is dead.
Accordingly, Liz is out for blood. What she learned may not mean everything she thinks it does, though, which is the natural course for this show. Fans of The Blacklist will have to stay tuned to see how it works itself out, as well as how quickly Red will manage to get out of jail. He cannot stay in there for long, since that is just not how Red plays things. Check out the trailer below.
Whatever the truth is, The Blacklist will be back to unpack it. The series' sixth season premiere will unfold over two nights. Season 6 kicks off Thursday, January 3 at 10 p.m. ET and concludes on Friday, January 4 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. It will continuing airing throughout the midseason.
