The Blacklist returns for its 10th and final season on Sunday, February 26, on NBC. Based on the events in the season 9 finale and the little bit that's been released about season 10 it seems that the show is going to go all out to give fans a look at the true power Red (James Spader) has.
Red's always played by his own rules, but he's not holding back anymore. In the teaser trailer it looks like Red's last ethical tie died with Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone). But before The Blacklist season 10 starts, there are some questions that need to be answered:
Who is Siya Malik?
In October 2022, it was announced one of the new regular characters joining The Blacklist in season 10 is Siya Malik, played by Anya Banerjee. Siya Malik is a British intelligence officer who works for MI6. She's also the daughter of CIA agent Meera Malik (Parminder Nagra), who was killed in season 1.
Meera Malik was assassinated for her work on the Reddington Task Force, so it's safe to assume that her daughter Siya isn't going to be a member of the Red fan club. Now that Red's whereabouts are unknown, will she be helping to hunt him down or will she be hunting the remaining Blacklisters?
How many Blacklisters are going to be coming after Red?
Reddington isn't someone who most people would think needs the protection of the Feds, but throughout the show’s history having that protection has saved him multiple times. That was before the worst criminals in the world knew Red was the one who actively helped the FBI hunt them down. Reddington is on his own now.
He's proven many times he's ready to do whatever it takes to survive, but now that Wujing (Chin Han) has the Blacklist, if he's able to recruit all the people on it to go after Reddington that concerted onslaught could be more than Red can handle. But will all the Blacklisters want to attack him? Or will some join him in an effort to stay safe?
Who will Red enlist to help him?
If there's one thing Raymond Reddington is going to do it's protect his back. He never fully trusts anyone, but he did depend on the loyalty and discretion of his lawyer, Marvin (Fisher Stevens), for many years. Marvin may not have known all of Red's secrets, but he knew enough to be dangerous.
Too dangerous, as it turned out. Reddington's blind spot when it came to Marvin got Elizabeth killed. And even though Marvin took the easy way out rather than face the wrath of Reddington, the damage he did may never be undone.
But Red's going to need help to accomplish his goals. Now that everyone on the Blacklist is on notice that they're in the crosshairs, Reddington's going to need help with the logistics of trying to stay alive. He's going to be very reluctant to let anyone in after what happened with Marvin, but he won't have a choice. If he wants to stay alive he's going to need assistance. Though, does he really want to stay alive?
Will Red even care about fighting?
There's nothing more dangerous than a man with nothing to lose. Raymond Reddington is now such a man. The death of Elizabeth changed the game forever for Red. If he truly doesn’t care about dying now that Elizabeth, the reason he fought so hard to stay alive, is gone, will he be more dangerous than ever? Or will he not be as invested in the fight because surviving doesn't matter anymore?
It's going to be very interesting to see in season 10 how the loss of Elizabeth changes Red. He never really cared about justice or seeing bad people pay for their crimes. His motivation was always self-interest in one way or another. But Elizabeth had a strident and very black and white view of justice. It remains to be seen if Red will fight for justice as a way of honoring Elizabeth's life work.
Will Red's true identity finally be revealed?
The mystery of who Raymond Reddington really is has been a pervasive thread running through The Blacklist. Even though it seemed like there were answers throughout the years, really they were just clues. The biggest clue came at Elizabeth's death, when Reddington kissed her head the way her real mother used to. How did he know that detail?
Whatever Red's true identity is, hopefully it's going to be revealed this season before the series ends. Although a prequel based on the real identity and early life of Reddington would be really fun to see.
Based on the previous seasons it's very likely The Blacklist season 10 will be filled with twists and turns and gasp-out-loud moments that no one sees coming. Gimmicks that may have seemed corny or too over the top on other shows are the heart of The Blacklist and somehow never felt out of place. While it may be time for the show to end, it can stand proudly on a legacy of intrigue, mystery, and the wonderful witticisms delivered perfectly by James Spader.
The Blacklist season 10 premieres on Sunday, February 26, at 10 pm ET/PT on NBC. The episode will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.
