'The Blacklist' Season 7 Episode 1 review: 'Louis T. Steinhil' keeps up with NBC show's history of shocking revelations
Season 7 of 'The Blacklist' is back on Friday, October 4, and we will finally have an answer to what Red (James Spader) is up to.
We saw Red last in the Season 6 finale, being drugged by Katarina (Lotte Verbeek) and taken away by her men. For the months that followed, we were confounded by questions pertaining to what Katarina wants, why Red put himself in such a vulnerable position, and how Liz (Megan Boone) would react to the fact that her mother has abducted her father figure.
In the premiere episode of the new season, titled 'Louis T. Steinhil', we see that Red is in as much trouble, if not more, as we had feared. He is still in France and is being tortured, as shown in the trailer, but the reasons as to why Katarina was behind his "capture" is not explained right away.
'The Blacklist' fans know better than to expect an answer right away, anyway. The episode plays out like most other episodes of the NBC show, with more twists and turns than we can keep up with, revelations of some long-hidden truths, and more questions that challenge everything we know so far about 'The Blacklist' universe.
At one point during the episode, Liz even reveals to Harold (Harry Lennix ) and Aram (Amir Arison), the long-kept secret that the man they know as Red is not the real Red at all, and that the real Red, who also happens to be Liz's father, died in 1991.
One of the biggest successes of the episode is that it shows us yet again how Red has managed to get out of the most impossible situations. Despite limited resources, we see him find a way to stay on top and unravel the mystery that surrounds him. We also see how he has impacted the people at the Task Force who have come to like and respect him beyond just an asset. You cannot help but reflect on how far the team has come since Red offered to help them find the world's most ruthless criminals.
The episode also gives us a glimpse into just how ruthless Katarina is, and how Red may have grossly underestimated her. Then again, she may have taken excessive care to come across to Red as an ally, that would explain why her attack took him by surprise to the extent that it did.
We also get to see Liz's real-time reaction to the revelation that Katarina is behind Red's abduction, and that is truly worth watching.
Is 'The Blacklist' turning into the most dysfunctional, violent family drama? Watch Season 7 premiere on NBC on Friday to find out.
