'The Blacklist' Season 7 Episode 9: What is the Townsend Directive and why is Katarina torturing Ilya to find out everything about it?
'The Blacklist' is back after a week-long break on NBC this week, and this wait could not have been more difficult. We are at a very crucial point in Katarina's (Laila Robins) storyline, especially since Red (James Spader) has more or less caught up to her.
He knows what Katarina is after and he knows that she has his oldest and favorite friend Ilya Rastova (Brett Cullen) in her custody and that she is willing to go to whatever lengths necessary to get what she wants.
Over the last few episodes, we have heard her declare that her war is against the men who tried to control her and that she just wants to protect herself with information.
However, it is not yet clear what kind of information she is looking for, other than the fact that it involves Red. The two of them used to be very close, and so was Ilya aka Frank Bloom, but now things have changed.
However, what had turned Katarina into an enemy of Frank and Red lies in the past, and we think it has something to do with the Townsend Directive.
First teased at the end of Season 6, the Townsend Directive is as mysterious as it sounds, and Red has been trying really hard to find out what they know about Katarina and what she knows about them.
Long before the premiere of Season 7, showrunner Jon Bokenkamp had said that Katarina is going to be eager to learn more about the Directive. Clearly, it is going to be a pivotal part of the ongoing season.
In fact, the answers to what the Townsend Directive exactly is, and how Red is connected to it, will give us answers about why he turned himself into the FBI seven years ago and why he wanted to get close to Liz (Megan Boone) in the first place.
Moreover, many fans have theorized that the information would give us an insight into the criminal underworld and what they have in store for the future of the United States.
Hopefully, we will learn more about the Townsend Directive without having to watch Katarina drain the life out of Ilya, but only time will tell. Season 7 Episode 9 of 'The Blacklist', titled 'Orion Relocation Services', will air on Friday, December 6 on NBC.