'The Blacklist' Season 8 Preview: What neurological illness is Red suffering from?
'The Blacklist' is back, folks. With its numerous twists and turns, the show has been an NBC staple, ever since it premiered back in 2013. Season 7 concluded in July, but fans were glad to know that the show had already been renewed for its eighth installment –there was no way it could end the way it did, as it concluded on a major cliffhanger. Yet, the question that Season 8 is expected to take on: The nature of Red's (James Spader) mysterious neurological illness, which has been teased quite a few times earlier in the previous season. In fact, at the end of Season 7, Red collapsed, and Katarina Rostova rushed to save him. The shows creator Jon Bokenkamp revealed at Comic-Con 2020, that his ailment will not 'be going away' in Season 8. The show would lean more into his circumstances and explore that storyline. There is much speculation that he could be cured by Katarina Rostova...perhaps?
The synopsis for the first episode reads, "Red directs the task force to investigate Roanoke, a legendary criminal who orchestrates elaborate extractions; Liz works to hatch a secret plan with her mother, Katarina Rostova."
Bogenkamp also revealed some more details about the upcoming eighth season. At Comic-Con 2020, he said about Liz’s (Megan Boone) Season 7 finale behavior: “While that arc may seem a little accelerated because it was done in that final episode, I think it’s gonna be very clear where she’s going when we start next season." The seventh season also ended with Elizabeth choosing to support her mother over Red. While this is a crucial character development for her, the question is, what will Season 8 do with this storyline?
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the shows executive producers Jon Bokenkamp and John Eisendrath discussed the possible implications for Elizabeth and the task force moving forward.“Liz understands that Katarina is a very dangerous spy and someone who is not the most trustworthy person. However, in the final episode, she did something that genuinely moved Liz and I think motivated her to align herself with Katarina in a very real way.”
'Blacklist' returns on November 13, NBC at 8 pm.
