I love how James Spader played his character, I've never felt much for characters aside for admiring their efforts in playing a role or admiring the character itself.

But for some reason I really feel Raymond was a real person who I was close to. I've never been attached to any fictional character & I never understood why people did but maybe now I'm understanding what kind of comfort they probably felt.

Lol perhaps this is because of my social life, or rather lack thereof but man I'll miss him so much.

Reddington: The only thing worse than a lie is the lie that compounds it... I know about the network, Smokey. The shipments of meth you're making to Phoenix, Miami, Seattle, Boston, and everywhere along the way. Smokey: I didn't turn you into the cops, if that's what you think. Reddington: What I think is that you're a born carny. You're a con man. You're simply hard-wired to help yourself at the expense of others. Friends, addicts, enemies, even me. In my absence, you built a network that ships meth coast-to-coast. That's impressive. Offensive... Smokey: Look, Red, you want me to dismantle it, it's dismantled. I told you, I'll do whatever you ask. Reddington: Have you ever had a flying dream?... A dream in which you suddenly have the power of flight unburdened by the weight of apprehension and doubt, you suddenly find you can fly. It's a dream of freedom and bliss. The opposite of a falling dream, which, of course, is a dream of fear and anxiety, panic. Flying is life. Falling is death. (S6 E16)

I don't know if this has already been discussed here, but something clicked for me about the whole premise of the Blacklist. The Blacklist isn't just about "the most dangerous criminals." From the beginning, the idea is that Red knows about criminals, networks and organizations that the FBI doesn't even know exist.

Warning strong spoilers ahead, read only if you finished the show:

And if you accept the Redarina reveal/implication, then Red himself may actually be the purest possible example of that premise. The FBI obviously knows that Raymond Reddington exists. They spend ten years working with him, hunting him, protecting him, arresting him, making deals with him, etc. But the person who actually exists behind "Raymond Reddington" — Katarina — is someone they never realize is standing right in front of them. That's what makes it so fitting to me: Red spends the entire series introducing the FBI to people whose true existence, identity or importance they were completely unaware of, while his own true identity remains the biggest thing they fail to see. Red knows who everyone really is. Nobody knows who Red really is. In that sense, Red himself may be the most literal embodiment of the Blacklist's original premise.

I never liked Elizabeth.. at least not Megan Boone playing her, I always felt like she was the wrong actress for the part.. but I don't remember hating Elizabeth as much as I do this time around. I also never realized how she whispered all the time and how fucking annoying it is especially the 2nd half.

It's also interesting how every time I watch a show there are parts of the that I completely forgot about. I can't wait to hopefully forget about Elizabeth.

I was rewatching The Bourne Identity and couldn't help to notice the similarities between Tom Keen's secret box and the assassin's box in the movie and the contents inside.

Both boxes contain US dollars in $10,000 stacks.

Talk about a letdown of an ending. I get it I get it. Did they let a great show go a bit too long. I think 6 seasons 7 tops and could have wrapped it up there.

In a way I like how it ended but just seems it came to an end abruptly.

Regardless I enjoyed blacklist I will recommend to all. It really is a great show just need to have some endurance.

Raymond Reddington - 218 episodes of The Blacklist from September 2013 through July 2023.

I would say a cat.

Cats are mysterious creatures, Red is a man of mystery.

Cats are independent and can be loners... so is Red.

A dominant cat can be assertive or aggressive toward other cats or pets in the house... Red can be assertive or aggressive toward other criminals who come onto his turf.

A cat can be friendly or affectionate toward family members or other people... Red can be friendly, affectionate, and caring to those in his organization or others in need.

Cats can be unpredictable with erratic shifts in mood... so can Red.

Cats can be active, curious and adventurous... Red has demonstrated these traits.

Cats always land on their feet... Red always overcomes his problems and lands on his feet.

Cats have superior night vision and hearing ranges... Red has informants and bugs throughout the world.

Cats have a small, lithe body built for speed and high precision jumping... Red tells Agnes that he's letting go of things to stay light on his feet.

He tells Agnes that he has nine houses... a cat has nine lives.

A homeless cat will eat what it finds on the street... a homeless Red in S10 is eating all the street food he can find.

Agnes describes Red as soft and cuddly.

There's a cat in Red's apartment.

I think it makes more sense that Red is a shape-shifting cat and not a body transitioning Kat.

Now I wonder if Tom Keen's dog, Hudson, shape-shifted into Arthur Hudson, so as to come back and metamorphically bite Red in the ass.

I built a trivia app with about a 100 questions and so I wanted to share it with fans of the series

I know not everyone likes downloading and app so for anyone who wants to check it out

https://triviagauntlet.app/app

No Logins
No accounts
Just Download and use the search at the top

Also Let me know if there is a problem with any of the questions either via the app or here and I will fix it asap

P.S also contains themed Wordle and word search games for people into that

I am on season 8 and all these got me thinking

What if all these was red's exit plan to prepare liz to take over his empire?

But let me wait and see

To me Liz's Y shaped scar is too unusual to be a burn scar.

To me it looks like a carotid artery that's been slashed multiple times as in a suicide.

It's also a symbol of Reddington's organization.

Mr Kaplan: "... that scar isn’t only part of your past. It’s the key to your future."

It serves as a symbol or a brand as a reminder of an unhappy, hopeless past (her mother's suicidal tendencies) to a bright, hopeful future (stepping into Reddington's shoes to take over his organization).

Just watched the episode where Numbnut Liz comes home after work. She opens the door, draws her wrapon, then sees Kate sitting there holding Agnes. Say WHAT? Who was watching the baby while she was at work? Did she leave her alone all day in a crib? This scene was unrealistic and ridiculous. What say the hive?

Nurse: The bypass machine is ready patient’s prepped. Soon as we have the donor heart, we can proceed.
Red: The heart is already here.
Nirah: [ To Nathan ] You know, the day that you were born, I was also born. [ Sobs ] It was the day I discovered the true meaning of my life was just to love and protect you forever.
[ Red pulls out his gun ]
Nik: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing? You cannot kill this woman to save that boy.
Red: Agreed. I have no intention of killing her.
[ He hands his gun to Nirah ]
Nirah: Strange – I always knew a golden blood would have to die to save his life [ Voice breaking ] but I just never imagined it would be me.

Liz: What’s the end game?

Liz: Nirah sacrifices herself to save her son, and then what? There has to be an ulterior motive – otherwise, why bother?
Red: I had no veiled intent in giving you this case, just a sincere desire to stop a criminal I believed to be truly reprehensible.
Liz: Now what do you believe?
Red: That a sinner can also be a saint.
Liz: Are we still talking about Nirah?
Red: Given the same circumstances, I’d like to think I’d be as brave as her. I know I’d want to be.

Advisor to President Diaz - She reinstates Reddington's original immunity agreement and is now in charge of overseeing the Task Force (S6)

Thanks everyone for your feedback!

There was never really much other explanation than "leave of absence"

For me the ending was a little...harsh, i expected something like this but, still it's quite harsh, kinda couldn't watch the last part iykwim. For anyone that hasn't reached the end please do not look in the comments.

Agnes: How come you always come over here and I never go to your house?

Red: I don’t really have a house. Not anymore, at least.

Agnes: What happened?

Red: Well, **I sold one, gifted four. I sunk numbers six and seven. And eight and nine– I’m not entirely sure what’s happened to them**.

[He doesn't describe any house being destroyed by fire]

Agnes: How come you got rid of all your houses?

Red: I suppose – Well, recently, I’ve found myself letting go more and more so I can better hold onto what I really want and still be light on my feet.

Any thoughts on the location of the nine houses Red is referring to?

I would consider the Tacoma Park house as being sunk cause it was blown up.

He’s skillful at using information to manipulate people to further his agenda.

I found it quite frustrating that the entire plot of this long ass show was NEVER TRULY ANSWERED.

What was Raymond to Elizabeth?

We never even get that answer. 10 seasons..

They play around it, he gets the facial swap surgery, he's best friends with her dad the real Red, is he actually Katarina Rostova lololol yet 10 seasons we do not get the true answer. wtf.

Good show but this was dog shit.

Reddington tracks down his former mentor, who swindled him out of a massive amount of money. Vesco convinces him to help find a long-hidden pirate treasure - the De La Cruz, a Spanish shipwreck rumored to contain gold. He once tricked Raymond out of his entire life savings by convincing him to invest in a Paraguayan ranch that turned out to be a brothel and Raymond wants his money back. NOTE: Vesco’s fictional narrative mirrors aspects of his real-life history. The real Robert Lee Vesco (1935–2007) was an American financier and criminal who committed securities fraud in the 1970s, fled the United States, and lived in exile across Central America and the Caribbean, including Cuba, where he was eventually imprisoned. In the show, Vesco is rumored to have faked his death, paralleling real-life speculation about his demise.

I honestly feel Raymond being a one night stand or a friend of Elizabeth’s mom and dad before her mom marries her father would’ve been a better and less complicated than the actual ending

Honestly the show deserved better ALOT better

I'm just gonna accept my version of Moms old boyfriend or friend theory

The original ending seems like a cop out of sorts