‘The Blacklist‘ is an American crime fiction thriller TV show that airs on NBC. The show first premiered in 2013 on September 23. The series is centered on a notorious high-profile criminal, Raymond Reddington, played by James Spader, who tries to help the FBI catch other criminals in exchange for protection and immunity. Besides immunity, the only condition that he puts forth is that he will only work with a rookie agent – Elizabeth Keen – essayed by Megan Boone.
The focal point of the series is the character of Raymond Reddington who has escaped the clutches of the law for a long time and built his criminal empire. Reddington strikes a deal with the FBI, a task force run by Harold Cooper, wherein he promises to help catch other most-wanted criminals, with Keen working by his side. Hence, fans have often wondered who Reddington is and what his true identity is. Also, what is his relationship with Keen?
Related: ‘The Blacklist’: How Is Raymond Reddington Related To Elizabeth Keen?
‘The Blacklist’: Who Is The High-Profile Criminal Raymond Reddington?
Raymond Reddington on ‘The Blacklist‘ is one of the most-wanted criminals according to the FBI. Besides that, he is a criminal mastermind and a highly intelligent person. He has always managed to escape the clutches of the FBI and remained a few steps ahead of them at all times.
Reddington is a very manipulative and cunning individual. He says about himself, “I’m a criminal. Criminals are notorious liars. Everything about me is a lie.” He is one of the most wanted fugitives listed by the FBI in the show. Fans loved his larger-than-life persona and his charm, albeit dangerous, has no bounds.
Raymond Reddington is also a ruthless killer. He frequently chuckles as people die and has no remorse about committing crimes. He also doesn’t like rude people. Reddington is only affable with people he has known for a long time and considers his comrades. The only exception to this was Elizabeth Keen. He is revealed to be incredibly kind and generous towards Keen and is strongly committed to defending her. He is even willing to employ extra measures to ensure her safety and security.
In Case You Missed: Is ‘The Blacklist’ Inspired By A True Story? Who Is The Real Raymond Reddington?
The Trap Of Raymond Reddington’s True Identity
The true identity of Raymond Reddington is a very debated topic among the fans of the show. For the first five seasons of the show, the viewers as well as most of the characters believed Reddington’s identity to be true. In the Season Five episode ‘Sutton Ross’, the viewers find out for the first time that the Reddington that they were following around is, in fact, an imposter.
It is revealed that the person who claims to be Raymond has tricked people for 30 years into believing that he is Raymond Reddington in the episode. In the Season 6 episode ‘Rassvet’, it is revealed that the person pretending to be Raymond Reddington is, in fact, Ilya Koslov, a casual lover of Keen’s mother Katarina Rostova. It is revealed that the real Reddington died after Keen killed him to protect her mother.
However, the fact that the fake Raymond Reddington is Ilya Koslov is disproved and it is revealed that Koslov conspired with fake Reddington all along. The fake Reddington is revealed to be a close friend of Koslov and not Koslov himself. Hence, the identity of fake Reddington was again set aside. But in Season Eight, it is shown that the fake Reddington was in fact present during Keen’s childhood and was very close to Katarina. He also boasts how Keen would never be able to kill him if she knew his true identity.
Well, his backstory reveals that he went missing after graduating at the top of his class at the Naval Academy, aged 24. He resurfaced as the ‘Concierge of Crime’ as he built a syndicate of contacts he could use for geopolitics and meeting his goals in the criminal world. He had relations with spies, smugglers, drug, human traffickers and arms traffickers, counterfeiters, hackers, mercenaries, and assassins. But, his ultimate goal was always to protect Elizabeth Keen, as he was asked to do by the real Katarina and Ilya.
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