Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Blacklist season 10, episode 2.The Blacklist star James Spader has opened up about why it's important for season 10 of the series to be the show's last. The long-running crime thriller sees criminal mastermind Red Reddington helping an FBI task force take down other notorious criminals listed in his blacklist. While the series started with Red and special agent Liz Keen as its core characters, Liz's death in season 8 was a turning point in the series.
Speaking with The Blacklist has always been an ever-evolving series, but that if it were to go on for too long, it wouldn't be able to maintain its core identity anymore. Check out what Spader had to say below:
I think if the show went beyond this year, it would turn into a very different show. And I think that the thing that has been nice about this show was that we’ve never really had a really clear paradigm for the show. Tonally the show shifts a lot from episode to episode, and I think that even the show has taken strange turns, and I suspect that the show, if it went much further, would just become something that would be less recognizable to me.
Why It's Good That The Blacklist Season 10 Is The End
Spader's statement underscores just how much The Blacklist has already changed since it started airing in September 2013. Following Liz's death, the series no longer focused on the mystery of Red's relationship with her, despite numerous clues throughout the series of a past connection with her. Instead, more focus went on the task force's use of Red's blacklist to take down criminals, including some from past seasons that want revenge on Red.
One The Blacklist veteran from season 1 is Wujing, a hacker and assassin who now serves as the main antagonist. In season 10, episode 2, it's revealed that Wujing is trying to use gambling as means of laundering money in a war against Red, something the task force is able to foil. But that didn't stop Wujing for good, indicating he will continue his campaign against Red for the foreseeable future. As a central villain introduced in season 1, the show is able to come back around full circle, creating the perfect setup for a grand finale.
Given just how much The Blacklist has changed since its debut, it's no surprise the series will be ending before it can become even more drastically different. It's unclear exactly how the series will end, but Red's conflict with Wujing could serve as the final showdown the series will portray. If that's the case, then The Blacklist will be pulling out all the stops to make a memorable impact in its final season.
Source: NBC