‘Shiptober: On ‘The Blacklist’ season 3 and the Liz – Red connection

The relationship between these two characters has become among the most interesting and complex on TV. At first, the biggest theory out there was that he could be her father, but the more we see of the show, the more obvious it becomes to us that this is not the case. For one, it’s too obvious; also, the chemistry that the two characters share is very different.

As a matter of fact, if you look on social media these days, #Lizzington has become an incredibly-popular ‘ship for this show, and has a much more passionate following than anything that we’ve seen for Liz / Tom or Liz / Ressler. Where does this stem from? We feel like in part it is the element of mystery, the fact that the two have more in common than either would like to admit, and that they have been forced at times to care for one another because they have no else to rely on.

As for whether or not something would ever actually happen with these two characters, we’re not sure that the writers will ever go there. Still, it is an interesting subject to explore in the latest chapter of our CarterMatt ‘Shiptober series.

Why pair the two romantically? – For one, it is the most important relationship on the show. Without Reddington turning up, there’s no way Liz becomes involved in the task force, and there’s no way she could unlock many of the secrets from her past. He has some sort of predestined love and affection for her, regardless of where it stems from. He recognizes her potential, and values her safety even if he has a weird way of showing it from time to time.

While adding a romantic component to this relationship was not something we were thinking about in season 1, it would at this point perhaps make the show even more layered and complex as more and more people in Liz’s world start to wonder what she sees in him. If she already feels like the world is against her, imagine what could happen after something like this.

Why keep the two apart? – There’s an easy case for this, and that is of the “reminding us that not every relationship has to be romantic” variety. Think Liz Lemon and Jack on “30 Rock” as an example of two people who worked closely but never got together romantically. The writers may already have enough to explore here that they don’t feel the need to go there; instead, they may find it more interesting to pair Liz and Red up with other people as a better way to accentuate their flaws. We don’t think that either one of them is going to be able to have a real relationship with someone else thanks to the closeness they share with each other, and that could be fascinating to explore.

Photo: NBC