Crime TV Heroes: On ‘The Blacklist’ season 3 and Megan Boone’s Liz Keen
The third season of “The Blacklist” has been on hiatus for a rather lengthy span of time, but when it does to return to NBC with new episodes on Thursday night, it’ll be doing so with a defining episode for Megan Boone’s character of Liz Keen. Is she going to find a way to actually marry Tom, or will Reddington / another factor get in the way?
We’re really not here, though, to talk about Liz’s love life … or even her relationship with Reddington, strained as it may be right now. This is about Liz herself, and now, in this latest edition of our Crime TV Heroes series, we’re going to go through more of just what has made Liz someone we want to root for, and how she can better move forward using some of the information that she has learned from the past.
What makes her a hero – Much of it started with wide-eyed ambition, and just wanting to be the best version of herself for the people. Sometimes, that’s where many heroes begins. We’ve seen her save many lives, protect those she care about, and at times even protect some who you could argue don’t really deserve it. She’s been a resource to the Task Force, and while she has certainly gone away from that and taken more of a criminal route since the end of season 2, we don’t want to forget that those elements of her character are there. After all, they are what helped to make this show in the first place.
What she can learn – It’s interesting in Liz’s case that she actually needs to relearn some things more than anything else. She needs to remember who she was at the start of the series, what she fought for then, and take some of the experience she now has and tilt it towards that ideology. She cannot be naive, but at the same time sometimes it’s good to have optimism, a team around you, and have something a little bit more stable. Aside from that, she’s going to have to figure out a way in her new environment to succeed once more in making the world a better place.
Ideas for the future – Strange as it may sound to put it in such a way, but this may be Liz’s time to actually become more of a hero again. Logistically, she faces a whole heap of trouble when it comes to getting back on the Task Force. Her record renders that next to impossible. She is going to have to figure out other ways to be heroic, whether it be as a consultant, with some independent practice, or simply through the underground. Maybe she can find ways to reform some wounded souls out there.
Also, there’s a chance for her to be heroic to her child, whether it be by setting a strong example to finding a way to raise them and form a family unit with those around her. We know that there are people out there afraid of introducing a child to the show and how that could disrupt things, but think about “Law & Order: SVU” or “Bones” for a moment. Both of them have added children and remained very much the same show viewers loved.
(Photo: NBC.)