‘The Blacklist’: A look into the popularity of the Liz / Red (‘Lizzington’) ‘ship

The answer to that question is mostly a product of whatever corner of the internet you’re in — it’s a really big place! If you follow “The Blacklist,” you absolutely know that this pairing is out there, and it’s certainly polarizing. There are some people who adore the idea of Liz Keen and Raymond Reddington together, and there are others who dislike it to the point where they won’t even acknowledge the popularity.

With this ‘ship, there is obviously a big elephant in the room — the question as to whether or not Red is Liz’s father. For Lizzington ‘shippers, the answer is a clear “no,” and we’re inclined to believe them in this sense. Regardless of what you think about the idea of a romantic pairing here, it feels far too easy and predictable if the show ends with this being the truth all along. There’s still a deep connection here, and the devotion that Red has for her is one of the reasons why it came be read romantically. Also, James Spader is one of the most charming men on the planet and could make anyone feel like they want him as a love interest.

One of the other key components – It’s counter-culture. If a show presents you with one thing, often you find yourself wanting another. It’s almost like seeing a really tasty cupcake in a storefront window, and then being told that this cupcake belongs to someone else. How about a cookie instead?

To create another TV show analogy, one of the reasons why we feel like the Oliver / Felicity pairing on “Arrow” became so popular in the early going was because the two of them were not the obvious choice. Instead, it was Oliver and Laurel. They were the alternative, and fans responded to all of the seasons they had together. While they’re still extremely popular, it was after the two got together we started to see some interest in the two wane. Viewers got what they wanted, and for some people what happened wasn’t quite what they imagined in their mind.

Many of us may be interested in the idea of Liz and Red just because we don’t have Liz and Red; they’re together a lot on-screen, but not in that capacity … though there are certainly hints here and there that the relationship is something that could’ve crossed their minds at some point, even if it is a subconscious want more than anything else.

Could it ever actually happen? – Right now on the show, Liz and Tom is the canon pairing. We don’t want to disparage the idea of them being romantically linked, so we’ll let you tell us which couple you’d prefer together in the comments / poll below.

In the end, one of the thing we’d love for the show to do is just get it out of the way that Liz and Red aren’t related by blood, mostly so that it gives the show more flexibility to try different things and removes said elephant from the room. We don’t get the sense that will happen in the near future, but just like any other ‘ship out there Lizzington deserves commendation for their devotion. They should also get some respect.

(Photo: NBC.)