The Blacklist season 4 episode 16 spoilers: Red’s search for Dembe Zuma

“Dembe Zuma.” It’s more than just a name. It’s the title for The Blacklist season 4 episode 16. The NBC show is returning on April 20 one week removed from the end of The Blacklist: Redemption, and it’s going to be doing so with two episodes that bring us back deep into the world of the show.

After the apparent betrayal of Reddington at the hands of his longtime partner-in-crime, it makes sense that Dembe would go from the asset to the target. Is there something further at play here? You have to assume so given that this is the name of the game with The Blacklist. What we can give you, at least for now, is some further news via NBC as to what to expect:

“After weeks of hunting for Dembe (Hisham Tawfiq), Red (James Spader) and the Task Force finally get a lead on his whereabouts when Aram (Amir Arison) goes missing. Meanwhile, Dembe takes a calculated risk as Red closes in.”

Is Aram’s disappearance in some ways tied into the search for Dembe? This show has a beautiful way of tying everything together, so this is something we think could be happening.

As we mentioned, this is a two-hour event, and with that we’ve also got for you below the first synopsis for The Blacklist season 4 episode 17 entitled “Requiem.” This second synopsis suggests that Reddington’s past is going to be integral in determining who is after him:

“Memories of the past set Red (James Spader) on a dangerous collision course with an enemy determined to destroy his criminal empire.”

We remain focused on the idea that Mr. Kaplan is the person pulling the strings this season, largely because this is the course of action that makes the most sense given the end of her time with him. We also know that coming up later this season, there is going to be an episode that is geared more around her own personal backstory and history.

Hopefully, these episodes will prove to be worth the wait, and hopefully the ratings will also be strong enough that we get a chance to see a season 5 for The Blacklist. The ratings as of late don’t give us too much confidence in a renewal, but with James Spader as the lead, we could see NBC being conflicted when it comes to not giving it another shot.

Excited to see The Blacklist return with some of these stories? Sound off now with some of your thoughts in the comments, and we’ll have more soon. (Photo: NBC.)