The Blacklist season 4 spoilers: Mr. Kaplan, Reddington, Liz’s history

The Blacklist season 4 returns to NBC on April 20, and the second episode that is airing on the night is huge for Mr. Kaplan. We’ve heard over the past month that there is a big origin story episode coming for the character, and this episode is going to be it.

However, it won’t just be limited to learning about this mysterious character; you’re also going to see both Reddington and an extremely-young Liz (as pictured below), as the episode takes you back in time to where the three were very much intertwined. Speaking in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, executive producer Jon Bokenkamp passed along the following message:

“In the episode titled ‘Requiem,’ we get to step back in time and see Reddington through the lens of what is essentially an origin story. It’s a really compelling hour that involves Young Liz, her mother Katerina, her adopted father Sam Milan and, of course, Mr. Kaplan.”

There are significant reasons as to why this is an important story to explore right now, and it starts with the fact that Mr. Kaplan is so significant to the entire story of The Blacklist as we know it. She obviously has far deeper ties to Liz than we realized, and given that she’s still alive without Reddington knowing it, she also could have a connection to her future. Even if she was MIA for the final episodes of the show before the hiatus, we figure that she’s coming back eventually.

The prevailing theory at the moment is that she’s somehow responsible for what happened with Dembe and Red, and we wouldn’t be surprised if that is the case. With that being said, we also wouldn’t be disappointed. While it’s good to be shocked every now and then with some shows, there is also something to be said for strong-purpose-driven storytelling. If there is a proper motive and smart writing, it’s okay to chart out precisely how you get from point A to point B. Given that there is such a clear history between Mr. Kaplan and Red at this point, it makes sense that she would want to destroy his life. He almost ended hers.

(Photo: NBC)