The Blacklist season 6 theory: Why is Reddington sick?

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While there have been a number of storylines on The Blacklist season 6 that we’ve seen front and center at the heart of the show, others have sort of simmered. They are the groundhogs popping up and occasionally burying themselves back underground.

At the moment, we consider the physical condition of one Raymond Reddington to be one of these said situations. We know that he’s sick — that’s been made clear in some form for most of the season. That’s why he was funding some of Stark’s medical practices, and that’s why we’ve seen him occasionally get treatment over time.

The question that you have to wonder is rather simple: Why is this happening now, and has it in some way always been happening? We’d argue no there, but we think that whatever is befalling Reddington medically at the moment is something that he’s been prepared for as a possibility for a rather long period of time. Typically, you don’t fund research out of nowhere; whatever is ailing our favorite criminal mastermind is something that he’s known about for a while. This is just the point where he’s having to actually treat himself for what’s going on. It was another reason why it was so precarious for him to be in jail.

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So what could he be suffering from that is so specific that only this research would to ensure that he stays okay? We’ve got a few different possibilities worth thinking of.

1. It’s something that has to do with his transformation. Maybe what happened to him at the hands of Dr. Hans Koehler left him with some side effects, one that he knew would eventually cause him to need some sort of additional treatment. Maybe, in that sense, he’s been preparing himself for decades for this.

2. It’s genetic in some way. Yet, because we don’t know Reddington’s true genetics, we don’t actually have a sense as to what this disease is or how it is transmitted.

3. It’s a disease that he picked up from another Blacklister – If that’s the case, wouldn’t that set up for an exciting storyline down the road where he gets Liz and the Task Force to help him track down whoever he feels is responsible for the current state of his physical health? If nothing else, this certainly would prove to be a fun story that gives us a generous dose of backstory at the same time.

Will the producers really address this during season 6?

They may not. If this illness is something that could impact Reddington his entire life, maybe this is something that they can save and integrate into the narrative coming up as some sort of enormous component for a season 7. In between the betrayal by Liz, the government conspiracy, and Ressler hunting down the truth on Reddington’s true identity, clearly there are a lot of things going on at the moment as-is.

What do you think is going on with Reddington’s sickness on The Blacklist season 6? Check out some of your thoughts in the comments. (Photo: NBC.)

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