The Blacklist season 8 spoilers: EPs on Reddington’s illness, more

Today, The Blacklist executive producers Jon Bokenkamp and John Eisendrath were joined by Diego Klattenhoff, Harry Lennix, and others for a panel discussion for Comic-Con @ Home. While the majority of the panel was geared around the season 7 finale, we did get a few different teases for what season 8 will look like.

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First and foremost, we know that the big twist at the end of the episode has people talking. Based on what Bokenkamp said, everything is going to go even more haywire when it comes to Liz’s decision to betray Reddington:

“We didn’t get to finish our last three episodes. While that arc [of Liz choosing Katarina over Reddington] may seem a little bit accelerated because it was done in that final episode, I think it’s going to be clear of where she’s going when we start back up. It blows everything up … It’s going to be fun to watch unravel.”

Meanwhile, Eisendrath noted some of the heightened stakes that are going to be present on the show moving forward:

“We usually finish off the stories we were contemplating in a given year … This year, we have all the big stuff from the end of last season at the start of this season. Season 8 starts in a much more heightened, dramatic place than normal.”

Eisendrath and Bokenkamp confirmed that the episodes that have been written will still be filmed — the material is not being changed.

What about Reddington’s sickness?

Rest assured, that will be taken on. As for why it’s a major plot point, Eisendrath noted that it allows the team a chance to explore a more emotional side of the Reddington character:

“The idea that he is going to be afflicted by something [that] makes him more vulnerable and less superhuman … he has to deal with his own mortality, and that will give him a different perspective on not only his life, but the people he is interacting with.”

Bokenkamp noted that they are going to “drill down” more on whatever Reddington is dealing with moving forward. It’s not going to be nearly as ambiguous an illness.

One more tease: It sounds as though the dynamic between Ressler and Liz will be explored more — as Diego Klattenhoff put it, it’s “inevitable.”

What do you want to see on The Blacklist season 8?

Be sure to share right now in the comments! Also, remember to stick around for some more news when it comes to the NBC series. (Photo: NBC.)