The Blacklist season 5: The (eventual) unraveling of the suitcase mystery

Entering the second half of The Blacklist season 5 next week, the implication is pretty clear that the suitcase mystery is going to take center stage eventually. It won’t be there right away, but you cannot think that Tom Keen died just for this storyline to be buried in the recesses of show lore. At some point, Liz will discover some of what her late husband was working on at the time of his death. After this, it’s rather fair to say that all bets are off and stuff is seriously hitting the fan.

For a little bit more news on this, and how Liz is going to react after she learns the truth about the suitcase, show boss John Eisendrath had the following to say to TV Guide:

“That is going to be very emotional for her, learning that Tom was engaged in yet another secret quest, after all the other secret quests that he had kept from her that she had thought were in their past … And then, to discover that Red is involved… It’s going to deeply affect her relationship with Red, when she realizes that all of the events that led up to Tom’s death have, once again, to do almost entirely with secrets that Red is keeping from her.”

Let’s boil this down to what this story could eventually become all about. Whether directly or indirectly, Liz could end up holding Reddington responsible for the death of her husband and that is a very big deal.Were it not the suitcase, Tom would’ve obviously been in a different position; more importantly than that, one of the main arguments that Reddington has long made is that he will never lie to Liz. Yet, he has. This is a man with no moral high ground anymore and while he may want a sort of idealized version of Liz, it’s becoming all the more clear over time that this may not be a relationship that is actually possible to sustain. There are too many issues and roadblocks popping up for it to be so.

Ultimately, it’s appropriate that the winter premiere for The Blacklist is entitled “Ruin,” given that the series, and some of the key relationships, are going to be heading towards ruin at the current pace that they are on.

What do you want to see with Reddington and Liz on The Blacklist season 5 moving forward?

Photo: NBC