The Blacklist interview: Amir Arison talks season 6 finale, Aram’s journey
Ultimately, what we’ve come to learn is this — right when you think you know exactly what’s going on within this world, you really don’t. Something else happens, and that turn is what constantly gets you excited for the next permutation of this world. Tonight in “Robert Diaz,” the primary focus is going to be about trying to stop one Anna McMahon from executing her plan. Unfortunately for the Task Force, it won’t exactly be easy for them to do so. That’s what happens when much of the team gets locked away! Aram, Cooper, and Ressler are going to find themselves cut away from the rest of the group tonight, with the photo above of Aram serving as proof of that very thing.
So what happens next? Below, Amir Arison sets the stage for the finale, the big ending, and where he’d like to see Aram go from here. We also break things down further in the video at the bottom of this article — for more news, be sure to subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube.
CarterMatt – It’s been a little while since Aram lost Samar, and since his battle-of-sorts with Reddington. What sort of place is he at mentally entering the finale?
Amir Arison – Aram has certainly come a long way since absolutely hitting rock bottom, the loss of Samar. At the end of his negotiation with Mr. Reddington, who helps Aram realize that the only way to truly help Samar is to let her go…Aram had to kind of lean into his purpose – saving lives and working harder than ever with the Task Force, and obviously to stop Anna McMahon and all the corruption that’s been happening. As Aram’s continued on in the season he’s gotten braver, definitely more fearless and that surely manifests in the finale where I think his mind is dead set on stopping the bad guys. You’ll see Aram out in the field, you’ll see him doing things that you we have not seen him do before, and I just felt like everything he’s been through this season has allowed him to be able to do that. It’s earned. That being said, his heart will never forget her, and that might reveal a tiny bit too.
Aram and much of the Task Force are entering this episode in a really tough position thanks to Anna McMahon. Is there anything that they can do to get out of their imprisonment?
Well, you’re going to have to watch tonight. But I’ll say that it is not easy, it does not happen as one would expect, and just when you think it might happen there is a curveball—as you might expect from any episode of The Blacklist — but there are A LOT of curveballs in this single episode. I worked a lot on this one — everybody did — it’s a true ensemble effort to make that question you are asking happen…if it happens.
Without giving anything away, how would you describe the ending to the finale? Are jaws going to be on the floor?
I will just say that when I read it, I was like, “Whaaaaaat?” And that’s all I’m gonna say on that. I want to keep my job.
Is there anything specific you want to explore for Aram next?
I’ve got to give credit to the writers for really handling the delicate situation that Aram was in after he lost Samar. The evolution of him towards the end of the season, of really leaning into his job — and leaning into new aspects of his job — because we’re also down a task force member that Aram’s been forced to do more including interrogating perps and suspects. That has been something new and really special, and they wrote it in a beautiful way that feels just right. I really enjoy how Aram interrogates in a very sensitive, human way. Just trying to speak to the human and the humanity inside of the “bad guys” or “suspects.” He does believe that people know right from wrong whether they choose to do it or not. And I just feel like that’s a special way to interrogate that we don’t often see. and I’m loving that new aspect.
(Photo: NBC.)