Season Nine of The Blacklist concludes with a two-part finale revealing Reddington‘s (James Spader) lawyer Marvin Gerard (Fisher Stevens) to be the man behind Elizabeth Keen‘s death and the recent attempts to steal Red’s criminal empire from under him. The first episode fills in the gap explaining reasons for Gerard’s choices, mostly jealousy over Red giving away what Gerard saw as rightfully his, through a series of flashbacks while Reddington and the task force both search for the man only to get in each other’s way. The two-parter ends in typical Blacklist fashion with Red getting his revenge while still helping the show reset the status quo and, as a bonus, lay the foundation for next season’s threat.
Moving on without your stars isn’t easy. While Megan Boone doesn’t make an appearance, Elizabeth Keen’s prescience is felt throughout the season. With her murder now solved, one would expect the show to change focus again especially given that yet another core cast member is leaving the show. The Blacklist worked best at its height by playing on the unusual relationship between Red and Lizzie, her absence continues to leave a hole at the center of the show which the season acknowledged but never found a way to fill. The Blacklist has been removed for another season, but its hard to see it ever reaching the heights of its best episodes without Elizabeth Keen.
