The Blacklist shook things up a bit this week with a case that fell into Red's lap.

The first two investigations Red gave to the FBI were targets that he selected and presented to them. This time, the mysterious Chinese spy, "Wujing," reached out to Red for help decrypting a stolen CIA message and Red wanted Liz to go undercover to bring Wujing down.

I'm not sure if the origin of the case is the reason or not, but this investigation wasn't nearly as engaging as the previous pair. There weren't any unexpected twists in the end. Perhaps my disappointment comes from the expectation that Red would always be using the FBI to complete his own angle.

In this case, when he told Liz to leave the decryption box behind, I thought the device was being exchanged. Red made a payment with a bomb in the series premiere, so why not a decryption device? It wasn't. It was just about revealing the CIA asset's name, so the Chinese could kill him.

Red's motivations continue to be intriguing. He will only work with Liz. He's willing to put her life at risk, but he also will kill to protect her. He could have turned Wujing's request for help down, instead he brought it to the FBI. Whether or not he wanted Wujing caught or not is questionable, since it was Liz's quick thinking to leave her tracking patch on Wujing's car that led to his capture. 

The FBI took down a dangerous criminal who they didn't even know existed and Red got his payment from Wujing for a job well done. This is where the twist -- a mild one -- was revealed. Red's payment was six digits: 042983. They could mean anything, but at first glance they look like a date. April 29, 1983. They could just as easily be the combination to a locker full of cash or a password.

It's just another mystery to be added to the many that involve Raymond "Red" Reddington. The major question that both Liz and viewers have is why is Red interested in Liz. What is their connection? A telling clue was revealed.

Red: What's the question?
Liz: Why me?
Red: Because of your father. | permalink

Many viewers believe that Red is Liz's father. While I believe it's possible, I doubt the answer is that obvious or simple. And, I hope that he isn't her father for that reason, though I'm sure the writers could find a way to make even that answer shocking. My guess is that he's either a family member or someone that knew her criminal father. Or, was responsible for what happened to her father.

Liz seemed content with his response ... for now. She's not going to be patient for long, unless she becomes distracted with the other mysteries and lies in her life. She doesn't understand her connection to Red, but even more worrisome is the truth about her husband. Who is Tom? And, did he marry her out of love? Or, some hidden reason?

Tom presents himself as a teacher, but there's clearly much more to the story. Given that the gun was used in a classified homicide, it's still unclear whether he's on the right or wrong side of the law. Of course, there's always the possibility that Tom's being set up. 

Red was involved in the attack on Tom, so it wouldn't be far-fetched to believe that he put the box under the floorboards. That would be an ideal way to isolate Liz from her husband and push her closer to Red. 

The situation has become even more complicated now that an unknown person and/or entity has bugged the Keen household to watch and listen to their every move. Who's responsible for that? The FBI? Agent Ressling proved that he's suspicious of Liz, so he could have ordered it. Or, is it Red wanting to keep an eye on his beloved Liz? 

Even though the Chinese spy case wasn't all that compelling, "Wujing," overall was riveting due to the secrets, lies, and mysteries surrounding the main players. With each new answer, more questions are raised. I'm not sure there's anyone that Liz should trust right now besides herself.

Carla Day is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.