The Blacklist Season 5 Episode 22 Review: Sutton Ross
Lisa Babick
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It was a race to the finish line on The Blacklist Season 5 Episode 22, but Liz ended up the victor after pulling a fast one on Red.
It was an exhilarating ride from start to finish and well worth the reveal at the end.
Some of you probably weren't surprised at whose bones the duffel bag contained. The theory that Red isn't the real Raymond Reddington has been floating around for some time now, but it was still a thrill to finally find out the truth.
I'm also glad that Fake Red wasn't revealed to be Katarina. That would have been way too over the top.
The reveal also sets up perfectly what will presumably be The Blacklist's final season.
Related: New Amsterdam Trailer: Ryan Eggold Returns to TV
While I still don't understand why Red didn't burn the bones to begin with after he killed the real Reddington, I'm sure it's something that might be addressed on The Blacklist Season 6.
At least I hope it will be because there has to be a good reason why Fake Red would want to hold onto those bones. Why wouldn't Dembe have told Fake Red to destroy them?
The other question is how Liz's grandfather (I forget his name) is involved in all of this. He obviously knows that Red is fake, so why has he gone along with the story for so long.
Liz's father knew about Red, too. He urged Fake Red to tell Liz the truth before Fake Red suffocated him.
So, why were all these people in collusion with Fake Red?
I want to know! NOW!! Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until The Blacklist Season 6. Midseason. That means we won't be getting the full story until 2019. Can you stand it?
Liz is a sly dog. I had an inkling that something was amiss when she apologized to Fake Red about pursuing the bones and not giving Fake Red his privacy.
She learned from the best and played on Fake Red's emotions to get him to the point of almost exposing himself.
Liz [to ghost Tom}: I know now that those bones in that bag are Raymond Reddington's. The real Raymond Reddington. My father. I know that this man is an imposter. Why he came into my life. Why he took your life. Why he spent the last 30 years pretending to be Raymond Reddington I'm going to figure all that out and then I'm going to destroy him.
Tom: Be careful, Liz. This man, whoever he is, he's dangerous.
Red: I know he is, but I'm not alone. I have help.
Jennifer: You ready?
Liz: Oh, yeah. I'm ready.
It's not clear what she would have done if Fake Red would have actually told Sutton Ross the truth before the FBI barged in.
Would she and Jennifer have confronted him then and there? Would they have forced him to give them an explanation before killing him?
The big question now is whether Liz will share what she knows with the Task Force or whether she and Jennifer are going to go it alone.
Related: The Blacklist: Returning for Season 6
Liz shouldn't really blame Fake Red for Tom's death. Sure, it was because of the bones that Tom died, but Fake Red didn't keep stabbing Tom in the gut. Ian Garvey is solely responsible for Tom's death.
I'll always hate him for that and Liz should, too, despite everything she knows now.
Harold won't be too happy if he ever learns what Liz did to get the truth. She lied to everyone to get Sutton Ross out of the Post Office, but she did what she had to do.
Who knows, he might look the other way.
If Liz shares what she knows, they're all going to want to bring Fake Red down. It wouldn't surprise me at all that they all join in on the hunt for the new truth.
Liz and Jennifer will need all the help they can get, and they'll need the FBI's resources to find out the answers they need.
I can't imagine that The Blacklist Season 6 is going to have any Blacklisters to hunt down unless the FBI continues to let Fake Red think he's doing them a service by handing over new Blacklisters.
It's not going to take long for Fake Red to figure out that he's being hunted. He'll get a whiff of something soon enough.
He should never have underestimated Liz. None of us should have underestimated her. She's a badass.
Still, I can't help but feel for Fake Red. He's provided so much entertainment for the last five seasons; it's hard not to always be on his side. I don't feel betrayed by him.
Like I mentioned before, there has to be a good reason why he did what he did. Call me a fool, if you will.
And remember all the people who knew the truth and still stuck with Fake Red anyway. Liz's grandfather. Liz's dad. Mr. Kaplan. Jennifer's mom. Dembe. They all knew the truth but were willing to keep his secret.
There's something to be said about that.
Also worth noting is that when Liz had the DNA test to see if Fake Red was her real father, it came back that he was. So, did Fake Red rig that report? Or is it possible that Fake Red really is Liz's father?
And if Fake Red is Liz's father, doesn't that make him Jennifer's father, too?
I know the idea of revising Who's the Daddy is not something any Blacklist fan wants to do, but now there is reason to revisit it.
There are plenty of things that need to explanation, and I hope The Blacklist writers can get it done on The Blacklist Season 6.
Although it was renewed for 22 episodes, there's no way they'll all air if The Blacklist won't be returning until midseason. They have 13 episodes to tell the story unless there will be a Season 7 with another nine episodes the following Fall.
I hope not. Get it done in one. No need to drag it out any longer than necessary.
What a huge turn around from the beginning of the season when Liz and Fake Red were having a grand time together. Those were good times, weren't they?
While Liz has a right to be angry about everything, she still has to realize that Fake Red was good to her throughout most of his deception. There were so many times when Fake Red saved her ass. She has to remember that as she digs into finding the truth.
And who knows? The truth about Fake Red and the real Raymond Reddington might surprise us all.
A couple of final thoughts.
Did anyone else think that maybe Tom wasn't dead when Liz was talking to him? That would have been a huge twist -- if Ryan Eggold didn't have his new series coming out in the Fall (New Amsterdam.) Still, it was still nice to see him back on The Blacklist, though!
Samar coming out of her coma so fast was great -- and a little unbelievable -- but I'll go with it. I'm looking forward to seeing something happy next season!!
And, yes, that was John Waters at the suit place. His interaction with Fake Red was a delight. Didn't he say something about this being the real Raymond Reddington? Clever.
Over to you.
What did you think of the big reveal?
Were you surprised at Liz's trickery?
Any speculation on why Fake Red killed the real Raymond Reddington?
How will the series end?
Hit the comments and share your thoughts!
If you need to catch up, you can watch The Blacklist online right here via TV Fanatic!
