The Blacklist Season 6 Episode 22 Review: Robert Diaz
Lisa Babick
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Well, holy hell. Can we just fast forward to The Blacklist Season 7 already?
There were plenty of surprises on The Blacklist Season 6 Episode 22, but none as shocking and surprising as the Katarina Rostova reveal.
After all of the events of The Blacklist Season 6 Episode 21, I was sure I had it all figured out.
Boy, was I wrong.
Even during this hour when Red was sitting with that friend of his at the beach, I was convinced that Red was Katarina and the man was the real Ilya.
The way they were talking about their childhood, and Red saying how much he loved this guy sold me on the Red is Katarina story.
Related: The Blacklist Season 6 Episode 19 Review: Rassvet
But wow. Just wow.
I was not prepared for that ending.
Katarina Rostova is alive and well and is definitely not disguised as Raymond Reddington.
And to be honest, I wasn't that thrilled with this season finale up until that point which completely blew everything out of the water.
Related: The Blacklist Season 6 Episode 16: Lady Luck
Before I continue with this crazy Katarina story, let's talk about Diaz, Anna and the whole conspiracy.
It never got revealed what the conspiracy against the U.S. was, so it's possible that the conspiracy is still in play with Katarina right in the thick of it.
It's possible because of Diaz's involvement with the Russians whose help he sought on that drunken night four years ago with his wife.
Whatever this conspiracy is, it's either going to be a forgotten plot next season or it involves the Russians and the Germans.
And maybe the whole damn rest of the world. Who knows.
But Anna McMahon won't be part of it thanks to Dembe who returned to, once again, save Red's life.
It was a thrilling and welcome surprise.
And a relief. Red and Dembe belong together, and it was good to see Dembe's path led him back to Red.
Red's going to need all the help he can get now, and Dembe is just the person to lead the way.
And with Liz and the rest of the team behind him, Katarina Rostova has no idea what she's up against.
Anna: Agent Keen? She won't make it out of here alive.
Harold: Then you don't know Agent Keen.
Red and Liz teaming up to help free Aram, Harold, and Ressler from Anna's grasp was awesome.
I loved how Harold warned Anna that Agent Keen shouldn't be underestimated. He was right.
This is an Elizabeth Keen I can get behind.
All the events leading to the team's escape reminded me so much of what The Blacklist creators were trying to do with Tom Keen in The Blacklist: Redemption.
It had that fun, kind of quirky, Leverage feel to it where everyone had a part to play to make the plan work.
Even Vontae was involved, and it's always good to see him as part of Red's team.
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President Diaz planning to assassinate his wife was a complete surprise.
I knew she was involved somehow but didn't expect that twist.
I suppose Diaz could have killed his wife another way, but killing her in public forum like a debate would turn the tide in his favor, and his reelection would be secure.
I also wondered about whether he and Anna were lovers, but that's a moot point now.
Whether Diaz resigns, is killed, or will somehow remain part of the conspiracy plot remains to be seen.
And who cares about the conspiracy anyway when we have such a juicy twist like Katarina Rostova hiding in Paris, right?
Some questions need to be answered regarding why Red decided to move forward with a plan to contact Katarina.
It could be that he decided with Agnes returning home that maybe it was time to reunite his own family.
There were a lot of family moments this hour (the entire team eating dinner together at the restaurant was great), so there was a parallel.
Katarina didn't seem surprised to see Red, and the two certainly seemed to pick up right where they left off.
Someone had to have tipped her off that Red was coming to see her because she had it all planned out.
No one carries a needle full of knock out drugs just for fun.
What she has in store for Red is a mystery, but one that probably doesn't bode well for Raymond Reddington.
Why she would want to harm him is anyone's guess, but maybe she's harboring bad feelings for the life she's had to live since meeting him.
It couldn't have been easy to be away from her daughter and go into hiding.
But maybe she wanted it that way?
I don't believe Raymond is Ilya anymore although who knows with the way the story weaves around on this show.
So what does that mean regarding Red's identity?
Is Red really Red and there's some crazy twist about the night of the fire?
Maybe Liz didn't shoot Red after all?
But if Ilya isn't Red then why tell us the love story of Katarina and Ilya?
Could Katarina be an imposter?
And what about Dom's story? Was it even real, anyway?
I'm so confused -- and, yet, highly intrigued.
Another point to bring up is Red talking to Ressler about his pursuit of Red's identity.
There's no doubt Ressler's knowledge is going to come into play at some point next season whether it's because Liz is in danger or some other reason.
It wasn't just a random moment between Red and Ressler.
It's going to be a long summer, and I hope we don't have to wait until winter to see how everything plays out.
Please, NBC, give us a The Blacklist return this Fall!
Over to you!
What did you think of the finale?
Were you shocked at the Katarina Rostova reveal?
What's her plan? Is the conspiracy over or is more to come?
Why did Red want to contact her after all of this time?
Who is Red? Is he Ilya or was that a fictional story made up by Dom?
Hit the comments and let's discuss this craziness!
If you need to catch up, you can watch The Blacklist online right here via TV Fanatic!
