The surprising events of the mid-season finale of Season 3 of “The Blacklist” left fans with many burning questions, mostly about Megan Boone’s Liz Keen getting arrested by the FBI.
Unfortunately, those questions can be answered once the show returns early in January next year after the show’s winter break.
Episode 8, titled “Kings of the Highway” saw the plan of James Spader’s Red’s getting derailed by some pesky highway bandits. The fugitive, who has spent the entire season crafting an escape plan, gets kidnapped by bandits called the Kings of the Highway, holding him out for a ransom.
This was after Red and Liz stopped in a gasoline station in West Virginia as they were on their way to Dembe, played by Hisham Tawfiq, who has been waiting for the special package they need to help them topple the Cabal.
Liz gets help from Mozahn Marno’s Samar. Unfortunately, Samar’s relationship with Ressler, played by Diego Klattenhoff, led the FBI to a tip on the whereabouts of Liz and Red.
Ressler asked Amir Arison’s Aram to investigate and the technician instantly figures it all out. He promised Samar he won’t tell Ressler about Red’s location, but ends up doing it anyway although he asked that Liz should be given a fair and proper trial.
While searching for Red, Liz ends up finding Jasper, a tow truck driver working for the Kings of the Highway and seduces him in an attempt to find Red.
Red’s escape plan from the group of bandits led to the death of the gang leader. The new man in charge is willing to make a deal with Liz, who has taken Jasper hostage.
Just when things are about to go well for Red and Liz, Ressler and the FBI show up to catch them. Red gets away, but Ressler chases Liz deep into the woods. The episode ends with Ressler pulling the handcuffs and arresting Ms. Keen.
The winter finale also saw Ryan Eggold’s Tom and Harry Lennix’s Cooper deal with the Karakurt, played by Andrew Divoff. Red said that they need to keep Karakurt alive, but when Solomon and a bunch of Cabal gunmen show up, it proved to be a difficult task.
The show is slated to return to NBC on January 7, 2016 with the season’s ninth episode titled “The Director.”
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, executive producer Jon Bokenkamp revealed some details about what fans can expect in the second half of Season 3.
Jon hints that the next episode will pick up immediately after the events of the last episode and will highlight David Straithairn’s Peter Kostsiopulos better known as the Director.
The showrunner hints that Samar may end up teaming with Red. This is a huge possibility after everyone in the FBI practically hates her especially Ressler who sent her away. Bokenkamp adds that Red and Samar have a very unusual and very mysterious relationship.
With regards to Liz’s arrest, the executive producer teases that rescuing Liz is the highest priority for Tom and Ressler, with Tom more dedicated to the mission to save his ex-wife.
In the future episodes, Tom will find himself aligned in an unexpected way with Ressler. The relationship between the two characters will be played up in the subsequent episodes.
Bokenkamp explains that there’s no love lost between the two guys especially when they have the same agenda – to save Liz. He adds that it would be interesting to have them unite in a way while it kills them both to have to do it together.
The next few episodes will also show Tom and Cooper after they barely escaped Mr. Solomon while having Karakurt in tow. However, whatever plan Red had with the Russian assassin now appears to be on hold because of the detainment of Liz.