The Blacklist‘s season 2 premiere won’t open with the revelation that everyone is expecting.
If James Spader’s Red Reddington really is Elizabeth Keen’s father, it will be a storyline that is explored later in the series.
The actor recently fielded questions ahead of The Blacklist‘s season 2 premiere on September 22 and offered some clues about what fans can expect.
Spader discussed the burn marks that were seen on his character’s back in the Season 1 finale. While initially it was presumed that these marks would trigger the revelation about Red/Elizabeth’s relationship, Spader says this isn’t necessary the case.
“That story has not been extrapolated on,” said Spader, who was in the process of filming Episode 4 when he spoke to the media. “That’s something to just let percolate for a bit. Elizabeth Keen has spoken of a memory of being in a fire when she was a child, and somebody pulled her out of that fire. She may be assuming that it’s her father, but we’ve never said whether it’s her father or not.”
Spader alluded to the fact that simply revealing that Red is Liz’s biological father would be the “easy” way out.
“If the route is circuitous enough, the destination becomes less and less important,” the actor said. “I wonder whether that will continue to be the most important question that people ask as the show goes on, or whether the more immediate relationships and the nature of those relationships will eventually become more compelling. Given our show and what our show is, I don’t think anything is as simple as it appears.”
