As we get prepared for The Blacklist series finale on NBC a little later this week, we also have to brace for any and all scenarios. This also, of course, includes some we don’t really want to think about, including the idea that Raymond Reddington could die.
So what is the case for this as the ending of the show? Well, for starters, he’s come close to it on a number of occasions already. He wanted Liz to kill him in season 8, he was previously very sick, and at one point, he nearly was killed behind bars. Yet, he has persevered through them all … but everyone needs to have an ending. If there is no other choice but to kill him, someone may have to.
Now with all of this being said, it still feels relatively unlikely that we’re going to see this at the end of this story. Why? Well, the simplest answer we can offer is that we don’t think many fans out there want this. While Reddington may be a criminal, he has also done a lot of good. We don’t think this story has instructed us that he needs to die. He’s already taken apart a good chunk of his criminal empire and with that, you can argue that he has prepared for this moment.
At this point, we wouldn’t be surprised if Reddington just ends this show retired somewhere that allows him to live more of a private, normal life. It may just be up to the Task Force — or, some specific members of the Task Force — to determine whether or not he is able to make that happen. Ressler could be the biggest x-factor within this final episode, mostly because of the fact that he has such a history with Reddington that stems even more the pilot. A part of him may be desperate to catch him, but he is also a different person from who he used to be in the past.
