The Most Obvious Clue to Red's Identity Was Right Here All Along

Has there ever been a more disappointing series finale than that of Game of Thrones Season 8? That would be the 13 July episode of Season 22 of Jon Bokenkamp's The Blacklist: Raymond Reddington (James Spader), the central character and guardian of the show's secrets, is abruptly killed by a bull, taking all the mysteries to the grave and dashing fans' hopes of getting answers to their numerous questions.

Now all the fan theories will forever remain theories. After Lize(Megan Boone) died in Season 8, the show's quality declined significantly, and then a decade's worth of speculation ended with nothing to show for it but Red's mutilated body. However, if we consider the true identity of the world's most dangerous criminal mind, we can find several clues that point us to a kind of answer, albeit not the most convincing one.

Who was Red? What was his relationship with Liz? Why was he so fixated on her and yet so incredibly compassionate? Although the show offers numerous clues that Reddington (at least the real Reddington, who is probably long dead) might be her real biological father, no definitive answers are ever given.

A fan theory has been around since the first season of the series, which offers at least a partial answer to these questions.

'Raymond Reddington is referred to colloquially as "Red" throughout the show. Katarina Rostova had red hair. Redarina confirmed,' a fan suggested.

While the comment was clearly written in jest, this proposition has some basis. The former red-haired KGB spy and Elizabeth Keen's biological mother, Katarina Rostova, portrayed by actress Lotte Verbeek, has only appeared in flashbacks. Her current status has always been uncertain, as we are repeatedly told throughout the series that she is either alive or dead.

Even Katarina's existence is questioned in the series; she could be a myth created by the USSR and embodied by various spies. Under these circumstances, it is quite plausible that the 'real' Rostova escaped by assuming the identity of the deceased Raymond. That would also explain the protagonist's deep involvement in Liz's life.

The Blacklist has consistently been a show about unanswered questions and perpetual contradictions, demonstrating how intricate, perplexing, and hazardous the world of espionage and crime can be. However, this is no excuse for the writers to leave fans in limbo the way they did with the finale.

'[Redarina theory fans] should accept the truth like the rest of us have to. Which is that we all wasted 10 years watching this show only to get no answers at all,' another fan concluded.

Source: Reddit.