The Blacklist Season 7 Photos Reveal Red As Katarina's Prisoner

The Blacklist James Spader Raymond Red Reddington NBC
(Image credit: Will Hart / Sony / NBC)

The first official photos from The Blacklist Season 7 are in, and they reveal Red as Katarina’s prisoner! If that sounds dire, just remember that he is the star of the show. That said, the wait for the NBC crime drama’s return just got even more intense. Series creator Jon Bokenkamp teased Katarina’s big bad status for a reason.

Ever since Katarina took Red prisoner, the question has been – why? These pictures hint at her motive. There is more to it than wanting Red off the grid for a while. She seems to want some sort of information. Why do I say this? Pictures revealed to EW from The Blacklist Season 7 appear to seal the deal. Check them out and then reconvene for more speculation below:

A photo posted by on

Red has been taken out of the dark suit he was in when Blacklist viewers last saw him. There is more going on than a wardrobe change, though. Katarina seems to have had Red drugged (again). In the second picture (press the arrow), she appears to be watching the results from behind some sort of monitoring system.

Is Katarina drugging Red to interrogate him about some sort of secret? Red is full of them. Remember, Liz and viewers still do not definitively know the answer regarding who he really is. Did Katarina just find out her one-time BFF is not who she thought he was? My brain already hurts trying to figure it all out, in the very best way.

There is truly no shortage of possibilities when it comes to Katarina’s potential motives for drugging Red. If Katarina has not kidnapped Red to get the truth about his identity, then what does she want? The location of a secret stash of money? A closer bond with her daughter? Does Red’s timeline hold the key to whatever it is?

What about Red’s mystery illness? Could that have something to do with Katarina taking Red prisoner? Again, the theories are pretty limitless at this point.

The Blacklist has time to sort it out, but Red has much less of it. I have to admit that I thought Katarina had Red taken to get him out of the way, so she could execute some plan. It did not occur to me that she may want some sort of info from him. Apparently, they did not tell each other everything.

Is the doorway to Red and Katarina becoming mortal enemies, officially open? It seems more feasible than ever before. Whether Katarina is trying to learn more about Red’s real origins or something more specific to their relationship, only time will tell.

Questions surrounding Red’s real identity will continue causing friction in Season 7, according to Jon Bokenkamp. What that means for Liz, Red, and everyone else will be a fun journey to embark on!

Find out what happens between Katarina and Red when The Blacklist returns as part of this fall’s premieres. Season 7 starts Friday, October 4 on NBC with new episodes airing Fridays at 8 p.m. ET. Catch up on previous seasons of The Blacklist on Netflix, along with lots of new content.

Britt Lawrence

Like a contented Hallmark movie character, Britt happily lives in the same city she grew up in. Along with movies and television, she is passionate about competitive figure skating. She has been writing about entertainment for 5 years, and as you may suspect, still finds it as entertaining to do as when she began.