Over the last two weeks I've kinda gotten further sucked into the inner depths of The Blacklist fandom. In many ways it's been a blessing; I've dipped my toes in each of the theory camps, read all the opinions, and met some really cool people.
[Season 8 The Blacklist Spoilers Ahead]
On the other hand, it has come to my distinct attention that people hate Elizabeth Keen. Like, really. They hate what the writers have done to her character, they think her trajectory was ruined, and in this upcoming Red vs Liz battle, they not only think she has no chance of winning; they think there shouldn't even be the possibility for her to have a chance (like the writers implied she did when she won the battle in 804). To be clear: I love Liz! I love her!!! She's proven time and time again how intelligent, resourceful, and badass she is, and I just.....love her.
So yes, the fact that so many people hate Liz irritates the hell out of me, but more on that in a second. First of all, a quick sidebar to say that if you hate Liz and then feel the need to take it out on Megan Boone... no. Just no. I absolutely adore Megan Boone. I think she completely brought the dynamic character that is Elizabeth Keen to life, and I wholly wish she had a Twitter so that I could tell her, but alas, she doesn't so if anyone reading this has a direct line to Megan... please tell her I love her and she's doing a great job and please don't listen to people whining.
Megan Boone Love Rant over. Now back to Liz.
In my head, I have been thinking about season 8 Liz as Dark Liz, so that's how I'm going to distinguish between past and present Liz in this post.
So, everyone, here's what's clear to me: Dark Liz was inevitable, and I firmly believe this was a completely reasonable place to go for her character arc. From the very beginning, when Liz profiled herself in the pilot, she stated she was fascinated by the criminal mind. She wanted to know how their brains worked, and Reddington spent careful time teaching her exactly that.
In season 1, he trained her to think like a criminal. Then, when she had to become a fugitive in season 3, he taught her how to be a criminal. And when Red's empire came crumbling down in season 4, he taught Liz how to rebuild a criminal enterprise. And all that time... all that time, Liz has been Reddington's shameless, transparent, unmistakable weakness.
So really, the fact that Liz was able to think like a criminal, using relationships to her advantage, and use her extremely unique position as Red's blind spot, and start to build a criminal kingdom of her own does not surprise me. It actually feels like the natural course of events because that's what she's been learning this whole time.
Every season has to build on top of the last, and we as the audience are too comfortable having Liz and Reddington on the same side. Sure, they've had their fights (and by fights I mean the usual, sending Reddington to jail no big deal), but they always end up together, stronger as a team.
...But I think it's clear in this early season that a switch has been flicked. The water in Liz's cup of patience has been trickling out for awhile, but when Red murdered her mother right in front of her... it was the tipping point. She, along with, I imagine, a lot of us, are tired of the half-truths. From the very beginning, we have been wondering the same thing: Why did Reddington choose Elizabeth Keen? I think Liz is starting to feel the weight of how long she's waited for just something honest from Red. It's been seven years, going on eight, and I think Liz believes if she hasn't been able to get any honest answers from him by this point, she'll never get anything from him in the future.
And you know, since she won't get any answers, she lets her anger take over and tries to kill Reddington. That initial car bomb scene was...kinda crazy. I think initially I wasn't completely sold on Liz being able to kill Red. However, I've been thinking about it and... what if Liz wasn't willing to kill Red? It seems like that is her secret weapon. Just as Liz herself said, she has the advantage over Red because she's willing to kill Red while he is not willing to kill her. I essentially think it makes for better television that Liz would kill Red. But do I think it aligns with her character? I'm not so sure. I definitely think Liz would regret it if she ever did successfully kill him.
Overall, though, what I want to get across is that Dark Liz shouldn't be a slap in the face, considering what we already know she's done. From killing Navarro using Stewmaker tricks, to her deathly (and completely badass) games in "Ruin," we know Liz. We know she's gone through hell and back ever since Reddington entered her life, and we know that through it all, she's had to adapt. From the very beginning, she's been an active character. I think she's honestly the most active character I've ever seen. She knows exactly what she wants and she's determined to get it, no matter what it takes.
Needless to say, I'm thrilled to see where this story goes. I am so excited to see how Dark Liz plays out, especially with regards to her relationship between herself and Reddington, and herself and the Task Force (especially Ressler, obviously). For me, The Blacklist is so much about relationships, whether that be the ones Red has with his associates and the Task Force, or the ones between members of the Task Force, and the primary relationship of the show has always been Red and Liz. To put a knife between them and have them face off after years of working together, is going to introduce a completely new dynamic.
I cannot wait for tomorrow's episode y'all!! See you after.
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