Blacklist Season 8, Episode 19 Cast Bino

The question of whether Raymond Reddington is Elizabeth Keen's father has existed for as long as The Blacklist has existed. For a long time, it was the driving mystery of the series, until eventually, that concentrated question became diluted by multiple storylines suggesting maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, or maybe the answer was something more complicated altogether. But whether Raymond Reddington is Elizabeth Keen's father or not whether he's even Raymond Reddington or not there's no doubt in episodes like these that he has long treated her like a child.

No, Reddington isn't out here reading bedtime stories, or tucking a cheese stick under his fedora just in case Liz gets hungry while she's running for her life. But when Liz screams at Reddington that he's not going to get a thank you for "saving" her when she's on the run because of him, and Reddington responds, "You're not wrong, and I understand your anger," I could actually hear myself talking veeeeery slowly to my nieces who don't understand why they can't have cake for every meal.

Reddington is taking the classic Magda Gerber approach, where you show your toddler respect and empathy by acknowledging that you understand what they want, even if you can't allow them to have it for their own safety. Because toddlers are hardwired to push limits and explore boundaries, and you only have to spend a few minutes with one to know that "why" is their favorite question. But here's the thing: Liz isn't a toddler. She's a 35-year-old woman that has been stuck in the "why" phase of her relationship with Reddington eight-ish years. Reddington says he keeps Liz in the dark to protect her, but if he just keeps saying "I told you so" without ever telling her why she's in danger, Liz will never understand his secretiveness as protectionshe'll just see that he doesn't respect her.

And yet, there's no un-ringing this Reddington bell. As a result of his secrets, and her boundary pushing, Liz is no longer an FBI agent, and prison time is almost a promise at this point. Unless, or course, these two opposing forces can come together again to face the future that has probably been inevitable all along, no matter how many times Reddington has told Liz not to touch the hot stove. Sometimes getting burned is the only way to learn.