‘The Blacklist’ Creator Teases Major Drama Coming After Season 6 Finale Murder Attempt

The Blacklist is not going to miss a second of the drama after the major Season 6 cliffhanger ending. The NBC crime drama is weeks away from its anticipated return, with fans finally getting to find out what happened after Red (James Spader) was stabbed and captured by Katarina Rostova (Laila Robins), Liz’s (Megan Boone) presumed dead mother.

Season 7 will kickoff at the exact moment the finale ended, with an action-packed episode that will introduce Katarina to audiences. Creator Jon Bokenkamp teased in a recent recent TVLine report he considers the character to be “the most formidable Big Bad that we’ve introduced.” The threat of the new character will also bring drama all the characters.

“[Liz] thinks Katarina is dead and hasn’t seen her mother since she was 4 or 5. If she were to meet Katarina, she may not know that it’s her mother, and there may be an opportunity for Katarina to come into Liz’s life in a way that is anything but motherly,” Bokemkamp teased to the outlet.

The producer also said viewers can expect “more clarity” about Red’s identity, after the reveal he might not be Ilya Koslov after all.

“More than any season before, we’re starting to fill in those blanks,” he hinted. “Big pieces of the story snap into place in ways that we’ve really not been able to do until now.”

Fans can also expect to find out more about the mysterious stranger Red met with on the bench. Bokenkamp said the character “will come back — and come back with some answers.”

The Season 6 finale ended on a stunning note for viewers after Red flew to Paris to meet with a mysterious “Her” after the mysterious man told him where he could find her. Red reunites with Katarina Rostova and the pair share a kiss. He tells her she is not safe, but before he can say anything else the woman stabs him in the stomach, with her men taking him away from the street.

“The season ended last year in crisis, and the season opens this year in even worse crisis,” Spader said in a new video released by E! Online. “There has been a lot of mythology that’s already been presented about Katarina Rostova.

Boone teased her mother’ return is “going to dramatically alter Liz’s life forever.”

“You don’t really even know what she’s pursuing, but she pursues it with a vengeance,” she added, also teasing “more action, maybe less secrets” this season.

The Blacklist will return for Season 7 Friday, Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.