‘The Blacklist’ Finally Reveals Raymond Reddington’s Real Identity

The Blacklist fans have been waiting a long time, but they finally know the real identity of the man impersonating Raymond Reddington.

The big twist came at the end of Friday’s two-hour special outing for the series, which also saw Liz (Megan Boone) confess to Red (James Spader) that she was the one who turned him into the police at the beginning of the season.

During the 8 p.m. episode, Liz finally admitted her betrayal to the man pretending to be her biological father, leading to an emotional scene which gave Spader to show off his acting skills as Red did not know how to react to the news.

As first reported by TVLine, Liz reveals she only did it because she was desperate to learn the truth about who Red really is, but things changed after seeing how close he came to being killed.

“I don’t care about who you were, I care for who you are,” Liz told her asset and sometimes friend. Red, however, said he might not be able to forgive her betrayal, or that of his loyal helper Dembe, who kept Liz’s secret for weeks and even lied to him about it.

After receiving advice from Liz’s grandfather, Red returns home to find Dembe packing up to leave, though Red makes an effort to repair their trust.

“I went away to think about you and me, and all I could think was that I missed you,” Red tells his friend. “But I realized you don’t need my forgiveness, ever. Because when it comes to this, you can do no wrong.”

Despite the emotional moment, Dembe makes the decision to leave Red behind, at least for now, in order to search for his own path in the world.

The second hour followed with Liz visiting her grandfather, to beg him into sharing the real identity of the man she knows as Red, and he surprisingly comes clean.

The flashback-heavy hour saw Katarina Rostova seek to establish a new life and identity after avoiding drowning in the ocean. With the help of Ilya Koslov (Gabriel Mann), the pair come up with a plan to steal $40 million from the real Red in order to finance their escape from the KGB’s grasp.

The heavy security in the bank where Red is holding the money creates a problem, though Ilya is not concerned, as he decides to become Red in order to achieve their mission, with the fact that the real Red was already dead at the time making the scheme so much easier. It is then revealed Ilya made the decision to become Red in order to protect Katarina — Liz’s mother.

Back in the present Liz meets up with Red/Ilya and says she’s grateful for what he did all of those years before, and for choosing a life of running for Katarina.

“I am what I am,” a cryptic Red responds, looking unhappy that Liz knows the truth. “Popeye the Sailor Man.”

Later, Dominic finds Red at his home and he confronts him about telling his granddaughter the truth. Dominic believes he did the right thing, and says he deserves a “Thank you” for finally telling the truth.

“Is that what you think you did? Because I think you may have made things worse,” Red responds. “So, from the start — what did you tell her? Word for word.”

What is so dangerous about the truth? The Blacklist returns next Friday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.