Season Analysis

The Blacklist

Season 5 Analysis

Season Woke Score

out of 10

Season Overview

Feeling surprisingly unencumbered, Raymond Reddington is back, and in the process of rebuilding his criminal empire. His lust for life is ever-present as he lays the foundation for this new enterprise - one that he'll design with Elizabeth Keen by his side. Living with the reality that Red is her father, Liz finds herself torn between her role as an FBI agent and the temptation to act on her more criminal instincts. In a world where the search for Blacklisters has become a family trade, Red will undoubtedly reclaim his moniker as the “Concierge of Crime.”

Season Review

Season 5 of The Blacklist is primarily a character-driven crime thriller that centers on the identity mystery of Raymond Reddington and Elizabeth Keen's descent into a dark pursuit of revenge. The core narrative avoids overt political lecturing, focusing instead on personal vendettas, criminal enterprises, and the internal dynamics of the FBI task force. The biggest area of ideological concern is the portrayal of traditional family roles and an episode that demonizes a religious figure. The central conflict revolves around the search for a suitcase containing human bones and the shocking reveal that the man Liz knows is an impostor. This key plot point sets the stage for later, more ideologically charged themes, but the season itself keeps the focus on the mechanics of crime and betrayal. Elizabeth Keen's character arc shifts her toward a 'Girl Boss' model by prioritizing her quest for vengeance over her child, a strong anti-natalist message. The main cast remains racially diverse without commentary on the casting choices.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics2/10

The narrative centers on the mystery of Raymond Reddington's identity, which is a personal secret about who he *is*, not a lecture on systemic power dynamics or immutable characteristics. The task force is naturally diverse, featuring a Black director, a Middle Eastern agent, and an Asian-American agent, with all characters judged solely on their professional skills and loyalty to the mission. The main villain of the season, Ian Garvey, is a corrupt white US Marshal and drug kingpin, showing institutional corruption is not tied to a single race.

Oikophobia2/10

The show critiques corruption within law enforcement agencies like the US Marshals and the larger criminal underworld, which is a standard genre trope for a high-stakes crime drama. It does not frame Western civilization, home culture, or ancestral heritage as fundamentally racist or evil. The criminal element is global, and the primary law enforcement figures, while occasionally compromised, are generally depicted as dedicated professionals fighting chaos.

Feminism7/10

Elizabeth Keen's character arc embraces the 'Girl Boss' trope as she abandons her role as a mother to pursue a mission of revenge. Keen gives up custody of her daughter, Agnes, to focus on avenging her husband's death and discovering Reddington's secret. A female task force agent, Samar Navabi, pushes her male partner, Aram, to seek more dangerous field work to stand 'shoulder-to-shoulder' with her. This frames the career-focused pursuit of criminal vengeance and a rejection of the traditional home/family structure as the source of a woman's vitality and fulfillment.

LGBTQ+3/10

The season's finale reveals that Raymond Reddington is an impostor and the bones belong to the real, deceased Raymond Reddington. This reveal lays the foundation for the later 'Rederina' theory, which holds gender and identity transition implications, but the season's narrative itself focuses on the deception of identity for the purpose of protection and survival, not sexual ideology or a queer theory lens. The plot is not centered on alternative sexualities.

Anti-Theism8/10

An episode features a Blacklister who is a Catholic priest of an obscure religious order. This religious figure is portrayed as a serial arsonist and misogynist who murders women and leaves hidden religious messages at his crime scenes. This directly links a man of faith and a religious institution with homicidal evil, framing traditional religion as a catalyst for depravity.