Looks Like The Blacklist Is Putting Dembe's Loyalty To Liz To The Test

The Blacklist Dembe Zuma Hisham Tawfiq NBC
(Image credit: Virginia Sherwood / NBC)

Liz's secret and Dembe's knowledge of her secret are about to get a renewed spotlight. Red has been very preoccupied lately on The Blacklist. Almost getting executed will do that to a schedule. Since that near-death experience, Red has had to work to stave off the execution of others, namely Samar. In the aftermath of that, he had to deal with an angry Aram.

Thankfully, Aram and Red were able to come to terms and peace was made between the two. Fast forward to April 12's new episode, and The Blacklist and Red are turning their attention back to a major plot point. Who turned Red in? Dembe knows the answer, and in an exclusive clip shared with Rotten Tomatoes, he appears troubled by Red’s plans regarding the traitor. Check it out below:

Ready to speculate? Great. As the clip opens up, Red is talking about going after the business associates who betrayed him while he was incarcerated. That is when talk turns to the person who betrayed Red in arguably the worst way. The one who turned him in and accordingly, almost got him killed. Many episodes ago, Dembe learned that Liz was the one behind it.

Liz was able to convince him to keep that a secret from Red. Dembe learned about it while Red was in the midst of intense legal turmoil. That may have contributed to his ultimate decision. When Red asked Dembe if it was Liz who turned him in, Dembe lied and Red believed him. Now, Red is back on the case, putting Dembe’s loyalty to Liz to the test.

Dembe did not reveal why he decided to keep Liz’s secret, leading to several possible explanations. Was it to spare Red the pain of Liz’s betrayal? Or was it to save Liz’s life? Dembe has gotten an up-close and personal view of how Red handles traitors. He knows all about what happened to Mr. Kaplan.

Red’s plans for some of the people he is heading to confront in the clip likely include the death penalty. Hence, when Red says that the person who turned him in’s fate is sealed, Dembe knows he means their tomb. Will Dembe continue keeping Liz’s secret? Red is destined to learn the truth eventually.

He will never stop trying to find out who it is. If Liz is not going to reveal her guilt, it would be best to hear it from Dembe. That is if that truth is exposed anytime soon. The Blacklist’s creator, Jon Bokenkamp, did say there “may be some fireworks” if Red figures out Liz is the one who betrayed him. The key word being “may.”

How Red will handle learning that Liz is the traitor and that Dembe kept her betrayal a secret is anyone’s guess. Red may have to go back to Cape May to sort himself out. The Blacklist has given fans a reprieve from the impending doom of Liz’s secret coming out.

It appears it will be back in full force in this week’s episode. Of course, the previous week’s promo hinted at an all-out war between Red and Aram. So, there is reason to hope it will not be too dire. To be informed, check out the promo for tomorrow’s episode below:

Dembe is in a super tough position, thanks to Liz, and there is no winning in it. Hopefully, Liz will do the right thing and tell Red the truth herself. She made the mess, and it is on her to own up to it.

Find out if Dembe keeps Liz's secret or tells Red the truth when The Blacklist airs Friday at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

Britt Lawrence

Like a contented Hallmark movie character, Britt happily lives in the same city she grew up in. Along with movies and television, she is passionate about competitive figure skating. She has been writing about entertainment for 5 years, and as you may suspect, still finds it as entertaining to do as when she began.