The Blacklist lost a critical member of its cast last season. Mozhan Marnò, who had been with the show since Season 2, exited the series. Her character, Samar, was written off without dying. Albeit, Samar’s health was in a fragile place. Writing-wise, the door was left open for her to potentially return sometime in the future.
For the remainder of the season, Cooper, Aram, Ressler, and Aram comprised the Task Force. Could The Blacklist introduce another character to join them in Season 7? It is a burning question heading into the next installment. Series creator, Jon Bokenkamp, discussed the possibility, telling EW:
We’ve talked about that and are talking about it. It obviously changes the dynamic of the task force with Samar being gone. We’ve seen Aram sort of step into a role that he had wanted actually, to be field-trained and to be a bit more active. So, I would suspect we might see a little more of Aram in a more physical sort of role, maybe get out from behind the keyboard a little bit. But, also, yes we’re totally open to and have talked about other characters, both with the task force and with Red. You can see with Red one of the things we like to do is to bring in and introduce new and different and unusual people and I think the task force is no different. And so that is, I think, definitely something worth talking about.
Jon Bokenkamp’s answer makes it sounds like it could happen. It does not seem like they are in any particular rush. The Blacklist handled the changing dynamic well without finding an immediate replacement. In Samar’s absence, Aram did get to take on a more active role in the field, which I enjoyed.
Aram is such a great character, and anytime he can be utilized more is an excellent thing. Being without Samar has had a significant impact on the show. Jon Bokenkamp addressed the missing Task Force member situation in another interview. On the topic, Bokenkamp told Variety:
We miss having [Mozhan Marnò] on the show, but it does open the possibility of having someone else on the show and we’re always looking for that. We’ve killed off people on the show and sometimes we regret it. We blew up Alan Alda, who is a TV legend. We lost Mr. Kaplan, who was a great character. The story is ultimately what dictates that and oftentimes it can be painful but ultimately if it weren’t for some of these characters going it really does open up windows for us to have new people within the Task Force and within Red’s world. It’s such a strange and eclectic group of people that it’s always fun to bring in new characters
The new characters are always fun, in my opinion! Thankfully, The Blacklist did not do what it did with Alan Alda’s Alan Fitch or Mr. Kaplan to Samar. Their deaths make it next to impossible for them to return to the series, except in flashbacks. Samar could theoretically make a comeback. The hope that Red could find a cure for her condition is still out there. Even if he does seem sick himself.
Considering that The Blacklist seems to have an endless supply of interesting characters, it is really up to if and when they want to introduce someone new. I am in no hurry. The incredible ensemble they currently have works so well.
If they are going to introduce a new member of the Task Force in The Blacklist Season 7, I could see how it could happen. Red was taken captive by Liz’s long-lost mother, Katarina Rostova in the Season 6 finale. It is only a matter of time before Dembe, Liz, and the Task Force start trying to locate him.
Maybe, when they collaborate with law enforcement in France, they could make a connection with a potential recruit. If the team works well with them, I could see where that would dovetail.
There is a sign that viewers should be looking for to know if Aram is ready to move on after his breakup with Samar. Amir Arison, who plays Aram, said that the signal will be when he starts wearing brighter colored shirts again. Could that also be a clue that the Task Force is preparing to welcome a new member? Tune in and find out.
After this summer’s premieres, The Blacklist will return with Season 7 this fall on NBC. You can currently stream the series’ previous seasons on Netflix, along with a lot of other new content.
