The Blacklist is gearing up to deal with another memory manipulation in Season 7, which just introduced another twist. First, a refresher because it has been a while since this plot point was brought up. Back in Season 4, Episode 19 (“Dr. Bogdan Krilov (No. 29)”), a doctor who could manipulate memories told Liz that a “mutual acquaintance” had hired him to extract specific memories from her.
At first, Liz thought Dr. Krilov (the memory manipulator) was referring to the mind wipe incident from 25 years prior, but he was not. Krilov insisted that he had been hired to extract memories just two years before. Given that this episode of The Blacklist aired in Season 4, this would have, presumably, happened in Season 2.
No matter the timeline (Red’s is obviously important), the issue is going to be dealt with again by The Blacklist in Season 7. The crime drama is circling back to Liz’s second memory manipulation, according to series creator and executive producer Jon Bokenkamp. On whether The Blacklist would address it, Bokenkamp told TVLine:
The short answer is ‘yes’. We are going to be doing an episode that dives into memory extraction and manipulation, but [it will not be] about Liz’s memories. This time we’re doing something entirely new, and these memories are going to give us a fresh perspective on the events we’ve already seen. Buckle up.
My seatbelt is on, but wait, what? Based on how I am reading this, The Blacklist will not have an upcoming episode that specifically dives into Liz’s memories. However, it is going to give viewers a shot at a fresh take on everything The Blacklist has shown so far by dealing with someone else's memories. I wonder if this has to do with what Ressler remembers?
Liz’s maybe-future-love-interest was also worked on by Dr. Krilov, who implanted memories into Ressler. The Blacklist episode that revealed Liz’s potential memory tampering also dealt with Ressler’s mental manipulation. The plot thickens! Will any of this tie back to Liz and Red’s potential trust issues?
Remember, Red denied having hired Krilov to extract any other memories aside from the ones he had taken when Liz was a kid. So, why was Krilov hired to remove these additional memories from Liz? Krilov claimed it was because she had uncovered “certain truths about Raymond Reddington.” There is undoubtedly a lot Liz does not know.
Wait, there is more! Krilov told Liz that “he” could not have her remembering those truths, indicating it was Red who was behind the memory wipe. Maybe it was not? Who else has a motive? Could it be Red's dear friend Frank? His return has been teased to bring about answers and when he met Liz, he seemed to know her. It is fair to say that Red remains the primary suspect, though.
Season 7 is said to unfurl some “revelations” that could have Liz’s trust in Red rattled. Learning that Red lied about manipulating her memories a second time would certainly do that. Liz found out about the second potential mind wipe before she learned that Red is actually an imposter in The Blacklist’s fifth season finale.
That info entirely re-contextualizes Liz’s memory situation. Deep down, could Liz actually know who Red really is? Has the truth been locked away from her for five seasons? The Blacklist bringing this puzzle piece back into play should set speculation ablaze!
New episodes of The Blacklist will be airing this winter on Fridays, at 8 p.m. ET, on NBC. You can refresh your memory about Liz's by watching The Blacklist, Season 4, Episode 19 (specifically starting at the 36:48 mark) on Netflix, along with lots of upcoming content.
