How The Blacklist Will Explain Liz's Alignment With A 'Powerful Enemy' After Her Long Absence

the blacklist season 8 misere megan boone liz keen nbc
(Image credit: NBC)

Warning: spoilers ahead for the April 16 episode of The Blacklist, called "Anne," and the episode description for next week's episode, "Misere."

Megan Boone has been missing from The Blacklist as Liz Keen for more than half of Season 8, but the events of "Anne" combined with what has been previewed for next week's "Misere" reveal that the show isn't just going to ease her back into the mix. Although she didn't appear on screen, Liz returned with a vengeance at the end of the latest episode, with Red identifying "Elizabeth" as the person holding Anne at gunpoint. Here's what's in store with the return of Megan Boone now that Liz has reentered the fray.

The (off-screen) return of Liz to hold Anne at gunpoint came as a shocker after it seemed like Red was going to be able to end the episode in a good place, reunited with an Anne who hadn't turned on him, and quite possibly able to at least hold onto hope that their relationship could endure. The danger seemed to have passed, but Liz seems to bring danger with her wherever she goes this season. And she's back!

According to the episode description for "Misere" next week, The Blacklist is going to fill in the blanks of where Liz has been for fans. And it will involve aligning with an enemy. Check out the episode description:

In a retrospective look at key turning points, steps are retraced that lead Elizabeth Keen to align with a powerful enemy.

The episode description doesn't exactly yield a whole lot of details, but the promise of a "retrospective look" suggests that The Blacklist is going to answer questions about where Liz has been and what she's been doing, and hopefully those answers will explain why she would "align with a powerful enemy." Liz will be back, but at what cost to who she was as a person and what her relationships were before she went on the run?

It's always hard to say anything with any certainty when it comes to a show as twisty and turn-y as The Blacklist, but not even this show could deliver an hour-long retrospective without also delivering some much-needed answers, right? The trailer for "Misere" definitely indicates that the episode will have plenty going on. Take a look:

Well, I have even more questions after that promo, with the biggest one being: how is Mr. Kaplan involved?! The voiceover sounds an awful lot like Mr. Kaplan, which presumably means that either she isn't dead after all or that she'll have a part to play via flashback or some other sequence that wouldn't require her to be alive and on hand. Liz has seen things that aren't there in the past, notably when she "saw" Tom after his death.

"Misere" is going to be retrospective, after all, so Mr. Kaplan's return could very well be entirely via flashback. Whatever happens may not be good for Red, but he kind of dug his own grave when it comes to making an enemy of Liz. He may not have seen Liz going quite this far, however! Who really could have?

See what The Blacklist has in store with Megan Boone's return in the flesh on Friday, April 23 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. The show has introduced some new killer characters in Season 8, and has already been renewed for Season 9, so whatever happens in "Misere" doesn't spell the end of the series, even if it could spell the end of other things.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).