‘The Blacklist’ Sneak Peek: A Role Reversal for Ressler & Dembe (VIDEO)

Oh, how things have changed on NBC‘s The Blacklist for Season 9. For example, Donald Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff) is no longer an FBI agent, while Dembe Zuma (Hisham Tawfiq) is. And that means that as they work together on the Skinner case — which led to the death of Dembe’s partner — things get a bit tense, as you can see in TV Insider’s exclusive sneak peek of the October 28 episode.

“This is the only way this works,” Dembe says, but Ressler argues, “it’s not going to work.” See, the problem is that Dembe can’t enter a house, not because he’s still wounded, but because he doesn’t have a warrant. Such is the complication for agents. But “you’re not” one, Dembe reminds the other man.

As Ressler sees it, they have probable cause, so even though Dembe has good reason to wait (not wanting anything he finds to be tossed out in court), the former FBI agent refuses to just sit and wait. Dembe’s response may surprise him. Watch the clip above for more.

As you’ll recall, the Season 9 premiere jumped forward two years after Elizabeth Keen’s (Megan Boone) death. We found out that in that time that passed off-screen, the Task Force had disbanded, and Ressler didn’t exactly react well to Dembe becoming an FBI agent. Now in this next episode, “The Skinner: Conclusion,” in addition to this sure to be entertaining but oh so tense partnership, “a kidnapping poses a test for the capabilities of the Task Force as they contend with a mysterious pirating organization.”

The Blacklist, Thursdays, 8/7c, NBC