Does Red Die in ‘The Blacklist’ Winter Finale?

THE BLACKLIST - James Spader
Preview
Virginia Sherwood/NBC

Say it ain’t so that someone got the better of The Blacklist‘s criminal mastermind turned FBI helpmate Red Reddington (James Spader). Things sure don’t look good for Red in the February 23 winter finale of NBC’s The Blacklist. And he may not be the only one.

Though, as awful as he’s been, Red is the one fans—and Agent Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone)—care about. “ The [FBI] task force is in desperate search for the designer of a very specific poison,” says exec producer Jon Bokenkamp. “They’re hunting for a particularly deadly Blacklister known as the Apothecary. Searching for this criminal will hopefully provide those much needed answers for Red, but there’s also no reason to believe this is an isolated case. The Apothecary is a one-stop shop for mysterious illnesses.”

Keen, of course, is determined to save her twisted guardian angel. “Red has brought a lot of chaos into her life,” the Bokenkamp notes,  “but he has answers to so many questions. And he’s protected her from danger on numerous occasions. Time to return the favor.”

The episode, described as a “whodunit,” will end with a cliffhanger that sets up the remaining episodes of the season. The show returns in April. (Enjoy The Blacklist: Redemption in its absence.)

Personally, if Red bites the dust, rather than at the hands of  some mad chemist, I’d like to see it done by the aggrieved Mr. Kaplan (Susan Blommaert), the loyal aide he thinks he’s killed. Where have they been keeping her anyway?

The Blacklist, Thursday, Feb. 23,  9/8c, NBC