Is This the Last Season of 'The Blacklist'? Will We Learn Red's True Identity?

NBC's The Blacklist has been airing for a whopping seven seasons, which is no small feat in network television these days. And while there are still plenty of questions surrounding Red, there are also signs pointing to some looming conclusions. So the question remains...

The show was renewed for a seventh season back in March and had its season premiere on Friday, Oct. 4. And like always, there is lots of drama. But there seems to be some question as to whether or not this will be the show's last season. 

You see, James Spader's contract is up at the end of this season. That fact, combined with the sad truth that this show isn't quite raking in the ratings the way it used to, is leading some fans to believe that this might be its last season.

While there is nothing set in stone quite yet, the season premiere hinted that at least some of the show's long-standing questions might be answered in upcoming episodes. It's been seven seasons, which is a hugely impressive run! 

And it does seem like the show's writers are on their way to wrapping things up in a neat little package for diehard fans. 

For seasons now, the truth of Red's identity has remained a mystery, but there have been so many twists and turns, and it does seem like the show is moving toward giving up his real story. 

After Red spent years claiming she was dead, we learned at the end of Season 6 that Katarina is very much alive. And not only that, but she drugged him and kidnapped him. What a cliffhanger to leave people with, am I right? 

In the season premiere, though, Red remained loyal to Katarina, despite remembering that she drugged him. Why would he do that? Does it have something to do with his past? 

One thing is for sure: Katarina is a fascinating and terrifying character, and if she can get under Red's skin this much, there has to be a lot to their story that we're not yet privy to. 

Last season, it was revealed that Red is actually Ilya Koslov, a childhood friend of Katarina's. But something about that revelation seemed fishy, and now it seems it might not be true after all. Red may not be Ilya, but it does seem like the show is moving closer and closer to giving us an answer about his identity. 

The show-runners and writers of The Blacklist are scarily good at taking us down one path and making it seem completely plausible before ripping the rug out from underneath us. 

Red has successfully snaked his way through the world and avoided telling the truth for seven whole seasons. But it seems like his past may have finally caught up with him. 

It's likely that this is the last season for The Blacklist, and it seems like the writers know that. Judging from the premiere, we're in for quite a twisty, turn-y, drama-filled seventh season, in which we inch closer and closer to the answers to the questions that have been plaguing viewers for so long.