A Reminder That Red Is Kidnapped on 'The Blacklist' and the Only Woman He Trusted Betrayed Him

Though The Blacklist is about to be in its seventh season, there are still twists and turns that keep fans at the edge of their seats. The show centers on Red Reddington (James Spader), the FBI's most-wanted fugitive, who eventually decides to assist them in catching other criminals.

When the Season 6 finale of the NBC show aired, Red was kidnapped by a woman he once loved, and whom fans had previously believed was dead. 

Why is Red kidnapped on The Blacklist? And what is Red's real identity and name? Where Season 6 left off and the introduction of the new character that changed everything for the series' star.

Throughout the show, Red had assured special agent Liz Keen (Megan Boone) that her birth mother, Katarina Rostova, was dead. Katarina and Red had once had a relationship, and though it was assumed that Red was Liz's dad, it was later confirmed that the character we know as Red is actually someone else entirely, and he's been impersonating Red Reddington for years.

In a shocking twist, it was revealed on the Season 6 finale that Katarina was alive. The former KGB agent was living in Paris, and Red sought to find her. When he did, the two kissed, which was when Katarina drugged him and kidnapped him.

Red was taken to an unknown location in a van where he will live as her prisoner in Season 7. 

Katarina's motive for taking Red is not fully clear yet, but we do know that Red holds on to information that she needs. She also is aware that Red is impersonating the real Red Reddington, so a reveal on his true identity might be coming as well. We'll likely be seeing Katarina torturing Red until Liz and her team find out where he is.

There are a lot of theories circulating ever since it was revealed that Red isn't who he says he is. Liz accidentally shot the real Red (aka her dad) when she was a child, and a fire supposedly took his life. Dom, Liz's grandfather/Katarina's dad, told Liz in the Season 6 finale that Red's real name is Ilya Koslov. If this ends up being true, it means that Red has been doing a great job of losing his Russian accent. 

Ilya and Katarina were childhood friends, according to Dom, which would explain why Red has felt so connected to her throughout the show, and why he so easily succumbed to her flirtation. When the real Red was killed, the fake Red took over his identity (confusing, we know), which entailed him getting extensive plastic surgery to look like Liz's dad.

If Dom is telling the truth, it means that a lot of things we know from the show aren't real. We had once assumed that the Red we knew was Liz's dad, and that her mother had died long ago. We also learned that Liz's real name is Masha Rostova, and she's really from Russia. 

We're also not buying that the real Red died in a fire, because that would just be too convenient. Dom's theory also is likely missing some key details, as Red's true identity will be a huge storyline this season.

Hopefully we get some answers in Season 7 of The Blacklist. It airs on Fridays at 8 p.m. on NBC.