NBC's hit crime drama The Blacklist is about to hit Episode 200 this weekend amidst its final season on the air. Ahead of the milestone premiere, Collider can exclusively reveal a new clip from the episode that shows James Spader's Raymond "Red" Reddington asking an old friend in Robert Vesco (Stacy Keach) for help with a complicated new job.
Episode 199 saw Red bust his old mentor out of the hospital after surprising him with a lovely gift of an arsenic-covered book sans protective cover in prison. Robert's no longer gasping for air but is instead enjoying some rest and relaxation after a nice massage courtesy of Red. Robert's no fool though. Although he helped Red become the criminal mastermind he is today, he knows that the two are on shaky ground thanks to their history of betrayal. Vesco has not once, but twice conned Red out of his money and, in Season 9, Red and the FBI Task Force finally slammed him behind bars for his misdeeds. He fears that Red is merely "fattening him up for the slaughter" after all they've been through together.
Red feeds Robert a line about keeping his friends close considering he's running out of people he can trust, but his old frenemy sees right through the veneer and calls him out for wanting help on another job. Sure enough, a smile comes across Red's face as he admits, "I need you for a job." Specifically, the episode synopsis states that he'll need Robert to help secure the fortune of a late financier, but the score is hidden behind a series of clues that only an expert could possibly solve. They're not alone in the treasure hunt, however, as a deadly assassin is looking to snatch the fortune. That's where the Task Force comes in as they jump into action to protect the endowment's rightful heirs.
Keach, who plays Robert Vesco in The Blacklist, shared a quote with Collider to commemorate the 200th episode, saying:
“Working on the 200th episode of this extraordinary show was an honor and a delight. As this is the final season, I am all the more grateful for having had the opportunity to share the screen with the inimitable James Spader. Sheer joy!”
The Blacklist Season 10 Promises One Wild Ride To Send Off Red In Style
The short clip reflects exactly what The Blacklist Season 10 is aiming to be—a fitting sendoff that looks back on everything and everyone Red and the Task Force have faced throughout their decade together in Jon Bokenkamp's series. Red is facing unprecedented threats in the new season that will push both him and the Task Force to their limits. Now that his role as an FBI informant is being exposed, the criminals on his Blacklist are hell-bent on offing him for revenge. With so many criminals coming back with an ax to grind, it sets up for "a war we've never seen before" as Hisham Tawfiq described it.
Spader stars alongside a cast that viewers have grown to love over the show's run including Keach, Tawfiq, Diego Klattenhoff, Anya Banerjee, and Harry Lennix among others. Bokenkamp and Spader also serve as executive producers alongside John Eisendrath, John Davis, and John Fox via Davis Entertainment as well as Lukas Reiter, Laura A. Benson, Daniel Cerone, Sean Hennen, Allison Glock-Cooper, and T Cooper.
The Blacklist airs every Sunday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Check out the exclusive clip from the 200th episode, which premieres on March 19, below: