"The Blacklist" season 3 surprised avid fans of the show when Liz Keen (Megan Boone) seemed to have died after giving birth in the hospital. The character was killed off-screen, however, and even her corpse did not appear in succeeding episodes. According to TV Guide, this has started a rumor that she may return in season 4.
The report points out that it is possible Liz faked her own death in order to escape the life she had throughout the show and before, giving her a brief period of time to live in peace. However, when events get a little out of hand in season 4 it is speculated that she'd make her return, particularly if it involves helping Reddington (James Spader).
It is further speculated that Liz's fake death had to be included in the script due to the fact that actress Megan Boone was pregnant and was on maternity leave. The writers would have to write her character out in some manner and then simply bring her back when the actress was back from leave, hinting she'll return in season 4.
According to the report, the character still has lingering questions that need to be answered before either she or Red is permanently killed off. The most looming puzzle is Red's connection to her. It is still undetermined if Red is Liz's father or if they have some mysterious relationship in the past that Liz is unaware of.
Having to kill off Liz momentarily in order to deal with her maternity leave is nothing new, the report states. According to TV Guide, many shows have done similar tactics. "X Files" had the character Scully (Gillian Anderson) abducted by aliens while "New Girl" recently had Jess (Zooey Deschanel) on jury duty to explain their absence on the show.
"The Blacklist" season 4 currently has no official release date but it is expected to premiere within the year.
