Donald Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff) will be tasked by the FBI to hunt down fugitives Liz (Megan Boone) and Red (James Spader) in the upcoming season of "The Blacklist."
TV Line reports that the agent will lead a team to apprehend his friends and former colleagues by order of the higher ups. Liz's name was included in the Bureau's Most Wanted list together with Red after shooting Attorney General Tom Connolly (Reed Birney) last season. Now that she is officially an outlaw, Ressler will be given the difficult task of capturing her.
Executive producer John Eisendrath said in the interview that Ressler's hunt for his former coworker would be causing "a lot of tension" to those on the task force. This was because the agents have "a very specific point of view about the value of arresting Liz."
"Ressler is a dogged, by-the-book guy who is going to bring Liz and Red in. At the same time, we have found opportunities for Red and Liz to convince the FBI that one of the best ways to keep track of them is to assist them in going after certain blacklisters, who Red and Liz are going after in order to exonerate Liz," he explained.
Meanwhile, the latest trailer released by NBC shows the former FBI agent sporting a blonde look. Entertainment Weekly reports that this was the character's way to hide her identity, as well as a reminder of her mother, a former KGB agent. Showrunner Jon Bokenkamp admitted that they planned Liz's transformation to tie the events of the new season to her and Red's current association.
"It felt like a really nice, organic way to take the on-the-run story of two fugitives and yet tie it back into the mythology of who Liz is, who Red is, what their relationship is and to lean into the bigger question of identity."
"The Blacklist" season 3 will premiere on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 9 p.m. EST on NBC.
