If you are reading this article, you have the same nagging question as most Blacklist fans, Is Reddington Elizabeth’s father?
From the start, Raymond Reddington has been full of surprises and twists, and it has become impossible to know what he will do next.
His relationship with Lizzy became an important part of the show, and most people thought there was more to it than just crime and mysteries.
So is Red Lizzy’s father? Let us get into the details of this relationship and see what we can uncover;
Is Reddington Elizabeth’s Father?
Yes, the real Raymond Reddington is Elizabeth’s father, who conceived her with Katarina Kastova, a spy sent to convert him. However, the real Raymond Reddington died, and the man Elizabeth knows is Ilya Koslov, another KGB agent that took Red’s place following his death.
Reddington died of a gunshot wound when Elizabeth was four years old, and soon afterward, Ilya would take his place and live his life. They needed money, and the only way they could get it was to impersonate Raymond Reddington.
Understanding Ilya Koslov’s Transformation To Raymond Reddington
The revelation of Raymond Reddington’s true identity surprises most people, which most likely was a spoiler for some.
It has a rich background story, and you need to know all about it for the movie to make sense, so let’s get into it;
When Elizabeth was four, Raymond attacked her mother, Katerina, in their home, and the confrontation ended with Katerina shooting him. A fire broke out in the house, and Ilya showed up and helped Katerina save Reddington.
Unfortunately, the gunshot wound was fatal, and Raymond Reddington died. In season 6, Elizabeth confronts Red telling him she knows the truth about his real identity and who he is.
This is when the show goes back to show the change. Katarina Rostova, Elizabeth’s mom, is in a room with Ilya Koslov soon after Reddington’s death. Ilya suggests that he becomes Reddington and step into his shoes forever.
Raymond, at this point, is a traitor and wanted criminal, and Ilya purposely steps into his shoes. Katrina believes they can’t pull it off, but Ilya insists they could take over his accounts and everything else if “Reddington were still alive.”
To do this, Ilya and Katarina would need doctors to change his face. He gets many visits to the plastic surgeon in that year to change his facial features to appear just like Raymond Reddington. Even with this, there is still more to Reddington.
Ilya would need details about Raymond, including the passcodes, account numbers, and all of Raymond’s contacts at the bank.
He would also need personal details about Reddington to ensure he fits into the role more accurately for everyone to believe him.
Ilya would need information about Raymond’s family life, work life, and everything identifying Raymond. As chatty as Red is, Ilya needed anecdotes to complete his stories and make the façade more convincing.
Some of these would be grounded in real stories that happened to Red, while others would be lies he made to fill the gaps.
The best person to get all this information from was Katarina, who had spied on him for the KGB and loved him.
Katarina’s intimate knowledge of Raymond gave her all the information she needed to change Ilya into Red, so he stepped into the lie and gave it life.
Ilya does this to protect Lizzy and her mother from the enemies Katarina and Reddington have made over the years.
Ilya Koslov’s Movie Background
By the end of The Blacklist’s sixth season, it’s pretty clear that Ilya Koslov is an important part of the movie’s plot.
He made a big sacrifice that shaped the entire movie, and we need to understand who he is and why he chose to replace Red after his death.
Ilya Koslov is a big part of the show, and his accurate depiction of Raymond Redding to carried the bulk of the movie.
So how was he able to portray Raymond so accurately? To understand this, you must look at Ilya’s background and history, so let us get into it;
Ilya Koslov is a retired KGB agent with a close relationship with Katarina Rostova. The two were childhood friends and lovers at some point in their younger lives, and this emotional connection is part of why he impersonated Reddington.
Ilya also knew Reddington, and they had been best friends for a long time. They had known each other since they were children, which is part of why he could pull off the impersonation.
Ilya helped Katerina Rostova disappear after she faked her death in Cape May. Ilya devised the plan to impersonate Raymond so they could get the money to help Katerina start her new life.
Cabal had placed money in Raymond Reddington’s name to frame him for treason, and Katerina and Ilya needed to steal Red’s identity to get that money. The plan worked, and Katerina was able to vanish.
A year later, Dominic Wilkinson, Katarina’s father, called Ilya for a meeting at a Belgrade café. Dom informs Ilya that their plan failed and her enemies had come together to create the Townsend Directive.
The purpose of this union was to locate Katerina and kill her, and Dom was worried that his granddaughter would be in harm’s way because of the directive. The granddaughter being spoken of in this case is Elizabeth, whose birth name was Masha.
Dom gets Ilya to help him kill Katarina so they can sate the Townsend Directive and keep Elizabeth safe. Dom comes up with a plan to use a car bomb to kill Katerina, and they follow it, but the plan does not work.
They planned to kill Katerina in front of the directive to get them to stop their search, which would have led them to Elizabeth. Rather than Katerina, they kill her new husband in the explosion.
After this, Ilya goes into hiding and starts a family leaving his life of spying and crime behind, but there is still communication between him and Raymond.
Elizabeth Keen’s Family Background
The complex family dynamic in Elizabeth’s family is one of the best things about The Blacklist. It has been a good source of drama and a core part of the story that guides the whole movie, so it is a part any Blacklist fan has to understand.
As you advance in the movie, you will learn that Raymond Reddington is Elizabeth Keen’s biological father. He conceived her while her mother tried to convert Raymond a few years back.
Her mother is Katarina Rostova, a former KGB spy who has contributed largely to the plot. She disappears and comes back while Elizabeth is an adult and goes to great lengths to keep her daughter safe.
She conspires with Ilya to impersonate Red so they can get the money they need to start a new life for herself and her daughter.
Ilya holds up the façade for most of the movie, and it is only in the later seasons that Elizabeth discovers his true identity and confronts him about it.
Reddington also has another daughter, Jennifer Reddington, who is Elizabeth’s half-sister. At an early age, Constantin Rostov is Elizabeth’s stepfather, and she is adopted by Sam Scott, who later dies in the movie.
Agnes Scott is Elizabeth’s adoptive grandmother and plays a major role in her childhood, along with her adoptive Aunt June. Dominic Wilkinson is the biological father of Katerina, making him Elizabeth’s grandfather.
In the movie, he tries to kill Katarina to protect Elizabeth from her enemies. They work with Ilya in this, and a car bomb assassination attempt fails, and they end up killing her husband in the explosion.
Elizabeth marries Tom Keen, who dies in the movie after Garvey stabs him several times with a knife before Red can intervene. Before his death, the couple manages to have a child, Agnes Keen.
Agnes Keen meets Raymond Reddington as a child in the park and plays with boats in the pond. It is a nice moment when the whole family is together, enjoying a day away from all the crime and espionage.
Most of the stories in the movie revolve around these characters and their relationship with Elizabeth and Reddington.
One of the deep connections is between Reddington and his granddaughter Agnes as seen in his reaction when the Deputy Director introduces them.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you have your answer; if you were wondering, is Reddington Elizabeth’s father? Elizabeth Keen and Raymond Reddington had amazing chemistry throughout the movie, and most people believed there was a deeper relationship between them.
It was an amazing twist to discover Raymond’s true identity and biological relationship with Elizabeth. There are a lot of details and mysteries behind his true identity, and they are part of why the movie is so intriguing for viewers.
