The entire storyline in the Blacklist Netflix series is filled with lies, eight years of lies. So whatever was said, we have to analyse them and take every single word with a pinch of salt. Unless proven to be the truth, we are assuming they are all lies.

Even if Reddington is not the father of Liz, he has to be a very close relative.

He could not simply be one of the “boy friend” or BFF of Katarina Rostova. He said he is not Liz’s father but his actions shows otherwise. Why would someone like Reddington who is quick-witted, extremely intelligent, and well-connected, do so much for a woman when she is nothing to him?

In Season 2, Decembrist, Tom killed Eugene Ames who found him locked up in chains. Liz felt sorry and so she used her money, and sold the apartment Reddington gave her to fund an anonymous scholarship for Eugene Ames’ daughter in college. As Red and Liz sat nearby watching the daughter, Reddington said that she can fund Ames’ daughter’s school, watch over her, keep her safe, try to ascertain her hopes, dreams, desires, pull strings, call in favors to discreetly smooth the path. And for the first few years it may work. Liz will draw some measure of virtue for being her invisible benefactor. But that will not last. It’s all a fraud. That is really not about her at all. That is all about you. And you’re just going through the motions to salve your own guilt. All the money and effort can’t equal what you took away from her. Everything else is… just a nice gesture.”

That is all for the daughter of Eugene Ames. Unless they are the relative of Eugene Ames, its is unlikely they will look after Eugene’s daughter for life and treat as if she is their own.

Then in Season 4, Episode 8, Dr. Adrian Shaw, another funny thing happened.

Alexander Kirk was torturing Reddington and asking Red if he is Liz’s father.

The safer answer is ofcourse “No”, it would not pissed off Kirk further. But instead of a straight “No” like Reddington told Liz before, he kept saying it “doesn’t matter”, before finally act as if he was forced to tell Kirk what he wanted to hear,

“This is what you want me to say? Alright, I am Liz’s father”.

Kirk was already so mad with Reddington for taking away his wife and daughter, so how is telling this help to cool him down? Kirk could get so angry that he will stick all the syringes on Reddington, and make him look like a porcupine.

But that did not happen, which makes no sense.

In the process of rescuing Liz and Agnes from Kirk, Reddington would kill anyone who stands in the way without blinking an eye, including Kate (Mr Kaplan). Kirk would kill everyone at the wedding including Liz’s husband just to get her daughter back. Both guys will kill anyone for Liz. But they are so cool when Red says he is father of Kirks’ daughter.

By the way, we could not understand why Kirk can’t just attend the wedding and try to talk to Liz nicely first. No one says he cannot attend the wedding! Maybe she will listen better if the approach is more sensible and peaceful.

For everything that Reddington did for Liz, the only explanation has to be because he is the biological father. If not, then it will be the interesting to see how the Director and Script writer convince us as to why Reddington treats Liz like his daughter.

Our hypothesis are as follows:

  • Reddington protects Liz like a daughter throughout. Even after the Fulcrum was released, the relationship did not end there. If he is not related to Liz, he could have just ended the working relationship because there is nothing else to gain. Reddington always say he has “no friends”, perhaps he only has enemies, and everyone else near him has to serve a purpose.
  • When Liz fake her death in Season 3, Reddington was so upset as if he actually lost a daughter. He was so upset that he has to visit the seaside where we presumed Katarina walked into the sea. He was so upset that he has to visit Liz’s grandfather and spend some time with him. If he is not Liz’s family, why would a smart person like him do that when he has nothing to gain?
  • Reddington’s body showed alot of scars and burnt marks, which could have been caused by the fire in the house when he was shot.
  • Reddington is not Katarina Rostova (Redarina Theory). He dreamt about seeing Katarina in Season 4, Episode 1, after Liz fake her death in Season 3. Dom talked to Reddington about Katarina, so how could that happen if, Reddington is Katarina?
  • Reddington did not die in the fire after being shot. He was saved from the fire but due to the burn, he had to undergo surgery to put his face back.
  • What caused the fire that night was due to an argument and fight between Katarina and Reddington. It was so bad that Liz has to pick up a gun and shoot her own father. Liz was only 4-year old and it has to be very traumatic. Because of this, they have decided to block and partially erase Liz memory during that time, so that the 4 year old daughter will not recall the trauma of shooting her own father.
  • Although Sam was directly looking after Liz, Reddington was watching her in the shadows. When Reddington was forced to appear in Liz’s life in Season 1, he will never say that he is Liz’s father. Why?
    • There will be no more Blacklist series if Reddington admits he is Liz’s father because Liz cannot be a FBI if her father is Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitive. The entire Blacklist series will stop at Season 1, Episode 1 if Reddington admitted Liz is his daughter.
    • Even after Liz was exonerated in Season 2, she was still charged and probation for involuntary manslaughter of an US Attorney General. Reddington was finding ways, such as asking the incoming President to pardon Liz, perhaps to clear her name so she can get back to “normal life”.
    • Once Reddington admits he is Liz father, Liz’s life will never be normal because she will be officially the daughter of the most wanted FBI fugitive.
  • The stories that are told so far do not make any sense in real life.
    • The existing Reddington is an imposter who took over the identity of the dead Reddington.
      • What motivates the fake Reddington (the one we know for 8 seasons) do this? Its not the Fulcrum, then what?
      • Its possible to change face, so he changed his finger prints as well?
    • So this is what we heard so far assuming its not a lie:
      •  A couple fight, daughter kill father by accident.
      • Then boyfriend came and rescue father together but the father who was shot eventually still died.
      • The mother was very upset and went to commit suicide
      • The boyfriend pass the daughter to a friend to look after.The story should just end there. The boyfriend (If its “Reddington” as we know him”), should have not appeared in Liz’s life if he hope to conceal her real identity. Eventually, this is what Liz, Kaplan and Tom said as well.

Yes, this is where nothing makes sense.

The Reddington as we know is like a “Devil”. The moment anyone seeks any help from him, he shall owe him a debt that is to be repaid when the time is right for Reddington. This happened to everyone including, Harold, Navabi, Aram, etc. Nik Korpal (Surgeon) was warned by Tom Keen when he took the $500,000 after Reddington’s surgery. After that, Nik was forced to join Reddington’s emergency medical team. It became a 24/7 job on-call for the devil.

There is no free lunch, especially from the devil.

We hope Season 9’s story about Reddington’s relationship will be convincing. Otherwise, it will be better to bury the truth forever since Liz is already dead, and start a new story. If “Reddington” is going to release the truth anyway, then he has to be Liz’s biological father.

Liz is already dead, so there is no more harm in admitting this fact.

However, there is still one more possibility that the existing “Reddington” is still the biological father of Liz. He could be another boyfriend of Katarina who is the real father of Liz, and he changed his face to look like Reddington to get close to Liz.