The Blacklist, why we love Reddington so much.

The Blacklist: Why we love Reddington so much.

(A character analysis of Raymond Reddington from the NBC Series The Blacklist created by John BokenKamp)
#jamespader #reddington #theblacklist

Are there any men out there really like Reddington?  Played by James Spader, this character is truly unique.  Where many men in the world of crime are portrayed as impatient with language and discussion Red is a connoisseur of metaphorical stories, symbols, and cultural particularities and unlike his shady counterparts he takes his time to make his point.  He is ruthless, yes, but that isn't all there is to him. So often antiheroes are so barbarically evil that that is their defining characteristic which drives their every move.  Red's willingness to kill without hesitation is a means to an end, not for the actual sake of killing, and his "badness" is a part of him, but it's not what defines him. 

Red is a lover of life.  He loves the little things: the way the sun shines through the leaves, The exquisite taste of an aviation cocktail, The way the russian dancers tango, in the midst of his trials he always takes the time to "smell the flowers."  Even in the most pressing situation he will find something to amuse him and his quick laugh is designed to portray his refusal to be intimidated.  The people around him may think that his commentary is solely for the purpose of distraction, but I believe it has real meaning to him, it's his way of staying in touch with his true self, his childlike innocent self, everything else is just a game. His attitude is one of carpe diem "we all die don't we?  So let's get the most out of life while we are here, lets enjoy the wine, listen to the music, wear the fine clothes, I may kill you, but that doesn't matter really when life holds such beauty."

Red is the intriguing mystery, he is a puzzle of eclectic pieces and we want to pull off all his fine clothes to figure out what he's hiding and how all the pieces came to fit so perfectly together to create this polished confident strange man.  Well traveled, well connected, and ridiculously knowledgable, is there anything he can't find the answer to?  It takes real confidence and maturity to openly display his depth of feeling for Elizabeth Keen (played by Megan Boone).  She is the one thing in his life that makes him vulnerable, that makes him feel fear (of her coming to harm)  and the one thing that makes him visibly serious.  I've said he doesn't take life seriously, but this is only partly true.  I think his lightheartedness is his coping mechanism for dealing with his life tragedies, and he plays it to his advantage.  He has accepted himself, his faults, his life circumstances, and he is patiently making the "long play."

This man knows what love is and he shows it! Red knows that loyalty, honesty, trust, compassion, freedom, vulnerability, safety, and presence of mind are all necessary in love.  He shows Liz his loyalty by surrendering on his knees to her colleagues in front of her when she sets him up. He refuses to run displaying the power she has over him and his willingness to be vulnerable before her. "Nothing can be worse than losing you".

 He demonstrates his ability to set her free, telling her he'll leave anytime she asks him to.  He quietly listens to Liz when she needs to open to him, patiently waiting for her to come to him, to open up to him when she is ready.  He tells her honestly that he killed her father when he knows the damage that truth will bring.  Red is willing to tell Liz the hard truths about life waking her up to the depth of pain and with it beauty life has to offer, he doesn't shield her from the harsh realities, but instead teachers her to face them and forces her to find her power.  He provides her safety, offering her himself and his resources whenever she is in need.  He is the hero, the knight in shining armor that comes to Liz's rescue again and again and again.

As much as Reddington is willing to give for this love, this doesn't make him a push over or weak either.  He is charming, challenging, stubborn, shameless, controlling, opinionated, and bold. He goes about his business, doing his thing, killing anyone that stands in his way, taking opportunities that are presented to him.  He loves himself in a good way, in the way that gives him the patience to let things come to him, in the way that he isn't needy and because of this he sees all the little nuances around him and this brings him great pleasure.  Red is always laughing at his own jokes because all the little ironies and cirmcumstances intrigue him.  I think one of his most defining characteristics is his patience, it's the kind of patience that only great confidence can bring.

And last but not least Reddington is poetic:

"In Mexico, 
There are these fish that have colonized the freshwater caves along Sierra del Abra.
They were lost.
They found themselves living in complete darkness.
But they didn't die.
Instead, they thrived.
They adapted.
They lost their pigmentation, their sight, eventually even their eyes.
With survival, they became hideous.
 I've rarely thought about what I once was. 
But I wonder if a ray of light were to make it into the cave.
Would I be able to see it?
To feel it?
Would I gravitate to it's warmth?
And if I did, would I become less hideous?"

If you like this please share or comment,  Aloha,
Kendra