Shocking Exit: Why Did Megan Boone Leave ‘The Blacklist’ and What Happened Next?

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It’s not surprising that when The Blacklist debuted on NBC in 2013, it was a huge success. The primary reason for this was James Spader brilliantly portraying career criminal Raymond “Red” Reddington, who is famously known as the Concierge of Crime. The plot also kept viewers hooked. After evading authorities for decades and being at the top of the Most Wanted list, Reddington chooses to surrender. He offers his expertise to help the FBI capture the worst criminals, and he delivers. However, there’s a hidden agenda. The FBI must allow him to work, and as they take down these criminals, terrorists, and thieves, unintentionally, they are helping Reddington establish his own criminal network.

The tale’s core element was also Reddington’s connection with Elizabeth “Liz” Keen, a young agent who shared a past with him, though he remains tight-lipped about the specifics. Intriguingly, a significant portion of the series revolves around understanding how he knows Liz and why he feels such an urgent need to safeguard her.

Why Did Megan Boone Leave the Show?

The original intention wasn’t to exclude Liz from The Blacklist, but the showrunners chose to terminate Boone’s contract as she sought new ventures, as reported by Screen Rant. Additionally, she embarked on a career path beyond acting by founding her own production company, Weird Sister, and securing a first-look deal with Sony Pictures Television. This development, though exciting for the actress, inevitably led to the show adopting a direction that probably deviated significantly from its initial blueprint.

In Season 8, Liz met an unfortunate end through a heart-wrenching demise that left viewers shocked. Upon reconnecting with the person she believed was her mom, she made her allegiance clear, forcing Reddington into hiding from them, as they pursued him relentlessly. When he confronted “Katarina”, it’s presumed he killed her since she wasn’t the true Katarina and he realized this. However, Liz was unaware of the truth, and she vowed to seek retribution against Reddington as a result.

Reddington had been making efforts to win Liz’s favor again and was in the process of stepping back from his operation, intending to give control to her. Tragically, before he could pass on the leadership, Liz was mortally wounded just prior to an attempt to kill him, a situation Reddington knew she had been planning and accepted. Liz never learned the truth about what happened to her. The story resumes in Season 9, skipping two years ahead, as Reddingon becomes determined to uncover who murdered Liz and why. Regrettably, he learns that the culprit was Marvin Gerard, a long-term associate and attorney who harbored resentment because Red was transferring control of the business to Liz instead of him.

As a cinephile putting it in my own words, the plot takes a turn from Reddington concealing his past identity from Liz, to him now keeping his ongoing actions secretive. Before taking his life, Gerard reveals to a menacing and influential blacklister named Wujing that Reddington is collaborating with the FBI. Having vanquished these adversaries, Reddingon realizes it’s time to dismantle his entire operation before meeting an untimely demise. With no one left he trusts to manage it, he decides to bring about its downfall himself.

Did Liz Leaving Ruin the Blacklist?

As a devoted movie buff, I can’t help but observe that when Liz was no longer around, The Blacklist started to lose its charm in the later seasons for me. The series revolved around Reddington’s intricate relationship with the FBI, his relentless pursuit of criminals, and his ambitious empire-building endeavors. But it all seemed hollow without a resolution to Liz’s storyline, which was subtly hinted at throughout the show. Her abrupt demise before we could reach a conclusion left me, along with many other fans, feeling quite enraged and disillusioned.

Additionally, some argue that the unsatisfying conclusion of the series was largely due to Boone’s departure, forcing the writers to alter the script to fit the change. Regardless of Reddington’s true identity, a significant revelation could only have been delivered authentically if Reddington confided in Liz directly. Eliminating Liz’s character left no other option except for such a scene to take place in a dream or at her grave site. However, without the emotional response from fans that had been anticipated for years, such a scene might have felt unimpactful. Consequently, viewers were left… empty-handed.

In the final moments before his demise, there’s only a hint suggesting Reddington might be telling the truth about his identity. During this conversation, he speaks to Liz’s daughter Agnes, and she teasingly remarks that he sounds like a mother. Reddington responds by saying, “I suppose I can’t help it,” indicating perhaps he is indeed in the role of a mother. However, no definitive proof surfaces that Reddington actually is Katarina, keeping viewers just as puzzled about Reddington’s past as Liz was on her deathbed.

Looking back, it could have been more advantageous for the show to portray Boone as a fugitive, still grappling with the chaos in her life, or perhaps staging her own death. This would have provided an opportunity for a potential comeback, especially during the series finale when the long-awaited revelation was finally due.

Due to the character’s definitive on-screen demise, shift in the series’ narrative, and a finale that only deepened fan confusion, Liz’s departure tarnished The Blacklist’s reputation. The later seasons were particularly disappointing compared to the show’s initial success. For the first part of its broadcast, The Blacklist was among the best TV shows, but without the central character driving the plot, it felt like a chase with no excitement or resolution.

Stream The Blacklist on Netflix.

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2025-03-30 01:04