The Blacklist: When will Elizabeth Keen Return to The Blacklist

Liz is on the run, not for the first time – in season 3 we got to see her and Red elude capture by the cabals and the task force. This season, however, she has stayed entirely off-screen while being hunted by Raymond Reddington and the FBI task force, leaving many to wonder if we have seen the last of Elizabeth Keen.

Have we seen the last of Elizabeth Keen?

Only the show runners can answer this, really.

From what have seen in the past seasons, though, people on the blacklist rarely return. Elizabeth Keen was placed on the blacklist by Red in the Fourth episode of season 8, eight episodes later, Keen is yet to make a screen appearance.

This is by no means no indication that Lizzy is out for good (or bad), we have seen Tom Keen, Susan Hargrave (Tom Keen's monther), Madeline Pratt and The Freelancer all make it back on screen after being listed on the blacklist. My personal oppinion on the matter is that we are very much likely to see Elizabeth Keen back on the show, in fact, we should expect it. But the biggest question for me is:

Will Megan Boon Return as Elizabeth Keen?

I don't think so. Here is why.

In "The Cyranoid" episode we saw Lizzy takes virtual meeting to a whole new level in her meeting with our dear Townsend. But perhaps, this a hint to something more grand – a new version of Elizabeth Keen that we will all learn to embrace.

We open on a quick scene that appears to depict Elizabeth Keen walking into a house where Reddington and Dembe are waiting for her. "Elizabeth, I think we're long overdue for a talk," Reddington says ominously, before the screen cuts the next title card: "12 HOURS EARLIER." And though we never got a clear look at the woman's face, she's sporting Liz's signature brunette waves and army green coat, so we're meant to assume that once we make it through those 12 hours, this episode will end with Liz and Red finally coming face-to-face for the first time in weeks.

Call me paranoid but it wouldn't be the first time we have seen The Blacklist characters change faces. Dr. Hans Koehler may be dead but in The Blacklist universe, it wouldn't be that difficult for Lizzy to find a surgeon to give her a new face and identity.

Of course, you don't have to lose hope completely. Megan Boone might return as Lizzy.

In fact, a report from TV Insider, has assured fans that they are going to see Boone back on the NBC series “soon” as her character — though there is no specific timetable for it. The more important thing here is the note that her exit has been story-driven, meaning that some of the internet rumors/theories out there about her absence are categorically false. It felt like this was the case for a while now, largely because the producers have tried to mirror Megan’s presence on the show to what Liz said to Reddington recently — she wants to take away his control, and being absent is a way to ensure that she maintains authority on her own life. In order for us as viewers to feel her absence, she has to be gone. Hence, them going so far as to not even show her during “The Cyranoid,” an installment that revolved by and large around her communicating through a doppelganger.

What do you think about Lizzy absence?

I'm obviously all over the places as I should be – The Blacklist does that to you. The point, though, is that all I have going is speculations and what I need is more speculations, so write me your thoughts on this matter.