The Blacklist was renewed for a 10th season just before the last episode of the 9th season aired which shocked most fans of the once-hit show whoso popularity has only faded with the years. The 9th season was especially less impressive since Elizabeth Keen, one of the main characters was killed off with the exit of the character’s actress Meghan Boone. The new season will also miss two series regulars Amir Arison (Aram Mojtabi) and Laura Sohn (Alina Park) who announced their departure after Season 9. That means there will be a lot less to look forward to unless the creators renovate the series and give viewers something new. Here are the top 10 reasons why the 9th season of the show was so boring for most fans.
Lack of real dangerous blacklisters
How can a show come from Anslo Garrick, Alexander Kirk and Berlin who brought a real thrill to the earlier seasons of the show to El Conejo who hardly did anything to deserve being on the Blacklist? Dangerous blacklisters that put the task force and Reddington in real danger which gave every episode the mystery and thrill that every fan enjoyed. Marvin Gerard in the only real Blacklister the season had but he hardly got two episodes and even he died without bringing any thrill like what you find in the first four seasons of the show. Without blacklisters for fans to be shocked at, there was absolutely no need for 22 episodes of The Blacklist.
Dembe as an FBI agent was boring
Dembe worked better as Reddington’s right-hand man than Weecha Xiu ever has and Dembe never made a great FBI agent either. Having Dembe’s loyalty divided between the task force and Reddington rendered him useless to both and he didn’t get to shoot criminals and protect secrets as he had throughout the show. Dembe’s character only did best when he was fighting for and arguing with Reddington. He kept Red’s secrets and protected him in the heat of every action. Obeying the leader of the task force, waving badges and abiding by the law made Dembe the most boring character of the 9th season.
Reddington became too sentimental
Raymond Reddington was always good at twisting the arms of powerful people and forcing them to bend to his will. From the Director of the CIA to the president, Reddington beat them all by using their darkest secrets against them. In Season 9, it seemed as if Red had run out of real enemies that actually threatened his life. Reddington spent all the season talking about things fans never got to see and blubbering about Elizabeth Keen. If Reddington is not pulling off heists and shooting insolent Blacklisters, then he is not the Concierge of Crime.
The Season had less action
With Blacklisters too weak to stand up to Reddington, the action associated with every episode of The Blacklist vanished in Season 9. Most of the scenes were dedicated to investigative work and flashback scenes which are always too boring when everyone is longing for a thrilling storyline. They had little to no cliffhangers as no one got close enough to harm the task force or harm Reddington. The reduced action scenes made most of the season predictable and boring.
The task force lost its luster
In The Blacklist, Reddington and Liz made the news, the task force helped bring order to the chaos. The producers tried to turn the Taskforce into the story in the 9th season but they did a terrible job at it. The only thing that was nearly interesting was the framing of Harold Cooper which hardly amounted to anything. No one broke the rules to the extent that Liz, Navabi and Ressler did previously. The task force didn’t face any actual threats as no one attacked the Post Office and that meant no action. The task force really had nothing to do and the show would have survived perfectly without it which is a shame.
No more serious romantic relationships
Mojtabi with Navabi and later, his failed relationships, Liz with Tom and later Ressler; Everyone got to fall in love at one point in the first eight seasons. The task force had Agent Park whom they could have turned into a romantic endeavour for fans to look up to. Something was developing between her and Ressler but that didn’t happen. With no one in love, the show was devoid of emotion and its previously common lovers’ quarrels which made every episode less charming.
Its Obsession with Elizabeth Keen
If you decide to kill off a character from a show, the least you can do is help the rest of the character get over it as quickly as possible and not create a whole season mourning. The whole season was about nothing but grief with more than five episodes dedicated to flashbacks of how characters dealt with their pain after her death. Liz’s death was difficult but the way the show moaned it is not how Reddington and the rest of the stars dealt with loss in the past. The hunt for the killer should have been more aggressive with tougher blacklisters to deal with than hours of screentime spent on flashbacks.
Lack of creativity
This is a tough conclusion to reach when dealing with The Blacklist but sadly, every long-term fan of the show would agree. From Elizabeth and Tom Keen to Navabi and Aram, the show always came up with a twist that would leave fans gasping. When it came to Reddington’s enemies, it was always bloody and battles with his enemies never stopped until fans had enough action to appreciate Reddington’s wits. Red was always ahead of the rest but not in Season 9. Nothing surprised you. It was the same thing, they got a Blacklister, stopped them and moved on to the next without anything significant happening.
No interesting characters were introduced
Being able to introduce a new Blacklister in every episode allowed the show to bring more interesting characters in every season with some powerful enough to outwit Redington or threaten the task force. The 9th season didn’t bring anyone significant like previous seasons except maybe Weecha Xiu who didn’t’ live up to her bill. It beats sense to understand how such a big show could run out of ideas for more ferocious criminal masterminds.
The season ran out of storyline
Every Blacklist season ended with a cliffhanger and you just couldn’t wait for the next season to start. Season 9 on the other hand just ended and those that watched it could hardly wait for it to be over. Reddington didn’t seem to have any more secrets to reveal. The task force seemed fed up with their job and it had turned into nothing but a routine of agents with boards and then screens who then run around with guns shooting at nothing significant. It would probably be wise for the producers to conclude the long story there because it could only get worse in Season 10.
Have you watched The Blacklist Season 9? Do you think it was the worst season ever? Do let us know in the comments below.