Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Season 10 of The Blacklist.Throughout the 10 years of The Blacklist, we have mourned many characters’ deaths, most notably Tom Keen (Ryan Eggold), Glen Carter, and Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone). These actors have moved on from the show, although in Glen’s case, actor Clark Middleton passed away, breaking the hearts of all fans. But Susan Blommaert, who plays Kathryn Nemec (aka Mr. Kaplan), can viably and hopefully make a comeback in the series. Blommaert herself has already proved that she is willing to appear in the show, as she returns to the eighth and ninth seasons as an intangible memory.
Without Mr. Kaplan’s body being recovered in Season 4, it is also completely justifiable for her to still be alive. With the absence of Elizabeth and Agent Parks in the final season, The Blacklist is sorely lacking a strong female character that we already admire and love.
Mr. Kaplan Has Returned Already, So Let’s Make It Permanent
In the Season 4 finale, Mr. Kaplan dives off a bridge in an effort to encourage Elizabeth to continue uncovering Reddington’s secret, but her body floats upstream and is never recovered. As many shows and films have proved, the phrase “the body was never recovered” essentially guarantees that the character is still alive. Five seasons later, we still haven’t gotten the satisfaction of hearing Mr. Kaplan’s steely voice reprimanding Reddington’s decisions. During Season 8, she returned as the form of Elizabeth’s intuition, inherently coaching her through the process of dismantling Reddington’s criminal empire. Throughout Season 9, she is constantly referenced and incorporated into the storyline. The show has consistently teased Mr. Kaplan’s arrival but hasn’t followed though yet, leaving viewers infuriated but hopeful. Her reappearance in Season 8 also presents a possibility of Blommaert’s willingness to return to the show for a final season. Although Blommaert has moved on to a new project, Partner Track, Mr. Kaplan had limited screen time throughout the show, preferring to execute elaborate plans from the background.
Mr. Kaplan herself is completely set up to return to the storyline in Season 10 alive. Being presumed dead after jumping into a river is completely unrealistic in the context of the show. The cunning woman who survived a bullet in the brain succumbed to mere water? We all know Mr. Kaplan is stronger than that. She is commended for her meticulousness and wile, but when she obstinately survived her brain trauma after being left for dead in a forest, her grit and mental prowess are exhibited. Mr. Kaplan demonstrates that even with a fragile appearance, plain old determination is a vital tool to have. Her acute eye as a cleaner and the resources acquired from helping Reddington build his empire all indicate that Mr. Kaplan could not have dove off that bridge without putting in place backup plans for her backup plans. Whether she returns to the show or not, it is nearly impossible to believe she is no longer alive and not just in hiding instead.
‘The Blacklist’ Season 10 Needs Another Strong Female Character
Elizabeth’s death and Agent Park’s departure from the team open the way for another strong female character to join the team. The new arrival of Siya Malik, Meera Malik’s daughter, may temporarily fill that slot, but the diversity on the team is still vastly skewed. It will also take time for us to build an emotional connection with the character and with so many great ones anyway, the efforts will most likely be doomed since it is the last season. Mr. Kaplan has already established herself as a fan-favorite, gutsy enough to take on Reddington and sympathetic from her close bond with Elizabeth. Bringing back Mr. Kaplan isn’t only the easier option for increasing female representation; it also provides a myriad of possibilities for the plot. Her broad skill set and unique relationship with Reddington have unveiled exciting plot twists and engaging interactions in the past and can certainly do so again — especially with Elizabeth’s death and Dembe’s position in the FBI factored in.
Older generations of women have often been represented as the evil witch-like character or someone who is reminiscent of a dilapidated house. Throughout literary and cinematic history, women in power were typically described as unnatural and were more often than not punished in the end. We have seen this time and time again from Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) in The Devil Wears Prada, to Evelyn Greenslade (Judi Dench) in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. The character of Mr. Kaplan completely subverts these gender expectations with her mental acuity and limitless resources. She is neither evil nor fragile, just a force to be reckoned with. Although she is a mother-like figure in Elizabeth’s childhood and life, she retains her wits and ingenuity whilst upholding a protective maternal instinct. Mothers that choose or resort to violence to protect their children are either portrayed as desperate, heartless, or hysterical In contrast, Mr. Kaplan’s depiction as a mother-figure is powerful and resourceful.
Very Few Original Cast Members Are Left on ‘The Blacklist’
The Blacklist characters are dropping like flies, with only Raymond Reddington (James Spader), Harold Cooper (Harry Lennix), Donald Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff), and Dembe Zuma (Hisham Tawfiq) remaining. Bringing back Mr. Kaplan would not only be a nostalgic celebration but also a tribute to the original cast members that first popularized the show in the first place. She was an integral aspect of the core group that helped define Reddington’s eccentricity in the first place. We were enticed by her unusual alias and strict pragmatism, then gradually endeared to her compassion for Elizabeth’s plight. She is also one of the very few people trusted with Reddington’s secret and has been critical in the formation of his empire. Such a powerful and influential character deserves to be seen on the screen once more.
With the revelation of Reddington’s secret hinging on only two characters now, and the deaths of anyone who came into proximity to it, it is almost inevitable that it will be Reddington that divulges it. Reintroducing a member of the original cast could incite a more unpredictable chase to the expose, leading the final season of The Blacklist to a more thrilling conclusion.
