Some of the best episodes in long-running series are the ones that break away from the usual procedural format to dig deeper into characters. These moments are becoming increasingly rare with the decline of 22-episode seasons, as shorter orders often demand tighter, plot-driven storytelling. But in 2016, with the breathing room of a longer season, NBC’s The Blacklist took a bold creative swing. The result was a character-driven, artful detour that stands out as the best episode in the show’s ten-season run.
Season 3, Episode 19, “Cape May” begins with a devastated Raymond Reddington (James Spader) reeling from the loss of his daughter, Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone), who apparently died during childbirth. Her husband, Tom (Ryan Eggold), tells Red to stay out of their lives for good, cutting him off from any relationship with his newborn granddaughter. The episode immediately sets itself apart. Not only is it largely devoid of other series regulars, but it was also the first episode in the show’s run not to feature a Blacklister in the title. From its opening moments, it’s clear “Cape May” will be different, and it ultimately delivers one of James Spader’s most layered and memorable performances.
‘The Blacklist’ Episode “Cape May” Is Unlike Any Other Episode of the Series
After Liz’s death, Red spirals into a deep, disoriented grief. He aimlessly wanders the streets of New York until a cab nearly hits him. On a whim, he gets in and pays the driver a few hundred dollars to take him to Cape May, New Jersey. During the ride, he reflects on Liz’s final moments and looks at a photo of her as a child. Spader barely says a word during these scenes, yet his performance quietly evokes a vulnerability that’s rarely seen in Red.
When he arrives, he sits alone on the cold, gray beach, until he spots a mysterious woman walking straight into the ocean. Without hesitation, Red rushes to save her. The red-haired woman, played hauntingly by Lotte Verbeek, seems to be carrying her own traumatic burden. There’s an eerie familiarity between them, and the episode starts to bend reality. She, too, is grieving a devastating loss, and the two form a fragile bond through conversations about pain, memory, and survival. But things begin to feel dreamlike — almost hallucinatory — like the sudden appearance of assassins, or Red’s strange familiarity with the old beach house where they take shelter.
By the end of the episode, the illusion shatters. A man with a metal detector confirms what’s been slowly unraveling all along: Red has been alone on the beach the entire time. Everything with the woman was a manifestation of his grief, unfolding entirely in his mind. And while it’s hinted throughout, it’s finally confirmed that the woman he’s been seeing isn’t a stranger. She’s Katarina Rostova, Liz’s mother. He’s not just grieving Liz; he’s carrying the weight of two devastating losses — the daughter he couldn’t save, and the woman he loved and failed to protect.
“Cape May” Focuses on Red’s Grief After Losing Liz
While “Cape May” can be confusing at times, and much more is revealed about who Red and Katarina truly are in later seasons, what this episode represents is a character in mourning. Red, a man who is almost always in control, is completely unraveled. Losing Liz, the emotional anchor of his life, throws his entire identity into chaos. His sole purpose had been to protect her, and when he can’t, he becomes a shattered man. James Spader plays that unraveling with haunting precision, transforming a ruthless criminal into a grieving father in the most deeply human way.
The episode becomes a symbolic embodiment of loss. Red’s conversations with the mysterious redhead expose his inner demons. The guilt, the trauma, and the burden of impossible choices he’s had to make in his life. Although the audience would later learn that Liz faked her death, that truth is irrelevant in this episode. In Red’s world, she’s gone forever, and he’s failed to keep her safe.
The emotional dance between James Spader and Lotte Verbeek is stunning. Verbeek steps into a pivotal role and delivers a mesmerizing performance, matching Spader beat for beat in what essentially becomes a two-hander. Their performances are enhanced by poetic writing, chilling music, and visually striking direction that leans fully into the surreal. And Spader, always phenomenal, captures every facet of Red, revealing a side of him that only the loss of Liz could bring to the surface. If The Blacklist was ever going to break format, this was the perfect time to do it. Instead of pushing the plot forward, “Cape May” slows everything down to focus on character, and that creative risk pays off.
“Cape May” gave Red the space to fully feel the weight of grief. With its dreamlike structure, carefully layered symbolism and deeply emotional storytelling, the episode stands out in a series defined by high-stakes drama and elaborate conspiracies. It’s a brilliant character study of one of television’s most enigmatic antiheroes, stripping away all the armor to reveal the broken man beneath. For one unforgettable hour, The Blacklist let Red fall apart, and in doing so, delivered its most haunting episode that is tough to top.
