The Blacklist boss on that Tom twist

The Blacklist type TV Show network NBC genre Crime

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Warning: This story contains major spoilers from Thursday’s episode of The Blacklist. Read at your own risk!

So that’s why Ryan Eggold is heading to the potential The Blacklist spin-off!

Thursday’s episode of The Blacklist served as a backdoor pilot for the Famke Janssen-starring project, showcasing just exactly what Scottie Hargrave’s mysterious group Halcyon Aegis does. A contemporary to the FBI’s Post Office, Halcyon and its contractors help track down Alexander Kirk (Ulrich Thomsen) — the man whom Red (James Spader) holds responsible for the apparent death of Liz Keen (Megan Boone).

But once the mission is done, Tom sets his sights on putting Scottie down for good, holding her personally responsible for what happened to Liz. But before he can pull the trigger, Red calls him off, revealing that Scottie is actually Tom’s long-lost mother.

“Remember, Tom Keen is a guy who, like Liz, doesn’t know where he comes from,” executive producer Jon Bokenkamp tells EW. “He’s an orphan. The only parental figure he’s ever known was The Major, so he’s sort of drifting now.” Well, drifting is all relative since Scottie has offered him a job on her team, providing a perfect out for Tom to move over to the spin-off, should it get picked up to series.

But the question is whether he’ll take her up on the offer. “Tom has a child now, he’s trying to go clean, he’s trying to reboot his life,” Bokenkamp says. “Tom’s a little like Pinocchio; he’s a boy who wants to be real. He wants to love, but he’s not equipped with that skill. This news, the promise of who he is, is exciting, but it’s also a double-edged sword. On one hand, it presents him with potential answers about who he is. On the other hand, Scottie Hargrave is a dangerous woman, so he has to be careful about how he proceeds.”

That’s an understatement. Red also revealed to Tom that Scottie is unaware that he is her son, who went missing as a child, raising one big red flag. “Red has warned Tom that Scottie Hargrave cannot know the truth about Tom’s true identity,” Bokenkamp says. “And when Red warns you, you best listen.”

The Blacklist finale airs Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.