'The Blacklist' Series Finale: How the NBC Thriller Ends

After 10 seasons and 218 episodes, NBC's international crime thriller came to an end on July 13

This post contains spoilers for Thursday’s series finale of The Blacklist.

The Blacklist has reached the end of its run.

On Thursday, July 13, the hit investigative series from NBC reached its close. Created by crime juggernaut Jon Bokenkamp of Taking Lives and The Call, The Blacklist followed former fugitive Raymond “Red” Reddington (James Spader), who turned himself in with his own list of the most wanted fugitives with two conditions: immunity, and that he only speak with FBI rookie Elizabeth "Liz" Keen (Megan Boone).

After Liz’s shocking death in season 8 by a revenge-thirsty hitman, Red returned to his deal with the FBI to hunt down the criminals of the blacklist in her memory. Soon, however, the committee’s operations under Harold Cooper (Harry Lenix) and Red’s own criminal enterprise came into question.

Related: 'The Blacklist' Will End After Upcoming 10th Season: 'It's Been Incredibly Fun'

By the end of season 10, Red was officially called in by the Congressman Arthur Hudson’s (Toby Leonard Moore) task force. This left Red on the run, severing ties with the FBI and keeping one step ahead. A show built on criminal cat-and-mouse games, Red’s evasion was one last hurrah for The Blacklist.

Still, Red’s close personal ties to some individuals on the Task Force, including his former bodyguard-turned-FBI Special Agent Dembe Zuma (Hisham Tawfiq), made the committee’s movements fraught.

"Don't do me any more favors," Red demanded in a secret phone call to Zuma in the two-part finale’s opening scene. "I won't. I'm going to bring you in, Raymond," Zuma answered.

While the Task Force may have captured Red’s license plate and were tracking down the car, they quickly learned that Red had multiple cars driving as a diversion. Their standard techniques simply wouldn't work in hunting down Red.

“You may want to think of Raymond as an ordinary criminal,” Zuma told the committee. “That would be a mistake.” He then reminded them that “it’s his mind we should be worried about.”

As Red camped out, he called real estate agent Andrea Athens (Krista Braun). The agents were able to track down his temporary safehouse, primarily through Zuma’s reasoning. “You’ve got a hunch, don’t you?” agent Siya Malik (Anya Banerjee) asked. “It’s not on that list, is it?"

Related: 'The Blacklist' Superfan Al Roker Guest Stars on the 150th Episode: 'The Mind Boggles'

Still, the agents just missed Red, but learned of his new destination: a beat-down house that he was supposedly purchasing. When they arrived, the house was on fire.

“Raymond’s using the fire,” Zuma realized. “That’s how he’s getting out.”

Ever ahead of the curve, Red left the fire truck and drove off in a cab.

The disarray of the Task Force raged on, as Congressman Hudson became more paranoid of his team’s intentions. “How many times do we have to fail before we admit there’s a reason he’s always one step ahead?” he questioned.

Eventually, Hudson learned that a call was made to a burner phone before the chase, confirming his suspicion that Red was tipped off.

Zuma realized that Red only had two options: up, by plane, or out, by boat. Eventually, the crew set their sights on Tillman’s Wharf, but before they could leave, Hudson demanded Zuma be brought in for questioning. After Cooper fought back, they agreed that he can be interrogated en route.

After reaching the wharf, Zuma learned that Red had taken out the Great Shirley. Before they could track the boat down, though, Zuma was arrested for aiding and abetting a fugitive. “Hope he washed his hands,” the Congressman spouted off.

Meanwhile, Red got off a smaller boat, proclaiming that he “sunk” the Great Shirley, and drove off unscathed.

Cooper demanded to speak with Zuma, bursting his way into the questioning room and quickly admitting to tipping Red off. “Raymond is gone,” he said. “Someone on this Task Force will be held accountable. It should be me.”

And he was right: Red was currently in the process of leaving the country, though he had gotten word of Zuma’s arrest.

Related: Tom Keen is Back! Ryan Eggold Talks Return to 'The Blacklist' as Series Regular

Zuma was eventually dragged off for questioning, with Hudson’s paranoia coming to a head: “I don’t trust you, I don’t trust him, and I certainly don’t trust this place.” Agent Donald Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff) quickly joined them.

Wracked with guilt, Red crashed his car into the FBI and attempted to save Zuma. Still, Zuma told Red that he wouldn't go with him. Just then, Hudson and Ressler got out of the car and raised their weapons. Hudson shot Zuma in the neck, at which point Red shot Hudson and Ressler. While Ressler survived, the Congressman was left dead on the ground, closing out the first episode of the finale.

Agent Malik tracked Red down to a local nursing home, sending the Task Force to capture him. However, by the time they reached the home, Red was gone and Zuma was in the midst of an operation. Zuma survived after Red gave him a blood transfer, and the nurse alerted the agents that Red left looking unwell.

Hudson’s right-hand man Jordan Nixon (Derrick Williams) declared that when he finds Red, he doesn’t just want to capture him; he’ll “put him down.” This caused some agents to jump ship, while Cooper confronted Nixon over the claim, leading to a physical altercation.

Cooper and Malik headed to the bathhouse that Red resided in before his flight, but found nothing. Nixon soon arrived, having followed them with his own crew. Once they left, Malik had a realization: the bull skull that Red kept had gone missing. This clued them to his location in Spain.

Sure enough, the episode then cut to Red living in Seville, attempting to contact his granddaughter.

Ressler arrived at the house in Seville, while Red called Zuma and Cooper, keeping his cool. When Ressler searched the house, he was unable to find Red. Minutes later, Red learned of Ressler’s visit, and planed his trip to drop the skull off at the Miura Bull Ranch.

While Red hobbled away from the house in Seville, Zuma and Cooper reflected on the finality of their journey. “It’s hard to believe this is how it ends,” Cooper said, to which Zuma tearfully added, “Our time with him, our time together, it was never about how it ended.”

Continuing his walk, a weary Red spotted a bull in the wild. The ultimate sign of death, the bull made movements to charge at him. And, in the closing scene of the finale, Ressler found Red’s mangled body on the ground, killed by the creature that meant so much to him throughout the show’s tenure.

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