[Lauren Helen Graham]

the criminal
Raymond "Red" Reddington | James Spader
e i g h t e e n t h • a p p r e c i a t i o n • t h r e a d

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Never trust a criminal until you have to...

Raymond "Red" Reddington, a former government agent, attended the United States Naval Academy graduating top of his class at the age of 24 and was being groomed for Admiral when he disappeared while coming home to visit his family for Christmas in 1990. 4 years later, he resurfaced, selling classified documents to the enemy. Over the next 20 years he built a syndicate of contacts: Spies, thieves, smugglers,
drug dealers, people smugglers, human traffickers, arms dealers, forgers, hackers, mercenaries, and assassins. Eventually he went from just selling secrets to also starting wars, toppling governments and influencing geo-politics to suit his needs. He became known as "The Concierge of Crime" due to his ability to arrange deals between the various black market factions. He willfully surrenders to the FBI and provides information on a roster of criminals that he refers to as "The Blacklist." Dangerous criminals who are so careful to avoid leaving any traces behind that the FBI has not even detected their existence. His ethics are somewhat murky, and he espouses the use of some crimes in the service of "the greater good".
He uses his arrangement with the FBI to pursue his own secret agenda.

Raymond Reddington #4 on the FBI Most Wanted list






Red's aliases: Bill Kershaw | Mr. Hirschfeld | Robert Bortner | Roger Raymond | William Burchfield | Kevin Donnelly




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"I'm a criminal. Criminals are notorious liars."

"Everything about me is a lie."

"Let me put your mind at ease. I'm never telling you everything."




the day he surrendered





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"It's the children the world almost breaks, who grow up to save it."

"You know the problem with drawing lines in the sand? With a breath of air, they disappear."

"When you love someone you have no control. That’s what love is – being powerless."

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the fans ღ
01. Jade Lizabetta Lautner | 02. Lostcandy | 03. Amyღ | 04. xlennie |05. Sanni23
06. cheersgifoltc | 07. Nadine | 08. Donna L. Crawford | 09. deep within me |10. JMRamos
11. Ceta_Cea | 12. Stacie18 | 13. TeamWilson | 14. Nekoshoujo | 15. nilo2207
16. b4dark | 17. L i N d $ @ y | 18. SensationalShay | 19. olicitybubble | 20. Lauren Helen Graham
21. Miranda | 22. baelfire24 | 23. Wes&FredFan | 24. Logan | 25. ~MelBelle~
26. stlavin95 | 27. Fangirl49 | 28. cherrypie12345

"We never really know anyone, do we?"

"Regret requires age or wisdom."

"Value loyalty above all else."

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"The truth is that I am not.."

"God doesn't want me and the devil isn't finished."

"My word is my bond. My currency.

picture credit|text by Miranda

the reasons ღ
Because he has the most amazing quotes on the show.
Because his sense of humor is unique.
Because no matter how many people he kills we still love him so much.
Because he only kills bad guys or people who endanger those he cares about.
Because his wisdom and life experience pretty much seethe to amaze us.
Because the twitch of his eyes is kind of his trade mark.
Because most of the time we forget how dangerous he really is.
Because he doesn't feel deserving of getting help from anyone.
Because he can be vunerable even if he doesn't want too.
Because nobody knows love and loss like he does.
Because he'd always put Lizzie's life before his own.
Because he's damn hot with his shirt sleeves rolled up.
Because he is the only one that can rock a fedora like that.
Because even reading a phone book his voice would make us faint.

"I am exactly who I am. And I can assure you, I’m a far more interesting Raymond Reddington than Raymond Reddington ever was."

"My dark forces had a name, a person I entrusted with the most heinous offenses of my life. My confessor, who doth now condemn me."

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future titles ღ
"Sins should be buried like the dead. Not that they may be forgotten but we may them and find our way forward nonetheless."
"I have no control over how any of this ends and that is crushing when I think about it."
"Losing someone we love is painful. Agonizing even onto death."
"What good are ethics if you aren't alive to live by them?"
"Revenge isn't a passion. It's a disease. It eats at your mind, and poisons your soul."
"I want to sleep like I slept when I was a boy. Give me that, just one time."
"It's hard to not say goodbye. I have lost so many people. Never seems to get any easier."

past titles ღ
"You're not telling us everything." "Let me put your mind at ease. I'm never telling you everything"
"I'm a criminal. Criminals are notorious liars."
"I can still feel her little fingers on my cheek. Her whisper in my ear."
"You can't judge a book by its cover. But you can by its 1st few chapters, & certainly by its last"
"I’ve stood over the open grave of someone I’ve loved too often."
"I can’t live for long with what I feel inside. I don’t see how anyone can."
"It's the children the world almost breaks, who grow up to save it."
"I had bullets. He had words. But by the time he was done talking, I truly understood which was more powerful."
"My dark forces had a name, a person I entrusted with the most heinous offenses of my life."
"Like deep fried butter, I am unhealthy, yet irresistible."
"Some people are truly alone in this world."
"The truth is I am not.."
"When I kill a man, I don't pretend I care how he feels. It's disrespectful, so stop coddling me."
"Whoever I once was, I am now and will continue to be Raymond Reddington."
"I don’t live a lie. I may once have had another identity, but that identity no longer exists."
"I am exactly who I am. And I can assure you, I’m a far more interesting Raymond Reddington than Raymond Reddington ever was."
"I'm concerned that I won't be able to contain myself, that I still haven't seen the worst of who I am."

previous threads ღ
01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 |
11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |

[Fangirl49]

Tftnt

[Miranda]

Tftnt!

[Lauren Helen Graham]

You're welcome.

And here we are, with his 18th thread and I still love Red as in the beginning

[Fangirl49]

Truest statement ever

[Miranda]

So true.

[Fangirl49]

I would love to see him actually win an Emmy for this show

[Lauren Helen Graham]

I would love to see it as well. But I think he deserved it much more in the earlier seasons. To give him one now, that seems kind of... Hm, strange. As if the show will end soon and now we have to give him one before the chance passes. It feels somehow strange.

[Fangirl49]

I get your point

[Lauren Helen Graham]

I still don't get why he was ignored for so many years.

[Fangirl49]

I will never understand that. He played this character to the max. Still does.

[Miranda]

Originally Posted by Fangirl49 (View Post) I would love to see him actually win an Emmy for this show

Me too. He absolutely deserves that!

[Lauren Helen Graham]

Yes, he does. And that's exactly it. This character is such a joy to watch and look at his talent and how he portrays him. I really don't believe I've ever seen such a talented and well portrayed and even written character. And even in the writing he is involved.

[Fangirl49]

Originally Posted by Lauren Helen Graham (View Post) Yes, he does. And that's exactly it. This character is such a joy to watch and look at his talent and how he portrays him. I really don't believe I've ever seen such a talented and well portrayed and even written character. And even in the writing he is involved.

This character has been sheer perfection from start until now. He is the only reason I’m still watching. I just want to know what he’s gonna do next

[Lauren Helen Graham]

Yes, same here. Otherwise I for sure would have stopped after the season 8 finale