'The Blacklist' season 9 episode 8 review: Elizabeth's shadow still looms large

The Blacklist is back on track after attempting an off-beat episode last week. The earlier episode focused solely on the struggles of Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff) after the death of Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone). With that done, and a two-year gap between season 8 and season 9, most fans expected the saga of Elizabeth to be put to rest.

However, it seems like the show and its characters are too deep down that road. The undertones of the recent episode, as well as character stories, still revolve around the fateful night of Elizabeth's death.

Warning: This article contains spoilers!

This week's episode, titled "Dr. Razmik Maier," deals with a corrupt doctor and his connection to the death of a famous tennis player.

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'The Blacklist' recap: A drug-induced sports scandal

The opening scene of The Blacklist's eighth episode for the season shows a scandal at bay when a reporter asks a famous tennis player about his connection to a certain doctor. Soon after, the player is found dead at his house from over-dosing, linked to "performance-enhancing" drugs.

Red (James Spader) almost instantaneously passes the case on to Cooper (Harry Lennix). Notably, Red is absent for the better part of the episode.

While the case itself is twisted in many ways, with the roots of evil tracing back to the owner of a popular athletics brand, Bergos, it is Red's struggle that forms the real crust of the story.

The scandal slowly uncovers, and it is revealed that Bergos was pulling the strings in an attempt to boost his brand. As Cooper tries to untangle the mystery, Bergos attempts to erase all ties to the drug scandal, including the removal of Dr. Maier.

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Elizebeth's death and the connection to Dembe

Red is visibly struggling, despite the time jump between the seasons. He still possesses the cell phone of Elizabeth's killer, and this is a case he can't let go of. His obsessive thoughts force him to seek the help of his hacker friend, Tadashi (Alex Shimizu).

Red's reopening of the investigation into Elizabeth's death leads him back to Dembe. The contents of the phone reveal that the murderer was watching when Dembe handed the letter over to Elizabeth.

It is evident that the shadow of Elizabeth's death is not going away soon from The Blacklist. And though the content may get a little stagnant at times, this is the path the show has chosen to undertake.

The Blacklist will return on January 20, 2022, on NBC.