The relationship between Reddington (James Spader) and Cooper (Harry Lennix) on The Blacklist is incredibly compelling. Cooper has been the commander of the Task Force since the show's debut in 2013. He's benevolent to his core, so adjusting to Red's morally gray lifestyle took a while. Cooper doesn't always love Red as a criminal informant — especially when he misleads the Task Force for his own selfish gain. Even still, Cooper remains loyal to the Task Force's mission of catching bad guys — and realizes Red's criminal experience is an asset to that mission.
By The Blacklist's final season, Cooper has become one of Red's closest confidantes and friends. Now that Congressman Hudson has unearthed Red's role as a criminal informant, Red's assumed all legal blame for the Task Force's shady misdealings — and that's largely to protect Cooper and the other agents. With the Task Force shut down for good, Red's now on the run, and we're essentially back at square one for The Blacklist. Cooper is an FBI agent. Red's a wanted fugitive. And the clock is ticking to arrest him.
Lennix: Without the fans, we would not have been able to tell this story... There was, from time to time, the question as to whether or not we'd be able to go on telling this story. But I have to tell you, when we first started, I thought we were maybe a five-year show. I was kind of surprised, although not on the other hand because it was such a good show and it was so well-told.
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