See Red make a startling admission to new love interest in Blacklist sneak peek

The Blacklist viewers will get to see Reddington (James Spader) smile again.

His battle with Liz (Megan Boone) has taken the veteran NBC drama to a tense place rife with conflict, but Anne, played by Tony Award winner LaChanze, brings more light to Red and the show. In the exclusive clip, we see the criminal mastermind walking in the park with Anne and sharing a shocking bit of information about himself with her.

Anne is returning to the series after making a brief appearance earlier this season when meeting Red at a park while she was bird watching. The two have a pleasant conversation while Red is coming to terms with his conflict with Liz. LaChanze is set for a multi-episode arc. She brings to Red the path he didn't take when choosing the very complex life he's chosen. Her life is full of simple pleasures, and spending time in her world, one much more peaceful than his own, is attractive to Red.

Wherever their budding connection goes, it will offer The Blacklist different energy from the conflict-ridden season. Elizabeth Keen has swapped her FBI badge for the top spot on The Blacklist, which pits the former duo against one another like never before. "One of the dramatic questions from the beginning is how this master criminal's desire to connect with this innocent FBI agent would change her life," Eisendrath explains.

The Blacklist airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

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