'The Blacklist' season 5 spoilers: Why Dembe betrayed Red; fans weigh in with theories

"The Blacklist" returns to NBC in April 20

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Viewers finally know who the turncoat is in Raymond Reddington’s (James Spader) organisation. This revelation is so shocking that even Red himself has a hard time believing it. That person who has been killing off members of his inner circle and even tried to poison Red himself is actually Dembe (Hisham Tawfiq), who has been Red’s bodyguard and trusted right-hand for quite some time already.

Of course, every viewer would be left wondering why Dembe betrayed Red. However, everyone will have to wait until the show itself returns to find out why. How this happened was quite clear in the last episode before the break.

Spoiler alert! This article contains “The Blacklist” spoilers. Read on if you would like to know what happens before the next episode airs.

It has to be remembered that they had to root out the traitor in the family. In order to do this, Red called together the 11 people who had access to the bank account from which money was sourced and sent to Isabella Stone (Melora Hardin). Dembe told Red that it was a risky move, but the latter insisted.

Later on, Dembe proved to be right. Red could not remember anything about dinner. He woke up in a medical facility where he was told that he had been poisoned and did not have much time left. The doctor said that Dembe himself brought him there, but that he can no longer be found.

With some help, Red was able to retrace his steps and realised that the poison came from “The Apothecary” who gives people deadly toxins so that they could commit murders. Red first thought that the traitor is his own lawyer-accountant, Marvin Gerard, who had been absent at the dinner. However, when asked about receiving the antidote, Gerard said that he had no idea what he was talking about. Red did not believe what he said until he received a call from Liz, (Megan Boone) who said that the poison could not have made its way through the wine, but through something with a higher alcohol content -- like the scotch that he and Dembe shared.

Of course, pending the real reveal, fans were quick to come up with creative speculations via a thread on Reddit. Some even said that Dembe is not actually that bad at all. It could also even be that he did not poison Red on purpose. However, he may know who did and will do what he can to seek retribution – hence, his disappearance. It is confusing to think that Dembe would poison Red and take him to the hospital himself especially after everything that they have gone through.

“The Blacklist” season 4 ended presumably to make way for its spinoff “The Blacklist: Redemption,” which premiered Feb. 23 with the title “Leland Bray.” It returns to NBC in the US on April 20. It also airs on Channel Seven in Australia. “Redemption” focuses on the story of Tom Keen and his mother, Scottie Hargrave.

The Blacklist - The Traitor in the Family (Episode Highlight)