Season synopsis
Contains spoilers for this season and earlier seasons.
With Liz cleared and back at work, Red tries to rebuild the criminal network he lost, and she must decide how to work beside the man she believes is her father. Tom follows the trail of the suitcase Mr. Kaplan left behind, seeking the identity of its human remains. His investigation brings him into Ian Garvey's orbit. In the fall finale, Garvey's men attack Tom and Liz at home; Red reaches them, but Tom's wounds prove fatal. Liz wakes after a ten-month coma to learn that her husband is dead.
Grieving and furious, Liz withdraws from her old life before returning to the FBI and pursuing Tom's killers. She works with Red at times, but does not trust his motives or his silence about the bones. Garvey, a U.S. marshal with ties to the Nash Syndicate, knows the remains connect to a secret that Red will kill to protect. Liz's investigation and Red's separate hunt repeatedly collide, while the task force tries to use evidence against Garvey through legal channels. The season keeps the meaning of the DNA report hidden even after Tom has read it.
The conflict reaches Sutton Ross, who has received the bones and wants to expose what they mean. Liz appears to cooperate with Red, but secretly works with Jennifer and Ross to get the answer. Ross tells her the bones belong to the original Raymond Reddington, who has been dead for decades. Liz understands that the man using that name is an impostor; Red leaves with the bones believing the secret is still concealed from her. The episode makes this the season's reveal, without explaining the impostor's real identity.