With the departures of creator Jon Bokenkamp and star Megan Boone, the ninth season of The Blacklist was going to be an uphill climb. A series focused on the relationship between its two lead characters loses its purpose when one of those characters is no longer there. The new storyline threads and an unnecessary extension of Elizabeth Keene's (Boone) death don’t hold the weight of earlier seasons, and the “villain-of-the-week” gets tiresome. As much as James Spader (and the underrated supporting cast) give great performances, the sad realization is that this show doesn’t need to exist anymore.