If you had asked this time a year ago what the number one show on television would be coming out of the 2013/2014 television season, you can be sure that not a soul would have said The Blacklist. However, one year later, that’s exactly the position we find ourselves in as James Spader has taken audiences by the brim of their hats and thrust them into the lion’s den of twists and turns. When it comes to ratings and narrative gold, the strategy is simple: always bet on Red.

In Monday’s premiere, we got a chance to see just how far the man only known as Berlin is willing to go to hurt Red, going so far as to kidnap his ex-wife, whom he promises to “send back piece by piece” to make everyone’s favorite criminal mastermind suffer. Now, with someone he loves so deeply in jeopardy, Red must do something he never does: put himself in harm’s way. In episode two, Red and Berlin will finally meet face to face, and we have pictorial proof.

Look, let’s just put things this way, when your arch-nemesis looks and sounds like Peter Stormare, it’s best not to go into any situation half-cocked. So, while Red may appear to be on the defensive, don’t let the duck fool you. Red is always three steps ahead of those that are after him, and we expect this situation will truly end in his favor, for that is the way of the Spader.

The Blacklist airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC.

What do you think of these new The Blacklist images? Let us know in the comments below.