S1·E20 The Kingmaker

Episode recap

The twentieth episode of the first season, titled “The Kingmaker,” continues the series’ focus on high‑stakes intrigue and the uneasy alliance between the FBI and Raymond Reddington, a fugitive who has become a key informant. In this installment, the narrative turns to an international political scandal: a politician in Prague is framed for murder. The framing is presented as a calculated move, and Red directs his attention to a figure known only as the Kingmaker, described as a strategist who engineers outcomes behind the scenes. Linus Roache is credited with portraying this shadowy operative, whose reputation for manipulation makes him a plausible architect of the Prague incident.

Red’s assessment that the Kingmaker is responsible drives the episode’s investigative thread. He pursues the possibility that the strategist’s influence extends to the orchestration of false evidence and the manipulation of legal processes in a foreign capital. The episode therefore examines how a single individual’s strategic planning can affect political structures far beyond his immediate reach, aligning with the series’ broader themes of covert power and the consequences of unseen machinations.

Parallel to Red’s pursuit, the episode gives prominence to Elizabeth Keenan’s discovery of a personal secret that Red has been keeping. The revelation adds a layer of personal tension to the procedural elements of the plot, highlighting the complex and often hidden dimensions of Red’s relationship with the FBI’s task force. While the specific nature of the secret is not detailed in the supplied synopsis, its emergence underscores a recurring motif in the series: the tension between what Red chooses to reveal and what he conceals.

“The Kingmaker” thus weaves together an international political crime with an intimate uncovering of hidden information, reinforcing the show’s blend of crime, mystery, and drama. The episode’s structure reflects the ongoing dynamic in which Red’s knowledge of criminal networks and strategic expertise intersect with the task force’s efforts to resolve a murder framing, all while personal revelations threaten to reshape the trust between the principal characters.