Buckle up, Blacklisters; Liz's little family reunion will kick off season 4 with a bang.

The Blacklist closed out season 3 with a whirlwind of revelations, resurrections and fierce betrayals. Yet as hard as Liz (Megan Boone) and Tom (Ryan Eggold) worked to put their Cuban escape into place, their efforts were for naught. They escaped Red only to run straight into the arms of Alexander Kirk (Ulrich Thomsen), aka Masha Rostova's alleged long-lost father.

It was a moment that caused our breath to hitch in our throats, trapped by both paralyzing fear and sudden hope. Liz has spent the last three years trying to unravel her clouded past, but, thanks to Red (James Spader), her crystal ball is more occluded then ever. With the introduction of Kirk, however, the embattled heroine might have a shot at finally hitting pay dirt.

"We pick up literally moments later," series creator Jon Bokenkamp said of the premiere. "And it's CRAZY."

As excited as fans are to dig into Kirk's backstory, Liz is equally as distraught. If there was ever a time to trade one's soul for a white-picket fence existence, this would be it.

"I can tell you Tom and Liz have a shit ton of problems..." Bokenkamp previewed, quickly shattering any remaining hopes fan had for the small family.

"The only thing that we feel confident in is it won't be Tom and Liz with a baby, changing diapers, and becoming a domestic drama of a perfect little family who are raising a child," the EP told Entertainment Weekly of season 4. That's not what our audience is interested in, that's not what the show is. The show is about turns, and surprises, and identity, and secrets."

Are you ready for answers? The Blacklist will return to NBC on Sept. 22.

Tags: The Blacklist television nbc