When “The Blacklist” returns to NBC on Thursday, it will pick up right where it left off last season, with Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader) and Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone) running from the law.

Episode 1 of Season 3, “The Troll Farmer,” will have Red getting in touch with a Blacklister for some help getting out of the city.   

A clip from the upcoming episode shows Red displaying his unnerving charisma by complementing a lady’s hairstyle before locking her in the bathroom.

As Entertainment Weekly reports, Jon Bokenkamp, an executive producer on the series, describe the new season as a blend of desperation and escalation. The Cabal, a shadowy international organization, has become “more desperate and therefore more dangerous and frankly bringing in more lethal people to handle the situation.”

Bokenkamp expressed his enthusiasm over the introduction of a new character called Mr. Solomon (Edi Gathegi). 

“He’s a fixer for The Cabal and he’s ruthless. He’s really good at making things personal,” he said.

Executive producer John Eisendrath informed TV Line a good portion of the season’s arc will deal with tracking down the fugitives.

“The hunt for Red and Liz… is a slightly more serialized story than we’ve told in the past,” Eisendrath said.

He did, however, promise fans, in the course of the season, they will get more answers concerning big questions about the past.

“But at the moment the season opens, we are focused entirely on the present,” Eisendrath sai.

Merrill Barr, a TV critic at Forbes, has already praised the new season, saying, "There’s a lot to like about 'The Blacklist’s' season premiere. It’s fun, it’s exciting but, most importantly, it’s full of passion.”

“The Blacklist” returns to NBC on Oct.1 at 9 p.m. ET.