In the first episode, Raymond "Red" Reddington, aka "The Concierge of Crime," turns himself in so he can help the FBI capture criminals he's worked with. His first lesson to the FBI is to stop thinking like cops and start thinking like criminals. Reframing a frightening kidnapping from a criminal's perspective, Liz figures out the motive and the master plan, allowing the FBI to capture the kidnapper.

Even under constant FBI surveillance and protection, Red is far from safe from his enemies. A former partner, Anslo Garrick, and his team, The Wild Bunch, infiltrate the safe house where Red is kept. Though Red and Liz survive the siege, it's clear that there are moles in the FBI and in Red's network of contacts. It takes many episodes for Red to feel that "the house is clean."

Liz has reason to believe that her loving husband, Tom, is not who she thinks he is. Is he a spy — and if so, whose side is he on? Throughout the series, Red cautions Liz to be wary. Tom denies everything. Yet more clues keep coming to light, throwing Liz into constant doubt. Near the end of Season 1, the truth about Tom emerges, turning Liz's world upside down.

From the start, Red's relationship to Liz is unclear. Why does he surrender on the same day she joins the FBI? Why does he insist on communicating only through her? It takes Liz a while to find out that Red was a close friend of Liz's adoptive father, Sam. And it takes her even longer to discover that Red was with Sam — in his hospital room — the night Sam died. Will Liz learn the secret Sam took to his grave?

When Liz discovered a devastating connection between Red and her stepfather Sam, she demanded that the FBI sever her partnership with Red. But it soon became clear to Liz that she and Red still need each other ... especially after it’s revealed that Berlin was responsible for orchestrating Tom’s involvement with Liz many years ago.