Tom Keen (Character)

Tom Keen (Character)
Biographical Information
Birth name	Jacob Phelps
aka	Number 7 Thomas Vincent Keen Christof Mannheim
Status	Active
Family	Elizabeth Keen (ex-wife, annulled)) Craig Keen (brother, deceased, cover story)
Career Information
Job	4th Grade Schoolteacher Assassin Employee of the Major
Out-of-Universe Information
First Seen	“[[Pilot ]]”
Last Seen	“[[The Major ]]”
Episode Count	30
Season(s)	1, 2
Actor(s)	Ryan Eggold

Tom Keen is a main character in the NBC series, "The Blacklist".

Background

Born as Jacob Phelps, Tom was a social outcast and petty thief recruited at a young age by an underground spy trainer known as the Major in 1994. As an adult, he was hired by Reddington to keep an eye on Elizabeth Keen, but Milos Kirchoff offered double Red's original price. The Major then reassigned Tom's contract to Milos.

Tom and Liz were later married and trying to adopt a child. He once worked as a 4th grade teacher.

Season 1

===“[[Pilot ]]”=== Tom and Liz oversleep and are awakened by their dog, Hudson, on Liz's first day as an FBI profiler. While they are getting ready for work he shows her two fliers and asks her to choose which one he should visit with his community group. He also wants the car, but because Liz is late he agrees that she can have it. When the FBI arrive outside to take Liz, she gives him the car keys.

He calls Liz and goes to the adoption meeting alone.

When he returns home he is tortured and stabbed by Ranko Zamani, then taken to hospital where he is placed on a ventilator.

===“[[The Freelancer ]]”=== While he is in the hospital, Liz tries to clean the carpet because Tom's blood was all over the floor. She gets angry and starts to peel the carpet off. Underneath, she finds a compartment in her wood floor, and in the compartment is a box, containing multiple fake passports all with Tom's picture on them. Also, she finds a gun and money, and suddenly faces a dilemma about what to do. She could confront him and see him deny it, or she could look up the gun in the system and have Tom arrested. She carpets the floor before he comes back, that way she can still make her decision.

He wakes up in hospital while Liz is at his bedside.

He returns home with Liz. That night Liz finds a touching testimony he made for the adoption agency about her. She cries after seeing the testimony, and considers her next move.

===“[[Wujing ]]”=== He is starting to recover though still using a wheelchair. He speaks to Elizabeth Keen and says that he wishes she could talk to him about her work. Their friend Ellie then arrives to make him some more breakfast then take him to his physiotherapy session while Liz is at work.

When Liz returns that evening he apologises for what he said that morning and that he understands her position.

===“[[The Stewmaker ]]”=== When Liz is moping at her computer after the witness was killed, he notices the date on her pad and assumes that she is cheering herself up, since on the computer for that date 23 June 2012 is a series of pictures from a romantic break that they had taken that day.

When Liz comes home after being rescued, he tells her that he has booked a three day break for them in the same place as before.

===“[[The Courier ]]”=== In Liz's dream he attacks her when she confronts him about the box, but in real life he tells her that he has booked an ultrasound scan with the mother of their child.

He finds the box and spends the rest of the episode trying to contact LIz. When she returns home that night he tells he that they need to talk, with the box open on the table.

===“[[Gina Zanetakos ]]”=== He and Elizabeth Keen argue about the box and its contents. He eventually challenges Liz to inform the FBI about the box. She then makes the call.

He is brought to The Post Office blindfolded and Liz tells him that this is where she works.

He is interrogated by Meera Malik about the gun and the reason for his presence in Boston on the day of the murder. He claims no knowledge of the gun and tells Meera that he had a job interview in the hotel.

After checking Meera presents him with a picture of the school principal, whom he fails to recognize.

Once Gina Zanetakos has admitted being the killer he is released. As he is being escorted through the operations room he sees a picture of Grey on the board and identifies him as the man who interviewed him for the non-existent teaching position.

===“[[Frederick Barnes ]]”=== He and Liz discuss remodelling their house to erase the bad memories of the past few weeks.

When Liz arrives home from work, he has recreated the scene from their first night in the house as a date night.

===“[[General Ludd ]]”=== He takes the call from Liz's aunt saying how sick Liz's father is, and because Liz is unable to leave, flies to Nebraska to see her father.

He arrives after Liz's father has passed away and is sitting outside having a coffee thinking about how to tell Liz, when Raymond Reddington joins him and tells him that Liz is stronger than he thinks, and that she will be OK. Red also mentions that Liz's father will "always be there protecting her" in what seems to be a threatening fashion. Tom, pretending not to know Red replies: "I hope you are right".

===“[[Anslo Garrick ]]”=== He consoles Liz while she is going through Sam's possessions prior to going to work.

===“[[Anslo Garrick: Conclusion ]]”=== He calls Liz while she is a prisoner of Anslo Garrick, but Garrick answers the call. Liz calls out to him to call the FBI, but it is unclear if he heard her since he did not make the call.

Once Liz is free and the operation has ended he tries to convince Liz to leave the unit and the FBI and move to a rural community.

===“[[The Good Samaritan ]]”=== Tom applies for a job in Lincoln, Nebraska without telling Liz, until he has to go to an interview.

===“[[The Alchemist ]]”=== Tom tells Liz that although he went to Nebraska, he did not attend the job interview. He reminds Liz that they are hosting "baby shower" that evening.

During the baby shower he and Liz argue about the fact that Liz is not intending to take time off work in the period after the baby arrives. The argument is ended by Jolene when she introduces herself.

After Liz leaves (to raid Eric Trettel's laboratory) Jolene flirts with Tom and invites him to a photography exhibition.

When Liz stands him up again, he goes to the exhibition with Jolene.

===“[[The Cyprus Agency ]]”=== He and Liz watch a sonogram of the baby they intend to adopt, and discuss their plans and check that they have all the accessories needed.

Upon the completion of case Liz tells him that she can't go through with the adoption and challenges him to say that he does not have any doubts about their relationship or the adoption. After Liz has delivered her bombshell, he spends time with Jolene.

===“[[Madeline Pratt ]]”=== After he and Liz fight over the adoption, he goes to Orlando alone since he believes they should spend time apart. Once there he meets Jolene.

===“[[The Judge ]]”=== Tom and Jolene are out together, and eventually meet up in a hotel bar bathroom where they begin to make out, to which unbeknownst to the couple, a small child walks in. Jolene starts giggling and Tom begins to question his previous and current actions. Jolene gives Tom a room key for room 618 and leaves the bathroom without Tom. He is later seen drinking at the bar fiddling with his wedding ring. He then decides to go to Jolene's room and tells her that he cannot have an affair with Jolene because he loves his wife, Elizabeth Keen. Jolene replies with, "Wrong answer, Liz is not your wife, she's your target", thus prompting Tom to reveal his true nature by talking about "Them", the company he works for. Tom then reveals that he only married Liz because the "company" ordered him to.

===“[[Mako Tanida ]]”=== Tom kills Lucy Brooks and The Cowboy because they have become security risks to his mission.

Before killing Lucy, he has her give Liz a cover story explaining her leaving the city.

===“[[Ivan ]]”=== He barely escapes after Liz discovers his safe house. He later calls his contact at a bank to tell her to tell Milos Kirchoff that the safe house was exposed.

===“[[Milton Bobbit ]]”=== He and Liz renew their wedding vows.

He tells Maly that he is accountable to Milos Kirchoff.

===“[[The Pavlovich Brothers ]]”=== He calls his contact at the bank for an escape route. Later, Red hires the Pavlovich brothers to raid his safehouse. They bring Tom to the Keen house. After arguing with Liz, he escapes and tells Liz that Red is using her for his own ends.

===“[[Berlin ]]”=== Tom figures out that he is being followed and captures the man following him. He then tells the man to call Red and tell him that he lost the lead. He takes the man to a room and kills him, after telling him about his boss, Berlin.

===“[[Berlin: Conclusion ]]”=== At the beginning of the episode, where Tom Keen appears, he provides a list of the people who work for the FBI alongside Raymond Reddington to his employer after the plane crash. He later then takes Liz hostage and tries to use her to stop Red from killing Milos Kirchoff. However, Liz disarms him and shoots him 3 times in the stomach. While he lays on the floor apparently dying, he whispers to Liz that her real father is still alive. When the FBI SWAT team storms the room where Tom supposedly died, the camera zooms in on the area of the floor where Tom's wounded body was. It is unknown whether his corpse was removed or he survived his injuries.

Season 2

===“[[Dr. James Covington ]]”=== Liz has a nightmare about being confronted by Tom and Red.

===“[[Dr. Linus Creel ]]”=== Liz mentions Tom in her cover story to Linus Creel.

===“[[The Front ]]”=== He is mentioned in Liz's reminisces to Samar Navabi.

===“[[The Mombasa Cartel ]]”=== He is seen as Liz's prisoner on a abandoned ship.

===“[[The Scimitar ]]”===

===“[[The Decembrist ]]”=== At the beginning of the episode, he is seen in a flashback holding Liz hostage, and is being transported in a car to Ellie. While being held hostage on a boat, he kills Eugene while Liz shoots Samuel Alecko. After he kills Eugene and Liz shoots Samuel in the foot, he tells her that she should call Kate Kaplan. Later, he makes a deal with Liz and Donald Ressler in exchange for information on Milos Kirchoff, he is allowed to escape. Ressler then tells Tom that he will arrest him eventually.

===“[[T. Earl King VI ]]”=== He calls Liz and tells her he is going undercover. He is seen in Germany getting a back tattoo that says "Deutschland für die Deutschen" which means Germany for the Germans. He appears to be attempting to infiltrate a neo-nazi group as evident by his bald head and the Schutzstaffel (SS) bolts tattooed on his neck. Tom now uses the name Christof Mannheim as part of his cover. The song being played when Tom is changing his appearance is called Major Tom

===“[[The Major ]]”=== Tom is shown as a young child being chased by a security guard. While running in the streets, a car pulls along side of him and allows him to enter to help in his escape. Inside the car, you see who is presumed to be The Major explaining to the now Tom why he's had a hard time in his life and that he is special. The Major raises Tom to be the perfect spy and infiltrator. Tom, still emotionally torn due to Liz begs for a new assignment from The Major. He is sent to Germany to infiltrate a white power group to unknown ends. You see Tom transform to Christof. He is seen at a tattoo parlor getting SS ink as well as another phrase along his back. Once in Germany, he enters the club where his targets are known to be and intentionally starts a fight with someone at the bar. After he wins his fight, his mark introduces himself to Tom and buys him a drink.

===“[[Tom Keen ]]”=== Reddington and Agent Ressler go to Germany to locate Tom and convince him to return to clear Liz's name. Reddington creates a means to reach Tom by disrupting an arms sale and inserts himself into the sale. Reluctant to hear him, Tom eventually decides to help Liz in her trial. He appears before the judge to confess to the murder of the harbor master and claim Liz had no involvement and even tried to stop him from committing the murder. Even with evidence that Liz was not guilty for the murder, the judge still plans to hold her on perjury, kidnapping, and other charges. However, Thomas Connolly appears and orders the indictment stopped, saying the judge has no authority at the federal level. Tom and Liz are both cleared, but Liz now has to live with the fact that she ruined an innocent man's family.

Unanswered Questions

1. Why has Red not given Elizabeth Keen more information on Tom?
   1. A: Red is letting the whole thing play out and let Liz see Tom for who he really is.
2. What would Raymond Reddington have done if Tom had died from the injuries inflicted on him by Ranko Zamani in "Pilot"? The link to Milos Kirchoff would have been lost.
   1. A: Zamani was far to skillful to have killed Tom, without Reddington's permission.
   2. Q: Tom was in the intensive care unit. Injuries that severe can quickly turn fatal.
      1. A: That depends on the injury. It was implied that Zamani knew what he was doing. The largest determinant of whether a severe wound becomes fatal is the amount of time it takes to get treatment.
   3. A: Kirchoff placed Tom in Liz's life so that if Tom died the link would not have been lost. As Zamani told Red: "I paid him a visit like you asked". Zamani knew what he was doing.
3. Why was Tom captured by Zamani? He could have easily killed Zamani and hidden the body. ("Mako Tanida")
   1. A: Zamani probably surprised Tom and he was armed with a gun. Zamani easily captured Liz by waiting.
   2. A: To maintain his cover, he could not be sure how much Red knew and the disappearance of Zamani would have confirmed Red's suspicions.
4. Who is Tom working for?
   1. A: It is not Alan Fitch. It is Milos Kirchoff.
   2. A: Both the unknown faction monitoring the house and Raymond Reddington are certain he is leading a double life. The unknown faction and Red would not maintain such certainty without evidence. Furthermore, Red would not have ordered the attack by Ranko Zamani in "Pilot" without evidence.
   3. A: In "The Judge", Red's suspicions about Tom were proven true, and Liz is now in further danger.
   4. A: In "Mako Tanida" Tom states that his employers are stationed in Berlin.
   5. A: In "Milton Bobbit", Tom states that he is accountable to Milos Kirchoff.
5. Why is the homicide mentioned by Harold Cooper classified?
   1. A: Because the victim was a defecting FSB agent.
6. Why did he not call the FBI and alert them when Liz asked him to?
   1. A: Tom could be working for the faction Fitch represents.
   2. A: He started to suspect that Liz has gotten closer to the truth and his behavior in the last few episodes showed it. During her nightmares in "The Courier", the people Tom works for in Berlin are very powerful and extremely dangerous.
7. What was Tom's motive for going to the art gallery with Jolene? Is he suspicious that she may be after Liz and trying to cast doubt in his eyes? Or is he just lonely and trying to have some fun?
   1. A: Tom suspects Lucy/Jolene was spying on him and his double life is finally revealed in "The Judge". It was also revealed that Tom had only married Elizabeth because his superiors told him to do so in order to attack her.
8. Is Tom his real name? Lucy Brooks changed hers for the assignment.
   1. A: Unlikely, as Christopher Maly revealed in "Milton Bobbit". It is also revealed that his marriage to Liz is possibly invalid as Tom may have family of his own with the unknown Nikki. Tom's real name was revealed in "The Major" as Jacob Phelps.
9. How and when did Elizabeth Keen capture Tom?
   1. A: She shot him twice and captured him while wounded.
10. How does Tom know Kate Kaplan?
    1. A: Kirchoff told him.
11. What did he mean in "The Decembrist" when he told Red that he did not say a single word about their arrangement?
    1. A: When confronting Red at a bar in San Francisco, Tom mention from the time he worked for him, Tom never once mentioned a single word of their arrangement
12. Why was he so shocked by the gun in the box? His wife is an armed federal agent.
    1. A: It was his escape plan. He had to convince Liz that it had been planted there to frame him.
13. Why did Tom keep the weapon used to kill the FSB agent? He should have got rid of the evidence.
    1. A:Only if he had reason to suspect that there was evidence left at the crime scene. As the event in question took place before the series began and it is implied that it was done under orders from Berlin it may have been that Tom had expected Berlin to have a cleaner on hand to deal with evidence. Or, as it was a high profile target and the event was eventually classified, it may have been that the US government never revealed that evidence was left so Tom would have had no reason to dispose of the "evidence".
14. When Tom went to The Post Office, why did they not confront him about the handgun used in the FSB assassination? Cooper and Ressler knew Liz had submitted the bullet and casing for ballistics.
    1. A: It's actually implied that they did as Tom vehemently stated that he was set up and that he did not know anything about the gun or the murder.
15. Why did he keep the escape box in the Keen house? He had a safehouse and could have created multiple backup safe houses.
    1. A:In spycraft the "go bag" is always kept in a place where the owner has easy access to and can easily keep track of. As such they are usually hidden in the houses/apartments of the spy/agent because that's a location the spy/agent has easy access to. Tom did have a safehouse (designated "Watchtower") in a different part of town but if he needed to escape he had better access to his living room floor boards than an abandoned building on the other side of town.
16. Why does the top of Tom's "escape box" have a carving of the burn scar on Liz's hand?
    1. A: The theory is that it's a brand of some sort tied either to Berlin's organization (probably not given events in "The Decembrist") or to Red's past. Liz stated that whoever gave it to her wasn't trying to hurt her and Tom stated that he was one of the "good guys" in late Season 1 so it's plausible that Liz was marked at an early age for her "protection" by whoever was protecting her at the time (maybe her biological father?).
17. Why does Liz always say she was rescued from a fire at age 4, but tells Red in the pilot episode that her burn scar happened when she was 14?
    1. A: Pilots are seldom 100% canonical and often retconned. The "age of the burn" was a minor detail which was later turned into a major plot point once the series was actually produced.

Gallery

Tom and Liz confronted by Ressler as Liz leaves for her first day in her new job.

Tom smiling at Jolene at a teacher's meeting.

Tom right behind Liz as she examines the walls of evidence.

The bloody message in "Berlin".

Tom gets tattoos for his cover.

Tom's new identity in Germany

External Links

• NBC.com
• NBC.com
• NBC.com
• NBC.com