‘The Blacklist’ Season 9: Why Is Episode 19 Dedicated to Kurt Perez?
The Blacklist Season 9 Episode 19, “The Bear Mask,” was wild and emotional. Aram searched for an alternative remedy to help with his mental health and experienced some very vivid dreams. The episode was dedicated to a man named Kurt Perez. Here’s what you need to know about him and his involvement in the show.
Why ‘The Blacklist’ Season 9 Episode 19 was dedicated to Kurt Perez
After The Blacklist Season 9 episode 19 ends, words flash across a black screen reading, “In memory of Kurt Perez, 1972-2022.”
Kurt Perez was a television crew member who died at the age of 50 on March 27, 2022. According to The Bronx News 12, Perez was involved in a fatal one-car crash. His 2018 Ford Explorer lost control in Yorktown and hit a tree. “Troopers believe wet conditions in the southbound lanes played a part in the accident,” the news outlet wrote.
According to his obituary, Perez was a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Perez isn’t listed as an official crewmember on The Blacklist IMDb page. However, it’s possible he worked on the show in some capacity or was connected to members of the Blacklist team.
The Blacklist makeup artist Dena Olivieri posted a video on Instagram celebrating the end of filming for The Blacklist Season 9. At the end of the clip, the words, “In memory of Kurt Perez” appeared.
‘The Blacklist’ honored Clark Middleton last year
Clark Middleton portrayed DMV employee Glen Carter in The Blacklist. On the side, Glen worked as a tracker for Raymond Reddington, popping up now and then in seasons 2-8. According to Entertainment Weekly, the role of Glen was made for Middleton after his impressive audition for a one-off role. “We just loved him,” executive producer Jon Bokenkamp told the outlet. “His character started with our love of Clark and how great he is at what he does.”
Middleton died in 2021. The executive producers worked to honor Middleton, writing in a character death for Glen on The Blacklist. Bokenkamp explains that they, “[didn’t] want to pretend that [Glen’s] off on a case somewhere or that he fell out with Red.” He added, “We came up with the idea of acknowledging his death.”
Aram tries a different kind of therapy in ‘The Blacklist’ Season 9 Episode 19
Episode 19 of The Blacklist Season 9 focuses on Aram Mojtabai. For years Aram has been dealing with mental health issues, but his usual coping mechanisms haven’t been working lately. Due to this, Aram decides to try LSD therapy. In his drug-induced state, he experiences a groundhog-day-like event. A man in a bear mask infiltrates the Post Office and kills Aram’s friends. Then the whole thing starts over again.
Eventually, Aram faces a hallucinated form of himself and Samar, which helps him cope with the grief and guilt he has been feeling since Liz died. At the end of the episode, Aram sits with the hallucinated versions of himself and Samar and just barely smiles.
