Skip to main content

The Blacklist Season 9 introduced several new characters. After Liz Keen’s death, Raymond Reddington disappeared. He left behind his old bodyguard Dembe Zuma and went into hiding with the Xui sisters. Weecha protects Red’s body while Mierce safeguards his soul. Mierce and Red form a romantic relationship, but the former decided she couldn’t stay with him and departed in episode 8. Here’s everything you need to know about the actor who plays Mierce and where you’ve probably seen her before.

Karina Arroyave as Mierce Xiu in The Blacklist Season 9. Mierce stands in the doorway with a bag over her arm.
Karina Arroyave as Mierce Xiu in ‘The Blacklist’ Season 9 | Will Hart/NBC

Karina Arroyave plays Mierce in ‘The Blacklist’ Season 9

Actor Karina Arroyave plays Mierce Xui in The Blacklist Season 9. Mierce is a healer who, along with her sister Weecha, begins living with Red after Liz Keen’s death. The show later reveals that Red and Mierce are involved in a romantic relationship.

Unfortunately, Red becomes consumed in his quest to investigate Liz’s murder. Mierce is concerned by the dark path Red is headed down. She urges him to let go of his anger and forget, but Red can’t do that. Due to this, Mierce decides to say goodbye to Red in episode 8.

Karina Arroyave as Mierce Xiu, James Spader as Raymond "Red" Reddington in The Blacklist Season 9. Mierce holds Red's face in her hands.
Karina Arroyave as Mierce Xiu, James Spader as Raymond “Red” Reddington in ‘The Blacklist’ Season 9 | Will Hart/NBC

Here’s where you’ve seen ‘The Blacklist’ Season 9 actor Karina Arroyave before

Arroyave has been acting in TV and film for quite some time. One of her earliest roles was on the TV series soap opera As the World Turns. Arroyave was cast as Bianca in the late 1980s. “I don’t think I ever got bored on the soap because my character just took such a journey,” Arroyave once said in an interview with TTFT Show.

“She comes to this country and she’s like a servant and then she gets adopted by this wealthy woman so now she’s like an heiress. And then you know she runs away and like she’s in a castle,” laughed Arroyave. “Yeah, I was never bored doing that.”

Later Arroyave went on to have roles in a multitude of other television shows. She made guest appearances in popular shows including Law & Order and Blue Bloods. Arroyave is also well-known for playing Jamey Farrell in the drama series 24 and Karla Córdova in Orange Is the New Black, according to IMDb.

Related

‘The Blacklist’: Why NBC Will Likely Renew the James Spader Series for Season 10

Will Mierce be back in ‘The Blacklist’ Season 9?

It’s not clear whether Mierce will be back at some point in the future. Unlike Red’s past girlfriend Anne, Mierce is at least alive and well. The goodbye between Mierce and Red was heartbreaking. At the end of the episode, Red asks Weecha if she thinks Mierce will come back, but there was no definitive answer to that question.

Many fans hope to see Mierce again. On her Twitter, Arroyave commented on a Tweet saying she was “leaving the show” with a response that leaves some hope for the future. “My darlings, I did not leave the show, the writers wrote that Mierce leaves. 2 very different things. This is not a comment on what the future holds for the show, only 2 clarify my own actions as Karina. Hope this helps!”

New episodes of The Blacklist premiere Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Best in TV