TV Line:

The Blacklist had an unenviable task ahead of it with Friday’s episode: Memorialize actor Clark Middleton, who passed away in 2020, and write out his recurring character, Glen, in an effective way.

The resulting hour, titled “The Wellstone Agency,” managed to do both of those things with a moving farewell to both Middleton and his alter ego. Though the episode also furthered Red’s pursuit of Liz, its more poignant focus was the loss of Middleton’s DMV regional manager, who died from West Nile virus as his portrayer did in real life.

But sprinkled among the episode’s somber moments — like Red’s heartfelt eulogy for Glen, delivered at the Statue of Liberty — was some levity, including the strange and amusing plot twist that Glen had claimed to have a years-long friendship with singer Huey Lewis. The two men had no such relationship in reality, but in the spirit of preserving the lie and not leaving his mother devastated, Glen had posthumously tasked Red with tracking Lewis down and persuading him to attend Glen’s memorial. (Against all odds, Red pulled it off, and Lewis guest-starred as himself in multiple scenes.)

Below [at the link], Blacklist EPs Jon Bokenkamp and John Eisendrath explain how Lewis’ appearance came to be, among other details of the sweet tribute episode.