The Blacklist: 10 Things to Know about Samar Navabi

Samar Navabi is a strong and intelligent agent on The Blacklist. Her resourceful nature and fierce attitude make her a force to be reckoned with. While The Blacklist loves to keep the true nature of their characters hidden and mysteriously tucked away, we at Nerds & Scoundrels have rounded up some of the most important facts to remember about this Mossad and FBI agent. Check out the top ten Samar Navabi facts every fan of The Blacklist should know!

Spoilers forthcoming! You’ve been warned!

Our Top 10 Blacklist Samar Navabi Facts

Below are ten facts about Agent Navabi, in no particular order.

10. She’s played by Mozhan Marnò.

Actress Mozhan Marnò is no stranger to the screen and has an impressive resume of television credits behind her. While Samar on The Blacklist may be one of her more recognizable roles, fans may also know her from SAG Award-nominated performance as reporter Ayla Sayyad from Seasons 2-3 on House of Cards. She’s also starred in a number of films, including playing the title role in 2008’s The Stoning of Soroya M. In addition to her acting background, Marnò has a background in directing and writing screenplays. She adapted her first full-length screenplay When the Lights Went Out into a play that was produced at New York Stage and Film in 2013, and her short film Incoming, which she wrote and directed, was accepted to four prestigious film festivals.

9. She was first introduced in Season 2.

Samar Navabi made her first appearance on The Blacklist in Season 2, Episode 1 “Lord Baltimore”, where she extracted Raymond Reddington from a hotel with a squad and attack helicopter. Though the FBI later arranges for him to be released, Samar explains to Reddington that she was able to track him by analyzing his patterns. Reddington ins impressed by her intelligent investigation skills. He offers to tell her the name of the person who killed her brother, Shahin Navabi, but Samar declines, saying she’s known the name for many years. Unfortunately, that person has been missing for quite some time.

8. She is an Iranian-born Baloch.

Samar is an Iranian-born Baloch (Iranian people who live in the Balochistan region of the southeastern-most edge of the Iranian plateau in Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan, as well as neighboring regions, including those in India). Mozhan Marnò is also Iranian-born. Samar was radicalized and presumably recruited by Mossad due to the torture and eventual killing of her mother and father by the Iranian regime.

7. She is a Mossad and FBI agent.

As mentioned in the last fact, Samar was recruited by Mossad for reasons that are not entirely confirmed, but likely due to the death of her parents by the hands of the Iranian regime. Following the death of CIA Agent Meera Malik, Assistant Director Harold Cooper assigns Samar to the task force as an investigative agent. She also becomes a Mossad liaison.

6. She views felonies as a romantic sign.

Though Samar doesn’t talk much about her own romantic endeavors and interest on the show, we as the audience do have a little bit of insight regarding her opinions about romance. It’s been established in a couple of episodes that Samar believes if you commit a felony for someone you love, that is a sign of romance and the felony can be perceived as a romantic gesture. Samar first shares this unique opinion in Season 2, Episode 16 “Tom Keen”, but it is later reiterated in two more episodes: Season 5, Episode 10 “The Informant” and Season 4, Episode 12 “Natalie Luca”.

5. She speaks six languages

Samar is quite the polygot, or someone who is fluent in multiple languages. She can speak English, French, Arabic, Farsi, Spanish, and German. Interestingly enough, Samar’s actress Mozhan Marnò actually speaks four out of the six languages her character speaks: English, German, French, and Farsi. She also speaks a little bit of Italian. She’s just as impressive in the language department as Dembe Zuma, who speaks four languages fluently and six additional languages well enough to get by!

4. She used to be a smoker.

Samar used to be a smoker, but she quit back in 2013. However, she does have a few moments of weakness throughout the series, as shown in Season 3, Episode 20 “The Artax Network” and Season 6, Episode 12 “Bastien Moreau: Conclusion”. As these are the only two instances the audience has seen, it appears that Samar has pretty good-self control, but will revert to her old smoking vice whenever she’s stressed out.

3. She has a tattoo.

Samar has a tattoo of a falcon, located on her upper left arm. The tattoo was done in honor of her deceased brother, Shahin. “Shahin” means “falcon” in Farsi. Her brother had the same tattoo of a falcon done on his wrist. Shahin was killed after Reddington handed him over to the Venezuelan government.

2. She used to be engaged.

Though Samar was never married, she was engaged for a period of time. Her fiancé was none other than Aram Mojtabai, another main character on The Blacklist. Aram loved her so much and pictured a future with her that involved buying a house and having kids. However, that future never came to fruition, because Samar ran away. Aram was so heartbroken he almost followed her, but Reddington eventually convinced him not to chase after her. Why did she run away? Well, that brings us to fact number one…

1. She suffers from Vascular Dementia.

One of the most shocking revelations about Samar was one of the last things audiences ever learned about her – the true nature of her mysterious brain illness that the show had been hinting at throughout Season 6. Samar suffers from Vascular Dementia, an illness that arose after a car accident that left her underwater for several minutes. During that time, her brain was unable to receive oxygen, leading to her condition. Samar’s Vascular Dementia is the reason for her recurring symptoms of mini-strokes that continuously damage and worsen her brain. Once the Mossad learned about her condition and realized she might be a liability, they put a hit on her. After becoming an assassin’s target, Samar decided to leave town and run away once again.