October 1, 2012 - 5:51pm
'Revenge' RECAP: Thorne and Co. return in a quiet, tense premiere
BY PROMA KHOSLA AND KAYLA UPADHYAYA
- ABC
Emily Thorne and her schemes are back for an all-new season of “Revenge.” Daily Arts Writer Proma Khosla and Senior Arts Editor Kayla Upadhyaya recap the season premiere.
Kayla: Coming off of a season finale that was anything but, “Revenge” returned with an episode that is pretty, well, quiet. It wasn’t as explosive as we’ve seen the show get, but the self-control this episode has going on made for a really great episode. Just like the first season, we start a few months in the future. Instead of “Daniel” getting shot on the beach, this time it’s Jack’s boat somewhere in the depths of the Atlantic, joined by an unidentified corpse.
Proma: I’m surprised that they used the same setup. In season one, it was a hook to get people into the show, but now it appears to be a narrative structure that the writers are comfortable with.
Kayla: Showrunner Mike Kelley actually mentioned at Paleyfest this year that he was planning on doing the flashforward tease again. He likes that device a lot, and it worked quite well in the first season. It’s a simple device that isn’t too rigid, so I don’t think we’ll get into a “Damages” or “24” kind of situation (in both cases, their respective storytelling gimmicks started strong and then got really tired, really quickly). “Revenge” has proven itself in the time-jumping business, but I will say that I’m not quite as invested in the downed boat as I was in the oceanside shoot out. Hopefully that will change as we progress.
Proma: I am invested in the life of Jack Porter, so anything that threatens it has my terrified attention. Speaking of Jack Porter, I am hatching my own plans which involve burning all his shirts.
Kayla: Jack is looking rough this season. You know who isn't? Your man, Nolan. Looks like the Hampton’s billionaire, collar-popping extraordinaire has been keeping busy over the months that passed in between seasons: boxing, learning martial arts ... it’s clear he wants to be just like his hero/bff Emily Thorne. Who he is also now living with? Perfect.
Proma: As soon as he said his house was for sale, I shouted “ROOMIES?!?” I actually shouted this over Emily’s immediate “no,” which in my opinion overrode her. Nolan has actually been staying in shape to help out Emily, and it is a wonderful gesture worthy of only him. She is still unnecessarily rude to him. Admittedly, her life is nothing but a spectacular series of unfortunate events, but NOLAN.
Kayla: Mann and VanCamp are perfect onscreen together, and this roommate development allows for all the more sassy Emily-Nolan interactions that I can’t get enough of. As for other developments that happened between seasons: Daniel is now dating Ashley, who has become the new queen of the Grayson Manor ... and who also might be sleeping with Papa Grayson behind Daniel’s back? We saw Ashley’s scheming side in the last half of the first season, so I’m not going to put it past her. Having one Grayson in your pocket is useful ... having two is downright wicked. It’s just a theory at the moment, but did you pick up on that vibe?
Proma: I didn’t, but I could see the possibility. Kind of unlikely, though. Conrad thinks next to nothing of her (not that that would stop an affair) and she and Daniel are so perfectly bland together. I just despise that Ashley sees herself as a schemer on the level of Emily and Victoria. She’s certainly a formidable opponent in the social sphere, but she cannot play their game.
Kayla: I’m just happy that Ashley is finally in the game. You really think Conrad thinks nothing of her? He was impressed by her last season, and even offered her a job. And his response to Daniel saying that Ashley would never cheat on him was pretty revealing.
Proma: Blegh, she irritates me, but I’ll modify my comment: He thinks of her the way that I think of her. Clever, ambitious ... but she’s no Victoria Grayson, and she never will be.
Kayla: No one can argue with that! Speaking of Victoria ... I’m surprised by how long it took for her reveal. There really was no doubt in any of our minds that Victoria actually died in that plane crash at the end of last season, but she didn’t show up in the premiere until about 30 minutes in — there’s that impressive self-control I mentioned. Was I the only one hoping Victoria would show up to her own memorial? In some super over-the-top way … like descending from a helicopter or something … ANYWAYS, the way that the episode handled the reveal in an awesome way. I really loved the blocking for the scene in which Charlotte rushed to Emily’s ear to whisper her mother’s whereabouts. The smash-cut to Emily knocking on Victoria’s door was great — “Revenge” sure knows how to whip-bang into action when it needs to.
Proma: Really?? I was not a fan of that. Charlotte and Emily’s scene was excellent, but Victoria’s actual entrance was so abrupt and quick that I felt sort of cheated. But that’s coming from someone who doesn’t watch soap operas" which I know you do, so maybe it’s a style issue.
Kayla: It was admittedly jarring, but it’s definitely a soapy move (though not quite as soapy as replacing an actor so obviously — that is not the Takeda of last season, did they think we wouldn't notice??). Now, I’m a little confused as to what Victoria is truly doing in that safehouse. She tells Emily that she’s hiding out while the FBI builds their case, but then we see that she’s actually working with the White Haired Man who is definitely not a part of the government … but I guess the part that really matters is that Emily is his latest loose-end that needs tying. The last time the two faced off, Emily almost took him out before her human side kicked in. And I’m sure the Clam Cam (thank you, Nolan) will start to reveal more and more about what Victoria’s really up to.
Proma: I’m losing interest in the big conspiracy of David Clarke. At this point my motivation for watching the show is the attachment developed to these characters and their own corrupt, tangled web of lies.
Kayla: Conrad Grayson has abandoned any and all sense of humanity. He’s paying off his own daughter’s therapist to produce false-positive results on her drug tests, because he knows that she’s suspicious of him (not to mention the fact that he wants her inheritance). And keeping her locked up and labeled a druggie allows him to maintain that control. Pure evil.
Proma: As usual, I am thoroughly irritated by the presence of Amanda. She didn’t do much, so she couldn’t be very annoying, but please do not try to pose sexily when you are eight months pregnant.
Kayla: I’d have to disagree with you on both accounts. I love that she rocked jean booty shorts while pregnant — own it, gurl. And yes, Amanda does tend to drive me crazy (mostly because she gets in the way of Emily’s revengeda, not necessarily because she is the wrench in the gears of a Jack-Emily endgame), but I thought this episode marked Margarita Levieva’s best performance to date. The look on her face and drop in her shoulders when she realizes that Jack doesn’t think the baby is his was positively gut-wrenching. Now since it’s a soap, I’m not for a second going to believe there isn’t a possibility that that baby belongs to someone else, but Amanda — and Levieva for that matter — completely owns that scene.
Proma: The character just always irritates me. Speaking of irritation, until Victoria’s entrance, I wasn’t sure if Charlotte was hiding something or if Christa B. Allen is just a terrible actress. It turns out she was hiding something, but I remain unconvinced of her acting. She’s going to have to work harder than that if her character is at the center of such a pivotal secret.
Kayla: Allen is improving at a much faster rate than Connor Paolo (I’m still tempted to fast-forward through all scenes involving Declan). It helps that Charlotte has been given more story space — she’s much more than background noise at this point. I still would like to see more of Victoria in her. Anyways, you mentioned that your reason for continuing to watch the show this season is your attachment to these characters and their lies, and I totally agree. But what I’m most interested in seeing this season is Emily’s human side. Kelley said we were going to see a much softer side of our little anti-heroine, and I’m all for it! For as badass as emotionless, revenge-lovin’ Emily Thorne is, what really makes “Revenge” so great is that she’s so much more than that. She’s complex, and we’re finally starting to see her hardened facade crumble. I have a feeling that this “softer side” will show in her quest to discover what happened to her mother. We find out this week that Victoria visited Emily’s mom in the psychiatric hospital and might even be the person who had her labeled “cray-cray” (thanks again, Nolan) in the first place. Damn, just when I thought my Emily-Victoria dream team was starting to look possible.
