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Revenge: Grief

"I will never accept and I will never forgive."

Revenge's spectacular premiere season is almost over, and this hour was a pretty effective setup for the hopefully explosive finale.

I'm most intrigued by the fact that Emily's defenses (and yes I've resigned to not use the name Amanda as nobody else does) are starting to break down so close to the finale. Her moment of weakness as she passionately locked lips with Jack was fascinating to watch, made all the more compelling as it followed the tragic death of lovable Sammy. Although I absolutely hate it when shows overuse the whole "36 hours earlier" spiel (and it really wasn't necessary in this hour), Sammy's death affected much more than I would have ever imagined. It was heartbreaking to see him lifelessly laid out on Emily's doorstep and Jack's tearful goodbye to him. In fact, seeing Jack cry over Sammy might be the moment I liked him most. His speech broke my heart as it transitioned to flashes of Emily's childhood. I'm definitely intrigued to see where the couple's newly kindled romance will go in the finale and if Emily will finally reveal her true identity to good ol' Jack.

In other news, I really hope the show doesn't run with the whole "The Initiative" thing. Not every serialized drama needs a shadowy top-secret organization at the head of a larger conspiracy. While something like that might work on Alias or Lost, I'm perfectly happy with Revenge being a personal vendetta tale against a handful of sinister foes. There's really no need to complicate things with a larger adversary, so let's hope the writers don't tinker with the show too much as we move into season two.

Speaking of enemies, the white-haired man is a suitably mysterious foe and I'm undoubtedly intrigued to see how his face-off with Emily in the finale will culminate. He proved himself to be quite adept as he choked the life out of Nolan in the episode's cliffhanger so I'm especially excited for next week's blowout.

Finally, Victoria was in tip-top shape throughout "Grief". It was actually my favorite episode of hers in a long, long time as she was utterly brimming with snide one-liners and a gleefully devious demeanor. I can't express how much I love watching her one-up Conrad time and time again. In addition, her bullying of Lydia was just joy to behold. More, please.

Vengeful Bits:

- I literally groaned when "36 hours earlier" came up on my screen.

- Is it wrong that I wanted to punch Lydia across the face when she appeared beside Conrad?

- Loved Emily's plan of framing the Initiative. So consistently resourceful.

- Badass moment of the season nominee: Victoria picking up a letter opener and viciously ripping the painting open.

- Ashley needs to be thrown off a cliff. Twice.

- Daniel sure is becoming a diva these days.

- Excellent twist with Nolan sending Emily to the wrong house (to be intercepted by righteous Aunt Carol, no less).

- Epic Grayson group therapy session. Brilliantly written and superbly acted. I could watch an entire hour of this.

- Did we really we need to have Ashley spying on the kiss? I really hate these soap opera machinations.

- I really didn't expect Victoria to hand the evidence to Daniel. And now Emily has her sights on the briefcase.

- I was hoping white-haired guy would be at Nolan's! Awesome ending.

Devious Delights:

Victoria: You look good, Conrad.
Conrad: And you look like a demonic succubus.

Nolan: This is getting kinkier and creepier by the moment.

Nolan You may be a lot of things: black belt in karate, impeccable dresser, and certified sociopath, but you're not a killer.

Victoria: We used to be such good friends, Lydia. What happened?
Lydia: You held me hostage at Grayson Manor after your attack-dog threw me off the roof of my own apartment.
Victoria: Well, you certainly have a knack for landing on your feet now, don't you?

Victoria: (To Lydia) The question is, why would Conrad hold on to something that he knows has little value whatsoever? Other than you, of course.

Victoria: And Conrad, I like that you suspect me, predictable as you are. But I need you to know that others have been betraying you as well, even while warming your bed.

Victoria: Bravo, Conrad. That display of yours should go miles towards helping Charlotte's recovery.

-An exciting hour that capably arranged the chess pieces for an electrifying finale.

3 out of 4 fake masterpieces.

Previously posted at Nad's Reviews.

7 comments:

  1. Nadim, I've got a question for you:

    I haven't watched Revenge or Nikita yet. Which one should I start with, this summer?

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  2. Ahhh Josie don't do this to me! I adore both shows. Can you please watch both this summer :) After all Nikita is only two seasons and Revenge is one so you can make that happen.
    But if you had to choose, I would go with Nikita first because you have more catching up to do! Please stick with it in the beginning because now that season 2 has ended, it really has reached Alias levels.
    Let me know when you start! You will not regret either.

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  3. This is now one of my favourite series - it's just so brilliant!
    Can't wait for another series...

    I agree, Sammy's death was just so heartbreaking! :(

    http://whats--hot.com

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  4. Nadim, when are you going to post your review of the finale?! It aired here in Australia just this week, and I really miss your review!

    Billie Jo

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  5. Billie Jo, I posted a few days after it aired in May. Weird how you couldn't find it!
    Here you go:
    http://billiedoux.blogspot.com/2012/05/revenge-reckoning_25.html

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sorry my bad apparently I had forgotten to add it to the index!

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  7. Of all the characters to kill off, they had to choose Sammy? Noooo! It always breaks my heart when pets die and this was no exception. Amazing scene with Jack as he said goodbye.

    Great setup for the finale.

    ReplyDelete

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