Revenge review – 2×05: ‘Forgiveness’

Revenge season two is still trying to find its sea legs, so it’s no surprise that some elements from ‘Forgiveness’ pop, while others fizzle.

Let’s bitch it out…

One of my biggest issues with S2 thus far has been that there’s no clear reason why we’re meant to care about Emily’s (Emily VanCamp) mother, Kara (Jennifer Jason Leigh). The show has done a really poor job of suggesting why it’s so integral for Emily to find her, and has actually inserted a proxy, Aiden (Barry Sloane) to remind us how this search is distracting her from her larger plan for REVENGE!

If Emily had her way, she would be finished with her child-killing mother by the end of the episode, but events conspire beyond her control – as they often seem to on this show – and not-dead-Faux (Margarita Levieva) forgives Kara with a hug and some tears. It’s a little gratifying to know that Em is mostly on the same page as us (“whoopsie, guess I don’t really know anything about mommy-dearest, so let’s send her packing”), but it was clear early on that the show wasn’t simply going to let Jennifer Jason Leigh go so easily. Especially not when they can toss her into scenes with Ice Queen, Victoria Grayson (Madeleine Stowe) and drive the Graysons into a panic. The opening scene is among the best of the night as Kara and Victoria hug it out, the whole time Victoria casting murderous daggers from her eyes and clutching a pair of garden shears like a knife.

I’m not quite ready to accept Kara as anything more than an instigator for these kinds of scenes and conflicts, but so long as she continues to force everyone out of their comfort zone, I’m prepared to tolerate her hanging around the Hamptons.

Other Observations:

• Aiden continues to act of his own volition in Emily’s best interests. This week, however, he may have crossed the line by slipping Daniel (Joshua Bowman) information about David Clarke’s (James Tupper) involvement in Nollcorp, Nolan’s (Gabriel Mann) company. Emily is in the clear as she’s gotten rid of her Nollcorp stock, but with Daniel looking to usurp his father and prove himself worthy of Grayson Global, this likely means seriously bad news for the blonde billionaire. Could Nolan be ousted from his company by Daniel and left penniless?
• Padma (Dilshad Vadsaria) is the one who instigates Aiden’s investigation after she discovered a cheque in a frame linking Clarke and Nollcorp last week. I knew this b*tch was going to be bad news! Mimosas and brunch on the beach be damned – Nolan you need better taste in sexy partners!
• Ashley’s (Ashley Madewke) role amounts to offering drinks to Aiden on the corporate credit account and confiding that Em cheated on Daniel last season. A) This is incredibly unprofessional behaviour for a business meeting with a client you’ve only just met and B) is this seriously all the show is going to do with her? Seriously?!
• Mason Treadwell (Roger Bart) is back and he’s stirring up sh*t again! I love the passive aggressiveness he, Victoria and Emily share. His big moment occurs at the end of the episode when he confronts Faux about a missing scar that proves she’s not Amanda Clarke. Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have a new individual who just served his own death warrant. Clearly someone hasn’t learned from having his house burned down!
• Finally, in one of the least exciting reveals, Kenny (JR Bourne) comes right out and offers to buy the Stowaway from Jack (Nick Weschler). I doubt this sale will go smoothly since Declan (Connor Paolo) isn’t likely to let go so easily, but for now there’s very little duplicity in this storyline, which is shocking for this show.

Best Lines:

• Kara (to Victoria, about the location of Grayson manor): “So smart to build it right on the ocean so you can see your enemies coming”
• Kenny (to Declan, about Charlotte): “A girl like that’s not going to go for a Groupon” Ohh, topical!
• Treadwell (when Kara suggests she’s been ‘away’): “That’s one of my favorite places”
• Emily (when Kara morosely states that Faux didn’t recognize her): “I can’t imagine how that must feel”
• Treadwell (re: Vanity Fair article on the kidnapping): “It was like staring at your lovely visage, Victoria: the perfect blend of fact and fiction”

How are you feeling about Revenge now that we’re knee-deep into the season? Are you happy that Faux lived? Do you think Kara has a grand plan to take everyone down? Will Nolan lose Nollcorp to Daniel because of Aiden and Padma? Were you secretly hoping that Victoria would stab Kara with those garden shears? Admit it – you know you were! Hit the comments below with your thoughts

Revenge airs Sundays at 9pm EST on ABC