Courtesy of ABC
REVENGE ups the ante as it powers towards its third season finale. The death toll is rising and Emily (Emily VanCamp) is considering Golden Girl aliases. Sh*t just got real.
Let’s bitch it out…
Boy, it sure does suck to be Victoria Grayson (Madeleine Stowe), doesn’t it? Early on in ‘Revolution’ Pascal (Olivier Martinez) makes a surprise proposal and you can almost see the momentary hesitation in Victoria’s eyes because she knows that each time she zeroes in on romantic happiness, planes go boom or men fall into helicopter blades.
Yes, folks, Revenge has gone full-blown night soap on us with this death. I love a ridiculous death, so watching Conrad (Henry Cznery) push Pascal into the blades of a helicopter is a euphoric moment (Side Note: Yes, I’m considering therapy). But let’s be honest: dying is probably the most interesting thing that Pascal has done on this show. Ever. We’re talking about a guy for whom “understated” is a colourful descriptor – I mean, the dude was bland. And since this show continues to be death-adverse with its main cast (despite Christa B. Allen’s Charlotte’s continued unwelcome presence), the writers might as well “off” the more prominent guest stars.
And so another of Victoria’s romantic prospects has been struck down (looking quite a bit like the “true death” on a certain HBO show, I must say). You almost have to feel sorry for Victoria for the rash of bad luck she’s had…or rather you would if she wasn’t such a terrible person. It’s interesting that Victoria is now the sole person who suspects Emily is up to something because she has yet to tell anyone else about her suspicions about Em’s revengda. One would think that Pascal’s death would throw her off that scent for a while, but the disconnected phone line that ends the episode is likely raising alarm bells in Victoria’s mind. Conrad may be the one who pushed when it came to shove, but Emily is ultimately responsible for setting in motion the plans that necessitated Pascal’s death.
For me – aside from the sheer delight of a ridiculous death – this is the beauty of ‘Revolution’: watching everyone secretly scramble to protect their interests. Emily kicks things off when she kidnaps Pascal with Aiden (Barry Sloane) and Nolan (Gabriel Mann). I love that a black turtleneck and grey blazer can pass muster for an Homeland Security agent (which also magically diverts all suspicion of her nefarious intentions towards the Graysons!). And so Agent Rebecca Stone (criminally not a Golden Girl alias) turns the screws on Pascal, cutting a deal to save him and Victoria in exchange for a damning confession from Conrad.
It’s a perfectly serviceable plan that ultimately fails because everyone’s paranoia levels are at red. Things immediately go to hell when Victoria discovers the fake Homeland Security card in Pascal’s pocket (her first reaction when Pascal acts suspicious upon returning home – which tells us a lot about Victoria’s trust issues, doesn’t it?). She calls the number, figures Pascal has been entrapped by the feds and tells Daniel (Josh Bowman). Here’s where it gets interesting: Daniel assumes that Pascal is exposed because of his Voulez tax scheme/Interpol ruse. To cover his butt, Daniel tells Conrad, who then (correctly) assumes that Pascal is after him. After that it’s just one backwards step into the helicopter blades to end the Revenge version of Chinese Whispers.
It’s a delight to watch all of this unfold, however, because this isn’t a case of things going down the tube because someone acted stupidly. This is a plan that was ruined because everyone was acting smart and being proactive to save their own skin! After so many deviations from the main goal, ‘Revolution’ finds Emily being proactive and actively looking to take out the Graysons. It’s through no fault of her own that she sets off a chain reaction, but the plan nonetheless goes awry. Now she’s forced to hatch a new plan – one that appears to involve kidnapping Charlotte.
We’ll see how that move works out next week!
Courtesy of ABC
Other Observations:
- As much as I love Nolan’s quips, I found his move against Javier (Henri Esteve) really childish and petty. Obviously he wanted his “friend” to learn a lesson about trusting the Graysons (and by proxy, going against him), but to publicly humiliate him and get him fired seems a little over the top. Perhaps Emily’s dark side has worn off too well on Nolan.
- I’m uncertain what to think of Charlotte’s letter subplot. Nolan does his usual computer is magic! stuff to identify the origins of the letters, which allows Charlotte and Jack (Nick Wechsler) to play Nancy Drew. Inside the creepy cabin, there’s research on David Clarke and Jack finds his ring, but the only person is a creepy dude lurking about (presumably the mysterious owner, Kurt Renner). I don’t know if we’re meant to assume that Renner is the one who kidnaps Charlotte at the end of the hour, but the way Emily discussed a new plan, I think it’s actually her.
- Finally, I’m still annoyed at how easily Daniel has manipulated Margaux (Karine Vanasse) to do his bidding – including taking control of the LeMarchal empire tonight – but she did look genuinely devastated after her father’s death. For a moment she almost looked as though she no longer wanted to be CEO of the company, but I’m sure that once Daniel convinces her how much he needs her money, she’ll come around. If this show gets a S4 pick-up, these two are totally going to be sexxing, right?
Best Lines:
- Nolan (to Em, suggesting characters from the iconic sitcom as aliases): “I just want you to be golden, girl”
- Victoria (when Conrad mentions feeling ill): “A burst appendix I hope”
- Aiden (chastising Nolan for getting into it with Javier): “If you’re finished playing who’s got the bigger hard drive…”
Your turn: were you surprised that Pascal died, or merely surprised by the way he died? Is Victoria romantic poison? Did you enjoy watching everyone scramble when Ems put her plan in motion? Was Nolan out of line? And who is Kurt Renner and did he kidnap Charlotte? Speculate away below.
Revenge airs Sundays at 10pm EST on ABC