Courtesy of NBC
Revolution returns after a week off with an episode that asks us to believe Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos) is capable of being both a prostitute and a hard-edged assassin. Once you stop laughing, feel free to join me after the break.
Let’s bitch it out…As always, let’s break down the pros, cons and draws of the episode.
+ (Pros)
- Strausser (David Meunier): I haven’t mentioned Monroe’s (David Lyons) creepy Sergeant yet, but this hulking brute is appropriately threatening. Nothing beats a nice monologue delivered to a child (!) about knives “like brush strokes on a canvas” (!!) Clearly this is a messed up dude. More please
- Shooting the flask: It was pretty unlikely Revolution would kill Aaron (Zak Orth) only two episodes after killing Maggie (Anna Lise Phillips) but it’s still pretty clever to have the most useless member of the group shoot his flask in order to lower Drexel’s (Todd Stashwick) defenses long enough to take out the heroin dealer
– (Cons)
- Charlie: Naturally. The plot is Charlie heavy this week, which means that NBC hates us or someone killed a kitten (what did we do to deserve this?!). I don’t know what’s worse: seeing the teen try to flop her way through the O’Halloran gates as one of Drexel’s whores or seeing her struggle with her moral qualms about killing the old man (David Andrews) with a godd*mn chopstick. Watching a bad actress like Spiridakos struggle to convey emotion is like rubber-necking a car-wreck: it’s uncomfortable, a little bit painful, but you can’t look away
- Danny (Graham Rogers) and
JulietRachel (Elizabeth Mitchell) reunite: I. Don’t. Care. I just don’t. I hate him and hope he gets a pitchfork in the eye…or maybe tortured by Strausser for that child’s knifey pleasure
Courtesy of NBC
Draw (Jury’s Still Out)
- Drexel is either over the top ridiculous or deliciously evil. I found the whole “I’m evil…but let’s laugh about it…but I’ll kill you” a little schizophrenic, personally. I just didn’t buy that this was a guy who would prompt such feelings of hopeless despair from Miles (Billy Burke) and the others, but maybe that’s just me?
- Aaron’s backstory: It’s good to learn more about Aaron after so many references to his life of privilege in previous episodes. Unfortunately it’s a predictable snoozefest. Orth might as well have worn a lion suit and accompanied Dorothy down a yellow-brick road – we get it, he’s a COWARD who left his (hot and understanding) wife Priscilla (Maureen Sebastian) after realizing all of his money couldn’t protect her in the post-blackout world. The only plus is that she’s likely still alive, so she can come back and kick him in the balls..or rub the fact that she hooked up with hot blonde saviour Sean (Michael Roark) in his face
Lazy Writing of the Week Award
- Nora’s (Daniella Alonso) injury: I know that it’s a television staple to have characters recover from injuries waaaay faster than in real life, but someone can’t suffer a nearly fatal knife wound, undergo a transfusion and then be up and walking around less than twelve hours later. Stop demanding complete suspension of disbelief, d*mnmit!
Best Lines
- Aaron (to Miles, after meeting Drexel): “I’m really glad you brought us here”
- Drexel (when Miles protests Charlie having to kill O’Halloran): “You can’t. She can. And if she doesn’t, I’m going to start by smothering Latino Barbie and then the rest of you.” Clearly Drexel’s a bad guy because he’s rude and racist
What say you, readers: was the week off worth the wait? Were you hoping that Charlie or Miles or anyone would figure out that their situation didn’t warrant the amount of hand-wringing they were doing and find an alternative (leave Nora!) Did you feel badly for Aaron and his patheticness in the flashbacks? Is there any chance his hot wife didn’t sleep with Sean? And why – if the world has effectively ended and you could live nearly anywhere, would a retired police officer set-up shop next to a heroin dealer? Am I missing a punchline to an indecipherable joke or something? Hash it out below…
Revolution airs Mondays at 10pm EST on NBC