Courtesy of ABC
It’s the end of the road for ABC’s Revenge as the series digs two graves for its series finale.
Let’s bitch it out…
It’s been clear that Revenge was ending for the better part of the fourth season. Big, massive developments signaled the end of the series long before ABC officially pulled the plug a few weeks ago, which meant that the series would either go out on a high or it would be an epic failure of poor planning. Thankfully it turns out to be the former as #TeamRevenge exits with a variety of happy endings that belies the dark core at the center of the narrative.
- Amanda (Emily VanCamp) pulls off one last unlikely heist: herself. I loved the sheer ridiculousness of Amanda and Nolan (Gabriel Mann) pulling off an escape from a maximum security prison using a well-timed fire alarm and an air duct. It encapsulates the madness and silliness of the series in one quick sequence.
- Victoria (Madeleine Stowe) will always be a narcissist: Nearly as silly as Amanda’s escape is Victoria’s decision to attend her own funeral in one of the worst disguises ever. She literally puts on a shitty brown wig and a scarf and sits in the back row so that she can listen to the eulogy and speeches. She later wails to Margaux (Karine Varnasse) that she simply wanted to see her children, but we all know that Victoria really wanted to see the turn-out (which is disappointing, BTW)
- Also: Victoria’s outfit is a hilarious parody of what she must imagine normal people wear. She’s about to go on the lam, so she wears baggy camouflage? The fashion on this series has always been one of its guiltiest pleasures, but seeing one of its most regal characters in sweats is the most mortifying part of this finale.
- Amanda and Jack (Nick Wechsler) finally do it: Can we get a rousing cheer of “about freaking time?!” I mean sure, Ben’s corpse is barely cold before the star-crossed pair hit the sheets, but whatever. We’ve waited four years for this!
- Let’s talk about that fight scene: What the hell was that scene between Jack and China White Black & White White Gold (Courtney Love)? No, I’m serious. Was that acted out/filmed in slow motion? Because it was terrible! I mean, Courtney Love as an assassin-for-hire is one of the dumber plots introduced in the final season, but the fact that Jack is nearly murdered by her is kinda pathetic (Ben we can understand, naturally). Thankfully Nolan makes everything right by tasing her, which is surprisingly enjoyable.
- Margaux turns herself in: Not quite the ending that I was hoping for for one of Revenge’s most annoying characters. Margaux had a rough arc this year; she became increasingly unlikable and I get the impression that many fans, myself included, would have enjoyed watching Margaux go out in some kind of overly dramatic death sequence (fall down an empty elevator shaft, blouse turns into a parachute and she blows off a roof, etc). If the finale is missing something, it is a ridiculous death scene and Margaux should have been the one to have it.
- Victoria dies: There was no chance that Victoria was going to walk away – she was always fated to end up in the ground at the end of the show. The only question is whether it would be Amanda who would put her there. Unfortunately ABC’s promo department went into overdrive, so the answer had to be no. Ah well – having David Clarke (James Tupper) do the deed makes the most narrative sense. Plus he gets a “get out of jail” free card with his compassionate leave from prison, which allows him to die on the front porch with his daughter in a sentimental closing scenes.
- One final wedding: So Jack and Amanda get their happy ending after everything and it’s a pretty lovely affair. Amanda starts the day off by visiting her father’s grave, then surveys the wreckage of her scheme: the row of gravestones belonging to the Graysons. I kinda love that despite the fact that Amanda never killed anyone, she managed to put nearly the entire family in the ground! Then it’s off to the wedding with everyone in attendance, including a teary-eyed Nolan, Louise (Elena Satine) and, in a nearly silent performance, Charlotte (Christa B. Allen).
- Callbacks: Throughout the hour there are more than a few shout-outs to Revenge’s long history (thankfully no Initiative, though). The double infinity symbol, naturally, gets its time in the sun, as does Sammy when Amanda presents her new husband a puppy. And, of course, Amanda version 2.0 is the honeymoon vehicle that Amanda and Jack use to make their Hamptons escape.
- Final thoughts: Nolan embarking on his own revenge quest is a fun way to leave the character. And I appreciated the ludicrous final dream sequence that that Charlotte gave Amanda Victoria’s heart as a transplant. That would have been crazy insane and I loved it!
Your turn: what did you think of the finale? Will you miss Revenge? Sound off below
Revenge has now finished its four season run on ABC.
The last season of Revenge was pretty unwatchable.