Revenge 1.12

‘Trust me, one doesn't easily forget a deal that’s made with the devil’

The shock factor was high in the last 10 minutes of this episode of Revenge. A burning down house and the reveal of a long buried secret gave what has come to be the classic weekly Revenge punch in the gut.

This week Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp) took her revenge to a new level by burning down Mason Treadwell’s house. Her anger was clearly shown at the beginning episode by her dramatic crossing out of the biographer’s face.  Roger Bart played Treadwell, the desperate, slimy fame seeker who had written the ‘true’ story of the David Clarke scandal, betraying the young Amanda Clarke in the process. Nolan Ross (Gabriel Mann) once again came to the rescue by providing Emily with the technological resources to bring down Treadwell (and whilst making faux Amanda actually useful for once) but along with the rest of us was also impressed – and equally unfazed - by Emily’s sheer determination and penchant for causing chaos with the arson attack

Daniel’s (Joshua Bowman) sudden transformation into ruthless businessman was slightly confusing, particularly with his unwavering loyalty to Emily coming into question with his plan to use her to get his trust fund. This uncharacteristic change is welcome though, as Bowman’s character was becoming one who was easily walked over both by his parents and friends.

The pair who had been inconsequential over the last few weeks, Charlotte and Declan,  have suddenly been thrown into the spotlight with the revelation that Charlotte (Christa B Allen) is David Clarke’s daughter, throwing a whole new light onto Emily’s pursuit for retribution and providing much anticipation for her next steps.

Aired 13/08 E4

Revenge 1.11

‘Tyler can be very unpredictable when off his meds’...’We’re figuring that out’

A bitter divorce battle?

Two double-crossing, scheming women?

A gun bearing psychopath?

What more could you want from an episode of great TV drama? Because episode 11 of ABC’s Revenge had all of it. We are now mid way through the first season of Revenge and are still just as addicted to the programme as we were when it first started.This week everything seemed to come to a head as Tyler’s (Ashton Holmes) grand plan for Grayson domination came to an end and Emily’s (Emily VanCamp) plans for both Tyler and the Amanda Clarke impersonator came together.

It hadn’t taken too long to realinse that there was something mentally wrong with Tyler, as his escapades became more and more erratic – blackmailing Nolan (Gabriel Mann) and trashing the Grayson’s pool house. Thankfully the characters began to realise this too, but not before Tyler was able to hold up Daniel’s (Joshua Bowman) beach birthday bash. The moody and atmospheric lighting in most of Tyler’s scenes, especially when he was confronted by Daniel and on the beach, as well as the ominous music, added to the unpredictability of Tyler’s actions. Of course as soon as Tyler had got one up on billionaire Ross, we all knew something big was going to go down.

We were rewarded with an explosive scene at Daniel’s birthday which threatened to expose many of the Grayson’s dark secrets. However, the timely reappearance of the injured Ross, along with the mad man’s brother prevented that. Daniel and Jack’s (Nick Wechsler) decision to work in tandem to surprise tackle Tyler was touching and showed just how these two could cross paths more, leading to a confusion of feelings for Emily Thorne which have clearly already been exacerbated by faux Amanda’s relationship with the bar owner – but we all know that Emily and Jack just have to end up together, right?

Aired 6/08/12 E4

Revenge 1.06

‘I was just thinking how it’s one of the loneliest places on Earth’

The programme which has replaced One Tree Hill as our Monday night viewing has been an enthralling watch so far and tonight was no different.

This week’s episode began where last week’s left off –Daniel (Joshua Bowman) in Emily’s (Emily VanCamp) bed and the fallout of Frank’s attack on Lydia yet to be played out. Emily’s plans for revenge seemed to be spiralling out of control, emphasised by Nolan’s (Gabriel Mann) panicking over the previous night’s events. Yet Emily smoothly managed to bring the situation back under control and manipulate it to her benefit, something that she always seems to manage to do. A skill which Jack (Nick Wechsler) needs to grasp. Whilst we all are aching for the Jack to discover Emily’s real persona, Jack’s constant moping and aggressiveness towards Daniel, as well as Nolan’s constant persuasion is becoming a little played out, although Jack’s offer to fix the swing-seat was a perfect reminder of their shared history.

The revengeful looks, or ‘the croc’, as the cast likes to call them were once again in full flow and perfectly executed by VanCamp and the sniping argument between Tyler (Ashton Holmes) illustrated Emily’s real character and the reason she became a neighbour to the Graysons.

Tyler, once again, was putting a spanner in the works of Emily’s plan of revenge by inviting himself on a double date with the couple. Despite the fact his constant interference is incredibly frustrating, it makes the way Emily has to deal with it and the repercussions it throws out all the more riveting.

This episode was also the one that truly made the senior Grayson’s relationship more absorbing. The breakdown of their marriage and the toll the revelations of Conrad’s affair are taking became more evident. Madeleine Stowe flawlessly portrayed the cold wife and her fading fake smile in the balcony scene demonstrated the growing differences between her public and personal appearances. The contrasts between the formerly strong Grayson couple and the new, developing couple underlined Victoria’s loneliness, again shown by the balcony scene in the isolation of Grayson manner.

The ending of the episode, although not as explosive (despite the atmospheric 4^th of July fireworks) as many of the others, as always, ensured the audience would return for episode seven to watch Emily’s deception apparently be discovered by the Grayson’s wayward security guard.

Aired 2/07/12 E4