I have to admit I was getting a little worried when the shows I was looking forward to this fall began to air and one after another the pilots didn’t exactly ring my bell. Thankfully, when I sat down to watch the pilot of Revenge, that wasn’t the case.
Like Ringer, we open with a scene in the future, unlike Ringer this scene doesn’t see it’s completion in the episode -- that’s a treat reserved for some time later in the season. So we go into the series already knowing several things that will happen in the future. Including the fact that Emily Thorne has gotten what seems to be a very nice slice of that revenge pie she’s been craving. I like this little glimpse into the future because you know she’s not going to suddenly fall in love with the enemy and change her mind about seeking out vengeance. As Emily reminds us in her voice over, this is not a story about forgiveness.
So what exactly happened that is making this young woman seek out revenge against these wealthy Hamptonites? They pinned a crime on her father several years ago that he didn’t commit, something involving financing terrorism. Whether the crime is even real or was merely used to get her father out of the way isn’t made entirely clear -- the latter being more likely considering it seems her father was having an affair with Emily’s main target, Victoria Grayson. To make matters even worse Emily, who’s real name is Amanda Clarke, believed her father was guilty of all these crimes for years, until learning the truth after his death through a series of journals he left behind for her. Of course, Emily won’t be heeding his advice to do something he never could, forgive them.
Emily’s first target is the woman she’s renting her house from, Lydia, the very same house she and her father stayed at years ago. It’s conveniently on the market after it was discovered her husband was having an affair, so you can’t help but wonder if Emily wasn’t behind that exposure as well. But all rich people have affairs with each other and Lydia is no different, she’s having an affair with Conrad Grayson, Victoria’s husband. Watching Emily wile and work her way to expose the affair and then to witness the venom Victoria spouted when she discovered the truth--it’s easy to see how she could be so heartless as to frame an innocent man just to get him out of her way.
For those who still like romance in their television, there’s no need to fear. There is a twinkle of something more with Amanda’s childhood friend Jack Porter. He’s clearly still holding a big torch for the girl, even naming his boat Amanda. He also has her dog that was taken during the frightening police raid on her home. I enjoyed the moment when the dog runs up to her, after recognizing that she’s the same girl who owned him as a puppy -- which also makes the dog one of two people in town who know who she actually is. We’ll see how long it takes for Jack to follow suit and become suspicious about the new girl in town.
I’m looking forward to seeing how long and how bloody of a path of vengeance Emily will carve out. As I’m sure Emily won’t be satisfied with simply one body lying cold in the sand. She’ll at least need two or three, especially during sweeps.
Revenge premieres September 21st 10/9c on ABC
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