Revenge– 1.22 – Reckoning – A to Z Challenge – Day 18

“The game is still afoot”

'A man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green.'

- Francis Bacon



Prologue
Up for discussion today is the first season of Revenge’s finale.

This is the only show on the ABC network that I watch. Ever since Lost ended I just haven’t really found anything else on the network to hold my attention. I’m not really into comedies, so that pretty much rules out all of their critically acclaimed stuff.

At first blush I remember thinking I thought this was a pretty weak finale but upon two rewatches I discovered I actually liked quite a bit more than when I first watched it.

About the Show

Seasons: 3| No. of Episodes: 63|Premiere Date: 09/21/2011| End Date: N/A | Status: On-Air

Genre(s): Soap Opera, Drama, Psychological thriller, Mystery

Story in a nutshell: Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp) comes to the Hamptons and rents a beach house next to the Grayson family mansion for the summer. Emily is really Amanda Clarke, whose father was framed for treason when she was a little girl. After a lengthy trial, he was imprisoned for life, and was murdered in prison by agents of the people who framed him. Amanda was separated from him after his trial and never saw him afterwards. She has now returned to the Hamptons as an adult to get revenge on those who wronged her and her father. Her primary target is Victoria Grayson (Madeleine Stowe), matriarch of the Grayson family, who loved and betrayed Amanda's father.

Best Reason to Watch the Show: If you are looking for a show that is just good, soapy , ridiculous fun this is the show for you. It may be a bit over the top but the character motivations and relationships are compelling enough to keep you coming back for more. Also, if you are into live tweeting, I personally think this is best Sunday night shows to do it for.
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Title: Reckoning| Writer: Mike Kelley & Mark B. Perry| Director: Sanford Bookstaver
Episode Summary: Emily moves forward with the final phases of her master plan for revenge against the Graysons as their empire is slowly self-destructing. When Emily discovers her closest ally, Nolan, has been kidnapped and held hostage by the white-haired man, she comes face to face with him and a battle to the death ensues.

Ashley has to make an important decision regarding her loyalties to Conrad and Victoria, and she betrays Emily once again by telling Daniel what she saw happen between Jack and Emily. Daniel confronts Emily, and Emily says the reason she did what she did was because he was not the person she fell in love with and he is turning into all the things he never wanted to be, a Grayson. She gives him the engagement ring back.
Emily decides she will tell Jack that she loves him and reveal her true identity. However, she finds that Amanda is back and is pregnant, leaving Emily heartbroken.

Charlotte reveals an affair Jaime had with a history teacher to the whole school, embarrassing Jaime publicly; Declan tells Charlotte to never talk to him again.

Because of John McGowen, Victoria discovers Conrad signed contracts to kill David Clarke. Victoria and John McGowen fly to Washington D.C. for the incriminating trial of the century regarding Conrad Grayson and the recent terrorist allegations that have been released to the SEC.
The "white-haired man" pulls the wheel brakes off the plane with both Victoria Grayson and Lydia Davis on board, causing the plane to crash. After hearing that no survivors have been found, Charlotte calls Declan to tell him, but he yells that he will never speak to her again before angrily hanging up the phone. Charlotte overdoses.

Nolan reveals to Emily a dark secret from the evidence that Conrad tried to destroy and that the framing and death of her father involves so much more than the Graysons; many others played a role in the false accusation. Emily finds out her mother is still alive from a very old security camera tape of Victoria, and she tells Nolan to resume playing the tape so she can presumably find her mother.
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Awards

Character of the Night
• Emily

Best Character Interactions
• Emily & Daniel
• Emily & Victoria

Most Memorable Moment
• Emily waiting on ‘The White Haired Man’ with an axe

Best Line
• Emily: In every life, there comes a day of reckoning, a time when unsettled scores demand their retribution. And our own lies and transgressions are finally laid bare.

Best Scene
•The fight scene between Emily and ‘The White Haired Man’

That Awkward Moment Award
• That awkward moment when your plan quite literally blows up in your face.


Miscellaneous

Favorite Actors
• Emily VanCamp, Josh Bowman and Connor Paolo

Favorite Main Character
• Nolan

Least Favorite Main Character
• Ashley

Favorite Side Character
• Takeda

Least Favorite Side Character
• Tyler

Fun Fact: The show is inspired by the Alexandre Dumas novel The Count of Monte Cristo.

Tasty Tidbit: The pilot episode scored a 3.3 Nielsen rating in the 18-49 age demographic and 10.02 million viewers, winning the 10 pm hour time slot against CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Side Note: During the show’s first season it was ABC’s highest-rated series overall in Wednesday’s 10 p.m. hour in more than 4 years since Lost during the 2006-07 television season.
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Grade: C+
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Comparable Shows
If you are interested in finding more shows like Revenge then I recommend you watch one, some or all of the following shows: Arrow, The Good Wife and/or Scandal.
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Up Next: Tomorrow I will be writing about my favorite season finale of Supernatural. That episode would be 5x22: Swan Song.