Monday, January 21, 2013

My Review of Revenge's 2x12: "Collusion"


Written by Sunil Nayar And Sallie Patrick
Directed by Matt Shakman

Aiden: “What do I have to do?”
Helen: “Kill Victoria Grayson. You have twenty four hours.”

If Victoria can survive a plane crash, then does anyone think for a moment that Aiden will succeed in actually getting rid of the devilish matriarch? Nah – but at the same time, Aiden really didn’t seem to have any problem with actually wanting to kill Victoria either and that’s taking out the fact that the Initiative were using Colleen as an incentive to get him to play ball.

I knew that Emily would be the one to actually stop Aiden in his tracks from doing away with Victoria but I was kind of surprised that he would turn on her so quickly. I get that the Initiative upped their threat but even still, it was a little shocking I have to admit. On the plus side, at least Emily and Aiden are conflicted over his family rather than Emily’s continued charade with Daniel.

Speaking of Daniel, I did find it rather amusing that he somehow seemed unfazed by Emily’s admission of being in cahoots with Victoria. More surprising was the fact that he didn’t fly off the handle as well but given that Emily has betrayed him less than Victoria, perhaps it’s not that much of a shock after all.

Emily went out of her way this week to ensure that Daniel got a stake in Stonehaven while Victoria tried and failed to make sure that Jason Prosser got the company instead. Looks like Victoria really has met her match this time and she wasn’t exactly shy in venting her annoyance at Emily either when she lost.

The subplot with Victoria and Jason seemingly having a romantic past though felt trite. Yes, it was consistent to his lusting of her in the previous episode but it seems that Victoria really does have a secret admirer in every port the more we get to know her. However it seems that once again her actions have worked against as Jason seemed annoyed that Daniel managed to outsmart him with the whole Stonehaven deal.

Keeping with the outsmarting – I liked that Nolan was able to deduce that Padma was up to something just because she referred to Carrion as a program and the fact that she fell for such an easy ruse proves that she’s an incompetent baddie or that she’s still a good guy who’s being forced by the Initiative to spy on Nolan. Either way, it might not be wise to write her or her motives off so quickly though.

Plot wise, this was certainly more interesting than Kenny and Nate’s continued vendetta with the Porters or the fact that there’s something about the Stowaway that happened to pique Conrad’s interest all of a sudden. At this point, I just want the Ryan brothers gone but it seems that with Conrad’s involvement, they might be around just that tiny bit longer.

Also in “Collusion”

What an interesting dream sequence of Emily in bed with both Daniel and Aiden at the same time – nicely shot too.

Emily (to herself): “Every human is born of collusion. We come into this world the result of a covenant, sometimes made out of love, sometimes made of circumstance but almost always made of secrets.”

I’m hoping the collusion isn’t hinting at another pregnancy plot to be honest. We’ve already just had Amanda being pregnant.

Victoria (to Conrad): “Don’t you know that politicians tend to keep their concubines in the closet?”
Ashley: “Spoken like a woman no-one’s sleeping with.”

Jack: “I knew this was a mistake.”
Conrad: “The only mistake being made here is yours.”

I quite enjoyed seeing Ashley being openly hostile towards Victoria. The whole political storyline with Conrad seems to be doing her character favours for the moment.

Charlotte (to Amanda): “I guess being a Grayson means learning to live with disappointment.”

Jason: “But you’re no-one’s possession, are you?”
Victoria: “No, least of all Conrad’s.”

It seems that the Initiative have some sinister plans afoot with turning off the lights while Charlotte decided to have her surname changed to Clarke.

Nolan (to Daniel): “Please stay on the line. Your call is very important to us.”

Nolan (re Aiden): “We know he’s trying to save his sister but who’s the target?”
Emily: “Victoria.”

Standout music: I’m pretty sure I heard some of that song “Twice” in this episode but I could be wrong.

Daniel (re alliance with Victoria): “I was curious to see how far you were willing to go.”
Emily: “Well, now you know.”

Chronology: Not long since the events of “Sabotage”.

Another solid episode but again, “Collusion” should’ve been a much bigger episode than it actually was. Some of the ideas this season aren’t terrible but even I’m noticing that something isn’t working either. That being said, at least the next episode will answer a vital question.

Rating: 7 out of 10

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