Revenge 2.08

[shallowness]

I got very excited when the announcer said this episode would be set in 2006, because I thought the last flashback episode Revenge did was one of its strongest. I think the last third let this down, partly because it brought in some season 2 preoccupations.

However, the flashback within the flashback was awesome. I loved that they cast an actress who looks like a young Stowe to play Victoria’s mother (it’s called a job, woman) and one who looked like a younger Allan to play young!Victoria. I didn’t love that Mr Greevey was all set up by Victoria and that Conrad played along with it, tbh. Victoria waiting for the opportune moment (dinner) to put the knife in (this is how my mother once treated a paramour of hers, set up her daughter and then abandoned her after she'd possibly been molested) – fine, totally in character, absorbing, especially for the light it threw on her and Conrad. But for it to be that calculated was one twist too far.

As regards the Russian creep flashback, I enjoyed watching Emily be a competent operative and shock the men with their low expectations of her, especially because the music kept reminding me of Alias. For a second, I thought we were going to have the threatened Ashley’s agenda is more than gold-digging development. Instead, I got to rag at her – there is a choice between working in a gallery and selling yourself, woman. And the economy was better in 2006, so there would have been jobs around.

I was confused about Aiden-the-bartender’s conversations with Emily until it became clear that they hadn’t met before. I really can’t believe that Takeda would be so careless as not to realise that Aiden, Colleen’s brother, was on the revenge trail and, more specifically, there. What was interesting about Emily’s behaviour towards Aiden was how it spoke to her and her own revenge and its effect on her (although, honestly, I doubt that it tracks with what we've seen before). Also that his father was linked to the fateful air crash. The lovey-dovey stuff left me cold, yes, even him calling her Amanda and her letting him, which, intellectually, I can see shows that she’s trusting him with her whole self. I’m just not feeling it. I also expect that he’ll stick around for the season (or that’s the show’s intention), to be killed, thus giving Emily more motivation to do her thing.

Nolan’s speech about why David Clarke and loyalty to his daughter mattered was a really crucial one. Of course, the boyfriend was introduced to be reintroduced in the now. Daniel turning into Conrad (ie smug Daniel) is annoying. He’s only a rung up from Charlotte, the idiot Declan and Ashley after all.

Jack’s hair was not entertaining in this flashback, so I was disappointed. Much better than the return of Carl was Sammy’s cameo. But so, now we know the truth about the shadow Porter brothers. They’re out to avenge their Daddy. Who ran a protection racket. But they are wrong to target Carl Porter’s sons. (The show gave us the for dummies guide, didn’t it!?) Still, Carl’s ‘friend’ had a weird idea of being in it together – I can see that he was upset at what happened to his daughter, but he made Carl complicit by nicking his gun.