Revenge has always been fueled by the need to make people accountable for their actions, or lack thereof, and the repercussions that unraveled. It’s been Emily’s mantra, her incentive, her motivation, and as it turns out the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. The fifth episode of Revenge’s fourth season felt like the breath of fresh air I needed to charm me back in. I’ve been on the fence ever since David Clark’s comeback in the third season’s final episode, unsure if his return could truly have a positive effect on this show I came to greatly care for over the last few years. This episode still left with me mixed feelings, because as much as it made me angry for all the botched opportunities for a reunion, I still loved it.
The past few episodes left us with a lingering feeling; the feeling reiterated by Nolan throughout the episode, the feeling that the father Emily remembers either never existed, seen through the eyes of a child, or was long gone. That he’s become a version of Conrad, a liar, manipulative; that he’s been broken, remodeled by years of imprisonment. That Emily will never get to meet the man she desperately wants to, because that man’s gone. Emotions roam free in the mansion as Emily is no longer the calculated ninja, in check with her feelings. She’s not thinking straight, after watching him parade in the media with Victoria for over five days, she just wants to see her daddy.
“I can’t, okay? Don’t you understand Nolan? I never went to see him in prison, all these years he believed that his daughter hated him, and I’ve lived with that guilt every single day. Now I have the chance to make it right, to let him know that his daughter still loves him. So please, stop fighting me.” -Emily
She wants it so badly, yet she’s the only one of the characters not to get to, see him. *Urgh* He’s barricaded behind a wall of press and security, Victoria doing a great job of “Clark-blocking” (loved that line!) them, and it’s driving her nuts. (Thanks to Victoria’s stunt with the car, because there really is no question behind whom the culprit is!). She’s even willing to try and reason with Charlotte, the crazy psycho-sister that tried to burn her alive not so long ago, in the hopes of being reunited with her father. And Charlotte’s the one giving her attitude, I seriously can’t stand her.
Charlotte seemed to be open to the idea of the truth finally being out, but not for very long. Her humanity is gone, and hopefully, soon enough, the rest will follow, so she leads Emily to a meeting with the Queen herself, where she tries to get into Emily’s head, and she pretty much succeeds here, doesn’t she? There’s no way in my mind that Victoria’s feelings for David are genuine, she just can’t stand being alone. Victoria’s really just using him to get to Emily, payback against her force vacation in the mental institution.
“You know what I see? Just a frightened woman about to lose the last person she could ever trick into loving her, to his daughter.” -Emily
Can we add to Charlotte’s growing list of qualities: slightly bi-polar? Charlotte brings David to Jack’s house, so he can meet his grandson. One second she was fighting Victoria on the merits of telling the truth, the next she was toying with Jack and using her father to do it. Jack could have said something, texted Emily to come, I don’t know anything, but with that meeting comes the first missed opportunity for the truth to come out. I feel like they’re toying with us in the same way Charlotte is toying with Jack.
Maybe Charlotte’s right about Jack and surely Jack’s right about Charlotte. Charlotte’s not turning into her mother, she’s turning into Conrad. I could live with her being the big bad wolf, if they ever decide to stop with the back and forth with her character. But maybe we won’t have to endure another episode of Charlotte because that ending does seem omen for bad things to come. One can hope!
After learning that Faux-Amanda was living above the Stowaway, David decided to pay Nolan a visit and we get to know why David didn’t even glimpse at the wedding album Charlotte was forcing on him for more than a second, because if he had, he probably would have realised it really wasn’t the little girl he left behind. (Second missed opportunity, there!) David Clark is running after the memory of his daughter. It’s been twenty years, she’s slipping away.
David got back into my good graces when he started questioning about what happened to Amanda, acknowledged that something just wasn’t right. That he isn’t the gullible fool the first few episodes painted him out to be. He wants answers, to know what happened to his daughter. But he’s not asking the good questions, trusting the right people. Nolan here had the perfect opportunity, once more, to give him more than those cryptic lines he gave him, only telling him something bigger was at play, third missed opportunity and an opportunity I have the feeling he’s going to regret not taking.
Emily has a plan, and an Emily with a plan is always fun to watch. And because everyone gets to meet David except Emily, yes, even Daniel does, Daniel and Margaux, aka "Trouble", are the ones to give him the deed to his old beach house, Emily’s beach house. She’s good with plans, strategies, leading people exactly where she wants them to when she wants them to. The plan is to get her father away from her father, back to a time where it was only the two of them, and she succeeds, brilliantly. And this seemed like once again, a perfect moment to reunite, away from Victoria. But still no reunion, because as much as she wanted to meet, him, she’s giving him space. (Watching them dance together would have made my day!)
It looks like they’re going to make us wait some more for Amanda and her father to finally reunite. Did she not learn from the past Charlotte-experience, that waiting too long to say the truth actually makes things worst? Why would she want to give him space? Why would he need some? She wants to win him over with the truth, but isn’t not telling him, a lie by omission? He’s grieving his daughter, when she’s living next door, isn’t that a little cruel?
“I have come to learn that evil comes in many forms, including those that we think we can trust the most. The anger this spread almost cost me the thing that I valued about all else, my memories of you, the daughter I still love, infinity times infinity. But now I can feel you again, which is why I know what I must do, for you were wronged as I was, and by someone I trusted. There must be repercussions. And I swear to you Amanda, I will have revenge.” -David
Thoughts:
I loved seeing David write in those journals, and I hope we’ll get to read what he wrote during the years he wasn’t in jail.
David Clarke is going to avenge his daughter, and I just hope he isn't going after Jack, Nolan or Emily, although from next week's promo, Nolan seems like a safe bet. Who do you think it will be?
As David Clark becomes closer to the man Emily remembers, his beard shortens, maybe in a couple of episodes, he’ll be clean shaven.
Charlotte really does need to go, how much more hatred can we collectively have for a character, I’d say, not much. I don’t even like hating her, like I do Victoria.
Ben is opening the Conrad Grayson murder case, and his number one suspect is Jack. How long do you give him before he goes to Emily?
Still no thoughts on the Louise\Daniel storyline, I just don’t care.
