The action never stopped during the 41 minutes of "Perception." Actually, the action came to a halt whenever Emily opined something in her narration. The theme of the week is perception. Once again, Emily resorted to classic literature to comment on something. William Blake wrote some words about perception in a book, and Emily wondered why people let their perception be clouded. One's perspective, and subsequent acceptance of truth, depends on their own individual thoughts, feelings and beliefs--in other words, their perception of things. For instance, Daniel's devotion to his mother clouds his perspective about the words his father speaks about his mother, and so on and so on.
Emily thought about herself though, as she spoke those words, especially after the events of the previous episode; her tough facade doesn't crack until halfway through the episode. Nolan's the angel on her shoulder in the first half, advising her against revealing the David Clarke truth to her half-sister, Charlotte. The line between ice, cold bitch and human with feelings has been thick. The woman rightfully wants revenge against those who ruined her father's life. Emily's regression in the first two acts disappointed me. I expected a newer Emily because of how she responded to the events in #113. Her gradual transformation in the episode worked though. Emily in #113 reacted to Jack's beating whereas Emily in "Perception" reacted to a private conversation between Conrad and Charlotte. Videotape #14 showed a ten year old Amanda talking about Victoria, and the kisses she witnessed between the Grayson woman and her own personal Daddy. The video lasted 15-20 seconds, but the audience was reminded of her true focus. Like Emily, though, we've forgotten, because of the multi-episode drama involving Tyler, and the insanity that ensued when Fake Amanda waltzed into town, as well as the serious courtship between Emily and Daniel; it's always been about Emily versus the Grayson duo though.
Jack received the best storyline of the night. I'm usually a fan of any storyline involving a character becoming 'aware' of what's really going on. Jacks' been a tough character for the show to use. He and Emily shared a childhood friendship, but Emily couldn't reveal herself as Amanda Clarke. Besides a few episodes in which Jack liked her, Jack's been on the outskirts of the narrative. The bar difficulties disappeared, as well as any conflict between him and Declan. Fake Amanda's presence in his life gave him a semblance of an arc; however, it felt like a waste of time. These fourteen episodes have been about putting the pieces into the big puzzle of the Fire & Ice party. I expected a more significant arc for Jack than what we got. But he's part of the central action now, and that is good.
Papa Grayson visited the Hamptons to fire Conrad (or demotion...WHATEVER) because of the divorce. The wild dinner, highlighted by Charlotte finding out the truth about her father, sealed the deal of Conrad's unreliability in matters of the company. Papa Grayson did not give a damn about his son-in-law; he sided with his daughter and decided to hand over day-to-day control to Daniel Grayson. Of course, Daniel's going to get shot in the back next week, so the issues of the company will remain. The dinner fiasco also guaranteed an ugly divorce, which motivated Papa Grayson to protect the company from any publicity nightmare. I should mention that Papa Grayson is the best Grayson ever created; he has a sense of humor, and isn't afraid to bust balls. It's nice to have Papa Grayson around the most powerful person in the narrative. Is it actually nice? I don't know. Perhaps I could've thought about the word choice more, but the hour's late.
Conrad suspected Ashley of some sort of treachery. Conrad called Victoria's 'pet' (or was it puppet?). Ashley briefly entertained the idea of screwing over her employers when Tyler was in her life, but she's been relegated to the sidelines since his arc concluded. Ashley's one to watch out for though. Nolan's the opposite of Ashley in that he doesn't possess a one iota of possible treachery in his moral being. Nolan's been the angel on Emily's shoulder. Nolan showed Jack the video tape. Nolan pleaded with Emily to remember her humanity, as well as decency towards others. Indeed, Nolan's been the MVC of the series.
I don't really have much more to write about "Perception." Charlotte's struggle with the truth didn't affect me. I'm indifferent about her relationship with Declan. I'm ready for next week's episode though; the payoff is the whole damn reason I decided to continue writing about Revenge. So, yeah, do not miss next week's Revenge.
THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK
Enjoying your blog. However, Grampa is father to Daniel's father; Victoria is his daughter-in-law, not daughter. The family name is a clue.
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