The Graysons were in damage control for most of the episode. They needed to prevent a conviction against Daniel, which meant threatening one of the jury members through a hired muscle. Victoria set her sights on Jack Porter as the fall guy. Nothing changed between 1995, when David Clarke suffered from their power, and 2011, when their own son's fate was in the hands of twelve anonymous jury members. Viewers won't like the Graysons any more after "Justice." Seeing them manipulate people and abuse their power is rather infuriating to watch. Victoria and Conrad treat people like puppets or pieces on a game board; they're selfishly driven, and seeing it really makes one want to see Emily successfully complete her revenge on the bastards who ruined her life and her father's life.
There were numerous twists and turns throughout "Justice" and none are crazy enough to single out specifically. No one's jaw should've dropped when Victoria used Lee, her muscle, to threaten a jury member's kid. Likewise, every other horrible thing Victoria or Conrad did isn't a surprise anymore; it's just part of their characters. Of course Conrad would threaten the fraud painter to leave town with everything but his wife; and of course Victoria would tell her daughter to seduce Declan into saying what Daniel needed to give him a chance with the jury. The jury tampering and the later murder of Lee in the prison cell is also par for the course. Victoria's been written with some depth during the course of the season. She hasn't been the ice queen we met in the "Pilot," but she hasn't been a likable character. The Lifetime movie-of-the-week storyline with the painter accomplished nothing for the character. Emily explains Victoria's move with Lee against the jury member as a sign of a mother doing whatever she can to protect her child; indeed, Victoria's acted on behalf of her family in most of her actions. Unfortunately, her actions are morally wrong, regardless of the motivations behind her actions.
The biggest 'twist' of the episode is when Emily learns the truth about her father's death. A tale was spun that her father died in a prison melee at the hands of a nameless convict wielding a knife. The truth, naturally, involves the Graysons. The storytelling was smooth throughout "Justice" so the scene when Emily learned the truth about her father's death was a triumph. Emily was at her best tonight. She framed Lee, ensured Jack's safety from prosecution, and exonerated Daniel in the process. I liked the domino effect of it all, especially how Lee's brutal beating of Jack came back to haunt him in the end. I criticize Revenge alot, but I appreciate their attention to the details, because details are everything in a story. The resolution was a bit too neat, a little too convenient, but the trial would've been a bore if extended another week or two. The narrative would've been stuck in quicksand. Anyway, Emily figures out that the Graysons hired someone to kill her father. The twist isn't surprising and, in fact, is quite expected; Emily wanting revenge for framing her father is incentive enough, but this other element suggests we'll see an Emily we've yet to witness this season. And with four episodes left, she'll have plenty of time to get her hands and dirty and conjure a new part of her plan that will no doubt delight a sadist like Takeda.
The time lapse wasn't too jarring. Jack spent 50+ days driving around the east coast searching for Fake Amanda. Declan continued attending prep school and lost his relationship with Charlotte for refusing to alter his story about seeing no on at the beach. Daniel became more jealous of Emily and Jack and took to drinking at nights on his upper balcony which overlooked Emily's beach house. Nolan controlled things, as much as he could, from a distance. Emily acted and made decisions. Nolan didn't let her actions or decisions blow up in her face. Victoria continued her affair with fraud painter. Charlotte continued to take painkillers. Declan doesn't change his story at the trial, which drives Charlotte back into the arms of her bland ex-boyfriend who happens to deal painkillers; Declan's moment on the stand is his most heroic act in the show, it's an active decision to stay true to himself, and to his brother.
Daniel's jealousy was the biggest 'reach' of the episode. His entire episode with Emily in the house when he broke house arrest and seemed destined for a miserable fate happened so that viewers would think he hung himself in prison. The note he writes Emily ends on the promise of an act. The next image of the prison is someone's feet dangling. The trick was admirable, but it was the roughest part of the episode. Daniel's behavior didn't track with what we've seen. The time lapse didn't spell things out so viewers were left to fill in the blanks about what could've caused Daniel to act so aggressively toward Emily. But oh well whatever. His mistrust of Emily seems like a permanent thing. It's quite possible he'll fluctuate between trust and mistrust during the final four episodes. Who knows. Emily's going to be a busy girl these next four weeks.
Other Thoughts:
-The depiction of winter was atrocious. Aside from the fact that the east coast had a mild winter, with barely any snow, the writers had no idea how to present winter without snow or an actor randomly shivering; but, of course, the actor quickly behaved as if it were a balmy summer's day. New York wasn't Moscow or St. Petersburg where flurries and snow are a constant. Heavy coats and some physicality would've been enough to let the viewer know it is indeed December.
-Sallie Patrick & Liz Tigelaar wrote "Justice." Bobby Roth directed it.
THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK
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