"Destiny" is a nice beginning for the second season of Revenge at least. I dreaded two things about the new season: the conspiracy angle introduced in season two, and the plane-crash aftermath. The narrative jumped forward five months. Victoria's death had been processed and the Hamptons moved on. Characters were apart from one another. Emily went to Japan to remember her mother. Nolan sold his house and became a student of boxing and karate. Daniel and Ashley became engaged. Charlotte successfully detoxed. Jack and Declan continued to make ends meet and get by whatever way they can, all the while taking care of a pregnant Amanda. Conrad continues to be a piece of shit, and Daniel essentially scowls and downs scotch while gazing off into the distance, no doubt thinking about the proximity of Chubby's and John Adams High in Boy Meets World.
Shows that return a few months after their last season ended is always welcomed; it's like characters return with the audience. The season premiere opened similarly to season one, with a cryptic scene depicting what looks like the deaths of Jack, Declan and Amanda, as there's a shot of the sunken Amanda (boat, not character). Revenge's structure worked last season, so no gripes about Kelley using the same device a year later. I won't bother to speculate, because I don't really care about what happened. It won't be what it appears to be anyway.
The theme of "Destiny," besides destiny, is missing mothers. Emily's mom is alive but missing. Victoria is alive but missing. None of the characters know that about Victoria, but the viewer does. The Graysons and Clarkes have been thematically linked since the "Pilot." Emily and Victoria wore contrasting colors and were representative of fire and ice at the Fire & Ice party. Emily suspects Victoria forced her mother into a mental institution, which is later confirmed in a video played on the terribly named Video Player 3.2.1. Emily returns to the Hamptons to get close to the Graysons again, in hopes they'll unknowingly lead her to her mother.
Charlotte and Emily, the half-sisters, are also linked through their off-season activities. Charlotte had to detox after her overdose in the winter, and Emily needed to detox in her own way after the plane crash. The half-sisters know a truth no one else does, and they're both targeted as threats. Conrad's obsessed with getting his ex-wife's inheritance from the children. Conrad conspires to keep his daughter in rehab until the judge names him power of attorney. Charlotte delivers a touching eulogy about her mother at Daniel's and Ashley's engagement party before being dragged to rehab again, but not before desperately whispering the truth about Victoria in Emily's ear, the lone person she trusts in the Hamptons. Emily's Secret is already well-kept, but her secret about her mother puts her in danger, too. The half-sisters resort to desperation to get what they need and to communicate what they need.
The inevitable reunion of Emily and Victoria is about what I expected. Victoria rambles on about government protection because of a potential case against Conrad. She doesn't trust Emily; Emily doesn't trust her. Emily learns about Victoria's plan to have the silver-haired man kill her. My problem with the show is nitpicky because it's inherent in the show. The soap-opera format is terrible for sustaining dynamic characterization or character interactions. Emily and Victoria's scene wasn't jumping off the screen; it was just two actresses delivering their lines, Emily Vancamp with an angry face, and Madeleine Stow just delivers her lines. The show failed to make me care about the characters and their circumstances, with the exception of the friendship between Emily and Nolan. The show's well-plotted, but the night-time soap component kills whatever good things the show does.
"Destiny" is well-plotted and full of beats that'll make you hate the Graysons more and root for Jack and Emily's courtship. The tremendous amount of "What's so-and-so's plan?" is tiresome. New Takeda sending Muscular British Male to track Emily in the Hamptons isn't very exciting. Jack's pointed question about the father of the baby died on the page. I think Revenge would be pretty damn entertaining if it followed Emily and Nolan on adventures every week. Anyway, the premiere's not bad, but it's still the same Revenge that wore me out last May. For many, many people, this is the Revenge they love, and that's okay.
Other Thoughts:
-I'm writing this 20 hours after the show returned. I just watched the episode an hour ago.
-The writing for Charlotte and Declan's greatly improved. I might not ignore them each week.
-Ashley Medekwe is well-suited for her character's new persona. She's infinitely more interesting than she was last season.
THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK
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