Revenge "Destiny": AKA: Shit Just Got Real.

Sunday night was the premier episode of ABC's Revenge second season, "Destiny", and the Revenge PTB* wasted no time in plunging us back into the world of wealth, and treachery that we have all come to know and love.


****WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD*****



Let's see where we left our little crew. Our darling Nolan was working out, just as any sensible person who got the snot kicked out of them as much as Nolan did last summer should. Emily is still reeling from the information that her mother may still be alive, and now even more so hellbent on getting her revenge. Ashley is climbing her way up the social ladder. Daniel is drinking again, so much for rehab. Fauxmanda is playing house with Jack, and Declan is coping. Conrad is...well not taking the death of his wife all that hard, oh and Victoria is dead...yeah right...

Oh Victoria, I knew we wouldn't be without you long, though I didn't expect to get you back quite so soon. Truth be told, I feel like the PTB could have kept her return under wraps a little longer, still it is nice to know that the reigning queen of mean is back in action. The real question now is HOW did she survive the plane crash? Was, as she told Emily, the FBI involved? Was it the company involved in the terrorist cover up? This raises serious questions about her motives last season. Was she ever really planning on turning Conrad in? Or could the plan have always been to fake her death and escape her marriage? Maybe she never really wanted to take Conrade down, maybe she just wanted out of the marriage. Last year the PTB played on our sympathies for Vikki. They painted her as a woman who was forced into making impossible choices. Choices that she has, or at least we lead to believe she has, always regretted. I admit I felt pangs of sympathy for her. She made deplorable mistakes, but the picture painted before us lead us to believe it was all done out of a mother's love, that she did what she did to protect her children. Which although not right, is at least understandable. Sunday's episode blew all sympathy for her out of the water, when she, while meeting with the white haired man, the man who murdered the supposed love of her life, ordered the death of Emily Thorn.

Can we talk about poor Charlotte for a mo-mo? She "lost" her mother, and her boyfriend and her father is faking her drug test results to keep her locked up. Not going to lie, for a hot second I thought it was Emily who had fiddled with her test results to get the false positive. I do believe however, that despite the fact that Emily is using Charlotte to get back in with the Graysons, that she does have a genuine affection for her. They are sisters after all, and the Graysons' actions have destroyed her life, just as they have destroyed Emily's. Remember how she thought her life was so hard at the beginning of  last summer, with her overbearing mother and cheating rich boy boyfriend? Bet she misses those days about now.

Speaking of her lost love...Declan. Once again, despite popular opinion, I am totally Team D/C. I think they are both good for each other, Declan grounds Charlotte and she makes him strive to be a better person. Think about it, until she came along Declan was contented just to sit around in Montauk, now he has plans to go to college, and somewhere between the summers, our little Declan Porter has become the voice of reason. This time around he's the one telling Jack it's time to wake up and be responsible, not just about the bar, but for his own happiness as well.

Then there's Jack, who is unhappy with how his life has turned out, and with good reason. He's still in love with Emily, after all even if he doesn't know it, she is his Amanda. I have to admit though, the longer her "I'm Emily Thorn" lie continues, the more I worry about how he is going to take it wen the truth is revealed to him. Especially since Emily has been so supportive of the Fauxmanda lie. I think he totally could have bought the "I can't reveal my true identity for my own protection" bit, but the allowing someone else to claim her real identity, and mess with his mind? Well, that pill is going to be harder to swallow. He has to be given credit for trying to be a good guy and "do the right thing" by "his" baby. However, Declan did make a great point, (Yeay Declan!) by bring up the fact that it really doesn't do the baby, or Fauxmanda, any good if he is miserable.

Let's talk Fauxmanda for a min shall we? I still hate her. Sorry, I want her gone. I find it cruel and unusual punishment that the PTB keep dangling her character's departure in front of us and then taking it away. Now we find out that Takeda has sent her back to the Hamptons on purpose, to be an ally to our Emily. Not sure how much I really buy that, Takeda already believes that Emily has gone soft, forget ally, if you ask me he sent Fauxmanda back as a spy. Someone to keep an eye on Emily. Now we know that she is actually pregnant, because we have been told that Jack has been accompanying her to her doctors visits, so we can rule out a faked pregnancy", but Emily and Jack are totally valid in their suspicion over the paternity of this baby. After all returning to the Hamptons because she is carrying Jack's baby is the perfect cover story. Seriously, who's gonna question that, without the knowledge of Fauxmanda's ulterior motive for returning? Jack never even questioned it until Emily suggested it.

Let's not forget the star pawn in Emily's game last year, Mr. Daniel Grayson. It is Daniel that I feel the worst for, for it is he who has unwillingly/unknowingly fallen the furthest. He started last season as a bright-eyed, idealistic Harvard boy. He had just finished rehab and wanted to make amends for his past transgressions. He was sweet, and trying to break away from his family, to start fresh, live a truth filled life. Then last season happened, and we got to slowly watched his "fall from grace". Cut to Daniel one year later. He's drinking again. A LOT. He seems bitter, and broken, more and more following in his father's footsteps. His idealism is a thing of the past. Sure, Emily broke his heart, after all she did kiss Jack while she was engaged to him, but let's not forget, he broke her heart too. I do believe that Emily truly did have feelings for Daniel, and that is why she was so hurt by his betrayal. I honestly believe that if he had gone public with the information about the cover up that he knew, Emily could have married him and been happy. Not completely happy, as she will always be in love with Jack, but happy enough.  Even his mother's "death" wasn't enough to shake him out of it, and he seems pretty hellbent on making Emily aware that he has not forgiven her. Sadly he has brought this upon himself.

I do think that Ashley feels a little bad about the way things have turned out. I am a bit annoyed with her for completely turning on Emily though. Emily was supposed to be her friend, granted I get that Emily herself isn't the greatest of friends, but Ashley brought her into the fold and then basically abandoned her. She willingly sold her "friend" out, first with Victoria, then Daniel, all in an attempt to climb the social ladder. Whether she feels remorse or not, her actions are not endearing her to anyone, characters and audience alike.

Then there's Emily. As she so perfectly put it "Things have certainly changed in a year, haven't they?" Seems her priorities have shifted slightly now that she knows her mother may be alive. She's more determined than ever to take down the Graysons and I for one, can not wait to see what she has planed. Also, quick sidebar, how FABULOUS did she look in that red dress?



Random Odds and Ends

Really Conrad? Paying someone to keep you own step daughter, who you swore you would never leave to, locked up? That is a new low even for you. And  I don't fully understand as to why he isn't more concerned about the burner phone hidden in her room. You would think he's want to find out who she has been talking too.


So we know that Victoria, somehow survived the explosion/crash, but what happened to Lydia? Did Victoria sacrifice her to get away, or is she too hiding out somewhere? What about all that evidence, does Victoria still have it?

I find it interesting that Emily's first glimpse of her "friend" Ashley at this year's Memorial Day celebration is VERY reminiscent of how she first saw Victoria at last year's event. This of course only fuels my Conrad/Victoria and Daniel/Ashley comparisons.

Nolan and Ems as roomies! BEST. THING. EVER. Seriously, I am so happy that this is happening, though I admit to being sad over the loss of Casa Nolan, this set up can only lead to more of the Emily/Nolan banter we all know and love. This does of course stir-up the brother/sister theories a bit. After all, why did David Clarke invest in Nolan's company, and furthermore, where did he get the money to do so?

And who is this Aiden guy, who seems to have history with our Emily? Apparently he's being set up as a new love interest for our leading lady. Seeing as I am Team Jack, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about bringing yet another new man to get between them. That being said, I have nothing but love for Barry Sloan and his gorgeous accent, so I'm willing to see how things shake out.

Next week looks epic,  I realize everyone is assuming that when Emily says she is going to take Victoria's "daughter away from her" it means that she is going to kill Charlotte, but I'm not so sure. As I said I do believe that Emily truly has feelings for Charlotte, after all she is almost as much a victim of the Graysons as Emily herself. "Taking her" from Victoria, doesn't necessarily mean killing her, all it means is turning Charlotte against Victoria for good. I'm really curious to find out just what Emily has in store for her little sister.


*PTB stands for Powers That Be, referring to writers/directors/producers/ect