Last night’s Revenge mid-season finale included a plot twist that could have changed the show for good (and possibly for the better), but instead of taking the road less traveled, the show runners opted for predictable. (spoiler warning)
Most network dramas nowadays get overlooked for the harder hitting, more controversial dramas of cable and premium channels. Shows like Mad Men, Homeland, and Game of Thrones don’t bat an eye at content that would make Network TV executives run for the hills. While most people would never consider putting a soapy drama like Revenge in the company of such great television, here’s our thoughts on how they could have made the jump possible in the mid-season finale.
Most shows cannot (and will not attempt to) succeed after the death of the main character, the namesake if you will, and therefore never take the shot in the first place. While Revenge isn’t titled “Amanda Clarke” or anything, it certainly has been all about the vindictive daughter and her master plan to take down all those who have wronged her and her family.
Last night’s mid-season finale brought an unusual opportunity to the powers behind Revenge: the chance to actually kill the narrator without killing the show. Simply put, Amanda Clarke should have died.
Think about it. If Revenge had killed Amanda Clarke in last night’s episode, they could have retained the entire premise of the show without losing a step in her absence. While we all want to see Amanda’s happily ever after with (insert male love interest of choice here), we have also been warned time and time again by many different characters on the show that revenge comes with a price. That seeking vengeance will not bring peace to the vengeful.
They could have proven the entire concept correct by killing Amanda off and showing that even the main character isn’t safe when it comes to the power of revenge.
Now, we’re not saying that the show would have to end either. There are many characters left behind that could take up the mantle after Amanda’s death and become the show’s new namesake. Here are 3 potential candidates for the job:
Nolan Ross
The first character that comes mind is Amanda’s right hand man and confidant, Nolan Ross. Nolan has proven himself an essential accomplice to many of Amanda’s attempted plots over the last few seasons, and it would not be a stretch to have him emotionally distraught by her death. He could take up her mantle and wreak havoc on the Grayson family by exposing the many secrets he knows in a dynamic and complicated plot, especially when you consider that his newest flame is kin to the matriarch of the family he intends to destroy.
Aiden Mathis
The second possible candidate to take over could be Aiden Mathis. As Emily’s current true love and ex-potential exile hubby, he would have all the motivation necessary to take over for Emily and bring down the Graysons. He has many of the same skills Emily found useful in her scheming, and would more than likely have great success in his ventures. Not to mention that he would more than likely have Nolan in his corner doing anything he could to help the noble cause.
Charlotte Grayson
The last contestant for the role of replacement revenge-monger is Charlotte Grayson. Now, we know what you all must be thinking. What could Charlotte possibly have against her own family enough to destroy them? When you consider that Emily’s mission was born from a box brought to her at the exit of a juvenile detention facility by Nolan Ross, it isn’t too far off that Charlotte wouldn’t have similar motivations when she learned about her sister’s true identity from that very same box.
Sure, Charlotte would probably be angry at Amanda at first, but after some coaching from Nolan and a little time, there is no doubt in our minds that this show could have turned into a ground-breaking drama about the unforgivable act of one’s half brother killing a half sister. Charlotte is the product of two worlds and literally bridges the gap between Amanda and Daniel since she shares a parent with each. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine that the only unforgivable sin a brother could commit is to kill the only link she had to her father, even if she didn’t know about it at the time.
Call it a calculated non-risk, but there is no doubt that killing off the main character would have made the entire world sit up and take notice of a show long since dismissed as “another nighttime soap,” while also breathing fresh air into a concept that is flirting with the stale and predicable side of its predecessors.
Whichever way they would have chosen to go, killing Amanda Clarke could have, would have, and should have been the smartest move Revenge ever made.
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