On Sunday’s winter finale episode of Revenge, we were promised drama and “revelations,” but did the show deliver? Check out our Revenge recap to find out why we might not be so sure.
To start things off, we are introduced to this new character (whom we’ve never met before), but it appears that he holds a tremendous amount of sway with the board at Grayson Global. Salvador Grobet is an investor who has married into the vast fortune he uses to support Grayson Global, but he’s also someone whose loyalty is easily swayed.
Conrad and Daniel are both battling for Grobet’s support on who will be the next head of the Grayson Global board. Daniel is trying to oust his father and all of Conrad’s shady dealings, while Conrad is trying to protect Conrad from becoming a target of Americon Initiative.
On a side note, we feel like the issues with Americon Initiative seem a little forced. Yes, they are a threat to the Graysons, but we don’t feel like their presence is all that hostile. Their main function seems to be a scapegoat for anything Emily does – Victoria immediately blames it on the Initiative (including the Conrad/Ashley sex tape).
It works out plot-wise, but we think the Intiative needs to show a little more muscle before they can convince us they really are a danger to the Graysons.
Within this fight to gain Grobet’s loyalty, a little sex tape is sent to Victoria (from Emily) of Conrad and Ashley sleeping together. According to Ashley, the incident happened only one time before she and Daniel were together, but Victoria nonetheless uses the video to manipulate Ashley into doing what is best for Conrad and Victoria.
Since Grobet had a penchant for exotic women, the English, racially ambiguously Ashley is a perfect fit to seduce Grobet and sway his loyalty. Victoria sends Ashley to do just that with the threat of telling Daniel that she had an affair with his father. Ashley doesn’t want to go, but agrees anyway.
Unfortunately for Victoria’s plan, Emily and Aiden know what’s going on, so Aiden brings Daniel to the hotel where Grobet is staying. Daniel walks in and snaps a picture of the two in bathrobes, simultaneously breakings things off with Ashley and threatening to reveal the affair to Grobet’s wife, who holds his purse strings.
With this incident, Daniel also managed to secure Grobet’s support, proving that Daniel is just as “ruthless,” if not more so, than his mother.
Emily is also trying to get a stronghold on Grayson Global by putting Aiden on the board and getting Nolan to partner with the Grayson conglomerate. It turns out that Aiden gets shut out for a chance on the board because Daniel is jealous of his relationship with Emily.
Really, Daniel? Get over yourself. You just broke up with your girlfriend (who used to be Emily’s best friend), and you and Emily dated for five months a year ago. We think Daniel is acting pretty rashly, and he’s being incredibly childish, but then look at his mother.
Or maybe we’re just rooting for Emily and Aiden’s relationship to last.
Last week’s episode, “Lineage” introduced us to Nolan’s former flame and CFO, Marco, who is currently partnering with Daniel to acquire NolCorp into the Grayson Global fold. With threats of revealing Nolan’s questionable financial choices, Nolan relents to Grayson Global taking a 51% share of NolCorp, but Nolan isn’t fretting just yet.
He knows that whatever Emily has planned, they will take down Grayson Global from the inside. He’s also trying to get Marco a position at NolCorp, much to Padma’s dismay. We smell a love triangle coming on.
Jack and Declan are having their own share of problems when a friend of their father’s Matt Duncan, comes for baby Carl’s christening and reveals that Kenny and Nate Ryan might not be the men they say they are.
We learn that the Ryan brothers think Carl Porter shot their father (even though we know from last week that it was Duncan with Carl’s gun), and so they’re out for revenge. Jack has Nolan investigate them (which we think should have been done a lot sooner) and we learn that – surprise! – they’re not wealthy businessmen from the Hamptons but working class guys who have had a few run-ins with the law.
The Ryans end up severely injuring Duncan, and he tells Jack that they still think Carl Porter killed their father. Carl’s old address book disappears, but then Nate returns it with Duncan’s name crossed out in red. Kenny and Nate exude a slightly threatening presence when they come into the Stowaway, and for the first time, Jack feels a little scared.
We’re a little more worried about Declan, who’s living out on the boat all by himself.
The Revenge winter finale ends with Conrad taking out the Grayson Manor security cameras, the Initiative watching a camera they placed in Daniel’s office, Emily and Aiden wondering if they can ever be happy, and Jack digging up his father’s old gun. It looks like Daniel’s back to pining after Emily as well.
Instead of a midseason finale, this episode felt mostly like a setup for what’s to come in the second half of the season. While at times “Revelations” felt a little forced, we’re still looking forward to all of the drama when Revenge returns in January.