S03.E21: Impetus

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Emily is forced to take extreme measures against the Graysons — and those closest to her.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx8wF5-HPUU

[Cranberry]

I haven't enjoyed an episode of Revenge that much in a while. I liked that Emily knew the press conference confession would be considered under duress and inadmissible and instead let Charlotte go and unknowingly finish the work for her. I couldn't believe it when Conrad was actually arrested, and I thought it was great when he wished Emily luck with bringing down Victoria. Next week's season finale looks great, too. 

 

I wonder if they're going to let this Conrad thing stick and make Daniel the next villain (I can't see Victoria as the main villain, mostly because I actually feel sorry for her), or if they'll have to find someone new for Emily to go after. I wonder if they have time to tie up the crazy cabin story line in the finale, or if that will carry over into next year.

[Jlina]

OMGOSH! Delicious - Conrad smoothing his hair before the cops came in the door.  The turning on Charlotte was a plot device, imo, totally out of character so I hated it - but it did work to wrap that up.  I feel nothing for Victoria at all; she's EVIL.  She locked a child up in a psych ward for 6 years. And now she's hired someone to psych her other daughter?  She has no soul.

 

Anything that could break her cold, rock heart, or you know actually kill her -  would make me cheer.  I dislike her more than I ever disliked the Evil Queen in Once Upon a Time - she's a one woman psychopath narcissist.  I so hope Emily manages to break both her and Daniel by the end. 

 

Great suspence, great Nolan/Jack work and ewww, when will Aiden finally go away?  Skin crawls....

 

Really good episode, might be good enough to save the show for another year....

[Stinger97]

"Goodbye, Conrad. Do rot in hell." I only caught the last 20 minutes of the episode, but I have to say that I was living for it (and that quote, in particular). 

[Maverick]

I believe Conrad would go off on Charlotte for laying into him after he was just willing to save her, but I don't buy he'd confess to murder and threaten to off her.

 

I love any scene with Emily and Conrad.  It's like he can't be mad at her.  He brought her down and he seemed almost...impressed.  And I think he'll throw in with her to bring Victoria down.

 

Did I miss something?  How did Karinne go from thinking her last moment with her father was something special to thinking he was evil to the core in the next scene?

[caviar]

Conrad´s the episode MVP simply for smoothing his hair that way.

I love how Emily´s carefully orchestrated plans aren´t careful at all. Everything depends on sheer coincidence. Had Conrad been in the bathroom or Charlotte run into someone else first upon getting home, the outcome would have been entirely different.

[RachelKM]

It was lovely to finally hear someone tell Jack what I've been saying since Season 1, that the Amanda Clark he thinks he loves doesn't exist.  Emanda isn't that girl nor the woman that little girl was meant to become. Of course, I wanted to slap him when he suggested to Jack that she could become that woman again. I'm glad it looks like the latter bit was Adien manipulating Jack endless hope.

I'm very pleased that something happened finally.  I don't really like that they tortured Charlotte who is guilty of nothing worse than being irritating and sometimes incredibly gullible. But at least the show didn't pretend that it wasn't something Emanda can't really come back from in her relationship with Charlotte.

I'm excited for the Victoria/Emanda show down, but I need Daniel fall hard and soon.  And I'd prefer it happen separately from Victoria's (assuming that is coming, which I do).  I don't want his smug mug interfering what should be the a very good showdown.

 

Conrad´s the episode MVP simply for smoothing his hair that way.

That and his delivery of "Godspeed." 

 

Did I miss something?  How did Karinne go from thinking her last moment with her father was something special to thinking he was evil to the core in the next scene?

Daniel filled her in on some version of his relationship with Conrad that I assume involved the plane crash.  How Daniel spun the rolls of their respective fathers is anybody's guess.  But there is almost zero chance that Daniel was honest and only slightly better chance that he was remotely truthful about Conrad's actual roll or his own (Daniel's) knowledge and when.

 

I feel like a broken record.  As much as this episode was a vast improvement solely on the grounds that something actually happened to move the plot along (it was an improvement all around I think), I'm still super annoyed at the continued dumbing down of Margaux.  Daniel is all but twirling his nonexistent mustache and she keeps swallowing whatever he dishes.

Edited May 5, 2014 by RachelKM

[ElectricBoogaloo]

My father died recently, so a very small part of me sympathizes with Margaux's grief and her need to find out what really happened to her father. But most of me is already tired of her "Pascal and I finally had a real relationship and now I'm so sad" stuff. She has so many daddy issues that she's a step away from becoming a stripper. I am getting whiplash from her daddy issues. My daddy doesn't love me enough! I'll prove that I'm worth of his love! Daddy loves me! Daddy doesn't really believe in me! Daddy DOES really love me! Daddy is gone just when I was finally getting his approval! Daddy was murdered! Daddy was a bad man!

 

I also loathe her continuing relationship with Daniel. I was convinced he was going to try to kiss her after they left the police station. Please do not go there, show. I've already lost so much respect for Margaux and I don't think I can ever have any left for her if she hooks up with Daniel. She used to be so smart and now she's teaming up with Daniel the Dumb Evil Smug Puppy?

 

I love Emily and Nolan's friendship so much. Even after she snapped at him, he asked her how he pictured her life after this was all over. I'm glad she confessed that she created Emily to be a machine so she wouldn't care and that she doesn't know who Amanda is anymore. It reminded me of Inigo Montoya saying that he had been in the revenge business so long that he didn't know what to do once it was over. She has focused on taking down the Graysons for so long that it has consumed her life. She has become nothing more than a force to clear her father's name and to exact revenge. What else is there to her now? Could she really just retire and sit on a beach for the rest of her life?

 

I guess I could partly buy Conrad's blow up. He was willing to go on television and confess in order to save Charlotte and then she came in and told him he was a dick. I could see him losing his temper and calling her an ingrate, but threatening to erase her? That seemed a bit much.

 

I also loved that when Conrad accused Victoria of setting up his confession, she just smiled and didn't deny it. HA! How was Victoria's grand DNA plan going to work if Carl hadn't cut himself on the playground? Was she going to grab a handful of hair and hope the nanny didn't notice?

[FineWashables]

I did appreciate Conrad's exposition about The Initiative and his motives for the bombings -- glad he cleared that up for me.  Also love that Emily finally got revenge on someone.  Now let's keep Conrad out of the Hamptons and focus on Victoria and Daniel.  I'm pretty certain that Corinne is going to dump Jack, especially since we haven't actually seen the two of them together in weeks, and marry Daniel.  It would be wonderful if she was a willing conspirator with Emily to bring Daniel down, but I don't see that happening, at least so far.  I do think that Conrad may join forces with Emily since he clearly approves of her plan to take down Victoria.

Edited May 5, 2014 by FineWashables

[Peanut6711]

I love any scene with Emily and Conrad.  It's like he can't be mad at her.  He brought her down and he seemed almost...impressed.  And I think he'll throw in with her to bring Victoria down.

I love their dynamics and as much as Conrad is a ruthless bastard he's still more likable than Victoria and Daniel somehow. 

[Julie23]

As much as I am glad to finally see a major take down, I wish it had been Victoria or Daniel instead of Conrad. As others have posted, even as evil as he is, I don't hate him with the fire of 1000 suns like I do Daniel and Victoria. I cringe at every scene with Daniel and Margeux. Is she really that stupid? Maybe her brother should be running that company. (not that I want any more characters) - just get rid of her, she is serving no purpose.

[Tara Ariano]

Here's Matt's post on the episode!

[Rick Kitchen]

Can somebody explain to me what the DNA sampling was all about?

[Cranberry]

I think that Victoria wanted to test Charlotte's hair and Carl's blood to see if the two were actually related (as they should be, as David Clarke's daughter and his supposed grandson). The test came back saying they weren't, of course, so Victoria now knows that the dead "Amanda Clarke" was not really Amanda Clarke. 

[FineWashables]

So all that business with Conrad's first wife who turned out to be Jack's mother -- that's over?  All the drama about the deed to Stately Wayne Manor -- that's over?  I can't figure out whether these plotlines are supposed to pay off or whether they're just irrelevant.  It has the emotional impact of a Monday after going home Saturday night with someone who never mentioned their last name.

[Maverick]

 I think they are over.  These are all just random plot points to fill time until the final takedown.  The previews tease that'll happen next week, but since they're expecting another season, Victoria will escape unscathed--again--and Conrad will somehow worm his way out.  Stevie may come back when they need more senseless filler for next season, but I think things like the deed to the manor are dead and buried.  

[Rick Kitchen]

I think that Victoria wanted to test Charlotte's hair and Carl's blood to see if the two were actually related (as they should be, as David Clarke's daughter and his supposed grandson). The test came back saying they weren't, of course, so Victoria now knows that the dead "Amanda Clarke" was not really Amanda Clarke. 

See, I understand that, but how did that prove to her that they weren't going to hurt Charlotte?

[CleoCaesar]

Well well, something happened! I very much enjoyed the truth about Conrad coming out, but I do wonder if it will stick. The man is the Houdini of the legal system. I loved his “Godspeed” to Emily.

 

Line of the episode goes, as usual, to Nolan: “You sent Conrad an ear. Do you and Aiden flip a coin for who runs the creepiest errand?”

 

Still Team Aiden. He and Emily get each other on a level Jack doesn’t and probably never will. Loved Aiden telling Jack that Jack doesn’t want Emily – he wants the Amanda Clarke he knew.

 

I love how no one can agree on an pronunciation of “Pascal”.

[Peanut6711]

Line of the episode goes, as usual, to Nolan: “You sent Conrad an ear. Do you and Aiden flip a coin for who runs the creepiest errand?”

Still Team Aiden. He and Emily get each other on a level Jack doesn’t and probably never will. Loved Aiden telling Jack that Jack doesn’t want Emily – he wants the Amanda Clarke he knew.

That line was great. They really do “fit” each other as Aiden said. No way would Jack be able to handle something like that. Jack is in love with a childhood memory. Aiden and Em are the perfect partners in crime, and I think Aiden is good for her. He understands her need and desire for revenge and seeing this through but he keeps her from sinking too far. Like at the end when he wanted her to come inside and celebrate Conrad’s take down and then deal with the rest tomorrow.  Team Aiden all the way.

[Kierstyn]

Aiden is the creepiest creep who ever creeped.  I cannot stand him!  As I said in reply to some long-ago PTV rankled article: "Every time I see him getting groovy with Emily I expect him to do something ridiculously gross like snag a piece of her hair in his mouth and slurp it up like spaghetti, a la a pervy sicko Lady and the Tramp."  He just oozes a deranged stalker vibe.
I think that the revenge-twisted Emily is maybe a good match for weirdo Aiden, but if she ever wants to have a hope of returning to some semblance of normality, she needs to get him out of the picture.
 

[joshleejosh]

The last couple of episodes have had me shaking my fist at the TV and hissing "REVEEEEENGE" at every commercial break, which I didn't think was possible anymore. And they made Charlotte useful – important, even! Wizardry.

 

They also managed the neat trick of both: A. not letting Emily off the hook for messing up everyone's lives in her twisted quest for revenge; and B. still letting us be unreservedly happy for her when she gets it. The way her face slowly lit up as she realized that she finally had Conrad dead to rights was a joy. (If Emily Thorne were a vampire slayer, this would be her umbrella trophy moment. But she's not a vampire slayer, and her moment involves manipulating an evil industrialist into confessing terrorist conspiracies while threatening his bastard daughter. You guys, this show.)

 

Was Victoria's PI the same guy from the David Clarke Memorial Creepers Cabin, or were they two different sallow, sunken-cheeked dudes?

[FAU]

 

but if she ever wants to have a hope of returning to some semblance of normality, she needs to get him out of the picture.

 

That's who Emily is because of the whole mess with David Clarke and the Graysons.  It would be terribly contrived to have Emily suddenly revert to her innocent self to force some HEA.

[Paracosm]

When I watched the scene where Carl got hurt, I thought Victoria set that up somehow (paid another kid to push him? ha-ha) since she is supposed to be eeeeevil and since she told him, "We all have to take our bumps and bruises."

 

As for how the DNA test was supposed to prove Charlotte wasn't in danger, I think Victoria suspected Emily was the real Amanda and behind the kidnapping, and that she would not hurt her sister, but it was a stretch. 

 

 

I don't really like that they tortured Charlotte

   

They didn't actually physically torture her. They used the parolee's computer program to make a convincing video. However, they certainly tortured her psychologically.