Revenge - Recap: Put A Ring On It

Credit: ABC

Daniel (Josh Bowman) is coming apart at the seams, and the effectiveness of his story illustrates just how far Daniel has come as a character. In the first two seasons, Daniel wasn't really someone capable of propping up his own storylines independent of Emily, yet his struggle to choose between Emily and Sara (Annabelle Stephenson) is fairly gripping once you consider that Daniel, perhaps more than anyone directly affected by Emily's scheme, is an innocent victim. Daniel isn't a bad guy, and he even forgoes his one shot at true happiness (represented by Sara) to remain loyal to Emily, and to ensure that his child with her doesn't grow up in a broken home like he did. In essence, Daniel is a more honorable character than many on the show: not only does he own up to his responsibilities and remain with his fiance, he's also gone a long way in rectifying the mistakes of his past, such as the drunk driving incident that nearly ruined Sara's life so many years ago. In addition, he's done his best to get out from under his family's influence and stigma. Basically, it's kind of peculiar that the show does its damndest to make Daniel such a likable guy, since it requires we root against Emily. But I like the conflict it inspires in viewers, since viewers may want to see Daniel happy, but they likely want to see Emily succeed more.

Credit: ABC

Credit: ABC

Daniel officially ends things with Sara, who discovers Emily's pregnancy when the rest of the world does -- after Emily leaks it to the media. Of course, she sets it up so that Victoria (Madeleine Stowe) takes the fall for it, driving a further wedge between she and Daniel. While this is a clever, shrewd tactic to keep Daniel on her side, it has far-reaching consequences we'll get to a bit later. As for now, Victoria defends herself to Daniel, trying to tell him that Emily is a con artist. However, Daniel makes it crystal clear: he's marrying Emily whether she likes it or not. And Daniel isn't the only child Victoria is losing, as Charlotte (Christa B. Allen), Victoria's partner-in-crime in setting Daniel up with Sara, tells her mother that their actions have hurt both Daniel and Sara undeservedly. Charlotte comes to this conclusion once Sara confesses that she's leaving town and Daniel admits that he's having doubts about his wedding to Emily. She recognizes the far-reaching consequences of her scheming, and takes measures to wash her hands of it, and advises her mother to do the same. But it's so hard to avoid scheming when you're surrounded by schemers...

Credit: ABC

Credit: ABC

Case in point, Lydia Davis (Amber Valletta), who returns to the Hamptons with the goal of making the Graysons pay. Particularly Conrad (Henry Czerny), whom she blames for the crummy life she's been living as a bartender in Ecuador, somehow forgetting that Conrad did everything in his power to stop her from getting on the plane that inevitably exploded. And hey, life as a bartender is better than no life at all, which is Victoria's point upon encountering her former rival tossing evening wear off her balcony. As we learn, when Victoria gave up the Conrad info in exchange for Charlotte's safety, it was with the agreement that she would disappear off the map. And, in a moment of softer judgment, Victoria decided to negotiate a similar deal for Lydia, essentially arranging a fake death for her as well. But once Lydia learned that Victoria had broken the agreement and come out of hiding, she decided it was fair game for her to return as well.

Credit: ABC

And she gets right to work, luring Conrad to a hotel and attempting to trap him in a self-incriminating statement. However, as Lydia observes, this isn't the Conrad she remembers. He's a much softer man than he once was, and she inevitably finds her resolve weakening, particularly after Margaux (Karine Vanasse) drops her from her payroll as a source for the Conrad Grayson story for being untrustworthy, yet another stumbling block in Margaux's pursuit of the Grayson story. Ultimately, at the urging of Nolan (on Jack's suggestion), she gives up on Conrad -- particularly once Jack (Nick Wechsler) pleads with her not to pursue the story of Conrad's corruption, since it's led to the deaths of so many people he's cared about. And so she gives it up, stating that there will be other stories, but "There's only one Jack Porter". (Ah well, at least there's some movement in their storyline.) As for Lydia, desperate to go back to living the high life, she forgives Conrad and winds up back in his bed...and close enough to his private photo albums to find a copy of the undoctored photo of the Grayson Global New Year's Party with a young Emily in the background. She now has her proof that Emily has been stalking the Graysons for years, at worst; at best, she has proof that Emily isn't who she says she is. Both scenarios are equally bad for Em, and this represents perhaps the biggest hurdle to Emily's plan...

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...Well, at least until the end of the episode. Driven to despair by her children deserting her, Victoria formally gives up the fight against Emily. In leaking the pregnancy story to the media, Emily has inadvertently created the domino effect that ultimately compromises her entire plan, as Victoria returns her RSVP with the box marked "Respectfully Decline" checked. She is skipping the wedding altogether, and Emily is reeling from the news, since her entire plan was predicated on Victoria being there. Hell, she'd even gone through the trouble of taking the murder weapon to the shooting range while wearing one of Victoria's bracelets, in order to taint the jewelry with gunfire residue. Now, Emily will have to come up with a Plan B, or find some way to make certain Victoria attends. Of course, any attempt to get Victoria to come to the wedding will be immediately suspicious, given the enmity that exists between the two women.

Credit: ABC

It's a terrifically effective wrench to throw into Emily's plans, particularly in the final 24 hours before the wedding, as Emily's resourcefulness will be put to the test in more significant fashion than we've seen this season, short of doctoring Conrad's medical records. And it's right as she's about to find her happy ending: although she and Daniel lie to each other and say they only want to be with one another, Daniel is still hung up on Sara, and Emily is actually now engaged to Aiden! Yes, the Brit proposes and sets up a dreamy life in Europe under the last names of "Ross," which will allow Nolan (Gabriel Mann) to visit them under the cover that Emily is a distant cousin. Aiden expresses his love for Emily and his willingness to lay down his life for her, and I'm guessing that's going to be a willingness that will be tested sooner rather than later.

Credit: ABC

"Surrender" is more of a table-setting episode for next week's midseason finale, but it's vintage Revenge, writing the characters into a corner and challenging them to fight their way out. Next week could be the most momentous TV wedding in years, and it's kind of scary how excited I am for it -- even if it means Emily ultimately fails in bringing her quest for revenge to the conclusion she's been after.