Revenge - Season 3 Finale 2014 - Recap: Dig Two Graves
Recap and review of Revenge - Season 3 Finale - Execution:
The season finale to the third season of Revenge is the kind of loopy, insane, balls-to-the-wall finale that can win and lose fans in equal measure. "Execution" is as strange as it is propulsive, owing to a certain dreamy quality that isn't entirely unwelcome. In fact, if I had to grade the episode now, I'd probably lean towards an "A" just for how completely this changes the game, upending the status quo in a way that few shows are ever brave enough to try.
Credit: ABC
I'm sure there are plenty of revengers who do care about Charlotte, and truly, I don't begrudge them that investment one bit. But for me, there seriously isn't enough money in Grayson Manor to get me to care about anything she does, which is why I find it so obnoxious that she's basically going to get Jack (Nick Wechsler) arrested for her kidnapping. Of course, it's not as if she doesn't have cause to want Jack locked up, since she correctly deduces that he was the "abductor" who set her free last week. However, her way of dealing with hardship always leaves a bad taste in my mouth, particularly when she's railing against everyone for daring to have an opinion about her father, when she knows no more about David Clarke than any random person picking up a newspaper. Then again, I suppose there's a certain depth to Charlotte's character in how she's protective of David Clarke's memory despite never having known him. In a sense, this is her only way to have meaningful contact with her origin, which is kind of poignant, but also telling, in that she never really picks her mother's brain for memories about David, or tales about what kind of man he was, truly. And, naturally, that isn't going to happen now, since Charlotte essentially sees through Victoria, which is a good beat for her character. (You see how hard I'm trying to talk myself out of disliking all things Charlotte? I swear, it's a zero-sum game)
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Charlotte gets offended that Emily wants her to have David Clarke's body moved, and demands she get out of her life. From there, Charlotte confronts Jack, and he reveals to her the "DC" ring he found in Kurt Renner's cabin (which is revealed to have been David Clarke's old cabin, having been built by his own father). Furious, Charlotte demands to know what else has been hidden from her, and this is where it happens: in trying to stop Charlotte from walking out on him, Jack rubs her shoulder, prompting flashbacks to her abduction when the captor did the same thing after cutting her free. Charlotte puts two-and-two together, and before long, Jack is off to the precinct to answer some questions about the abduction. Because if your last name is "Porter," there's some kind of law preventing you from ever catching a break.
Man alive, did I really spend almost three full paragraphs talking about CHARLOTTE?! Ugh, it's this heat, I swear...
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So we finally get Aiden (Barry Sloane) exiting stage left, confirming reports that he would be leaving the show at the end of this season. However, those reports had suggested that the door would be left open for the character to return in a recurring capacity, which doesn't exactly seem possible given the events of "Execution". Yes, in retaliation for Conrad (Henry Czerny) murdering Pascal in cold blood, Victoria decides...that Emily has to lose someone she loves? Does Victoria think Emily is just responsible for everything bad? I mean, yes, Emily is kind of the reason Pascal ended up on that roof in the first place, but she was just as shocked as anyone that Conrad shoved him into the helicopter blades. Victoria's response, drugging Aiden's tea to paralyze him while she suffocates him with a pillow, seems woefully out of proportion to Emily's actual involvement in Pascal's death. Yet, with that said, it does tie into the overarching story of Victoria's gradual slip from sanity, which ties nicely into the conclusion of the episode. But more on that in a bit...
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Emily returns home from the Stowaway after seeing on the news that, due to Conrad's arrest and all the new evidence obtained, all charges against David Clarke have been dropped. It's a glorious little moment, as Emily VanCamp's wonderful expressions really sell the moment, illustrating that this isn't just a victory, it's the culmination of a journey. As Jack explains, Emily has done the impossible, and she not only honors David Clarke with her actions, but also Amanda and Declan. It's a rare moment of genuine triumph on Revenge -- which should be a hint that a moment of genuine despair would be right around the corner. That moment comes when Emily finds Aiden's body, helpfully arranged on her couch, his face frozen in a permanent "Being Slowly Suffocated" pose. I'm sure the creative forces behind the show didn't intend for this to be as funny as it was, particularly since VanCamp goes on to absolutely slay the scene by having one of the best onscreen breakdowns this side of 
But even VanCamp's awesome acting (complete with a cry that, possibly unintentionally, made her sound like little Amanda from the flashbacks) couldn't salvage the unfortunate decision to have Aiden permanently locked in "O-face". Nor could it salvage the perplexing decision to have Nolan nearly as broken up about Aiden's death as Emily.
Our favorite techie wants revenge in Aiden's name, tearfully telling Gideon LeMarchal (Margaux's half-brother and love child of Bruno Mars and Avan Jogia) that Aiden was his friend. Which is funny, because I don't think the show ever really established those two as bros. Sure, they lived together for a while, but Aiden seemed to be, at all times, just barely on the edge of tolerance with Nolan. Thus, it seems a bit jarring for Aiden's death to affect him so deeply. But this is kind of a minor complaint, especially because Nolan is the anti-Charlotte for me. You can't pay me enough NOT to care about that guy. Particularly when his storyline ends with Daniel being framed for the death of a beautiful young woman. "That's not how I do business," Nolan says, disgusted. You see, Nolan isn't a fan of collateral damage, and would have preferred if Gideon could have gotten the job done without anyone having to have died. But, as Gideon explains, there was no foul play involved. The woman simply failed to recognize her limits, and ended up dying from a combination of alcohol, drugs, and plot convenience. What this will mean for Daniel is anyone's guess, or for Nolan. And while I wasn't a huge fan of the storyline itself, I do like the unpredictability it leaves in its wake.
Credit: ABC
Naturally, everything I've talked about so far is build-up to the main event. Those final ten minutes in which Emily launches into her final plan...by digging up Amanda Clarke's grave? Apparently, as this draws out Victoria, which is exactly what Emily wanted. After three years, all pretense is tossed aside: Victoria knows Emily is really Amanda Clarke, and Emily is wise enough to drop the act altogether. One of the easiest things to applaud regarding TV ensembles is the chemistry between allies or lovers. Granted, actually achieving that chemistry in a performance isn't easy, but it's one of the quickest things that gets noticed when done well. But one thing that's less likely to achieve that same level of acclaim is the chemistry between enemies. And that's because I would imagine many critics would see it as easy for two people to pretend they hate each other onscreen. But I have a hard time believing it could ever be that simple, at least at the level at which VanCamp and Stowe are operating. These two have some of the best enemy chemistry I've seen on TV, sniping at one another from underneath a constantly-thinning veneer of civility. As the war intensified between them, and the pretense began to give way to outright hostility, Stowe and VanCamp have risen to meet the challenge. It's fantastic stuff, and it reaches its apex here, as Emily knocks Victoria unconscious with a shovel and reports her to the authorities for attempting to dig up Amanda's grave. Due to these alleged actions, Victoria is forcibly committed to the psychiatric hospital under a 5150 hold, under the orders of Victoria's doctor -- the very same doctor who's felt a serious pang of remorse for making little Amanda Clarke truly believe her father was a murderer.
There's a wry sort of humor to how Emily pretends concern for her mother-in-law, telling Victoria that she hopes she gets well, all while Victoria struggles against her restraints and shouts, at the top of her lungs, "THAT'S AMANDA CLARKE! SHE'S AMANDA CLARKE!" And only then did I realize how wrong I'd been when I expressed disappointment that Emily would never get the big reveal moment with Victoria, since Victoria found out Emily's true identity on her own. I was wrong then because, with this final scene, I saw that the show replaced it with something far better: Victoria discovering the truth, but having absolutely no one believe her. There's a painful irony in Victoria finally discovering the truth, only to have her rendered completely impotent to do anything about it. It's one of the best choices the episode makes, and would have been a frontrunner for my favorite plot twist of the finale, if the ending with Conrad hadn't happened.
Credit: ABC
Conrad has been having a rough go of it in prison, getting assaulted by a corrupt guardsman who feels he's getting off too easy. However, it's later revealed that the corrupt guard is actually one of Conrad's agents: the man pretended to hate Conrad so that once he inevitably frees him, he won't come under suspicion. Of course, I would imagine he'd have to come up with some explanation for the inexplicable amount of money that Conrad promises will appear in his bank account once he's safely to wherever the hell it is he's going. But then, none of that really matters, as we now know Conrad will never get to that fabled Somewhere That Isn't Prison. As he strolls down the road on his way to the waiting plane to whisk him away, singing "Softly As I Leave" you and tossing aside his minister costume with each strut, a van pulls up behind him. A man in a hoodie comes out, and Conrad sees the man's face before we do, uttering, "It can't be." The man stabs Conrad, leaving him mortally wounded on the side of the road. The assailant removes his head, and OF COURSE it's David Clarke. BECAUSE OF COURSE IT IS. I mean, I always suspected the show had the "David Clarke is alive" bullet in its chamber, a narrative umbrella to save for a rainy day. But I never thought they'd actually go through with it, since having David actually be alive somewhat undermines the entire series.
Yet that's what I love about it.
What other show on TV would so thoroughly depart from the status quo it established throughout the series? Revenge has the kind of guts most shows only ever pretend to have. Your average finale would just kill off one major character. This finale kills off two, in addition to bringing back the central origin character back from the dead, ALONG WITH having the heroine basically succeed in accomplishing what she set out to do in the first place. Where in the blue hell does Emily go from here? How is David Clarke alive? Does Jack have any other choice but to spill the beans about Emily to the cops (lest he wind up in prison and leave Carl without a father)? Will Charlotte learn that Emily is her sister? How does Daniel get out of his latest entanglement, and what role will Nolan play in the fallout? And, lastly, what's going to happen if/when Victoria gets out of the psych hospital? In short, Revenge has left an insane amount of questions on the table, and if I was excited before about Season 4, I'm positively frothing at the mouth for fall to get here already so I can find out what happens. Well-done, Revenge. You got me good.