Revenge - Recap: She Got to Him First

Aside from the increased prominence of Charlotte (Christa B. Allen), who is thankfully put on the backburner for most of this episode, "Meteor" shifts the narrative of the season somewhat. It's still Emily vs. Victoria, as we build towards the inevitable explosion of that conflict. However, the season is also building towards the inevitable reunion between father and daughter, and the fallout that would come not only from Emily (Emily VanCamp) learning that her father was alive, but from David learning about everything his daughter has done in the name of vengeance. Instantly, "Meteor" becomes one of the most aptly-named episodes in the show's catalog, as David's reemergence is very much akin to Emily's entire world being struck, without warning, by a sudden meteor. Emily recognizes the implications of David's return, and what Victoria's plan has been. In addition, we get some stellar moments throughout, as VanCamp is outstanding here, as is Gabriel Mann, who portrays Nolan as someone whose very core has been rocked by the David Clarke reveal. It's just terrific stuff, and one of my favorite episodes of the show's run.

Credit: ABC

On the subject of great moments, Emily finally seeing her father for the first time in damn near 20 years was a scene that was well worth the wait. In short, David gets himself arrested for shoplifting, and it's part of a pattern of strange behavior that began with David flagellating his own back with chains, and being evasive around Victoria. When Emily learns that the police have a man in custody who matches the description of the man who broke into her house last week, she comes down to the station to make an ID. Jack (Nick Wechsler) tries to warn Emily, but the show comes up with genuinely smart ways to keep Jack from reaching Emily and preparing her for what she's about to see. First, Jack is interrupted by his commanding officer, who suddenly wants to know the details of the break-in at the old Grayson Manor. Then, Jack is prohibited from talking to Emily alone since he prepped the lineup. Since Emily is a potential witness, the authorities can't risk tainting her possible ID by allowing the officer who arranged the lineup to be alone with the witness. And so Emily goes in to make the ID, completely unprepared for what she's about to see. It's among the most powerful moments the show has ever done, and Emily VanCamp delivers one of her best scenes in the entire series. Any number of emotions are there on her face, from instant recognition to sadness to desperation. She needs to go be with her father right this minute, to be able to embrace him, to confirm that he's real and not just a figment of her imagination. But she also needs to hold herself together. Tears stream down her cheeks as she tries to keep from falling apart. When Officer Ben (Brian Hallisay) asks if David Clarke is the perp, she shakes her head and claims, "I don't recognize him." Just a tremendous scene. In fact, it'd probably be the unchallenged frontrunner for the best scene of the episode, had we not gotten a great scene in which David plays the Department of Justice like a fiddle.

Credit: ABC

When news of David Clarke's survival gets back to the DOJ, it becomes apparent that David's strange pattern of behavior has all been a deliberate plot to allow him to reclaim his life. While being interrogated by the DOJ, David explains how he's still alive: yes, he was stabbed in prison, but Conrad Grayson made certain he survived, imprisoning him in a private dungeon where he was tortured for well over a decade. The marks on his back seem to corroborate his story, as does his shock and joy at the news that not only is Conrad dead, but he cleared David's name before his death. By pretending to have been incarcerated at the time of Conrad's murder, David is not only off the hook for the terrorist act of which he'd been accused, he seems to be off the hook for Conrad's death as well. The look of awe and amusement on Victoria's face, as if recognizing how she underestimated David's powers of deception, really puts the cherry on top. Just an absolutely brilliant little chunk of television.

Credit: ABC

Granted, even with the DOJ releasing David on "good faith," Victoria hires a lawyer for him anyway, in a desperate attempt to convince him that she cares about what's best for him and their family. Ultimately, David buys into it, since it's not like he has anywhere else to go or anyone else to trust. He holds a press conference and asks Victoria to join him at the podium, and it's at this point that Emily, to her horror, realizes Victoria's revenge involves turning her own father against her. "She got to him first," Emily says to Nolan, with a pained bitterness that suggests Victoria is in for Hell. But does David know how far Victoria's lies stretch? Last week, it seemed like he recognized Emily in the moments before Nolan (Gabriel Mann) came in to shoot at him, but there seems to be no indication here that David suspects Victoria has been hiding the true identity of his daughter from him all this time. It's just as well, I suppose, since this now gives us a potential huge scene for later in the season, in which David finally realizes who Emily really is. I'm hoping beyond hope that the show gives us that father-daughter reunion, and that it's as powerful as Emily's first look at her father in nearly two decades.

Credit: ABC

"Meteor" featured other developments, such as the ongoing flirtation between David (Josh Bowman) and Louise (Elena Satine), who appears to have mommy issues she's channeling towards Victoria. I'd like to think this is going somewhere, but even if it is, it's incredibly hard to give a damn about Louise getting advice about her stock portfolio while exchanging brutal double entendres about finance. But at least it spares us from Margaux (Karine Vanasse), in whom I've always struggled to invest. This is a show that does its big stories far better than its subplots, so if you're an ancillary character, odds are your story isn't going to be all that interesting unless you're tied directly into the main plot. And so it is with David, Louise, and Margaux. Not saying that can't change, or won't change, as the season rolls on. But right now, it feels like those three are on a different show entirely. Beyond Victoria having an icy face-to-face with David, and David staring at his TV in disbelief at the news of David Clarke's survival, he hardly feels like a part of the story. And that's kind of a shame, since I actually like Bowman as an actor. His Henry Czerny affectations (cadence, posture, body language) are really making him feel like a younger version of Conrad Grayson. And this show could really use another Conrad.

But even without a Conrad Grayson, "Meteor" was a terrific episode for Revenge, notching up another one in the "win" column for Season 4.