Revolution 1.05 "Soul Train" Review

             Revolution 1.05, “Soul Train”, is not going down as one of my favorite episodes. There were some good twists, the plot got advanced in meaningful ways, and there were some nice echoes and parallels of plot points. However, there were enough moments of stupidity that I found it difficult to suspend my disbelief at times. But let’s start with what the episode got right.

            The episode was written by Paul Grellong and directed by Jon Cassar. The flashbacks worked very well in this episode and started to give us some more insight into Neville’s character. Giancarlo Esposito gives a wonderful nuanced and subtle performance. We see Neville before the blackout when he is ridiculed and fired by his boss and demeaned by his neighbor Rob. Neville’s wife Julia (Kim Raver) is introduced in flashback before we see her in the present at the end of the episode. We also see that he isn’t helpless before the blackout, even if his boxing seems to be fueled by his frustrations, but that he chooses not to be violent, to be a better man than the ones around him. And then he is forced to kill Rob to defend his family and to avoid being humiliated and beaten in front of his son. This leads to one of the themes that runs through this episode and through the series. What are people willing to do to protect their family? As Neville tells young Jason: “I love you, Jason, but we have to toughen up because if we’re weak, we’re dead.” We’ve already seen that that is what Miles had to do. It is what Rachel has had to do to protect her family too. In fact, it is largely the motivating factor in Neville taunting Danny into a fist fight. He sees that Danny is sensitive and takes that as a weakness; perhaps, he sees his own son in Danny. And that leads to one of the coolest reveals in this episode: Nate is actually Jason – Neville and Julia’s son. It’s interesting that Jason spares Charlie again. For all that Neville has obviously been determined to make Jason a hardened soldier, some of that compassion remains.

            Similarly Miles has been trying to toughen Charlie up. She still remembers the Uncle that came and took a four-year-old out for a ride in his car, laughing and singing to the music. Miles tells her that that guy isn’t dead, but he can’t be him right now because he is going to have to kill his best friend. By the end of the episode, Charlie vows to be less emotional and more ruthless in order to save her family.

            Even Nora has to make some hard “family” decisions. She enlists the help of Hutch, a fellow rebel, to blow up the steam train. And I have to pause here to point out and thoroughly enjoy the shout out to one of my all time favorite television shows, Starsky and Hutch. Not only does he have Hutch’s nickname, just so there is no doubt, we learn his full name is Kenneth Hutchinson – the character’s name from the television series. I loved the way Nora and Hutch connected as rebels – she asks for a biography of Joe Biden – nice contemporary political shout out – and then she shows her tat and he shows his flag. Hutch is played by guest star Jeff Fahey – another Lost alum for those keeping track.

            Rachel finally reveals her secret to Sebastian at the end of the episode in order to be reunited with Danny and keep him safe. This is the second big reveal of the episode that likely sets up much of the coming action. Rachel tells Bass that, in fact, she and Ben had been working together. She doesn’t have all the specs, but if he wants to turn the power on, he will have to find all twelve pendants, and she draws him a picture of the pendant we’ve already seen with Grace, Aaron, and Randal – three down, nine to go...

            There was a lot to like about this week’s episode, but there were also a number of stupid moves by our characters which were really hard to ignore. Why did Miles allow Nate to escape? Nora’s bomb in the log was ridiculously easy to spot and would never have actually destroyed the entire train and everyone on it. Nora’s stab wound simply missed anything vital? Really? It also seemed completely out of character for mild mannered Hutch, who was so proud of himself for finally doing something to honor his dead wife. And Charlie letting Neville see her... twice? She really isn’t much of a hunter. I am very, very glad that Charlie has seemingly turned over a new leaf and will no longer be moping about, but once again, I had to ask myself why the man who at least helped found the current ruling body is letting this young, inexperienced woman seemingly take a lead role.

            Overall, this was still a good episode that moved the storyline along nicely, but I’m hoping that future episodes will find a way for both sides to be smart even while one side will inevitably have to be smarter in order to win the day. Where would you rate the episode? Is Charlie starting to grow on you? How surprised were you with the reveal that Nate was Jason? Let me know in the comments!