Tonight’s episode of
Revolution, “Home,” was written by David Rambo and directed by Jon Cassar. Rambo also wrote the episode “Sex and Drugs” which featured flashbacks of Aaron (Zac Orth) and his wife Priscilla (Maureen Sebastian) who are reunited in this episode. In fact, the episode revolves around several romantically entangled reunions. The episode, while called “Home,” actually proves the old saying that you can’t go home again.
As the episode opens, it’s clear that the war is taking its toll on both Miles (Billy Burke) and Monroe (David Lyons). Miles is clearly weary and disturbed by returning to the battlefield, and Monroe is increasingly paranoid and obsessed with killing Miles. Neither are relishing being "home" on the battlefield. It was nice to see Mark Pellegrino back as Jeremy Baker who seems to be Monroe’s new second in command. Pellegrino delivers his usual great performance. Baker, who has likely known Miles and Monroe the longest as they rescued him on the road as seen in the flashbacks in “No Quarter,” seems to know how to handle the increasingly volatile Monroe. Baker keeps an easy smile and makes his suggestions clearly suggestions so as not to set Monroe off.
Meanwhile, Miles is dealing with his own staff problems in the form of Captain Dixon (Joe Knezevich) who is the liaison for the Georgia troops. Neither Miles nor Hudson (Malik Yoba) like Dixon. Their instincts are justified by the end of the episode when he disobeys Miles’ direct order and shoots Emma (Annie Wersching) hoping to kill Monroe. Miles then kills Dixon, nicely setting us up for the return of Tom Neville (Giancarlo Esposito) as President Foster’s (Leslie Hope) new liaison. And I can’t wait to see Miles’ face when Neville shows up to join the team!!
This week’s flashbacks take us even further into Miles and Monroe’s history as we meet Emma – Miles’ fiancé and the mother of Monroe’s son. It’s unclear in the flashbacks whether Miles knew that Emma and Monroe had cheated on him or whether he knew about Emma’s son. Lyons delivers another outstanding performance. He’s clearly touched when he sees that someone has put fresh flowers on the graves of his family, and he clearly doesn’t want to kill Emma, yet he sentences her and the entire town to die by locking them in the town hall and setting it on fire. Emma tries to reach him, and tells him that she believes there has to be a part of him that is still kind and decent. He confesses that he wants to be the Bas she remembers, but that Bas is dead. Yet, for all that he denies it, there are still glimpses of it. Both he and Miles keep hesitating when they should be killing each other. Lyons' ability to show that side of Monroe that is decent or remembers what decent and kind was makes the switch to ruthless leader even more chilling. I can’t wait to see what Monroe does about his son. In the final helicopter ride, Monroe is clearly thinking about the son he didn’t know he had, and I’m betting the search for Monroe’s son will be a huge part of the story arc going forward. I’m curious as to whether it’s someone we’ve already met and whether he’s fighting for the rebels.
Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos) is still angry with Miles. The war also seems to be hardening her, though I’m betting she’s really just not dealing with her feelings. Miles is clearly concerned about the toll all the killing is having on her, but she pushes him away, and tells him that all she wants from him is an explanation of what happened between him and her mother. Charlie tells Nora (Daniella Alonso) that if Dixon hadn’t taken the shot that killed Emma and wounded Monroe, that she would have done it. Nora doesn’t believe that she would have, and neither do I. There was very little for either Charlie or Nora to really do in this episode.
Meanwhile, Rachel (Elizabeth Mitchell) and Aaron manage to sneak into the Plains Nation. Rachel is trying to decipher Jane Warren’s notes. When Aaron offers to help her, she asks him to go for supplies. Aaron grumbles that he has two doctorates from MIT. The exchange is humorous, but it also begs the question of why isn’t Rachel making use of Aaron’s well-known brain? It seems that she is still hiding something. She is dismissive of Aaron and that combined with her continued secrecy makes it difficult for me to like the character. Mitchell does an excellent job portraying her sympathetically, however.
While Aaron is shopping, he’s convinced he sees his wife Priscilla. He tells Rachel and then spends hours tracking her down until he finds her in a bar with her new “husband,” Steve. I thought it very odd that she never really introduces Aaron to Steve until Aaron and Rachel leave and you see that Steve is holding a gun on Priscilla. Rachel is convinced that Priscilla has moved on and simply wants Aaron to leave her alone and not expose her past. It’s interesting that Rachel should feel that way – perhaps a nod to her own situation when she was away from Ben. We learn that Steve is actually a bounty hunter, and Aaron if finally afforded the opportunity to save Priscilla. In the end, Steve ends up almost beating Aaron senseless, and Priscilla has to step in to save the day on her own rescue, but at least Aaron did step up this time. Aaron finally gets the opportunity to apologize that he’s longed for. Priscilla forgives him but also tells him that it all worked out ok because she’s now married and has a new family with an 11 year old daughter who are all safe in Texas. Priscilla tells Aaron she loves him, but she’s leaving him this time. Zac Orth is amazing in the episode. He is bewildered, determined, sympathetic, and funny by turns. I really want to see Aaron get to use his gigantic brain to save the day. I also want to see Orth do more.
In a way then, both major storylines in this episode revolve around romantic triangles: Emma/Miles/Sebastian and Aaron/Priscilla/her husband. In addition, I wonder if we can link Ben/Rachel/Miles here as well. In all cases, it's impossible for the characters to return to what they had, to in a sense go home again. The episode is also book ended with two fight scenes. In the first the rebels and Georgians win a victory over the Monroe Republic. In the second, Nora, Hudson, and Charlie come to Miles’ rescue. Monroe’s willingness to kill the entire town where he grew up by fire is horrific. I had a few issues with some of the logic during the final scene. For instance, Miles is shot in the leg, yet this fact seems to be dropped by the time he comes out of the town hall. In addition, he formed the perfect target going in or going out of the building – why did no one take a shot? If he also grew up in the town, why did he not recognize or be recognized by anyone else in the town other than Emma? You’d think the other members of the town might have had questions for both Miles and Monroe.
Overall, I quite enjoyed the episode, and I’m looking forward to a number of the storylines the episode breaks. I felt that the writing was generally pretty tight and wove the theme of the episode nicely through the multiple storylines both past and present. What did you think of the episode? Are you looking forward to Neville and Miles’ reunion? Let me know in the comments below.
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ReplyDeleteWell done review, as usual. I like how you point out how both plots present takes not only on the irrecoverability of the past but also on love triangles as important elements. On that front, though, I note that we have yet another woman from Miles's part this time out! And a secret son, albeit not Miles's. Does every serial-style show have to have at least one character with a secret child? Anyway, if Monroe has one, myabe that means that Miles isn't Charlie's father; the big good and the big bad BOTH having secret kids would seem a bit much.
ReplyDeleteI agree as well about some of the logic issues here, notably the fact that nobody ever seems to do the obvious thing when the opportunity presents itself. There was no reason for Monroe and company just to stand there and watch Miles enter the building rather than mowing him down--except, of course, to try to make him burn to death, an agonizing way to go, rather than get shot to death. And good job waiting until there was nobody left to shoot at instead of getting right up and after Moroe as soon as Beth was dead. I can almost understand Miles not being able ot act immediately, but what about the rest of them? There's Monroe, grieving over the body, a perfect target, but nobody plugs him.
It will be interesting to see how having Neville on the good guys side--well, sort of--is going to change the dynamic. Hopefully, this means more Esposito; I've missed him over the last couple of episodes. I wonder if we'll find out about his wife, or if she'll just quietly be forgotten. Same about what looked to be the the developing plot earlier in the season for him to get rid of Monroe and take over himself.
I feel like a broken record sometimes. I really enjoy this show but i would enjoy it so much more if the writers stopped using lazy plot techniques that seem to defy basic logic to set up critical elements in the episodes. Monroe takes over a whole town but when it comes down to the fighting suddenly there are so few soldiers to oppose Miles, and all of them are terrible shots. An entire town is locked in the basement of a building while its on fire. Everyone is going to die yet even in a panic collectively they can't break down one door to get out? Miles has to shoot one bullet into the door to open it? Convenient that Nora and Charlie show up just in the nick of time. Convenient that after the hostages are able to escape, with MIles and Monroe in a heated gun battle, in the chaos, in the dark; Emma is so quickly captured again and used as a hostage. And is anyone else getting really tired of Aaron? He's supposed to be a big brain and all which they keep reminding us of, but really: how useless is he now? Quite I would say. I'm hoping they really blow us away with his tech saavy and he becomes relevant and fast because when Charlie pouts; at the very, very least she's a hot girl with a pretty face. When Aaron pouts and goes all sad sack; its just sad. And its been happening far too often.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm wondering if Kim Raver will be able to come back and do a few "cameos"- from the look of Neville's suit, they have managed to keep their social status - something that seemed important to her. I suspect that there will be less reason to see her going forward if both son and husband are at the front...
ReplyDeleteOMG - YES to everything you say here. That last scene - Miles attempted rescue to ... well, the end - just seemed like sloppy writing. I'm really hoping that Aaron's big brain is going to kick in because when he's sarcastic and smart he's a great character...
ReplyDeleteDude-- it is called Foiling! And it was down about as adroitly as a double 23 chromosome individual explaining the nuances of M-Theory. The whole point of the episode once all of the pointless nonsensical action was omitted (or even better fast-forwarded through thanks video on Demand from HULU) was that of Character Pair A) Aaron and Priscilla (Queen of Desert- I will now refer to her as that from now on) and Charter Pair B) Bas and Emma were essentially in the same dynamic. Shocker-- Bas was in love with Emma and perhaps she was too (or not) It is hard to tell exactly what she was feeling. It was a 20 second flashback. Perhaps, she was just scared to marry Miles and be Mrs.Matheson? Whatever the reason is she has a fling with Bas and well as the story goes time and fate pull them apart. Why? Who knows? It might have to do with her parents pulling a 1950's move and sending off little Emma to an ailing aunty for 12 months. But there were feelings for Bas and she always tried to see the best in Sebastian no matter. Just like dear sweet Priscilla "Queen of The Desert" always wanted to see the best in Aaron.... And the big foil- where as Bas as given up any thought of returning to the way he was pre-blackout Aaron has found that he can succeed and still be a good person even in a screwed up world like Revolutions'... Yippee. I so want to barf now from that saccharine laced plot device.
ReplyDeleteAs for why neither Monroe are Sebastian are dead in this episode is like asking why Hollywood writers insist on writing terrible stories? They just do. And for the terrible story to not be over-- both Monroe and Sebastian must make it out of Evansville alive. So only meaningless characters like Emma and Cpt. Dixon can die! What a shocker!
The better question to ask is this why would everyone Miles and Sebastian knew in Evansville still be in there after fifteen years? You're telling me that no one from the hometown bought it due to illness, starvation, raiders, or just even accidental deaths? That is hysterical.
In f
Really? You're going to tell me about characters who are foils to each other? Really? Do you think nobody else has an education?
ReplyDelete(I also thought about Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, too, btw lol!)
I agree with a bunch of these, but just a few comments nonetheless.
ReplyDelete1. But how much actual power does he have? Has he gathered all the pendants yet? I grant you, more clear and specific explanations about how muhc power one can get per pendand or per amplifier would be nice, but I see no reason to assume that what he has so far gives him unlimited access to power. Or to gasoline to run machines, even if he has electricity.
3. Maybe until Miles actively re-engaged, Monroe was willing to let him just sit on the back burner?
7. See 3.
Well we know that the amplifier can turn multiple objects. We've seen it. So why not just use the amplifiers you do have more effectively? Instead of attacking a town-- which may or may not include anyone still in it that would emotionally leverage Miles, just attack his positions with superior firepower?
ReplyDeleteSo, I don't think Monroe would have an unlimited supply of ammo or fuel (however, he could be growing bio-fuel stocks as the series goes on.) I just want to see him use the resources more logically.
Miles actively engaged him the day he tried to kill him again the power plant. After that point Miles became a target of high priority. So I don't see why it is news again that Miles is on the Hit List of Monroe's least favorite people in the Republic now. Not to mention he joined the Rebels-- that was confirmed long before this episode.
As for the visual aesthetics of the towns-- why not have towns with horses and wagons? You could have signs on the sides stores that say things like "Clothing Mending Done Here" and so on. Things that show this community is one of reusing and recycling instead of our present day society of mass consumption and disposable material wealth. You could do a lot better with the aesthetics instead of having town after looking like a junkyard or bad open market. I think after 15 years towns would start to rebuild.
The basis of my belief that some one important to Miles must still live in Evansvile is in fact the entire emotional weight of the episode. Since Miles is not the dashing off to save the unknown town in danger for the sole reason it is in danger. He therefore must have a compelling reason to go to said town. In this episode it was the fact that people in the town were still important to him. And now after 15 years Monroe finds the exact people he needs still living in his home town to exploit the emotional weakness of Miles? Please, that is about realistic as Aaron running into Priscilla in the first border town in the Plains Nation. It is just too convenient and way too predictable.
As for the number of PhD's people have on TV it is absurd. Yes, you could have two or three PhD's or even maybe four.... but in reality have many people really do hold multiple PhD's? Not many. So why then are they on almost every show on TV. Oh, person x is a smart person-- not one PhD but let's give them TWO! It is just sloppy writing if you ask me. It is a way of making a character seem more interesting then they are in reality.
As for the showdowns-- well in reality we know that at least 1 more will exist because Nora gets captured so Miles has to go rescue her. So that is one showdown between Miles and Monroe that has too happen. Again it will end with a poor reason to not kill of Monroe.