Thursday, October 13, 2011

Revenge season 1 episode 4 : Duplicity

Summary : Entertaining payback, exciting new player, twisted writing, Emily vs. Dexter, inspiring romance but predictable patterns

Score : 8/10

Hamptons Exposed, the website featured in this episode, actually exists ! Viral marketing isn't new but it was a nice surprise to check it out once Duplicity was over. However its contents is limited and not realistic enough to make us believe that Revenge could be happening right now. This time Daniel's freshly arrived friend became a new player on the chessboard and it seems Emily and Victoria have found a new challenger. As for the weekly payback I liked how the lines were blurred because in the end, like last week, we don't really know if Amanda did it all by herself or with the help of a mysterious accomplice. But her planning was almost flawless and the evil psychologist allowed to unveil a new slice of her memories. It's also still unclear why Victoria betrayed her father when she apparently loved him. In fact there're moments I believe the finale will reveal that everything we thought was true is actually a well planned lie. Is she really the master or only a puppet of someone we don't know yet ? Still I can't help pointing out how some patterns have become predictable. From Nolan waiting her at the beach house to the new character getting its life ruined I hope they won't apply the same recipe over and over or else the meal will soon taste cold. Don't get me wrong this episode was still captivating but I hope they'll keep surprising us and not just throw a new character from time to time. Otherwise the child playing a young Amanda is doing a fine job and I find it interesting that her older version can be compared to Dexter Morgan. Indeed he hunts serial killers, people who have escaped justice, and she wants revenge, because even a fair trial couldn't bring her father back. So we'll see if she manages to prevent her Dark Passenger from taking over. For the moment it's apparently the case but even the tragic events of the pilot hadn't convinced me that her heart isn't stronger than her vicious appetite for vengeance. Last but not least the arc involving Declan, Jack's brother, and Charlotte is starting to grow on me. Her mother Victoria hates him so it makes him even more friendly. He isn't rich, a good point considering Connor Paolo previously starred in Gossip Girl, has a skateboard and know how to send a SMS. What's not to like ? Seriously the swing scene was both moving and romantic. It reminds you how much other shows like Terra Nova do it wrong, specially considering it's supposed to be a sci-fi production and not a soapy drama.

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