“These first fifteen episodes were really just prologue to the world that is Revenge, which really starts now,” Revenge series star Gabriel Mann hypothesized to LA TV Insider Examiner after a special advance screening of “Chaos” in Los Angeles earlier this week.
“In many ways, this was just the jumping off point before the meat of the series, and I hope if people walk away with anything from this episode, it will be to lay to rest questions about ‘Should it have been a miniseries?’ ‘Can it make it past this season?’ ‘Where can this series every possibly go from here?’ We now have laid the groundwork for people to understand and have the tools to really get behind what happens and the motivations that all of these characters really have now. And the storylines will reflect that complexity and space.”
But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, shall we? We can’t talk about what there is to look forward to on Revenge in the back half of the season until we talk about what there is to look forward to in “Chaos,” the big Fire & Ice Ball episode that reveals what really went down on the beach in the opening sequence way back in the pilot episode. “Chaos” may be a launch point for whole new level of drama and danger on Revenge, but thankfully it doesn’t leave us with new questions without wrapping up some old ones. So, here are LA TV Insider Examiner’s top five reasons you need to tune into “Chaos.”
- ANSWERS ARE A’COMIN—AND QUICKLY! In the opening sequence of the episode, you will already know who stole Emily (Emily VanCamp)’s infinity box of secrets, as well as what he or she plans to do with it. Once this information presents itself, all of the other puzzle pieces fall into place regarding “Why Daniel?” as the target of the murder. The tension then becomes how Emily will take control-- and her box-- back while not leading on to everyone around her that anything is wrong.
- MURDER ONLY ENDS THE LIFE OF THE MURDERED, WHILE KICKSTARTING INTERESTING ARCS FOR THOSE HE LEAVES BEHIND. It’s not a spoiler to say the murder victim is, in fact, a “he,” but that is about all we will say of who falls (literally) in the sand, bullet in body. Of course, the death will take its emotional toil on those in his life-- but not simply because of their mourning period. Additionally, what is sure to unfold is a series of raised eyebrows and pointed fingers at each other. There may be one obvious suspect here, but nothing is as it seems on Revenge, and you can’t count out some players who have been quietly pulling strings in the background this season.
- THE HAMPTONS' FINEST (AND BEYOND) COME OUT TO CELEBRATE AT THE FIRE AND ICE BALL. The wedding of the “Prince of the Manor,” Daniel Grayson (Josh Bowman) brings out the high society types from all around the world. As Emily puts it, “literally hundreds of people are flying in from hundreds of miles away.” Naturally, this allows for quite a number of suspects (some familiar faces, some not-so), and yet surprisingly few witnesses.
- STRENGTH MAY NOT BE BURIED IN THE BLOODLINES. Though Emily is able to put on a brave face, even when she must be boiling inside, she manages to keep her calm about situations. Though you could argue her entire Revenge plot is one giant emotional outpouring, you can’t deny how meticulously she has planned things and yet how she never freaks out when her plans go awry. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for her little half-sister Charlotte (Christa B. Allen), and tonight is a great indication of just how much Charlotte has on her plate and just how ill-equipped she is to handle it on her own (because she has no family to turn to). As if it wasn’t enough to learn her biological father is not the man who raised her and everyone assumes is a terrorist, she also gets some stony treatment from her grandfather (guest star William Devane), who is much more concerned with keeping the family name in good standing than aiding his granddaughter through her rough patch.
- THERE'S BEAUTY BEHIND ALL THAT DESTRUCTION. What few glimpses we got of the actual Fire & Ice Ball in the pilot episode didn't truly do the event or its magnitude on those involved justice. It is a gorgeous occasion-- the women decked out in red ball gowns, the men in dapper white tuxedo jackets. Set on the beach at dusk-to-night, it is literally a setting made for postcards. Equally beautiful are the powerful performances by all of the players, but most notably VanCamp and Madeleine Stowe, whose smart, strong competitiveness comes out in spades once again during this turning point for the Grayson family. This may be one for Emmy consideration, especially where Stowe is concerned.
Oh yeah, and Sammy the Wonder Dog makes an appearance. We love that big slobbery face, and we’re happy to report he survived to live another episode!
Revenge airs on Wednesday nights at 10pm on ABC. “Chaos” airs on February 15th 2012. Intrigued yet? Stay tuned right here because once the episode airs, we will have a post-mortem (no pun intended) coming atcha!
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