Revenge Recap

Revenge's second season has come to a close with this week's two-hour season finale, which is basically Revenge: The Full-Length Movie. Seriously, there is a lot crammed into this double episode, beginning from the moment Carrion is activated and the lights go out in Manhattan. The show has been muddled this season by subplots and superfluous characters, but I appreciate how the finale closes out a few lingering story lines (turns out The Initiative isn't quite what we were led to believe . . . or is it? And — hold for dramatic pause — somebody dies! Not a dry eye in the house, as Conrad would say.

Yes, death, explosions, tears, and screaming: everything we've been missing from Revenge lately turns up in the finale. The final moments also contain a huge reveal. Sure, it's something we already know, but Jack Porter sure doesn't. To go over the biggest scandals from the last great episode of an otherwise so-so season of Revenge, just keep reading.

Though titled "Engagement," this week's Revenge episode has so much more in store than a simple engagement plot. Emily and Daniel are back on for marriage, much to Aiden's chagrin. Charlotte is still acting out, Jack is trying to put all the pieces together (isn't he always?), and somebody dies! The unexpected death isn't even this week's biggest shocker. Revenge really returns to form this week — the kind of form it was in last season, not this season's hot mess.

After all the twists and turns this episode, I can't wait to see how Revenge ties up all the loose ends (or doesn't) in next week's two-hour season finale. I'm ranking the biggest highlights after the jump.

After viewing this week's episode of Revenge — aptly titled "Identity" — it's more obvious than ever that the show has lost its way. Since when am I supposed to be feeling pity for Victoria, who has requested help from an unlikely ally in search of her long-lost firstborn son? Why should I care about Charlotte, the poor little rich girl turning to a life of meaningless club-hopping and making out with girls in alleyways? Remind me: who is getting revenge on whom? I used to be firmly invested in the saga of Jack and Emily, and lately Jack is just getting on my nerves. This is one frayed revenge plot, if you ask me.

Despite the fact that the show is off the tracks, "Identity" does have its share of gasp-worthy moments as the Graysons are put on the spot during an in-home interview. Let's go through this week's biggest scandals when you read more.

This week's Revenge jumps ahead six weeks from Padma's disappearance, and Nolan is on the hunt. He also looks like a crack addict after spending weeks locked in his office sans sunlight. Victoria is preparing for the masquerade ball — vital this year as last year's was called off due to Conrad's imprisonment — but she's getting a bit spooked, suddenly haunted by the ghost of her firstborn. Emily is, of course, behind the pranks, but it's all for a greater good: avenging her father. Right? What's the goal again? It's pretty muddled.

Emily is also back with Daniel — "reunited and it feels so good," as the Page Six article puts it — and Victoria is less than satisfied. Let's go through this week's biggest scandals when you read more.

This week's Revenge finds our recently wayward heroine getting getting back on track with her plans for vengeance, with a little unexpected support. Emily's foster brother, Eli, is in town, and guess what? After burying "Amanda," he knows Emily's real identity and calls her out on it. Meanwhile, Nolan is busy trying to help Padma get her father back from the Initiative (that plan goes less-than-smoothly), and Jack has really started to annoy me. I know his wife just died, but maybe it's time to let it go and stop with the amateur Hardy Boys routine.

The best part of "Victory" is that Eli seems intent on helping her get back on track to destroy the people who wronged her, starting with their former caretaker. Let's go through the week's biggest scandals after the jump.

It may have taken the death of a major character, but after this week's episode of Revenge, it looks like Emily has finally rediscovered her primary purpose. Amanda is dead, her body recovered by the coast guard. Jack, gripped with grief, is struggling to put the pieces back together. He's getting some of it right, but his accusations are suffering from a case of mistaken identity. Charlotte is also attempting to come to terms with her "sister's" passing — will she ever realize Amanda wasn't related to her? "Retribution" is slower than most episodes, but I think that's a positive thing. Lately I've found the show to be packing so much in, but not all of it is good.

I'm looking forward to seeing Emily go back to basics, even if she's coping with the guilt of Jack's discoveries and accusations. Let's go through this week's biggest scandals when you read more.

As promised, this week's Revenge brings drama, trauma, and loss of life. "Sacrifice" picks up directly after Jack and Amanda set off for what becomes the honeymoon from hell. It's all sexy time and sleeping on the deck, until they realize — dun, dun, dun — there's a Ryan brother hiding out on their boat, and he sure is angry! Back on dry land, the Grayson clan is getting ready to announce Conrad's candidacy for governor. Emily and Nolan aren't in attendance because they're busy being lifeguards and patrolling the high seas to save Jack and Amanda. I know, it's a lot to take in.

We lose not one, but two Revenge regulars this week, but I'm only kind of sad about one of them. Let's get down to the nitty-gritty scandals when you read more.

This week's episode of Revenge sees not only the beachside marriage of Jack and Amanda, but the dissolution of a few unions — mainly that of Helen and her life. Yes, Jack and Amanda are now happy newlyweds, but probably not for long. Amanda is struggling with feelings of abandonment, we discover where Padma's allegiances lie, and Aiden gets some bad news about his sister (the one that has been kidnapped and held captive by The Initiative).

For my money, this has been Revenge's best episode in a while. I love that something big finally happens with The Initiative — there's only so many ominous discussions I can take. My heart breaks a little bit for Emily, too, who has to watch her childhood sweetheart marry the girl she met in prison and passed over her identity to. The humanity! Let's go through the biggest scandals of the night.

1. Victoria kills Helen. Oh, snap! Er, bang? Helen should know better than to turn her back on Victoria, underestimating the Grayson instinct to defend at any cost. Then again, I was duped by Victoria too. I thought it was a little fishy that she would come clean to Daniel in his office (where she knows there might be bugs), but it makes sense that she would be playing the long con to take out Helen. She has to know that the buck doesn't stop with Helen, though, and I'm wondering who The Initiative will dispatch now that she is down for the count.
2. Amanda tells Conrad she's been spying on him. How do you like that for stealing someone's thunder? Amanda overhears Jack's conversation about losing the bar and takes matters into her own hands — because that always works out so well. She breaks into Emily's computer — I don't believe for one second supergenius Emily would use something so simple as "infinity" as her computer password — and threatens to expose Conrad if he doesn't sell his half of the bar back to Jack. It works, but not without repercussions . . .
3. Nate Ryan is hiding in Jack and Amanda's boat. Did anyone else get a feeling of impending doom when Declan snaps the final pictures of Jack and Amanda boarding their honeymoon vessel? Of course their fairy-tale story is too good to be true. Hell hath no fury like a Ryan brother scorned. My question is: did nobody do a cabin check before push-off?
4. Padma's dad is being held hostage by The Initiative. This dastardly organization has its paws all over this episode. Padma's been supersneaky around Nolan, and we knew she was working with Helen, but like Nolan, we didn't know the "why." (I definitely laughed out loud when he whispers that in her ear, as it's by far the cheesiest moment of the episode.) It's because they've got her dear dad! Looks like she's changed teams, but can she and Nolan get past her betrayal? I'm thinking no.
5. Aiden's sister is definitely dead. If Revenge has taught me anything, it's that people who appear dead may not actually be dead. However, in this case, it looks like Aiden's sister is definitely dead. At first he doesn't believe it, but it takes Nolan's snooping for morgue pictures of her to really seal the deal. Is there anything Nolan can't find? Next time I lose my keys, I know who I'm calling.

What's your favorite part of "Union"? Am I the only one getting a kick out of the fact that big businessman Daniel still lives with his mommy?

This week's Revenge starts off between the sheets — seems Emily is a little confused about which handsome gentleman she's playing — and ends with murder! Just kidding about that last part: there's not a lot of action in this week's episode. But there is a lot of buildup. Victoria has a target on her back, Grayson Senior and Junior both score new acquisitions, and nobody cares about Charlotte's birthday. Sad face. We also find out what Nolan's secretive computer program has the ability to do, but not exactly what the Initiative wants with it.

This week's episode is actually the most centralized in a while, except for that pesky Stowaway situation. Can we just give it up already? Having said that, there are more than enough gasp-worthy tidbits in "Collusion." Let's get into the most salacious moments after the jump.

Revenge's second season is weaving a web so tangled I'm having trouble believing the writers will be able to sort it out, even with all that soap greasing the stories. This week's episode, "Sabotage," alludes to a traitor in our midst — well, a new traitor, anyway. At this point, no one is exempt from betrayal. Seemingly innocuous characters are revealing their true colors, airtight alliances are being questioned, and Emily and Daniel are popping million-dollar bottles.

While Emily and Daniel edge closer to a real reunion (I see those stars in her eyes), Amanda gets to work on getting Jack out of jail and finds help in an unexpected place. Meanwhile, NolCorp is going though more personnel shifts, and poor Nolan's professional and romantic lives continue to swirl down the drain of misfortune. Let's break down the biggest scandals of the night when you read more