Monday, October 15, 2012

My Review of Revenge's 2x03: "Confidence"


Written by Gretchen J. Berg And Aaron Harberts
Directed by J. Miller Tobin

Emily: “Takeda, I thought he didn’t send you.”
Aiden: “He’s lost faith, I’m here to restore it so sooner or later you’re gonna have to start trusting me again. So, are you gonna take the head or feet?”

Probably a poor question to ask but after two episodes of brief moments, this was a nice episode to explore the dynamic between Emily and (is he supposed to be Australian or what?) Aiden and you know what? Even though Barry Sloane’s acting is far from amazing, I actually think he’s my new favourite character on the show.

Aiden might have underestimated Emily’s gratitude in saving her from Gordon Murphy/WHM but she should’ve been a little thankful that he was there to save her from being killed by the assassin. Instead Emily decided to knock Aiden out and dump him in the trash but that was never going to get rid of him, was it?

I wasn’t surprised when it was revealed in flashbacks that Emily and Aiden had a thing along with their own trust issues. Aiden cheated Emily during one task and after pretending to involve her in his own mission, he gave her the slip. I guess for those reasons alone, it does make sense that Emily would be quick to mistrust Aiden.

Personally, I hope he’s genuine. Like Emily, he’s on a similar path to vengeance and we’ve seen him (like Nolan) try and talk her around when she’s gone off the beaten track. Heck, even in this episode his interference with the Graysons seemed to be designed to keep Emily on track with her overall scheming.

Having Amanda going to the Graysons during Victoria’s press campaign about her ‘kidnapping’ was always going to go tits up for Emily. Instead of ripping Victoria’s little world apart, Victoria managed to find a way of keeping everyone in line by pretending to accept a pregnant Amanda and also revealing that Charlotte’s father was David Clarke.

I really do have to admire Victoria’s knack for survival and damage control. The bloody depths she’ll stoop to continue to impress but I also like the fact that both Conrad and Daniel are willing to play her at her own game. Conrad’s swift step with another wedding was a nice way of getting Victoria off guard but Daniel pretending to play nice with his mother does have a lot more potential.

Can I just say I really am enjoying Daniel a little more this season? Even if he can’t escape the carnage of his parents, it’s nice that he was smart enough to take on Emily’s advice in relation to Victoria. I still don’t like him and Ashley as a couple (and she’s had naff all to do so far this season) but overall, he’s definitely going back up in my estimations but then again, so is Charlotte too with her constant attempts to build a relationship with Amanda.

Going down however in my estimations are both Jack and Declan and at this rate, at least one of them is plummeting faster than a speeding bullet. Where’s the nice Jack from the first season because I don’t like this whiny, passive aggressive and slightly controlling jerk we’re getting this season at all?

His issues with the Graysons aside, he had no right to tell Amanda whether or not she can accept a gift from Charlotte and he certainly had no right to be so cold and dump her as well. I really do feel bad for Amanda because for all of her faults she does actually deserve better than Jack. He’s gone from being a nice guy to becoming one of my least favourite characters this year.

As for Declan – what’s up with the stealing? I know Declan’s not always a wise decision maker but then breaking and entering antics with Trey really came out of nowhere to be honest and Jack’s apparent lack of concern made it more disconcerting to watch. Why is it when Charlotte and Daniel improve, both Declan and Jack regress?

As for Nolan, he was a little underused in this episode but I did like his scenes with Emily when she explained more about Gordon and her mother and while I’m not really sold on him and Padma just yet, I do find their scenes interesting enough to watch.

Last but not least – interesting that Aiden managed to make contact with Kara and even more interesting that her and Gordon are in a relationship. I was hoping that we’d see Kara in a present day context but even I was surprised that we got it so soon. However, slick as Aiden may think he is, he might have bitten off more than he can chew with Kara. She’s already managed to suss his cover.

Also in “Confidence”

Why is Takeda so interested in Emily’s agenda? It has to have something to do with the Initiative.

Emily (re WHM): “Why?”
Aiden: “He wanted you dead. I prefer you alive.”

Aiden’s revenge agenda involved his sister. Emily said he failed but does she actually know that for sure?

Victoria (to Emily): “Don’t worry about Conrad, I’ll take care of him in time. I’m more concerned with you first.”

Amanda (to Emily): “I’ve wanted a family my whole life. I’m not jeopardising that for you or anyone else.”

Nolan moved out Emily’s place this week and admitted that things weren’t great with his company. I did love his attempts to explain Emily to Padma though.

Nolan (to Emily, re Aiden): “Why does this keep happening to me? Who is this guy?”

Emily (to Aiden): “Just because you failed to save your sister doesn’t mean I’m gonna fail to find my mother.”

That guy who Declan/Trey stole from – I have a feeling that Jack is going to regret making that offer of help to him.

Emily: “One day I will find a way to thank you.”
Nolan: “Find her. That will be thanks enough.”

Daniel: “No-one in their right mind would choose to live inside this family. I despise her.”
Emily: “Word of advice, keep it to yourself. The only way to beat your mother is to play her game better than she does.”

Standout music: Lord Huron’s “I Will Be Back One Day”.

Victoria: “To my abductors and to anyone who thinks they can harm my family again, make no mistake, you will fail.”

Chronology: From where “Resurrection” left off. We also got some Winter 2008 flashbacks with Emily, Takeda and Aiden in Rebun Island.

In some ways, “Confidence” really delivered as an episode but in others, it had plotlines that maybe would’ve benefitted from being spread out into other episodes (Declan’s in particular). The season is still great so far though, especially with Aiden and Kara’s presence on the show.

Rating: 7 out of 10

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