Revenge had me hooked from the start

I was late getting into this show, as it was on Episode 12 when I first watched the pilot, and was hooked by the end. It was also great seeing Madeleine Stowe successfully perform the wickedly cunning character Victoria Greyson to such effect. The characters in Revenge are wonderful, and all are complicated in a way we demand to learn as much as possible. The idea of someone going to great lengths, to avenge the death of a loved one, is absolutely nothing new, but Emily VanCamp and Madeleine Stowe, have pulled this off perfectly. The writing is also good, with only one episode out of the forty I have seen, worth mentioning as not great. But on the whole it’s been excellent.

We start the pilot off with a fancy engagement party next to a Hampton beach, and all appears well, right up until someone is repeatedly shot in the back. They are dragged down the beach, but is spotted by a young couple who approach. A scream goes up and everyone at the party runs over. The victim appears to be that of the future groom, Daniel Greyson, but is he the target, or was it meant to be the parents? Daniel’s fiance Emily Thorne (VanCamp) is there for revenge, and nothing else, but in order to get it, she must gain everyone’s trust, and only then will she strike at the heart of the conspiracy, which seen her father die in prison, for an act of terrorism, which he didn’t commit. After the party scene we jump back to Emily’s childhood (and before Amanda changed it to Emily) by showing her father being roughly arrested as a terrorist. A confused and upset Amanda (Emily) is taken into care, but finally ends up in prison. Upon her release, she meets an unknown friend of her fathers Nolan Ross (Gabriel Mann), who gives her a box and several million dollars, so now she has a plan.

The way Emily goes about her schemes each episode appeared well thought out, and even though there were a few coincidences too many, nothing was so far out, it couldn’t be believed. It has to be a bit far-fetched, or it wouldn’t make for a very good, or original show, which this is, but it’s a combination of the wonderful acting and great writing, that has made this show fairly successful. I’m officially hooked and consider myself a fan of Revenge, but I’ve discovered some good talent worth keeping an eye out for, like the pouting Christa B Allen (Charlotte Greyson), or Connor Paolo, who plays Charlotte’s boyfriend. Overall, this show really is good and I have no problem recommending it.

Grade: B

Ed Blackadder