Life is so much more interesting in the Hamptons. At least, it is in the soap world of Revenge, where it’s a high-class hotbed for the exploits of the rich, beautiful, and irrevocably corrupt. Though it’s quite different for the beguiling Emily Thorne (née Amanda Clarke), who’s returned to the Hamptons of her childhood with a hefty agenda: to learn the truth about her past, and retribute those who framed her father for a heinous crime he didn’t commit. We’re keeping weekly score of Emily’s endeavors, and the many others of our favorite Hamptonians, by calling each episode’s winners and losers. Last night’s scorcher of a Revenge episode took five characters out to sea and brought back just three, and followed the Graysons as they scrambled to cover up Helen’s murder, while Conrad kicked off his suitably smarmy career in politics. Learn who lost and won this week and let us know how you would have chosen in the comments.
WINNERS
Victoria: Like her skin, which refuses to betray a wrinkle, Victoria has yet to show a flicker of remorse since shooting Helen dead in last week’s episode. For now, she’s back in control as she swiftly orchestrates ploys to cover up Helen’s murder, including leaving some of her victim’s clothing at the Stowaway (for the poor Porters – who get landed with everything – to contend with later), and staging conversations with Daniel in his office wired by the Initiative, to throw off suspicion about Helen’s whereabouts.
Conrad: Ready to take the political world by storm, Conrad’s in top form. Victoria killing Helen also gives him something to leverage over his wife for political gain, in an effort to keep up the appearance that the Graysons are the perfect family. At his party, the smiling family, dressed all in red (blood red, that is), do look picture perfect.
Mr. Trask from the Initiative: Mr. Trask pops up at the Graysons’ party as a circumspect guest asking questions about Helen’s death. He’s after answers on behalf of the Initiative and is unsatisfied with Victoria’s alibi, that Helen did visit her but she managed to stave off her blackmail. As Trask points out, Helen isn’t one to give in. And neither is Trask, it seems, as we later see him come across Helen’s clothing at the Stowaway; it’s only a matter of time before he really cottons on to the Graysons and, after the failed effort to kill off Victoria in last season’s plane crash (Victoria had niftily planned a way off the plane before it took off), Trask has even more incentive to get it right on the next attempt.
LOSERS
Amanda and Jack: The ultimate losers of last night’s episode are undoubtedly its newlyweds. Amanda and Jack’s nuptial celebrations are promptly thwarted by Nate Ryan, who’s trying to get Amanda’s laptop, containing the incriminating footage she used to blackmail Conrad. When Nate, hiding on the boat, emerges to hold Amanda at gunpoint, she tells him she left the laptop in Montawk. But then, as Jack overhears Amanda tell Nate she only got together with Jack to seek vengeance on the Graysons, he rats out the whereabouts of Amanda’s laptop, which he claims is in the boat’s cabin. This is really a ploy to snare Nate, and keep him in the cabin while he and Amanda – who pleads that despite what she said, she loves him – scramble to get a lifeboat together to flee the boat. Yet, when Ryan shoots the cabin lock, a bullet hits Jack. Amanda, panicking, endeavors to save Jack by putting him on the lifeboat with a noble “I love you, Jack” that could have reversed the end of Titanic.
Daniel: A lot has happened recently, and frankly Daniel isn’t too thrilled with his parents being so chill about Helen’s murder. He looks positively distressed throughout the episode, as he goes along with his mother’s cover-up gambit, and his father’s political show at the party. I suspect Daniel’s going to make a break from the Graysons once and for all, like his wiser sibling, Charlotte – the only one oblivious to the crime her mother’s committed.
Nate Ryan: To Nate’s chagrin, he finds a surprise visitor onboard, as Emily arrives to intercept him. Having seen Nate hiding in a photo from Amanda and Jack’s honeymoon, Emily and Nolan set off on a speedboat to rescue the couple; they find Jack on his lifeboat, still alive but weak, at which point Emily leaves him with Nolan to bring him to safety, and takes off on the lifeboat to go back for Amanda. Once Emily arrives, she finds herself struggling free from Nate, who’s pointing a gun at her, but Amanda manages to save her, shooting Nate. Before he can die, though, Nate exacts his last minute revenge, dropping a lighter to start a fire (the gas supply on the boat has been leaked), causing an explosion that kills Amanda, who might have saved herself had she not thoughtlessly clambered back on board to retrieve the locket Emily gave her years before, back when they were in juvie together.
Padma: While Nolan’s away attending to the literally sinking ship that is Amanda and Jack’s marriage, Padma’s left in Aiden’s care. As they swap sob stories about the Initiative, Padma takes his advice and decides to play hardball, calling Helen with an ultimatum: she’ll secure Nolan’s help to activate the Carrion program only if they can prove her father’s still living. With Mr Trask now in charge, Padma has a crueler enemy, it seems — he sends her a package with what we suspect is one of her father’s severed fingers inside.
Emily: With Amanda bleeding to death in her arms, Emily’s distraught. She’s overcome with the grief of losing her friend, and guilty for implicating Amanda in her plot for revenge at all. At her friend’s last request, Emily swears to Amanda that she’ll look after Jack and their baby, and tells her that she loves her, before pushing her bloody body into the ocean, letting go of the “other” Amanda Clarke.