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. Since the previous episode of Revenge, we’ve been launched forward six weeks, in an episode jam-packed with the stuff of good, trashy soap: nuns, masks, murder – and a tantalizing cliffhanger to make sure we return after a hiatus that will last till April 28. Find out last night’s winners and losers below.
LOSERS
Victoria: It’s Halloween in the Hamptons, which means Victoria’s hosting her annual masquerade ball. She wants to enjoy the night, though she’s on edge; she’s received an RSVP from her “loving son,” followed by a bouquet of 11 black roses (with a card informing her that he’ll be at the party wearing the 12th rose) – Emily’s trickery, of course. Through flashbacks, we learn that she was a teen when she got pregnant by her mother’s boyfriend. She had the baby but gave it to a nunnery, and was promised that the child would know nothing about her. When she sees a man wearing a black rose at the ball, she faints, causing a scene that upsets Conrad, who’s trying to get himself elected. Victoria’s also wary of her other children at the party. An angst-ridden Charlotte throws a punch at a bitchy girl from school after she slates Amanda, and Daniel – with whom Victoria’s trying to set up a prissy girl named Sloane – gets back together with Emily, as she sees a photo of them on a lunch date on Page Six.
Aiden: Like Victoria, Aiden’s not best pleased with Emily and Daniel’s reunion. When Emily assures him that he shouldn’t feel jealous, he tells her that he’s not. Rather, he feels “disgusted” by her and Daniel together, and pushes her away. Before this, Aiden’s done much of the revenge legwork on Emily’s behalf, reluctantly jeopardizing his new position at Grayson Global at her request by moving Trask’s money around in an ordeal of a plan to find Padma, still missing after six weeks.
Trask: To say the least, Trask’s peeved to find his money’s been jigged around, so he pulls it out of the company altogether, paying Daniel Grayson a personal visit. On returning to his car, Trask finds a gun held up to his head – Aiden managed to get into his car – and follows instructions to lead his captor to Padma. When they get to where the Initiative has kept her, she’s dead. Embittered by the loss of Padma and of his sister, Connie, also murdered by the Initiative, Aiden kills Trask by strangling him.
Nolan: Nolan’s unequivocally the biggest loser of the episode. Padma’s dead, and he’s distraught. We miss his campy one-liners already, and the Hamptons of Revenge is dreary enough.
Conrad: In the lead-up to the election, Conrad’s holding a Q&A with the blue-collar folk at the Stowaway. Jack’s offered to help (read: sabotage) him at the event, but when he plays a tape he swiped from Kenny Ryan – a recording that suggests Conrad had a hand in Amanda’s death – and plants a difficult question about David Clarke in the audience, the session nearly goes askew. Of course, Conrad’s an exceptional slime ball, and can sort of turn it around, responding by announcing that he’s eager to reopen the David Clarke case when he’s elected. Whatever, Conrad. He’s also the only one that can’t pull off a mask.
Emily: Now that she and Daniel are an item again, and with the increased leverage of the information about Victoria’s other son, Emily’s once more enjoying the upper hand over Mrs. Grayson, who neglects to invite her to the ball (of course, Daniel scores her an invite, much to his mother’s chagrin). At the end of the episode, Emily visits the same nun Victoria did, telling her that she’s pregnant and doesn’t know where to turn. So this is the cliffhanger that will keep us riveted until the next episode later this month – though this writer suspects that Emily’s not really pregnant, but rather that she plans to use the nun to source the whereabouts of Victoria’s AWOL son.
WINNERS
Ashley: After overhearing Conrad talking down to her at the masquerade ball, Jack enlists Ashley’s help in his revenge plans, as he reveals that he was behind the recording at the Q&A and the question about David Clarke. With Ashley at his side, Jack Porter might be the worst revenger yet.
Daniel: Back with Emily, Daniel’s in top form this week. He couldn’t be more pleased with himself, as he flashes the smirk inherited from his father a few too many times in the episode. He even seems to hold his own over Trask (that is, before the guy gets throttled by Aiden), who tells him that “he took the win.” Still, we don’t know what Trask has in store for us. As he tells Aiden before his death, whatever he got Padma to do for the Initiative before her murder, they’ll soon find out.