I will admit, I wasn’t planning on blogging beyond the premiere episode of Revolution season 2 but there was something so compelling, so epic about “There Will Be Blood” (buckets of it apparently and not a mop to be seen) that I had to quickly thrown some observations down on “paper” (I prefer the Os and 1s version over the parchment-like material).
It’s a good sign when you have to overturn your previously sworn declaration to blog about opening and closing episodes only – sworn to a secret pop culture bloggers society of which nothing else can be said if you don’t want flame-carrying, spaceship-flying zombies swarming all across your rose bushes – and confirms that Revolution, much like Stella, has got its groove back and then some.
The storytelling throughout, replete with gleefully-fun references to Ghostbusters, Meet the Press, and Walker Texas Ranger, was taut as a tug-o-war rope with nary a syllable or scene wasted, with not as much reliance on action as character interaction, which pleases me greatly.
Aaron (Zak Orth) grappled with his messiah-like resurrection, prodding dead rats who stubbornly stayed dead and seeing visions of a dying Ben Matheson (Tim Guinee) who, like Snuffaluffapagus (Sesame Street) and Caprica Six (Battlestar Galactica,) couldn’t be seen by anyone else.
New God-fearing squeeze Cynthia (Jessica Collins) is convinced Aaron has joined the Jesus club of miraculously revived souls but a newly cane-dependent Aaron will have none of this, believing, as does Rachel (Elizabeth Mitchell), that it’s all down to the nanite-enhanced fireflies or something.
So not so much a road to Damascus moment as glimpsing into a brightly glowing night sky with nature royally screwed and the world in way more trouble than a non-responsive boombox or TV.
Uh-oh we’re in trouble. OK more trouble!
Speaking of Rachel, when she wasn’t sitting atop a giant rat mountain with her dad and a few Ensign Fodders, she was refusing to admit to how much of a roses-and-chocolates-on-Valentines-Day thing she had going with Miles (Billy Burke), was riding off to rescue him from some nefarious bandits led by a psychotic ex-headmaster Titus Andover played to leering, sarcasm-qiupping perfection by Matt Ross.
If guilt was a person, Rachel, would be being shadowed by a giant 1000 foot tall man made of blood. Yep the more things go wrong, and the more rats go crunch underfoot, the more she is realising that nuclear bombs and civilisation-tearing anarchy are the least of humanity’s worries.
Miles, of course, was escaping from metal cages, trying to save innocent women folk (not all that successfully) from going through creepy red doors and having his hand smashed to bits.
And understandably missing completely that either the pedophiliac headmaster Titus or his henchmen are in with the US Government – you see one of his knuckle-dragging “boys” (ex-students who stuck around … yup creepy) sending a wax-sealed letter with the Eye of Providence pyramid symbol – are in league with the recently-departed-Cuba “patriots”.
Who by the way is after Monroe (David Lyons) with a vengeance and a couple of dumb as posts bounty hunters, who in turn is pursued by delusions of Ninja grandeur Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos) who I suspect is going to end up being Monroe’s confidante and saviour of sorts much to her great discomfort.
After all, he may have been a dictator but the US Government are trying to frame him big time and you just know Charlie won’t stand for that kind of injustice … or will she?
And finally everyone’s favourite turncoat, Tom Neville, is back to plotting, double-crossing and inveigling himself in with the new Savannah-based US Government reps who are looking more and more like they’re the ones responsible for the WHOLE, yes the WHOLE, Revolution mess (what with their Randall Flynn links and Monroe Republic/Georgia Federation scapegoating campaign and so much more) .
So no need to be quite so guilty Rachel, OK?
I do love me a great big hulking world-spanning conspiracy and its messy, unpredictable ramifications and Revolution‘s is shaping up to be a doozy.
And that folks is why I am so excited as a formerly reasonably good show continues to gun (literally) for narrative greatness and glory and succeeds.