“Home”
Just focus on the cast you’ve got, will you?
I will spoil two things for you in this review. They are both at the bottom. Roll the dice if you like!
Previously:
*Captain Neville went AWOL from the Monroe Militia
*Rachel and Aaron headed for Colorado to turn on the power
*It was SCIENCE all along!
*Science so magical scientific it ALSO stops cancer!
*Monroe had a nuke and sent it to Georgia, but Miles killed his former protege, Alec, with a magic lucky knife and got it back
This episode. Woof. I’ve gotta tell you, on the one hand I’m glad it happened, because the last two episodes have actually been kind of good. I mean, sure I found plenty of things to rip on, because even a good episode of Revolution shouldn’t be confused for “good television”, but I felt at times like I was really digging for my criticism. But “Home” sure helped bring the show’s batting average back down.
We’ll start with the B-story, just because I want to get it out of the way. Rachel and Aaron, against all odds, have made it to Missouri and the Plains Nation in one piece. Once again, I’d be more interested to know what goes on in the Plains Nation. The name alone makes it sound very Native American. How is it governed? How does it thrive? The majority of its boarders are Monroe, The Wasteland, and Canada. But why focus on world building when we can instead watch everyone’s least favorite character (male division, still alive category) pine over his lost, lady love. Why is she lost you ask? Because he ABANDONED HER IN THE WOODS. And not in a fun How I Met Your Mother Barney-leaves-a-girl-in-the-woods-after-sleeping-with-her-over-4th-of-July-weekend way. More a, I-listened-to-a-lot-of-Dashboard-Confessional-after-I-left way. So imagine Aaron’s surprise when in the all the street markets in all the Plans Nations in all the world, Pricilla shows up in this one.
Like the creepy stalker his beard loudly broadcasts that he is, Aaron tracks Pricilla down and confronts her in a restaurant. But oh nos! Pricilla has moved on with her life, she has a new husband, Steve, and she doesn’t seem to won over by Aaron’s “hey, sorry I left you *shoe gaze*.” Rachel thinks that went about as well as expected, but Aaron is certain something must be wrong. Pricilla would never act like that and just blow him off. Yes, certainly. Being abandoned by the man you love and having to survive for yourself for a decade would never change a person. Not even the slightest. But wait! It turns out Aaron was right! New husband Steve is actually a bounty hunter. Aaron ends up rescuing Pricilla in the most haphazard, anti-climactic sort of way, but it’s not all beard kisses and caviar dreams for this former couple. Pricilla really is on the run after murdering a member of the Monroe Militia and is fleeing to Texas. To meet up with her family. And 11 year old daughter.
Wow. Did NOT take long to get over Aaron. Of course, the abandonment miiiiiiight have accelerated the healing process a wee bit. Aaron says her name one more time, and like that *poof* she was gone.
Speaking of The Usual Suspects, Giancarlo Esposito is back in this episode. But more on that in a minute.
The A-plot also isn’t immune to the sting of love lost. Sebastion Monroe, now super serious (you guys) about killing Miles Matheson, decides the best way to do it is to go back to their old home town and start taking hostages. Now, the moving to Chicago, and never seeing his family, and helping hold his sister-in-law/love of his life prisoner, and oh yeah, founding the Militia, may make Miles seem like a guy that doesn’t care about things, but gosh darn it all, you mess with a man’s home town and you mess with that man.
Possibly sweetening the ol’ trap is the introduction of Emma, Miles’ old girlfriend and Monroe’s unrequited love. She’s all red hair and freckles and wet eyes as she tells Monroe that he’s not acting like the man he used to be, the man she once loved 18 or so years ago. Monroe, whose mental state has been, shall we say “delicate” lately, tells her that that Monroe is dead. WHAT A TWIST!
Oh. Metaphorically. He’s metaphorically dead. Right. And then Monroe sets the building on fire.
Literally. He literally puts everyone in the basement and starts the place on fire. Which is the worst bait in the world if your victim isn’t already on the scene.
But, as I’ve mentioned before, Miles Matheson is the Wolverine of the Revolution-verse, and of course he’s on the scene, doin’ what he does best. If you can, watch this scene again, I counted at least three militiamen who jump out from behind cover so they can have the privilege of being shot by Miles. Miles makes it into the burning building, but then quickly runs out of plan. Fortunately for him, Jim, Nora, Charlie, and Scrappy-Doo show up to bail him out. Everyone flees the building to safety. Except for Emma, who manages to flee right into the waiting arms of Monroe. It was so blatant I thought at first she had actually sided with Monroe. Who knows, maybe almost being set on fire turns her on. Red heads are crazy, yo.
Now we get the typical hostage situation. “Come out or I’ll shoot!” “Take the shot!” “I can’t take the shot!” “I’ll take the shot!” “If you take the shot I’ll shoot You!” ad nauseum. Then Emma drops a little bit of a bombshell. Turns out that she and Monroe weren’t just unrequited lovers, they were quite requited, as is fleshed out *rim shot* in the most awkward sex scene I’ve ever seen on television. Maybe something went wrong during shooting, but both actors in the scene look horrified at having intercourse. All it takes is one time, and Monroe is a dictator daddy. Emma is just about to reveal the location of Monroe’s love child when Scrappy-doo takes his shot. Of course, being Scrappy-doo, his aim is terrible. He shoots Emma right through the chest, and yet somehow barely wings Monroe who was standing directly behind her. All this, despite the fact that Monroe had almost completely let his guard down during this big reveal. Monroe is dragged off by his men, Miles shoots Scrappy-doo (as was promised), and Emma becomes the newest reason Miles is going to super serious (you guys) kill Monroe. Man, we forgot about Danny quickly. Almost as quickly as we forgot about Ben.
The episode ends with a jump to The Georgia Federation and the office of President Kelly Foster. She and one of her aides are discussing the new informant they’ve acquired and whether or not they can trust him. She says it’s time to send him back to Monroe where he can do the most damage. In a move that everyone saw coming, the doors to the office open and in walks Captain Tom Neville. Foster asks him if he’s ready to go home and a far too slow smile crosses his face. Which, of course, is the wrong answer. Remember when you fled the Monroe Republic in fear for your life, Neville? I do, because it happened two episodes ago. Remember how you were all, if I come back now, Monroe is going to kill me? I do, because it happened two episodes ago. Remember how Monroe found out you had been lying about your son being dead and then shot a militiaman in the face because of it? I do, because it happened ONE episode ago. That’s what you’re going back to Tom. So no, don’t slow smile. Pee your pants. Pee your pants in fear for your life.
Why is everyone on this show stupid?
Thoughts
*Why are we introducing a secret son? Monroe already has enough big picture motivation (maintain/increase his power) as well as personal motivation (he hates Miles because he loves Miles but Miles doesn’t love him back). He doesn’t need a Quest on top of that.
*How exactly did Monroe seize control again? Because everyone in town seemed REALLY surprised that he would have a man beaten to death for disobeying an order. That strikes me as par for the course for a dictator.
*If we’re going to keep doing flashbacks, do them better. Aaron’s story could have waited another episode (or two), and you could have used that time making us actually care about a girl so special that Monroe and Miles are still deeply in love with her almost 20 years later.
*Miles and Emma were engaged? Like, to be married? …and he never noticed she got really fat for nine months, and then wasn’t fat, but was kinda tired and/or sad a lot?
*Oh look, Jacob’s not dead!
*A braver soul than I should start watching the episodes again and see in how many of them Aaron’s first line is a question.
