Movies & TV
Revolution Recap: ‘Clue’ (Season 1, Episode 18)
Photo by: Brownie Harris/NBC
Picking up from where we left off last week on Revolution, Monroe interrogates/tortures Nora to find out where Miles is. Considering how many drone strikes, battles, and other such mayhem Miles has launched against his former comrade, you’d think he’d have some general idea where they were. I mean, one of his messengers managed to make his way to their camp. And, with moles inside the organization, I’m sure they could have dropped a note to one of Monroe’s agents working in the countryside, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
After 21 days plus drugs administered by Monroe lackey Dr. Sanborn from “The Stand,” she reveals their location. Which, after 21 days, was probably moved due to the fact that they are a mobile army launching a guerrilla campaign against the only man in the world with technology. She also reveals to Monroe about the Tower, something that Flynn has kept hidden. Monroe threatens to kill Flynn, but Flynn convinces him that he needs his help to get into the Tower. And, he also reveals that the location used to be a skunk works for the DOD and is filled with such amazingly fantastical creatures that someone getting control of the Tower would not just give everyone electricity, but make all his toys obsolete. So off they go.
However, Sanborn has a change of heart (…or does he?) and helps Nora escape after she gives up this data. With amulet in tow, Sanborn brings Nora back to Miles. Miles also decides to sojourn to the Tower and rounds up like 10 people for one helicopter. In need of fuel, they land at an air force base in the Plains Nation where the red shirts end up mysteriously murdered, one by one.
The majority of the episode is one of those low rent, The Thing-style mysteries where someone in the group has committed a crime, and everyone’s paranoia acts up as they try to narrow down whom the perpetrator is. This of course means that everyone acts more suspiciously, aloof, and disingenuous than usual. While it’s not terribly done here, it only begs comparison to the hundreds of other shows and movies that have done it even better.
Rachel enters the compound, No Country for Old Men-style
Photo by: Brownie Harris/NBC
At the end, it turns out to be Henry Bevis who attempted to destroy the militia from the inside because Monroe captured his wife, which he found out about somehow. Monroe also says that he will free her with Miles’ death, and we all know how trustworthy Monroe is. However, because there’s like 10 minutes left in the episode, he has to no choice but to spin out of control, kill Sanborn, attempt to kill Miles, and get killed himself (by Nate). This show has such a penchant for killing off its better recurring characters. But at least that gives us more time for the Charlie/Nate romance!
Elsewhere in Revolution, Aaron and Rachel make it to the Tower shortly after Team Monroe. Monroe and Flynn cannot enter the Tower because all of the access codes were changed. As they continue failing to remember whether the code ended with “1?” or “12?”, people on the inside stare mesmerized at security feed. Whatever’s in that Tower is bound to be hilarious. As this is going on, Rachel gives the Winchester Journal to Aaron so that he can break into the Tower, and she declares her plan to sacrifice herself to kill Monroe. This leads to more whining from Aaron, which thankfully falls on deaf ears. “Clue” ends with Rachel entering Monroe’s tent and pulling the pin on a grenade.
The one positive thing I can say about Revolution this late in its first season is that I’m beginning to wonder what subsequent seasons would have to offer. With two episodes left, the entire gang (good and bad) is at the Tower; the Tower contains such crazy wackiness that it can only be described as “things that make your drones look like models Ts! Real power!;” and electricity, travel, and automatic weapons have become so common and easy that the original premise is all but destroyed. Maybe Revolution will completely re-invent itself every season. Initially, this idea bothered me, as if The Walking Dead Season 2 suddenly had all the zombies gone and dealt with the aftermath. But now? Season 1 has progressed in such a way that it’s like the show is trying to write itself out of the corner it painted itself in in the “Pilot.” If the series wants to completely reboot itself every year, I’d find that almost admirable.
Additional Thoughts:
• Because of NBC’s scheduling incompetence, the final two episodes of Revolution will air well outside of sweeps period. One of them even taking place on Memorial Day Weekend.
• So I guess Sanborn actually did just up and left the Monroe compound with Nora. That’s just shoddy.
• Nice to see that the show’s decided to sideline Tom Neville again. But at least that gives us more time for the Charlie/Nate romance!
• I thought the purpose for Rachel destroying the amulets was that they can be traced by Flynn. With Rachel gone are they just ignoring that warning now?
• I am bothered by the fact that this show got an easy pick-up while Hannibal is still on the bubble.
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