But, I think, on a deeper level, both these series represent a profound culture shift. Shows like Lost and 24 were about characters haunted by histories of violence, either as victims or perpetrators, seeking some absolution. They depicted a starkly binary worldview. What was important was that their fight against these external threats, whether the terrorists of 24 or the Others on Lost , in effect gave our main characters unity and identity.
We were the good guys, and it was our mission to hunt down the forces of evil. No wonder The Lord of the Rings , with its starkly binary, Manichaean worldview, was so popular when the first installment hit theaters in December For one? A decade at war can do that. And into this zeitgeist of doubt and uncertainty have come Game of Thrones and Revenge , two series that wallow in moral murk. Now, good guys and bad guys are harder to tell apart. I have no doubt. Sure, we kind of hate Victoria for doing what she did to David Clarke.
And if the Graysons are supposed to be the bad guys, well, how to explain one of the most beloved characters on the show, young Daniel Grayson himself? Arya adored her father, Ned Stark, a decent, noble man who was unceremoniously beheaded for treason.
His crime? Trying to expose that King Joffrey was not really the heir to the Iron Throne of Westeros, but the illegitimate, incestuous offspring of Queen Cersei and her brother Jaime. By trying to do the right thing, he lost his head. Of course, as George R. But one thing is certain. Both Revenge and Game of Thrones have blurred the lines between hero and villain to such a degree that it makes us question our own motivations for finding catharsis in tales of mortal satisfaction.
Fantasies they may be, indeed. Yet neither flinch from showing their characters—and, by extension, us—how they really are. Where the heck is Treadwell? And just what have Takeda and Amanda been up to this whole time? Revenge recap: The Trial of Daniel Grayson. Save FB Tweet More. TV Show. Episode Recaps Image. S4 E22 Recap 'Revenge' recap: 'Plea'. S4 E21 Recap Revenge recap: Aftermath. Revenge Treachery. Revenge Scandal. S2 E4 Recap Revenge recap: 'Intuition'. S2 E5 Recap Revenge recap: 'Forgiveness'.
S2 E8 Recap Revenge recap: 'Lineage'. S2 E9 Recap Revenge recap: 'Revelations'. S2 E10 Recap Revenge recap: 'Power'. There is no longer a sense of progression to Emily's plans — indeed her goal seems ever more distant. Worse still, the show is no longer any fun, with Nolan and Emily's verbal sparring sidelined by Aiden, and too much screen time being given to the Porter boys' dispute with the brutish sons of their dead father's business rival.
At this point, I'm wishing the dockside characters would be swept away in a tsunami. Emily's story should have been wrapped up in a single season, or a mini-series. As with the second season of Homeland, which arguably suffered a similar problem, the writers are throwing every idea they have at the wall in the desperate hope one or two might stick.
It is difficult to see at this stage what can be done. But trimming back the cast — Ashley, Fauxmanda, the Porters — would be a start. The way things are going, however, it seems almost inevitable that David Clarke will turn up alive. Perhaps the final nail in the coffin will be the young Amanda waking up only to find her father and Victoria in the shower — her whole revenge saga having been just a dream. How Revenge lost the plot.
The E4 drama series is getting bogged down in subplots and narrative dead-ends. Can anything save this show from its mid-season slump? Revenge: 'A delicious and deadly cocktail of blackmail, backstabbing, adultery and covert surveillance. British viewers have seen up to episode seven of season two — please do not post spoilers from later episodes below Where did it all go wrong for Revenge?
Topics Drama TV and radio blog Television blogposts. Tyler has since then set his sights on the Grayson family in the Hamptons. In " Charade ", we learn that he is a gay hustler with an ambiguous sexuality. In the same episode, he made a deal with Nolan so he wouldn't share his past.
He stole information from the Graysons, hoping to become indispensable. Nolan recorded the whole liaison so he couldn't be blackmailed by Tyler in the future. He was also involved in a con with Ashley, trying to help her rise above being a petty assistant. In " Duress ", Tyler went off his medication, attacked Nolan and tied him to a chair, and held Emily, the Graysons and their friends at gunpoint with Emily's own gun at Daniel's birthday party, but was taken down as a precaution, Emily had removed the bullets beforehand.
He was also arrested for the murder of Frank Stevens , whose wallet had been planted among his possessions by Emily to clear Amanda , his actual killer, of the charges. However, somewhere along the line, Tyler broke out and made his way back to The Hamptons.
In " Chaos ", Tyler is found dead on the beach during the Engagement Party. Daniel is found near his body, covered in blood, making him the prime suspect in the murder case. It is revealed in a later episode that Daniel did shoot him once in the chest in self-defense but was then knocked out by Satoshi Takeda , who, wearing gloves, finished off Tyler by shooting him twice in the back and left the gun at the scene to frame Daniel.
Ultimately, an associate of Victoria, Lee Moran , is framed for the killing, he was killed by the White-Haired Man to be silenced. The White-Haired Man made the murder look like suicide by hanging Lee and leaving a forged suicide note allegedly written by Lee. Tyler Barrol was polite, charming and a skilled actor, being able to pretend that he was Daniel Grayson's good friend for most of the summer.
However he was also very manipulative and when he felt he held all the cards he revealed a cruel, condescending and sometimes violent side of his nature. He was even willing to attempt murder in order to get what he wanted and had a tendency to call people degrading names, calling Emily a bitch and a slut and nicknaming Conrad, Conny.
Tyler also liked to gloat, taunting Nolan Ross when he outsmarted him and asking how it felt to be the dumbest person in the room. It was revealed that he was on medication and according to his brother he was very unpredictable without it.
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