This was another mixed bag of an episode and wasn't as good as last week's hour, either. But one thing I know for sure is this: any show that has me this invested, this fascinated and hopeful, and is also capable of frustrating me sometimes to such an extent, is one excellent show that deserves to be renewed! Let's review and discuss what happened in "Tomorrowland.""Revolution FaceOff" Le sigh, you guys. Seriouslah. I have to say that I expected more from a Miles/Monroe showdown than Miles running circles around Bass while Monroe let himself be easily hoodwinked and repeated patterns that were long-ago worn out. I did absolutely love seeing Miles stand up for his ideals, and Billy Burke continues to be amazing in his performances from week to week. Sometimes the rest of the episode might fall apart around him, but as a badass main character / reliable hero, Miles is perfection.
Let's go over some of the reasons I have for being disappointed with the writing for Monroe in this episode:
- Not only did Season 2 set out to do a redemption story for Monroe, but they took him halfway there just to have him inexplicably regress over the last couple of episodes.
- Bass' constant stalking of Miles and whining about his frenemy's relationship with Rachel is more than getting old. It's getting so obnoxiously repetitive that only the formidable charms of David Lyons exonerate it in any way.
- Monroe has heretofore been portrayed as very sharp intellectually. Give me a break with his simplistic attitudes and dialog lately.
Where did this part of the episode succeed? as I mentioned, Miles was exceptional throughout. I did enjoy that the Miles/Rachel/Bass triangle was correctly portrayed with Miles in the middle, not Rachel (thank goodness, after that inane non-kiss scene last week with Bass and Rachel). And having Neville show up and force Monroe to team with him at the end was a positively delightful twist. As I couldn't help tweeting, #BromanceRebound.What do I want to see for my favorite Revolution character, Monroe, in the last two episodes of the season? I hope that he's shown to be the nuanced, whip-smart, tough warrior he truly is rather than some jilted caveman, and obviously, I also want some Charloe action for crying out loud. If I never hear Bass complain about Miles' morality or devotion to Rachel again, it will be too bloody soon.Neville was the king of this episode. Giancarlo Esposito is having a field day with Tom's regret, sadness, and rage after losing Jason and feeling increasingly sure of Julia's demise, too (I'm less sure about her being gone). His brutal tromping of a Patriot was eloquently positioned between hilarity and scariness. I'm really looking forward to seeing his onslaught of vengeance move forward with Monroe by his side.Charlie - Let me just tell you how much I hate it when Charlie has "Silent Episodes," as I call them. Sure, she had a few lines here and there, and I liked that she found Miles at the beginning. But when I have to watch Charlie just quietly follow everyone else like a robot throughout so much of the episode, I feel cheated. Give the girl more dialog in every episode! How about some chats with Monroe? ;)Aaron and Nanocilla - I actually enjoy seeing these two spar, but the current state of affairs was kind of a rehash of last week's. It's about time Aaron got the upper hand over his creations, especially if they're going to go around recreating the ending of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to supposedly make the world a better place. I wish Aaron would try some more aggressive reverse psychology manipulation of the Nano...they really are more claylike than he seems to properly recognize. Sometimes it seems like he just stands around watching Nanocilla do whatever she wants.Miles and Rachel - Their romantic scene at the end, with Miles retelling the story of his discovering the guitar chip in last week's episode, was beautiful. It was nice for them to get moment to regain their breath and enjoy one another after the hard work of escaping the mustard gas, foiling Monroe's plot, and convincing Truman's lady to turn spy. Connor seemed to really become his father for a second in that scene in which he threatened a Willoughby resident who accused him of blindly following Monroe to no avail. That was a pretty intriguing moment suggestive not only of how much like Monroe he really is, but also that there's a lot we probably don't know about Connor - what has he done, what is he capable of? How much longer will he follow Bass obediently? Hmm!What did you think of this week's Revolution? Share your thoughts in the comments.
