Contributor: J.M.
Written by David Rambo and Melissa Glenn
Directed by Guy Bee
I wish that “Revolution” would just start being an absolutely terrible show. It would make it a lot easier to write these reviews. But despite all of the problems, the ridiculousness, the terrible characters, the major plot thread that was the driving force of the show getting increasingly sidelined, “Revolution” somehow still manages to tantalize with potential. The problem is that it’s the window dressing that shows the most promise, and the main plot that’s broken.
The main focus in the plot is the gang needs to get across the Allegheny River to get closer to Philadelphia. That’s it, no crazy sidetracks, no kid Ewoks, nothing but just getting across a river that has turned into a major fortified barrier to keep people out of the Monroe heartland. It’s a remarkably focused and interesting story as the attempts to get them across the river quickly degenerate into failure, making it increasingly likely that they will have to detour all the way to Morgantown, in West Virginia, as their next likely crossing point, losing valuable time. They are joined by Nora’s sister from the militia, who turns out to be a traitor just trying to get her and her sister away from the Republic, and in turn gets the pendant from Aaron and turns it over to the militia.
The biggest problem is that despite the focus and challenge presented to the characters, there isn’t a lot of room to step back and question exactly why they are doing this. Nominally it is to get Danny back, but it’s quickly morphed into keeping Monroe out of power. The problem is that the Monroe stuff, both in the larger sense of exploring the universe and in the actual plot, is far more interesting and a better focus for the show than the rather pitiful group attempting a quest whose purpose is quickly getting lost.
Finally, there’s the confusing reveal at the end of the episode where Flynn and Grace were living in an underground steam bunker. The entire revelation is so out of context it’s difficult to understand exactly what it was supposed to do other create artificial tension that will likely not see any narrative resolution, a cheap tactic to try and gain viewers. It’s another frustrating aspect to a show that seems to always find a way to make viewers remember that somewhere beneath a deep layer of mediocrity exists a pretty compelling series.
Score: 7/10