NBC’s Revolution continues with a lot of action-packed events this episode and a lot of moral questions asked when it comes to warfare. Check out Josh’s TV recap of this week’s episode of Revolution, while Violet offers her commentary (in the pink font)!
This episode of Revolution begins with Miles, Nora, Jason and Charlie breaking into a lab facility. Nora has planted some explosives, and we see a scientist working with some chemicals in the lab. Miles and Nora dispatch some guards with ease, and the scientist attempts to flee. Miles chloroforms the doctor, shoves him down a laundry chute, where Charlie and Jason are waiting with a bin to transport the doctor. As the four rebels walk away from the building with the scientist unconscious in the bin, the explosives that Nora planted explode, presumably destroying the chemicals the scientist was working on.
The episode then rewinds two days earlier. Miles is interrogating Pete, who is a Militia officer. Miles tries to coax information out of him, and they discuss what should happen to him. Miles tells Pete that he is going to kill anyone in his way, then asks if Pete is in his way. Pete responds with, “I am not a traitor” and “You trained me better than that”. We learn that a firing squad is waiting to execute him, and Miles asks him “Bag or no bag”. He opts for no bag, and faces the firing squad, and dies instantly. The scene flashes to Charlie who seems distressed by the soldier’s execution. The conversation Miles has with Pete seems emotional for Miles as well to a certain extent, and I feel Miles is struggling with giving the execution order. As is a theme of this episode, Miles knows the cost of war, and eventually issues the firing order.
Sometime later, we have Miles drinking, and he is reliving Emma’s death from last week’s episode, which clearly has him broken up inside. As he is wallowing, a Georgian soldier enters his office to notify him reinforcements have arrived. Miles is puzzled by who these reinforcements could be, but I am fairly certain most viewers know who it could be–Tom Neville of course. Miles is surprised and angered, pulling his gun on Miles. Neville reveals that the President has commissioned him. Miles threatens half-heartedly to kill him, to which Neville replies, “Foster won’t like it”. Neville seems to think he has some leverage with Miles, and reveals an “important job” to do, informing Miles that Monroe is trying to weaponize Anthrax—via the doctor they will be capturing in two days.
This revelation seems to get Miles’ attention, and he’s all of a sudden willing to work with Neville for some reason. So what? Just kill Neville and handle it yourself, Miles! Even if he didn’t kill him outright, I’m not sure why he didn’t put up more of a fight against having to work with Neville, in light of all their recent history.
Miles, Nora, Charlie and Jason are heading to a boat, and Nora and Charlie (and I) agree they should shoot Neville. Neville, while a fairly capable officer is more dangerous alive than dead for the Georgia Federation and Rebels, as his allegiances are clearly on whichever side is winning. While President Foster will not be too happy with Neville’s death, I am fairly certain that she will get over it, as Miles is infinitely more valuable than Neville would be. They next discuss what their plan will be once this doctor is captured. Miles seems to be of the persuasion that this scientist will make Anthrax for the Georgia Federation. I suppose Miles thinks this is the cost of war too. Miles then pulls the “I am your leader, so you better follow or get lost” card. They all board the boat, where Neville is already waiting.
We see Miles and the other rebels killing soldiers left and right without hesitation all the time, why not Neville??
We learn the boat is heading to the Monroe Republic under the guise of a fishing boat. While in route, Tom tries to offer a truce to his son. Jason refutes his truth, and accuses him of just being on whichever side that will give him the most glory. Tom becomes upset with Jason’s accusation, and informs Jason that he and Julia (Neville’s wife) had to escape in the middle of the night, with his wife nearly dying from hypothermia. Neville tries to pin this on Jason, but this is not completely accurate in my opinion, and Tom should know that. Monroe gave him one last shot to complete his mission, and he failed. Jason was a small part of this failure, but still, Neville’s initial capture was not the result of anything Jason himself did.
Jason’s explanation of Neville’s joining the Georgia Federation made a lot of sense, and is just more evidence as to why the rebels shouldn’t trust Neville. Although it appears his loyalties no longer lie with Monroe, if Monroe ever gave him a better offer than what he’s currently getting from Georgia, you can bet he’d switch sides in a heartbeat. And yeah, Neville’s accusation against Jason was weak, and obviously not Jason’s fault in any way, considering he himself was the one who ran Jason off, then lied about his death.
We get a brief break from the main plot line to see a conversation Randall is having with Monroe. Monroe is clearly in pain, while his gunshot wound is being attended to, while Randall tries to tell Monroe he is being a bit too aggressive in his war tactics. Randall tries to explain that the harsher the Monroe Republic appears, the more likely further rebels will be created. Monroe is insulted by Randall’s attempt to provide military strategy, and calls Randall his “IT guy”. He also threatens him with death should he step out of his bounds again. I am curious to know how much history Monroe knows of Randall, since we know that Randall was a part of the Department of Defense back in the “good ole days”. I also feel that if Monroe continues his alienation of allies, people like Randall may shop their wares elsewhere.
Back with the rebels, they are prepping their arms, and they are about to dock. Neville informs the rebels that he is not going to be joining them. They begin their assault on the lab, and bring the scientist back to Neville and the boat. The doctor has been tied up, and Neville and Miles have another conversation. Neville tries to identify him and Miles as a good team, and they seem to be getting along at the moment. The doctor regains consciousness, and he pleads for release with Neville. We then learn that while Miles and company freed the scientist, Neville captured his family, and they are going to be leveraged as Monroe leveraged them against him. The doctor pleads for his family’s freedom, but Neville makes it clear that won’t be happening. Charlie overhears this conversation, realizes Miles knew the plan all along, and is not pleased that he didn’t inform the rest of the group. The cost of war I guess?
Nora then has a conversation with Miles, also appalled by Miles’ actions. She then informs Miles that she is transferring units, and tells him that he hasn’t changed one bit since he left the Monroe Republic. Charlie brings the doctor some water, and the scientist asks her why she is doing this. This clearly troubles Charlie, and she responds with “this isn’t me”. Their conversation is interrupted however, by some sort of siren.
I felt like Nora only told Miles she was transferring units to try to get a rise out of him, so that he would beg her not to go, and convince her to stay with him somehow. Unfortunately, her little ploy didn’t work, as Miles had a very “whatever” attitude about it. Remember, Nora is still clueless about the Miles and Rachel situation, and probably still thinks there’s something going on between herself and Miles. Or at least wants there to be.
We find that the patrol boat is approaching, and some men board the ship for a “routine” inspection. Neville movies the scientist into a secret compartment within the boat, and both he and Charlie follow. The soldiers board the boat, and look around. There is a tense scene with Neville, who holds his gun to the scientist’s head to keep him quiet. Charlie, upset by this, holds her gun to Neville’s head. I thought this standoff was a bit silly, as no one wins if a gun goes off, but I digress. The soldiers seem satisfied with their search, with the exception of what looks like a shotgun shell. I am not sure if the shell was actually aboard the ship or if the soldier pulled it from his pocket as a way to extort currency from the boat captain, but the captain is more than happy to pay off the Monroe Republic considering the real cargo they are carrying. Luckily (and surprisingly) no soldiers recognize Miles, who is just hanging out on the deck of the boat.
To be fair, Miles was trying to face the other direction so that he face wouldn’t be seen straight on. And there was a point when one of the soldiers saw Miles’ face from the side and there was just the faintest hint of recognition. But yeah, I agree Miles should not have been out there in plain sight, and instead should have hid below deck. Another alternative is the fact that it’s been quite a few years since Miles has been a part of the Militia, so it is possible that some of the younger, newer recruits actually would not recognize him. It’s not like they can easily circulate a picture of him. Or can they?
After the coast is clear, Neville man-handles Charlie, and punches her square in the face, irritated by her drawing her pistol on him. Miles then shows up, threatening Neville if he ever touches her again. I would hope he would follow through with this promise, but I have feeling he will not.
Charlie then talks with Miles, telling him that this situation has gone too far, and they should not be working with Neville. Miles disagrees, saying that if they don’t work with him, he may head back to Monroe. My personally feeling is that if Neville is that untrustworthy, and we are going to do whatever is best for the War, Neville should be executed. I feel Neville is primarily kept around for the sake of the drama in the show, but logistically it makes very little sense. Charlie asks how Georgia’s plan for the doctor is any different than what Monroe is doing. Miles agrees with her surprisingly, saying that it is exactly the same, and that in war (particularly with Monroe), they have to do anything and everything they can.
What I found very interesting about this scene, was how Charlie was using her conversation with Miles to judge her next move. She was feeling him out, to see if he would back what happens next. She is resigned to the fact that he won’t which prompts her to lock Miles in the room he is in. We next see Jason chloroform his dad. Charlie, Jason and Nora then commandeer the ship. They then come up with a plan to find the scientist’s family. They are able to trick the other boat into boarding theirs, and their plan looks almost successful. Neville awakens however, and the boat is re-commandeered by Neville. Neville tells Jason that he doesn’t understand why he does what he does, to which Jason retorts, “Isn’t obvious? It’s because I hate you!” This earns Jason a swift punch to the face. Neville is about to shoot Charlie, but Miles shows up, and disarms Neville. Neville orders the crew of the boat to execute Miles and the rebels, but a shootout begins between some Monroe land forces and the Georgian forces.
I’m not sure why Miles was the one who got locked in his room with a chain on his door, while Neville was placed in a room with just the door handle’s lock. Wouldn’t they know he could easily get out of there? They should have done something more to prevent him from getting out. And if they’re going to make it a little easier on one than the other, why would they give Neville the easier way out?
We learn that the Monroe soldiers that had boarded the boat earlier in fact did recognize Miles, but wanted to set up an ambush, fearing a head to head encounter would be dangerous. While seemingly logical, I think if this soldier just took a look at the current state of events on the boat, at the very least Neville or Miles would be dead without him having to lift a finger. I guess Miles has to be a little thankful of the turn of events that have unfolded here. The rebels and the scientist with his family are able to escape on the smaller boat while Neville and the crew of the boat are forced to battle the Monroe forces.
The scientist and his family have a happy reunion. Charlie thanks Miles for his change of heart, to which Miles returns the thanks. This thanks is probably thanking Charlie for saving a small piece of his humanity. I think he has had a moment of clarity, and understands there needs to be a balance between “this is war” and “these are real people in the crossfire”.
Back at the Georgian camp, Neville storms to Miles, aiming his pistol at Miles’ head. Charlie is also in the room, and again decides to take aim at Neville. Miles casually asks how Neville got away, to which Neville responds, “it cost me all of my men to do it”. He then says that he will find the scientist Miles let escape. When Miles doesn’t seem worried about this, Tom then says he is going to take all of the Georgian troops back to Georgia. Miles then breaks the “bad news” that he is actually winning battle after battle, and President Foster probably wouldn’t appreciate that very much if Neville took the troops away.
Miles then heads back to what appears to be his sleeping quarters. Nora is there, scantily clad, and tells Miles a secret: He isn’t as bad of a guy as he lets on. Cue romantic engagement here. I think now know why this episode of Revolution is called The Love Boat eh?
I guess since Nora’s subtle cry for attention from Miles went unnoticed and ignored, she decided to go for a not so subtle approach. Miles actually didn’t seem all that interested at first, but then Nora took off some more clothes and pretty much threw herself at him, and when has a man ever said no to a half naked, ready and willing woman?
So where are Rachel and Aaron in this week’s episode of Revolution you ask? They have made it to the Great Plains Nation (also referred to as Thompson Tribal Lands, which is perhaps a sub-nation within the Great Plains Nation?) Rachel attempts to trade with what appears to be the leader of the camp they have come across. She offers what appears to be a gold necklace for food, but it seems food is scarce in this area, and no one is willing to trade. We learn that Aaron and Rachel have been without food for 4 days (Rachel sure looks good for not bathing or having food for 4 days).
I know! I kept thinking how amazing her hair looked! Maybe I should not eat for 4 days so I can get my hair to look that great…
Aaron and Rachel continue on their journey west, when they are confronted by the man they spoke to earlier, who accuses them of stealing food. Rachel is shocked by the accusation, but the look on Aaron’s faces tells all. Aaron tries to give the food back. The man then draws his gun, and is going to execute them. Rachel however pulls a handgun from her waist, and shoots him dead, and picks up his revolver. They take off, but two men who have heard the shots are on their trail. As Rachel and Aaron are fleeing, Rachel tumbles down a hill, and breaks her leg severely. The bone is protruding, so she will not be walking anytime soon.
I was surprised at the man’s rash decision to kill them on the spot, but I guess that’s how things are at this point in time, in this area.
Aaron attempts to carry Rachel, and they find a broken down delivery truck that they decide to hide in. Rachel is clearly in severe pain, and Aaron tries to “set” the bone. Aaron attempts to splint the wound, and Rachel pleads for Aaron to take the book and continue to the tower without her. Aaron says that she wouldn’t leave him if the situation was reversed, but she unsurprisingly says she would leave him. I believe it too, as she has been quite heartless several times throughout the show.
Aaron thought she was just saying those things to make him leave, but I’m pretty sure she was telling the truth.
The night has ended, and the soldiers have finally come across the broken down delivery van Rachel and Aaron were hiding in. They begin to investigate, when Rachel shoots out the door. She runs out of ammo unfortunately, and they enter the vehicle asking where Aaron is. Aaron then surprises them from the back, and wounds one of them. Unfortunately Aaron is quickly overpowered by the still healthy one, but Rachel manages to deal with the injured man, grabs one of the rifles, and shoots the other man dead. Poor Aaron, he is clearly not a fighter. I am a little curious what happened to the second gun that Rachel had picked up off of the man she killed earlier this episode however. If Aaron had this gun, they would have had a much easier time with their mini-battle.
Good teamwork! But yeah, Aaron does need to learn how to fight.
Aaron and Rachel move on soon, and they make a fire. Rachel tells Aaron that it is important that he make it to the tower. We learn that in the book Rachel received from her friend a few episodes ago, Aaron is referenced in it. In what capacity we are not informed yet, but this book is seeming to start sounding like a prophecy so far.
Ohhh, so THAT’s why she didn’t want to let Aaron look at the book last episode… Guess she wasn’t ready for him to know yet. However, it begs the question, if he is such an integral part to the solution, how did he just happen to end up in their little community in the first place? He was wandering around and could have ended up anywhere, how did he happen to end up with them? Coincidence? I think not.
Back at the elevator Grace as been working on opening, she is finally able to get control of it. She informs her guard, who decides to take a gander down on level 12, their ultimate goal. Unfortunately for the guard, the elevator stops at level 7. The security camera in the elevator goes out, and the guard begins to scream. The elevator them comes back up, an opens, and while we don’t see the full elevator when it returns up, we see quite a bit of blood on it. I am curious if Grace had an idea as to what would happen to the guard, she before the guard even begins going down the elevator, she seems agitated, and tries to escape her cuffs.
Yeah, I’m very curious to know what happened in that elevator. Did Grace make something happen? Are there traps set up to prevent people from getting to Level 12? Are there killer nanites that attacked him??
This is the last scene of the Revolution episode, leaving us wondering what is in the elevator. I really enjoyed this episode, despite my issues with the decision to keep Neville around. I am curious to see what will happen if Georgia happens to defeat the Monroe Republic. Will Georgia become the new dictatorship? What will the rebel cause be then? I am also curious if Aaron will make it to the tower by the end of the season, and what his “destiny” is. The second half of this season has definitely made this show a lot more entertaining, and I am really looking forward to the season finale. I predict that Monroe may meet his bitter end by the end of the season, perhaps leaving Randall in charge. If Monroe lives, I think that Randall may shop his wares elsewhere, hoping to find a more pliable client. We also know that NBC has picked up Revolution for season two, so we can expect some sort of cliffhanger for the season finale.
I quite enjoyed this episode as well. A lot of action and good story progression, as well as opening more mysteries that will keep us guessing! And man, Neville is a villain that you love to hate! However, the show is still avoiding an explanation of what happened between Miles and Rachel, as it didn’t even come up this episode, and it seems like they tried to distract us from that fact by throwing in a little Miles and Nora romance. However, I feel like their little “romance” will be short lived, as it seemed like it meant a lot more to Nora than it did to Miles. My guess is it’ll just be a one time thing, with Nora expecting something from Miles, but Miles pretending like it never happened and acting business as usual toward her. Miles and Nora might have had something between them a long time ago, but I don’t think it’s there anymore, nor that it will be rekindled by this one night stand. Anyway, hoping we can at least begin to finally delve into the Miles and Rachel situation next week, as well as get some more answers to all of our burning questions.
