On this week’s episode of NBC’s Revolution, entitled Children of Men, we finally make it inside the Tower! But what do the groups find once they get inside? Read on to find out what happens in the thrilling episode of Revolution that is the last before the season finale, as Violet gives her recap of the episode, and Josh provides his commentary (in blue font)!
The last episode left off with Rachel pulling the pin on the grenade while in Monroe’s tent. This episode picks up right where last episode left off, and Rachel and Monroe each get tackled to the floor, as one of the soldiers takes the grenade out of Rachel’s hand and throws it aside, where it explodes, leaving both Rachel and Monroe unharmed. Is it just me, or did it seem like it took a long time before the grenade went off? Maybe because the scene was in slow motion though…
As I had suspected last episode, unfortunately the grenade was taken from Rachel, and tossed away, thus saving Monroe from his well overdue death. How unfortunate indeed.
The helicopter carrying Miles and the gang lands, and there is visible awkwardness between Charlie and Jason as she thanks him and he ignores her. Miles asks Nora how she’s feeling, she says like hell, but she’s ready. Miles tells the team that the Tower is 4 miles ahead of them, and they probably have an entire army waiting for them, but it’s just another Monday, then they head out to get Rachel.
Jason is still clearly angry with Charlie over her flipping on him in the last episode so quickly. Curious to see how they will make it past the camp so easily, considering how outnumbered Miles and company will be.
Aaron is hiding in the woods, looking at Rachel through binoculars. Monroe leads her to the Tower and tells her to open it, but she says she doesn’t know how. Monroe makes her scan her hand, and the screen reads “Access Granted,” then the doors open. As they walk through a large room with a Super Collider, Rachel and Randall have a chat. She asks him how he could bring Monroe here, to which he replies that he has a healthy interest in self preservation. He asks her how she got the doors open since she doesn’t have security clearance, then concludes that it must have been Grace. Suddenly, the doors close. We see a group of people at a control panel, watching Monroe and everyone on monitors. The group’s commander tells the group to go say hello, and they all grab guns.
Looks like Grace knows some people, and has full control of the building. Now the question is, why allow any of them in?
Tom is looking at the Tower through binoculars, and Miles asks if he can see Rachel. Tom comments about the way Miles talks about Rachel, and asks if he’s “sweet on her,” which Miles ignores. However, Nora hears the comment and looks alarmed, as this is the first time she’s hearing about anything going on between Miles and Rachel. Nora sees a light in the woods, and it turns out that it’s Aaron using a lighter to read Dr. Warren’s journal. Aaron tells Miles and the gang that Rachel is in the Tower with Monroe, and says he can get them in there with the book. The only problem is how to get past the troops.
Monroe’s group walks into an area with several monitors set up. Randall comments that Grace must have fixed the satellites, and tells them that this was the “crown jewel” of the U.S. Military, impervious to everything, including the blackout. With it, they can spy on anyone in the world, or kill them, all at the push of a button. But first, they have to get to Level 12. They all get on the elevator and go down, but it stops at Level 11, where they exit the elevator. The power goes out and alarm goes off. There are multiple explosions, gunfire erupts, and chaos ensues. Rachel escapes into a bunker, and almost closes the door, when Monroe pushes his way in. Rachel tries to stab him with scissors, but he stops her, asks what just happened, and who the people are that are attacking them.
So I guess we know what happened to Grace’s guard. Looks like the people living down there have some heavy duty weaponry as well.
Back at Militia camp, Tom and Jason leave some grenades in a tent with a power amplifier and explosions go off, while Miles, Charlie, Nora, and Aaron sneak over to the Tower. Aaron keys in a 62 character override code from the book, while Monroe’s soldiers fire at them and Miles, Charlie, and Nora fire back. Nora says she’s running low on ammo, but just then the doors open and they get in. Miles runs out of ammo, and tells Aaron to shut the door, although this upsets Charlie because Jason is still out there. It’s too bad he didn’t try scanning his hand first, as I have a feeling it would have worked, considering that it worked on Rachel, and he watched her scan her hand through the binoculars. This would have saved a lot of valuable time and ammo.
A big explosion should be enough to distract a few soldiers right? How nerve racking would it be to ten-key a long number when being shot at? That has to get some sort of hazard pay right? Seems like Miles would have brought more ammo though, considering how quick they ran out.
Monroe is frustrated that Rachel claims not to know anything, despite the fact that she knew to run straight to the bunker. He says their only chance is to help each other. Rachel asks why would she want that when she just wants him to die, even if she has to die. But Monroe calls her bluff with some anecdote about people who claim they want to die but that the last thought that goes through their minds is that they made a mistake. He then opens a cabinet and finds guns inside behind a glass panel.
Rachel clearly knows more than she is letting on. I was wondering why Monroe didn’t simply kill Rachel, since she clearly seems to want to do that to him.
Flashback to one week before the blackout. Rachel is holding a power pendant, as Ben tells her that Grace only made them as a precaution. But Rachel says something could still go wrong, and tells Ben that they need to tell Randall to stop the launch. They start to fight. Ben asks if they can please just get through this week, and Rachel agrees, but wants to spend some time apart after that.
So we learn that Rachel really didn’t want to go through with the operation that caused the blackout. Makes you kind of like her more, and like Ben a little less.
As Miles and the gang walk through the large room with the Super Collider, Charlie muses that she didn’t know her parents at all.
Over at Militia camp, Tom and Jason have been captured. A couple of Militia soldiers named Franklin and Riley ask how to get inside the Tower, but Tom just ignores them and talks about Monroe’s psychotic behavior. The men get called to the infirmary, and Tom tells them to enjoy their promotions, because it’s only a matter of time before Monroe turns on them as well. Jason asks his father what’s his angle.
I want to know his angle as well. I still do not care for Neville despite is seemingly “noble” gestures lately. If he were to seize the Monroe Republic, would it be any better? I am not so sure it would…
Miles and crew reach Level 11 and see the destruction and dead bodies caused by the earlier fight. There is a blond woman lying on the floor, and they think it’s Rachel. Miles immediately runs over to her and turns her over, but it’s not Rachel. The group sees that someone is coming on the elevator, so they run into a room, close the door, and block it. Miles removes a metal panel that leads to a vent which the group crawls into, while their attackers try to get into the room using gunfire. But first, Aaron picks up something from the table.
Just a comment on their guns–they look like grenade launchers more than “futuristic” guns. But where is Miles off to? I guess it was his only option, run in the direction he is able to.
In the bunker, Monroe tries to break the glass to get to the guns that he found, but isn’t making any progress. He thinks Rachel knows how to open it, and she admits that she does know, and that she doesn’t want to die because she wants to see her daughter again. But she says she won’t help him because he killed Danny. Monroe tells her that he didn’t mean for any of this to happen, and then talks about his son, who he is looking for but hasn’t found yet, and wonders what he would think of him. But he decides not to make any more excuses, and says he knows exactly how much blood is on his hands.
Seems like his statement about the blood on his hands was a dig at Rachel, as the operation for the Blackout killed countless people, therefore making Rachel not know exactly how much blood is on her hands.
This cues another flashback, this time to 4 months after the blackout. Ben uses a pendant to power up a computer. He types in a message: “This is Ben Matheson, is anybody there?” but he gets no response. Just then, Rachel walks in. She has just returned from town where she picked up some supplies. She complains about the smell, and tells Ben that they’re not even burning the bodies anymore, they’re just leaving them in the street. She gets emotional, realizing that they did this, blood is on their hands, and wonders how they are supposed to live with that. But Ben says what they did before doesn’t matter, the only thing that matters is Charlie and Danny. Then we see that Grace has answered Ben’s message.
Again, Ben is liked a little less here. He seems to not care what has happened to humanity as long as his kids are ok. While I understand one’s child is the most important thing to them, simply forgetting you caused millions to die and trying to shrug it off seems unforgivable.
Aaron tells the group that their attackers are using coil guns, which use electromagnets instead of gunpowder. It turns out that what Aaron had picked up was a map, which shows an armory up ahead. The group hides behind a wall while some guys with guns pass by. Miles tells them to stay put while he sneaks ahead. He reaches the armory, but it is empty. Their attackers catch up to them, and Miles tries to fight off a guy with a gun. Nora stabs the guy, and Miles takes his gun.
Miles finally has some luck when he gets that gun.
Meanwhile, at the Militia camp, Tom tells Captain Riley that he’s ready to talk. Tom tells him that the only thing wrong with the Monroe Republic is Monroe himself, that he’s not fit to lead. Jason chimes in, saying that Riley knows Tom can lead the troops, and encourages a revolt. However, Riley thinks they’re just trying to save themselves.
Riley said that, but it was clear in his eyes that he believed what Neville was saying. I had a feeling they weren’t done with their discussion yet.
Rachel sees Miles and the gang on the monitors in the bunker, and realizes they are in trouble. Monroe reminds her that he wants the guns, and swears he’ll save Charlie, but no promises about Miles. Charlie dodges a gun blast, and gets caught under falling debris. As the shooter approaches her, the guy gets shot in the back. Turns out it was Monroe who saved her, and he says “Hello Charlotte. A thank you would be nice.” I’m not sure that we’ve ever heard Charlie’s real name before! Anyway, so then Rachel comes out, Monroe leaves, and Charlie angrily questions why Rachel is with Monroe. They try to run off, but Charlie, Rachel, and Aaron get captured. Miles and Monroe each have a gun pointed at each other, and Monroe says, “Let’s finish this.”
Charlie, Rachel and Aaron are led to a room in a “Classified Area” with a bunch of people in it, and are searched. The people take the book from Aaron. Grace steps out and tells Rachel they don’t want to kill her if they don’t have to. She and Grace appear happy to see each other. Aaron introduces himself to Grace and tells her that he’s been looking for her for a very long time. Grace tells him that she knows who he is, and that he’s a big deal around there. The Commander from earlier, Dan, steps out and tells Rachel hello, and she is surprised to see him. Grace tells Rachel that these people saved her. The people were working at the Tower the night of the blackout, and Rachel thought Dan was dead. It turns out that he and the other people have been guarding the Tower, as they had sealed themselves down there, and have been protecting Level 12 because it is too powerful. He is the one who let Rachel in.
For how long these people have been underground, I thought they all would be ghost white. I am curious to know how they managed to keep food for so long down there. I also wonder how they decide to pro-create, considering the limited number of people living there. Are relationships arranged? I would think they would have to be to avoid any birth defects.
Riley comes back to talk to Tom, and tells him that taking down Monroe won’t be easy. He uncuffs Tom, and says that there’s 12 guys with them already, and that Franklin is still a problem, but if they get rid of him then everyone else will fall in line. Riley gives Tom a gun and releases Jason. Tom asks Jason is he’s ready.
Looks like we will be seeing Tom and Jason working together to take over the Monroe Republic, and they already have their first target–Franklin. I am curious where this leaves Georgia, as now that Monroe seems to be having his hands full with a revolution, Georgia may be able to swoop in and cause some trouble.
Down in the Tower, Dan pours alcohol on the book, intending to light it on fire. Rachel and Aaron protest, because they need the book to turn the lights back on. Dan asks Rachel, “Don’t you have enough blood on your hands?” Aaron tries to reason with him, that they need power to help people and make things better. But Dan ignores him and lights the book on fire anyway. Then Grace tells Rachel to tell Aaron what happens if she flips the switch to turn the lights back on. Rachel says it’s a one in a billion chance, but reveals that flipping the switch could set the world on fire. So, they burn the book just because of that one in a billion chance? Um, paranoid much?
I am curious to know the actual odds. Is Rachel playing the ratio down? Are the people there over-paranoid? Can Aaron still turn on the power? Seems like that book made him look like a “prophet” so he may be able to work some “magic” still I think.
My thoughts: What an exciting episode! Finally everything is starting to come together, and we’re getting some pretty decent background information. The mysterious Tower is not quite so mysterious anymore, although Level 12 still is! We got to see another side of Monroe, and he did a good job of playing the sympathetic villain this week, and we found out that Rachel is not so cold as some of us might have thought she was. What is Tom up to though? Is he just trying to save himself and Jason, or does he really intend to take over the Militia? What’s going to happen in the showdown between Miles and Monroe? Nora is still hiding nearby, so I have a feeling she’s going to save Miles. Besides, she has a personal interest in getting revenge on Monroe for all the torture he inflicted upon her. Very much looking forward to the season finale!
I was very happy with this episode. It was very exciting and we learned a lot about the tower, and it is all ramping up for the season finale. I can’t wait to see what happens with Monroe and Miles, along with Tom and his seizing of the Monroe Republic. Until next week!
