Revenge 3.1 "Fear" Review

                                                     
Emily: "Fear. It's a fire that burns from birth in even the coldest heart.  It motivates and paralyzes the best of us or is used as a weapon by the worst.  But when your path is one of treachery and deception, the greatest fear of all is that the truth is absolute."

Emily (Emily VanCamp) in danger of talking about herself there when she says that fear is an emotion that both motivates and paralyzes and can be used as a weapon since she's experienced these emotions and is now using that very fear against the Grayson's for her scheming revenge, such as Conrad's (Henry Czerny) fear of dying, Victoria's (Madeleine Stowe) fear of losing her children..

The new season opened with Emily on the yacht who is drinking champagne in her wedding dress and then falls overboard after having been shot twice.  Revenge is back and does what it does best.  Uses a clip from a future episode to draw the viewer in and then takes a step back showing the events which leas up to the shooting, this time of Emily herself.  In season 1 it appeared to be Daniel (Josh Bowman) who got shot on Memorial Day weekend and in season 2, there was a hand shown lying at the bottom of the sea.  Not much to go on yet as to the likely suspects but there are plenty of these.  Especially since Aiden (Barry Sloane) returns hell bent on his own revenge against Emily.

Then there's Patrick (Justin Hartley) Victoria's son who just seems a little more mysterious in a bad way, than he really should be.  Not to mention the return of one of Daniel's old flame it seems, Margaux (Karine Vanasse) as she now has consent from her father to bring their magazine, 'Voulez' to the US.

We are taken back to Daniel and Emily discussing wedding dates but Emily doesn't really want to make any plans just yet.  Daniel is also relieved that Victoria hasn't seen in him in six months either.  She's probably really preoccupied with Patrick which we know she is.  As Charlotte (Christa B Allen) spies her out horse riding with him, but doesn't know that he's her son.  Seems we can't get enough of Patrick's gratuitous scenes without his shirt on, from earlier on since Charlotte comes to see him and he greets her in a towel, which he had to tighten around him a few times!  She gets her claws into him and he leaves.  Though she confides in Emily about thinking he's Victoria's lover.   Charlotte's been in Europe and getting over Declan and the baby, but Patrick tells her he's her brother, coming as a shock to her.  Did she really think he was Victoria's new toyboy love interest.

Emily waits for Nolan (Gabriel Mann) to be released from prison, just as he did for her when he gave her her father's box.  She truly regrets him getting involved with her on her revenge plans but he wants to go all the way to help her get those who wronged both Emily and her father.  Ashley (Ashley Madekwe) confronts Emily and knows she has feelings for Jack (Nick Wechsler) wanting to give Emily up unless she pays her off. Oh just get rid of her.  Which Emily decides to do as she tells Victoria it was Ashley who revealed the news about Patrick being her lover.  So she not only gets Victoria on side as she reveals he's her son and shows he made Victoria change her wicked ways.  Yeah a likely story.

Funny moment when Conrad complained about his portrait as Governor though that will be shortlived.  He didn't even get to make any decisions, ha.  The security for Emily's party is heightened and Nolan is unable to bring in the drugs she needs via the usual way so he makes a grand entrance instead, on a parachute. Daniel introduces Emily to pointless Margaux, yes about as useful as Ashley and Padma put together. Ashley meanwhile mingles with Conrad's doctor Jorge Velez (Diogo Morgado) who just happened to be there too. As Conrad is about to unveil his portrait, which Emily does for him, he collapses as she's spiked his drink, actually it was the bottle of water she gave him, would you drink from a bottle with the seal broken?  He collapses and his doctor tells the family he has Huntington's and Daniel should be checked out too.  This gets leaked to the press which Emily blames Ashley for.  Take that Ashley! ha, with Emily killing two birds with one stone: removing Ashley from the picture and ending Conrad's political ambitions.

Jack returns home and he and Emily kiss but he then confesses he feels nothing for her.  It's only him and Carl now.  Victoria and Emily give Ashley an ultimatum: to leave, telling her to return to Croydon, or face the consequences.  Ashley telling them they're two of a kind but Victoria tells her, "we're family." That won't last long with the hatred they have for each other and was probably said to spite Ashley.

Emily talks with Nolan and decides on August 8 being the wedding date, as Nolan draws the infinity symbol in the sand.  That's when things go pear shaped and she also decides this will be Victoria's day of reckoning. Emily draws a red line through Ashley and Victoria finds a surprise on her balcony.  She thinks it's Patrick but it's actually Aiden who confides he is here to take down "the girl next door."  That must have been music to Victoria's ears.

Emily: "fear is the most primeval of emotions, it can linger as a memory, burnt into one's mind of a parent taken too soon.  Or burrow into one's soul as self doubt over a child's rejection.  But the one thing we all fear the most is the unknown."  Don't know but some of these narrations of Emily's seem to be going round in circles too, isn't fear an emotion that has already been covered.

Credit to the show in trying to move away from the convoluted eps that was season 2 but there's still some pointless characters being added.  Margaux being one of them, is she really there just to seduce Daniel and get him back?  Then Aiden, er, wasn't he wanted by the FBI and then he still returns, is it all just for revenge on Emily, or can he not let her go.  The same with Patrick though he had very little to do and decides to leave town after just one confrontation with Charlotte.