I enjoy a good movie about revenge. There’s “First Blood,” where John Rambo methodically picks off corrupt cops until he breaks down at the end, showing us that payback has a price, even when it’s done largely in self defense. Then there’s “Breakdown,” which fits the revenge template beautifully: First we see how evil the kidnappers are, and just when we can’t take much more, we get to cathartically watch Kurt Russell go to town on them.
But notice I said revenge “movie,” not “TV show.” I found the pilot episode of “Revenge” (9 p.m. Central Wednesdays on ABC) to be sudsy, disposable fun with beautiful people and a gorgeous setting, similar to a throwaway summer series like “Hidden Palms” or “North Shore,” except in the fall and with a slightly darker tinge. But the show begs the question: Can I handle 22 hours of a revenge quest? (And that’s a conservative estimate that assumes revenge will be achieved in one season, sort of like “Prison Break’s” prison break happened in one season.)
Well, the fact that the main character is played by Emily VanCamp helps tremendously. Conveniently, her character’s name is Emily, because that’s what I was going to call her anyway. Actually, her given name is Amanda, but as she worms her way back into the Hamptons society that betrayed her dad when she was a kid, she’s going by Emily Thorne. The fake name, along with the fact that she was a kid the last time she lived there, allows her to pull off the deception.
One Hamptonite remembers her: Nolan (Gabriel Mann), an Internet gazillionairre with whom Emily’s late father invested. Emily’s dad left his money to her, and she’s using it to fund her vengeance. Nolan — this show’s wild card — offers to help Emily, but she tells him to get out of her way; this is a solo mission.
Emily also runs into her girlhood beach buddy Jack (“Roswell’s” Nick Wechsler), which perhaps brings up feelings she wasn’t counting on. There’s a well-played scene where Jack’s dog recognizes Emily right away, and she recognizes them both but doesn’t say anything. Interestingly, Jack named his boat Amanda, and Nolan tells Emily that Jack has been crushing on her his whole life. Do I buy that Jack wouldn’t recognize Amanda? Well, people’s looks can change from age 10 to 25, I suppose, so I’ll give the writers a pass on this one.
In each episode, Emily gets revenge via social manipulation against one person who wronged her dad, but of course we need more than that to get hooked. The first episode provides hints of the bigger picture: The Hamptons’ power couple, the Graysons (namely Madeleine Stowe as Victoria, a character I already detest) reflect on how they “destroyed a man” in order to get where they are in life. In flashbacks, we see Emily’s dad hauled off by the FBI, and we learn he went to prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
We also get a flash-forward, presumably to the events of the first-season finale: The Graysons’ son, Daniel (Joshua Bowman), is shot on the beach just after his wedding to Emily. Is it Jack who shot him? On Emily’s command?
That’s what we’re led to believe. But if this show is going to be more than just 22 weeks of the bad guys being bad and Emily slyly returning the favor, things won’t turn out exactly as they appear. I don’t believe that Emily is going to change her mind and decide the best revenge is to live well, nor do I necessarily want her to. Still, it would be refreshing if she doesn’t merely use everyone — especially Jack — for her own ends. (Besides, Kyle Valenti was always being used by Liz on “Roswell”; Wechsler deserves better.)
I don’t mind watching VanCamp play cold and calculating, but if Jack can melt her icy heart just a little, the character and the actress and the show will gain the extra layer they need. Because a full season of nothing but revenge sounds emotionally exhausting.
Do you enjoy a good revenge yarn? What are your thoughts on the first episode of “Revenge?”