Revenge "Meteor" Review: Sins of the Father
When a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere and produces a streak of light, it's called a meteor or a "shooting star." A lot of people make wishes when they see them, probably because Jiminy Cricket sang about it once. Quick question: Do you think that when Emily used to wish to see her dad one more time, she wished on these so-called "shooting stars," and that's why the name of this week's episode of Revenge—the one in which she realized her father was still alive—was called "Meteor"? Or is it because he's very suddenly hurtling through her world with a giant flashing sign that says, "I AM NOT DEAD"? Of course, it's also possible the writers just don't know the different between a meteor, meteoroid, and meteorite... but I digress.
Initially, I had only two issues with Revenge reviving the David Clarke character. The first was that I was not happy that he murdered my boy Conrad. In fact, sometimes I wish Revenge was on The CW, because over there he could probably come back as a ghost and we'd all be like, "Yeah? Sure! Why not?! Bring on the ghost of King Conrad!" Henry Czerny chewed mad scenery, but it was the most delicious-tasting scenery I've ever seen this side of John Barrowman. I really miss Conrad, is what I'm saying.
My second concern with regard to David coming back had more to do with him being a lousy father. I mean, I could talk about how he's a self-flagellator (was he punishing himself, or was he always planning on using those wounds to frame Conrad in death? It's hard to read him sometimes), or how he broke into Emily's home last week with the intent to kill her, but I think the fact that he was alive all this time and never reached out to his daughter speaks volumes about his character. In the beginning, Revenge always painted him as this weak man who Conrad framed as a terrorist, but he's actually not that great of a guy. I'm sure that prison changed him—I've heard it can do that—but I draw a line when you don't bother to contact your only child who thinks you're dead once you're out of jail. I'm sure he believed that Amanda Clarke was dead, just like the rest of the world, but Fauxmanda died fairly recently. Where was he all those years that Emily spent studying the art of revenge with Takeda? Where was he when she moved to the Hamptons? Where was he?!
Emily struggled for years to clear her father's name. She even married Daniel—who remains, to this day, completely oblivious whenever he's being played by a beautiful woman—to get close to the Graysons, easily the worst people on the face of the planet. If David and Emily had teamed up to clear his name and take them down, I suspect the revenge-ing would've gone a lot more quickly and more smoothly. Also, I probably wouldn't be sitting here debating the moral implications of a father letting his daughter do his murdering for him. I know he was supposed to be a dead man, but as a real live human being, he could've been more helpful than his stupid old journals ever were.
And yet, when I saw David standing in that police lineup looking like the defeated, scraggly hobo that he is, I felt bad for him. Clearly, he's no longer a good man—and I still think the question of whether he ever was a good man is up for debate—but I actually felt very sad as I watched Emily come face-to-face with her father and he had no idea she was on the other side of that window. Of course, because this is Revenge, the show then destroyed whatever sympathy I felt for David when he lied about how Conrad had held him captive and tortured him for years. Is David Clarke the new Conrad Grayson? He's holding press conferences with Victoria and Charlotte by his side, and he's telling tall tales the way most of us talk about what we had for dinner last night. I don't trust the guy, especially if he's got Crazy and Crazier standing on either side of him.
I will say this, however: It was important for Revenge to show us how Jack, Emily, and Nolan reacted to the news that David is alive. They each had a slightly different response, and I think all of those responses were warranted. Jack felt shock and immediately wanted to protect Emily, which has always been his main goal—even during times when he's been angry with her. Emily, as you probably could've predicted, was rocked to her core when she saw her father's face staring back at her, especially since she was armed with the knowledge that he was the person who'd broken into her house the night before, brandishing a knife. He displayed a flicker of hesitation as he watched her sleep, which could mean that he recognized his daughter—but if that's the case, why didn't he try to find out the truth the next day?
I've never been framed for an act of terrorism and I've never been in prison, but I feel pretty confident in stating that if I'd just escaped prison and had even the tiniest inkling that my child was still alive, I'd do a little digging. Especially if Victoria was whispering into my ear. Alas, Emily doesn't know why her father broke into her home with knife, but in her head she's probably running through the various possibilities—and each one of them would break anyone's heart. For your own father not to recognize you and also try to kill you? That's way harsh, man.
As for Nolan, he didn't have much time to react to the news before the government arrived and blocked him and Emily from entering the police station. However, he owes everything he is and has to David; the man was more of a father to Nolan than Nolan's own father was, so to find out he's been alive all this time could easily feel like a betrayal.
All told, "Meteor" raised several questions. What does this new development mean for Revenge? Where will David go now that he's a free man walking the streets without fear? If David did recognize Emily, will he seek her out and try to learn the truth, or will he allow Victoria and Charlotte to poison his brain? Overall, I don't agree with Revenge's decision to bring David back from the dead, but I did just write 1,000 words about it, so maybe the show is doing something right.
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What'd you think of "Meteor" How do you feel about David's return?
