“Revenge,” a once-promising, deliciously drama-filled ABC prime-time series about a woman avenging her father’s death by taking down the rich and famous of the Hamptons, died on Sunday night. It was four seasons old.
Causes of death were nonsensical plot lines, absurd character development, increased Sunday night television competition andverylow ratings.
Debuting in fall 2011, the show was a surprise favorite among TV critics, many of whom were initially hesitant of a campy premise that hinted at lust, violence and anguished cries of “Reveeeenge!” But the series was stocked with compelling story arcs that The Washington Post dubbed “intelligently paced and acted” and “a solid prime-time soap with a burnt-crisp soul.” The Wall Street Journal called it “spellbinding in its satisfyingly gaudy way,” while the Hollywood Reporter went with “intriguing and genuinely fun.” Gawker claimed the series was “the best new show on television.”
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Many accolades were aimed at Madeleine Stowe, the actress who played villain Victoria Grayson, the Hamptons society queen who never met a person she couldn’t terrify with an icy stare. She frequently went to battle with the show’s heroine, Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp) — the young woman born Amanda Clarke until her father, David Clarke, was falsely accused of terrorism. Framing David was the brainchild of Victoria, even though she was also David’s ex-lover. So Amanda shed her true identity; resurfaced in the Hamptons as a wealthy socialite named Emily; and went to work making life a hell for everyone who ruined her family, particularly Victoria.
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Suffice to say: Things got complicated.
“Revenge” was born around 2010, out of a meeting with ABC executives about terrible things happening to rich people, a tantalizing idea in a post-recession era. According to executive producer Wyck Godfrey, his co-producer Marty Bowen went to ABC with the idea of a show set in the Hamptons.
“That world is a very rich place for a soap. And they rightfully said, ‘Yes, but what’s your story engine?’ ” Godfrey told the Television Critics Association in 2011. “Marty then came up with the idea of doing ‘The Count of Monte Cristo.’ And then someone at the network or the studio said, ‘But do it female.’ ”
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Using “The Count of Monte Cristo” (Alexandre Dumas’ famed tale of a wrongfully accused man’s quest for vengeance) as inspiration, the story started out strong. Taking down her enemies one by one, Emily Thorne used her red Sharpie as a weapon as she crossed out the faces whofalsely accused her father. Shesaved her most burning hatred for power couple and main conspirators Victoria and Conrad Grayson, getting engaged to their son, Daniel, as a way to move in and wreak havoc.
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While the first seasonwas wildly entertaining to watch Emily on her quest, the second went off the rails fairly quickly with muddled plots, pointless secondary characters and a murky terrorist organization called the Initiative that we’re not even sure the writers understood.
“Season 2 of ‘Revenge’ has seemed, in comparison to its deftly (and magnificently) plotted first season, a convoluted mess,” the Daily Beast wrote. “Rather than further the central conceit, Emily’s quest for revenge against the Grayson clan . . . the show has meandered into all manner of narrative trouble.”
Original show-runner Mike Kelley left in season two, and exec producer Sunil Nayar took over to salvage the remaining seasons. The series rebounded a bit in season four, though a cheap plot twist (David “died in jail” Clarke has been alive this whole time!) didn’t inspire confidence.By season four, it was clear Emily Thorne’s increasingly convoluted journey was over — there were only so many characters that could die and/or fake their own deaths. The writing was on the wall when the show started getting about 5 million viewers a week, a tiny number on Sunday nights.
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In late April, ABC confirmed the May 10 finale would be the final episode: “Everybody understands that as much as we all adore the show, it has hit exactly the mark it needed to to end,” Nayar said.
During theseries finale that aired Sunday, Emily finally acquired the vengeance she had been seeking for years, though it was actually David Clarke who fired the bullet that killed her nemesis, Victoria Grayson. Emily, who had recently revealed to the world that she was actually Amanda Clarke, married her soul mate, Jack, and the two sailed happily away on a sailboat.
Still, at the end, Emily is shownputting flowers on her father’s grave (he eventually dies of cancer). The camera pans over all the characters who died on her revenge quest, from Victoria to Conrad to Daniel. She then questions her entire mission — and the purpose of the show.
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“I know now that revenge brings only darkness,” Emily’s voiceover says for the last time. “I couldn’t see the light until I considered my father’s advice to try and forgive. It’s not easy.”
“Revenge” is survived by ABC’s recently renewed dramas including “Scandal,” “How to Get Away With Murder,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Once Upon a Time,” “Castle” and “Nashville.”
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