REVENGE Recap: Absolution

Howdy, Gasmii! Well, well, well episodes of Revenge two weeks in a row! Whatever will we do without three weeks between each episode?

I FEEL ANXIOUS

Anyhoo – remember how I was bitching about having my heat turned on last week? It’s 94 degrees today. J’adore the South.

HEE YAW, Y’ALL!

But, once again I digress. Let’s get some Absolution on, ‘k?

Emily is standing in the snow saying that absolution is the most powerful form of forgiveness. She places a rose on her father’s grave and says that absolution is something the people who killed her father will never live to see.

Protestors are standing outside the jail as Daniel awaits the judge’s decision. Many people are suspicious of Lee Moran’s confession and suicide, so Daniel’s innocence is still being questioned in the court of public opinion.

Jack is watching the news and telling Declan that now that Daniel will likely get out of jail, Declan needs to stay clear of Charlotte. Declan reminds Jack that he did a piss poor job of staying clear of Fauxmanda, but Jack reminds him that the Graysons know that Declan lied on the stand, so his ass is grass.

YEAH, WHAT HE SAID

Nolan shows up at Emily’s house, snarkily congratulating her on being her, thereby springing Daniel. Emily is too busy studying a list of the prisoners involved in the riot wherein her father got killed to notice. Nolan suggests they cross-reference the Grayson’s Christmas list. Emily, humorless as always, tells him they need to look for payoffs or an early release for one of the involved prisoners.

Emily says she is going to check on half-sis Charlotte because she is worried about her.

Victoria is mooning over the half-finished portrait that was all that was left behind of Dominik when Conrad shooed him away.

CAN YOU BLAME HER? (Best I could do for you, @CynTV )

Conrad comes in and calls the portrait half-assed. Conrad says he would be happy to rub salt in Victoria’s wounds since she is such a martyr. Victoria says she’s gonna get him and he ain’t gonna like it when she does.

YOWSA

Emily goes to visit Charlotte. Charlotte has articles about David Clarke spread out all over her bed. She shows Emily a picture of David Clarke that she stole from found in Victoria’s jewelry box. It was taken the day he died. Emily notices he is writing in a journal in the picture and takes a photograph of it.

Emily calls Nolan and tells him there is a journal missing from the Infinity box. Nolan tells her he gave her everything her father told him to as he gets a small book out of his safe. Nolan asks why would he hold something back from her and Emily says, “I don’t know. You tell me.” As she rounds the corner of his living room and catches him red handed.

OOPSY-DAISY

Emily slams him up against the wall and holds him up by the neck. Nolan claims that he was protecting David Clarke’s legacy, because in the last few months of his life David was paranoid and terrified and he would not have wanted her to know him like that.

I hate to say it, but Emily is becoming somewhat unlikeable. She threatens Nolan – the one true, loyal friend to everyone he cares about, and storms around looking pissed off all the time. It doesn’t seem to matter how loyal people are to her (even Fauxmanda was in her own twisted way), just that she gets her way.

Emily is reading the journal. David is in the prison yard writing that he used to be trusting of his friends, but now he is getting close to the truth and he knows he will either be killed or set free. He says that “CM” will be coming the next day with proof.

Fights break out and we see the US Marshall stab him in the gut.

Emily tries to find out who “CM” is and finds a Grayson Global employee named Carol Miller. She researches her and finds out that she died the same day David Clarke did.

DUN, DUN, DUN

Nolan is at The Stowaway talking to Jack. Nolan is trying to get Jack to talk to Emily about marrying Daniel.

Charlotte is meeting with Adam – her ex-boyfriend and the guy that she is fucking for drugs a nice clean cut All American boy who happens to carry around his Dad’s Oxycodone. He tells her she better be a clean whore. Declan sees them exchanging ABC gum before they walk away.

Emily is looking at Carol Miller’s death certificate when Jack arrives. Jack and Emily sit down because – as has been noted before – Jack is a loveable pocket elf who is shorter than Emily.

BUT WE HAVEN’T ADMIRED HIS ALABASTER SKIN IN A WHILE, SO…

They discuss that nothing is settled with Daniel yet, even though Moran confessed and the bloody hoodie was found in his possession. Jack remarks how amazing it is that everything worked out so smoothly. He warns Emily about marrying into the Grayson family.

The phone rings and it is Daniel. He says all the charges have been dropped. Emily says she will come get him (even though Mr. Brooks is right there), and Jack excuses himself and says they will talk later.

Victoria is meeting with Mr. McGowan. Victoria tells him she wants full immunity for the information she is about to give him. He says he won’t agree until he knows what she is talking about. She says she will go to his superiors at the SEC or to the FBI, CIA, or any other initialed agency that would be interested in domestic terrorism.

Mr. McGowan says he thought she was there to talk about corporate malfeasance, but she says they are one and the same with Grayson Global. McGowan makes a phone call to see if he can deal.

Daniel is waiting at the prison when Emily arrives. They run the gauntlet of protestors yelling at him and taking pictures. Someone has written “Murderer” across the window of Emily’s car.

Emily and Daniel arrive at Grayson Manor only to be greeted by Conrad, Trashley Ashley, and Victoria. Ashley says that lots of newspapers and blogs are accusing Daniel of murder. Emily suggests that Daniel speak to the press. Daniel chooses to nap instead.

Ashley calls Victoria aside. She tells her that she is giving notice of resignation. Victoria tells Ashley the Hamptons are filled with ambitious girls like herself and it will be easy to replace her. Ashley says she is going to be a sex toy PR person for Mr. Brooks. Victoria asks Ashley to be the press liason in case Daniel does give an interview. She agrees.

At the hospital, Emily is dressed in a lab coat and rifling through files. She finds Carole Miller’s files and calls the doctor listed therein. She says she is cross-checking references. She describes Carole Miller and he says he does not recognize the name, but it sounds like Carole Thomas who is alive and well.

THE DOCTOR ON THE PHONE WILL BE CONVINCED I AM A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL BECAUSE I AM WEARING GLASSES

Emily travels to Lancaster, PA, to see Carole Thomas. When Carole sees her at the door, Emily calls her Carole Miller and says she is from the Department of Homeland Security and flashes a fake badge.

Carole lets her in and Emily starts asking her about being Conrad’s personal secretary. She says she was surprised that David was convicted of the downing of the airplane. Emily is looking at a picture of Carole and a person who looks like Nolan when Carole asks her if she takes sugar in her tea.

EMILY UNWISELY SAYS NO

Carole asks to see her ID again. Just then, Nolan rushes down the stairs and tells “Aunt Carole” to put down the gun.

WHAT CHU TALKIN’ ‘BOUT, WILLIS?

Nolan introduces Emily to Aunt Carole as Amanda Clarke. Nolan explains that, once he dropped out of MIT and his dad kicked him out, Aunt Carole took him in and introduced him to David Clarke. Aunt Carole started investigating David’s conviction upon Nolan’s request. She was led to a man named Roger Halstead – the Graysons’ senior accountant. They found the evidence but it was too late.

Flashback to Nolan (with better hair) calling Aunt Carole and telling her to leave her purse and walk out casually like she is just walking down the hall. He tells her to get directly on a plane and flee to a secret place they had chosen, thereby saving her life.

Nolan tells Aunt Carole to tell Emily about “The White-Haired Man.”

THIS RARELY WORKS OUT WELL

Aunt Carole explains that a man used to come around for “off the books” meetings. She says he had white hair and ice blue eyes, and Conrad was afraid of him. Nolan explains to Emily that he did not give her the last journal because he was protecting his family. Emily understands.

Jack visits Daniel to give him his phone. Jack tells Daniel that he took the phone from Tyler’s pocket the night he was murdered. He confesses that he dragged Tyler’s body into the dunes because he thought it was Daniel’s. Jack tells him that he doesn’t know who killed Tyler but that the bloody hoodie belonged to him. He tells Daniel that he thinks his parents paid Moran to steal it. Jack says that he is telling Daniel because Emily trusts him and if Daniel is going to marry her, it owes it to her not to ignore this.

DANIEL IS PERPLEXED

Locker check!! The headmaster is breaking into Charlotte’s locker wherein he finds the pills.

SQUEEE….. IT’S ERNIE!!!!

J’adore the casting matron at Revenge!!

Ernie tells Charlotte she has violated both the school’s honor code and the law. Charlotte pulls an Emily and slams Declan against the lockers, telling him that if she gets kicked out he will, too.

Mr. Brooks arrives at Grayson Manor. Ashley tells him that she will be able to start her new job within days. Mr. Brooks tells her that the offer is rescinded because Victoria told him she was “tricky,” so he investigated her and found out she leaked the photos of Daniel at the murder site to the press. Ashley says she did what anyone would do. Mr. Brooks says he won’t employ a liar. Conrad overhears all of this.

A secretary at Grayson Global calls Conrad and tells him that the SEC is seizing everything. Mr. McGowan gets on the line and tells him he needs to come down to the Federal building and answer questions.

Emily arrives home to find Daniel there. He notices Emily is wearing his ring. She tells him nothing has changed. Daniel asks Emily what if Lee Moran didn’t kill Tyler. He tells her that it seems unlikely that a career criminal would suddenly have a crisis of conscience.

Daniel says he will do a press interview tomorrow. He says his parents raised him to be a Grayson and put his name before anything else. Emily advises him to tell the truth and be himself.

Conrad is drinking and sulking when Daniel comes back to get his belongings. Conrad tells him that the family is on the verge of disaster, and it’s all Victoria’s fault. Daniel tells him to quit trying to play him one against the other. Conrad says he owes Daniel an apology. Daniel asks for the truth.

SAY IT WITH ME – “YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!”

Emily listens in via her bug as Conrad tells Daniel that Victoria paid for him to get beaten up so he could be transferred to house arrest. Daniel figures out that it was Lee Moran who orchestrated the beating. He asks Conrad if Moran’s confession was real. Conrad says no. Daniel then asks if he had Moran killed. Conrad admits that Moran was in too deep and he did what he needed to do to protect the family.

Daniel wants the truth, but Conrad makes him promise that when they come to take him away that Daniel will do everything he can to rebuild the company and protect Charlotte. He promises.

Conrad’s confession to Daniel starts with the story of David Clarke.

The next day, Victoria comes into Charlotte’s room and says the headmaster told her about her suspension. Victoria says she recognizes that Charlotte is in pain. Charlotte says when she needed her help, Victoria wasn’t there. Victoria finds the picture of David Clarke that she had stashed in her jewelry box.

Emily arrives as Daniel is getting ready for the press interview. Emily tells him if he truly doesn’t want to follow in his parents’ footsteps he doesn’t have to. Victoria overhears and shoos her away, telling Daniel that she longs for the days before “Emily Thorne and her righteous indignation” entered their lives. She says that taking the moral high ground means you have a lot farther to fall.

Daniel asks Victoria if she had anything to do with his getting put on house arrest. Victoria tries to flee, but Daniel stops her. Victoria says its craziness and asks who the culprit is that told him. Ashley comes to the rescue and tells Daniel they are ready for the interview.

WHAT’S HE GONNA SAY, Y’ALL?

Cynthia McFadden interviews him. She asks him if he murdered Tyler Barrol. Daniel says he and Tyler struggled over the gun before he was hit in the head by whomever killed Tyler, and he may never know the truth about what happened between Tyler and Lee Moran.

Cynthia asks him if he is surprised at the vitriol that followed his release. Daniel says that he isn’t surprised about the backlash at the 1%, but that anyone who commits a crime should pay for it. Cynthia mentions that the SEC is investigating Grayson Global and asks if he has comments.

Daniel says his father is a victim of a witch hunt and that the SEC is trying to capitalize on the public sentiment about him to harm his father whom he stands behind as a son and a business partner.

THEREBY SOLIDIFYING HIMSELF AS THE DOUCHE WE ALL KNEW HE WAS

After the interview, Conrad comes up to Daniel and thanks him. Emily asks Daniel if his plan is really to go back to Grayson Global. Daniel says he is his father’s son. Emily agrees and the little fig of her heart dries into a small black pit.

Ashley is leaving when Conrad stops her and gives her a car. He tells her she has a job at Grayson Global waiting for her as long as she is willing to put out play dirty.

Declan tells Jack that his tuition has been withdrawn. Nolan offers to pay for Collins Prep for him.

Victoria is walking with Charlotte through the graveyard. She tells him that David Clarke was a good man who made one mistake that led him down a path of destruction. Charlotte asks Victoria whether or not she loves her because every time she looks at her she sees David Clarke. Victoria tells her it is because of that that she loves her even more. They see the rose on the grave and realize someone else has been there.

Emily shows up at The Stowaway and asks for a drink. Emily tells Nolan that Conrad confessed everything to Daniel, but Daniel did not come clean when he had the chance in the interview. She tells Nolan that she is going to marry Daniel and track down the man who killed her father and kill him.

Daniel walks into Conrad’s home office and sits behind the desk. Emily is watching Conrad interview about David in an old tape when The White-Haired Man walks in –

JUST AS THE TAPE GOES FUZZY

Emily sees a brief glimpse of him and realizes he is the Marshall in the picture of her father.

ONLY TWO MORE EPISODES, GASMII! What do you think? Should Emily marry Daniel? Are too many people getting hurt? Is someone going to surprise us and come back?

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