Translate

Saturday 31 January 2015

CSI 15.2 "Buzz Kill" Review

                                               
As a man, Lloyd (Richard Speight Jr) sells marijuana in a legalized store, for medicinal purposes, a woman walks in and tells him to answer his phone, his wife is kidnapped along with his children and she tells him to do what she says.  The woman demands money, but as she's about to walk out, the guard shoots her.  She was the only one who knew where his family was being held.  David (David Berman) tells Nick (George Eads) she doesn't have fingerprints, there's no ID, no car keys, so they don't know how she got there.  Nick hopes they can find something out otherwise the guard has left four people to be killed.

DB (Ted Danson) goes over the Gig Harbour Killer case, just so you know it's actually there in the background, as he plays over what happened last ep and Ecklie telling him to find the evidence to show the twins were behind the killings.  Finn (Elisabeth Shue) walks in and DB tells her they do know Jared was in a foster home and part of the system, so they can go back and find info on him. Finn volunteers to go to Seattle and work the case from there, but we all know it's just so she can have some fun too and see Daniel again!

Lloyd doesn't know who would've done this and is at a loss for words as to why.  He sells drugs so he'll have enemies and rivals of course.  Doc (Robert David Hall) finds the woman was a former cancer suffer, but there's nothing on her body which will provide any ID.  He does notice some sort of black mark on her underarm area and thinks it's from a tattoo.  When the ink entered her body would've absorbed the ink and stored it in the lymph nodes.  As he extracts a lymph node, it oozes ink.  He uses ALS to detect a tattoo.  Greg tries to put the picture together on the database and DB finds a match to a picture.

Video footage from outside the dispensary shows a black Mustang double parked outside, but Sara (Jorga Fox) can't read the number plate.  Sara also comments that shea was nervous, like she didn't want to be here. Nick and Greg (Eric Szmanda) check out the teacher, Allison's (Alycia Grant) house and find her phone there.  It has  similar message on it which turns out to be from her brother, Stuart (Christopher Poehls) who's also been kidnapped.  Actually it was obvious he wasn't really kidnapped and he was behind it, especially since it emerged he has no money or job and that Allison was probably helped him out.  Her bank account reveals $50,000 were deposited into her account and it wasn't from her salary.

Hodges (Wallace Langham) finds that the sticky substance stuck to the bottom of Allison's shoe was black molasses which is used to grow Marijuana and that the car belongs to a friend of hers, Calvin (Matthew Tyler Risch) who was also part of the gang. She got out but he didn't, yet he was always there for her when she called.  Like she did now and he helped her but he drove away after he saw what happened to her.  Also telling Crawford (Alimi Ballard) that Stuart was a loser and that he owed money to some bookie, but he doesn't know his name.

A van is found which appears to be the one that was used in the kidnapping.  As well as Stuart's DB inside.  He's been shot and back at the lab, Greg points out where the bullet is lodged, as well as the void in the van which is clear of blood spatter.  So the shooter would've had blood on them from the shooting and was in the back of the van.  The bookie is found since the bullet is registered in IBIS and matches a gun that Remi (Andrew Fiscella) used to own and he's got many properties scattered across the state.  But he says he wants his lawyer.  Stuart owed him money.  DB suggests they look for evidence on the van so they can pinpoint the location.  So Morgan (Elisabeth Harnois) collects bird droppings, dead insects, debris from the tyres etc.  Adding that insects are Nick's thing, and gives the poop to Hodges to analyze, who has to comment on being lumbered with that job.  He finds the birds have been eating berries which are native to the Amazon and Morgan recalls the Mediterranean has those berries which starlings have been eating.  Thus leading once again to Remi.

Lloyd gets a call and drops off the ransom but doesn't get his family back.  Nick and Crawford tell him this was his last chance cos he has no bargaining power now.  As a result of the berries, Sara finds a property close by which Remi just bought and they find the family here.  They're processed at the hospital and analyzing Dina's (Jama Williamson) phone Morgan and Greg see her in the background, thus proving she was in on it with Stuary.  As well as having blood spatter on the sleeve of her cardigan when she shot him.  Stupid woman.  Apparently there's also a CODIS for cannabis as Sara puts it, set up by the FBI which led to Calvin in the first place since he used to sell cannabis  and deliver it to people.  His website went back up after he was released.

This ep was abit of a buzzkill since it was apparent that either or both of the parties had planned their own kidnappings.  I mean seriously how many kidnappers do you know who'd let children watch TV. I first thought it was Lloyd, but it couldn't have been him cos he wouldn't have been able to get away from the police and shoot Stuart unless he had an accomplice, but then he didn't have any motive though.  I mean it was his choice to run the dispensary.  Besides he may have been the Trickster in Supernatural, ha, but he wasn't guilty here.  Funny part was Dina trying to worm her way out of it, as if they don't know how to do their jobs and wouldn't have found evidence she was also behind it. The kicker being the way she tried to bribe DB, well she chose the wrong guy, with him adding there's nothing she can give him that he wants.

The plot has been done many times over in many a TV show and criminals pretending to be Vics of kidnappings and other crimes has been repeated many times over too. I didn't really like this ep that much, mostly routine as I said, killing time before they make any headway with the main arc of this season, the Gig Harbour Killer.

Wednesday 28 January 2015

Revenge 4.4 "Meteor" Review

                                               
Nolan (Gabriel Mann) wants to report the break-in to the police but Emily (Emily VanCamp) refuses, there's no footage of him on the surveillance cameras either.  Nolan goes behind her back and calls the police, Jack (Nick Wechsler) and Ben (Brian Hallisay) and he wants her to make a statement. Nolan adding that the intruder was armed which makes it an aggravated assault.  Emily wants to do this all alone and Ben thinks the intruder may be injured if he jumped from that height.  He wants a statement since he got his notepad out and will also leave some cars outside for her protection.  Jack knows he'll be in one of them and Ben tells him if he wants Emily, he'd ask her straight out for a date. Jack tells him he doesn't want things complicated with her.  More like he has feelings for her.

Victoria (Madeleine Stowe) arrives at the cabin and Charlotte (Christa B Allen) isn't there, David (James Tupper) was meant to look after her for the night, well she should've been here herself instead of out begging for money.  When she leaves, David self-flagellates himself and later he steals some pills from the store, where he is arrested by two police officers.  Didn't it look like he had planned the entire arrest and made sure he would be caught, what better way to get back into public and what better way than to lead Victoria a merry dance, but also his own way of getting revenge on her.  It seems so apparent that he doesn't believe for one minute that Victoria is innocent of his ordeal and he's just playing her until the right moment.

Victoria finds Charlotte has been getting another prescription filled, cos little Miss hard done by, is upset Victoria made everything about her and she wasn't able to meet her father on her own terms. She later tries to give Daniel (Josh Bowman) money as if that'll make it all right, but he knows she got it from Margaux (Karine Vanasse) saying that cos of Pascal she is practically family.  Louise (Elena Satine) sends over a glass of 1928 champagne which apparently costs an arm and a leg, but Victoria refuses it.  I mean the waiter saying it was from a "secret admirer", how many does Victoria have of those? Ha.  Daniel doesn't want anything to do with her cos once again she's lying, saying that she wants to make amends with him and Charlotte and this is her start.

Louise the try-hard goes all out to seduce Daniel, first by giving him a job and then by getting him to rub cream on her back and if that don't beat all, she also sends him the same bottle of champagne now that he's moved back into the penthouse.  Which he thought was left there by the hotel, really?  He then asks her if she sent Victoria the champagne earlier, cos Louise says it's her mother's fave, as is Victoria's too.  Oh Daniel, you still don't have the brains to put two and tow together cos it can't be a coincidence that champagne was ordered twice in the same day and both times when he's around! Louise hoping that talking about her devil of a mother will make Daniel see her as an ally as they have the same thing in common, when she was trying to impress Victoria not so long ago, so what's her game?

Jack preps the line-up and recognizes David, even holding down the button of the intercom when he says that.  He tries to call Emily but Chief Alvarez (Nestor Serrano) stops him to give him the lowdown on the break-in, since he doesn't want people panicked.  By that time Ben has also called Emily for the line-up and it's too late for Jack to warn her.  She sees David and cries, then says she doesn't recognize anyone.  The prints come in identifying him as David Clarke and the FBI are on their way.  Emily is distraught and overcome with shock, as is Nolan and she wants to see him, but the FBI have the police station on lockdown.  Ben thinks she wants to see David cos of Amanda, but he doesn't know how wrong he is.

David refuses to speak until Victoria arrives with a lawyer (Susan (Lola Glaudini) after Alvarez calls Victoria and tells her about David.  He doesn't want the lawyer and he makes a statement of how he was stabbed in prison, but he survived and Conrad kept him locked up for ten years.  When he was tortured and beaten, showing him the marks on his back.  He can also lead them to the place where he was kept and his story needs to be checked.  FBI Agent Steigel (LaMonica Garrett) agrees to release him since his name was cleared by Conrad's confession and he also says that Conrad was killed six months ago.

Victoria tells David she wants to stand by him and Charlotte is on her way.  He tells her he won't be held prisoner by anyone anymore, not even her.  She needs him, but you know what, he doesn't need her.  Emily needs to see him and by now the story is breaking news.  Ben knows Jack will want to see David for his wife, but he says he can't see him now and wants to leave already.  Emily arrives at the press conference with Nolan, but David introduces Victoria and Charlotte to stand by him as his family, which is exactly what Victoria wanted, to shut Emily out.  She smirks at Emily.  Can't believe David didn't see Emily there, and to want to stand by Charlotte, really, what a worthless daughter!

Have to say the David reveal was unexpected and was one of the highlights of this ep, let's face it, a lot has been lacking in this new season.  It's a shame the big reunion between long lost father and daughter was behind a glass window and one-sided only!  He still doesn't know Amanda is alive and Victoria certainly isn't going to tell him.  David's press conference was eerily similar to all those Conrad and Victoria used to hold didn't, as if David had been watching them all along and planning to make his move.  Was he really held hostage by Conrad, it doesn't seem that likely.  But then everyone's been lying left, right and centre, so who knows what the truth is anymore.

One thing, the sound is far too low on the voices and needs to be turned a notch up and the music needs to be lowered a tad!  It garbles their voices especially Emily and Victoria!

Sunday 25 January 2015

Mr Selfridge Series 3 Episode 1 Review

                                                  
The episode opens with Rose's funeral as the family say goodbye to their mother and Harry (Jeremy Piven) bids farewell to his "beloved Rose."  As everyone is lost without her.
Harry returns to London via plane after acquiring another store in Ireland to become part of the Selfridge's name.  He's greeted by press and one asks when he's buying the land for the new aerodrome in Acton.  He doesn't have a clue what they're talking about and Gordon (Greg Austin) drives him home. His daughter Rosalie (Kara Tointon) is getting married to Serge de Boltoff (Leon Ockenden) and plans are underway for the wedding and reception to be held at the rooftop garden. Mr Crabb  (Ron Cook) is worried about their finances which are stretched already, but Harry hasn't spared anything for the wedding.

Apparently Rosalie is marring a playboy and one who's into planes but is plainly clueless and penniless and it's apparent he only married her for the money.  As shown by his mother Princess Marie (Zoe Wanamaker), another penniless Russian and to put it bluntly, a freeloader!  Also back is Lord Loxley (Aidan McArdle) who is intent on revenge cos Harry took away May, i.e. what was his. He funded her for the divorce.  Miles Edgerton (Raymond Coulthard) has to work for a living now and thinks Loxley should just "draw a line" and forget this vendetta, but of course he's not that sort of a man as we saw from last series.

Peacocks have been ordered for the wedding and crates of vodka too for the in-laws and they splurge and get drunk on this free booze.  Harry doesn't know what he and Rosalie have let themselves in for. As Serge leaves Rosalie and gets drunk,  Rosalie sits on her own.  She's clearly unhappy and later tells Harry she misses her mother and doesn't know what to do.  Miss Mardle (Amanda Abbington)gets a telegram for Agnes (Aisling Loftus) and takes it to the store for her, which has been closed for the event, much to the chagrin of Mr Crabb once more.  Grove (Tom Goodman-Hill) telling him the shoppers will return the next day.  Agnes reads the telegram and it says that Henri (Gregory Fitoussi) is alive and coming home, having been discharged from the hospital.  But he doesn't say why.  Seems he's suffering from shellshock or some such condition as later on Miss Mardle asks him to change a fuse and he begins to see fellow dead soldiers.

Kitty (Amy Beth Hayes) has also married Frank Edwards (Samuel West) now and turns up in a dress that is a similar colour to that of the Princess. Henri arrives at the wedding in his uniform and Miss Mardle is morning the loss of Florian.  As we're in 1919 now, it seems everyone who went to war and was meant to return has.  Harry is glad to see Henri whilst the in-laws are boisterous and loud.  Serge takes it upon himself to make a speech which the Princess cuts short after overhearing Kitty remark how he talks a lot.  Then smashes the glass.

Victor (Trystan Gravelle) has opened a club it seems instead of a restaurant and is hiring a Dixie band, as well as paying off the police so that he can stay open after hours, something which will come back to bite him. Geroge (Calum Callaghan) isn't happy at the store and especially with the bickering between the male and female wrokers as the men return from war.  He leaves the job and wants to watch Victor's back at the club, as he pays off the policeman with more money to save Victor from having unsavoury business pass through his club.  He also tells him that Agnes married Henri. It seems, Victor's brother, Franco did not return from the war either.

It seems everyone is of the opinion that Harry has made up his mind about the aerodrome and Serge has been spreading the news around town and to the press.  Rosalie is clearly unhappy as she comes to the store to buy china for the house that Harry is renting for them.  Since Serge skipped their honeymoon breakfast to meet with Loxley about funding his business and other pursuits.  As Loxley also learns that Harry doesn't own the entire store.  Rosalie said it herself, she's marrying her father, yes, playboy, yes wanting to make money, but unlike Serge he did actually make his own fortune, as well as squandering it away too.  Even Harry seemed despondent when Rosalie said this to him and later, Henri says something similar when he adds that Serge is just like they were at his age.

Harry calls the entire family together for champagne.  A woman named Nancy Webb (Kelly Adams) arrives at the store and asks him if he's buying the land since Lord Meadow wants to buy it but has pulled out as he's heard Harry may be bidding too and they wanted it to build 'housing for heroes.' Subsidized housing for those returning from the war.  She's got her own company and has a degree too.  Harry says that he hasn't made up his mind about the land and will be in touch, but he likes the idea since his late wife designed cottages for artists in the US.  Gordon tells Harry that the women must be moved from the loading bay and it's a good idea if they're sacked.  However he will find jobs for them elsewhere and train them if necessary, even if it'll cost money. Reminding Gordon that his mother made their uniforms for them and it's one way of remembering her.

At the meeting he tells the family that Rosalie and Serge will be living with them at the house, as it's a good way for the families to get to know each other, also Serge's mother will not be moving in with them.  She says she'll move back to her apartment in Eton Square, but instead rocks up to a fancy hotel for an indefinite stay, charged to the Selfridge account.  See freeloaders!
Harry finds Rose's painting of the cottages and looks at the land for himself, as this is something he can do and would be a fitting legacy and lasting tribute to Rose.

Not much happening this ep, but more of a way of setting up stories for future episodes to come.  All the cast is involved in some plot or another, from Agnes having to learn the hard way what ails Henri, Miss Mardle having to move on from losing Florian and most of all Harry having to deal with the in-laws and of course Loxley when he finds out about him, which doesn't appear will be that early on. He also tells Serge he'll have to answer to him if he's not good to Rosalie and Serge mutters he'd like to see him try.  Well obviously Harry will take him on.  Seems Nancy Webb may be some sort of a future love interest for Harry, but it's early days yet.  However as she's only in two eps, this seems unlikely, oh never mind! Ha.

This series is to be much more darker and already you can see the storm clouds gathering and the effect that losing Rose had on Selfridge both in his private and public life and how he was distant from his family. No Lady May, now she will be missed!

Apparently the real Rosalie and Segre had a daughter and he built a bi-plane, but only one and wasn't in step with the Russian government, especially after the Russian revolution.

Saturday 24 January 2015

CSI 15.1 "The CSI Effect" Review

                                                     
This title seemed catchy enough especially considering the subject matter, the so-called copy cat killer, but that he was copying the CSIs and was processing the CS and mapping out areas for the CSIs already, thus the 'CSI Effect.'  If you recall when CSI first started there were many articles about how the show affected the number of people wanting to become CSIs and study forensics and criminalistics.  I even mentioned a part about it in my CSI:NY book, yes cos the introduction and early part was about all three CSI shows.

Finn (Elisabeth Shue) is locked in her car and a bomb is about to go off, a distorted voice asks DB (Ted Danson) "Who am I?" and he doesn't reply.  Though it should have been him asking, "Who are you?"  Ha. The timer on the bomb changes from one hour to a minute and we get to:
3 Days Earlier
which finds Finn in the car with a former detective Daniel Shaw (Mark Valley) who is now a PI. He's here investigating the disappearance of a college student named Emily and he doesn't tell Finn yet that his partner, Kerri also a PI now is missing whilst working the same case.  Though he didn't expect to stumble on the Gig Harbour Killer.  Now you should have recalled that name going back all the way to S12.1 73 Seconds and with the arrival of DB as head of the lab.  As Sara (Jorja Fox) congratulates him on catching the Gig Harbour Killer

DB, Finn, Daniel and Kerri all worked on the serial killer case back in Seattle and he even stalked DB's daughter, Maya, to the point where she had to have protection for herself and her family.  The Gig Harbour Killer actually tuned out to be Jared Briscoe (Mark-Paul Gosselaar).  He murdered five college students, All blondes and DB found him when the evidence pointed to a boat where he found more evidence relating to the killer.  Jared even turns up and fights with DB.  Here he also found photos of himself, Finn, Maya.

Jared was sentenced to death row after being convicted but after four years and five failed appeal attempts later he is still there.  He wouldn't give up any of the whereabouts of three of his Vics.  Nick (George Eads) and Sara (Jorga Fox) process the current CS where Emily was supposedly meant to have been found and Nick thinks that DB processed the scene already, as well as stringing the blood spatter.  Even if Nick was late, DB didn't do it, it was already done and there was no DB either, but a fish gaff was found at the CS.  Being the murder weapon.

DB also tells Nick that this appears to be the work of a copycat killer since Jared is still in prison. DB wants to interview Jared in person and has a requested a transfer to Vegas.  Ecklie (Marc Vann) is furious about this cos DB has pull, he went behind his back and asked for this.  Since it's also a reflection on the department.  DB needs to do this even if it looks like he has a personal motive behind it.

As Nick processes the CS for a second time, for their own evidence, Sara does remark that everything was done as if a real CS had been over the scene, as well as there being green and orange CS stringing done.  That looked good, always liked that in the show, though they don't use that much anymore, it's mostly laser stringing if they do that.  It was cool, until we find out that Hodges (Wallace Langham) finds the string was made from human tissue.  What was even more cool was Nick wanting to use the lab's 3D mapping system which Ecklie invested in to take 3D photos of the CS, basically like a helicopter and giving a 360 degree picture of the entire CS.

The DNA also belongs to Emily who went missing five weeks ago from Seattle, as said that was why Daniel was here.  Though Finn doesn't want to share much with him especially since she tells him he wasn't that good in the back of the car.  Finn's signature trademark she leaves behind wherever she's been, no really, is there anyone she hasn't been with or chased after.  Daniel and Kerri were hired by Emily's parents to find her, he couldn't get hold of her, so he took a trip to Vegas for himself.  Her last known address was at a coffeshop and looking at the photo from the footage, she's seen with a man wearing a hat.  Finn notices that he runs his hand under the table which means there should be some DNA left behind.  Greg (Eric Szmanda) has the task of doing the honours and finds there is DNA from a middle finger.  As Morgan (Elisabeth Harnois) comments, as have so many before them, he's giving them the finger.

The print belongs to Jared Briscoe.  When DB talks with him, he tells him he lost his finger in prison, someone bit it off and he swallowed it, he didn't get it back, so maybe someone sold it.  Obviously you know where this is going from the start since DNA evidence from twins is the only viable way in which this DNA could've turned up there.  DB also tells him Emily and Kerri are both missing.   DB has to question whether Jared is the real killer, but Jared confessed he was.  Or that he was probably a psycho.

Kerri's car has been found and Sara tells Finn and Daniel that it was cleaned.  There was however, some dots on the window which look like spatter, but weren't as it's an unusual pattern.  Obviously it was a constellation of some sort, which is what I said, it wouldn't be a random pattern.  Files relating to the Gig Harbour Killer and Kerri's diary are also found.  Where she was pinpointing things to the killer.  Kerri had a meeting with Mark Turner(Rob Nagle) and when Finn and Daniel question him, he states he's the counsel for Jared and was hired by his brother Paul Winthrop.  Then we get the age old story about twins being set to separate homes, one comes good and the other doesn't.  Finn shows him the photo from the coffeeshop and he used his middle finger to position it on the table.  Giving Finn an easy feeling that something isn't right here.

She tells this to DB but is given the same word of warning from Ecklie.  That they're making this too personal.  In the flashback from 2009 in Seattle, we see that Finn is the one who shot Jared, and he says he should finish it off.  Finn telling him she's got his back.  She tells them now she should've finished him off and Ecklie warns her about telling that to anyone else.  Finn also thinks Jared had an accomplice.  DB doubts whether Jared even masterminded the killings.

The DNA results on the human string belongs to the three Vics who were never found.  Greg finds the blood spatter on the ceiling of the car belongs to the constellation Gemini, Pollux and Castor and Nick says he found the same thing in the blood spatter.  There were two other signatures in the blood that looked strange.  They too were of Gemini.  Also the green strings from the CS also formed the same Gemini constellation.  This leads to the location of where Emily's DB was meant to be and the same company also owned a chemical plant.  Here the killer has already dug up three mass graves and exhumed the DBs.  Belonging to the Vics.  One of them wears a college ring and David (David Berman) finds some evidence in the mouth of one of the Vics where she bit the killer.  As well as hair.

Nick runs the DNA and we don't find out who it's a match to, until we return to Finn in the car.  DB is called again and this time he answers the killer's question, saying he knows he's the Gig Harbour Killer.  Finn is released and Ecklie once again admonishes DB for saying that, since he's opened up a can of worms now.  If he's right, he may have sent an innocent man to Death Row and he needs to solve this case.  DB says he knows that and he'll have to deal with it, but we know he's not wrong and that both of them were involved.  With Paul looking that bit more of a psychopath and actually fitting the picture of this criminal mastermind.

Cue to the end of the ep with the song playing and Paul and Jared walking together to be interviewed. As well as the CSIs putting together the puzzle.  Also why didn't they analyze the fingerprint when Paul touched the photo, that was an obvious clue, especially since they may have identical DNA, but they wouldn't have the same prints.  That was overlooked by Finn, who always drops the ball whenever she has some flirtation with some man or another.  Why does she always have to be the one in trouble and she wasn't utilized for her blood spatter expertise here either.  Hasn't done much of that lately as I said in my previous reviews, that after all is her forte.

So the show goes back to another serial killer storyline this season, but I have yet to see if they will actually match the brilliance of the Miniature Serial Killer storyline, as this opens up a new arc of the season.  Also it harks back to the early season of CSI when Grissom was dealing with Paul Millander and he left similar clues for him, such as the obviously 'faked' hand/print.

The end song was Come With Me Now by Kongos.  Also funny did you see when Greg pulled up the results of Jared's DNA, someone made a booboo and listed his Hair as Caucasian and his race as Brown. Oh please! ha.  Mark Valley was also in 1.13 Boom ep of CSI.

So as George is leaving the show at the end of the season, make the most of him now!

Monday 19 January 2015

Revenge 4.3 "Ashes" Review

                                                
Emily (Emily VanCamp) gets rescued by Jack (Nick Wechsler) just in the nick as he goes inside to see if he can salvage anything and finds her lying there. Charlotte (Christa B Allen) watches in horror as she sees her rescued but once gain drippy Charlotte (or Harlot as I'd call her) gets away with another attempted murder.  It's the never ending Grayson circle, they all have killer blood in them and I don't mean that in a nice way.  Victoria's (Madeleine Stowe) still scheming to ensure David (James Tupper) gets revenge on Emily for everything she's done to her and her children and Louise (Elena Satine) accidentally on purpose bumps into her after she speaks with Daniel (Josh Bowman) who's still under the impression that Victoria was living it up for six months . Victoria is in dire need of funds and thinks that Daniel begin the head of the family now, would have some stashed away for a rainy day. But he's skint of course.

Louise needs to speak with Victoria but she's too busy trying to help her own children specifically Charlotte who she takes to meet with David.  He can't believe he's actually seeing her and she can't believe he's alive, but Victoria makes her out to be good saying she brought Conrad down with that confession and how she's all goodness and light, blah!  Daniel and Margaux (Karinne Vanasse) have their night of passion but he can't find work cos he's name's mud and so Louise cunningly encounters him in the hotel bar after he's thrown out for not paying his bill for over three months.  She pretends her financial advisor is selling off her investments when she doesn't want him to and Daniel says that if she doesn't pay him then he can't be her advisor anymore.

Emily finds out where Charlotte is cos Nolan (Gabriel Mann) tracks her GPS and he's glad she's alive and sets to work on fixing her alarm system, cos she's gonna need it.  She'll take care of Charlotte since she's the only one who knows what she did and she still has this stupid sense of loyalty as if she owes her. Charlotte was a lost cause even before Emily came here, so really she owes her nothing. Jack finds out from the man Charlotte told the bar was empty that he saw her run out.  So he knows now too but obviously Emily talks him round.  He doesn't want the Stowaway anymore and he manages to salvage a photo of her and Jack together when little.

Emily pays Charlotte a visit to the cabin when David conveniently happens to be away and Victoria threatens her with a shotgun, but shooting's too good for her, she wants her to suffer little by little. Charlotte listens to what she has to say and Emily tells Victoria to end it now, she keeps looking to make sure David doesn't turn up.  Later Victoria goes grovelling for a handout to Margaux as she's family now, but wont accept anything unless it was a loan.  How could Margaux say she doesn't know of Victoria's predicament considering she knows Daniel is broke.

Victoria tells David how Emily was here and he goes to knife her in bed!  He recognizes her, of course he does but it doesn't click in that instance since Nolan gets the cameras up and running, well some of them and stops him.  Of course she's got that photo now as well, but he didn't have time to look at it.  It's just dragging out the inevitable longer bit by bit, that he will find out Emily is Amanda, he's her father, how can he not know or recognize her.

Ben (Brian Hallisay) finds Emily's car in the woods and it's like he's stalking her, I mean he turns up everywhere she goes, but she tells him she's not looking for company anytime soon.  No, it's Emily and Jack isn't it, always has been.  The only way any of this revenge plot can be salvaged is if David is playing Victoria for betraying him and will ultimately get payback for his time in prison and losing his daughter.  So how come the Fire Department missed that big can of accelerant and put it down to an accident!  Amateurs or what. Ha.

As for the title well it's more like it's referring to Emily rising from the ashes once again like a phoenix and that, let's face it Victoria et al, she's invincible! Where'd Victoria salvage that dress from? Ha.

Monday 12 January 2015

Revenge 4.2 "Disclosure" Review

                                             
Victoria (Madeleine Stowe) tells David (James Tupper) that she cares for him, he wraps his hands around her neck and strangles, which was too good for her.  She awakes in the van cos she was only dreaming. He takes her to where he was hiding out all those years, which resembles a converted jail cell.  She tells him she loves him and he her, but she's got something up her sleeve and it's called revenge. You know, hell hath no fury and all that.  Claiming she never stopped loving him and Conrad threatened her when she wanted to go to the DA and tell the truth.  He also threatened their children.  He finally admits he killed Conrad  after he heard his confession cos he would've dragged her down with him. Victoria trying to hide a steak knife from him, as the waitress points out she's dropped her knife. David knows she's worried and is afraid of him.

He assures her he's not here to hurt her but he wants to see Charlotte (Christa B Allen) and he read about what happened to the boat and to Amanda. Of course when Victoria was referring to boat, it could've taken to mean what happened to Emily (Emily VanCamp) on the boat on her honeymoon with Daniel (Josh Bowman) when he shot her, but alas she was not.   David wants to meet Charlotte but the question remains of how Charlotte will accept that revelation, since she's on the edge.  She hasn't really accepted much of anything.  Also Victoria must be deluding herself thinking that Emily and David will never meet and she does know what he looks like, even if he doesn't know she's still alive, then he also knows Nolan (Gabriel Mann) and vice versa and of course their paths too will cross.  How can Victoria get away with making David take revenge on Emily.  Didn't realize David was so gullible as to believe anything she has to say.  He wasn't the love of her life, not two minutes ago she was pining for Pascal.

Daniel and Margaux (Karine Vanasse) set up Gideon (Daniel Zovatto) first Charlotte catches him with another woman and she naively believes that he actually was interested in her, Charlotte needs to grow up and grow a brain too.  She tells Daniel she cashed the cheque without paying the rent.  But he sees Emily there and hangs up on her.  Daniel says there no longer are any Grayson's after what Emily's done.  She's here to see a friend and that person was Charlotte but she can't find her.  Nolan also realizes Emily hasn't given up the revenge business and comments on how he thought he had a "revenge-free Summer."

Nolan locates Charlotte using GPS and tells Emily she should be right on top of her with her Manolo's.  She looks up to see Charlotte about to jump.  But doesn't succeed in talking her out of it saying she's been trying to be there for her.  Instead Jack's (Nick Wechsler) partner, Ben (Brian Hallisay) tackles her off the edge, hurting his shoulder in the process.  He's set his sights on Emily and asks Jack about her past.  OH look, fun being a policeman, as they sat there in an earlier scene with the speed gun! Ha.  Jack tells him she and Amanda were in juvvie together, now did he need to do that since it got his interest peeked.  He also asks Emily what she was doing at the hotel, but she fobs him off saying she nearly lost her friend.  Jack also warns him off Emily cos she's not looking for anyone right now.

Jack brings Charlotte to the beachhouse since she was released by the doctor and says she can only be helped by family.  Emily admits she's Amanda and she wanted to tell her but couldn't.  Charlotte saying all she could think of was revenge and not her.  Emily shows Charlotte the wooden box with the journals but she just breaks it before storming off.  Cos you know, it's always about Charlotte isn't it!  Nolan tells Emily she won't forgive her overnight and just then she gets a call from her.  Emily arrives at the Stowaway with Charlotte telling her to read from the pad cos if she talks to her she'll get angry, as she clobbers her from behind.  That was very Victoria of her.  See she is nothing but Victoria's daughter.  Then sets fire to the Stowaway.  Yeah immature Charlotte, that's really yours to burn as you please!  Now we have mother and daughter out for revenge.  Oh should also add, Daniel is also like them too. So now now all of Victoria's children have had murder in mind and have gone through with it, including Patrick.

Daniel sets Gideon up at the meeting with a magazine owner and calls a reporter too, a woman walks in and takes drugs from Gideon's pocket saying he owes her.  Of course that makes the papers but Margaux goes one better when Gideon realizes she knows about the redhead.  He threatens her and she tells him she'll arrange a meeting with the man in London but he wants to fly tonight.  At the airport he's arrested with more drugs as Daniel and Margaux celebrate by going full speed ahead on the office desk! Ha.  Well she got over Jack quickly! She's also very trusting of Daniel all of a sudden.

That all seemed too convenient and quite frankly that entire Margaux/Daniel storyline is as boring as Charlotte running around playing up! Missing that whole Emily narration part now, as I said the tables are turned and she's in the firing line now.  didn't think this was the right moment for Emily to admit who she was and that she kidnapped her, I mean she just tried to end it all, as well as being on drugs.  Cos this sent her over the edge even more, though sadly not literally!

John Terlesky is now supervising producer on the show, as well as directing some eps too. He was David Taylor in shortlived show, Legmen, alongside Bruce Greenwood.

Monday 5 January 2015

Revenge 4.1 "Renaissance" Review

                                              
Victoria: "In my lifetime, I've come to understand that there are three ways for a person to disappear.  The first is to die.  The second is to lie.  And the last is to be reborn."  Clearly Victoria's on her second bout of this, as she lies to her therapy group, "it was after my former husband's death six months ago that my transformation began.  I made my peace with those who have wronged me and with those who I've wronged.  No one more so than Emily Thorne."

This time round the revenge tables and stakes are reversed as we get Victoria (Madeleine Stowe) becoming Emily (Emily VanCamp) as Emily lives it up in the Grayson mansion she bought.  As we know the Grayson name is now dirt and Victoria plans on colluding with her fellow 'inmates' to get out of the psych hospital.  Making friends inside she manages to get hold of a phone, courtesy of Phyllis (Yeardley Smith) but calls the house where Emily is the one who answers it.  Notifying the doc of Victoria's call.  But Victoria also gets a new ally to use in terms of planning her getaway.  This time round it's a girl, Louise (Elena Satine) whose mother has committed her so she can get over her father's death, or as she puts it, to make her insane.  Victoria uses her trunk to get Phyllis locked inside so she can leave.  As a diversion the sprinklers are put on and she manages to get away, but leaving her 'poppet' Louise behind.

Emily crashes Nolan's (Gabriel Mann) car into another woman's, Nancy (Alicia Lagano) and we know Emily can't quite leave the revenge behind, but more importantly, she can't leave the addiction behind of helping others, hence a reason why she can't reveal herself as Amanda Clark.  Even Nolan calls her out on this at the lavish party she throws, she invites Nancy over to pay her the cheque for the damage to the car and also reveals the man who killed her fiance, by substituting the name of his mistress, 'Valerie' on the boat to be launched, instead of his wife's, Jennifer.   Nancy telling Emily she was angry but she got over it, cos he'll get out anyway and what good will it do her now to see 'justice' done.  Something Emily realizes is that she can't help people who don't want to be helped, or who are not her, those vying for revenge.

No matter though since Victoria pays her a visit and tells her the revenge will all be hers now, which is why I said she's going to be Emily now.  She says she wants to end this and she wants Pascal back, Emily adding she wants Aiden back.  Also saying Emily should've admitted she was Amanda when she got here and things would've been different.  Also that she feels she's like Emily now when she came out of juvvie.  But then Victoria gets taken by David (James Tupper) who chloroforms her.  After deciding it's time to return home.  A shame Emily didn't see him hiding out in the dark in her beach house, but her first thought was of Aiden whom she found lying there after he was killed.  Thinking that Nancy was the only one who could sympathize with her cos she went through the same thing.  But it wasn't the same thing, she did lose him, only she moved on instead of careering off the tracks.

Jack (Nick Wechsler) has become a policeman now. albeit a rookie and is teased that it's cos of the kidnapping by Ben (Brian Hallisay) when Charlotte (Christa B Allen) was kidnapped, but he wanted to do some good when he saw people get away with murder for so long (meaning the Grayson's). Charlotte takes Carl from nursery just to make Jack worry and to get him to admit he kidnapped her, which he denies.  He later brings Ben to Emily's party where he finds Charlotte taking drugs along with Gideon (Daniel Zovatto) who's no doubt being encouraging her.  Then again Charlotte always was a waste of space and as Emily tells Nolan that's one reason why she's still here, cos of her.  Little good that does.  Ben arrests her, but Jack has to talk him out of it cos she's family.  Charlotte also scams $7,000 for rent from Daniel (Josh Bowman) which isn't for rent of course and it's obvious Daniel doesn't have any money.  Selling his car at a loss, but also having resigned from his position at the magazine.

Nolan tells Margaux (Karine Vanasse) about Gideon and tells her to ask Daniel about the 'redhead.' The redhead being the woman Gideon took compromising photos of with Daniel after she ODed, with a little help from him.  I couldn't help think of, "oh how the mighty have fallen" when I was writing this! Ha.  Then Daniel is no saint, he did shoot Emily after all and got away with it.

I didn't find this episode as interesting as the other season openers, no longer done is the 'x number' of months earlier ploy and then coming back to the present day, I missed that.  Wonder if Emily's narration will return or if it'll be Victoria doing all of them from now on.  Lots of questions, here's hoping the season will improve over time.  Oh and did I mention Nolan brings in a throne for Emily, "long live the new queen", now if that isn't a reversal of fortune or taking over from Victoria, then I don't know what is.  But I still miss Victoria's first throne, er chair!  David, Victoria and Emily playing happy families, I think not!