Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Revolution, Season One, Episode 14: The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia



Monroe learns that Neville and his wife left city and he is also informed that Jason is still alive.  Then he is told that Jason is with the rebels now. Monroe realizes Neville has been lying for awhile and he wonders what else Neville has been lying about.  He asks Neville's aid if Tom told him anything and Burke says that Neville told him nothing. Monroe asks Burke how he can trust him and how he knows he won't betray him to. Burke stands and says that Tom is a traitor and that he is loyal to Monroe. Monroe turns and shoots the man dead in his office and then drops the gun on the desk.

At rebel camp, a bloodied man pulls in.  He reaches into his pocket to hand over a message and then promptly drops dead.  Miles says that four of their spies died getting there. It seems that Monroe sent the nuke to Atlanta and Miles believes that Monroe is crazy enough to use it. Miles tells Charlie and Nora to pack their crap.

Nora cuts the wires to enter the Georgia Federation and Miles and Charlie follow. Charlie pauses to says she has never left the Monroe Republic and Miles calls her a hick. Georgia has steam engines for transportation and Miles says that it's a different life there and that due to the weather they're rich Miles adds that Gerogia has even started trading with Europe.  When they get to a house, they send Charlie into batt her eyelashes and then kill the man who answers.  When they burst in after no answers, they find the residents all dead from a head shot and Miles believes Monroe's guys did this.  Nora says they had the same idea because all of the spare uniforms are gone. Miles propses to steal the uniforms from the dead bodies.  Miles finds a familliar knife on the table and says that its his and that Alec was there and killed these people.  Nora replies that he doesn't know that but Miles says that he made the same move he would have.  Miles walks out in frustration and Charlie asks Nora who Alec is.

We get a flash to 7 years after the blackout.  Miles is sitting in a bar with Alec holding his knife.  He says that the knife came from his grandfather who carved the handle himself.  It became a good luck charm because both his grandfather and father returned home from two wars with the knife. Miles gives the knife to Alec and tells him to make sure he always comes back alive.  Alec says he doesn't want it but Miles replies "maybe one day your son will."

Aaron and Rachel are still looking for Jean and Rachel warns Aaron not to set her off or make eye contact.  They are stopped by a man who says that there is a toll on the road.  They push Aaron aside and grab Rachel.  All of a sudden, one soldier starts to smoke and burn and the ground they are standing on turns to ash.  Aaron and Rachel move away quickly, as the two men fall to the ground, completely burned to ash.  A woman comes out of the bushes and it turns out that it's Jean. Jean asks what she is doing there and Rachel replies that she came to see her.  Aaron wants to know about the magically charred bodies and Jean says that it's not magic but it must be what God feels like. Jean invites them back to the house for sandwiches.

Miles, Charlie and Nora are in uniform and he says that Alec is going to cause as much bloodshed as he can.  Miles hands out flashlight so they can track down Alec, the chip will power anything near by.  Miles finds a bag down a grate and is attacked from behind by Alec. Alec asks if Miles got his message and Miles pulls out his knife. Miles starts to apologize, when Alec says that the knife wasn't so lucky for him. The two start to sword fight and Charlie shoots Alec with an arrow. Mile sends Charlie after Alec, when he goes running with the nuke. After a minute, Miles joins the chase.  When they lose Alec in a crowd they split up.  Miles spots Alec and gives chase until Alec grabs a cop and shoots him in the back. The cop collapses in Miles' arms, as Alec take off running.  Before Miles can leave, the Georgia police show up and put Miles under arrest.

Miles is ecorted to a holding area with Charlie and Nora following right behind, fearing that the won't find Alec or the bomb without Miles.


When Rachel and Aaron get to the house, Beth greets Rachel with a hug and a smile.  Rachel says that she is traveling to Colorado for some unfinished business.  Jane tells Beth to"get the chubby gentlemen some lunch" and she and Rachel go outside to talk. Rachel says that she is going to turn the lights on for everyone.  Jane points out that the nanites are keeping her son alive but Rahel pulls them out of her pocket.  It seems that if the nanites are short circuited, anyone who has them in their body dies and so Jane suggests that Rachel drops this.

Alec sneaks up on Charlie and he says that he is there to warn her about Miles. Alec says that he was right where she is standing and that his guess is that she has no one else. Alec adds that they are a means to the end, and meat for the grinder. Charlie replies that Miles wouldn't do that to her and says that Miles is her uncle.  Alec tells Charlie to ask Rachel what Miles did to her.  A helicopter flies overhead and drops a warning about an upcoming nuclear event.

Miles is brought before the president and he tells her that the man who did kill the cop is her problem.  The president then reads the notes dropped by Monroe.  Miles confirms that Monroe got power.  Miles tells Kelly that Monroe wants her real estate and says that she should let him go so that he can help.  Kelly puts a knife to his balls and says that she should have slit him wide open.  Miles says that it was a long time ago so Kelly asks about what he did to her personally.  Miles says that the guy who brought the bomb there is someone he trained and so he can stop him. Miles adds that if he is wrong, they are all on the same dust cloud anyway.

Nora and Charlie are talking about what to do about Alec when Miles appears. There is chaos in the streets and Miles says that Alec is going to detonate the bomb where the people are and because they are no longer in the city, he is going to detonate the bomb right there.

Nine years after the blackout on the Monroe compound, Alec returns and embraces Miles. Miles asks how the job went and Alec says smooth. Miles tells him that the General survived and that Alec only winged him and he made the shooter.  Miles says that they cannot afford to go to war with Texas and that they have got to give him something.  Miles tells Alec that they saw his face and Alec begins to beg. Miles tells him that they cannot go to war and that this is the job.  Alec says that after everything this is the job. Alec pleads, "if I mean anything to you don't do this to me," but Monroe's men drag him out of the room.

Rachel is looking over what appear to be schematics and searching Jane's things, when she gets caught. Rachel says that they have killed too many people and that they have to stop this thing. Jane adds that this thing kept her son alive and only now is Rachel asking her to sacrifice her family. Rachel says that the nanites kept her son alive and that she has done awful things for him and now Danny is dead.  Judy asks if she would do it all again to save Danny and Rachel says that she wouldn't and she would hate herself but no. Jane says that she does not believe her.  Jane powers up the machine when Beth walks in and asks if they know how to turn the power back on. Jane tells Beth that if Rachel does it she will die.  Beth tells Jane to give Rachel what she wants or she will slash her wrists and then Jane won't have anything to worry about.  Jane hands Rachel a book saying that it will tell her everything she needs to know and adds, "get out and don't come back."

Miles and Charlie are searching what looks to be some sort of factory, when Miles finds Alec.  Miles asks Alec if he is really going to blow himself up and all of those people out there and Alec replies, "that's the job and the job comes first." Miles says that he was wrong and Alec replies that he doesn't sound like the General Matheson he knows. Miles says that he is trying really hard not to be him but Alec tells him that he was right and that it took him awhile to figure out  that Miles had to give him up or it wold have been war. Miles says that he should have protected him and looked out for him. Alec tells Miles not to tell him that and that what Miles did all of those years ago was for the Republic. Alec adds that he was devastated when he came back and found Miles gone. Alec then gets a message that his mission is to go forward and that he is to detonate the bomb.

Monre picks up the mic and asks if Alec copies and says repeatedly that the mission is a go but Alec and Miles are fighting.  Alec grabs a knife and Miles tells him not to do it.  They roll over and Miles gets the upper hand and stabs Alec. Charlie comes running in after Alec is dead.

Miles sits outside holding his knife when he is approached by Charlie and she says tht she needs to ask something about Alec. Miles says not now but Charlie asks what Miles did to her mother. Miles says it doesn't matter but Charlie replies that she just wants to know the truth. Miles says that people count on him and they get hurt and if she wants to know why, it's because he hurt them and he doesn't  even think twice about it.  "That's who I am Charlie, now get the hell away from me," Miles adds. A miliatry cop approaches and says that the president wants to see hiim.

When he heads to the office Kelly asks where the radioactive material is. Miles is not forthcoming, clearly unwilling to give Kelly access to her own nuke.  Kelly says that Monroe cannot take her on the ground because her men outnumber him two to one.  She adds that if Monroe wants all out war he's got it.  Miles goes to leave and Kelly stops him and says that her men will attack Monroe's southern border and that she wants Miles to hit Monroe from the inside and open up a second front.  Miles says that he doesn't have that kind of power on his best day.  Kelly takes him outside and shows him an armed forced and asks if he is ready to be a general again.

Once again, we have an episode which involved the death of a character of colour.  I don't know if you're counting but POC get killed at a much higher ratio than than the White characters on Revolution.  We got to know enough about Alec to care about him a bit only for him to die so that the White male hero could once again be heroic and be a little sad about the fact that he is a bad, bad man.  I am sick of people dying to prove to us that Miles is a tortured soul, we get it already.

Nora is once again being shunted to the side and this is upsetting.  Basically, all she seems to do is follow orders and since the appearance of Rachel, the possibility of her as a love interest for Miles has been decidedly reduced.  I am not at all pleased with this trajectory and want to see them invest in her character, given that she gave up on her family to save the White folks.

Once again, we had another episode emasculating Aaron. To be considered suitably male in Revolution, one has to be hyper masculine and violent.  We are reminded that Aaron cannot take care of himself, let alone defend anyone when he and Rachel are attacked.  Aaron is just shunted to the side as the chubby guy who cannot be of any use to anyone.

It was heavily implied this episode that Beth and Jane are a couple. It only took Revolution 14 episodes to let us know that GLBT people survived the loss of power.  Of course, it can't possibly end well for them because everyone knows GLBT people always have a tragic ending. Rachel knew the moment that the light went out but she wasn't willing to risk her son to do anything but the moment Danny is dead, she is up on her moral high horse and is ready to fix her mistake, but Jane is cruel for being willing to do anything to save the woman she loves.Yeah, hypocrisy, thy name is Rachel.

I did like the look of Georgia which gives us a hint of how different the states have evolved now that they are no longer connected.  It did make me sad however that it took a dystopian disaster for a female president.  I also find it upsetting that though Kelly has power, she turns around and relies on Miles for help.  Can we have anyone act independently of the great White male hope?