Friday, November 1, 2013

Revolution, Season Two, Episode Six: Dead Man Walking


The show opens up with Miles and Monroe setting up where Fry was killed to make it look like the Patriots killed him.  In a bar, one of the Texas rangers reports that Fry is missing in action, just as Miles and Monroe are dumping Fry's body into the river.  The Texas rangers walk past Aaron, Charlie and Rachel on the street.  When Rachel and Charlie enter the house, they are met by Gene, who is overjoyed to see Charlie. The rangers have tracked Fry's tracks to the crime scene set up by Monroe and Miles.  When they find the planted bullet, the rangers blame the Patriots.  When the rangers head out to the river they find Fry's body.  They argue about what to do briefly and then decide to head out, as Monroe and Miles watch.  Monroe tells Miles that he now has the war he wanted.

Five days later, Charlie, Rachel and Gene are in the kitchen.  Relations between Charlie and Rachel are very strained and Gene picks up on it.  Gene says that they need to stop fake grinning their way through whatever is going on and suggests that they should be happy together.  Gene then asks for an update as to what is going on and Charlie simply leaves the room.

Monroe drags a body out of the shed and drops him off at Miles's feet. Miles is not pleased and reminds Monroe that the plan was for them to lay low and wait for Texas to start killing Patriots.  Monroe suggests that Miles relax because he believes that Texas is on its way.  Monroe pulls out a piece of paper containing strategic information that he got from the guy he slaughtered.  Monroe then asks Miles to help bury the body.  On the way to the grave, Monroe says that though he hates Neville, he must admit that Tom would be handy in this situation.

Allenford and Neville are walking and she informs him that she is going no further because the camp is just two  hours away. Neville is not pacified and tells Allenford that it is not over until he lays eyes on Jason. Allenford says that the reprogramming center should scare him because it scares her. They come across a tent filled with rotting bodies and Allenford says that the cadets from the center did this.  Neville replies that the bodies look like they were ripped apart by wolves and Allenford says that this is all the cadets are at this point. Neville says that the cadets are like Hitler youth on meth and asks what kind of game the patriots are running. Allenford points out that the patriots are not her people anymore.  A shot is fired and Jason and another cadet appear, forcing Neville and Allenford to run and hide.  Jason and Neville square off and Jason fires his weapon, forcing Neville to duck and hide.

Miles enters the house and Rachel snarks about Monroe.  Rachel tells Miles that Monroe is a monster and says that he is not doing a damn thing about it. Miles shows Rachel the intel that Monroe got from the patriot soldier and Rachel is not impressed because that means Monroe tortured someone.  Miles points out that the Patriots are smart and vicious.  Miles believes that this is what they need and adds that if Bass doesn't do it, then he will have to. Rachel tells Miles that he is full of crap before walking away.

Monroe is in his cabin when a bomb gets thrown inside.  When he steps outside with a knife, he is surrounded by men with guns. Two men grab him and he fights back but is quickly overwhelmed. Truman steps forward and informs Monroe that he is under arrest, under the authority of the United States government and the sovereign state of Texas.

A bell is ringing in town and Monroe is being brought in on a wagon as Gene, Rachel, Miles and Aaron look on.  Rachel asks what is going on when she notices Texas and the patriots together - not killing each other. 

The president of Texas (played by Anthony Ruivivar - and probably another dead man of colour walking) makes a speech about how Texas ranger Malcolm Dove tracked down Monroe working with their friends the Patriots.  Photographers snap pictures as Turman and the president shake hands.  The president says that Monroe will be tried and if found guilty will be executed.

Aaron is in a bar drawing the triangle symbol on a comic book. He is approached by Bonnie Webster a journalist who works General Carver's press tour.  Aaron is shocked to know by the fact that Webster is press and she informs him that in Austin, politicians enjoy reading about themselves. Aaron question whether she should be out there and  Webster said she wrote the story of Carver catching his Bin Ladin.  Webster adds that this will keep Carver happy and inflated for years. Webster confirms that she is a writer not a truth teller.

Miles and Rachel are walking past the jail where Monroe is being kept. When Miles notes the high number of guards, Rachel questions if they can even break Monroe out.  Miles says that they have no choice now that Texas and the Patriots are allies.


Monroe is handcuffed in his cell.  We get a flashback to three years after the blackout and Miles and Monroe are arguing about breaking into another camp and stealing their things.  Miles feels that they don't have a choice because winter is coming but Monroe is not comfortable with stealing food. Monroe tells Miles to go and find himself a girl and then enters his tent where a pregnant Shelly is waiting for him. Shelly asks what they should name the child and they kiss.

Jason is moving through a tunnel hunting his father.  Allenford tells Neville that the cadets won't stop until they're dead and adds that Jason is not his son anymore. When Neville asks Allenford what makes her so sure, she reveals that she has been through this with her own boy. Her son was in a program in Cuba and the Patriots have been perfecting this program for years.  Neville asks why she stayed with these people and Allenford cries and says that she had no choice. Allenford was married to Patriot High Command and the theme was country before family. Allenford believes that her husband knows exactly what her present situation is and has chosen to remain loyal to the Patriots. Allenford adds that the Patriots shattered her baby and then rebuilt him in their own image.  Neville say that he is getting his son out of this but Allenford believes that Tom will either have to kill Jason, or Jason will kill them.

Charlie and Miles are outside of the prison and are shocked to see that Monroe is being moved.  Charlie asks how they are going to get to Monroe and Miles says that they cannot because there will only be one entrance and it will be too heavily guarded. Charlie replies that it doesn't make sense that Monroe was moved.

Miles heads to see Rachel and questions whether or not Rachel tipped the Patriots off to about the jail break. When Rachel says yes, Miles questions whether Rachel narked out Monroe in the first place.  Rachel denies turning Monroe in but adds that she was not going to lose a child in an attempt to break Monroe out of prison. Miles says that he doesn't know how to save the town and advises Rachel to let him know when she has that figured out, before leaving.  Charlie tells Rachel if she really cared about her, Rachel would have asked how she has been. Charlie adds that Monroe saved her life and that Rachel doesn't listen because she is always right, even when she is dead wrong.

Monroe is found guilty and sentenced to lethal injection at midnight.

Jason is still looking for his father.  Neville slits the throat of one of Jason' fellow cadets and the second falls through a trap.  The drugs are still clearly getting to Jason, as he checks out the trap  one of he cadets fell through.  Neville puts a gun to Jason's head and orders him to drop his weapon.  Jason complies but a fight breaks out between father and son, with Jason quickly getting the upper hand.  Allenford has to hit Jason over the head with a pipe to save Neville.

Back in Willoughby, Monroe is on a death watch.  We get a flashback to Shelly struggling through labour and declaring that she is never having sex with Monroe again. Monroe leaves the tent to talk to Miles, when Shelly lets out a really loud scream.   The nurse steps out and demands water and towels now.  Monroe heads back into the tent and Miles calls for Neville to join in him in gathering the water and the towels. When they get back, Monroe exits the tent with blood all over his hands and collapses crying in Mile's arms.

Miles enters the bank to see Monroe, who wonders why Texas doesn't just shoot him in the head.  Miles wonders what he is doing there and Monroe say that he was given a last request and asked for him.  Miles questions why Monroe would want to see a local nobody and Monroe tells him to stop because if they know who he is, they know who Miles is as well. Bass asks Monroe to shake his hand and asks if he wants him to go to hell as well.  Miles complies and shakes Monroe's hand after Monroe says that they were friends and should say goodbye. Monroe brings up the good times he had with Miles and then adds that he has a kid.  Monroe admits to the child he had with Emma, while Emma was dating Miles. Monroe asks Miles to find his son, who has never met and take care of him. Miles admits that he has always known about the boy and had hidden him away because Bass was unstable. Monroe flips out telling Miles that he knew how he felt because he had a kid who died.  Miles says that no one was safe around him and Miles screams, "how could you do that to me?"

Monroe is doing the dead man walk into the court house and stops in front of Charlie asking her to take care of Miles.  Rachel fills a syringe with something, as Monroe takes his seat.  Gene introduces himself to Monroe as Danny's grandfather and says that it is his honour to prepare Monroe for execution. 

We get another flashback to three years after the black out with Monroe celebrating gutting the other camp.  Monroe tells Miles that they took everything that wasn't tied down. Miles asks if there were any causalities and Monroe replies, "you mean any survivors." Miles questions who told Monroe to kill anybody and Monroe replies, "who asks for anything Miles. Bad things, they just happen."

In the present, Monroe is strapped in as Gene and Rachel watch and the townspeople gather outside.  Miles is in a bar drinking alone. Rachel hands Gene the syringe and Monroe tells Rachel that he is sorry.  Gene quickly injects Monroe, who spasms and quickly stops breathing.  Gene check Monroe's pulse and then closes Monroe's eyes.  Outside, a bell is rung to signify Monroe's death, as Aaron and Charlie look on.  In the bar, Miles raises his glass and takes a drink.

Jason is now tied to a chair and when he awakes, he recognizes Tom.  Neville sends Allenford for water and Neville is pleased that Jason recognizes him.  Jason threatens to rip Neville's lungs out but Neville is convinced that this is just the drugs talking.  When Jason suggests that the Patriots are going to come looking for him, Neville questions if Jason is on the side of the Patriots now. Jason tells Neville that Julia was not sweet and pure and actually was having sex with Col. Reed. When Jason suggests that  he knows what Julia was doing with the bomb dropped, Neville slaps him across the face.  Neville tells Jason that he has lost everything in the world that is important to him and adds that he will not lose Jason as well.  Neville tells Jason that no matter what it takes, he is going to come back from this.

Monroe's casket is dropped into the ground and the soldiers start to bury him. Miles is alone in the bar and Rachel approaches him to say that she is there for him whatever he needs before walking away.  At the bar, Webster tells Aaron that she is leaving town and advises he do the same. It seems that Carver signed a treaty officially recognizing the U.S. and granted Willoughby as a U.S. territory.  Willoughby it seems, is to be a version of Guantanamo Bay, deep in the heart of Texas.  Webster adds that Dove was not smart enough to track down Monroe and suggests that Monroe was handed to him.

Gene and Truman are talking and Gene says that they stopped a war with Texas.  Truman makes it clear that they would never have had to do this without the interference of Miles and Rachel.  Gene says that he not only kept tabs on every move Rachel and Miles made, he reported it. Gene adds if he hadn't handed over Monroe, Texas would have come back guns blazing.  Truman tells Gene that he is not questioning his loyalty but Gene is not appeased and threatens to go to Dr. Horn, if Truman messes with Miles or Rachel.

Aaron is standing in the middle of the street, when a wagon drives by with the triangle symbol.

Rachel heads out to Monroe's burial site and starts digging.

I will never understand why television shows insist on putting major characters into peril when they have real intention of killing them off.  We all know from the moment that Monroe was given the death sentence that he was never really going to die.  Producers and writers have far too much invested in Milo (yep slashers) for that to ever happen.  This episode was just another repetitive chance to remind us that Miles and Monroe have history and are important to each other.  If anything, Monroe's fake death is about making him more sympathetic, so that he can become one of the good guys.

This week we were introduced to the President of Texas.  I didn't even get excited when I saw Anthony Ruivivar for the simple reason that every single character of colour that Revolution has introduced this season has been summarily killed with the exception of Allenford and with a bullet wound in her gut, she's not looking so good right now.  For the most part, even though we have Rachel and Charlie, Rachel has largely been a show about White men struggling to control the world.  Though Neville is powerful, he has always been a second to someone.

This episode we saw Rachel being active without having a consequence by saving Monroe.  I am however waiting for this to blow up in her face because it seems that only the men on the show are allowed to act without consequence.  Women are always jumping into things without thinking and this particularly true when it comes to Charlie.

When I saw Jason giving Neville a beating, I could not help but think that it was probably well deserved. Neville has always loved Jason, but it's clear that he has not been a good father since the black out.  This could have been a time for them to work on their issues but instead, Revolution used it as an excuse to slut shame Julia.  Why have men deal with their emotions when we can slut shame a woman?