Revenge Recap: “Retribution”

by Jessica Grafer:

Revenge Recap: “Retribution”
Original Air Date (ABC): Sunday March 10, 2013
Season 2 Episode 15

Emily explains how retribution, in a perfect world, provides symmetry.  The balance between crime and punishment.  Unfortunately we know we are not in a perfect world, and the danger of a cycle of repeating violence is inevitable.

Emily is devastated over the loss of Amanda.  She is seething with her hatred of the Grayson’s.  Nolan is trying to calm her down.  Before Em takes off upstairs Aiden comes in and Nolan needs to fill him in.  While upstairs Emily opens the locket that Amanda couldn’t leave behind.  In it are pictures of the people closest to Amanda’s heart.  Baby Carl, Jack and Emily.  At the sight of the pictures Em breaks down.  She needs this cathartic cry.  Downstairs Nolan is trying to catch Aiden up and vice versa.  Nolan is stuck with the responsibility of the Carrion program and whether or not to give it up for Padma’s father.

The Grayson’s find out that Jack’s been shot.  Almost immediately after Trask, the new Initiative contact, calls and says they found Helen’s scarf and phone at the Stowaway.  However, they aren’t ready to believe Amanda had anything to do with Helen’s disappearance.  The coast guard has found the Amanda and Nate Ryan’s body.  I wonder if we’ll hear from Kenny regarding the death of his brother.  Conrad and Victoria can’t rest until they find out about Amanda.  They meet with Trask and try to give him more leading information but he thinks this all wraps up just way too conveniently.  An even worse part is Conrad might have it out for Jack.  They  need to find out if he knows anything about this computer business.  Daniel is done with the blood shed but he’s stuck in the middle.  He wants out but what can he do?  Aiden is trying to get back in with Grayson Global.  Daniel gives him Helen’s old accounts to trade to make sure he isn’t in with the Initiative.

Emily goes to the Stowaway to look for the computer.  Trask meets her there.  He says he’s investigating the sinking of the Amanda and Jack’s shooting and Amanda’s disappearance.  While he’s talking to Emily he gets a call, they found Amanda’s body.  Charlotte is going to identify her.  Emily races to the coroners office and runs right into Victoria.  She can hardly contain her anger as Victoria tries to pretend that she feels bad Amanda is gone.  Charlotte comes out visibly shaken and crying.  Charlotte and Declan are the only two not yet infected by this black hole of lies and revenge.

The fingerprint turns out to be Padma’s dad.  Of course, they are overlooking the thought that the finger might be off a dead guy.  Despite this and a threat from Daniel to break Nolan’s “digital knee caps” if he finishes Carrion, the program is finished.  Nolan passes it to Padma with a heavy heart.  All he can do is hope that she does the right thing and reminds her that the Initiative has a reputation for not holding up their side of deals.

Jack goes through a very strange range of emotions in the hospital.  He wakes up and sees Declan and Emily.  They tell him Amanda didn’t make it.  Jack is understandably hysterical.  When Conrad shows up the hysterics stop and Jack wants to speak to Conrad alone.  Conrad has paid Jacks hospital bill.  Jack feigns ignorance about the computer and blackmail.  Conrad seems very pleased that Jack is oblivious.  However, as soon as Conrad leaves, Jack tries to jump out of bed.  He tells Declan and Emily that Amanda wanted to take down the Grayson’s for framing her father.  Jack wants to finish what Amanda started.  Woah woah.  Emily can’t have this.  They try to calm Jack down.  The good thing is no one knows where Amanda hid the incriminating information.  Once Jack is at home he drops a bomb on Emily.  He’d like her to do the eulogy.  Emily leaves after telling Jack that signs of Amanda’s love for him are all around.  Jack looks around but the signs of love are more than he can take.  He smashes the jar of sea glass on the floor.  Amidst the glass is a locker key.

Conrad in his disgusting, politician way is having a press conference about the sad passing of one the Hampton’s own.  He has the big ones to hold the conference right in front of the Stowaway.  Jack has pulled the duffel bag from the locker and while Conrad is spewing his sugary lies outside, Jack is trying to get into the computer inside.  At least this lets Nolan know where the computer is.  Jack goes to take the obligatory pictures with Conrad but he can hardly hide his contempt.  Jack is so not good at the revenge thing.  He’s just too good of a guy.  He can’t do the lies and blackmail.  He’s more, I’ll hit you with the truth right in the face.

Jack finds lots of interesting things in Amanda’s duffel bag.  Including the information that Amanda and Emily knew each other in juvi. He is furious.  Jack doesn’t know what to believe anymore.  Emily is still going to deliver the eulogy but other than that Jack can’t stand to be by her.  At the service he ignores Emily and asks Nolan to come back to the Stowaway to work on some computer problems for him. Little does Jack know, that while they were at the service, Aiden made it look like a break in and took back the computer and everything else.  That’s such a good thing.  Jack has no idea the trouble he almost got himself into.

Emily takes a moment at the service and finds herself alone with Victoria.  Victoria places her lily on David Clarke’s grave.  She said at least David didn’t have to see Amanda go.  No parent should ever have to go through that kind of pain.  The look on Emily’s face frightened me.  Would she really go there?  To take a life for a life?  Daniel and Charlotte are so innocent.  Does Emily have it in her to sacrifice one of them for her revenge?  I hope not.

Emily throws the computer into the sea.  Back to basics.  Daniel get’s the spying clock out of his office, and when Emily is paying some last respects to Amanda at night she meets a special visitor.  Amanda’s foster brother.

Can’t wait to see how Emily get’s out of this!

Jessica Grafer has loved the “darker” things since she was old enough to pick her own books. She is a contributor for DarkMedia who covers Revenge and Bates Motel. She loves to walk the book store shelves and pick up whatever catches her eye. She is a movie lover with a great range in her tastes, and appreciation for all genres. Jessica is a writer and has several things in the works. You can follow her quirky Twitter posts at @scarletbe and check out her blog.