Revolution Season One: No Quarter

Back with the review for Revolution's third episode!

This episode begins with Miles, Charlie and Nora making there way to a rebel camp so that Nora can hand over the high powered snipe rifle she got last episode. Miles still can't believe that Nora is a Rebel now because he maintains his belief that the Militia cannot be stopped, with Nora snapping back that she "Fought for us!". Miles then has a flashback eight weeks after The Blackout and he and Monroe have been stuck at their military base at Parris Island, South Carolina all this time. Miles however has just about enough waiting around for orders, especially since most soldiers have already deserted, and decides to leave so he can find his brother. After a small argument Monroe decides to accompany him, saying that they are family as well.

Just why is Miles so sure the Rebels can't win..???

After the Flashback the groups makes it to the Rebel camp at an abandoned diner and are greeted by the leader of this group; Nicholas (Derek Webster) who agrees to let them in the camp. However the scene inside is not very good; the Rebels recently lost 12 members to the Militia and the rest are badly wounded. Charlie tries to help but the boy she is treating dies from his wounds and Nora insists that they stay and help until the people here are fit enough to travel. Miles however disagrees; he says that this is an example of how the Rebels can't win and, with one of the Rebels captured, thinks they should go before their position is revealed. Sure enough he is right and the captured rebel gives the location of the camp to Militia Commander Jeremy Baker (Mark Pellegrino) under torture of Russian Roulette.

Don't be so nervous, its only a little game

Meanwhile back with Tom and Danny, Danny is being threatened by a friend of one of the soldiers who was killed when he was first captured and is then beaten with a heavy sack at night. Danny however manages to get his own back when he fakes an asthma attack and almost chokes the soldier to death. Aaron and Maggie however manage to find Grace's house but are shocked to discover that the place is a mess with signs that it has been broken in to. Maggie wants to leave right away but Aaron, hopeful when he finds wreckage of Grace's computer, saying they should risk staying and figure out what Grace was up to, especially since it looked like she had power.

Ok Watson lets look for clues

Meanwhile back at the Rebel camp Miles believes that Nora must be with Nicholas if she is with the Rebels but Nora quickly debunks that theory by saying that Nicholas is a Catholic priest. Shortly after that however the Rebels are finally ready to travel but just when Nicholas is telling everyone where to meet up shots are fired from outside by Jeremy Baker and his men.

Bet they wished they had machine guns instead of muskets so they didn't have to reload after each shot 

Since they cannot go out through the doors Miles decides their best bet is to dig a tunnel through one of the walls while one of the rebels buys them time buy picking off as many Militia as possible with the high powered sniper rifle. While Miles is digging the tunnel Charlie asks Nora why she is with the Rebels as she answers buy saying that while she was pregnant she was attacked buy drunken Militia and lost the baby. We then have another Flashback six months have The Blackout and Miles and Monroe are walking down an empty road and have come across another pair of corpses, Miles can't believe how the world could fall apart so quickly.



The first couple of years after The Blackout must have been the hardest

Back in the present the tunnel has caved in and the sniper has ran out of bullets so the Militia storm the diner. Charlie insists they go out and fight but Miles thinks it is pointless against the Militia, Charlie then insults her father by saying he was always a coward to the Militia, to which Miles threatens her never to say that again. However when an explosions sounds off at the entrance they decide to fight a stream of Militia and after a quick fight Miles manages to capture Baker and tie him up in the back room. All is not well however when Baker reveals that Miles was Commanding General of the Monroe Militia and a founding father of the Republic, second only to Monroe himself!



Time to play a little game Jeremy

Meanwhile at Grace's house Aaron is frustrated that he cannot figure out what Grace was doing or the mystery of the pendant. Back with Charlie's group Miles decides to cut a deal with Baker; if he surrenders himself then he would let everyone else go, Baker agrees and Nicholas is glad to get rid of Miles after he found out who he was. In the morning Miles is being led by Baker and his men in which Baker confesses that Monroe hasn't been the same since Miles left and he is obsessed with turning the power back on. At that moment though Charlie and Nora ambush them by blowing up the bridge they where on and they manage to rescue Miles and escape. Miles wonders why Charlie did it and that she would not understand about his past, Charlie merely says that since he saved the Rebels there must still be a part of him that gives a crap. In the last Flashback Miles and Monroe find the murderers of the previous couple they came across and Miles then shoots them both. He then tells a shocked Monroe that someone has to do something, they then both rescue Baker.

I am the judge, jury and executioner now motherf***er!

The episode ends back with Aaron and Maggie and Aaron admits that even though he was bullied as a child he knew his life would get better because he was smart on computers and life did get way better. He was a millionaire who worked for Google and had a wife who didn't care about that......but then The Blackout happened and he is weak in this new world. At that moment the pendant activates and Aaron hears music from Grace's CD player and is glad to finally hear music after fifteen years, Maggie franticly grabs her phone and is also able to see a picture of her children again. However the pedant powers down after only a few seconds, Maggie asks how it could have happened but Aaron does not know.

If I was in Aaron's place I'd be wishing for some Metallica

Now this series really is something else, three episodes in and each one has been great and have kept me on the edge of my seat.

 

This episode focuses more on the Rebels and we get to see that being one is not all it is cracked up to be. I didn't expect them to be as strong as the Militia and even though you got to admire their determination they are a bit of a mess. This shows just how powerful the Militia truly is and how hard the fight is going to be for our heroes to get Danny back. The plot with the Rebels stuck in the diner was by far the strongest factor in this episode and I enjoyed watching it immensely. The part with the sniper was great and the little fight with the Militia storming the diner had some excellent close combat swordplay as usual. 

 

Reading a nice book with the sun on your shoulder; what more can you ask for

The biggest reveal this week was that Miles was co - founder of the Monroe Republic and again when I saw this I wasn't too surprised because I thought he must have some connection with the Militia but it is pretty awesome just how important he was. I guess in future episodes we will find out why Miles decided to leave the Militia but we now got the reason why he thinks the Rebels can't win; because he trained the Militia. Also the Flashbacks today where way better than last episodes because it was with Miles and Monroe and we see that it was Miles who pushed them into making the Republic in the first place.

 

You can say this was how the Republic began

We also get some great interaction between Aaron and Maggie as well and we find out more about Aaron's past. Aaron is one of my favourite characters in Revolution because he is the one who most people can relate to when watching the show. That is because I doubt most of the world are going to be like Miles and Tom if the power went out and be fine with how the new world is (even excel in it), no we will be more like Aaron and that, just like him, we would  be lost without power. Plus the scene with him and Maggie and how happy they looked for with power for a few seconds was really well acted; they looked so happy, desperate, relived and sad in this brief moment.

 

You can't just go blowing up the bridges, you got no one to fix them anymore!

However a let down for this episode was the plot with Tom and Danny, I just really felt like it didn't need to be in there at all. I know it shows that Danny can also take care of himself and is not that weak but was there really any need for it? We didn't have any scenes with Rachael and Monroe so if their storyline could spare not being in an episode then surely theirs could have been as well.

 

This guy was a damn good shot in this episode

Another thing that bothers me was, and it may just be nit - picking, was remember when I said in previous episodes that Charlie can be naïve and selfish, well she can also be very insulting. It really annoyed me how she could insult her dead father about being a coward and not fighting, maybe it was supposed to make her seem strong willed but it reminded me of Rachael and that's a bad thing. Ben wasn't a fighter like Miles plus he had Charlie and Danny to care for so of course he was never going to risk going up against the Militia and it kept her alive for fifteen years. Its a small thing but Charlie's character does get annoying like this sometimes, trying to be all high and mighty when she doesn't have a right to be or understand everything.

 

End of the world; lets play some baseball!

Overall while this episode wasn't as strong as the first two it is still really great and proves that Revolution has such an amazing start to it's series. The diner and Flashback plots where the highlights of this episode and I am glad we get some insight in to the origins of the Republic and we saw what the Rebels where like. It also makes the mystery of the pendant and The Blackout more intriguing and I just really want to know more about them. Also really liked the two Stephen King references in this, see if you can spot them. 

 

SCORE: 8/10

 

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/



Revolution Season One: Chained Heat

Back with another Revolution review, this time on its second episode; Chained Heat.

This episode starts off with a flashback one week after The Blackout and the Matheson family are ready to leave the city for the countryside. We get a look at one of the damaged streets, it is pretty deserted but there are fires and destruction everywhere.

Out for a nice stroll

Back in the present Miles is fending off a bounty hunter, who wants the reward on Miles's head (find more about that in future eps) but Miles manages to knock him out. Before he can kill him however Charlie asks Miles not to kill a knocked out person in cold blood, Miles reluctantly agrees and they lock him up in an abandoned train.

To kill or not to kill?.....

The group makes it to a market town in Pontiac, Illinois and it is here that we see that the selling of drugs like heroin is legal and we also see some Militia soldiers beating up on a citizen. Miles goes in to a gambling den alone in hope of finding a friend of his when the bounty hunter from earlier appears and captures the rest. Miles agrees to go with him but manages to overwhelm is captor and snaps his neck.

 

.....kill, SNAP!

Back with Tom and Danny they investigate a gunshot and we find out that citizens are banned from using firearms and so Tom asks the person who fired the shot to hand over his shotgun. This does not go smoothly and one of Tom's men is shot but the guy with the shotgun his killed. They also find an American flag in his house and Tom orders it burned immediately. It then changes to Monroe's camp where the sadistic Sergeant Will Strausser (David Meunier) is interrogating someone who seems to part of a group of rebels that are against the Republic. Monroe tries to reason with the man but in the end decides to stab him himself.

 

Strausser loves using knifes in conversations

Back with Charlie and the group, Miles decides his better off on his own for now and goes off to find his friend by himself. Charlie then follows him in the morning, leaving Aaron and Maggie to make their way to the rondevu by themselves. Aaron is not too worried but Maggie reveals that she keeps around a cell phone has all the pictures of her kids (who she hasn't seen since The Blackout) on it, even though it doesn't work, and is not too confident about seeing her again. Meanwhile Tom mercy kills the solider who was shot and explains to Danny that he believes the Republic is the only means of law in America now, though Danny doesn't believe him. Charlie also manages to find Miles and convince him to take her along with him.

 

This isn't going to be the first time she refuses to listen Miles

Meanwhile Aaron decides to tell Maggie about the pendant and about Grace has well and the two decide to make a detour to her house. Along the way Aaron comes to the possibility that The Blackout was man made since humanity should have been able to eventually fix everything and get electricity back if it was just a normal EMP.

 

Everyone is off on their own little mission now

Charlie and Miles manage to find who they where looking for; Nora Clayton (Daniella Alonso) an expert at making bombs and is part of a slave convoy who are tasked with pulling a helicopter. They manage to free Nora in the middle of the night but she refuses to go with them because she wanted to steal the high powered sniper rifle the warden is carrying. They agree to help her and Charlie volunteers to shoot the warden with a makeshift gun up her sleeve, even though Miles is doubtful that she can shoot a man point blank, she succeeds however when she thinks of her mom shooting a crazy man for them and Miles and Nora move in to finish off the rest. They manage to free the slaves and retrieve the gun but Miles is not happy since it is revealed that Nora is a member of The Resistance that wishes to topple to Monroe Republic and bring back the United States and Miles believes that it can not be done.

 

You just got to love the sword fighting in this show, its awesome! 

Meanwhile back at Grace's house she answers the door and is confronted by someone, whose face we cannot see, but someone she must not like because she immediately locks the door. She rushes up the stairs to her computer and the man breaks down the door and makes his way upstairs. She just manages to send the message "Randall is here" before this Randall, who has a pendant around his neck, turns on a cattle prod.

 

Who is this mysterious person?

The episode ends at the Monroe Republic capital at Philadelphia in Independence Hall where it is revealed that Rachael is still alive and is a captive of Monroe. He tells her that Ben is dead and that Danny is on his way to them, enraged Rachael attacks him with scissors but is quickly disarmed. Monroe says that now they have Danny she will tell them everything she and Ben where working on prior to The Blackout.

 

Rachael Matheson; the biggest stuck up b***h you will ever know  

That was the summary of this episode, think I managed to shorten it a bit compared to the first one while keeping all important info in.

 

This was a great follow up to the Pilot episode and the main reason for that is because just before I first watched it I expected the whole excitement of it to die down but I was so wrong. It still had great action, story, pacing and quality sets that the first episode had, I mean it opened up with a badass sword fight with Miles.

 

That's right people; don't mind this beating, go about your business

We also got some great new information on the overall world and the Monroe Republic, for example I don't think dollars are used anymore, instead we get gold pieces (and later diamonds) which makes me think there is more of a barter system than anything else. Also the Militia obviously run a kind of dictatorship and, from the dangers we have seen when your in between cities, they also don't care about its citizens (for example it is illegal for them to carry fire arms), they don't mind the trade of drugs like heroin and they hire bounty hunters like the Old West.

 

We also get some new information about The Blackout and how Aaron thinks that its is man made, which makes us think who would want to basically destroy the world? Aaron also points out that whatever happened on the day of The Blackout it is also preventing humanity from fixing it, so it wasn't just a world wide EMP. Also Charlie seems to grow more as a character with her resolution to kill the enemy this episode and it was funny seeing her pull a fast one on Nate.

 

Wonder what Tom's wife famous venison steaks are like?

This episode also decided to split up the group and introduce Rachael so we have some new storylines and I like this because some characters get some more screen time for themselves, like Aaron and Maggie, than they would when they shared it with Miles. It is done right in this show, unlike the latest season of The Walking Dead when entire episodes are given over to split up characters and we don't see the others for ages.

 

Some reveals in this episode too, with maybe the most important one being that Rachael is still alive and is a captive of Monroe. This was not a shock to me at all because I really doubted that they would have killed her off screen and those who have read my other reviews know I really hate her. I admit I thought she alright at the beginning but that changes quickly when they just go too far with her in later episodes. I like strong female characters such as Charlie and Nora, in anime (Ghost in the Shell, Buso Renkin) and in video games (Lightning Returns. Resident Evil) but as for Rachael they cross the line with her to annoying, arrogant and stuck up. Will go on more about this in future reviews.

 

Now that isn't going to rub off! 

Speaking about Nora she is a great addition to the cast because you will see that she proves to be very useful when it comes to making things but the most important thing about her is that she is part of a Resistance. Like with Rachael I wasn't surprised that there was something like this against the Militia but I am curious to find out more about it, how it operates and how strong it is. Thought I'd point out; why do they tattoo their members because that is a dead give away? The Militia branding themselves is one thing but should a Resistance operate more secretly, lol. Speaking about Militia we get to see a softer side of Tom in this episode as he mercy killed his wounded solider and it seems that he truly believes that the Monroe Republic is a proper form of order for this new world. Unlike Strausser who looks like he is in it for the killing and torture and we see more of Monroe he seems to be very cold and calculating and seems determined to turn the lights back on.

 

Possession of this flag in the Monroe Republic is now very illegal

Lastly we also get the reveal of the mysterious Randall who seems to have captured Grace and who also possesses a pendant. Could it be he is collecting pendants? One thing is for sure; those who has these pendants must be linked to The Blackout, why else would Ben know before hand the lights where going to go off and Monroe has Rachael captive?

 

Overall this is a great follow up to the Pilot episode and a great watch; it doesn't hold back in any of the action and the story line branches off in some interesting directions. We get the introduction of new characters, more screen time for the series antagonist and it defiantly added a more sci fi element with the these pendants. I didn't like the flashback however in this episode, it was great seeing what it was like just after The Blackout but I like the Tim Guinee as an actor and his character Ben is one of my favourite characters but they really want to portray him as a really weak person compared to Rachael which is annoying.

 

SCORE: 9/10

 

You may have noticed but for this review, and all other Revolution episode reviews, I am treating it as though it is the very first time I am watching the episode.

 

 

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/

Revolution Season One: Pilot Review

Always liked the look of the title!

Back with a review and this time it will be on the Pilot episode for one of my favourite TV series Revolution (I still believe it will be back!) and I will continue to review other episodes. I have already reviewed the two seasons overall but I always wanted to review the episodes separately, I started this blog halfway through season 2 so there was no point then. The reason I am doing this is because one of my favourite reviewers on Youtube, Trevschan2, is going back and review old Walking Dead episodes so I thought why not Revolution? One more thing I would like to point out is that these reviews won't be that regular, they could be weeks apart, and that is because I have other stuff I need to focus on. MAJOR SPOILERS, this review is for people who have already watched the series.

The year is 2012 in Chicago, Illinois and Rachael Matheson (Elizabeth Mitchell)  is watching her two kids in her house when her husband Ben Matheson (Tim Guinee) bursts in with canned goods and frantically fills up bottles of water. Rachael, looking worried, asks Ben if it is finally happening. Meanwhile in Port Royal, South Carolina, Miles Matheson (Billy Burke) is driving with his friend Bass (David Lyons) when he gets a call from his brother Ben who quickly tells him that it will all turn off and it will never come back on, while this is happening something is being downloaded on Ben's laptop. Before anything else could be said the power in America slowly begins to shut off, leaving Miles and Bass stranded on a highway while Ben and his family watch planes fall out of the sky.


The event known as The Blackout

In the year 2027 Aaron Pittman (Zak Orth) is explaining (to some beautiful shots of post Blackout landscapes) how the government collapsed, cities where looted/destroyed and how Militia rose up to take over what was left. Humanity has managed to survive but no one knows exactly how the Blackout started or how to fix it. The main characters Ben, Aaron, the doctor Maggie Foster (Anna Lise Phillips), teenage Charlie Matheson (Tracy Spiridakos) and Danny Matheson (Graham Rogers) are living at a closed community in the Monroe Republic, one of the biggest Militia that controls half of the Eastern Seaboard. We get some background on the characters lives; Danny suffers from asthma, Rachael died many years ago and Charlie is frustrated by her sheltered life and storms off. However while she is away Captain Tom Neville (Giancarlo Esposito) of the Monroe Republic arrives to take Ben away, there is a gun battle shortly after Ben secretly gives Aaron a pendant to kept safe and Ben is shot. Tom however takes Danny with him and Ben, in his final moments, tells Charlie to get help from his brother Miles in Chicago, she leaves with Aaron and Maggie.

Tom Neville; you will learn never to f**k with this guy

The road to Chicago is not a smooth one but the group is helped along the way by a boy named Nate and they make it to 'The Grand' in Chicago. They find Miles who is now a bartender and a drunk and refuses to help his niece but manages to expose Nate as a Militia spy who leaves to find is squad. Though a squad of Militia soldiers is on their way Miles still refuses to leave and tells everyone to go, which they do.



It is Post - Apocalyptic scenes like this what makes Revolution one of my favourite shows  

 

Meanwhile Danny manages to escape from his captors and faints in a field due to his asthma but is rescued by a woman named Grace Beaumont (Maria Howell) who claims to be a former algebra teacher. However Tom manages to track Danny down and, through intimidation, forces his way in to Grace's house and takes him back.  

 

Tom can force the truth from anyone.

Back in Chicago the Militia confronts Miles and an epic clash of swords and gun ensures, with Charlie and her group joining in on the fight.

 

My favourite character in Revolution has the most epic fight scenes

After the fight Miles agrees to accompany Charlie in her quest to go after Danny and leaves Chicago with them but not before having a flash back to the day of the Blackout. We find out that Mile's friend Bass is actually Sebastian Monroe; Leader of the Monroe Republic and General of its armies. Back in the present day Monroe has just received word from a rider that Ben is dead and Tom is on his way with Danny. The episodes ends back with Grace who uses the same kind of pendant Ben gave to Aaron to power up a computer and send a message to an unknown person.

 

You will find out just how important these things are

There is the summary of the first episode, might have been a bit long but I wanted to cover all major points.

 

The Pilot of Revolution is probably one of the best first episodes I have ever seen and that is because it does such a great job of establishing the new world that is created here. Humanity today is so dependent on electricity that if it would go off the world as we know it would cease to exist and they show that within the first few minutes with the falling airplanes. I really liked that scene because not only did it look good but it establishes the overall tone that will be in this series; it is dark, mature and serious. There may be some light hearted moments in the journey of Revolution but there are few laughs for the people living after the destruction. That is also what drew me to this series because it is a realistic take on what could be a possible event for the world.

 

Poor souls didn't get to see what it was like after the Blackout

I am a big fan of the Post - Apocalyptic genre (along with Fantasy for video games) mainly because writers are creating a whole new world; it's leadership, rules, currency, military etc. So much detail is needed to make it a convincing one and that is exactly what they have done here. We have the Monroe Republic as the antagonists who impose crop taxes and use murder and intimidation and we also have its citizens who build walled off small towns and who are scared of the no mans land in between which (that Charlie found out he hard way) is full of thieves and rapists. But we also have a look at the big cites and we see that most are destroyed because nature took it back or seemed to have become rough, massive market towns like Chicago.

 



15 years later nature has taken back the cities

 

We also have to thanks the excellent camera work, we get some long shots of the ruined lands and cities. Most of it is probably done with green screen and digital effects but it is done so well but I can tell the rest is man made like the peaceful farming village at the beginning and the busy Chicago. They are so different, thanks to the great set design, and it really makes you want to see other places in America and how it has changed. That is what is so good about this Pilot, the plot of tracking Danny gives you just that opportunity.

 

 

The series main antagonist; Sebastian Monroe

What I was surprised about this episodes was just how violent it was when it came to the sword and gun fights (and it defiantly increase later in the season) and that is a good thing. The cerography is done really well, especially with Miles's fight at the Grand. It was kind of like swash bucklering pirates and it was just epic how Miles managed to hold off that many soldiers. We also get to see the weakness of guns because most soldiers are reduced to using muskets that have a long reload time, so expect to see a lot more sword action.

 

Three of the main characters; Charlie, Aaron and Maggie

Now has for the characters I think we got a great cast and some well thought out parts for them. Charlie is the main protagonist and I a really good one at that; she may start out as a bit naïve and selfish (probably because of her sheltered life style) but you can tell she is strong willed and this journey is sure to change her. I have heard some criticism that that maybe it should have been a male lead but I have no problem with Charlie and besides Miles defiantly takes care of that. He may come across as detached and uncaring but that is because of his military background and he had to do a lot more to survive in the 15 years Post - Blackout and as you can tell from his fight in the Grand he will provide some epic fight scenes. There is also Tom and he is just plain creepy, he can sound dangerous even when the conversation might be pleasant (like when he was talking to Grace).

 

We also have a lot of interesting support characters such as Aaron the computer genius who feels out of place in the new world, Maggie the doctor, the mysterious Nate and Monroe. We can see just how the Blackout has effected them in different ways, like Aaron who was a millionaire and worked for Google. I will talk more about these characters when future episodes focus more on them.

 

Ben, we hardly knew ye!

Lastly what I also liked about what this first episode established is that flash backs in almost every future episode will tell what it was like for the characters during the terrifying first years of the Blackout and before. It is a very interesting way of telling the story and I haven't seen it used like that on anything else. This also leaves the viewer with many questions; How did Ben know about the power going off? Will they get to Danny? What is the Monroe Republic after? And what is the deal with the pendant? I will talk more about the pendant in the next two episode reviews. 

 

Overall this Pilot started something that I think was truly ground breaking, maybe some of you will think I am going over board but that is truly how I feel about this show. I know that this review has reviewed more on the setting and world that is created but that is exactly what first episodes in series like this are supposed to do. In my next review I will talk more and base the score more on the events on what happens in the episodes but like I said this first one was an introduction to everything.

 

SCORE: 10/10

 

I may seem obsessive with this show but I like something with a well thought out creative story and I really hope it comes back for more seasons. With it gone the only thing on like it that I watch is Falling Skies (Game of Thrones and Walking Dead are based on pre existing material so not counting them right now). When Falling Skies finishes what will I watch then? No way am I watching generic comedies and reality TV!

 

Thought I'd mention that the great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/