Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Reven8e...aka Revenge

"Revenge is a dish best served cold."

This proverb has been around for centuries.  According to Wikipedia, the unofficial, official source of information, the phrase comes from the 1841 French novel Mathilde by Marie Joseph Eugene Sue - "La vengeance se mange très-bien froide."  I remember the first time I heard this line was in 9th grade English.  We were reading The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe, and those words have stuck in my mind ever since.

There is something so intriguing about revenge.  Perhaps it is the complexity of the plan that is so interesting.  Of course it cannot be too obvious, else the plan would not work.  Or maybe it is the sense of awe you get when you see a master player calculating five steps ahead of his opponent.  And on top of it all, you don't feel guilty seeing the other person get hurt because they deserved it.

I feel all of that when I watch the new ABC show, Reven8e.  And no...that 8 is not really an 8; it's supposed to be an infinity sign...yeah, I know, it looks like an 8 to me, too.  Probably part of a ruse to make the logo look more intriguing.  I guess it could also represent that revenge is a never-ending cycle.


Anyway, I was surprised I got so drawn into the show.  I thought it would appeal more to the Desperate Housewives audience, but this show is so full of drama, I couldn't stay away.  As explained by the all-knowing Wikipedia, here is the plot summary:
"Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp), whose real name is Amanda Clarke, moves back to The Hamptons to take revenge on the people who caused the death of her father David (James Tupper) and destroyed her family. When she was a little girl, Amanda's father was arrested on terrorism charges and tried for treason; her life was destroyed. She ended up in juvenile detention and on her 18th birthday inherited the wealth of the company her father invested in. She changed her name to Emily Thorne and decided to take revenge on the people responsible."
So far, each episode has shown the fall of one of the people who wronged Amanda or her father in the past.  Each show also has a title that invokes a theme that runs in the same circles as Revenge:  Trust, Betrayal, Duplicity, Guilt, Intrigue, Charade.  These people play dirty and are sometimes downright evil.  How can you like something so bad?  Doesn't that sound familiar...

Aside from the interesting plot, I think the actors are really good looking, too...especially Joshua Bowman. On the show, Bowman plays Daniel Grayson, the son of the family at the top of the social ladder in The Hamptons.  He's so handsome.  And his smile always gets me lol.


Although weekdays aren't nearly as fun as the weekend, TV shows like Revenge give me something to look forward to.  Revenge airs Wednesdays at 10/9c.  See you tomorrow!

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Currently listening to Katy Perry's "The One That Got Away"

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