After four seasons spent uncovering secrets, falling in love with the wrong men, and suddenly finding long-lost relatives in the Hamptons, Revenge is saying its final farewell.
ABC confirmed to Entertainment Weekly today that the final episode will air on May 10, proving once again that not all good TV can last forever. The good parts of Revenge came to an end long ago. Many original Revenge fans will remember the magic of that first season, and probably don’t remember much of the last few since they likley stopped watching after that random, foxy British spy turned up. Maybe some diehard fans kept watching after that — but by the time the show had faked Victoria Grayson’s death for the fourth time, the show had jumped the shark — or lobster, considering the pricey dinners consumed out there on the East End.
A quick obituary for the fallen show is in order. Here are the five things we’ll miss most about the once promising drama.
First impressions. The pilot caused a not-so-minor sensation back in September 2012. Combining the juiciest parts of The OC, Gossip Girl, and even Batman Begins, we met Emily Thorne: inexplicably rich, pretending to be someone she wasn’t, and a single mission to ruin the family that ruined hers. The beachy Hamptons setting felt new and glamorous, Emily VanCamp proved that she could carry a show, and Gabriel Mann inspired thousands of new fangirls.
Victoria’s closet. Victoria Grayson never met a bandage dress that didn’t look smashing on her, and those endless shots of her in a new, featherweight, cleavage-enhancing evening gown as she stared off into the ocean from her balcony really deserve a montage of their own.
Discovering Ashley Madekwe. Now a style star in her own right, Ashley did more than simply serve as the obligatory best friend. She was so telegenic that she earned her own front-and-center storylines, and her chic outfits were scene-stealers.
Watching Josh Bowman and Emily VanCamp fall in love. It’s one thing to have on-screen chemistry, but these two continued making out long after the cameras stopped rolling. And, this wasn’t just some on-set fling; the real-life couple has stayed together throughout the whole show. That’s a better love story than anything we saw on Revenge.
Soapy sudsiness in prime time. Gone are the days of Melrose Place and Beverly Hills, 90210, when soap operas were a dime a dozen on weeknights. Now, we’re in the post-Law & Order, post-Sopranos world, where antiheroes and episodic crime dramas rule. But, it was nice to see a true soap, with betrayal around every corner and suspicious deaths occurring every other week, dominate for as long as it did.
We know it wasn’t “a story about forgiveness,” but we forgive the show for fizzling out. Now, we’ll just wait a decade or two for the remake.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT