Revenge - The Complete 1st Season
Review by Sean Lynch
TV is a truly bizzare landscape these days. Gone is the era when families gather around a glowing black & white box, willing to watch whatever was on with wide eyed innocence.
Nowadays, we are inundated with choice, a wealth of choice, too much choice if you ask me. Because of this, TV viewers are given two options of quality from three very different realms of the spectrum - "Wonderful", "Derivative of Wonderful" and "Kardashian".
Revenge falls somewhere between the first two categories, and here's why : This first season is superb. It's excellent. It's almost flawless. "What's the problems with that?" I hear you ask with your mind words. Well, nothing.. at first. But there have been PLENTY of shows which have come along in the last decade (the "LOST generation") which thrive in their opening innings with a gripping series hook.
We saw it with Heroes, we saw it with Prisonbreak, hell - we even saw it with FlashForward. So the question isn't "Is Revenge good enough to buy?" (because it is), but moreso "Is enjoying the perfect first season worth the heartache of enduring the rest of the series' subpar attempt to live up to its own legend?".
It's a choice I can't make for you - all I can say is that I've been hurt before. It's possible to be hurt again. Sure, Rocky Balboa once told us "It ain't about how hard you hit, it is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward" but what would he know... stupid punch drunk boxer had a robot servant and probably doesn't even watch hour long TV dramas (he's a Kardashian watcher).
Anyhow, for those willing to dive into it - to invest your soul in a show that could very well kick you in the face in Season 2... here's the gist.
It's pretty much all about wealth, beauty and power and how it defines the residents of New York's most exclusive community. As is often the case with these high and mighty types, one woman will stop at nothing to exact revenge from those who ruined her fathers life.
Emily Thornes' (the excellent Emily VanCamp) brilliantly vindictive plot against Victoria Grayson (an equally impressive Madeleine Stowe as "the reigning queen of the Hamptons") is a joy to watch, however, even the best plans can unravel in the wake of an unexpected love triangle!
There are some great twists and turns which keep you on the edge of your seat by the end of every episode. There's also plenty of extras on offer for die hard fans including a bounty of Deleted Scenes (still, without question, the most boring of all DVD extras... especially for dramas) as well as some fun featurettes including "Nolan Ross Exposed" and "Haute Couture: Femme Fatale Fashion".
Conclusion: Movie 80% Extras: 65%
