Revolution S2 E2 – “There Will Be Blood” Review

Aaron’s alive! And really, really confused. And possibly going crazy.

If you’ve been watching Revolution since it’s premiere then you know an episode titled “There Will Be Blood” is just…ironic.

This particular episode – number two of the season – was filler, red shirts and more questions than answers. In fact, Aaron – machete’d in the season opener then promptly revived by fireflies (work with me here) – is representing the audience in “There Will Be Blood.” He’s confused, a little mad, and trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

Same Aaron. Same.

When last we left our heroes, Aaron was suddenly not dead, Miles was missing – kidnapped by a vicious crazy War Lord, a town was under siege, Rachel was borderline frantic, Monroe had lost his shirt and was also kidnapped, Charlie was skulking around in the dark and getting involved with men she shouldn’t, and Neville was up to something.

The usual.

The main issue with this episode is there seems to be a lot of things happening but in the end, it’s a lot of smoke and mirrors and yes, blood. And the pertinent information we get – the power went off  during the big battle a few months because the system crashed – seems something you call IT for, not the hinge on which the story rests.

There’s also a weird dichotomy being introduced. Was Aaron saved by God (as Cynthia believes – and clearly code for something supernatural) or was it science? Or have we entered into a world where they are somehow blended together? That feels a little strange as a mythology for a show like this. It was always about science – the destructive nature of it, the effects on mankind, etc. Do we really want to introduce sentient fireflies from God into the mix?

Oh and in the “that didn’t take long” column, we see someone from the War Lord camp sending a wax sealed message to someone – and that someone is Justine, the President’s representative. The big baddies are connected, how surprising.

Meanwhile, a painfully drawn out Monroe/Charlie/bounty hunter story makes you feel psychic. Now the bounty hunters who work for the government are going to ignore Charlie telling them Monroe can escape, then Monroe escapes and kills one of the bounty hunters, now surviving bounty hunter is upset Monroe escaped and killed his friend, Charlie rolls her eyes.

Adam the bounty hunter who Monroe didn’t kill should just put a red shirt on now. It’ll save time later.

In the win column, I’m glad to see Neville and Aaron, two secondary characters, given their own tracks in the story. Aaron is our guide to demand answers to the questions, and Neville is the mighty fist of revenge. When he sets up Justine’s assassination, only to save her life at the last minute in order to get into her good graces, you wanted to slow clap it out for him. (Sorry Red Shirt Dude who didn’t know this was the actual plan!) His quiet fury is full-out scary, in a way that Monroe never quite was.

“There Will Be Blood” delivered on the promise – from the dead bounty hunter to the dead sheriff to the dead people in every other scene (not to mention the lady in the War Lord’s lair hooked up to tubes – have we stumbled into an American Horror Story set?). Lots of blood, lots of questions and very few answers. I realize we’re being set up for the season’s arcs but let’s not wait too long, okay guys?

Oh and – Rachel and Miles are so gonna hook up. Even Dad knows it. He’s even going to help rescue Miles to move it along! If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.

Next week – Mayhem. And a possible truce between Charlie and Monroe?