Episode 05 | Aired Oct 28, 2012

Kara bonds with Victoria, Padma puts Nolcorp in a compromising position, and a certain journalist makes his mover against Amanda and Emily
por Tara Fowler


Before I start this week’s recap, I just have to ask: is there anyone else who finds Kara Clarke’s voice kind of… annoying? It’s too breathy. I feel as though we’re supposed to sympathize with her -- as the título of last night’s episode “Forgiveness” would imply -- and yet I find it hard to do so. Then again, maybe that breathy voice is part of her game. After all, we’ve seen the steely core that lurks beneath Kara’s seemingly benign demeanor (or at least Aiden did -- he recovered pretty fast from severing his bonds with that broken glass, didn’t he?), but no one else really has. Victoria may suspect, but does she really know? And the real question: what’s Kara’s end game? What does she have to gain from just turning up like that? It doesn’t seem as though she’s got a plan in mind, but this is Revenge. People are always scheming.

Enough of my musing and on to the actual recap. We open on Emily’s dad saving her from the clutches of Krazy Kara. (That actor is a fine looking man, is he not?) Emily sits bolt upright on the couch, shaking from the aftershocks of the dream. Now that she remembers what happened, the floodgates are wide open. She can’t escape her past even in her sleep. Aiden sits up beside her -- they were curled up together on the sofá -- and Emily tells him she understands why her dad lied to her. Aiden capitalizes on this opportunity and says that he too has her best interests at coração and that that’s why he didn’t tell her about finding Kara sooner. Oh, and then he drops the bombshell that she’s married. Because why not lay it all out on the mesa, tabela at six in the morning? At least let her get a coffee, Aiden. He tries to get Emily back on track with the original plan. “Let me help you remember what you came here to do,” he pleads with her. “I needed someone,” she answers, untangling herself from his arms. “You walked through the door. Don’t let it go to your head.” I wish someone like Aiden walked through the door when I needed someone.

Meanwhile, Victoria’s just chilling at her house, minding her own business… Oh, oi Kara Clarke! That’s right, Kara headed straight from the hospital to the Graysons’. For a segundo I wondered if we’re going to get a real fight, but instead of knifing Victoria for what she did to her “daughter,” Kara walks straight up to her and… gives her a hug. What the --? The two sit down for chá and crumpets and discuss their mutual association with Gordon. Kara says she can’t believe he kidnapped Victoria after he went through so much effort to save her twenty years ago. Honestly, her fishing efforts here were rather pathetic. I kept waiting for Victoria to stab Kara with the pruning shears, but she seemed too shocked por Kara’s presence to do anything. Too bad. Watching Kara prick herself with the rose -- a not-so-subtle metaphor for the blood on Victoria’s hands -- wasn’t nearly as exciting.

At Grayson Global, Aiden dons a dapper suit to meet with Conrad, who grants him access to all aspects of the organization, insisting he has nothing to hide. Mid-convo, however, Victoria phones with the news that Kara is back from the grave. Conrad handles the news with aplomb, but Victoria’s mais freaked out. Not por Kara being alive, no. But rather por the thought that she could be behind everything that’s plagued them recently -- the journal, the log sheet, etc. She orders Conrad to come home, while Aiden is sent to meet with Daniel.

Blah, Declan cleans The Stowaway, blah. charlotte comes into return a jaqueta she borrowed from Declan last episode and informs him that Amanda and baby will be okay. Mr. Ryan witnesses the heartfelt exchange and gives Declan a number to call so he can get some real workers to come in and clean the place up. What he really wants is for Declan to stop trying to interfere with his nefarious plans to make The Stowaway his own. No more, silly side plot. I don’t care for you.

Jack and Nolan discuss baby swaddling, like the manly men they are. Wasn’t the hug that the two guys exchanged so adorable? I forget that they’re actually kind of close because we rarely see Jack and Nolan together, but this was a surprisingly tender moment. Back at Grayson Global, Aiden and Daniel are discussing the numbers -- I’m not going to pretend to know anything about accounting -- when Ashley interrupts with the news that Personnel has flagged a procurar on David Clarke. Suspicious…

Nolan storms into Emily’s all in a tizzy because she didn’t tell him that Kara had come back from the dead. Then he reveals that his own father has passed. This was another great moment for Gabriel Mann. It’s true, Nolan’s father wasn’t framed for terrorism, then murdered in prison. But he was his dad. And Nolan cared about him, even if they were estranged. “I should have been there for you,” Emily admits. But it’s still all about her as they sit down to watch Kara, Victoria and Conrad enjoy a breakfast that Nolan lovingly refers to as “Downton Stabbey.” Good to know he still has his sense of humor even when he’s feeling blue. (Side note: the Graysons seem to be eating a lot of breakfast lately, don’t they?) The Graysons tell Kara she should stay with them, claiming they can keep her safe. Since they were involved in her supposed murder, they wouldn’t be my first choice for hosts, but hey, who am I to judge?

Given that she fell two stories to the ground, Amanda seems to be surprisingly chipper. But maybe that’s just the glow of motherhood for you. Emily comes to visit Amanda at the hospital, where she’s assaulted por yet another flashback. This time, 5-year-old Emily is the hospital and her dad’s telling her that her mom wasn’t better. “She wasn’t strong enough,” he says. What do you say to your daughter after her own mother tried to kill her? (Also, does this plot remind anyone of The Tenth Kingdom? Did anyone watch that besides me?)

Kara and Victoria are discussing the latter’s affair with David. Awkward… Victoria admits that she had no idea that Kara was still alive, but before the two can say anymore, they’re interrupted por Charlotte, who tells them that Amanda’s awake and okay. Kara heads to the hospital.

Blah, Declan continues his personal quest to save the bar por single-handedly fumigating the entire place, blah. (Is anyone concerned for the baby? Those are some pretty intense chemicals.) Nolan’s new GF Padma comes to visit Daniel. Turns out, she was the one looking into David Clarke contract after she discovered that check in Nolan’s father's storage unit last week. She’s afraid that a terrorist may have handled Nolcorp’s finances, which will not look good for the audit, to say the least. However, Daniel insists that Nolcorp’s never been involved with Grayson Global.

Emily’s walking the halls of the hospital with baby Carl in her arms when her mother stops her to ask why she’s handling her grandson. Kudos to Emily VanCamp for this scene. Her eyes held just the right amount of tightness. Emily reveals she’s Carl’s godmother and Kara starts to gush about how Amanda used to be the same way when she was a baby. Emily -- understandably -- just can’t help herself and asks her mother about Amanda’s childhood. Kara gets a haunted look in her eyes... but they’re interrupted por Mason Treadwell! I hope I’m not the only one who actually likes this seedy journalist. Welcome, Mason! You are just the wrench we want to see. As they head back to Amanda’s hospital room, Mason introduces himself to Kara, revealing that he has a, shall we say, professional interest in her return. (I’m sure he’s been ready to write the sequel to The Society Connection for years.) They all manage to shoo him away, but you can never keep Mason from a juicy story for long.

After Mason leaves, Kara introduces herself to Amanda with little success. Emily invites Kara to visit Amanda once she’s out of the hospital, then offers to drive her home. Even after knowing that her mother tried to drown her, she’s still fascinated por her. Elsewhere, Nolan and Padma are having a romantic night in when he spots the check she took from the storage unit. (Why would she just leave that lying out there for all to see?) He looks pained for a moment -- it wouldn’t do for everyone to find out about the Clarkes’ investment in Nolcorp -- then offers to take her to breakfast. Only problem? It’s 10 o’clock at night. “We’ve got some time to kill,” he informs her. Naughty, Nolan!

Daniel, Aiden and Ashley are enjoying a round of drinks. Daniel heads off to “the loo” and Ashley takes the chance to spill the beans on Daniel’s relationship with Emily. Is Aiden’s interest mais than just professional? Aiden heads to Emily’s where he tells her that Padma is behind the inquiries into David Clarke’s contract. Emily says she’ll warn Nolan, but then Aiden’s distracted por the video feed on her laptop screen. It’s Kara making a call to Gordon. The corresponding phone rings in Emily’s house -- busted -- and Aiden threatens to take the phone from her. She threatens him in turn and he storms out, saying he makes a far better partner than enemy. Uh oh, Ems. You may have awoken a sleeping dragon there.

Nolan and Padma are finally enjoying their breakfast -- on a mesa, tabela por the ocean -- when Emily calls to drop the bomb about Padma’s extracurricular activities. Suddenly, the meal’s a whole lot less romantic. At the hospital, Amanda’s packing up to go (isn’t that the nicest hospital room you’ve ever seen?), but she’s a little bummed. Turns out she’s been feeling guilty that the baby’s not Jack’s. Emily gets a bit of a pained look on her face, but doesn’t say anything, just presses ahead with her plan: she wants Amanda to pretend she doesn’t recognize her mother so Kara will leave. Guess Emily’s not so fascinated with Mom after all.

Aiden visits Daniel, who advises him to tell Takeda to take money and run. Aiden’s up to no good, though, and he informs Daniel that the company has a controlling interest in Nolcorp. Together they hatch a plan to oust Conrad and put Aiden on the board. Emily, you should have played nice. At the Graysons’, Victoria is searching Kara’s bedroom, only to be walked in on por Mason. (Is he allowed to just stroll about their house?) Mason’s angry because Victoria told him Kara was dead. Victoria delicately informs him in return that Kara could know the truth about David and that she might use that knowledge to take Mason down as well. The gist is that Treadwell should tread lightly. He thinks he’ll be fine, however.

Emily and Kara show up at Amanda’s dressed in exactly the same white outfit. Seriously, that should be the tip-off that they’re the real relatives here. Kara sits down with Amanda and apologizes for her actions in the past. “Despite all the odds against you, you survived and you’ve grown into an amazing, amazing woman,” she says tearfully. Despite you Kara? Is that what you mean? She goes on to say that she was very sick and not fully in control of her actions. Outside the door, we get a glimpse of Emily, who’s crying at her mother’s words. Kara then confesses that it was she who told David to tell Amanda that she was dead. She knew she had to leave and she didn’t want to burden her daughter with the knowledge that her mother couldn’t be with her. Amanda’s in tears por this point too and, without consulting Emily, she gives Kara the forgiveness she seeks.

In non-interesting news, the bar is officially in the clear. Ryan promptly announces to Jack that he wants to buy in and for the first time, I think I detect a hint of suspicion in Jack’s eyes. Conrad is indulging in a bit of good antiquado, à moda antiga literature when Victoria interrupts him. (That book was huge por the way. What was he reading, the dictionary?) She’s found Kara’s phone and its single contact: Gordon. Conrad handles this revelation por proposing to Victoria. She’s appalled, but he begs her to hear him out. After all, spouses are legally bound so they may never be compelled to testify against each other in court. Twisted, Conrad, very twisted. Will Gordon ever be able to clear his good name?

Amanda apologizes to Emily for forgiving her mother without asking her permission, but Emily tells her it was the right thing to do. And then -- perhaps hoping to capitalize on all the forgiveness going around -- she tells Amanda that the baby is truly Jack’s. When Amanda asks why Emily lied to her, all she can say is that she wanted to keep her on her side. (You know it was also because she was jealous.) Amanda’s not upset, though. She took over Emily’s life and she has so many good things to show for it. She feels bad for Emily and says that she should probably tell Jack the truth, but Emily cautions her against it. Jack doesn’t deserve the truth at the expense of his own happiness.

Emily goes for a walk on the de praia, praia and meets Kara, who’s worried that Amanda hasn’t really forgiven her. “I think she wants to,” Emily tells her sincerely. Up at the house, Amanda’s joined por Mason. Turns out her little stint in the hospital wasn’t good for her cover. Mason perguntas her about a scar that was suspiciously missing from her body, then drops a file on the bench beside her. He knows, you guys! He knows she’s not the real Amanda! What do you think of this development? Like I said earlier, I’m excited to see Mason back. Still, I have to admit, I wonder if this might be too much. Revenge has got a lot of loose threads right now. Does it really need another one?

All credit goes to EW.com