1. pospulsar99

   9

   Enjoyed the first episode and will keep watching... Do me a favor ABC, don''t cancel this one early - would like to see the story play out. If this turns out to be a one to two season show, that's fine, so long as you get through the telling....… Expand

   • Helpful?

     4 of 4 users said yes
2. JennetP

   5

   "The Count of Monte Cristo" it ain't, but "Revenge" has its virtues. First, TV hasn't yet exhausted its theme, though AMC's new "Hell on Wheels" and the current season of "Spartacus" also turn on vengeance. Second, "Revenge" plays on our love-hate relationship with great wealth, as characters with vast new fortunes take down characters with vast old fortunes. Third, the show announces a serious moral purpose right up front (Confucius say "dig two graves") then treats it like the surgeon general's warning on a pack of cigarettes. The assurance of righteousness without pesky ethical nuisances! "Hamlet" without soliloquies! So why isn't "Revenge" a 10? First, every character is a caricature. From the dissolute scion to the geeky bazillionaire who can't buy a friend, each is familiar and flat, a chess (make that a checker) piece, not a human being. For another, our avenger has the affect of a tree stump. When she topples a mark--which she does far too easily--she exhibits the satisfaction most people do after successfully boiling water. Yes, I know: she must conceal her smoldering rage, but, even when completely alone, she rarely does more than smirk (for more detail, see lunafromage's excellent description). This is the sort of woman who draws horns, scars, and eye-patches on pictures of her enemies, not the sort who masterminds the fall of giants, even the one-dimensional giants on this show. UPDATE: The first season is almost over, and America loves "Revenge," as witnessed here on Metacritic, where my review was labeled "not helpful" by 6 of 8 users. Woo hoo! Given that the most "helpful" review says, "um . . . like I can't hardly think why, but . . . um . . . like, I really, really l-u-u-u-r-v-e this show," I'm happy to be considered "unhelpful." Anyway, after 14 episodes, the series remains a bit of a head-scratcher. Much has happened in a short time, yet most of the characters seem oddly untouched, as though their souls, like their faces, were subject to regular injections of botox. Despite success beyond the wildest dreams of Edmond Dantès, as well as some shocking collateral damage, our avenger cannot manage to summon an emotion or arrange her features to simulate one. And it's not as though she lacks opportunity. At least five times an episode, she embraces her fiance and the camera zooms in for a close-up of her face. Her head lies against his neck, so he can't see her expression; nor can anyone else, as the couple is alone. Now is the time for Emily-Amanda's mask to slip, just for a moment. Does she loathe the man who holds her so tightly, or is she falling for him despite her carefully-laid plans? Is her vengeance driven by sorrow or rage or perhaps guilt that she, too, believed her father a traitor? Surely, her face will give us a hint. But, no, Emily VanCamp's expression is just mildly puzzled, as though she is wondering whether the groundhog will see its shadow this year or whether to order the low-fat vegetable stroganoff for lunch. The Golden Lab who plays "Sam" has ten times the range of expression, as do one or two other cast members. Madeleine Stowe clearly relishes playing the show's dragon lady and has mastered the menacing purr of the society psychopath. Even she, however, is two-dimensional, so far unconvincing as a woman Emily-Amanda's paragon of a father could have loved. But perhaps she'll get there; the show certainly looks as though it will be around for a long, long time.… Expand

   • Helpful?

     4 of 10 users said yes
3. lunafromage

   3

   In one word this series is boring. There's a lot of suspense and very little payoff. The main character is so deadpan as to be unbelievable. I suppose she's supposed to come off as calculating... instead she comes off as dull. Someone who's dedicated their life to revenge is passionate. She's about as passionate as a dead fish. Do they really expect us to believe that she charmed Mr. Richy-Rich just by doing that half-hearted squint and closed-mouth thing she calls a smile? She has no personality. The other characters aren't in much better positions. We don't learn much about them before they start going down one by one. Not that the viewer is enticed to care very much. All we get are these half-assed flashbacks that aren't convincing enough to make me hate them. If you want to see revenge drama done right, watch Veronica Mars.… Expand

   • Helpful?

     3 of 12 users said yes

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