Distributor: Warner Home Video
Episodes: 22
Duration: 43 min (per episode)
Revolution: Season 2 (Blu-ray) – Series Review
When hearing the word revolution, one thinks about overthrowing the government to establish a new kind of order. Sadly, not all revolutions are for the best if the so called ‘saviors’ use manipulative tactics and lies in order to come across as the good guys. The second season of Revolution is truly about such a kind of revolution.
Season one ended with the short resurgence of the electricity in the world that went for nearly a decade without power. Sadly, this led to the launch of several nuclear missiles that hit different major cities in America in order to wipe out certain ‘governments’ that were still left. Quickly after that the power was turned off again, but the damage was already done. This traumatic experience was devastating for Rachel Matteson, which was led back home by her compatriots Miles Matheson, Charlie (Charlotte) Matheson and Aaron Pittman towards Willoughby, Texas. Rachel was able to be comforted by her father and the foresight of a seemingly normal life.
Even though things appear to be fairly normal, Rachel still believes the bombings were part of a bigger scheme, but she has little time to ponder over such things with a hostile clan nearby. This clan is out for the people of Willoughby but something feels off. Miles gets captured soon after, but enrages the clan further with his escape and kidnapping the sick wife of the clan leader. This causes the clan to raid Willoughby and it seems like our survivors are soon to be extinct. Coincidently, during the raid, the city gets saved by the ‘Patriots’, who wish to establish a new America out of the ashes of the old one. The name Patriots only empowers the already suspicious Rachel into thinking these men were responsible for the bombings. The last thing she heard before the missiles were launched was ‘I’m a patriot’ and thus this could not be a coincidence.
Even before all of this went down, Charlie was already out, looking for Monroe, the man who killed her brother. She is able to find him, but instead of killing him, she reconsiders and starts an unlikely alliance with him. This all due to the fact that Monroe shows her a Patriots wanted poster with the name of her mother, Rachel.
As the story shows us a lot of intertwining storylines, we also get to see how Aaron struggles with certain powers that have been granted upon him, by the nano technology that caused the blackout. The term superpowers will rapidly come to mind but this blessing might turn out to be a curse during his journey to uncover what the nano desires of him.
Tom Neville, a man that has fallen into a deep dark pit of despair is about the end his life, even when his son Jason tries to make him reconsider. At that time the Patriots ‘secure’ the refugee camp Tom and his son are staying in. Seeing Tom was also at the tower when everything happened, he is also able to put two and two together. This gives him the power to try and reach the top of the Patriots, one corpse at a time, to avenge his wife, Julia.
Throughout the season you will see a lot of bonds being forged, destroyed and once again forged. The series tends to play around with a lot of love-hate relationships and for the most part it seems to work. Miles and Rachel might finally be coming to terms with their slumbering love feelings and Charlie seems to be realizing that her mother is not all that bad. Monroe and Miles are still struggling to trust each other completely, even though in reality they are hoping each of them will follow the other. Tom and his son go through hell and back but not completely unscathed. Goals will be reached, goals will be missed and some are simply cancelled. As this may sound awfully vague, certain items are better left untold to ensure a more fun viewing experience.
Overall the flow of the story is reasonably calm, with sufficient action in between. Nearly all the intertwining plots are interesting, especially when they start crossing over completely. Some portions of this season are fairly predictable but expect a few ‘mindfucks’ on the way. The Patriots arc feels like a decent conspiracy story, whilst Aaron’s quest actually starts to feel bothersome close to the end of the season. The nano portion of the story starts to feel more and more estranged from the normal barren world plot. That being said, the nano arc does present a few decent moments and at times it is a real contribution towards the overall plot of the series (even though the nano portion is supposed to be what the story is about).
Cast wise Revolution actually has a lot of great actors that will surely bestow you with plenty of talent. Personally Stephen Collins (Dr. Gene Porter, Rachel’s father) is one of my favorites, as he used to be the good minister in 7th Heaven. He still maintains an image of a man who does everything for his family but in a twisted post-apocalyptic world. Giancarlo Esposito (Tom Neville) is a man that once starred in The Usual Suspects and more recently series such as Once Upon a Time. Giancarlo is able to come across as a caring father at one time whilst as a homicidal maniac that sends shivers down your spine at other times. Tracy Spiridakos (Charlie) and Elizabeth Mitchell (Rachel) both provide decent performances but both have one small flaw that might become bothersome to some. Both actresses have a facial expression that makes it seem as if they’re always smiling, which causes some scenes to look a tad unrealistic. David Lyons (Monroe) and Billy Burke (Miles) portray their brotherly love-hate relationship fairly convincingly. Their hate often is as strong as their trust in each other. Zak Orth (Aaron), often in the background, can certainly surprise you at times, especially when you least expect him to. Many other important characters as well as side characters all posses qualitative acting abilities and thus overall you will experience quality performances.
You will be presented with standard extras in the season 2 box. Gag reels, deleted scenes and certain visions of the creators are all there and some can prove to be fairly entertaining. You will also have the chance to learn a bit more about actual zones that lack electricity.
Conclusion
Revolution will present you with a great story arc throughout its second season and will never come across as dull. The intertwining storylines stay entertaining, sad and exciting throughout the 22 episodes of this season. Sadly, the nano storyline might become a bit more dull than the actual apocalyptic lifestyle, the other characters have to plow through. Nonetheless, you’ll have a great cast to keep you entertained during their very own revolution.
Revolution: Season 2 (Blu-ray) - Series Review,
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