Revolution Season 2: Power Outage Power Surge

By: Erin Conrad
nbc Revolution

Revolution returns next Wednesday! Be forewarned that the show has moved to Wednesdays at 8 pm Eastern/7 pm Central, just in time for the kiddos to get the Miles Matheson Swordplay Tutorial.

Here’s a quick recap of Season 1 (not necessarily in episode order). If you have completely forgotten what happened last year, or didn’t watch the first season but are interested in picking it up with Season 2, I strongly suggest that you look on this site for the episode-by-episode reviews – you’ll get a detailed synopsis. However, I will tell you that there is no recap on threeifbyspace of the season finale. If you absolutely must know, please either purchase the episode on Amazon – it’s no longer available on the Revolution site – or send me a message and I’ll try to give you some detail.

In the Beginning

Revolution - Season 1

Ben and Rachel Matheson have developed what they believe to be a way to create cheap energy. However, Randall Flynn with the Department of Defense gets involved – and you know that can never be good – to turn this into a weapon. Something goes horribly wrong (or, as we are teased, was it really an accident?) and all electricity, all over the world, is gone. The explanation – nanotechnology, or nanites that inhibit electricity – never makes a huge amount of sense, but that’s what we’re told (suck it up! It’s fiction!). Concerned that there might be some kind of disaster with the use of the nanites, Ben, Rachel and a group of other scientists, create a backup system using pendants that can counter the effect of the nanites and restore a limited amount of power.

Fifteen years later, the power has not been restored. People are living in groups, growing crops, managing without modern conveniences, communication, and medicines. But there’s a power (non-electric-type) vacuum that must be filled, and several “nations” have sprung up, with military or quasi-military formations. One such nation is the Monroe Militia, headed by General Sebastian Monroe and General Miles Matheson, Ben’s brother. By the time the show starts, Miles has left Monroe. We learn that Miles and Sebastian (Bass) were together when Ben called Miles in a panic, warning him about the coming disaster, so Bass knows that the Mathesons have something to do with this. He has been looking for Ben, believing that Ben can turn the power back on, which would give Monroe a major tactical advantage.

Revolution - Season 1

In the pilot, one of Monroe’s trusted soldiers, Tom Neville, finds the Matheson family – without Rachel – living in a cul-de-sac community in Wisconsin. Ben is accidentally shot, but manages to give his pendant to neighbor Aaron Pittman. Neville takes Danny, Ben’s young son, as a hostage. Ben’s daughter, Charlie, comes back from hunting in time to speak briefly with her dying father. He tells her to find her uncle Miles, who he assumes will help Charlie rescue Danny. Charlie, Aaron, and Ben’s girlfriend, Maggie, set out. They find Miles, living under an assumed name, bartending in Chicago, and not pleased to see them. Militia scouts, including Neville’s son Jason, are also looking for Miles, and attack when they find him. That convinces Miles to reluctantly go with them on the rescue mission.

Along the way, Miles recruits an old friend, Nora, to assist them. Knives and swords have become the weapons of the common people – the Militia has made it against the law for non-Militia to own guns – and Miles is a master with the sword. Nora is a member of the Resistance, and doesn’t want to leave her assignment to help Miles, but it’s obvious that they have some romantic history, and gritty, grungy Miles is difficult to resist.

Revolution - Season 1

Maggie dies. We learn that Aaron was a founder of Google, and that he, unknowingly, wrote the code that allowed the nanites to be created. During an attempt to rescue Danny, we see that Rachel Matheson has been held captive by Monroe for many years, and is only convinced to provide information on restoring power under the threat of her son’s death. She at first tries to create a bomb to kill Monroe, but is betrayed by one of the earlier group of scientists, who has been forcibly coerced to help Monroe. She kills the other scientist so that she still has value to Monroe. Rachel is rescued by Miles – and it turns out that they have a romantic history as well, in addition to a darker story of captive and captor.

And In the End

Rachel and Aaron set off for The Tower in Colorado, where Rachel believes she can turn off the nanites, restoring electricity. After learning that Monroe, assisted by Flynn, has a nuclear bomb that he plans to set off in Atlanta, Miles, Nora and Charlie approach the head of the Atlanta nation, and offer to work with her to find the nuke and prevent detonation.

Revolution - Season 1

We learn that Miles at one point attempted to assassinate Monroe, who had been more of a brother to him than Ben was – we never learn exactly why he tried to kill Monroe. Was it a power play? Was he trying to save his own soul from the violence that had consumed it? Was he trying to save his friend, believing that only death could redeem him? Or had he finally realized that Monroe had turned into a monster, and had to be stopped? The emotional baggage between these two is a recurring theme.

Revolution - Season 1

Charlie, Nora and Miles catch up with Aaron and Rachel at The Tower. They find that there has been a group of dedicated people who have been living in and protecting The Tower for the past 15 years, and they must battle past them to get to the computers. In the battle, Nora is injured. Rachel makes the decision to postpone caring for her so they can get to the computer room; in the delay, Nora dies. Aaron is able to enter the correct coding to turn the power on – but Randall Flynn, the Department of Defense baddie, uses that brief power-up to launch ICBMs at Philadelphia (Monroe Militia) and the Atlanta nation. He claims to be one of a group of Patriots whose goal is to restore the United States government, and then he kills himself. Aaron races against the clock to turn the power back off – which will turn it off forever – but does he make it in time?

Revolution - Season 1

Season 2 ApproachesRevolution - Season 2

Season 2 premieres next week. What can you expect? From the ComicCon discussions, we already know that this season will be dirtier (actual dirt-wise, but maybe in other ways as well) and grittier. That’s good news – everyone looked much too clean last year. And we know that the group doesn’t all travel together, like they did (for the most part). In the first episode, which starts out six months after The Tower (the episode jumps around in time quite a bit, to try to fill the viewer in on what’s happened), I can tell you that some of the core group have stayed together. Rachel’s father (Stephen Collins) becomes an important part of the ensemble. We learn a little more about the Miles/Rachel relationship. Aaron has a transformative experience (and Torchwood fans might see something familiar). “Insane things” have happened since events at The Tower – these are discussed, but not quite seen.

Revolution - Season 2

Charlie is on a personal mission, on her own. Tom Neville is not, at the beginning of the episode, the man he had been, but don’t count him out. And the “Patriots” that Randall Flynn identified with at the end of Season 1 make an appearance – sinister? Enemies? Friends? We may have our suspicions, but we’ll only know as the season progresses!

Feel free to leave comments – what do you think will happen? What would you LIKE to happen? And what would make you decide to stop watching if it happens?

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