Revenge

1st season - 80% - While Revenge from the Hamptons tried to pose as a new Count of Monte Cristo, the supporting characters started their own soap opera. However, the main protagonist, thanks to Emily Van Camp's cold beauty, is highly desirable, so the combination of both genres was a pleasant inevitability. Sometimes it feels a bit strange to switch from long-standing intrigues and plans to the teenage romance between Charlotte and Declan, and the narrative pace often slows down in the middle of the episode only to pick up speed again in the final twist. But in the end, it doesn't matter. The series has amazingly written characters, and watching Victoria, Nolan, or my favorite Jack is such a joy. 2nd season - 60% - I agree that revenge tastes best when served cold, but we didn't deserve so many unnecessary detours. The endless relationship quarrels, the never-ending complications of the battle against the Initiative, and, above all, the increasing uselessness or annoyance of some characters (Ashley, Charlotte, and especially the unbearable Daniel in my case). When halfway through the season it seemed like Ems and Nolan would never make any significant progress, I was convinced that this summer would be the last one I spent in the resort. Everything changed with a set of the last few episodes that reminded us of the old times and even surpassed them in many ways. How the altered creative team will handle such a plethora of twists and great opportunities remains uncertain. But I will definitely give them one more chance. 3rd season - 60% - When the spiritual father of the series, Mike Kelley, stepped down as showrunner and was replaced by a more crime-oriented creator, Sunil Nayar, I was worried. However, I was pleasantly surprised when the new team decided to put a thick line behind dead-end storylines ("Let's never say the words Carrion or Initiative again") and set their own course. However, after a very fresh start, it turns into an unadulterated soap opera. Not that I don't have a weakness for black-and-white villains, determined avengers, or true love, but the pace at which the scripts introduce forgotten or seemingly dead offspring, parents, and all family members and accomplices is sometimes offensive. The forgiving ratings are saved by Jack and Nolan, two proper guys who occasionally make mistakes but always make up for them multiple times. In the end, there is a feeling that the end must be very close, so the mind-boggling final twists bring joy and promise a truly grand finale once again. Hopefully, this time the promises won't be false. 4th season - 60% - The final chapter of settling old grievances is sometimes more soap opera-like than the actual telenovelas, occasionally surprisingly entertaining - and fortunately, it is not just the culmination of all the revenge efforts but also a reflection on whether it is possible to leave the war behind and find a piece of happiness in life. It is precisely this epilogic and tasteful finale that leaves surprisingly positive impressions, while the classic Revenge as we have known it for years ends in flashback-drenched and nostalgic episode Exposure. However, once again, too much is happening, for which both the new characters (the entertainingly flamboyant Louise and the unbearable workaholic Ben, who loses just by trying to steal Jack's position as the boy next door) and the unexpected memories from the distant past and mainly the concept of the scripts are to blame. In one episode, the creators start a new storyline that is significant enough to last until the very end - only for it to abruptly end in the next episode and make room for another idea. Therefore, sometimes the grandly introduced characters appear abridged (Malcolm Black) or even incomprehensible (White Gold). Despite all of this, perhaps because of how much I liked the main characters over those four years, I will remember Hamptons with a peculiar nostalgia. The game with the red marker remains unique among series, even though it never reached the perfectly graduated opening fifteen episodes again. (02/01/2013) (moins) (plus)