Tonight’s new Revolution episode, “Why We Fight”, is the first time in series history in which the episode title makes perfect sense and occurred to me before I looked up the episode title after the episode ended. The theme pops up in the dialogue more than once as characters take turns questioning their motives for hanging around the town of Willoughby and shortening their life expectancies in the War on Patriots. Why not go hide in a seedy bar and wait for death to come? Besides the fact that it would make for dull TV?

So how did our cast fare this week? Follow along:

Grandpa Gene, rebel recruiter: Our Heroes are so desperate for more soldiers that they listen to Gene’s crazy suggestion of maybe talking up their cause with some of the good citizens of Willoughby, in hopes that not everyone has been suckered into becoming a Patriots fan. Miles humors him and is the only one to tag along. First stop: the home of local bar owner Marion (Reiko Aylesworth from 24), later revealed as Gene’s ex-fiancee (after his wife/Rachel’s mom passed away, mind you). Because everyone knows that your ex is the most understanding, most patient, best friend in the world.

Gene struggles to get through to her because the Patriots convinced everyone he’s evil by planting explosives and a fake journal in his house. He loses more optimism points when Marion’s current boyfriend comes home — Ed Truman, Patriot tool. Marion’s kind enough not to narc on them immediately, instead letting them hide in her basement while she and her beau have dinner that lasts nearly the entire episode, giving Miles and Gene a chance to argue whether people are deep-down good inside, or whether they’ll always opt to do, as Miles calls it, “the stupid, selfish thing.” They decide to use Marion as their test subject for this debate because everyone knows you can count on your ex to be objective and sympathetic and reasonable.

The last surviving stragglers from Duncan Page’s war clan: Speaking of exes: after Bass’ ex-girlfriend Duncan loaned Bass and Charlie exactly five (5) of her men for the Willoughby war, the Patriots stormed their shanty town and slaughtered several members, including Duncan herself. The couple dozen who lived through the war-clan purge make their way to Willoughby, led by one smallish, non-leader type (Billy Lush) who speaks on behalf of his team when he says they’d be thrilled to have the former dictator of the Monroe Republic take charge and lead them to vengeance against the Patriots. Because you can count on a deposed dictator for leadership skills, brutality, and winning.

Sebastian “Bass” Monroe, like a kid on Christmas: His eyes, how they twinkle! His leer, how merry! His foes, how they leak when he stabs, like balloons filled with jelly! Bass is so flattered to have new followers that he schedules an immediate attack on the Patriots’ main Willoughby stronghold. Everyone fights and fights and fights. Patriots die. Innocents die. Innocents who only recently became Patriots die. Gullible townspeople whose only crime was buying into the Patriots’ colorful marketing campaign (“Let’s Rebuild America!”) die. Wounded, unarmed, almost-dead enemies get an extra gunshot from a merciless Yours Truly to clear the battlefield of any lingering vital signs. Bass loves it when a plan comes together.

Charlie Matheson, stone cold killer: Happily tags along for the Monroe Family kill-spree and doesn’t question a single one of Bass’ actions. As she puts it to her mom, she didn’t do it for the helpless Willoughbyterians, and definitely not for her brother’s killer’s sake. “I went for myself.” I’m not sure if that means she was satisfying an unholy bloodlust or simply racking up a body count Because It Was There. Either way she’s not too broken up about basically being broken inside.

Rachel Matheson, last place, Mother of the Year Awards: Abstains from the conflict because she just learned a very special lesson in last week’s episode about keeping the human element in mind through all that they do. She also realizes for the first time in thirty-seven episodes that her own past history of killing, sacrificing innocents, and frequently doing the horrible thing have perhaps made her an absolutely crappy role model for her own daughter. In a slight modification of her original mission statement (“If you’re not family, you’re disposable”) Rachel announces why she’s still fighting: she’s doing it for Charlie. I’m not sure if that’s a commitment to making a better world for her daughter, or if she’s decided to do for Charlie what TV’s Angel had to do for his son Connor, by which I mean find some way to redeem a young character who’s gone off the homicidal deep end.

Marion the skeptical bar-owning ex: Tries her best to keep Toht from getting his hands on the medallion, but Indy has to bust in and kick some Nazi butt.

Marion the other skeptical bar-owning ex: Comes this close to joining the cause until she sees friends, neighbors, and youngsters turned into casualties by the night’s fray, some of whom were only in it for the free Patriots armbands. She snaps and rats out Miles and Gene to her evil boyfriend. Gene’s wasted pleas earn him a bullet through the shoulder, which could’ve been worse if Miles and his sword weren’t there to butcher their way to safety.

Tom Neville, who never met an alliance he couldn’t switch: Still working on his secret plot to talk Truman into poisoning their mutual boss/nemesis, Chief of Staff Doyle (Christopher Cousins). Tom swiftly finds himself captured by goons of Doyle, who knows about the poison plot and Tom’s longtime history as a lying liar who lies. As Tom is wont to do when lies are no longer viable, he resorts to mocking Doyle with the truth: Julia liked Tom best and Doyle’s a terrible lover. That’ll show him!

Before Doyle can finish choking Tom to death, the Monroe Family siege distracts everyone from everything. When all other Patriots exit to go get shot, Tom snaps his rope, turns the tables, and kills Doyle. Later after the dust settles, Tom feigns innocence and suggests that maybe Truman should tell everyone that he took out Doyle’s killer personally, thus becoming Hero of the Day to the guys back at the home office.

Jason Neville, gawking hostage: Sits there like a slug. It was his only defense.

Connor Bennett, son of a madman: Pretty cool with whatever Dad wants. His years in a post-apocalyptic Mexican cartel have inured him to the ways of destroyers like Bass. After the carnage they even exchange father/son knowing smiles. At last, they’ve bonded over common interests.

Ed Truman, Patriot forever: Still everyone’s tool.

The Pittman Family: Still walking to Willoughby from Lubbock, far as we know. Those last two hundred miles are taking a lot longer to stroll than they should. Remember back in season 1 when characters walked over a hundred miles per episode and arrived everywhere on time? Ah, memories.

Miles Matheson: Has the most punchlines and highest hack/slash count of the episode. Bitter over how Bass’ unauthorized attack ruined Gene’s plan, his first act upon returning to base camp is to punch Bass in the face. Bass, still drunk on both power and victory, barely notices. Keeping with the theme of the episode, Bass also taunts Miles about his persistence in this struggle. It’s no longer a secret that plans for Monroe Republic 2.0 are in the early pre-planning stages. But why is Miles fighting at all? For strangers, even?

Miles doubles down on the same silent response we saw when this question was put to him last week. During their time cowering in Marion’s basement, Gene spoke to him of the importance in distinguishing between fighting for something versus just plain ol’ fighting back. Miles is a little more rattled when Bass quotes his own “stupid, selfish thing” saying right to him, casually and with utmost sincerity. Miles realizes maybe he hasn’t been the best role model for Bass, and now has much to ponder.

His pondering is interrupted when Bass’ men bring word that an Iraq vet among their ranks has translated a secret Patriots journal that was written in Arabic for some reason. Several cadets who were missing from the post-battle head count are heading down to Austin to overthrow the Texas government and turn it into yet another Patriots property.

Thus do the Patriots commit to their boldest sin yet: they’re gonna mess with Texas.

To be continued!

…in two weeks, that is. Join us when the show returns on April 3rd, for someone! Will! Die! Let the guessing games begin!

* * * * *

If you missed all of last season and would rather read about Revolution than spend hours playing TV catchup, the MCC recap of the season 1 finale has links to MCC recaps of all first-season episodes, in all their uneven glory. MCC recaps for the current season of Revolution are listed below as handy reference for whatever reason. Thanks for reading!

9/25/2013: “Born in the U.S.A.”
10/2/2013: “There Will Be Blood”
10/9/2013: “Love Story”
10/16/2013: “Patriot Games”
10/23/2013: “One Riot, One Ranger”
10/30/2013: “Dead Man Walking”
11/6/2013: “The Patriot Act”
11/13/2013: “Come Blow Your Horn”
11/20/2013: “Everyone Says I Love You”
1/8/2014: “The Three Amigos”
1/15/2014: “Mis Dos Padres”
1/22/2014: “Captain Trips”
1/29/2014: “Happy Endings”
2/26/2014: “Fear and Loathing”
3/5/2014: “Dreamcatcher”
3/12/2014: “Exposition Boulevard“