“Revolution” 1/29/2014 (spoilers): The Fight Club Job

Bret Michaels, Poison, Revolution, NBC

Humanity’s lived for fifteen years without electric guitars, CD players, or iTunes, and yet hair metal refuses to die.

Tonight’s new Revolution episode, “Happy Endings”, featured a very special cameo by the first known celebrity to survive the blackout: reality-TV star and Poison frontman Bret Michaels! When three of Our Heroes travel to the sideshow campground of New Vegas, Michaels appears as himself, alone on a tiny outdoor stage, cradling his acoustic guitar and lip-synching “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” while the original single plays as background music. Yes, folks, while humanity tears itself apart, all the Top-40 hits of your teenage years will live forever, even without a recording medium to preserve them.

This way for a sad, sad song…

“Revolution” 1/22/2014 (spoilers): It’s Not Lupus

Revolution

One of the tense researching scenes from tonight’s CSI: Willoughby.

Tonight’s new Revolution episode is titled “Captain Trips”, another in the show’s long line of references to Stephen King’s The Stand, which in turn referenced Jerry Garcia from the Grateful Dead. It was also the name of a drug-fueled super-hero from George R. R. Martin’s Wild Cards shared-anthology series, which blew me away when I was a teenager, even though I might’ve been grounded for a decade if my mom knew about the content.

I’d much rather rattle on about that etymology chain than cover tonight’s main story about the town of Willoughby suffering from the heartbreak of widespread typhus. As I previously complained when it was Sleepy Hollow‘s turn to use the epidemic plot device back in October, “Diseases can be a really dull antagonist.”

So is it really typhus?…

“Revolution” 1/15/2014 (spoilers): The Passion of the Bass

David Lyons, Mat Vairo, Revolution, NBC

Welcome to “NBC Team-Up” starring Bass and Kid Bass!

NBC’s Revolution continues its vacation across the border with tonight’s new episode, “Mis Dos Padres” (“My Two Dads”). When last we left Our Heroes, former dictator Sebastian “Bass” Monroe had just been captured by his long-lost son Connor, who was raised to adulthood in a Mexican cartel, leaving Miles and Rachel to hatch an escape plan even though Rachel would rather leave him to rot, or possibly murder him herself if they didn’t need him to help save Willoughby from the Patriots. Though tensions run high in the fictional town of Puesta del Sol (“sunset”), once again the needs of the many outweigh the seething grudge of the few.

So, about that escape plan…

“Revolution” 1/8/2014 (spoilers): Everyone Loves Li’l Sebastian

David Lyons, Sebastian Monroe, Revolution

Sebastian Monroe, voted Father of the Year by no one ever.

Revolution is back from its December hiatus with tonight’s new episode, “The Three Amigos” — a tale of father/son bonding, grandfather/granddaughter quality time, husband/wife faith put to the test, not one but two wagonjackings, and Aaron running away yet again because it’s what he does best.

Make way for the Son of Bass…

“Revolution” 11/20/2013 (spoilers): Patriots are a Superstitious, Cowardly Lot

Sebastian Monroe, David Lyons, Revolution, NBC

I am vengeance! I am the night! I haven’t had a bath in weeks!

In this week’s new Revolution episode, “Everyone Says I Love You”…well, the title’s a bit of an overstatement. Dr. Horn loves no one. The Patriots love no one. Monroe loves no one, though he might love his long-lost son if Miles ever reveals where he is. If the nanobots love anyone, they’re not telling. Yet.

Love is in the air! And nanobots! And possibly death!

“Revolution” 11/13/2013 (spoilers): Benedict Grandpa

Elizabeth Mitchell, Tracy Spiridakos, Revolution, NBC

Rachel and Charlie Matheson spend some overdue quality time together, fabricating chemical warfare materials and debating whether Grandpa Gene should live or die.

In this week’s new Revolution episode, “Come Blow Your Horn”, Željko Ivanek continues his scary run as the diabolical Dr. Horn — making Grandpa Gene pogo like a cheap marionette, revealing more about his interest in Aaron’s uncontrolled Firestarter powers, and thankfully doing absolutely nothing that has anything to do with that dreadful episode title.

Continue here for more news from Cape Horn…

“Revolution” 11/6/2013 (spoilers): the Abominable Dr. Horn

Željko Ivanek, Revolution, NBC

For Doctor Horn, life is a big ball of stibby stabby torturey worturey stuff.

On tonight’s new Revolution episode, “The Patriot Act”, for once Tom Neville’s three scenes were not the only parts I thought were worth watching. I applaud this bold new initiative of making the other characters likeable and occasionally funny.

One key part that definitely worked: the addition of Željko Ivanek as the sinister Dr. Calvin Horn. Before the blackout he toiled away in the Department of Defense’s Alternative Energies Projects division, the same workplace as Ben and Rachel Matheson, whose fault all of this is. He scaled the ladder of post-blackout career advancement and is now “the President’s senior science adviser”, which is more impressive if you accept the Patriots’ as-yet-unseen “President” as the true leader of the withered husk that represents what’s left of America. He doesn’t brook liars, he has his ear on the ground, and he thinks more than one step ahead. He’s not quite up to two steps ahead, but the potential’s in him.

Continue reading

“Revolution” 10/30/2013 (spoilers): Tom Neville vs. the Manchurian Son

Zelkjo Ivanek, Revolution, NBCOn tonight’s new episode of The Tom Neville Show, “Dead Man Walking”, the best scene was shockingly not a Neville scene. Near the very end, a new character rides into the town of Willoughby, a mysterious Dr. Horn whose high-level connection to the Patriots implies big trouble ahead for our man Neville and his gang. I’m excited because, even though all Dr. Horn did this week was literally ride into town and wave hi, he’s played by Željko Ivanek (at right in the above photo), a recurring supporter from the great Homicide: Life on the Street who’s popped into dozens of movies throughout my lifetime and made them better places to be, for at least the span of his own scenes. If Revolution is adding him as a Big Bad, then…well, between him and last week’s strong episode, I may consider being excited about the frequent scenes that don’t have Giancarlo Esposito in them.

Enough about Ivanek. What about this week in Tom Neville news?

“Revolution” 10/23/2013 (spoilers): Tom Neville on Her Majesty’s Secret Service

Giancarlo Esposito, Nicole Ari Parker, Revolution, NBC

Tom Neville, Defender of Wagon Force One!

On tonight’s new episode of Neville and the Revolution, “One Riot, One Ranger”, it’s promotion time for Our Hero once again! This time he didn’t even have to try — just wandered near Secretary Allenford’s wagon at exactly the right moment. Sometimes even a master planner needs a helping hand from blind luck.

Read more about his three (3) scenes tonight!

“Revolution” 10/16/2013 (spoilers): Tom Neville and the Corporate Ladder of Evil

Tom Neville, Giancarlo Esposito, Revolution, NBC

Born down in a dead man’s town! The first kick he took was…and so on.

On tonight’s new episode of Giancarlo Esposito’s Revolution, “Patriot Games”, Tom Neville teaches us all an important lesson about office politics: never let your evil supervisor stand between you and the evil promotion you deserve.

Read more about Neville, the people’s antihero!