recaps: “chained heat” (revolution 1x02)

The last line of my episode notes was just:
“WOW THIS SHOW GOOD SHOW”

Episode Rating: 8 mystical necklaces (out of 10)

Favorite Scene: “Good Cop/Stabby Cop” with General Monroe

Full recap after the jump (warning: spoilers for episode 2, obviously)

(Tivli has only one blogger - and I get bored easily - so this blog can’t recap every episode of every show, no matter how much it would like to.  What I can do is have random recaps when I feel like it.)
(Make sure to watch Revolution and everything else with Tivli!)

Revolution.  Oh, Revolution.  I’m enjoying it so much that their completely unrealistic cleanliness doesn’t even bother me.  It’s a bit like an old fantasy, in a way, where we kind of just ignore that everyone has eyeliner and gold plated dragon armor or whatever without any kind of mass-manufacturing ability.  It’s an aesthetically pleasing dystopia and I’m cool with it.  Moving on.

Note: “Chained Heat” is a terrible episode title.  It sounds like a innuendo-filled 80s rock song about kinky fun.  I have chosen to forget it and will instead call the episode “Moving Plot Along and Also A Lot of Revelations About the Mom and Also Shooting People in the Face”

This is a packed episode, with about a million important plot points, so I’m just going to haphazardly dash through.

We open with a new backstory/title sequence with gritty timelapse of the post-apocalypse, and it’s a little Instagrammy but pretty great.

Flashback!  Ben and Rachel (Charlie’s parents) are prepping to escape to the hopefully safer countryside.  Rachel tells Charlie that it’s like Dora the Explorer, which is heartbreaking.  Then she says, “I need you to be a big sister.  Your job, Charlie, is to not let go of your brother’s hand.  To never let go of Danny’s hand.”

Okay.

This is the point at which Rachel gives Charlie the crazies.  I’m assuming.  This show was executive produced by Eric Kripke, aka the guy who made Supernatural, aka the show with the most psychotically codependent siblings ever.  Dean Winchester’s Charlie’s need to protect her brother is NOT GOING TO END WELL.

That’s all.

Swordfight!  Adult Charlie uses puppy eyes to stop Uncle Miles from stabbing a militia guy in the neck.  This is an error.  We do get to see Nate stalking them through some gorgeous scenery, though.

Mysterious bar!  Miles goes looking for “Nora” in Pontiac, Illinois and finds that militia guy instead (no Jimmy Novak, though - Kripke, what is it with you and that town?).  Miles escapes the army crew and is so badass that the militia guy literally tries to run away from him while Miles is still in handcuffs.  It’s far funnier than it should be.

Captain Neville and Prisoner Danny!  We learn that only the Monroe Militia are allowed to carry firearms, and that the American flag is now the rebel flag.

Monroe!  Bass (General Monroe) plays a fun game of Torture Time with a rebel.  Sidenote: Monroe is just a super pretty dude.  Wow.

Miles and Charlie run off!  Well, Miles runs off to find Nora and Charlie follows him with her shockingly effective puppy eyes.  She also runs into Nate and handcuffs him to a pole.  I kind of like Charlie a lot, I think?  Olivia Dunham was a little boring at first too, and now she’s one of the best women on TV.  I get a similar vibe here.

Death scene!  This is actually a beautifully played scene, where captive Danny looks on as Neville “mercy poisons” a shot soldier.  I really believed the complexity here, of Neville’s caring and practicality and frightening coldness.  That eye contact with teary Danny?  Shiver.

Necklace!  Aaron shows Maggie the mystery power amulet, tells her they need to bring it to Grace (Danny’s mother figure from the pilot).  The blackout doesn’t follow natural laws, so it might be manmade and reversible.  Ooh.

Burial!  More awesome Danny and Neville clashing while they bury that soldier on the side of the road.

Nora-finding!  Charlie and Miles find a bunch of slaves in yellow tank tops and brown capris dragging a helicopter.  It’s pretty easy to figure out which one is Nora because she’s gorgeous and her tank top fits.  Miles rescues her, turns out she was there on purpose to get the guard’s sniper rifle.  He convinces her to help with mysterious mentions of their past.  Charlie stands there and looks concerned.

Flashback/Hand Cannon!  Adult Charlie tries to kill the lead guard.  She might choke.  She remembers watching her mom shoot a guy during a very suspenseful flashback.  She most certainly does not choke in the “shooting a guy in the face” department.

Grace!  Randall (I don’t know who he is but he’s scary) comes for Grace with another mysterious necklace and also a huge taser wand.

SHOCKER!  THE MOM IS ALIVE AND MONROE HAS HER.  WHATTTTT.

In summary:  Lots of stuff happened really fast!  This show kills a lot of people!  It’s obsessed with family!  It’s a very good show!  I’ll probably recap the whole thing!