Episode 110 of Revolution, titled “Nobody’s Fault But Mine”, opens with a flashback to 5 years after the blackout with Bass and Miles fighting side-by-side, presumably in a battle to draw the lines of what is now known as theMonroe Republic. This episode had a few great flashbacks for these two characters at several points in their history – including as kids growing up together and shortly after Bass lost his entire family to a drunk driver. It laid the foundation of the dynamic between these characters and helped explain the motivations for actions they have taken.

Our team is now in Philadelphia and enlists the help of one of Miles’ few remaining friends. However, the group gets caught by Neville while Miles is out on a scouting trip. Miles wastes no time capturing and threatening to kill Neville’s wife unless he tells Miles where to find Charlie and Danny. Despite Julia’s pleas not to cooperate, Neville helps Miles by freeing Nora and Aaron and telling him about Monroe’s hideout at the power plant. Miles then locks Tom and Julia in a closet and leaves. Is this the same Miles that was chastising Charlie for her soft approach to not killing prisoners? Does this mean that Charlie has had a positive impact on Miles after their long journey here? Tom is pretty bold to tell Miles he’s going to kill him given his predicament. At first I thought that Neville was going to get in big trouble with Monroe for ratting him out, but I think it was all a trap to lure Miles to his location where he would have the upper ground.Monroe really should have known not to underestimate Miles. Doesn’t he know him better than that?

After a super-creepy speech by Strausser comparing Charlie to a peach, Rachel manages to grab a hammer and uses it to kill him. When she says to Strausser, “That’s for what you did to me” you are left wondering if he had forced himself on her at some point. We see yet another instance where Rachel has to defend herself and rises to the challenge. I am still not sure about Rachel and her motives, but am liking her a little better every week. I think that maybe I need a little more back story to fill in the gaps.

Ode to Strausser (a poem)
Oh Strausser, you’re a creep, but I’m not a fool
You were right when you said you were the right tool
You slither and slide in deference to Bass
Your soul is uglier than Aaron’s pockmarked ass
You’re scary and twisted and suck like a leech
And you’re sick when comparing Charlie to a peach
For all the vile things that you did and you said
You deserve what you got and I’m glad that you’re dead

Sorry, Charlie

I am hoping that this was the turning point for many to perhaps start thinking differently about Charlie. It has been a long trip and she has grown a lot – as a person, as a fighter, and as a survivor. I’m not surprised that she is conflicted about finding her mother alive. She doesn’t know what happened and will probably hedge her feelings until she gets the whole story. She also knows that this is not the time to be distracted by a teary reunion. It’s time to finish the job, to get Danny and to get out. Finally seeing these two in the same room, I was struck by how much these two actress really do resemble each other, especially considering that Elizabeth Mitchell was cast later, after the pilot had originally been shot with another actress in that role.

Miles and Bass – Together at Last

Last week’s hallucination episode showed us one of Miles’ greatest fears – having Monroe welcome him back with open arms and not being able to follow-through with what was the right thing to do – killing Monroe. Not only did this week’s episode see this fear actually come to pass, but it really helped us understand why this was such a difficult choice for Miles. Billy Burke was excellent in this episode, his reactions during the standoff with Bass were pitch-perfect. I was impressed by his physical reactions alone – as an actor, being able to actually tremble to show how torn he was between pulling the trigger and rejoining his old friend. Some might say that Miles waited too long and should have killed Monroe instead of monologuing about it.  Hey, if he hadn’t hesitated, we wouldn’t have gotten that great fight scene! This is what we’ve been leading up to all season, and it didn’t disappoint. Guns, fists, and finally a good old-fashioned swordfight – like pirates!

What shocked me was when Bass threw his gun down. That shows how much he was convinced that Miles would rejoin him. I think Bass has really gone over the deep end if he is so deluded that he would expect Miles to just come back as if nothing had happened. If we thought Bass was scary-driven before, I bet he cranks it up to 11 after what transpired at the power plant.

Power at the Plant

Was anyone else disappointed when they actually got the amplifier working, at a power plant, but didn’t use it to actually start up the power plant and get the lights back on in Philadelphia? I thought for sure that we would see a night shot of a dark Philadelphia, and then have it all lit up like a Christmas tree after Monroe succeeded in starting things back up. What was the point in having all the action occur in a power plant if you’re just going to use the power to man a little helicopter instead? Think bigger Monroe!

What’s Next?

After the inevitable escape from the cliffhanger of a machine gun-wielding helicopter taking aim at our newly liberated cast of characters, what will our team be up to next? Going home to Wisconsin seems anticlimactic at this point. Plus, what is there to really go back to? They will certainly be hunted by Monroe, Neville, and the entire militia. Here are a few things I would like to see when the show returns in late March:

• I would like to see our team join the rebels and fight to bring down Monroe. This would be a great opportunity for the show to bring in some new fresh characters and tell some action-packed and meaty stories.
• Rachel/Miles/Nora love triangle, anyone? I know, triangles are a little cliche, but that’s because they are so fun! I hope we learn a lot more about the history between Miles and both of these women. I have a sneaking suspicion that Rachel and Miles had a torrid love affair while she was in his “captivity”. That slap that Rachel gave Miles upon seeing him for the first time felt very personal, almost intimate. And Miles was very surprised by the fact that she was still alive. I have a feeling that Nora and Rachel will not be the best of friends. Nora seems more of an earnest soldier and Rachel seems more of a plotter and opportunist. I see disagreements between these two about the direction and purpose of the group.
• As much as tension between Nora and Rachel seems inevitable, I think the tension between Rachel and Charlie is even more likely, given their interactions in this week’s episode. Rachel will just want to keep her family safe and get as far away fromMonroe as possible. Charlie on the other hand will feel a responsibility to stop Monroe before more innocent people are killed. Everyone else will be caught in the middle and will have to pick a side.
• I believe we will run into Aaron’s wife at some point. Perhaps she is working with the rebels and they will bump into her. Awkward!
• Nate! I mean Jason! I was a little disappointed that we did not see Jason in this episode. I thought he would betray his Mom and Dad and help our team find Danny. Alas, Jason was nowhere to be seen. I think that Jason will be joining our new group when the season continues next year, unless JD got a better gig and is off the show. I’m not a big Jason fan (yet), but I think there is an untold story there that I would like to see.
• I was also disappointed that we did not see anything about Randall or Grace in this episode. I am sure we will get a lot more of that story when the show comes back in March. Perhaps the parallel story lines will intersect. We don’t know where Grace and Randall are right now. Are they still somewhere in Illinois? If our team stays on the East Coast, then a reunion with Randall and Grace is less likely, but who knows where the story will take us in the second half of this season. Wherever it takes us, I’ll be there!

Post your thoughts on this episode, or the season so far, in the comments below!