REVENGE Recap: Confidence

Emily is less than thrilled over Aiden’s assistance in preventing her death. He killed the only person who could tell her what happened to her mother. She isn’t happy Takeda sent her a nanny, either, she can handle her own problems. When Aiden killed White Hair, he also destroyed White Hair’s phone, which might contain valuable information that could help her in her search. Aiden tells her that even if White Hair didn’t kill her mother, as he claimed, someone else might have. When he turns his back on her, she clobbers him over the head. I can’t help but  wonder what kind of grades Emily got in school for working and playing well with others.

Daniel is still watching Emily’s house, and now Victoria is joining in, too. Danny boy sounds downright wistful as he tells his mother that Emily cleans house when she can’t sleep, that’s why her lights are on. Vicky later calls Emily, inviting her over to discuss strategy for handling the pesky reporters hanging around.  It’s amazing how successful Emily can be at keeping secrets, considering how much time others spend staring in her direction.  Once at the mansion, Victoria basically makes it clear that it’s best if Emily cut all ties with her family. She makes it sound like it‘s all for Emily‘s benefit, of course.

Declan’s new friend now has him breaking and entering. Oh Declan, you never fail to disappoint. Whatever the stupid path to take might be, you’ll find it. This time he leaves a drivers license behind, and the homeowner takes it to Jack. He agrees not to press charges as long as Declan returns everything, and now Jack is in his debt. Something about the looks of the guy makes me think they haven’t heard the end of this debt. Good going Declan.

Jack and Amanda are planning a nursery. He isn’t happy about the generous baby gift from Charlotte, and tells Amanda to give it back. Oh, he also tells her to stay away from the Grayson’s. She’s really trying to walk the line, for Jack’s sake. She’s always wanted a family. Emily isn’t interested in fairy tales, though, she has grudges to settle, and she pushes Amanda to act as her agent, delivering a doctored diary to Charlotte to drive a wedge.  That big secret Amanda has makes her vulnerable to Emily’s blackmail.  Amanda does Emily’s bidding, and Charlotte is so infuriated by what she reads that she confronts Victoria. Unfortunately, Victoria is in the middle of an interview at the time. Charlotte doesn‘t care, she even goes so far as to announce to the reporter that David Clark is her real father.

Nolan introduces Emily to Padma, his new CFO. He can’t think of any good way to explain his relationship with Emily other than “it’s complicated”.  He gives up trying and later leaves her to handle things on her own because he has to get to the bat pole. His super hero persona is needed to try and retrieve information from that broken phone.

Aiden wakes up in a garbage dumpster, just as the garbage truck is picking it up. That Emily…always the prankster. She did leave him with a plane ticket back to Japan though.  He doesn’t take the hint. Through flashbacks we learn that he and Emily had been in a relationship during training, but he had betrayed her in his own quest to find his sister. They were supposed to meet, and he never showed. We know how Emily holds a grudge, so this explains a lot about her attitude towards him now and why she doesn‘t want him around. He wants any personal effects White Hair (who’s name was Gordon Murphy) may have had on him, as he hopes it will lead him to White Hair’s employer, the Initiative. He goes to investigate Murphy’s motel room, and finds a flight recorder, then goes to Emily and offers a trade. As he leaves the motel, he claims to be a detective and shows a photo of Murphy to an employee, asking if she‘s seen him.  He doesn’t know what Emily’s mother looks like, so he doesn’t realize that she is the person he is talking to. After he leaves, she calls the police department to check his story and learns immediately that he wasn’t who he said he was. When Emily gives him Murphy’s things, she holds onto a pocket watch, because there is a photo of her mother inside. She realizes it means that her mother and Murphy were involved. She doesn’t share this information with him.

Aiden sends Daniel a package, a move to get his own little plan rolling. He gives Daniel the fake passport that Murphy had for Victoria, as well as a threatening note attached that implicates Victoria in her own “kidnapping”. Daniel is with Emily when he receives it, moments before Victoria’s press conference to give her version of her “ordeal.“ He thinks confirms every terrible thought he ever had about his mother. When he confronts Victoria, she lays the blame on him because he gave Conrad the evidence she had against him instead of using it. She storms away to get ready for her moment in the spotlight, and Daniel has another moment with Emily, who tells him he can only beat his mother by playing the game better than she does. He appears to consider her words carefully.

Victoria admits on the podium that Charlotte is the product of her affair with David Clark, and calls her daughter to stand beside her. Conrad is called to the stage as well, just after he has received a threatening phone call from whomever Murphy worked for in the Initiative. When she calls Daniel to join her, he appears hesitant at first but ultimately plays the dutiful son. Lastly, the big surprise, Victoria welcomes “Amanda” into the fold, embracing her as one of their own. Amanda, who was only there to deliver the diary to Charlotte, looks like a deer in headlights, but goes along with the game. When Victoria thanks Daniel later for his support, he tells her how thankful he is to have her back and he wants to put their problems behind them. When he hugs her, though, his expression suggests he’s merely taking Emily’s advice on playing the game. He excuses himself and makes a getaway when Conrad and a reporter arrive, and the reporter spills that Conrad told her their secret plan to remarry. Victoria seethes, but plays along. Once alone, Conrad tells Victoria about the threatening phone call.

Jack is furious that Amanda had lied about her whereabouts that afternoon, he saw her with the Grayson’s on television. He tells her he’s committed to the baby, but not to her, then walks away as a heartbroken Amanda stands there speechless.

Aiden shows up at Emily’s and tells her his plan worked, the Initiative is back in contact with Conrad. Emily is angry that Aiden’s plan could have destroyed her own that is already in play. He points out that it didn’t, and that Daniel now trusts her again. He reminds her that their interests used to be one and the same, and he wants her to trust him again. She remembers Takeda’s teachings, though, that in order to succeed she must close her heart. Later, having put Murphy’s sim card in her own phone, she listens to a voice mail her mother left for him, worrying about him and telling him she loves him. As she listens, Emily is staring at the photo in the pocketwatch. She knows it’s her on the phone, and she now knows her mother is alive.

REVENGE airs Sunday’s at 9/8c on ABC.