Revenge 2x03 - "Confidence"
There's always so much going on in every episode of this show that I need a few days to process it beyond an incoherent flail, and Confidence was no exception! I'm still unsure of my feelings on a couple of points, so I guess I'll just have to make it up as I go along.
So... Aiden, the man successfully trained free of any & all emotions by Takeda. I've had my worries that he'd end up replacing Nolan as Emily's sidekick, especially when they'd talk about the fact that Emily & him were romantically involved & he knows who she really us, but honestly? This episode set me at ease because it provided the background to Aiden/Emily, and it wasn't something she was particularly fond of AT ALL.
The two flashbacks where he exploited Emily's emotions to win Takeda's incredible race and betrayed her by leaving her behind to listen to Sensei's self-righteous speeches about her mistake of putting her trust in people. The way he keeps lying to her now that he's back (Takeda didn't send me! I mean, he kind of did, but he didn't!) & does everything to prevent her from finding the truth about her mother. Emily is an evil genius. She knows better than to put her full trust in this guy without a backup plan, and if he starts getting in her way too much, he'll wish he was back in that dumpster w/ a ticket to Japan!
I just love how she wasn't having any of his BS about trusting him
& knocked him over the head with her finest vintage specimen to then literally DUMP him, lol.
B/C SAVING HER DOESN'T UNDO YOUR LIES, DUDE.
By the way, the lengths Aiden went to sabotage Emily's search for her mother & keep her focused on the mission contributed to my headcanon that Takeda has a personal bone to pic with the Initiative and wants to channel Emily's vendetta against the organization to do his dirty work. Now, wouldn't it be ironic if she was the ultimate pawn in his hands? He IS supposed to have a PhD in Revenge, after all.
Kind of saw the WHM*/Kara twist coming when he spoked about her fondly in the S1 finale, but still, EEK. That must have been very traumatising for Emily to find out. I wish people would stop theorising Em is his daughter, though, HASN'T THE POOR GIRL BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH. I mean, Kara did only meet him after David asked her for the divorce, so pls to be killing this theory with fire.
* I refuse to call him Gordon because a) he was way creepier with no name tbh & b) lol an assassin with his real ID on him, I DON'T THINK SO. I hope it is some kind of a cover name given to him by the Initiative.
I'm also certain that Kara is or was involved with the Initiative on some level. Did anyone else think that it sounded kind of like her on the other line when Conrad got that phonecall from Americon?
Anyway, while I kind of hoped she'd be running it for extra dramatic purposes, it seems WHM & her went off grid & tried to start a life with that half of Charlotte's inheritance he was blackmailing Victoria with. That's the only explanation for why someone who works for a terrorist organization would side with their enemy #1 Victoria for some money. Wow, I'm actually glad Emily wasn't the one who took out WHM... that would have been an awkward conversation to have with her mother when they finally meet since Kara is in love with him! It was great to see her alive & well, by the way. I'm so glad whenever we find out that Emily is not the only survivor from her family, even though everything keeps pointing at the fact Ems & her mum won't be hosting Sunday barbecues together anytime soon because of Kara's severe condition.
Next up, Jack, you guys. I used to be quite neutral toward him, but I'm disliking him more & more with every episode this season. It really bothers me, so I'm just going to say it: his behaviour toward Fauxmanda, the mother of his child for all intents and purposes, has been completely repulsive. He's been treating her like crap lately, and tbh I think he used her appearance at the press conference as an excuse to show her the door, 8 months pregnant. Emily has manipulated her into going there & set her up to take the fall ("Aren't WE family?" UGH you're better than that, Ems, F actually meant it at the parking lot!), but it's a grey area because Em is pissed at Fauxmanda for living the life she was saving for herself for post-revenge days, yet Ems let it get go as far as J/F making a baby herself by not telling Fauxmanda her true purpose of being in the Hamptons sooner. Jack has no knowledge of Fauxmanda's shenanigans, to him, she's essentially the girl he's been waiting for all his life who's come back & is carrying his child. So what the ef, dude? What makes my blood boil the most is that with Emily, he is this Boy Next Door, all smiles & longing stares, while he's actually THAT guy when she isn't looking. I'm legit thanking heavens J/E aren't my OTP b/c who's to say he wouldn't be the same way to Emily once the honeymoon is over & she does something he doesn't approve of (and she likes her independence). I felt so heartbroken for Fauxmanda in the end. :( Very disappointed to find out these particular layers underneath his Mr Nice Guy act, ngl.
Guys, why are ALL Emily's canon love interests varying types of jerks, I cannot. How is MK even surprised I should ship her with someone who is clearly better for her in every possible way, has consistently proven himself reliable and already shares a very profound connection with her? THESE TWO ARE MY LIGHTHOUSE STANDING TALL AMIDST ALL THE DARK & TWISTY THINGS THAT I HAVE TO DEAL WITH ON THIS SHOW ON A WEEKLY BASIS, OKAY:
Best frame ever, y/y? I can see how Padma could have gotten the wrong impression there, lol oops.
Nolan/Emily were everything in this episode. I loved that she drove all the way to his office to ask him for help and it was sort of implied that he possibly slept there after Emily told him to clear it the previous night because he usually isn't in this early. She chose to keep him in the dark about WHM, and it felt weird this time around (since they've been at full disclosure lately), but he still went w/ it & promised not to ask questions because he always has her back.
They were so gorgeous in this scene! HEARTS IN HIS/MY EYES.
& then the scene proceeded to be really awesome because first of all, Em's reaction at Padma's verry innuendous, "Never mind my wake-up text" entrance I just HAD to make a gif of:
Emily Van Camp makes the BEST innocent wtf faces, this is known
... followed by the BEST introduction someone who stans NEmily as hard as I do could ever hope for:
SHE IS HIS EMILY. YOUR ARGUMENT IS INVALID.
I... what is this guys. I think I zoned out for about five minutes the first time I watched it because this is essentially Nolan letting it show that Emily is clearly more than a friend to him. It's the only explanation since Ems has established he is a true friend to her in S1, a title he was very proud to earn via his loyalty and should have no problem stating in public by now. I find it very interesting the way she turns to look at him still shaking Padma's hand as he awkwardly tries to figure out his feelings for her. It's obviously not something he considers on a daily basis, so he's taken aback by having to define what they are. She's Emily - his partner in crime, his closest friend and his entire life for the past year... and he loves her. God, could it be more clear that he does?
No wonder Padma looked so jealous looking at them stand there so preciously together. When she complimented Nolan on Emily's looks & he looked all, "Yes, that's my girl!" A+. What I found interesting is Nolan telling Padma that Emily asked him to move out, even though he kind of pushed her toward that decision in the previous episode. As far as he is concerned, she is leaving him, and the same vibe is kind of present in the later scene where he's packing, which I will get to. Anyway, I love that he says their relationship is "extremely complicated" because that's an understatement of the year with everything they've been through & all the secrets and undisclosed desires they share.
SIDEBAR: It's funny how they stood there forming 100% of NolCorp's stock & Padma the CFO had NO idea.
BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT PHONECALL THAT SURPASSED EVERYTHING I EVER DREAMED OF SEEING IN TERMS OF MY OTP THIS SOON:
THE WAY HE SAID IT, TOO. ALL THE OTP FEELS.
I mean, is it just me, or did this kind of epically canonise the ship? B/c I'm pretty sure this is NOT how you encourage your fanbase to view two chars platonically. Dear Aaron Herberts & Grechen J. Berg who wrote this episode, please know that you are forever my favourites for this.
This scene was also pretty great b/c despite being a billionaire, Nolan is essentially living beyond his means having expensive lunches on NolCorp's dime. Another interesting insight into his character! Bad boy, Nolan. His pulling a 180° on ANY AND ALL PLANS HE HAD for the the day for Emily will never not be the best thing ever, though:
NOLAN'S PRIORITIES, LET ME SHOW THEM TO YOU.
Let's face it, Nolan should have known better than to walk into Emily's house with all the lights out (come to think of it, she usually leaves them on even if she isn't home!) because those doors are open for a reason - IT'S MORE DANGEROUS INSIDE THAN OUTSIDE. Still, seeing my bb get choked is always a very scarring sight, even though he was a trooper and actually attempted to fight back rather than quivered with fear this time.
In S1 extras, Nolan says that his father beat him as a kid, which was my headcanon ever since he almost died of fear at Frank's pointing a gun at him. So I'm VERY glad to see him learn self-defense and actually put it to use in a dangerous situation - it must have felt good to have the rush to fight back take over the paralising fear for once, too. Also, this scene wasn't a complete disaster because LOOK AT THE SHIFT IN EMILY'S PRIORITIES THESE DAYS:
1. Ensure Nolan's well-being.
2. Everything else.
<333
She truly cares about him at this point, and you know what? I believe Emily's insistance that Nolan's done everything he could for her and her choice not to tell him about Aiden is for his own protection. He matters to her now, and she knows that Aiden can't be trusted, so she wants to keep him out of it, which is huge for their relationship. The sad truth is, she should know by now how dangerous it is to keep her close ones out of the loop. The way she feels about Nolan makes him her weak spot open for anyone to exploit at will, so it's more important than ever that he stays on top of things. Alas.
With that, I suppose we've finally ventured into their final scene which showed that NEmily will always find new ways to break my heart. How can they maintain absolute perfection even as they're breaking up? It's one of the greatest mysteries of the universe.
Just. Emily's face and the soft, "Nolan..." when he implies she won't miss him:
You have to be someone very special when you manage to get to Emily Thorne on this level.
... and you can tell how much Nolan is devastated by this turn of events when he does this:
Anyone who's shipped them for a while knows that these two prefer never to have any kind of distance between them when speaking. They've been all up in each other's personal space pretty much since the day they met, so this is BIG. D: The look he gives her right after pretty much KILLS ME every time, deep down he clearly does not want to leave, but it's too late to back down now. He doesn't tell Emily where he's moving. She doesn't tell him about Aiden. Both are for his own benefit, and yet...
... he's obviously dying on the inside. AND SO AM I.
It tugs at my heart strings so much that she still can't help telling him what she found out about her mother because he's literally the only person in her life who cares... & just like that, it's bigger than his own hurt feelings:
I'M SORRY, I THINK IT'S RAINING ON MY FACE.
If she as much as hinted she wanted him to stay, he would have dropped his wounded pride and done it in a second, but she feels like she has no right to ask that of him, to put him into more danger. So she simply acknowledges how much he's done for her, and it feels so final. Their perfect heartbroken teary-eyed faces, my heart cannot take them.
No one does an emotional scene like Gabriel Mann. NO ONE.
Why he doesn't have an Emmy collection on his shelf yet is beyond me because I'm pretty much a mess whenever Nolan & Emily fight, and particularly when Nolan is reduced to tears like this. Fascinating.
- Find her. That will be thanks enough.
That ultimate longing for connection, the way he traces his finger along her arm before he leaves and she acts like it's the most natural thing ever is my drug, you guys. It's what gives me hope that they will be alright because when you share that kind of intimacy with each other, no way you are able to shut that person out of your life this easily. I've no idea what this break-up means in terms of their scenes for the next few eps; all I can do is hope we won't be completely deprived of them b/c this scene has already given me advance separation anxiety. My level of investment into this ship has been way past the dangerous level for months, & if it's wrong, I don't ever want to be right. Don't cry, my sweet bbs. It will only ever be you. ღ