7.5

Revolution: “Soul Train” (Episode 1.05)

By Adam Vitcavage  |  October 16, 2012 | 11:20am
Photo courtesy of Brownie Harris, NBC
TV Reviews
Revolution: “Soul Train” (Episode 1.05)

Last week proved Revolution isn’t afraid of hitting us where it hurts. Killing off Maggie was shocking, and revealing Rachel’s true allegiance was less so, but it packed a punch. This week the show continues to build tension without ever going overboard.

“Soul Train” starts off with what is becoming my favorite dynamic of the show: the relationship between Neville and Danny. The militia leader owes Danny a debt of gratitude after the captive saved his life, but of course he won’t recognize this. Whatever is happening here is deeper than just Neville leading the boy back to Monroe. Revolution may be about Charlie and Miles, but Danny definitely will play a major role as this series progresses. A compelling wrinkle to this aspect was Neville’s flashback. He was a complete pushover and fired the day of the blackout. He even warns his son (spoiler alert: who is Nate, the young militia boy tailing the group) while hitting a punching bag: “We only hit the bag, never people.” Guess the blackout changed that.

Neville continues to drive this episode when he meets Charlie. The friendly captain doesn’t know who she is, but he soon learns exactly who she is after she foolishly tails him. As big as the former America is, all of the main characters sure do bump into each other a lot. Sure, the good guys are tailing the bad guys, but is it really that easy?

Nora, the rebel/patriot, goes to a bookmaker looking for a “biography of Joe Biden”—a secret code that made me laugh. Hutch, the bookmaker, is enlisted by Nora to blow up a working train that’s headed for Philadelphia and Monroe’s headquarters. Of course there is an internal struggle among the group, as Danny will be on the train and will most likely die if the bomb goes off.

Everything plays out exactly as you think it would. This episode was the tale of close calls. Miles and Charlie get on the train with separate missions. Miles has to diffuse the bomb, and Charlie must find her brother. Miles’ task was a little unrealistic, but Charlie’s propelled the tension and added some intrigue to what will happen in the future.

Charlie is the heart of the show. She’s been put in a difficult situation and has navigated her way from a confused young lady to a strong, hardened woman ready to do anything. She’ll need to evolve more, but she is well on her way to becoming one of the strongest heroines on television.

 
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