For months, Melissa has been talking about the TV series Revenge, how she got into it with her boyfriend and then later her mother, and how, aside from it being utterly entertaining, it is also highly addicting.  I can vouch for both of those things, since I have now become an addict, but it took me a while to realize it and get passed the title, which does not bring pleasant things to mind…I had to open my mind, something that I have been starting to do more and more as of late.

I had caught part of an episode a while ago, but could not get into it at all since I had no idea of what was going on.  So, I dismissed Melissa’s offers of loaning me the first season…until last Tuesday when she brought it with her to my place.  I put it by my TV and forgot about it until she brought it up two days later over Red Mango, telling me to as least watch one episode.  On Friday, having a relaxing weekend of nothing spread before me, I decided to give Revenge a try.  I ended up watching six episodes that night and had to pry myself off of the couch…I was hooked.

For those of you that don’t know, Revenge revolves around main character Emily Thorne, who’s real identity is Amanda Clarke.  She is the daughter of David Clarke, a man who was wrongfully imprisoned for treason and later killed: a patsy.    Before he died, David Clarke put together a box of information so that his daughter would learn the truth, implicating, among many, the Graysons as having a huge part in his imprisonment; it had been their company that he had worked for.  Emily travels back to the Hamptons (where it all started) to see revenge, taking up residence at the beach house that her dad had once owned, which, coincidentally is right next door to the Grayson estate.  It is known that Victoria Grayson had had an affair with David Clarke and that she was in love with him; it is also known that she later betrayed him to save herself.

The series is labeled as an evening soap opera, and in many ways (betrayal, secrets, lies) it is, but it also resembles that of a thriller, which is why I think I like it so much (Tana French).  Behind all of the drama is a story, and although I, myself am nothing like Emily Thorne, I can’t help by root for her.  There is a vulnerability to her that she barely shows, but you can feel it bubbling underneath the surface, just waiting to explode.  Something interesting for the literaries, as I have been doing a bunch of googling in regards to this show, I found out that it was inspired by Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, the character of Emily being based on the main character Edmond Dantès (a female version of course).  I have not actually read this book, but I know people who have and they loved it.  It also kind of makes me want to add it to my reading list.  Season three starts at the end of the month and I plan on watching it, in the meantime, I’ll be starting season two by next week at the latest.