Note: Do not read on if you have not seen Season 1, Episode 14 of ABC's "Revenge," entitled, "Perception."
From the minute "Revenge" premiered, the entire season has been leading up to one simple question: Who shot Daniel Grayson?
"Perception," this week's episode, may not have given us any answers, but it did start to put things into focus, leaving us with more that a few clues.
At this point, Jack is the most obvious suspect. Not only did he get himself caught up in the Grayson family drama, but he also pushed a lot of buttons -- my own included.
Look, I get it, Jack. You're really, really bummed that Amanda left you, but ultimately, she's the one that left! For the entirety of the episode, Jack went from lovesick puppy to psychotic ex-boyfriend faster than Victoria Grayson could flip her hair.
He'll do anything to get Amanda back, even go head-to-head with the Graysons, which makes me think that maybe he gets into a scuffle with Daniel at the engagement party. After all, during his meltdown, Jack did threaten Emily, which didn't necessarily amuse her hubby-to-be Daniel.
Back in the Hampton's, Ashley is preparing for Emily and Daniel's engagement party, the ill-fated Fire & Ice Ball. It's definitely going to be the hottest ticket in the Hamptons.
Amidst her planning, she almost catches Victoria watching one of Mason Treadwell's tapes: the one where he professes his love for the icy Mrs. Grayson.
The way Victoria longingly ran her fingers across the computer screen was a nice touch. It looks like she really misses David Clarke, kind of like the way Jack misses Amanda Clarke. If he had a videotape of her, he'd probably be stroking her face too.
We then discover that Victoria requested white for the engagement photos. I mean, obviously. How else is Victoria going to one-up Diddy and his annual White Party?
Meanwhile, Emily is waiting for the perfect moment to reveal Victoria's dirty little secret. In typical Nolan fashion, he's worried about how baby sis Charlotte will take the news. Emily Thorne doesn't really care.
I mean, do we really care about Charlotte at this point? She's about as boring as Declan. Maybe that's why those two deserve each other!
At the Porter residence, Jack is determined to find Amanda, tell her that his assault wasn't her fault and somehow, beg her to take him back.
That must have been some trip to Atlantic City because Jack is officially obsessed with Amanda. Sure, he's been obsessed with her since they were little, but does Jack really have no clue that stripper Amanda isn't his Amanda?
In his desperate attempt to find a clue to her whereabouts, Jack finds one of Treadwell's tapes under Amanda's bed. Hoping that she'll return to pick up her forgotten tape, Jack leaves a message on her phone. Emily just so happens to be on the other end, listening to Jack's every word.
This just threw a wrench into Emily's plan. But she can't worry about that now because she has a few engagement photos to pose for.
During the photo shoot, Daniel and Emily look as happy together as Victoria and Conrad. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Emily's front is starting to show, but does Victoria notice?
Ashley, who's on a mission to make everything perfect, tells the two to think back to the first time that they met. Emily remembers the first time she met Daniel, in a seedy bar. Although, back then, her name was Amanda Clarke, and between her frizzy hair and glasses, there's no way Daniel would ever remember her.
Was it just me or did Emily's former self remind you of a dorky Taylor Swift in "You Belong With Me"?
Let's just tawk about Emily's accent for a second. Was that supposed to be her "native" Long Island tongue?
Meanwhile, we're finally introduced to Grandpa Grayson! However, Pops isn't too happy with Conrad's decision to divorce Vicky. Divorces are much too public for grandpa's liking, and with the image of the company at stake, he's not willing to risk it.
When Conrad confronts Vicky about her little talk with his father, she throws a few of her own demands into the mix. After all, did he really think that she was just going to let him boss her around like that?
Victoria will do anything to make sure Conrad doesn't spill the beans about Charlotte's real father. Welcome back, Victoria Grayson: Ball Buster.
Emily sends Nolan on a mission to get the tape away from Jack, but Jack just won't let it out of his sight. Unfortunately for Emily, it's the tape from her first interview with Treadwell, when she was 10 and revealed her father's affair with Victoria.
So in order to get the tape back, she must resort to desperate measures. She finds Amanda and has her call Jack. Poor Jack. It's kind of like sprinkling salt on an open wound.
Was it just me or was Amanda supposed to be in Paris, i.e. far, far away from the Hamptons? Or maybe that was just the lie I told myself because I'd rather not see Amanda ever again.
It turns out that Amanda was "going crazy" not being able to talk to Jack. Gag. I still would like to know what happened in Atlantic City.
Back at the Grayson's, someone (Conrad) is finally detecting the sinister vibes coming from Ashley. I think that Ashley knows a lot more that she lets off. I mean, she is the eyes and ears of the Grayson household. I wouldn't be surprised is she knew Emily's little secret.
Meanwhile, Charlotte -- and a very normal-looking Victoria (sporting a Sporty Spice ponytail!) -- walk into the Stowaway. Who knew mommy-and-me bonding time could be so casual with the Graysons?
When Jack arrives to meet Amanda with the tape, in a moment of weakness, Amanda vaguely tells Jack the truth about her real identity. In a burst of anger, Jack walks out the door ... with the tape. He wants to know what Amanda's hiding.
Emily's not happy with Amanda's subpar performance, and she urges Amanda to go after Jack. Unfortunately for Emily, she's done playing her game. It looks like it's up to Emily to get the tape back from Jack.
Maybe it was out of pity -- or stupidity -- but Nolan slips and shows Jack the tape. Then cut to Jack with a really, super serious look on his face. Does Jack know the secret?
He runs to Amanda, pleading with her to open the door. He's like that needy ex-boyfriend that couldn't quite let you go. Pretty soon he'll start tweeting her poetry and showing up with a boom box over his shoulder. I mean, it worked for John Cusack.
In all serious, Jack is getting so emotionally unstable that I wouldn't be surprised if he was the one who shot Daniel at the engagement party.
But back at the engagement dinner, Daniel is gloating about his bride-to-be, and Grandpa Grayson makes a startling -- yet scarily accurate -- comparison between Emily and Victoria. They are kind of similar, aren't they?
Before Emily could "graciously" accept the "compliment," Jack shows up and causes a Montauk ruckus. Oh snap! Jack just outed Victoria's secret at the Grayson family dinner table and oh boy, do things get nasty.
Conrad confirms Jack's accusation, revealing Victoria's affair to everyone at the table, including Daniel, who can't believe that mommy dearest lied to him.
Meanwhile, Charlotte is crushed. It looked like someone had just run over her puppy. "No... he's not." [Cries and runs away.] Obviously, this is the worst day of her life, much worse than her Sweet 16. So what does she do? She runs straight to the booze. Good girl. You're starting to get a bit more interesting.
Grandpa Grayson is also not pleased with Conrad's poor performance, and it might just lead to Conrad's resignation from the company.
Could Conrad get so desperate to reclaim his company that he would kill his own son for it? There's no way that I think Conrad would stoop that low, but this is "Revenge" and anything can happen.
After the super awkward engagement dinner, Emily arrives home only to find out that someone knows her secret, and that someone not only took her box, but they also left a RSVP for "Miss Emily Thorne."
While psycho Amanda would be the obvious culprit, I happen to believe that there's more to Ashley than just Victoria's lapdog. Could Ashley be the one who uncovered Emily's secret? And could she be the one who shot Daniel at the engagement party?
Looks like we'll have to wait until next week to find out.
Notable Quotables:
"My perception is blinded by only one thing: revenge."
Emily
"Was fire and brimstone not available?"
Nolan
"It's astonishing how your mother decided to model the theme of your party after both sides of her personality."
Conrad
"I think you're so busy looking down the road, that you lost sight of us mere mortals long ago."
Nolan
"It's like the beginning of a joke! Two Graysons walk into a bar."
Declan
"Ah, it's Victoria's pet bird."
Declan, to Ashley
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"Revenge" airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. EST on ABC.