Note: Do not read on if you have not yet seen Season 2, Episode 6 of ABC's "Revenge," titled "Illusion."
"If we choose to, we can live in a world of confronting illusions. We can allow ourselves to be deceived by false realities. Or we can use them to hide our true intentions."
False realities is right -- this week's episode is full of 'em: Vic and Conrad renew their nuptials, Gordon Murphy dies a second time, and the Stowaway re-opens with the help of a foreshadowed bad guy. Oh, and Emily and Fauxmanda teeter dangerously at the edge of having their true intentions exposed.
After going over a carefully crafted cover plan with Fauxmanda to account for the disappearance of her scar, Emily sends Mason barking down another trail -- one that leads to the Graysons.
The plan leads Emily to pick up Gordon's body, where it has apparently been chillin' on ice without notice. She creates a new reality for how he died -- shot repeatedly by Conrad Grayson, who left both the murder weapon and one of his cufflinks at the scene of the crime. Though this plot seems absurdly obvious, Mason Treadwell bites with gusto and gleefully does exactly what Emily hopes he will: he calls the police, and gives an also gleeful Vic a heads up. Conrad is arrested at the reception of his wedding, minutes after Vic hints to Daniel that he better prepare himself for taking over Grayson Global. Don't worry, Vic, he already is, with the help of "Mr. Bond."
Meanwhile, Charlotte has decided to skip out on what she thinks is her parents' latest PR stunt and goes to support Declan at the re-opening of the Stowaway. We've been getting hints for weeks now that Kenny is bad news, but ... how exactly? Everyone seems content, including Jack, who later proposes to Fauxmanda on the deck of the Amanda. Her answer? "Yes. Ohmigod, yes!"
The happy mood is interrupted when news of Conrad's arrest flashes over the TV. Charlotte dashes back home to Grayson Manor, as does Kara. Vic asks Kara why her eyes carry loss rather than relief. Instead of answering, Kara mumbles yet more questions about Gordon and the kidnapping, but gets lost in her memories of Gordon and lets the whole thing drop.
In other news, Nolan confronts Padma about being a snoop at Grayson Global re: David Clarke, and she acts like a little kid who has gotten into the cookie jar. She apologizes for being secretive, and based on Nolan's demeanor during the exchange, better let well alone if she still wants to be wined and dined in luxury.
The biggest potential upset of the episode comes at the very end: Mason Treadwell has pieced together the connection between Fauxmanda and Emily due to an off-hand remark from Vic at the wedding reception. When Mason snarkily referred to Daniel as "dating the help," a downgrade from Emily Thorne, Vic quipped "she's just a juvie girl who cleans up nicely." And just like that, Mason is back on the Emily/Fauxmanda trail.
Could it be that Daniel agrees with Mason that Ashley is a step down from Emily? As they share a dance at the after-party, he asks Em if she ever thinks about what happened, and more or less asks for a second chance. What about Aidan, Emily?
Stay tuned -- next week's episode is titled "Exposure," and I can think of at least two people who will be on the receiving end of that!
"To successfully create an illusion, the first thing you need is trust. But, to perfect an illusion, the false reality must be as authentic as the one it hides."
