Revenge

[norwich36]

So did anyone else watch this show? I thought it was pure soapy fun, and I'll probably keep watching it, especially since there's nothing else of interest to me on Wednesday nights and it's on late enough that I am usually home from work when it airs. (I'm already taping too many shows and don't want to add another).

Comments

[jeannev.livejournal.com]

I did. I really liked it. Good premise, strong cast, gorgeous setting. Count me in. :)

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's pretty much my feeling. Plus, vicarious revenge on rich jerks--it's kind of cathartic!

[clari-clyde.livejournal.com]

I didn’t watch it last night. However the teasers have been going nonstop and I’m fixated on how you call it “soapy fun” because the teasers made it seem like this was a dark and brooding show.

Can you talk more on the mood, atmosphere and character relationship dynamics on the show?

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

Well, it's dark in the sense that the main character is very clear that this is going to be a show about revenge, not forgiveness--but in my head I've been comparing it to Ringer, which is the other noirish show I was giving a try to, and I liked it a lot better. First of all, the visual look of the show is a lot more appealing; like jeannev said above, it has a gorgeous setting on the Long Island shore, and the cast is very very pretty. I've always liked Emily Van Camp (who plays a protagonist also named Emily), so I found it easy to sympathize with her, even though her moral choices are clearly questionable. She has a great antagonist, too, in Madeleine Stowe, who is just bitchy enough that you can root against her, and yet (so far, anyway) not completely one-dimensional. And the pilot was just SO MUCH BETTER than the Ringer pilot; it immediately sucked me in to the mystery that is clearly going to play out through the season, who killed Emily's fiance.

I'm not expecting it to be deep or complex; it seems to me to be in the tradition of Dynasty and that sort of thing, which generally isn't my cup of tea but like I said I really like the actress, so I'll at least stick with it for a while.

[rsadelle]

Huh. The comparison to Ringer is interesting. I watched both of them, and I'm going to keep watching both of them, at least for a while. I think Revenge more than Ringer is going to suffer if it gets renewed for another season - although I suppose they could go the route of some other person getting soapy revenge. (Or the murder is the setup for season two.)

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I can see how Revenge may not hold up after the first season.
I had to give up on Ringer; it tripped my "fish out of water" squick way too much, but even without that I really didn't like any of the characters enough to keep watching. I am a little curious about where the plot will go, though--I may ask you for updates.

[rsadelle]

Ah, well, I can do that! I think part of what I liked about Ringer was that at the beginning I was rolling my eyes - oh, SMG, playing Buffy again - but the character really did become more interesting to me. I'm not sure Sarah Michelle Gellar's acting range is that broad, but I do think she's managing to make Bridget, Siobhan, and Bridget-as-Siobhan three different women.

[svmadelyn.livejournal.com]

I agree on the pure soapy fun front! I was in the mood for something exactly like this - pretty and atmospheric and full of destruction. :D

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

Yes, exactly. Sometimes I want a show I don't have to care too much about, that is just fun and pretty (and in this case, cathartic in its vengeance quest).

[beck-liz.livejournal.com]

I watched it last night and enjoyed it more than I was expecting. It helps that there are lots of strong women in it. I need to remember to set the series to record.

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

Oops, sorry, I just got this comment notification. But yeah, the strong women are definitely a selling point for me.

[shopgirl318.livejournal.com]

I watch the show. It is good fun but I'm not attached emotionally. I feel like this is what Ringer on the CW should be like.