Revolution, Season 2, Episode 18: “Austin City Limits”
Written by Paul Grellong & Jim Barnes
Directed by Helen Shaver
Airs Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on NBC
It was never going to end well when Jason reteamed with the Matheson/Monroe alliance (which we’ll just call the Alliance from now on). He stepped out of the darkness and into their camp with crucial intelligence on the Austin meeting point for the Patriots’ cadets. It took some convincing, but eventually the Alliance brought him into the fold to stop whatever it is the Patriots are up to in Austin, albeit with his hands bound.
There’s plenty of foreshadowing for the closing moments. As Jason commands the Alliance to shoot him if he moves even an inch out of line, the cadet trainer reminds him how dangerous he can be. The stony efficiency with which he dismantles the countermeasures in the Patriots’ Austin hiding place suggests the Patriots have given Jason something he can’t quite shake.
Jason’s (probable) death is a bit of a game changer. Not in the same way that Danny’s was last season, but it alters the pieces enough so that the Alliance has two legitimate enemies: the Patriots and Neville. Of course, Tom might understand that Jason was a victim of circumstance — one who was constrained by his brainwashing — and focus his anger on the Patriots, but that seems unlikely.
The closing moments pull the episode together quite nicely, with Miles learning his lesson for letting the cadet scamper off into the night a few episodes back and Charlie’s gunshot causing alarm outside, leading to Miles killing the boy. If it wasn’t clear, Miles is slowly morphing back into the monster he was when he helped run the Monroe Republic, even if he had no choice other than to kill a child here.
Elsewhere, we get a little resolution on the Aaron/Cynthia story. We learn that the nanobots have not replicated her physical form, they’ve simply taken over her body for a while to compel Aaron to do their bidding. It’s not particularly compelling in a vacuum, but it’s a necessary plot point to resolve before getting to what’s next.
But this week’s episode is J.D. Pardo’s opportunity to shine. He gets more to do here than in any other episode in recent memory, and he makes the most of it. He gives a strong performance in what’s presumably his last non-flashback appearance, and provides a strong anchor to a good outing.
– Kris Holt