Tracy Spiridakos, Billy Burke, Daniella Alonso
Revolution, Season 1, Episode 14: “The Night the Lights went out in Georgia”
Written by Paul Grellong
Directed by Nick Copus
Airs Mondays at 10 pm (ET) on NBC
While Revolution’s entire run to date has focused on the Monroe Republic, details have indicated that the collapse of the government following the loss of power led to numerous rogue factions taking control of various parts of the former United States, with Monroe and Miles only getting one part of it. The prospect of seeing how the other areas were ruled, and how the people in other parts of the country had coped with the loss of power, has thus been a very intriguing one, and it is this idea that the show explores this week, in an episode that opens up some intriguing new avenues for the show to explore.
It was fascinating to find out more about Miles’ time as a general. The idea of Miles’ regret over the time he spent running the Monroe Militia is something that the show has touched on before, but the story of Alec helps drive home how ruthless Miles really was on a personal level, giving greater context to his interactions with people like Monroe and Jim Hudson. It was sad to see Alec not get a longer arc, but the introduction of his character nonetheless gives some valuable insight into Miles’ psyche that should be valuable going forward in this new role as General of the Georgia Republic. While Miles’ major concern when fighting with the rebels was the fact that they did not have enough manpower, working with President Karen Foster takes care of that, but at the expense of putting him in charge of an army again. If his training, and the ensuing attack, is successful, Miles will be effectively leading his new army against his old one, in large part due to his inability to kill Monroe. How this weighs on Miles, and how he changes his behaviour as a result, is something worth looking out for, as it has the potential to be a compelling character study.
Elizabeth Mitchell
Rachel’s quest to turn the power back on also reveals some interesting details this week. The idea that the nanites are responsible for keeping otherwise sick people alive and relatively healthy adds an unexpected moral quandary to the idea of turning the power back on. It’s not inconceivable that other members of the research team would be similarly invested in keeping the power off for selfless reasons, and some may even choose to actively derail Rachel Matheson’s mission, and how they choose to do so promises to be intriguing. Rachel’s travel will also take her through many territories, and how she reacts to seeing the rule of other regimes compared to Monroe could also affect her decision on whether or not she wants everyone to have power or not. As Miles points out this episode, the only thing preventing other leaders from building nuclear bombs is a lack of power and radioactive materials, and whether or not Rachel comes to this same realisation, and how she reconciles her mission with this idea if she does, promises to be fascinating.
Overall, this was a fascinating episode. It was good to explore beyond the borders of the Monroe Republic, and Leslie Hope is a great addition to the show. With Texas Leader General Blanchard’s name being revealed this episode, hopefully more of Monroe’s equals will make their appearance as the show progresses. The lack of the Nevilles this episode was disappointing, but it’ll be intriguing to see, now with Miles firmly aligned, what role they play in the upcoming war, as they are the only real wild cards left. How the other rebels react to an alliance with the Georgia Republic, and how Rachel plans to turn the power on once she reaches the tower, are both worth tuning in to see next week.
– Deepayan Sengupta