Where The ‘Revenge’ Finale Failed — Second Guessing ‘Two Graves’
[Warning: This article may contain spoilers for the series finale of Revenge]
Revenge executive producer Sunil Nayar addressed fans’ concerns in an interview, assuring all that every possible plot and every possible outcome was carefully considered, before the writing team finally determined the best way to end the Revenge saga.
Nayar admits that the ending chosen for the finale of Revenge may not have been what some long-time fans of Revenge may have been expecting, but the Revenge showrunner also feels like sending Amanda Clarke (Emily VanCamp) sailing off into the sunset with Jack Porter (Nick Wechsler) was the only way the story told throughout Revenge‘s four-year run could have ended.
“Emily’s inspiration for executing revenge was inspired by honoring her father. To tell this story, she deserved success when she came out of it, and to have her die as a resolution, felt wrong. If she died, then everyone who helped her out on this journey, specifically Jack and Nolan (Gabriel Mann), would be in a place of utter sadness. And that’s not the right way for the show to go out.”
The twist that ended Revenge on such a haunting tone, that Amanda may only be alive because of a heart transplant received from unwitting donor Victoria Grayson, seemed to be essential to keeping Amanda’s character questioning what is real and what has been the product of fear-fueled nightmares. The Revenge writing team, Sunil admits, debated that particular plot twist.
“They had strong opinions about it, but I felt we struck the right balance. The show is fueled by the nightmares that Amanda Clarke had as a child. The question of Amanda’s heart will linger in the air and never have an answer. It plays with the two graves Confucius philosophy and ultimately the feeling that the heart captures every moment of a person’s past in the physical and metaphysical sense.”
Nayar regrets that the one major storyline that Revenge left dangling was the story behind Amanda’s birth mother, Kara Wallace Clarke (Jennifer Jason Leigh), which was introduced in Revenge‘s second season. He wants Revenge fans to know that the plot holes left behind, due to the failure to provide closure with that particular Revenge plotline, was not abandoned without first making efforts to address the issue. Nayar said that scheduling was to blame in this instance.
“Jennifer Jason Leigh was shooting Quentin Tarantino’s new movie The Hateful Eight, but we did look into her availability. Amanda’s mother was a huge part of the story. Amanda would have learned a massive amount of truth, and there could have been resolutions with David.”
Sunil Nayar agrees with those fans that the Revenge finale was too short and lacking in closure in some areas, or perhaps not as well thought out as the Revenge finale might have been had they not been constrained by a 42-minute time limit in addition to other limiting factors. Put simply, Revenge opened the door on far too many questions for any kind of a satisfactory finale to have been crammed into the allotted time.
[Featured image: Revenge series finale featuring Madeleine Stowe and Emily VanCamp, courtesy of ABC]
