Revenge, which aired from 2011-2015 on ABC, followed the hostile Hamptonite Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp) as she sought vengeance against those who had framed her father, David (James Tupper) for a terrorist attack — with some help from her bestie, tech-billionaire Nolan Ross (Gabriel Mann). At the top of her “revengenda” were the heads of the Grayson family, Conrad (Henry Czerny) and Victoria (Madeleine Stowe), two formidable enemies that were not stopped so easily. As Emily embarked on her dark path, secrets arose, threatening her life and the lives of those around her at every turn. But, nothing could drive her from her path to stopping those who had ruined her life and taken her father from her.
During four seasons, the show had inarguably a very messy run. Most can agree that Season 1 was the best the show had to offer before it lost sight of what it was supposed to be in Season 2, as the writers tried to make the conspiracy to frame David much bigger than just a collective group of David’s supposed friends and colleagues banding together to save their own behinds from facing justice. After this was dropped from poor reception with the fans, the show course-corrected and produced a very exciting third season before, again, losing track of things and spinning out during the show’s final season. Throughout every season though were some incredible episodes that either showed the best of the story or the characters, making everyone fall in love with the show in the first place or reminding them why they did. We’ve compiled a list of the best 13 episodes to come from the series.
“Pilot” (Season 1, Episode 1)
In the series premiere, Emily Thorne returns to the Hamptons for (at the time, what we presume to be) the first time since that fateful night of her father’s arrest that we, slowly and in flashbacks, learn about. But, while we may not have the full picture yet, Emily is set on starting her path to revenge and picks her first target in Lydia Davis (Amber Valletta), who is Victoria’s best friend and Conrad’s mistress. Lydia also used to be David Clarke’s secretary before she testified against him to achieve a life of luxury. For a series premiere, it’s extremely strong. The plot is clear and clean, and Emily seems entirely justified in her mission. All while the episode doesn’t shy away from showing that the line between our protagonist and the antagonists is not as black and white as most would have depicted it. It’s clear that it’s the beginning of a very tense, very emotional ride, and the cast shines in their roles from the very first second. Plus, that undeniable spark between Emily and Daniel Grayson (Joshua Bowman), whom she is pursuing as part of her mission to embed herself in the Grayson life, is another beautiful complication to her plan.
“Guilt” (Season 1, Episode 5)
Just a few episodes in, and after Emily has taken down four of those that condemned her father, Lydia returns to the Hamptons in disgrace after Emily revealed Lydia’s affair with Conrad and Victoria destroyed her image. But Lydia is suspicious of Emily, who happened to get Lydia’s old beach house — the house where David and Emily lived when she was a child — after her ostracization. With things already beginning to implode around her, this is our first true glimpse at how Emily acts and thinks under pressure, as she finds her way out of this mess. “Guilt” is also the episode that sets the tone for the series’ surprises and twists, as the end of the episode sees the Graysons’ go-to right-hand man push Lydia off of her balcony, where she fell five stories onto the roof of a taxi. This is a thrilling ride from start to finish and puts the danger of Emily’s mission into perspective.
“Chaos” (Season 1, Episode 15)
Part of what made Revenge start off on such a strong note was the flash-forward in the pilot episode to an event later down the road, showing events unfolding that, at the time, lead viewers to a much different conclusion. In “Chaos,” we finally see the night where the series began: Emily and Daniel’s engagement party, the Fire and Ice ball. And, it is certainly a game-changer. After a summer full of surprises and takedowns, familiar faces return — namely Tyler (Ashton Holmes) and Amanda (Margarita Levieva) — to cause the chaos that turns the night sour. It’s such a satisfying feeling to see how the night truly unfolded, who met their end, and how lives were left in near shambles after the party.
“Absolution” (Season 1, Episode 19)
“Absolution” may not be full of surprises (though there remain some), but it does change things up for the better for the final episodes of the season. Emily is questioning what really happened after receiving a photo of her father from the day he died, convinced that he didn’t die how she always believed he did, but that he was murdered by someone on the outside. Meanwhile, Victoria is turning on Conrad, racked with guilt over what happened with David and trying to pin the entire thing on her devious snake of a husband. But, the character that really changes after this outing is Daniel. After being released and no longer accused of killing Tyler, Daniel gets more invested in Grayson Global, where he learns what really happened to David Clarke and decides to stand by his family. It’s a turning point for the character for the rest of the show, and a turning point for the relationship between Emily and Daniel that had the potential to be something real.
“Reckoning” (Season 1, Episode 22)
In the first finale of Revenge, Emily has discovered that the white-haired man murdered her father and is determined to make him pay for what he did… with his life. But, first, she must save Nolan, who the white-haired man has kidnapped. Though Emily doesn’t take his life, we see how desperately she wants to avenge her father, but that she still has lines she is not willing to cross, like killing him or marrying Daniel. And, because of Victoria’s plan to take down Conrad with Lydia’s help, Emily is ready to let go of her mission and reveal herself to Jack (Nick Wechsler), the love of her life. However, Amanda shows up pregnant, and then Victoria’s plane explodes after Conrad tampers with it and Victoria is presumed dead. Throughout the season, it became clear how difficult it would be for Emily to succeed, but this really enforces that as something Emily helped to engineer completely falls apart. “Reckoning” is a shocking and enthralling episode with no shortage of excitement and twists, like the fact that Emily’s mother is alive and didn’t die before David was framed. It’s the beginning of the end for Emily’s idealized version of her father, as she must face the whole truth to get what she wants.
“Resurrection” (Season 2, Episode 2)
“Resurrection” may not have the mouth-dropping reveal that Victoria survived the crash and has been living in hiding for months, but it certainly paints a wicked picture of these deeply flawed characters. Victoria must devise and execute a new plan after Conrad ruins her old one by seizing their daughter’s trust account, so she reveals herself to Conrad and the two work together to frame the white-haired man for kidnapping her. Meanwhile, it’s a harsh look at Emily, who is struggling to deal with the fact that Jack and Amanda are expecting a child. Amanda asks Emily to make sure the paternity test says that Jack is the father of the baby, and he is… but Emily tells Amanda that he’s not, using it as leverage over her. While the lines between hero and villain were blurry during the first season, this is the beginning of those lines practically vanishing entirely, as Emily must resort to some low blows to achieve her goals.
“Masquerade” (Season 2, Episode 18)
With our first Halloween in the Hamptons, “Masquerade” is a wonderful look at how Emily’s actions manage to impact Victoria so deeply. Upon learning that Victoria had another child before Daniel, Emily begins to send Victoria cards pretending to be Victoria’s long-lost son, causing her to faint at the masquerade ball. Plus, it’s interesting to see how lying has become second nature to Victoria, and how she’s always so afraid. This is clear when Victoria lies to Conrad about her other child, saying she terminated the pregnancy, before she goes to the nun that helped her get her child adopted to make sure the child knows nothing of her identity. On the other side of things, it’s a rough look at Jack’s state after Amanda’s untimely death that the Graysons are also responsible for, as he continues to try to take Conrad down and reveal the truth. Everyone is wearing a metaphorical mask of some kind, and throughout the episode that becomes increasingly clear.
“Exodus” (Season 3, Episode 10)
The time for Emily and Daniel’s wedding has finally arrived, and Emily is preparing to put her plan into action: Fake her death after the wedding and frame Victoria for her murder, running away with Aiden (Barry Sloane) to live happily ever after in a post-revenge world. Unfortunately for Emily, things go awry as Daniel learns that she was lying about being pregnant and subsequently ruined his relationship with Sara (Annabelle Stephenson), believing she just wanted to marry him to achieve wealth and status. Thus, Daniel shoots her, leaving her bleeding out in the water, while Aiden and Jack find her bloody wedding dress on the shore. Of course, nobody expected the night to go according to plan after we saw Emily being shot in a flash-forward during the Season 3 premiere, but it was still surprising to see just how wrong the night went from what Emily had envisioned. And, for what seems like the first time, Emily is in real danger as those around her (that don’t know her secret) grow more suspicious about what her true intentions are.
“Disgrace” (Season 3, Episode 16)
Emily has recovered from her wounds, has faced off with Daniel after he wholeheartedly hoped she died after he shot her, and now Daniel wants a divorce after seeing photos of Emily kissing Daniel. But, her denial of the large settlement that Daniel has offered in the divorce makes Victoria even more suspicious of Emily. This is the start of Emily putting the pieces of her plan back together after everything shattered on the yacht, determining where to go from here. Like, how news is leaked that Emily faked a pregnancy to get Daniel to marry her, effectively ruining her reputation and leaving her on the outs in the Hamptons. While the Graysons believe they now have the upper hand, we learn this was Emily’s plan as she wanted them to feel more comfortable again and like they had won. It’s beautiful to watch how Emily’s long-term plans slowly come together, and how much thought she puts into every single detail, and this episode is especially appreciated when knowing how the season ends.
“Impetus” (Season 3, Episode 21)
Nothing is ever the same after the penultimate episode of Season 3, in which Aiden and Emily kidnap her sister, Charlotte Grayson (Christa B. Allen), to try and coerce a confession from Conrad and Victoria over what they did to David so many years ago. Though it seems like the plan is getting away from them, everything works out beautifully and so much of Emily’s hard work pays off and part of her goal comes to fruition. Conrad confesses, in a live stream, about what he did to David when Charlotte is returned home (safely, with a camera embedded on her) and confronts him for the truth about what was done to her biological father. But, the best part is watching Emily confront Conrad after he’s been arrested, taking responsibility for what has happened to him and telling him that Victoria is next. After so much loss during her journey, it’s quite refreshing to see Emily get a real win, even if she’s not finished with her mission yet. It renews her motivation to see the rest of her mission through.
“Execution” (Season 3, Episode 22)
Following Conrad’s arrest, Victoria has learned that Emily Thorne is actually Amanda Clarke and put together the pieces of what she’s been doing in the Hamptons for the last three summers, putting her own plans of revenge into motion. And, in what will forever define Victoria as the villain of the show, she murders Aiden to get back at Emily for Emily’s involvement in her own lover’s death mere episodes before. Heartbroken, Emily finishes her plan, having Victoria committed to a mental health facility. However, the show must go on (for another season), so as Conrad leaves jail after some bribery, he’s killed by none other than David Clarke… Isn’t he supposed to be dead? It sets up an interesting final season, and while the David stuff is less than desirable, the renewed rivalry between Emily and Victoria is so captivating that any moment between them or that involves one scheming against the other cannot be missed.
“Plea” (Season 4, Episode 22)
In the penultimate episode of the series, Victoria has (seemingly) died in a fire at Grayson Manor that the police believe is Emily’s handiwork. Due to her revealing herself as Amanda Clarke to the world and the pieces of what she did to the Graysons beginning to fall into place for those watching, she’s painted herself as the most likely culprit. Knowing Victoria isn’t actually dead makes it all the more nefarious, as does the murder of the detective that spent his final moments trying to prove Emily’s innocence. “Plea” depicts how heightened emotions had become between Emily and Victoria, showing that there is no way that both of them can walk away from this war. It’s the perfect way to segue into the finale, giving everyone a moment of awakening as some realize they’ve been helping to fight a battle that isn’t their own.
“Two Graves” (Season 4, Episode 23)
The series finale of Revenge is bittersweet, for sure. As had always been teased, there was no way out for both Emily and Victoria in their final battle. However, as TV usually does, a twist is delivered in David taking Emily’s place in death alongside Victoria. For the end of her journey, it’s a touching tribute to what Emily had accomplished, what she had lost, and what she had to leave behind in order to live as happily as possible with Jack post-revenge. But, it also delivers on showing that Emily will never really be free from the scars of her past, depicting that following through on revenge isn’t going to end as happily as you’d like. Deep down, there are some life lessons thrown in, but overall it’s an honest and brutal end to the war. (We could do without the failed spin-off ending with Nolan potentially going off on his own to help someone else get their revenge, though.)
All four seasons of Revenge are streaming on Hulu.