The "Revolution" Finale: Or Is It?

Time to say good bye... NOOOOO

            Post Revolution finale and I am heart broken yet still fight on for a Season 3. Still I wasn't entirely disappointed by the end. It wasn't too cliffhangery where if you didn't watch the last 2 minutes then you would see this nice character wrap up. I hung around to listen to Revolution Diaries After Party Live Podcast and listened to some of the fans reactions and chatted with the Podcast team and I agreed with some of the fans, others I disagreed with, and others who thought the same in expecting a huge cliffhanger that would leave us in shock but glad it was just a "The End...Or is it?" kind of ending.

We gotta strategize so we can Relocate Revolution

       The characters I feel have developed into great characters. I would like to list the characters and their journeys. 

The town drunk was once a general dictator

1. Miles Matheson has had a difficult journey. He started out to us as a cynical drunk. He was running from his past just hopeless, wanting to drink himself to death but then came his long lost wide eyed niece asking for his help and I don't think Miles understood why but he decided to help. I think deep down he saw this as a chance to make up for what he did to Rachel (the love of his life) and his brother although he was resistant at first and even talked about leaving but after Maggie died Miles realized that Maggie was right when she said that Charlie may be better off with out him but Miles wasn't better off without her. So with Charlie beside him, Miles crawled out of his dark hole and began to care about someone again. Miles was very protective of Charlie of not just her life but he wanted to keep that light alive in her that kind of helped guide him out of his own darkness. Then in Season 2 Miles sort of struggled again, thinking he was no good and that Rachel and Charlie would be better off without him and he felt that for a long time until when faced with death and leaving them for good, Miles said, "No I'm not leaving." So Miles felt redeemed, he did bad things in the past but Rachel and Charlie made him realize that he can still have a future that he can make up for his mistakes by helping other people. Miles stopped letting Bass drag him down and started taking charge of his own life and I was happy that Miles turned a corner to become a more hopeful person and realize he has something to fight for. 

She's my favorite bitch

2. Rachel Matheson was a character that I couldn't stand throughout the series. But I did feel some sympathy for her sometimes. She may have cheated on her husband with his brother, abandoned her family, shut the lights off, and let her desire for revenge almost killed her only living child and dropped 2 bombs on Philadelphia and Atlanta, but she also endured years of physical, emotional, and I suspect sexual torture and she does have a conscience. In season 1 her relationship with Charlie was very rocky, even more so in season 2. Charlie had this romanticized version of her mother that was completely destroyed after discovering that Rachel was just a messed up person who has done selfish things that cost many people their lives. But Rachel in season 2 took it upon herself to try and make up for her mistakes by becoming a better person and that meant saving the country from the Patriots. She didn't want any more innocent people to die. I also didn't like Rachel for her intense hatred of Bass. Yes he has blood on his hands but so does she. We also find out that she had sex with Bass so again she comes off as a ho. But I feel in the end she let go of her hatred of Bass just a little and even thanked him for his help. These two will always be at odds I feel but the one thing I feel they have in common is Miles. They did do a tug of war of Miles's soul in season 2 but they also came together when he went missing. Bass was the one who gave her hope again saying that Miles could survive anything. So Rachel I feel has changed considerably and stopped letting her anger and hatred cloud her judgement if only just a little. She began to see Charlie as less of the girl she left behind and more of a capable strong woman and that has improved their relationship.

She has really grown up

3. Charlie Matheson has grown up from a naive innocent wide eyed girl to this amazingly capable bad ass Xena warrior princess. We saw from the beginning that Charlie hated to see injustice being done and we see that she kinda lost that in the beginning of Season 2 but along the line we saw her faith restored if not fighting for a world cause then fighting for her family. Monroe would call her Charlotte in season 1 meaning he just saw her as a little girl but by season 2, Bass began calling her Charlie and even called her Mini Miles, which is a degree of respect coming from him because Miles is his brother-in-arms and seeing Charlie as a second Miles means he sees the warrior Charlie has grown up to be and thinks her formidable and someone you would want in battle with you. Charlie gave Miles the go ahead to go after her mom, which to me means Charlie's relationship with her mom is in a good place and she's mature enough to know what her mom wants and for her to go after it and Charlie already sees Miles as a second father so she'd be happy if Miles and Rachel got together. 

Monroe in "war mode"

4. Sebastian Monroe from the start we saw him as this cold, despotic, paranoid dictator; a womanizer who thought if he just whispered in a girl's ear she would give him what he wanted or he could just apply the right pressure then he would get his way. But we discover in flashbacks that he was once a decent, nice guy who has lost a lot. His parents and sisters died in a collision with a drunk driver and his girlfriend died in childbirth with their baby. Bass has come to blows with life so why wouldn't we feel a bit sorry for him? We do see that Bass has this obsession with family. For a long time, Miles was Bass's family. Miles always had his back and Bass made sure to have his but Bass has a tendency to go too far. He is a ticking time bomb, always but he was redeemable at the end. When Bass found out that he had a son he was adamant and determined to find him and help him in some way. Bass always wanted a family and he wanted one any way he could get one. It just makes me see him as a lonely guy who just needs someone to believe in him. Bass set aside his own ambition to rebuild the Monroe Republic with his son because Miles trusted him to do a job; Miles had put his faith in Bass again after all of the horrible bad that had happened between them. And I saw how much it broke Bass's heart to disappoint Connor but Bass did what he had to to make sure Miles's trust in him wasn't wasted that he's not the monster everyone believes him to be. In the end I see that Bass isn't so much as a leader and he's still a ticking time bomb of emotions but he's also the guy you want on your team because he will come through for you if you put your faith in him.

Neville would do anything for his family but what now?

5. Tom Neville seemed to me this Preacher Machiavelli who would use Bible, Lord references but he seemed to be taking lessons from Machiavelli's "The Prince"; he's ruthless, cunning, and clever. But while most people thought Neville was evil I disagree. Tom and Julia both may have been Lord and Lady MacBeth but when it came to their son, Jason, Neville was willing to put his own career and status in danger. That's what they've always done. It was always Tom was looking for the next rising star to attach his wagon to and see how high he could rise but it was always for his family. And people would say that Tom was a horrible father but I don't entirely agree. Tom absolutely loved his wife and son. Tom was willing to kill the Patriot President for the death of his wife and he wouldn't do it without his son, Jason. Julia could die but Tom would die before he would let his son fall behind. I think that's why Tom pushed Jason so hard. It was Tom's way of protecting Jason from himself or being led astray by others. Tom wanted Jason to grow up and be successful but also to be tough and not show weakness. Yet Jason refused to learn that. Jason was tough and I think he had the strongest heart I ever saw. Jason was the kind of guy who hated to see slaughter or injustice; he cared about what was going on around him while his parents refused to see the world burning down around them, Jason was ready with a bucket of water to help put those flames out even at the risk of his own life. I think Jason held onto the person his father once was: "Remember we hit the bag, we don't hit people." That's the man and father Jason remembers and I think Neville should have been proud of his son for the hero he became. Neville is basically a wild dog now. He regrets not listening to his son and it cost him everything and I what I was disappointed by was not being able to see what would happen next for him because the nano tech came to him in a vision of his son. That's a bummer.

Cut back on the fireflies...

6. Aaron Pittman started out in Season 1 as this geeky guy who was put out because although he has degrees in computer sciences from MIT he feels like he's on one giant playground run by the bullies. He does seem like he complains a lot but we see throughout the series that Aaron, even if he thinks he's useless, he won't leave his friends behind. He left his wife Priscilla but he was determined not to do the same to his new family, the Mathesons. Even when Rachel tried to force him to leave her, Aaron refused. He is stubborn and I think he didn't give himself enough credit in season 1 and 2 because Aaron may not be good with a sword or a cross bow but he wasn't one to abandon you. Especially in season 2, Aaron fought for Cynthia; he put himself in harms way for her even taking up a weapon which usually got him hurt but he was loyal. Aaron did hit a road bump. He hated the nano tech for killing for him but then when Dr. Horn shot Cynthia, Aaron was overcome with rage and I thought like the nano tech, "Why didn't you just ask to heal her?" I think in Aaron's position if you had been bullied half your life you would take the "burn them all" road too. Aaron became the victim of bullying again where people with power had control over him and so he feels like he's in an eternal proverbial playground. Aaron did stand up to the nano tech in his mind and when it was controlling Priscilla but he felt he had to back down so by the end of season 2, Aaron was just a prisoner. He and Rachel did save Priscilla and Aaron said she was the love of his life I actually preferred him with Cynthia. Priscilla seemed an empty character. I think if there was a season 3 then we would have gotten a chance to know her better. But in conclusion, Aaron felt that he had gained a bit of his power back and wasn't at the mercy of the nano tech anymore or anyone else's. 

Uhhh where's your guy?

     In character relationships I loved seeing Miles and Rachel and then Bass and Miles and Bass and Connor develop for better or worse.

20 years is plenty of foreplay

1. Miles and Rachel weren't exactly star crossed lovers but they are certainly an epic romance. We see that they're in some way soul mates in love: spiritually, emotionally, and sexually. Rachel and Miles are the loves of each other's lives and we get more into their love story in season 2. They can say all that they feel for each other with just one look and that spoke volumes to me. Rachel loved Ben and yeah she cheated on him but I think after Rachel had kids she saw that being dumped by Miles was the best thing for her. Her love she transferred onto her kids and she saw Ben as a more acceptable choice as a father than Miles. Then Miles put Rachel through such torture after the Blackout. But still these two came out of that horrible mess and still had eyes for each other, they still couldn't function with out each other. 

Those crazy kids

      Rachel was willing to risk her life when Miles was captured and refused to leave him when the town was being attacked. Miles stayed with Rachel to get her mental health back and refused to leave her to die when a war clan was terrorizing Willoughby. Miles feels that Rachel is his rock, the angel of his conscience while Bass was the Devil. She'll point out what he's thinking is wrong and Bass points out the right (or what he thinks is right). Miles didn't want to go to Mexico with Bass without Rachel because he knew that Bass was kind of like a whiskey bottle and he was an alcoholic who is struggling to stay sober. In the end, Miles sees Charlie and Rachel as his strength that he has the power to do what's right and Bass's violence and monster crap wasn't going to deter him from being a good guy; the good guy he wants to be. 

Bass is on the wrong side of the fence

2. Bass and Miles have a very complicated relationship. People didn't really understand what was between these two; why they were so hooked on each other. I think it's not just that they grew up together but because they've been through everything together. They've gone to war together and I see that while people ask, "What has Bass done for Miles, really?" Miles surely pulled Bass from the brink of suicide, that's a dark period in Bass's life and Miles said, "You got me. Where would I be without you?" That tells me that when Miles pulls Bass out of the flames, Bass is ready to do the same. If Miles was stuck in an inferno, Bass will charge into that inferno without a second thought and if he can't get Miles out, he'll burn with him. 

Bass didn't get his way so he's pouting in a sexy way

       Bass wasn't always the way he is, he used to be a decent, nice guy who felt that he had to talk Miles out of killing people or stealing another camp's food and Miles was the one who solved problems by killing until they sort of switched. Bass and Miles really do behave like brothers; they love and hate each other at the same time. They have shared the same women. Bass said that there were times he was jealous of the things Miles's had and I would see that all the time and Bass could be a real dick to the people Miles cares about or even his son because he feels that threatens his own relationship with them as he has this horrible fear of being alone. I could also see that Bass looked up to Miles; Miles was his hero who was a badass take charge guy and when he saw Miles start to care and take risks for altruistic reasons (I think that's who Miles is like in the old days he cared about all of his soldiers), Bass seems disgusted in a way. Bass goes so far as to think Rachel is the cause of this dramatic change. Monroe says, "I don't understand what happened to you. I genuinely don't." Of course not, Bass, but in the end it doesn't matter if he doesn't understand why Miles is who he is now, Bass will always have Miles's back. What Bass wants, what he will always want is his "brother" by his side and I was happy to see Bass be able to set his own desires aside for Miles.

The family business is pretty cut throat

3. Bass and Connor I felt it was very sad how their relationship ended but I kind of understand why it ended the way it did. Bass wanted a father/son relationship with Connor; a sort of second chance but Connor was already grown up and he only knows Monroe through his fearsome reputation as this despotic, egotistical, ruthless dictator and I think that's what Connor expected to get when Bass pitched him the Monroe Republic idea. Bass felt that that was the only thing he could give Connor and that somewhere down the road they would be father and son but Connor was much too ambitious. 

Handsome & brooding; like father like son

      Connor did have some lines he wouldn't cross like he wasn't into killing his own father although he promised that all of Bass's horrible deeds won't be for nothing I don't see Connor as the sort of guy who would self sacrifice for anyone. I blame that attitude on Connor growing up like a thug. You don't want a thug with you on the battlefield they watch out for themselves but Bass is a soldier, he believes you watch the back of the person fighting beside you. Connor saw Bass as a partner but I think he was disappointed by Bass because he didn't live up to his dictator character. Connor also seemed jealous over his dad's relationship with Miles and heart broken that Bass didn't share his son's ambition for world domination as passionately as he did; that Bass would dash Connor's dreams for Miles instead of his own son really stung him. Connor feels that he gave up everything for this stranger of a man and got nothing for it. 

Connor has a lot to learn before he can get ahead of dad

     Connor got Bass the man instead of Monroe the General and that would have put them at odds if there was a season 3. I would hope that if there is a season 3 that Bass and Connor would have gotten to know each other better and so come to some understanding in accepting each other and become father and son like Charlie and Rachel worked out their differences and became real mother and daughter. 

"Bitch, please!"

4. Bass and Rachel I have to say were like Rachel said, "A match and gasoline". Whenever these two were in the same room in season 2, words were fired like acid and things exploded. In season 2 there was a reveal that Bass and Rachel had hooked up in Philadelphia. I was glad that the kiss didn't feel out of the blue given the actors' body language in season 1. Bass was sort of not into that much personal space and Rachel would sort of tease him in a way with pleading words and almost touches. And Bass was a womanizer so it wouldn't have been unheard of them to have hooked up and Rachel probably wanted to get back at Miles by sleeping with his best friend. So it would make total sense. Then in season 2 they were at each other's throats. Rachel blames Bass for her son's death but I saw tiny moments in Mexico when Bass was strung up and whipped, Rachel kind of winced. For a woman who supposedly hated the man, Rachel seemed a little sickened to see Bass beaten like that. Then Rachel was surprised by Connor helping her and when Bass asked how she got the key she kind of spoke in some sort of resignation that may be Connor wasn't as bad as his father as she said, "Your son." Rachel and Bass do a little tug of war with Miles but in the end when Bass proves that he can be trustworthy when it matters, Rachel actually said, "Thanks." WOW! That's a nice wrap up for their relationship. While their relationship isn't on the best of terms it's on less broken, shaky ground. 

In my dreams Revolution gets 10 seasons and a movie!

      In other aspects of the series, I was happy to have Stephen Collins playing Gene Porter, Rachel's dad. The early scenes where he had to burn his wife's corpse during the cholera out break and when he had to help the Patriots torture someone, his face broke my heart. He just has this forlornness on his face that made you want to give the man a hug. And the nano tech storyline kind of lagged on but I felt that that was a ramp up to season 3. 

Til the last breath!

      In season 1 it was a great storyline with "eh" characters but in season 2 the characters became so incredibly complex and more fleshed out that it kind of dwarfed the story and it made me want more stories because I want to see how far these characters could develop. I was expecting a cliffhanger to drive me crazy but I was happy just to have the nano tech lighting up a town in Idaho and we just have the characters in their nice wrap up. Still bummed that we may never see how the nano tech goes about their plans for a mindless world and that Bass and Connor may never make up but I was still somewhat happy at how it ended. I still fight for a season 3 though so don't give up Revolutionaries!     

Power is Everything! Take back the Power!