'Revenge' recap: Back to Basics

Padma’s received a video from the Initiative, which she shares with Nolan. “Your deadline is imminent. Fail to meet it and there will be consequences.” Nolan holds firm, though, insisting they wait until they’ve ID-ed the fingerprint on the severed digit they received last episode. Leaving Padma behind, Nolan calls Ems and reveals that he’s tracked Helen’s phone from the Graysons’ to Amanda’s, proving that they tried to frame her. The computer, however, is still elusive.

At the hospital, Emily finally comes face-to-face with Victoria, who’s waiting outside the morgue while Charlotte visits Amanda. “There are moments in a person’s life that change them forever,” Victoria remarks. “I fear that this is one of them for Charlotte.” It almost looks like Emily’s about to say something, but then Charlotte comes rushing out, hugging her mother tightly, and there’s something regretful in Emily’s eyes. Pity for Charlotte, perhaps. Or maybe the realization that she’s found the best way to hurt the Graysons is not physically, but emotionally. More on that later…

Daniel visits Nolan in his office. “I know you technically have free rein over this place, but believe me when I tell you I am not in the mood,” says Nolan. Daniel doesn’t take the hint. He apologizes about Jack, then chastises Nolan for never sending over the report on his abandoned R&D. Daniel doesn’t care about that, however -- he just wants to make sure the program’s been destroyed. Look at Daniel, growing a conscience.

Over at the Graysons’, Charlotte is cradling baby Carl and telling her mother about seeing Amanda’s dead body. As traumatizing as that was, what’s really bugging her is how little she knew about her half-sister. “I can’t find anyone outside of Montauk to invite to Amanda’s service,” she laments. Victoria gets a text from Daniel asking her to meet him in the city, leaving Charlotte to Google the names of Amanda’s fellow orphans. She picks one at random and contacts him. Because that’s normal.

Declan calls Emily to tell her that Jack’s finally waking up (and to give her the honor of telling him his new wife is dead). He bursts into tears, making me lose it all over again. It’s funny how little you can care for a character, only to actually feel for her once she’s gone. Kudos, actors. Conrad picks that moment to come and visit. Really? You are just begging to be a murder suspect, sir. “Amanda was family. As are you and your son,” he tells Jack. Jack, however, is more clever than Amanda ever was. He turns on the waterworks, blubbering, “Why did Amanda have to pay for the sins of my father?” It’s proof enough for Conrad, who decides Jack knows nothing about what really went down with Amanda on the boat. But in the first of many exciting developments, it turns out Jack does know (after all, he overheard too much on the boat to be entirely in the dark anymore). And he wants to carry on his dead wife’s work, starting by finding that computer.

NEXT: Daniel makes a startling discovery...or not