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Revolution, Ep. 2.19: “S#I& Happens” reveals another side to the nanobots

Revolution, Ep. 2.19: “S#I& Happens” reveals another side to the nanobots
David Lyons, Tracy Spiridakos, Billy Burke, Mat Vairo

David Lyons, Tracy Spiridakos, Billy Burke, Mat Vairo

Revolution, Season 2, Episode 19: “S#I& Happens”
Written by Anne Cofell Saunders & David Reed
Directed by John Showalter
Airs Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on NBC

In every war, there are casualties. The fight between the rebel forces and the Patriots has been no different in this regard, as was driven home in the last episode with the death of Jason Neville. Jason’s death is the biggest blow delivered by the Patriots this week, a blow compounded by the fact that the fatal shot was fired by Charlie. This week’s episode sees Charlie try to come to terms with having to shoot dead someone she knew, in a compelling outing that further cements the threat that the nanobots present.

Charlie’s shift in attitude following her encounter with Neville is a promising turn for the character this week. While she has continued to be an asset for the rebel forces, Charlie’s bleak outlook has meant that she has stayed away from larger plans, going along only to help. Nonetheless, spending all that time around Monroe and Miles means that Charlie has picked up a few strategic tricks here and there, poising her for a larger role among the rebels. With her outlook now more optimistic and insistent on fighting for tomorrow not simply because there’s nothing else to do, it will be interesting to see if Charlie takes on an expanded role. Miles’ injury leaves a gap in the group’s leadership that Charlie is willing and now able to fill, atleast for the time being, giving her the perfect opportunity to take on a more important position. How Miles and Rachel react also promises to be compelling. While Monroe has previously begrudgingly accepted Charlie’s help, he doesn’t have a personal stake in her survival, and a combination of the factors means that he wouldn’t hesitate to bring her into the fold. Miles and Rachel, however, are already conflicted about the cost of their ongoing war, and it’s possible that both would be unwilling to set Charlie up as a potential sacrifice, regardless of their feelings towards the Patriots. How this situation eventually plays out is bound to have an impact on where the story goes.

Billy Burke

Billy Burke

Aaron’s ongoing conflict with the nanobots is also a compelling aspect of this week’s episode. The previous actions of the nanobots have been somewhat justifiable, whether they were following Aaron to simply trying to survive. Their words regarding Miles this week, however, prove that it will take a lot of effort to make the nanobots truly neutral, let alone potential allies. It’s not a leap to imagine, as the nanobots get a better handle on their capabilities, that they may go from simply choosing not to save individuals to actively killing them in an attempt to cleanse the human population. This makes the doubly dangerous as their criteria for good and bad is still unclear. It will be intriguing to see, going forward, how Aaron deals with the nanobots. Directly commanding them or appealing to their seemingly non-existent better nature are both options that get ruled out this week, which means that Aaron will have to come up with another strategy. In addition, Aaron will have to go at this alone, as the nanobots are unlikely to allow him to get help in this regard. This means Aaron will have to outsmart a nearly omniscient opponent on his own without bringing any harm to Priscilla or his friends, a tall order for anyone. How he goes about this is bound to make for a compelling watch.

Overall, this is another solid episode. It’s interesting to see Charlie deal with the emotional aftermath of killing someone she knew and liked, and her renewed zest for life is a good sign. How Neville recovers from the confirmed death of his son is a promising story. In the case of Julia, not only is her death unconfirmed both now and earlier in the season, but in both cases, the Patriots were the only guilty party. With Jason, however, while it’s clearly the Patriots who pushed him into a situation with certain death, it’s Charlie who pulled the trigger. This means Neville will have to decide whom he is going to hold accountable for his son’s death, and the choice he makes is bound to have an effect, as an enraged Neville can be a formidable ally or a dangerous foe. It’s also good to see the simmering conflict between Monroe and Rachel with regards to Miles come up to the surface this week. In many ways, the fight for Miles’ allegiance is a fight for the allegiance of the rebel group as a whole, since it’s an open secret that any trust they have is in Miles. Thus, whether Miles ultimately ends up on the side of Monroe or Rachel’s philosophy is bound to steer the rebel group as a whole, and what the ramifications of such a choice are will be worth watching for as the show continues.

– Deepayan Sengupta

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