Revolution, Season 1, Episode 9: “Kashmir”
Written by Charles Beeson
Directed by Jim Barnes
Airs Mondays at 10 pm (ET) on NBC
There’s a massive problem in “Kashmir” which derails the main premise of the train-tunnel-set episode. Having the central characters hallucinate over a lack of air is one thing, but to do it in miles and miles of a tunnel system which had been open to the outside until minutes before is preposterous. It’s poor writing, and lets down what is otherwise an entertaining outing.
The hallucinations themselves give an intriguing insight into our heroes’ innermost regrets and fears. Miles frets that he’d accept an invitation to rejoin the Militia if offered to him; Aaron is wracked with guilt over the wife he abandoned. Nora has a slightly more impersonal if violent hallucination, and Charlie’s isn’t really a result of the oxygen outage, yet shows us just how much her father’s death has impacted her. It’s effective flashback-style storytelling offered a little more creatively.
The booby trap setpiece is a doozy, bringing ample tension into the fray as the gang set off down the train tunnels of Philadelphia. Yet it’s Rachel who snags the most memorable moment, killing an old colleague to ensure she keeps her place within the Monroe setup.
No details on the how or the why of Miles’ assassination attempt of Monroe are forthcoming, but it’s a good seed to plant for the impending showdown between the two. Charlie gets another badass moment with her crossbow kill, but it is Billy Burke who emerges as the MVP once again.
Most disappointingly, Giancarlo Esposito remains on the sidelines. Since the train episode, Tom Neville hasn’t had much screen time, despite being the second-most compelling presence after Burke. Having an actor of that calibre aboard and wasting his potential is one of Revolution’s more egregious crimes thus far.
As it barrels towards the mid-season finale, all the pieces are coming together as they should be. Miles, Charlie et al are poised to launch their offensive on the Monroe compound to free Danny; Rachel’s bomb-building bringing a greater threat to her and Danny; and Monroe’s doubling down on the power pendant efforts. All signs point towards a throwdown in Philly.