Revenge Season 1 DVD Review: A Guilty Pleasure

Revenge was my favorite guilty pleasure last season, and I wasn’t alone. Millions of TV viewers fell in love with Emily Thorne (played by the beautiful Emily VanCamp) and cheered her on as she sought out revenge on those who had betrayed her father.

Creator Mike Kelley’s Revenge tells a tale heavily inspired by the 1800’s The Count of Monte Cristo. The series dives us into the luxurious lifestyle of the Hamptons where a dark secret has laid dormant for the last 20 years. However, the time has come for the truth to be known and for payback to be delivered to those who took part in the crime.

When Emily Thorne was just a child, she witnessed her father, David Clarke, be taken from their home and arrested for an unthinkable terrorist act. An act that he didn’t commit. Years later, Emily learned the truth and vowed to seek revenge on those that ruined her family, such as Victoria Grayson (played by the stunning Madeleine Stowe). Victoria was Clarke’s lover and she was married to his former boss. It was quite the love triangle, yet not the only one the series has to offer.

So what’s the best way to seek revenge? Emily sets her eyes on Victoria’s son, Daniel Grayson. She figures this is the best way to access the family, and she’s right. Daniel almost instantly falls for Emily, and her plan seems flawless. However, there’s another familiar face in the Hamptons, that of her childhood best friend Jack Porter (Nick Wechsler) – who Emily still has deep feelings for…

It’s a twisted tale, and one that will keep you on the edge of your seat marathoning through the first season… and dying for some answers with next month’s premiere of season 2. With the perfect casting, looks to kill, fashion to die for, and some of the most elegant writing seen on TV in recent times, it’s hard not to fall in love with Revenge. There’s a little something there for everyone.

Bonus features include a number of featurettes including Haute Hamptons: Femme Fatale Fashion and Roadmap to Revenge. bloopers, deleted scenes, music videos, pilot commentary with creator Mike Kelley and Emily VanCamp, and lots more!

If you haven’t checked out Revenge already, be sure to check this set out before the series returns late September.

Grade: A
Review By: Emma Loggins

Responses

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  1. Looks like lots of bonus features. How was the pilot commentary? Sounds like something worth checking out. Wonder why they didn’t release it on Blu-ray also. Unless they want to see how sales of the DVD set go.

  2. I liked it 🙂 I love commentaries though – you learn so much more about the episodes. As far as the blu-ray – that’s an excellent question. The series had strong ratings so I’m not really sure what the reasoning was. You’re most likely correct that they wanted to see how the DVD sales went first…. but maybe it was something to do with the production company. I know Once Upon A Time came out on Blu-ray a week later than Revenge… but they have different production companies… That’s my only guess.