If there’s one thing that the latest episode of Revolution makes abundantly clear, it’s that no matter what side you’re on, you just can’t put your faith in doctors.
The main focus of “The Patriot Act” is on Rachel’s father, Dr. Gene Porter, who is counterbalanced/supplemented by the newly introduced Dr. Calvin Horn, general practitioner of douchebaggery and senior science adviser of the bad new (as opposed to good ol’) U.S. of A.
The A apparently stands for something different in the future. I mean, look at that picture. Would you believe anything that comes out of that smarmy mouth?
Dr. Horn also used to work with Rachel under Randall Flynn, but he was the Ducky to her prom queen at the Department of Defense, so she doesn’t recall having the pleasure. No matter, because he’s more concerned with how she’s using the nanites she developed to make Patriot soldiers burst into flames.
Let’s Get This Out of the Way
Before we dive any deeper into the Hypocritical Oath, let’s deal with the shocker of the century. Monroe isn’t dead! Yes, I know you’re all surprised, but it turns out Rachel just gave him enough barbiturates to drop a horse and simulate death. Still, it will be a few days before he’s back to his normal murderous ways, so they’ll stash him in a shack outside town until he’s ready to contribute to the resistance.
Charlie wants to know why Rachel did it, and it was because Charlie asked (and because she realized they needed him). Who would have thought that the rift between estranged mother and daughter would be overcome by bonding over saving the man who murdered their son/brother?
The Patriots Suck
Even though anyone outside of Boston could tell you this, we really get some insight into how terrible the government has become. And we still don’t even know what their ultimate goal is. I mean, it’s Willoughby, for God’s sake. It’s not exactly going to be a stronghold in a new United States. It’s not even a big deal in the new Texas, evident by how quickly they just gave it away. Willoughby? Yeah, sure, you guys can have that. Wink, wink, chuckle, chuckle.
First, they’re telling teachers which books they can use in their classrooms, then they blow up a building, killing three people, just to use it as an excuse to tighten the reins on the town. They blame the Andover clan, — like anyone believes Titus and crew are still causing trouble — close the gates, double the number of soldiers and institute a nightly curfew.
Land of the free? I think not. On a side note, I really believe the Tea Party thinks this is the future of America with Barack Obama as President.
Dr. Gene Porter — Patriot? Or Patriot?
None of this sits well with Dr. Porter, king of the mole people, who’s mad, real mad, that the government he sort of trusts would set off a bomb in HIS town. So he marches right up to the Patriot commander and lets his concerns be known. And we quickly learn this is not the first time he’s compromised his principles for what he believed was the greater good.
Cue the flashbacks.
Seven years after the blackout, a tearful Porter has just set his wife and a bunch of other Cholera victims on fire when he returns home to find a strange man on his doorstep who offers an endless supply of medicine and vaccines in exchange for a little loyalty. Too good to be true? It turns out to be part patriotism, part injecting waterboarding victims with adrenaline so they can wake up and be tortured more. So yeah, too good to be true.
In his defense, he did try and stop it one time, two years later. But then he remembered he was the hero of Willoughby and instead drove his wagon of meds back to his people.
Dr. Horn Doesn’t Believe Aaron is Jesus
After Dr. Horn confronts Rachel, asking questions about how nanotechnology that absorbs electricity could be altered to release it, she realizes they need to get Aaron out of dodge. But with all the extra security in place, there’s no way to sneak him and Cynthia out to Monroe’s shack (Aaron and Monroe living in a bungalow together? I smell a sitcom!).
Enter Dr. Porter, who has been listening all along anyway. He says he’s been turning a blind eye for too long, and he offers to hide the pair in his wagon during his weekly Patriot-sponsored medicine run.
Before the plan can be put into motion, however, Dr. Horn catches wind of the fact that Aaron died and somehow came back to life. And since he’s not Jesus (I would beg to differ), Horn is convinced Rachel brought him back with the nanites.
He tells Porter that if he doesn’t give up all his knowledge on Aaron, he will start killing all the precious townspeople, leaving Charlie for last. So the flip-flopper flip-flops again and spills the beans that Rachel has no control over the nanites, but Aaaron somehow does.
Will He or Won’t He?
As the rendezvous time approaches, we are all left wondering what side Dr. Porter is truly on, and if this all part of the plan. But when a couple who looks like Aaron and Cynthia approaches Porter and Dr. Horn steps from the shadows, it’s clear Rachel’s dad has not yet been redeemed.
Luckily for Aaron, it was a different couple and Rachel and Miles were watching from afar. Rachel is devastated to learn the truth about her father, but Miles reminds her that they really don’t have time to be blindsided now and should probably save Aaron.
The Manhunt That Spontaneously Combusted
Obviously, Dr. Horn realizes that Porter’s cover is blown, so he orders the town torn apart to find his suspects. And since he is apparently the most perceptive man on the planet, he is the only one who notices an abandoned sewer pipe that leads out of town on the map. And of course that’s the plan B escape route.
Aaron and Cynthia barely make it into the tunnel before the troops arrive, with Rachel, Miles and Charlie escaping through a roof grate (that only Dr. Horn spots). The fleeing couple arrives on the other side of the pipe to find Patriot guns pointed at them, but Monroe interjects and slices them up good with a machete.
Four more soldiers arrive, and Monroe leads two of them into the woods while the others grab Cynthia. Aaron goes into Hulk/Jesus mode, getting just angry enough to explode the two, while the distraction allows Monroe to kill his pursuers. But now he’s tired and needs to rest, so the three head back to his cabin.
Aaron realizes Cynthia is more afraid of him than she is of Monroe, which is pretty hilarious when you remember the fact that she thinks Monroe is responsible for nuclear holocaust.
Viva La Resistance
So what’s next for Charlie, Rachel and Miles? They’re huddled in some sort of barn while Patriots swarm the town searching for them, and they need to figure out a new course of action fast. So of course that’s when Rachel decides to break down in tears.
Thankfully, Charlie is there to comfort her, and the progress that began with the man who killed their relatives is made complete by the fact that their grandpa/dad is a traitor. The future seems awesome!
Dr. Porter vows that he will track down Aaron, which Dr. Horn is in favor of. But if Horn finds Rachel first, he’s pretty sure he’s going to kill her out of frustration. Like any good doctor would.
Our Other Little Sideplot
Yep, Major Tom Neville is still hell bent on payback for his wife’s death. But first, his immediate concern is un-brainwashing son Jason, which is ironic because if he hadn’t hatched the revenge plot in the first place, Jason never would’ve been taken to the reprogramming camp.
Father, son and the secretary-turned-fugitive are still holed up inside the warehouse where Jason tried to kill Tom, but that all changes when they hear gunfire outside. Jason gets a sip of water and convinces Tom that the drugs have worn off and that he’s fine, so Tom cuts him loose with an “I’ll kill you” warning and they set off together.
He regains his dad’s trust by killing two fellow Patriots when they get cornered (which is exactly how Tom got in with the Patriots int he first place, just saying), and this convinces the secretary that she gave up on her reprogrammed son too early and wants to go look for him.
Tom’s having none of that, though, so he drugs her, handcuffs her to a pole and demands to know where her Patriot high-command husband is.
So that’s everything and more that you need to know about “The Patriot Act.” Don’t trust your doctor, and never trust Gus Fring.
Do you agree that the last two episodes of Revolution have been far and away better than the rest this season? What do you think will happen next? What is going on with Aaron, and will Dr. Porter get some redemption before he eventually dies? And where is this season even headed? What’s the larger point or goal? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below!
You can watch Revolution every Wednesday at 8pm on NBC.
(Image courtesy of NBC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Emmy-winning news producer & former BuddyTV blogger. Lover of Philly sports, Ned, Zoe, Liam and Delaine…not in that order
