‘Revenge’ and the Ridiculous ‘Legion of Doom’ Moment

The mid-season finale of Revengewas a head-scratcher. We were promised a sex scandal, but we got a stale video of two clothed people making a mistake while they were both technically single. Bo-ring. Aiden is slightly jealous of Emily’s relationship with Jack, but in the end he’s a cuddle-meister with “DGAF” written across his forehead. Yawn. The Initiative threatens to kill Daniel if Conrad interferes with their plans, and Daniel not only lives, but wins the CEO position and a dollar-store clock. Like watching paint dry – wait, what’s this? There’s a camera in that clock? And the receiving end of that feed is in some evil lair that’s part budget moon-base, part S.H.I.E.L.D. heliport, with a dash of boring old corporate conference room. I half expected the camera to pan out and show Lex Luthor glaring ghoulishly at Daniel’s dumbfounded mug. That’s not the Initiative, that’s the Legion of Doom. So what, exactly, is this comic book-esque lair doing on a show about vengeance in the Hamptons? It beats us. Revengeused to operate in a realm of thin plausibility. It came about at a time when corporate malfeasance was a wildly popular theme in fiction—and reality—and the ire against the One Percent was at an all-time high. Watching Emily Thorne take down the fat cats manipulating the system was beyond satisfying, however hyperbolic. Season 2 has changed course significantly. When the plot behind the unjust conviction of David Clarke continued, it was to be expected that the plot would thicken. Gut we didn’t expect it to veer off into another dimension. Revenge has delivered a plot that is, at the very best, stolen from Alias. And that’s pretty generous. The Initiative, with no real known motive, is simply tearing through the Hamptons, preying on every Grayson they can get their hands on. It would make sense to give Conrad and Victoria some motivation for their despicable actions throughout Season 1, but does it have to be the leather-clad hand of a league of super villains? We might as well call these folks the Mayhem Gang and give them matching jumpsuits. It would be enough that the organization reeks of unnecessary mystery, but do they need to be sitting in a dark room fit for Doctor Claw? We could wrap our brains around some watchdog organization with a Machiavellian approach to their mission, but when it looks like a Legion of Doom, walks like a Legion of Doom, and talks like a Legion of Doom, it’s a Legion of freaking Doom and it doesn’t belong in Southampton.  Follow Kelsea on Twitter @KelseaStahler [Photo Credit: ABC] More: ’Revenge’ Recap: Heavy Is the Head That Wears the Crown ’Revenge’ Recap: I’m Everything I Am Because You Spurned Me ’Revenge’ Recap: She Moves in Mysterious Ways

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