Welcome back Revolution lovers,
Without a doubt, the creators of Revolution are genius’ on relating the challenges citizens in the USA face Today! Director Omar Madha has done an excellent job with the script artfully created by Anne Cofell Saunders and Matthew Pitts!
In “The Patriot Act” they have managed, via analogy and metaphor to justly identify wrong doing the United States of America, the very country that deserves not only praise for the good things it has accomplished over the course of its 237 year history, but often a good swift kick in the seat of the pants upon occasion for the downright immoral activities which have tarnished its reputation throughout history.
Depending on which perspective a viewer may have, our Revolution Freedom Fighters Miles (Billy Burke), Rachel (Elizabeth Mitchell), Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos), Aaron (Zak Orth) Willoughby School Teacher Cynthia (Jessica Collins) are now to rejoined with Sebastian Monroe (David Lyons) for the expressed purpose of overthrowing the corrupt Patriot regime in Willoughby lead by Director Truman (Steven Culp) and less than faithful his minion, Rachel’s father, Doctor Gene Porter (Stephen Collins).
Similar to what is occurring today in the country we love known as the United States of America, in this past weeks exciting episode of Revolution, “The Patriot Act”, we find out that Sebastian Monroe is alive and almost well after a faked death injection by one of the towns two doctors, which we will leave you to guess about (an easy one that would be!).
Then prepare yourselves to witness the tragic and gut wrenching consequences when Doctor Gene Porter, Rachel’s father, badly over estimates his influence with The Patriot’s political henchman, Doctor Horn (Zeljko Ivanek)!
Once a lowly political appointee, Doctor Horn, who like many other contemporaries of today, has grown his political power to the point of outright abuse of authority and human rights travesties!
The reveals and additional back story to the episode are outstanding and many, which include Rachel, and her father poor Doctor Porter. Each are ultimately put to the test by the corrupt Doctor Horn and his political minion Director Truman with devastating consequences for Rachel and our Freedom Fighters!
The Patriot Act:
We begin where “Dead Man Walking” left us, in a nondescript field under a full moon. Rachel Matheson has secretly been digging up Sebastian Monroe’s casket, buried by The Patriots, who likely returned to Willoughby to celebrate their victory over Monroe.
As Rachel open the top of the wooden tomb, everyone seemed to breath a sigh of relief to learn that Monroe is alive!
This was not a real surprise in the story arc of “The Patriot Act” as it was alluded to in the previous week during the end scenes of “Dead Man Walking” when Charlie asked her mother to save Sebastian Monroe to help them fight against the evil Patriot’s, a sentiment that Miles echoed and Rachel apparently listened to.
We move to the next morning. Miles, Charlie and Rachel have acquired a safe house outside of the Patriot stronghold of Willoughby Texas.
In the process we learn that Rachel had not injected Monroe with poison, only enough barbiturates to “knock out a horse” as she admits to with a bit of a smirk on her face.
Monroe, loopy, in fact totally dazed and confused from still being under the influence of the drugs, asks Miles “did you miss me”?
Charlie smirks at Monroe while asking her mother why she did not kill him as she was ordered to do by The Patriots and her father in the makeshift courthouse?
Rachel says “because you asked” and that she realized they needed Monroe to accomplish their mission. Rachel also comments Monroe will be under the influence of the barbiturates for a few more days.
In Willoughby, Cynthia and Aaron are talking heatedly about the Gestapo tactics of The Patriot’s at the school. Certain books at the school have been outright banned, and Cynthia is justifiably upset at this development.
Aaron informs her quietly that it is okay for both of them to be upset, but that they both need to be very careful about what they say to whom since they do not know “who is watching”.
This sequence is a clear reference to the unlawful tactics of our current President Barack Obama and his heinous abuse of the NSA (National Security Agency) spying on virtually everyone and anything that threatens his corrupt regime
As we know from most legitimate news sources, Obama’s unethical spying includes utilizing the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) to illegally harass his perceived adversaries and maintain his control via abuse of the power of the Presidency.
In “The Patriot Act” there are many analogies to current events in the United States, including references to liberal, conservation and Main Stream news Media (MSM) abuse, failing to report the truth, and misleading innocent citizens for no other reason than it increases their political control over their denizens.
Suddenly, an explosion rips through Willoughby and blows a brick building store to bits. Three people are killed and dozens are wounded in the chaos. Doctor Gene Porter arrives to help the injured. He looks like he missed being injured in the blast himself!
Since we know that Porter has been a political minion of the Patriot’s with ties to Doctor Horn, without thinking clearly, perhaps because he had threatened Director Truman at the end of the previous episode.
Seemingly getting away with it, Gene Porter verbally abuses Truman about his suspicion that it was a setup terrorist attack staged by the Patriots who had staged similar incidents previously.
Director Truman, who this reviewer editor suspects had met the nefarious Doctor Horn when he arrived in town late the evening before, refuses to take any tripe from Gene Porter. Instead, Truman clearly threatens Porter “to stay in line”. Gene Porter seems taken aback by this development.
Truman heads outside to deliver a speech the hapless citizens of townspeople blaming the attack on the Andover gang as they had done before.
In the meantime sahy Truman, Willoughby will be sealed off and placed under “temporary protective measures” including a curfew each night to stop the terrorists.
Dr. Calvin Horn, a former lowly Department of Defense minion, or “lab rat” as he refers to himself from the previous administration, meets Rachel in the town. Having fled Washington D.C. with Randall Flynn (Colm Feore) after the Blackout, the evil Doctor Horn has risen in the ranks to become the President’s top science advisor.
Confessing to Rachel, Horn admits he put her picture on a wanted poster as bait. Horn is seeking information about the Nanite technology she was involved with.
As we have seen and commented on in a previous review, the Nanites have morphed into a new form of energy, able to BBQ object and people with the aid of the human brain.
Not entirely unknown to the nefarious Doctor Horn, the Nanites been modified to release energy, burning two of his men to a crisp!
Director Truman and Doctor Horn also know (via Gene Porter) that the technology is centered in Willoughby Texas and demand answers from Rachel! Although Rachel acts dumb, Horn is no fool and suspects she is hiding the truth that he is determined to ascertain!
The scene shifts to Rachel advising Aaron that Horn is on to the Patriots BBQ he conducted to save Miles using his Nanite enhanced neural functions to burn the two guards to a crisp. Knowing that Horn will hunt him own, Rachel and Miles tell Aaron he must get out of Willoughby immediately prior to being captured by Horn, Truman and their gang of evil Patriot’s
Aaron agrees so long a Cynthia can join him arguing that they will capture her to use a leverage against him.
Miles reluctantly agrees to get them both out of Willoughby to the safe house.
Despite the town being sealed by Truman, Miles, Charlie and Rachel know that Aaron is correct that they will capture and likely harm Cynthia to get a hold of him.
In the next important sequence we learn how and why Doctor Porter became a Patriot spy against his own daughter and Miles via a telling flashback. It is seven years subsequent to the blackout. We are at a mass grave where people who suffered from Cholera have are being burned to disinfect the bodies.
Gene Porter is the doctor who is supervising the burning of what appears to be a hundred infected corpses. We learn that his own wife is among the victims who have been killed by the latest epidemic.
When Gene arrives at his house, a man named Martin Shaw (Waleed Zuaiter) is in his living room. Emotionally weakened, Gene accepts a bribe of cholera vaccinations for his allegiance to restore the United States to the “country he loves.”
This is a clear message to today’s corruption in the District of Columbia where the current administration has more than abused its authority by bribing poor and innocent citizens with promises of free food, medical care, housing and even cell phones that are bankrupting our nation.
Like the Washington D.C. of the future, Gene Porter accepts the bribes knowing that once he does, he will just as addicted to the power mongers against the reality of people hooked on the corrupting influence of bribes in 2013.
This is the tragic fact as juxtaposed in “The Patriot Act” when compared with today’s harsh political realities.
Returning to the present series reality time, Doctor Porter meets with the now powerful Horn, instructing him on what he is to do for the privileges he has received.
With Truman close at hand, Doctor Porter realizes he is outflanked as the has nightmarish memories of his bribed past that now threaten his own family, his daughter Rachel and his granddaughter Charlie!
The third part of the story arc revolves around Tom Neville (Giancarlo Esposito), Former Secretary Allenford (Nicole Ari Parker) and Jason Neville (JD Pardo) who as we recall where in an abandoned warehouse where Jason was “coming down” off his brainwashing narcotics.
A new cadre of Patriot recruits has just arrived as gunshots are heard outside. Neville knows the brainwashed Patriot cadets are looking for Jason and the others whom are missing. Jason begs to be freed, that he is back to normal.
Allenford is not so sure. She advises Tom that if they free Jason, he will most likely kill them both. Seeming to believe Allenford, Neville puts his hunting knife to Jason’s throat stating “if you so much as blink wrong, I’ll kill you”.
Neville cuts Jason’s bindings preparing for the inevitable conflict. Upon exiting the warehouse, Jason raises his hands and calls out to the drug crazed Patriot recruits. Claims that he has been held prisoner, Jason kills all of them. Jason hands his bloody knife to his father in a show good faith trust.
Doctor Gene Porter experiences another horrendous flashback during the first time he saw the Patriot symbol the Eye of Providence. He is helping water board suspects with Shaw and the Patriots.
During the process, obviously a reference to the extraction of information from Al-Qaeda suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Porter is forced to bring drowned suspects back to life until they provide the answers The Patriots of the future require.
Gene Porter believed he joined The Patriots to obtain medical supplies to help save citizens from epidemics. When Porter finds himself assisting in information extraction via torture and killing, he is reticent to continue to particpate.
Guilt wells up in Gene Porter’s soul as he confesses to Mile, Charlie and Rachel. This reviewer is also certain that his involvement which was only to provide information about Rachel and Miles, while no doubt end up the same way, their torture and possible deaths for the Nanite technology.
Although Gene now feels obliged to help save Aaron, he will not be given the chance. His old “mentor” Shaw is at the door to escort him to a meeting with the power mad Doctor Horn who demands answers!
Gene is caught lying as to how Aaron Pittman came back to life. His will to resists crumbling, Gene admits that his daughter Rachel is not in control of the Nanites that Aaron Pittman is! In order to save his family, Gene tells Shaw that hat he was to assist in transporting Aaron out of town.
Miles has outsmarted Gene Porter suspecting him to be a bribed minion of The Patriots. As Miles and Rachel hide on a nearby roof top, they witness the sickening truth; Gene Porter has been “brought and paid for”.
Emotional Rachel is about to experience another nervous breakdown feels sick to her stomach; her dad is… one of them? Poor Gene Porter is with The Patriots as they seek Aaron.
Segue to Neville, Jason and Allenford who have escaped. Tom offers Allenford a drink of booze. And Allenford passes out. Jason gives his father a knowing look. Tom drugged her to extract information from her about the husband who is part of The Patriot command structure. Tom demands to know where her husband is?
Miles and Rachel leave the trap set up by Doctor Horn to meet up with Aaron and Cynthia before the Patriots do. Truman and his men are closing in on all of them. Miles finds a sewer access port to get help Aaron and Cynthia escape as The Patriots smash down the door.
When Aaron and Cynthia crawl out side through an exit portal, two Patriots are nearby and point their guns at them. Aaron and Cynthia surrendering when Monroe bolts out of nowhere to cut down The Patriots.
Unfortunately, Monroe did not see that reinforcements were coming and hides nearby. As The Patriots seize Aaron and Cynthia, Aaron starts to become emotional. He asks for mercy, but no one listens to his plea.
Aaron with the help of his Nanites, focuses his mental powers on The Patriot guard who has grabbed Cynthia. The guard quickly becomes a charcoal briquette! Cynthia, who had though God saved Aaron and Miles in the past, finally understands what has been transpiring! Monroe appears, joking with Aaron to teach him that “trick”. Nearby we see that Cynthia is terrified of Aaron.
In the final scenes we are back in Willoughby. The evil Director Truman warns Gene Porter that if they had better find Aaron. If not, Rachel will not be protected any longer!
Poor Rachel is in process of having a nervous breakdown in front of Miles and Charlie about the fact that her father is has been working with Doctor Horn, Director Truman and The Patriots all along. She breaks down in tears. As the screen fades to black, Charlie hugs her mom.
All in all, another outstanding episode that deserves an “A PLUS!”. The back story of the main characters has been revealed. I especially enjoyed being vindicated that Gene Porter was a spy as this reviewer suspected from the beginning of season two!
We welcome you back to our dedicated Revolution series review site and hope you enjoy our analysis of the second season of this outstanding science fiction drama program!
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Thank you!
Best Regards,
Kenn
This is an interesting and unique piece of writing and also fascinating. Thank you.