Television: Revolution, "Love Story"

An episode somewhat obnoxiously predicated on men trying to protect their womenfolk. Is that what counts as a love story these days? (Oh, but maybe being thrown back into the dark ages has thrown everyone's sense back too.)

It turns out this Titus asshole has a wife named Jessica who needs regular blood transfusions. Hence Titus kidnapping and killing people, draining those with the correct blood type. Miles was evidently "her type" but Rachel, her dad Gene, and those other two guys they brought along manage to free Miles; then Miles insists they bring Jessica along as well. She's going to be their big bargaining chip.

Except Jessica doesn't want to live. She wants to live free or die be free of her husband, even if that means dying. So when no one is looking (Rachel!), Jessica slices open her wrist.

This is after (a) we learn Titus was working with the U.S. Government because they want the town (and apparently aren't into just turning up and knocking on the gate?), and (b) Miles makes a deal with Titus for his wife's life. Oops. She no longer has a life, so . . .

Miles opts to put on a brave face and just get everyone out of town before Titus can learn his wife is dead. It almost works. But it wouldn't be an episode of Revolution without some, you know, fighting and revolting.

Meanwhile, Charlie and the bounty hunter guy who almost certainly has a name that I wasn't paying any attention to continue to track Monroe. Bounty Hunter Guy (BHG) gives Charlie some story about how the U.S. Government has his dad but are willing to trade him for Monroe, so long as Monroe is alive. But Monroe clocks BHG and shows Charlie some printed handbills (someone somewhere has, what, a hand-crank press and ink? and paper?) asking for not only his capture but Rachel's. (Note, however, that Monroe's says "for crimes against the U.S. Government" and Rachel's only says "issued by the U.S. Government.")

Anyway, Charlie finds out that BHG was lying about his dad anyway. (What if he's Monroe's long lost son . . . Did we just drop that whole thing or what?) I started playing Bejeweled, but I think BHG ended up being the one tied up and Charlie and Monroe were going off to help/warn Rachel and, by extension, Miles.

And the U.S. Government also called Neville out on his big, fat lie. That is to say, they told him they knew who he really was (not Edgar Caine) . . . But they may yet have use for his crazy ass. What they decide to do with Jason, however, remains to be seen.

So where's the "protect our women" bit? Well, Titus made a little speech about how his job was to protect his wife, and Miles went on and on about needing to be able to protect Rachel, and Aaron told Cynthia the reason he'd survived was to protect her, and Neville got tearful over his failing to protect his wife from the bombs. So . . . Yeah. Overkill much? Pretty gag inducing really.

But I have to say, on the whole the show has gotten better. And I'm so glad we're done with the Titus gang trying to break into the town thing because that plot was getting old. Time to move things along a bit. Which seems to be what they're actually doing this time: making some progress with the story.