Television: Revolution, "The Patriot Act"

As predicted, Monroe is not dead, just buried. At least until Rachel digs him up again and squirrels him away.

A storefront in Willoughby explodes, resulting in the Patriots instituting even more rules and regulations as well as bringing in more men. It's pretty clear they keep creating crises just so they can solve them, thus appearing as heroes and winning the people's trust. A pretty cynical and conspiratorial take on government, but whatever.

Speaking of, an old DoD comrade of Rachel's appears: Dr. Horn. He's more than a little put out when she doesn't remember him (and later, again put out when she apparently does not mention him to her father). Horn is now Science Advisor to the President (and btw, where is this President?) and thinks Rachel has something to do with the spontaneous combustion happening to people around Willoughby. Apparently the nanotech stores electricity or energy or something and the going theory is that they can also release it, if only someone can command them to do so. Horn thinks Rachel has figured out how to command these nanobuggies, but of course we all know they're really responding to Aaron and his Google-fu gone amok.

A lot of this episode was spent tracing Gene's dealings with the Patriots, namely how he ended up in league with them and why he feels so guilty and torn now. Yes, yes, yes, it's the same old story: He wanted to help people in the town (namely by being able to treat them with drugs and vaccines when they were ill), was given the opportunity to do so (by being supplied with said drugs and vaccines by the Patriots), and paid the price for it (by also being forced to aid the Patriots as they tortured what may have been innocent people). This kind of character arc is no longer compelling because we've seen it so often. Thought it was funny/interesting that they introduced this Shaw guy who pretty much is the flip side of Richard from Lost, even going so far as to find someone who looks a bit like Nestor Carbonell.

In an attempt to save Rachel from Horn's attentions, Gene names Aaron as the one creating human torches out of Patriot guardsmen. Aaron shows his skill again (Firestarter anyone?), which impresses Monroe and terrifies Cynthia.

Meanwhile, we've still got Neville and Jason and Allenford . . . Neville manages to win Jason back (or so we're led to believe when Jason kills two other Patriot cadets and saves Neville and Allenford). This makes Allenford want to go find her son to see if he can also be recouped from the brainwashing, but Neville has other plans; he wants Allenford to take him to her husband who is in Patriot High Command.

Honestly, not all that compelling an episode. Can't say I care much about Gene, and the Aaron thing just keeps on going. We'd been doing pretty well there for a while, making progress in the story, but this week felt like a stall.