TV Tuesday: Revenge - Season 1; Episode 1 (2011)

Revenge - 2011

Yesterday was Memorial Day in the United States.  For this TV Tuesday, I can't think of a better way to celebrate than to profile a show whose Memorial Day parties are always a kickoff for summer.  The first episode of "Revenge" introduces us to Emily Thorne and her arch-nemesis Victoria Grayson as they battle it out in the Hamptons over a decades long feud and secrets that won't stay buried.

The episode's cast includes Emily VanCamp, Madeleine Stowe, Gabriel Mann, Henry Czerny, Ashley Madekwe, Nick Wechsler, Joshua Bowman, Connor Paolo, Christa B. Allen, James Tupper, Amber Valletta, Christina Chang, and Emily Alyn Lind.

Emily Thorne has arrived in the Hamptons and is looking for a home.  The one she chooses seems to have some sentimental aspect attached to it.

She's also very interested in the house next door and the woman who resides within.

At Grayson Manor, Victoria Grayson rules the Hamptons from an armchair.  Nicknamed "Queen Victoria", many view her as the undisputed monarch of the community.

On the beach one day, Emily bumps into Lydia Davis, who is the owner of the house she is renting.  The two exchange pleasantries and go on with their respective days.

It turns out that Emily has a purpose for coming to the Hamptons.  She is not Emily Thorne at all, but Amanda Clarke, the daughter of alleged international terrorist David Clarke, who was a business partner of the Graysons.  Emily is looking to set the record straight and take down the people she believes framed her father.  "This is not a story about forgiveness," says Emily.

Number 1 on her list is none other than Lydia Davis, who was her father's secretary.  Emily's resolve tightens as she plays back video of Lydia calling her father a "monster".  She sets things in motion that will bring about Lydia's eventual downfall.

Helping her to achieve her goal is a friend of her father's, Nolan Ross, a very wealthy man with unlimited resources and very advanced tech skills.

It's not all war and take-downs.  By chance, Emily meets an old friend from her past, Jack Porter, who works at the local tavern.  He doesn't recognize her, but she knows who he is instantly.  She doesn't reveal herself, but stays closely guarded about who she really is.

The show's main event is Victoria Grayson's Memorial Day party, held this year on a yacht.  Emily has purchased a ticket and front row seat to the $10,000 a plate event.

This is also the place where Emily meets Daniel Grayson, Victoria's son.  It's meant to look like a chance encounter, but obviously there is more to it than chance.  Sparks fly instantly.

Emily's moment of triumph arrives.  Lydia Davis is taken down, though it is by Victoria's hand, just as Emily had planned, shaping events and causing wheels to turn according to her desires.

Emily returns home, pulls out a red Sharpie (which will become very familiar to viewers) and puts an "X" through a picture of Lydia.

Victoria Grayson is very unsure about her new neighbor, Emily Thorne.  She makes a phone call to an unknown person and asks him to find out everything he can about Emily, as she watches her from her balcony.

Cast rundown:

   Emily VanCamp................................Emily Thorne

   Madeleine Stowe..............................Victoria Grayson

   Gabriel Mann....................................Nolan Ross

   Henry Czerny....................................Conrad Grayson

   Ashley Madekwe...............................Ashley Davenport

   Nick Wechsler...................................Jack Porter

   Joshua Bowman................................Daniel Grayson

   Connor Paolo....................................Declan Porter

   Christa B. Allen.................................Charlotte Grayson

   James Tupper....................................David Clarke

   Amber Valletta..................................Lydia Davis

   Christina Chang.................................Karrie Thurgood

   Emily Alyn Lind.................................Amanda Clarke

And that's it for Revenge.  The plot for this series was inspired by Alexandre Dumas' work The Count of Monte Cristo, a story about a man who is wrongfully imprisoned.  After he escapes and acquires a fortune, he works on getting revenge on those who were responsible for his imprisonment.

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Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011)

 

Mr. Popper's Penguins - 2011

Coming up next we have 2011's "Mr. Popper's Penguins", a film about a man who receives a bunch of penguins and keeps them in his New York apartment.  His life is completely turned around for the better because of their appearance.

The film's cast includes Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino, Angela Lansbury, Ophelia Lovibond, Madeline Carroll, Maxwell Perry Cotton, Clark Gregg, Jeffrey Tambor, David Krumholtz, James Tupper, and Charlie Semine.

Tom Popper is a very charismatic businessman.  He always seems to know exactly what his associates need and want.

During one meeting, he captivates a man with visions of sailing and a very immersive experience.  As they look off into the distance, Tom has him imagine a blue whale "a rainbow in the spray from his mighty blowhole".

And Tom's assistant Pippi is quite a character as well.  "Pippi Peponopolis.  I'm Mr. Popper's personal assistant.  I process his paperwork and I procure his periodicals," she says as she introduces herself.

One morning, Tom receives a penguin as a gift from his recently deceased globe-trotting father.  Not knowing what to do with it, Tom leaves it in his apartment as he heads off to an important meeting.

He is tasked by his firm with acquiring Tavern on the Green, a landmark establishment in Central Park.  The owner, Mrs. Van Gundy, is as sharp as they come and is not about to let her restaurant go to just anybody.

She isn't very impressed by his pitch.  "Picture yourself in a boat on a river with tangerine trees and kind of a marmalade sky," he muses.  She looks at him strangely and says, "I don't do drugs, Mr. Popper."

When he returns home, Tom finds out just what keeping a penguin in an apartment entails.  The penguin has flooded his bathroom and goes to the bathroom anyplace it feels like.

And the situation becomes more dramatic when five more penguins arrive at his residence.

Popper's kids (with whom he doesn't have a great relationship) and his ex-wife fall in love with the penguins, which doesn't help with his wanting to get rid of the pesky birds.

More trouble brews in the apartment complex when the noisy penguins succeed in bothering Popper's neighbors.  One neighbor, Kent, says, "I’m hearing shrieking, cackling, and trumpeting sounds coming from that apartment.  Now, either Mr. Popper is hanging out with my mother, or I’m losing my mind."

Needless to say, the penguins become very attached to Popper.  They even follow him to a fancy party, where he tries to impress Mrs. Van Gundy.  As can be imagined, things don't go very well.

Popper eventually comes to bond with the penguins.  During an evening meal, Tom prays over the food.  "Dear Lord, thank you for the food we are about to eat.  Please use your mighty power to stop the melting of the polar ice caps.  Amen."

And when the penguins start to build nests, Popper turns his apartment into the perfect icy habitat where their babies can be hatched.

The penguins future is uncertain when a "penguin expert" arrives and tries to take them away from Popper.  Eventually, Popper and his family engineer a "zoo break" to rescue them.

Of course, things end up all right.  Mrs. Van Gundy decides to let Popper have the restaurant, and he is even more thrilled once he is allowed to keep custody of the penguins.

In the spring, Popper has a very special lunch planned with his family (with whom he has reconciled) at the newly refurbished restaurant.  He tells them he is going on a long trip and he needs them to come with him.

They travel to Antarctica, where the penguins happily rejoin their family group.

Cast rundown:

   Jim Carrey................................Tom Popper

   Carla Gugino.............................Amanda Popper

   Angela Lansbury........................Selma Van Gundy

   Ophelia Lovibond.......................Pippi Peponopolis

   Madeline Carroll.........................Janie Popper

   Maxwell Perry Cotton..................Billy Popper

   Clark Gregg...............................Nat Jones

   Jeffrey Tambor...........................Mr. Gremmins

   David Krumholtz........................Kent

   James Tupper............................Rick

   Charlie Semine..........................Quint

And that's all for Mr. Popper's Penguins.  Six penguins appear in this version of the story.  In the original novel, there were twelve.  Real penguins were used for certain segments of this movie, and their scenes were filmed on a refrigerated set.

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