It was yet another thrilling episode of Revenge this week, a show that hasn’t let up in quality or in tone since it started. When we began this fall season, who would have thought it would become such a must-see?

Emily Thorne and Amanda Clarke, two very different people and yet the same person. In the very first episode, I wondered whether Emily was the warm person she showed when with Ashley or the cold person when she confronted Nolan. Well, the jury’s still out as to her “Duplicity”, but I’m starting to think even Emily doesn’t know.

Dr. Michelle Banks: After over a year of treatment, I remain skeptical that Emily will ever conquer her trust issues. The past continues to define her present and she’s given me no reason to believe that it won’t define her future as well.

The things we know about Amanda Clarke, or even her alter-ego Emily Thorne, could fill a tin cup. She’s as much a mystery herself as the mysterious past she’s trying to avenge. So it should come as no surprise to us this week that she’s a deeply damaged individual. (I mean, she does spend her days plotting how to take down a whole list of people.) As a result of everything that happened, her present and future are now intricately defined by the trauma of her past.

Many years ago when Amanda was still a little girl, and after her father had just been sent to jail, she was seen by a psychiatrist who tried to convince little Amanda that her father was a bad man who killed a lot of people. (Try rationalizing that when you’re six years old and all you’ve ever known is your father’s love.) The shrink was already a misguided woman back then, and that was even before she took Victoria’s deal to institutionalize Amanda in exchange for running her own practice. But why did Victoria want Amanda in an institution? Was it a way to silence whatever she knew?

Dr. Michelle Banks: People who aren’t who they claim to be can be, Amanda, are very very dangerous. You would be wise to remember that.

Amanda isn’t the only one with a different face than the one they’re showing. We’ve basically just described the entire Hamptons. Emily’s target this week is Dr. Banks, the person who made her life a hell as a child and also the psychiatrist she’s been seeing for a year. (Imagine having to spill your ‘secrets’ and pretend to get close to her for so long. Again, that’s dedication.) In order to discredit Dr. Banks, Emily releases all of her patients’ videos during the momentous mother-daughter lunch. (“I drove my children to summer camp loaded on painkillers and vodka.” “How can I explain to my husband that I slept with his sister!” ) I wonder, do you think Emily releasing her own amongst them worked to throw Victoria off track? Or did Ashley screw up everything when she told Victoria that Emily had found the missing DVD?

Victoria: You recorded our private sessions?! I will destroy you. I will ruin you!

The rest of the videos they showed us may have been more scandalous, but I found Victoria’s video about not feeling connected to her daughter Charlotte the most interesting. Ever since the first episode I’ve wondered whether Victoria could have gotten pregnant by David, thus making Charlotte be Amanda’s half-sister. She’s about the right age, and this estrangement from her daughter would make a lot of sense if that were the case.

Nolan: Come on down, the testosterone is on the house.

Then, there’s Daniel’s new friend Tyler. What’s the deal with him? I’m getting the idea he really doesn’t want his friend seeing Emily. So I’m starting to wonder, ok this idea was put in my head by the rest of you, but could he maybe be interested in Daniel himself? (Then again, maybe he just misses having his old party friend? Yeah, that sounds a little too easy.) At the least, he’s definitely suspicious. At the most, he’s beginning to pose a threat to Emily’s carefully crafted plans. This should be interesting.

Meanwhile, with Daniel out of commission, Jack is getting closer to Emily. I’m loving how Nolan is subtly, or maybe not so subtly, pushing the two of them together. He’s putting ideas in his new friend’s head, setting him up to be at the same places as Emily, and now even trying to suggest that Emily do something about him leaving. I’m also highly amused by all the double talk between Emily and Nolan right in front of Jack.

Emily: The greatest weapon anyone can use against us is in our own mind. by praying on the doubts and insecurities that are already there. Are we true to ourselves or do we live for the expectations of others? And if we are open and honest, can we ever be truly loved? Can we find the courage to release our deepest secrets, or in the end are we all unknowable, even to ourselves?

The last we see of Dr. Banks is her being taken out of a storage container where Emily put her and where she’s been trapped for at least day. This is definitely the harshest treatment we’ve seen Emily give to any one of her targets so far, but for some reason I’m not all that sad about it.

What’s even more delicious is how Emily also manages to again connect Victoria back to the crime by using a storage container owned by her. Last week we were given a moment of doubt as to Victoria’s actual crimes in all this when we realized she actually tried to stop David from going to jail by presenting evidence to prosecutor Kingsly. This week though she takes a step back again when we see that little Amanda witnessed Victoria stealing David’s laptop and then pretending she came over to see him. I think it’s safe to say Emily’s plan for Victoria is a lot more complicated than any of the weekly takedowns we’ve seen so far.

Notes and Quotes:

I loved the shot to the book Counte of Monte Christo on Dr. Banks’ shelf for which this series is based.

It’s interesting to note that Conrad is once again sleeping with Lydia, Victoria’s ex-best friend. (Yeah, he probably never stopped.)

Tyler: You could have killed the guy!

Tyler: Danny tells me you’re an orphan. That sucks.

Victoria: I threatened to ruin her, not inflict bodily harm.

Emily: Nothing is random.

Next week:

Ooh! Daniel and Emily do the deed? Victoria has a theory on who could be behind everything? There’s an explosion and Nolan’s calling to find out where’s Emily? Can it be next week now?