Revenge Review: Loss (Season 4 Episode 17)

I’ve said for a while now that the driving force of Revenge is not a romantic one, but rather the father/daughter relationship between Emily and David. And despite everything else going on in “Loss,” that’s even more apparent in this episode.

The parallel at the beginning of “Loss” shows Emily seeing Carl ripped away from his father, then her own younger self being ripped away from David. It’s powerful, and it makes it ever more important that Emily come to Jack’s rescue.

Thanks to some good detective work and serious scheming, the charges against Jack are finally dropped. While Jack’s mom suggests they all celebrate, Emily wants to move on to the next thing — more revenge. She simply can’t stop herself. But it’s her father who finally convinces Emily to take a step back.

David mentions earlier that he doesn’t think his daughter needs him anymore — that he showed up too late. But his fatherly role comes pretty naturally, and the advice he gives to Emily is the best advice she could get right now.

More importantly, he actually gets through to her, and she finds Margaux to offer a truce. But, come on. You knew that would be too easy, right?

Whether or not you saw the previews, it’s obvious (cliche even) as Margaux stands a little too close to the street with all the cars flying by that she is about to get hit. I almost admire just HOW predictable this scene is. Even still, when it happens, it’s shocking.

Margaux has become such an evil villain (she has no remorse about Jack and the fact that he could have lost his son because of her) that there’s very little sympathy for her accident. That’s what is interesting about the baby — no matter how awful a villain Margaux is, there’s no cheering when she gets that bad news. We still have to have sympathy for her, no matter what terrible thing she does next.

We all saw this one coming too, though for a brief moment, I think maybe Margaux’s perspective would change. Nope. When Victoria begs Margaux to tell her what happened, she lies and says Emily pushed her.

Meanwhile, Emily has gone home, defeated and sad that such a horrible thing has happened — especially on the heels of her attempt to take her father’s advice and give the revenge a rest already. She breaks down in tears while her father holds her, finally able to be there for her in such an important way.

It’s more gratifying than any kiss or romantic happily-ever-after the show could give us.

Other Thoughts:

• Speaking of gratifying, talk about poetic justice for that judge. Spectacular.
• Kudos to Ben for becoming a part of the team, both in getting that blood sample back to the lab and pulling the judge over. I still don’t really care for him, but his willingness to help earns him major points.
• Thank goodness Louise told Nolan the truth about her brother!

What did you think of “Loss”? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments below!

Reviewer Rating:

User Rating:

Revenge airs Sundays at 9/8c on ABC.

Ashley Bissette Sumerel

Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.