Cast: Billy Burke, Tracy Spirdakos, Giancarlo Esposito, Zak Orth, David Lyons, Tim Guinee, Elizabeth Mitchell, Graham Rogers
Writer: Paul Grellong
Director: Jon Cassar
Network: NBC, airs Mondays @ 10 p.m.
Original Telecast: Oct. 15, 2012

Through four episodes of REVOLUTION, I have been constantly singing the praises of Giancarlo Esposito’s character of Captain Tom Neville, one of the henchmen to General Monroe (David Lyons) out in the field doing his dirty work.

Neville has been one of the most interesting characters on the show and his subplot involving a battle of wills with Danny (Graham Rogers) has been one of the best parts of the show so far. Well, in “Soul Train” we got a truckload of Neville, Danny and some really good aspects of the show that had been missing from the last three.

This was, by far, the best episode of the show since the “Pilot.” One of the things that many fans have been complaining about has been why the show hasn’t focused on any of the technology that was around prior to electricity – namely, the steam engine. Obviously, that was answered in this episode as it played a central role in the episode.

But director Jon Cassar (who did an awesome job on 24) delivers more in one episode than what any other episode has done since the Pilot. Namely, show us things in this world that are happening that are outside just the Monroe militia versus the resistance. He showed us a town where the train is lodged and all the people working and living there. We got a peek inside just how humanity is surviving without electricity, albeit under the strong-arm of a dictatorship. All the previous episodes focused on people with rabid dogs, or resistance members holding up against the militia. It didn’t work.

The focus of Neville and Danny was done in a really nice way. Neville has consistently been hounding Danny. Trying everything he can to push his buttons. Danny even said as much in this episode that Neville has tried to get inside his head physically, mentally, psychologically and every other way but it hasn’t worked. That came to a crossroads when Charlie (Tracy Spirdakos) and Miles (Billy Burke) try to rescue Danny on board the train and stop a bomb that the resistance planted to blow it up (thus killing Danny in the process). As Charlie tried to save Danny, he finally fought back against Neville and while it didn’t work, it showed the progression of their “relationship” in that Danny hadn’t given in to Neville and was just waiting for the right moment.

I loved the background with Neville. He was nothing at all like man he was today. Timid, passive and weak, he was fired from his job, couldn’t stand up against his neighbor. But when the lights went out, all of his secret training came into play. He could finally use the things he was good at and was going to teach his son these skills – his son being revealed to be “Nate,” the militia member that Miles and Charlie had captured and his real name was Jason. I really hope this isn’t the last time we get to see Neville’s past and how he came to be part of the militia.

I also enjoyed the progression of Charlie into something more than just the crying, sad little sister, which the previous episodes had gotten away from. Her confrontation in the market with Neville was simply awesome. The payoff was even better in that Neville didn’t buy it and was just waiting for her only to be saved by Miles.

The other interesting tidbit we learned was that the pendants that we have seen from various people are indeed the key to turning the power back on (how we don’t know yet) and there are 12 in total. So that means nine other people have pendants that we have not seen – Aaron (Zak Orth) has one, Grace had another and she presumably lost it to the mystery man that invaded her home (he also had one). So who has the other pendants? Obviously, no one inside the militia has one. That means there is a whole set of people that we have not seen carrying these pendants (or presumably one person could have multiple pendants).

This was a step in the right direction for the series and hopefully it will continue to improve after a trio of mediocre episodes.

Related: TV Review: REVOLUTION – Season 1 – “Sex and Drugs”

Related:Exclusive Interview with TWILIGHT SAGA star Billy Burke on his new NBC hit series REVOLUTION

Related: TV Review: REVOLUTION – Season 1 – “The Plague Dogs”

Related: TV Review: REVOLUTION – Season 1 – “No Quarter”

Related: TV Review: REVOLUTION – Season 1 – “Chained Heat”

Related: TV Review: REVOLUTION – Season 1 – “Pilot” –  Series Premiere  

Related: Interview with REVOLUTION director Jon Favreau on the new NBC series

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Article: TV Review: REVOLUTION – Season 1 – “Soul Train”

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