Weekly Hamptons Revenge Recap: Season 3, Episode 3: “Confession”

Welcome to our weekly Revenge recap series, where you’ll get the Hamptons perspective on ABC’s hit show. Consult our primer for characters and background, then make sure to check out last week’s recap to see what you missed.

And now, Episode 3: Confession…

We open on Conrad’s bedroom. He’s fast asleep, as faux-sickly men on television often are. Charlotte enters, and we see her red fingernails grab the knife sitting beside Conrad’s Holy Bible. Conrad awakens, happy to see his daughter. “This is for my father,” she scowls. She then proceeds to stab him in the heart.

Too good to be true? Of course. Conrad wakes up in a cold sweat, and Emily arrives to give him his medication. She offers him a shoulder to lean on and switches his medication while he laments his children hating him. Emily tells him she wishes there was someone he could talk to, obviously meaning Father Paul, the priest she feels guilty about taking down last week. It’s a little hard to believe that Conrad trusts Emily so easily, but they’ve never had any problems. C’est la vie.

Victoria meets with Aiden on a lovely Southampton bridge that probably doesn’t exist. Aiden tells her he thinks he’s found evidence that proves Emily and Nolan have stolen the Grayson fortune. He also divulges that he and Emily were sleeping together well after Daniel proposed to her. Victoria notes that she’s always suspected Emily is a grifter.

Nolan is making preparations for his big housewarming party, which he hopes will be the event of the season. After arguing on the phone with a party planner about an enclosure on the beach so party-goers can play with some dolphins (what?), Emily arrives and they discuss her plans for the week. Nolan notes that he was sure to invite Victoria, then asks Ems if she’s planning on getting rid of Patrick, who doesn’t like her very much. Emily isn’t so concerned with Patrick; she’s got far bigger fish to fry.

At Voulez, the magazine that Daniel now finances, Margaux is unhappy that he is against making Nolan the cover story for their upcoming first issue. Daniel obviously never liked the foppish techie, but Margaux notes that she is editor-in-chief and will make all creative decisions. Daniel grudgingly asks Margaux to wait until Nolan’s party, where he’ll speak with Nolan privately about the story.

Father Paul speaks with his supervisor, who thinks he should stop trying to get to the bottom of his alleged transgression and explore why God made this happen (did Emily pay off the Catholic church, too?!). He goes inside the confessional, and is horrified when Emily answers him! Emily explains that Amanda was her best friend and that she wants those who hurt her and her father to pay. She tells Father Paul that he must earn her forgiveness by getting Conrad to turn himself in. Father Paul reluctantly agrees, and exits the confessional, where a photo of everyone at Grayson Global guilty of taking down David is waiting for him.

In a scene just bursting with foreshadowing, Victoria and Patrick (who has now moved in), are concerned when Conrad returns from a joyride in his red sports car, since his license was revoked after his diagnosis. Conrad’s in no mood for his bitchy wife and her creepily earnest son and dismisses them both.

Meanwhile, Charlotte has decided that living with Jack and Carl in the projects of Montauk is better than staying with her crazy family. She gives Margaux the grand tour of her new digs, then introduces her to Jack. Margaux notices an invitation to Nolan’s party on Jack’s counter and convinces him to go and take her as his plus-one. The two have some immediate chemistry, but the French seductress had better be careful, considering she’s already tried to seduce one of Emily’s men. Jack notes that he’s not looking to date, but Margaux replies, “Who said anything about dating?” and tells him to pick her up for the party.

Victoria goes to Daniel’s office to tell him that Emily was sleeping with Aiden, even after Daniel proposed to her. She also mentions that Emily bought Nolan his new house. He’s annoyed by his mother’s meddling, but remains suspicious.

At an unnamed Southampton country club, Nolan chatters away on his phone, making preparations for his party. A hard-bodied hunk removes the towel covering his face from the sun and is revealed to be Patrick, who tells Nolan that phones are prohibited. Nolan and Patrick have a witty exchange and Nolan invites him to the party. He then hears Patrick referred to as “Mr. Grayson,” and Patrick says it’s “Mr. Osborne.” Nolan’s interest now thoroughly piqued, he tells Patrick he looks forward to seeing him later. It’s worth noting that this scene was filled with more electricity and charm than all of Nolan’s scenes with Tyler, Padma and Marco combined. Just saying.

Daniel confronts Emily at her place, asking her why she didn’t tell him about buying Nolan’s new house. She is upset that Victoria is meddling, and the two reach an impasse before Nolan arrives, clad in a t-shirt with his mugshot on it. “He wears his shame well,” Daniel quips before leaving. Nolan excitedly tells Emily he ran into Patrick, but she warns him to be careful and stay away from the interloper. He changes the subject abruptly.

Back in poor Montauk, Charlotte arrives with a tailor for Jack. He argues that he has his own suits, but Charlotte convinces him to live a little. As annoying as Charlotte is and continues to be, she’s most tolerable in scenes with Jack and Carl. Could true love be in the air?

Victoria and Patrick are about to have lunch, and Patrick sweetly (too sweetly) asks if they should wait for Conrad. They’re interrupted by Emily, who has arrived to give Victoria her official invitation to the party. Patrick is appropriately cold to Emily, and Victoria reminds Emily that she has never needed an invitation to a Hamptons soiree. “Nolan’s looking forward to seeing you later!” Emily retorts to Patrick before heading inside to see Conrad. Victoria is immediately concerned that Nolan is looking to manipulate Patrick and implores him to stay away from the party, noting that Emily and Nolan are “thick as thieves.”

Emily chats with Conrad and gets in some gaslighting time before Father Paul arrives, as planned. Things are about to get real.

But first, Nolan’s party! We’re officially in full-on primetime soap mode, as the cast converges for a sexy, scandalous event. The pool is filled with nameless beautiful people, a Top 40 song is playing in the background and nobody’s happy (besides Nolan, who doesn’t seem to have a care in the world lately). Daniel’s not happy to see Margaux, who is there to show him who’s really boss, and Emily’s not happy to see Margaux with Jack. She and Jack have their weekly awkward chat, and Jack and Margaux drop trou and go for a swim. Victoria arrives with Aiden, and Daniel is livid with his mother. She notes that Emily seems to be hung up on the James Bond wannabe, and Emily and Aiden have a loud, nasty fight. Victoria confronts Emily about buying Nolan’s house, and Emily bluntly announces to all of Southampton that the Graysons are bankrupt. Oops.

Daniel and Emily fight and she pretends to be upset about what happened at the party. Later, she calls Father Paul and asks if he did what she asked. Father Paul tells her that he understands why she’s doing all of this and that if Conrad doesn’t confess, he will, but that she should let get of the hatred and anger. A single tear runs down Emily’s ice princess cheek.

Margaux is enraged to learn that Daniel went to her father and got the Nolan story shut down. He states that he’s been pushed around by women his entire life and won’t allow it anymore (oh Danny, if only you knew). She tells him that she will get her story, one way or the other.

Later, Daniel installs a security system in Emily’s house and tells her something that genuinely shocks her: The last time he saw Aiden (the Season 2 finale), they got in a fight and Daniel shot him! Emily is horrified by her supposed-to-be-stupid fiance’s actions.

Nolan looks a bit lonely after his party, but is happy to see Patrick, who tells him he doesn’t care about Emily and Victoria’s feud and that they can still be friends; Emily, meanwhile, crosses the proverbial tracks to Montauk and thanks Jack for looking after Charlotte, since Charlotte hates her now (“You really are becoming a Grayson,” Charlotte told Emily at the party) Margaux arrives, looking for a friend. She and Jack exchange a clearly soon-to-be romantic look.

The Grayson bankruptcy — and Victoria’s humiliated face — are front-page material in the papers (ed. note: Dan’s Papers would never dream of slandering your good name, Victoria!). Aiden tells Victoria that it turns out he was wrong about Emily and Nolan scamming the Graysons and that the finances all check out. Oops. He tries to leave, but Victoria tells Aiden he’s not going anywhere: “Together we’re going to unravel and destroy that little bitch.”

Back at the manse, Conrad reveals to Victoria that he’s turning himself in. “So your psychosis has progressed,” says Victoria, who thinks he’s kidding at first. When it becomes obvious that Conrad’s serious, Victoria calls him a coward and brings up the fact that he blew up a plane to keep her quiet. Victoria furiously slaps Conrad, draws blood and starts throwing things. Father Paul shows up and they drive off, but Victoria warns Conrad, “I swear this will be the last thing you ever do!”

Emily sits alone on the beach, where she is startled by Aiden. It immediately becomes clear that Aiden’s interactions with Victoria weren’t bad writing after all — he and Emily have been in cahoots all along! She’s angry that he brought their relationship into the mix — he was only supposed to convince Victoria that Emily was a grifter so they could have their big fight — but tells him she’s sorry that Daniel shot him. He shows Emily his scar from the bullet, which is right by his heart (excuse my eyes while they roll). Aiden asks Emily if she’s really sure that Conrad’s going to confess. “This time, I have faith,” she smiles.

Famous last words. In a scene we all should have seen coming, Emily drives home and sees Conrad’s car wrapped around a telephone pole in flames. She rushes to the scene to find Father Paul’s lifeless body, and Conrad (who, like a cockroach, has survived yet another disaster) shakily approaches her, disoriented and traumatized.

(Next Page: Closing Thoughts)

Closing Thoughts

Between the reveal that Aiden and Emily have been working together, Nolan and Patrick’s surprise flirtation, Daniel telling Emily he shot Aiden months ago and that whopper of a closing scene, this was the most exciting episode of Revenge in a very long time. It will be interesting to see how things progress now that we know Aiden’s still at Emily’s beck and call, and how all these potential new relationships are going to develop. Jack and Margaux’s scenes were quite fun, and Nolan and Patrick could be the show’s next big thing, given Twitter and Tumblr’s obsession with same-sex TV couples.

Season Three, Episode Three Takedown: Nobody officially, but Victoria got herself embarrassed and Father Paul got himself taken out.
Best Moment: The entire party sequence
Worst Moment: The painfully obvious dream sequence between Conrad and Charlotte
Question of the Week: Who died on the plane that Conrad blew up in the first season finale?

Congrats to user MaFer Atomicbomb, who correctly answered our last Question of the Week. Check back later in the week for a Revenge Top 5 list and get the scoop on Episode 4, “Mercy,” on Monday.