Written by Ellie Triedman
Directed by Colin Bucksey
Emily: “You were this close, Mason but you missed the one thing that’s been right under your nose the whole time. She’s not Amanda Clarke -,”
Mason: “– You are.”
Oh, Mason, if you had just kept your nose out of Emily and Amanda’s business, then you wouldn’t be sitting in a jail cell now hoping that the former will complete her vengeance and grant you enough mercy to get you exonerated, eh?
First off all – I really have zero sympathy for Mason. He might not be as bad as the Graysons but his actions have cost Emily and he’s proved to be more of a loose cannon over the last few episodes that short of Amanda caving his brains in with a crowbar, sending him to jail was the best way of dealing with him. It was also made even more painful given that he was sent to jail for a crime he didn’t commit.
Getting Nolan to sneak in the flight recorder along with all the other damning evidence was a brutal way of getting Mason out of the way but in all fairness, it was his own ego into writing the book he was meant to write that allowed Emily total power over him. I get the implausibility of Mason’s fate to a large degree but it certainly made for an interesting episode.
I do believe that Mason has genuine remorse for his part in ruining David Clarke’s life and his attempts to try and amend things with Kara by telling her that the Graysons got Gordon to kill him was sort of noble but it was also too little, too late. Mason’s own self-serving really is his defining characteristic, even when he’s attempting to be selfless. If I were Emily, I wouldn’t be too quick to exonerate him just yet.
Speaking of Kara, it was rather delightful seeing her really go bat shit crazy in this episode and try to kill both Victoria and Conrad upstairs while the Initiative and Daniel were mulling over their downfall downstairs in the Grayson manor. It’s a good job for them that Aiden was quick to apprehend her, though he took his sweet time in doing so.
I’m not entirely sure if it were wise for Emily to have revealed that she knew Aiden in this episode to Kara. Kara might be gone for the time being but eventually she will come back and I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s pieced the Emily/Amanda connection in a much quicker pace than Mason did (though Emily did out herself to him). In fact, I think I’ll be annoyed if somehow she didn’t.
As for Aiden – I’m starting to feel a little meh about him. I don’t care about him and Emily hooking up at all but I do care about his antipathy towards Nolan. I get the impression that Aiden seems a little threatened by the friendship that Emily and Nolan have and that his interest in her agenda may become corrosive as the season progresses.
I also don’t like the fact that as a part of Aiden’s ongoing scheming with Daniel to get the board at Grayson Global to overthrow Conrad that Nolan’s own company might be at risk too. Nolan really shouldn’t be another casualty in this whole messy saga and if he is because of Aiden, well that’s not good, now is it?
Last but not least – can this boring scheme of Kenny and his younger brother, Nate now end please? Aside from the fact that I wish Jack would wise up and do some background checks on the guy, I just cannot find any enthusiasm for the plot at all. On the plus side, at least things between Jack and Amanda seem a lot calmer now, so that’s something.
Also in “Penance”
This episode was originally entitled “Exposure”. I wonder why the title was changed at the last minute.
Emily (re Amanda): “I don’t choose my friends based by their network.”
Mason: “Then by what criteria? A shared history, perhaps?”
Even though Mason was rather lewd in the way he suggested it, I don’t think I’d be that shocked if Emily and Amanda actually had sex with each other at some point in their past.
Jack: “Are you sure you want to reopen up these old wounds?”
Amanda: “One last time, I promise.”
Nolan (re Emily): “Why are you doing this? What is she to you exactly?”
Aiden: “She’s someone who I once hurt very badly and now I’m trying to make it up to her.”
Nolan: “Hurt her again and I swear you will pay.”
Padma learned the error of going into Nolan’s office without shoes when she got cut by the glass from the frame Nolan broke to give Aiden the cheque from David Clarke. Nolan’s middle name is Mitchell as well.
Mason (to Amanda): “Confession they say is good for the soul and for book sales.”
Emily: “Choose your family.”
Amanda: “You’re making a huge mistake.”
The lady from the Initiative goes by the name of Helen Crowley and it seems that Daniel’s made himself a target as well. Victoria also looked she was going tell Conrad at the end about Daniel’s scheming.
Victoria: “Conrad, I have bad news.”
Conrad: “Yeah, that seems to be going around.”
Kara: “Shut the door.”
Kara: “I don’t know how to thank you.”
Emily: “Well, just keep yourself safe.”
Standout music: “Only One” by Smith Westerns and what is up with those Target ads being featured in the show?
Emily (to herself): “To properly do penance, one must express contrition for ones sins.”
Chronology: A few days since the events of “Illusion”.
I really enjoyed this episode. I wasn’t expecting “Penance” to actually go there with Mason or even for Kara to leave so quickly (though she’ll obviously be back) but this was another extremely enjoyable episode and I’m looking forward to the next one, even if I do have to wait two weeks for it.
Rating: 8 out of 10
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