ABC’s guilty pleasure drama “Revenge” is delaying fan gratification on the season premiere murder-mystery. EW.com reported today, in an interview with series creator Mike Kelly, that instead of revealing Daniel Grayson’s murderer in episode 13 as they had planned when the season began, fans will have to wait for episode 15 for the big reveal.
Why the delay? Too much success; “Revenge,” among other new series, has made the primetime serial hot again. Through six episodes Revenge has more than kept pace with its Wednesday night competition regularly topping NBC’s veteran series “Law & Order: SVU and beating CBS’s original CSI in younger viewers.
The early success hasn’t been limited to the ratings. The story of Emily Thorn’s quest for vengeance against the people responsible for destroying her late father has proven rich and twisty through six episodes with Ashton Holmes’s Tyler becoming a breakout bad boy.
Holmes’s work inspired Mike Kelley to work in two more episodes to explore Tyler’s growing obsession with his best friend Daniel (Joshua Bowman) and with Daniel’s relationship with Emily Thorn (Emily Van Camp). In his interview with EW Kelley said that Tyler’s arc is inspired by Matt Damon in “The Talented Mr. Ripley” implying that Tyler’s murderous side will be emerging soon.
As a fan of the series I can’t help but be excited about this development. Ashton Holmes’s Tyler is perfectly hate-worthy and his dynamic with Daniel and Emily has become a highlight of the series; rivaling Gabriel Mann’s Nolan as the series’ most intriguing character.
Now we turn our attention to speculating what part Tyler will play in Daniel’s death. The series premiere showed Nick Wechsler’s Jack is at the scene of Daniel’s murder but is he the one who killed him? And the bigger question; what does Emily know about her fiancée’s murder?
“Revenge” airs Wednesday nights on ABC.