The season finale of 'Revenge' ended with a cliffhanger that paves the way for a new Season Four, which has already been confirmed by the ABC network. Be warned, there will be spoilers ahead.
'Revenge' Season Three left off with the surprise appearance of Emily's father David Clarke (James Tupper), who provided the catalyst for the entire series. This twist is certainly going to throw a wrench in the established storyline, which for the last three seasons revolved around Emily's path of vengeance against those whom have wronged her father.
Clarke's apparent death in a prison riot provided the motivation behind Emily's actions. With David Clarke coming back from the dead, what is to become of Emily's mission? This is one question that Season Four is going to have to address.
"He is, of anybody that can come walking into the Hamptons, he is the game changer and we felt the best way to bring him back to the Hamptons is when we reintroduce him, you realize this man is no longer about forgiveness, that revenge has become a part of his makeup," 'Revenge' executive producer Sunil Nayar said during an interview with E!.
"So that the man that both Emily and Victoria think they knew isn't the guy at all. Whether people love it or hate it, I'm sure it's going to be a polarizing decision, there's nobody who's not going to want to know where he's been and what he's about, so we can't wait to tell those stories next season."
Season Three ends with triumph for Emily, who is played by Canadian actor Emily Vancamp. Emily has more or less accomplished her original mission by clearing her father's name, and ruining the Graysons -- the wealthy couple behind the conspiracy to destroy David Clarke. The season finale saw Conrad Grayson (Henry Czery) behind bars, and his wife Victoria (Madeleine Stowe) committed to a mental institution. At the last moment, Conrad is inexplicable released from prison by a mysterious benefactor, who turns out to be David Clarke. Clarke proceeds to stab Conrad, who is left bleeding in the middle of the road.
Emily also loses the love of her life Aiden Mathis (Barry Sloan), who was poisoned and strangled by Victoria. Aiden is not likely coming back to 'Revenge' Season Four, and it seems even more doubtful that Conrad is returning. Still, screenwriters have been known to resurrect dead characters -- a good example being David Clarke. So, confirming deaths in this series is harder than it looks.
Although no premiere date was given, ABC has consistently aired the first episode of each 'Revenge' season in late September. Up to this point, Revenge has done well in terms of ratings. It is unlikely that ABC is going to deviate from the current schedule, even though it has yet to confirm the exact timeslot for the series. This year, Season Three of 'Revenge' had its Sunday 9pm timeslot bumped up to 10pm in the middle of the season.
