Spoiler Alert: Don’t read on if you haven’t watched Sunday’s episode of “Revenge,” titled “Atonement,” and don’t want to be spoiled.
Sunday’s death on ABC’s “Revenge” fall finale reenforces two things. First, the Graysons are an endangered species. And second, no child will be allowed to grow up with two parents.
Daniel Grayson, played since the show’s pilot by the dashing Josh Bowman, died saving his ex-wife on Sunday’s episode.
The moment of Daniel’s death arrived during a harrowing fight between Emily (Emily VanCamp) and crooked FBI agent Kate Taylor (Courtney Ford), who also happens to be the daughter of Malcolm Black, the man who had been blackmailing David Clarke (James Tupper) for the past decade. Emily didn’t know that and so she was semi-intrigued by Kate’s story that she herself was being forced to work for Malcolm, who was keeping her mother hostage. That got her through the door. But, as soon as Emily figured out the holes in Kate’s story, a life and death struggle began.
Daniel, who was in full contemplation mode for the entire episode — complete with flashbacks to when he allowed his father’s philosophies of the destined greatness of the Graysons to keep him from testifying against a rich friend — heard the violent fight from the beach and arrived just as Emily was on her back and surely marked for death. Instead of running as Emily asked him to, he stayed, captured Kate’s attention and then was fatally shot.
Meanwhile, Jack (Nick Wechsler) was still running ID scans on Kate and realized in the nick of time who she was. He appeared at Emily’s just in time to gun down Kate before she killed Emily, too.
“I want you to know that it wasn’t all a lie,” Emily told Daniel as she held him. “Not with you.”
“I know,” Daniel answered, before his eyes closed.
Daniel was a quick fan favorite. Aside from being handsome and fun-loving, he brought light to the darkness of Emily’s life. We all knew that she felt real feelings for him, but that the larger revenge plan was already unfurling and their relationship couldn’t survive its momentum.
When the show returns on Sunday, Jan. 4, we’ll witness the fallout of Daniel’s death, his funeral and we’ll witness Victoria’s (Madeleine Stowe) grief and how she’ll use his sacrifice to fuel her anger at Emily. He also leaves behind his unborn baby with Margaux (Karine Vanasse), who was ready to raise it alone until realizing that Daniel was ready to step up as its father.