Revolution Season Premiere Review: “Born In The U.S.A.” (Season 2, Episode 1)

When we last checked in with Revolution at the end of season one, it looked like there was a clear cut path to saving the world, albeit paved in broken glass. There was never a moment over the course of the last few months when I even momentarily assumed we’d return to find ‘epic failure’ stamped in thick black letters all over that mission. The idea of a nuclear weapon actually hitting the epicenter of government activity in both the Monroe Republic and the Georgian Federation never crossed into my realm of possibilities. Myles (Billy Burke) always beats the odds, why would this time be any different? And, it only took the first five minutes of this season to shatter all those beliefs.

Although Revolution jumped ahead six months in time, only barely skimming the immediate aftermath of Randall’s (Colm Feore) nuclear launch, the country is still in coping mode. History has already mentally prepared us for tales of the devastating effects, but the irony of American “patriots” targeting cities that, for better or worse, were located on American soil, is a little harder to brace yourself for. What we can be sure about at this point is that the four minutes of power that the world experienced is a topic of conversation that probably won’t be eclipsed anytime soon. The power of electricity, in a world where people had accepted it as lost, is something synonymous with a miracle.

The only problem with teasing an entire population with the idea of electricity are the results. Fifteen years ago the world had to adjust to living without modern conveniences. A difficult task, but obviously not impossible. People have reverted back to more savage means, and thus is life, Darwinism, survival of the fittest. However, imagine how long it took the ordinary citizen to adapt in the first place. Dealing with a mass relapse puts more then simple human nature to the test.

In season one, the entire storyline hedged on the idea of finding a way to turn the power back on. Simple. The mystery of the blackout that once had plagued the population seemed to have settled, but there were the obvious few that still were maladjusted and sought to return things to their prior-electric status. It was a mission that only effected a select number of people who were “in the know.” This season of Revolution is being set up on an entirely different premise.

The idea of the United States of America coming back after all this time as a superpower ready to regain control of the country looks like it’s going to be the substantial theme. Naturally, someone had to be wandering around aimlessly looking for a new purpose at this crucial moment. And luckily, Neville (Giancarlo Esposito) and Jason (JD Pardo) are in Georgia witnessing the second coming, first-hand.

A new government coming in to save the day at a time when people are desperate for something to believe in, can’t be a coincidence. If the executive branch really has been conveniently hiding out in Cuba for the last five years, waiting for the right moment to offer up patriotism as an option, they’ve found it. Although, the reality is that they probably were also responsible for creating these optimal conditions. This sets up some anti-government undertones that viewers might not be so quick to appreciate.