Episode Report Card Kelsea Stahler: A | 51 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT So, We're Supposed to Turn on Emily, Right?
By Kelsea Stahler | Season 3 | Episode 2 | Aired on 10.06.2013
That evil streak continues when she visits the Graysons to light a little fire under Victoria. Em explains her choice of Father Paul as the officiant as her way of mending Grayson fences, adding that she also took the liberty of including Patrick in the celebration because Victoria looked so happy when he was around. Victoria is furious and says she wants to keep her illegitimate son separate, but it gives her an idea. She swaps out the painting Conrad is auctioning off to pay their bills for another one – one that would entice Patrick to pay her a visit so she can invite him to a very uncomfortable dinner with her family. But more on that sure-fire shit show in a moment.
Before dinner, Victoria drops off Emily’s passive aggressive muffins at Nolan’s to “welcome him to the neighborhood,” but really she’s just trying to figure out if Aidan was right in accusing Nolan and Emily of stealing her millions. Nolan possessing the painting she just sold at auction and a brand new house long before his assets could have been unfrozen following his prison sentence are all the confirmation she needs. And later, when Aidan finds her the deed to Nolan’s house with Emily’s name on it, she’ll be ready to form a real team with the British enigma. Somehow, with Emily’s recent behavior, it’s hard to feel all that sorry for her…even when Aidan’s betraying her.
At the Grayson family dinner, Charlotte is still cold to Emily and Daniel is distant because just hours before, Margaux offered him a job and her half-naked body. Dinner, which is something of a coming out party for Patrick, quickly descends into a snark-off in which Charlotte, Daniel, and Conrad take turns calling Victoria naïve and Patrick a gold-digger. While the truth that Victoria actually paid Frank to physically intimidate Patrick into staying away from his family comes out, Emily offers to make Conrad his drink, with just a dash of that handy poison of hers. (How or where she stored it in her skintight dress remains a mystery). Victoria vows to make it up to Patrick, but he’s clearly done with her and just as Emily’s poison begins to work, the rest of the family turns on Victoria for bringing about another Huntington’s fit from Conrad. Does Emily really need to keep torturing these people? Look how prone they are to skewer each other as it is.
Since her family is such a mess, it makes sense that Charlotte is spending a lot of time with Jack and Carl, who remind her of Declan and Amanda. Jack becomes increasingly concerned about her when she suggests that she’s the reason Declan died. Jack isn’t okay with taking revenge, but he knows Charlotte needs to know she’s not to blame for losing Declan, so he tells her that Conrad knew about the explosion and tried to lure Jack there. Unintentionally, Jack has just helped Emily wreak havoc on the Graysons once more by driving one final wedge between Conrad and the last family member who actually cared for him.