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Isn't it funny that 'engagement' can mean both a union of love and an act of aggression? Right about now Emanda doesn't find much funny about that, except maybe that her re-engagement is causing the Botox to boil in Victoria. If you look closely, you can actually see some Botox leaking out when Daniel reveals to his mother that he and Emanda aren't just going to Paris for their honeymoon, they're going to be moving there. But, as always, Victoria puts on her fake smile and throws an engagement party for her baby boy. (Not the illegitimate one who has yet to turn up.)
Still seeking a way to bring down Conrad, Jack grows impatient, taking a calculated risk by showing Victoria the spy photos he took of her husband with the governor's wife. Seeing a tiny opportunity to maybe drive a wedge between her son and Ems once again, Victoria informs Jack that he was the reason they broke up last time. She then confronts Alison Stoddard about what she's doing with Conrad, and is sort of blindsided to find out that it's all on the up-and-up. It turns out the governor is dying of a heart condition, and Alison is helping Conrad oust him from office so the stress of the job won't kill Governor Stoddard. We're so used to backstabbing and affairs, it really comes as a shock for something so good-intentioned — albeit underhanded— to be what's really going on. Thus far, Alison has been supplying Conrad with advanced notice of attack ads and strategies from her husband so Conrad can adjust quickly and gain an advantage. Victoria's confrontation of Alison culminates in the news of the heart condition being released to the press, giving Conrad a commanding lead in the polls down the homestretch. After this goes down, Victoria seeks out Jack because she's figured out that he's out to derail the campaign like she has been. When she asks why, Jack shares the audio evidence he has, which implicates Conrad in ordering a hit on Amily.
Not everything in Grayson camp is all political victories and enlightening confrontations. Charlotte's downward spiral 2.0 is in progress with the help of her new bestie Regina, who is bad influence personified. Instead of attending Daniel and Ems' engagement party, the two girls go out for a night of clubbing. They get tracked down by Declan just as Charlie's stumbling out of the club with a tremendous underage buzz going. She happens to puke right in front of a cop and gets taken down to the station. She uses her phone call to let Daniel know what's happened. He sneaks off from his own engagement party to bail her out before word gets out to the media. He's already tried to talk to his little sister about what's going on with her lately, but now she's hit rock-bottom and admits what's been bothering her. She's pregnant. Is it Declan's? Is it Eli's? Is it... Regina's? What? I don't know how these things work!
The results of Daniels' background check on Aiden have come back, revealing Aiden's dad was the one who put the bomb on Flight 197. Despite Aiden's good job of playing dumb when Dan accuses him of working against the Initiative, he gets fired. Ems confronts Takeda for planting this seed with Daniel, jeopardizing everything, but Takeda's walking his own path now. It leads straight to a battle with Aiden, complete with samurai swords. The thing about samurai sword showdowns is that only one person walks away from them. In this case, Aiden gets the better of his sensei, impaling him on a broken shard of sword embedded in a wooden pillar. It's an unbecoming end for a sensei who never did much senseiing. All of this second guessing of leadership has Aiden trying to convince Nolan that they need to go behind Emanda's back before she gets in too deep with the Graysons. He employs Nolan to get into the Graysons' Amanda Clarke Foundation bank account to finally bankrupt them now that they have identified the Falcon. Nolan meets with her in prison because she's been indicted on federal charges, and offers to help free her if she gives up information about the Graysons and the bank account. She reveals that there's going to be no legit illegitimate son seeking out Victoria because she already pain him off $5 million to stay away decades ago. She adds that she implemented her own bit of code to Carrion that makes her a necessity to initiate the program, so either Nolan or the Initiative will be needing her services in the future. As for the account information? The Falcon's more coy about that. She gives Nolan a riddle to solve that will give him the location of the info he needs.
As much as things seem to be coming together for Emanda, they really aren't. Jack approaches her to have a talk at the engagement party now that he knows that what he and Ems had between them was strong enough to end her first engagement to Daniel. Once again, Ems doesn't take the opportunity to come clean to Jack about why she's engaged to Daniel. Jack walks out of her life... again. Ems then walks in on Aiden and Nolan's secret "No Emandas" club just in time to find them in the middle of bankrupting the Graysons. She tries to stop Aiden, but he initiates the transfer of funds out of the ACF account before she can intervene. Ems flips because this was done using Aiden's administrative account. They're going to easily trace this back to him now. Also... accessing this account triggered Carrion. (Sneaky Falcon.) All of New York City has gone black. It's about damn time.
-- Pablo G. is some guy who lives in Austin, Texas. He used to co-host TWoP's original "Trailers Without Pity" with his brother Omar G. Check out their webcomic Space Monkeys! and follow Pablo's writing at Pablog. Follow him @PendejoJoe on Twitter.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!We pan across the Manhattan skyline at night. Without the sound of traffic, it's a nice backdrop for meditation. Wearing a semi-formal black dress and her hair up in a bun, Ems stares out at the structures from a balcony. She looks down at her hand, which has Daniel's engagement ring. Ems voice-over: "Engagement can be a commitment to love or a declaration of war. One must enter every battle without hesitation, willing to fully engage the enemy until death do you part." OK, give that writer a bonus. On cue, Daniel calls out to Emanda. She turns and we see that there's a romantic dinner setting under a white canopy being guarded by a man in a tux on this private rooftop. The shot is framed by the opposing sides of a life-sized chessboard, the middle of the board forming an aisle towards the dinner table. This is something Emanda arranged to surprise Dan. The combative board game wasn't a very subtle touch, Ems. She goes to meet Daniel at the table, posing the question, "Le blanc ou le rouge?" Dan wants red wine, in case you care, and he has Emanda figured out. He knows she's up to something. They take a seat and Ems invites her faux beau to lift the lid off of a silver platter. There's two tickets to Paris in there. Emanda says that her biggest regret last year was not hopping that flight to Paris with him. She asks if it's too late to say yes. Daniel couldn't be more pleased. They drink to their renewed engagement.
The morning, Declan storms into the Stowaway in his school uniform. Jack asks what he's doing home. Turns out Charlotte stood him up (again) for his ride to school. Pff... not like Dec's learning anything at Collin's Prep anyway, besides how to get treated like a chump. Jack asks if the young couple's troubles have anything to do with the paparazzi video of Charlotte making out with Regina and why Dec never said anything about it to his brother. Surprisingly sagacious for his age, Declan attributes it all to Charlie being in a dark place since Amily died. It seems like every day this young man gets a tiny bit less greasy. I'm proud. Jack can't drive Dec to school because Ashley's on her way over. He's still not sure what Conrad's up to with the governor's wife, but maybe Ashley has some news, Jack says as he walks Dec out. Declan stop all of a sudden to say, "Hey, do you know why you're supposed to bury politicians 100 feet down? Because deep down they're really good people." That was... random. Bonus revoked, writer.
Grayson Manor. Victoria follows Conrad into his office, badgering him about what his motives could be for so easily giving up Nolcorp. Conrad says that with the Initiative out of the way, paring down the company is what's best. Plus, it might help speed up the process of tracking down Victoria's illegitimate son. He notes that there are 34 letters sitting on his desk from people claiming to be that son. Neither he nor Victoria believes any of them are legit. Conrad tells Victoria he wishes Nolan luck finding her son before walking out into the foyer where he runs into his own son. Daniel is given documents for turning over Nolcorp, which he's totally OK with. He couldn't care less from cloud nine.
Victoria joins the conversation to ask for a moment with her son, so she can see if he's going to be cold to her after her revelation. Brazenly, Daniel laughs off the notion as the doorbell rings. He half-indifferently, half-jovially says he's not surprised his mother has another son out there, causing Victoria to snap and order him to bite his tongue. Dan doesn't even register his mother's anger because his on-again, off-again fiancé just walked in. He announces that he and Ems are engaged. To Conrad's credit, he immediately gives his congratulations and throws a hug around Ems, but that's probably just the politician talking. Victoria stands frozen until she can muster, "Yes. How... repetitious."
Daniel invites his parents to their engagement party tonight, which prompts his mother to comment that she hopes they'll have a long engagement this time. Emanda informs her that they'll be in Paris in two week. Already aggravated, Victoria asks if that's where they're getting married. "No. That's where we're planning to live," Daniel says, happier that he's even been. Ems throws a glance at Victoria and raises her eyebrows. All she can do is smirk at the Queen.
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Grayson Manor, later in the day. Emanda's gone, so Daniel's parents have sat him down to try to talk some sense into him. It's not working. He's all hearts and cupids and teddy bears while Victoria tries to remind him that his last engagement failed and Paris won't change anything. Dan callously responds by inviting his mother to find his replacement, pointing at the stack of 34 application letters. Victoria: "Don't be cruel, Daniel. You and I have both made mistakes. The difference is I don't make them twice." Daniel: "Except bastard children, I guess." Whoa. Super duper whoa. That's enough to cause Victoria to silently walk out of the room.
With just the guys left, Conrad starts getting slimy. He says he's happy for his son, but he'd be even happier if the announcement could be rushed into the paper so he can get a bump in the polls. Normally, Dan would be disgusted, but he's too high on love right now to care. He has enough wits about him (weird to write that about Daniel) to negotiate for the release of his trust fund if his dad wants that bump so bad. Conrad wants to know what his son plans to do with that money when he departs from the company -- "nibble croissants and jet around the world for the 50 years?" Daniel doesn't deny it. All Conrad asks is that Dan hold off on revealing he's leaving the company until after the election. Dan finishes that thought for his father before answering a call from his secretary. The background check on Aiden has come in. Dan says he's on his way.
Cut to Grayson Global, later in the day. Aiden walks into Daniel's office, graciously offering his congratulations on the engagement, but Dan walks right past him and shuts the door. He starts in on Aiden about his background check, which came back clean when he was hired, but now has revealed that his father was the man who placed the bomb on Flight 197. Sensing he's been found out, Aiden changes his approach and tries to find common ground with Dan, but it's not working -- that is until Daniel accuses him of targeting Trask and the Initiative. Calmly, Aiden asks who he's talking about. Dan retreats from the accusation, but still fires Aiden, basically just on the grounds of lying about his background check. He calls security, but Aiden walks out with class.
Ashley sits by herself with her iPad at a table in the Stowaway. Jack sets a shot of vodka down on the table and takes a seat. Before he can say anything, Ash overtly play-yells, "Jack! I'm working!" and takes the shot he meant for himself. Ashley updates him that she's now back in with Conrad, but she still doesn't know what he's up to with Alison Stoddard. Jack thinks they should take the spy photos to the police, but Ash doubts that's enough evidence to derail the campaign, but she has an idea. "How brave are you, Jack?" Ashley asks.
In Charlotte's bedroom, her and Ems are having a little girl-to-girl chat about the engagement. Emanda says there was no use keeping it a secret because of the press, which leads to awkward conversation about Charlotte's recent infamy with the paparazzi. She admits she wasn't thinking, and wishes Amily was still around because she'd know what she's going through. It's a sister thing. Ems hopes that they can be closer now that they'll be sisters, and asks Charlotte to be her maid of honor.
The touching moment gets interrupted by a knock at Charlotte's door from Regina. Ems: "You must be Regina." Regina: "And you must be a user of the Internet." Gross. Who does she think she is -- Farrah Abraham? Ems gives her a look that seems to regard her as much, and then excuses herself. With Ems gone, Regina pulls out a bag and says the guy who sold it to her didn't believe her when she said it was for a friend. Charlotte thanks her bestie for running this errand because the tabloids are now watching her like a hawk. The implication here is Charlotte's back on drugs, but we never see what's in the bag.
Downstairs, Emanda finds Victoria sitting by herself in the parlor, reading the bogus son letters. Ems approaches her by needling her about how it must suck to have all these people trying to capitalize on her pain. "Emily, dear, that extravagant ring on your finger does not give you permission to flit in and out of my house without good reason," is Victoria's response. Emanda explains she was there to see Charlotte to let her know she'll be maid of honor. She makes sure to get in a dig at Victoria about the Queen owing some appreciation to Paris since she went to art school there. Then, out of nowhere, Jack walks in. He coldly stands to Ems without really acknowledging her, drawing a bit of recognition of this frigidness from the Ice Queen before she invites him to carry on their scheduled meeting in privacy. Victoria makes sure to stare down Ems as she shuts the sliding doors to Conrad's home office behind them. Ems is left to wonder what Jack could possibly be meeting with Victoria about.
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In that private meeting between Jack and Victoria, Jack thanks her for everything she's done for his family with the foundation. Out of debt of gratitude, he says he wants to show her the photos of Conrad with Alison. Jack tells Victoria that only she can get through to Conrad and stop him from derailing his campaign. Victoria says she'll take care of it, but Jack doesn't leave well enough alone. He starts implying that it could be perceived that Conrad's having an affair since he's getting close to someone he should view as an enemy. It's the opposite of Jack and Emanda, Victoria points out. She noticed the chill between them, and suspects Jack won't be invited to their engagement party -- especially since he's the reason they broke off their first engagement. This is news to Jack. And it's no accident Victoria made sure he was aware of it.
Having returned to the safety of Casa Emily, Ems vents to Nolan over the phone about her concern that Jack had a meeting with Victoria. What could that be about? Nolan: "Maybe he wants her recipe for devil's food cake." Ems brushes this off like it's not brilliance. Seriously, why does Nolan put up with Ems? She's such a stick in the mud. Meanwhile, Nolan's sitting in the half shadows of his office with a toy helicopter wearing a fabulous cardigan. Even with all that kinetic awesomeness swirling around him, he still brings himself down to earth to dole out wisdom like, "You realize you can't protect Jack forever, don't you?" Emanda snaps back at him that she made a promise to Amily that she intends to keep. She hangs up, and Nolan crashes his toy helicopter.
Charlotte and Regina come downstairs from Charlie's bedroom ready to hit the town. Daniel happens to be near the foot of the stairs and stops his sister, probably sensing she's about to go out and find trouble. He asks Regina for a moment to talk to his Charlie alone. Dan tries to connect with her about her wild phase, which he went through himself, but Charlotte's not having it, and she won't be attending the engagement party because she can't stand being around Victoria. She knows he must feel the same way if he's moving to Paris. Charlotte only stops to give her brother this advice, "And this year, try not to shoot anyone." I love this family.
Alison Stoddard answers her penthouse door, surprised to see Victoria, who opens with this fantastic line, "Hello, Alison. Were you expecting your husband... or mine?" The Queen just waltzes in, and before Alison can even get a word in, Victoria adds, "Are you trying to ensure you stay in the governor's mansion regardless of the outcome?" They sit down, and Alison explains that she's trying to sabotage her own husband's campaign because he has a degenerative heart condition. Another term would kill him, according to his private doctor. The look on Victoria's face as she comes down from being on the warpath and digests this information relates just how heartbreaking this situation is. She's holding back tears. Alison couldn't go to the press because her husband wouldn't forgive her. She implores Victoria that if she loves Conrad, she'll limit him to one term. The job is a death sentence, she says. Victoria takes this information, and it's hard to tell if she likes what she's hearing.
Nolcorp. Aiden walks into Nolan's office in his shirtsleeves after his firing. Nolan assures him that once Nolcorp is no longer a subsidiary of Grayson Global, he can hire Aiden. "You could be my bodyguard. And... I could be your Whitney." Too soon, Nolan. He thinks Aiden will need something to occupy himself while Ems carries out her endgame. Aiden insists there is no endgame. He gained no closure by getting revenge. It's what David Clarke tried to impart to her and something Nolan probably sensed, too. They need to stop Emanda from going down this path. They can start by draining the Graysons' bank account through the Amanda Clarke Foundation. They'll need to do it soon because Aiden's admin privilege will soon be revoked when he's removed as foundation treasurer. Nolan doesn't think he can help because of the safeguards the Falcon placed on the account. Aiden doesn't want to hear that. He just wants to know if Nolan is going to help Ems or not. Nolan plops down in his computer chair dramatically like he really needs to mull this over.
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We pan over Rikers Island, and then drop down to a watchtower and some barbed wire. A guard opens a door for Edith "The Falcon" Lee to enter into an interrogation room where Nolan is waiting. He wants quick answers in exchange for erasing the cyber trail that got her indicted. First question: Where's Victoria's son Patrick? Edith says he was paid $5 million by Victoria to stay away. Second question: What does the Initiative want with Carrion? Edith doesn't know, nor does she care, but she tweaked the code to ensure that she's required if the program is to run. She figures either Nolan or the Initiative will free her for that reason alone. Last question: Nolan wants to know how to access the Amanda Clarke Foundation account. Edith answers with a riddle. "You'll find it in a place I was born, if not made. An old favorite, hiding in plain sight." She gets up and walks out of the interrogation room.
At Grayson campaign headquarters, Conrad watches Stoddard's upcoming attack ad on his iPad. He shows it off to Ashley, who asks how he managed to get it before it's been broadcasted. He sidesteps the question, noticing Jack walk in. He mentions that Jack can name a bonus from Conrad if he wins the election, but Jack will just be happy if Conrad keeps his campaign promises. Conrad steps aside, leaving Jack and Ash to have a private sabotage meeting. Jack fills Ash in on his meeting with Victoria. Ashley thinks they can trust her because she's the only one who would probably want to see Conrad fail than they would. The past between Jack and Ems comes up and Ash takes the opportunity to admit to her new friend that she once dicked him over by ratting him out to Daniel. She explains that she had feelings for Dan at the time, and it was obvious Ems had feelings for Jack. Ash was just tired of seeing Emanda always get what she wanted, like most of the people in the Hamptons seem to. They both look over at Conrad. Jack vows that Conrad won't be getting what he wants this time.
The engagement party is underway at Casa Emily. It's just a small gathering of family acquaintances this time. Victoria clinks her champagne glass to get everyone's attention so she can give one of her patented speeches. She says it's every mother's dream for her son to marry the girl door. Emanda has been a part of the family for over a year, and even when she and Dan were apart, she never was far away. The Queen announces that she looks forward to getting to know Ems every day, starting now. She asks to have a word with Emanda outside.
Out on the porch swing, Victoria tries to make Ems crack, but she's keeping her cool. Emanda claims Paris was Dan's idea and that the only disagreement between the two of them is whether to have two or three kids (Ems just wants two). Either way, Ems says Victoria will be a terrific grandmother, and they'll keep her photo up in Paris so the kids can see her. Victoria: "I know what a woman in love looks like and that's not you. Not one year ago. Not tonight." Emanda falls back on home field advantage. She attributes Victoria's tenacity to being at David Clarke's house, sitting on the swing he built for his daughter -- all of the love and betrayal this place represents. Having caught the Queen off balance, Ems suggests that Victoria take a moment to collect herself, and then gets up and walks away.
Flashbulbs are going off outside of a nightclub where Regina helps Charlotte stumble away. As they push through photogs, Declan appears and stops Charlotte. When he says he's there because Charlie wasn't answering her phone and he knew she'd be at this club, Regina leans over to Charlotte to say, "Ugh... stalker." See! That's totally what Farrah Abraham would do. Charlotte drunkenly begs Dec not to be mad at her, and he gives the perfect boyfriend response: "I'm not mad at you. I'm just worried." Charlie starts to tell him not to be worried, but has to stop so she can turn around and puke on the street. A cop happens to be nearby and overhears that she's Charlotte Grayson. He grabs her by the arm, telling Dec and Regina to let her dad know she's being taken down to the station
Back at the engagement party, Ems finds Dan in deep contemplation (or as deep as Daniel can muster). He's thinking about what he found out about Aiden today. Ems is shocked to hear that information came from Takeda. Victoria comes over to request a private moment with her son, but he stands with Emanda. You know an, "Anything you can say to me, you can say in front of my fiancée," type-thing. Victoria offers her apology for how she's taken the news of their engagement, but Dan doesn't really believe her. Conrad, always with impeccable timing, butts in to present a check for Daniel's trust fund inheritance. Emanda is sure to thank Conrad for his support while staring down Victoria. Perceiving the snub, the Queen walks away. Conrad asks his son one more time if he's sure he doesn't just want to leave this money in the account to accumulate interest, but Dan snatches the check. He gives his dad a bit of advice, himself: Aiden should be taken off of the ACF account. Ems takes this in while spotting Takeda looming outside her house.
Cut to Ems and Takeda standing out on the dock together. She demands to know why he has put her plan at risk by exposing Aiden. Takeda thinks Aiden's lack of discipline had already exposed them. Senseis -- always with the discipline. He says Emanda's path must be hers alone, and she mustn't forget what the Initiative did to her. Even now they're planning a second strike. Emanda wants to know what they're planning, but Takeda remains cryptic. They're going to do what they always do: "Create fear, chaos... profit." Ems asks if she and Aiden can help, but Takeda says no. The path is his alone. He leaves Emanda all by herself out on the dock.
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Ems returns to Casa Emily, but stops before entering the party when she notices Jack waiting for her out on the porch. He asks for verification that the engagement is real, like he can't hear the party going on inside the house. Emanda confirms it and then is perplexed when Jack asks what's different this time. Last time she was ready to break it off over their one kiss. He asks why they didn't talk about it. In fairness to Ems, when she was ready to talk about it, Amily showed up pregnant and Jack had a whole new life ahead of him. But he lost it. And it's kinda shitty of Jack to come sniffing around now that he doesn't have what he thought he did. Ems notices Victoria watching their conversation and becomes extra cautious, warning Jack off of trusting her. Jack says he's well aware, but he doesn't understand how Emanda can marry into a family that helped destroy Amily. Emanda doesn't have an answer that doesn't involve a full confession, so Jack starts to walk off, stopping just to say, "I'm so tired of the secrets and the half-truths. It's always 'someday' with you. You should go be with your new family." Ems turns to lock eyes with Victoria through the front door curtain. The Queen turns away, satisfied with what she's seen.
Nolan steps out onto the porch from the party to ask Ems what's going on. She updates him on Takeda's betrayal of Aiden and the anticipation of the Initiative's move. Nolan shares the info he got from Edith that they can't move forward without her. He also divulges the info about Victoria's bastard son being paid off and that access to the ACF account hinges on him solving Edith's riddle. Daniel interrupts to tell Ems that he just found out Charlotte's been arrested and he needs to get down to the station before the press and his parents find out. When he leaves, Nolan comments that sometimes Dan seems like a decent guy, but Emanda immediately clarifies that she's with Aiden. That's who she's fighting for, she says. Those words trigger an epiphany for Nolan. He's solved the riddle and he'll explain later. He leaves.
Dec and Regina walk down the street in search of ATMs so they can score the $3,000 needed to bail Charlotte out. They bicker about who has her best interests at heart. Regina's hardly known Charlie for five minutes, but she's not as judgmental as Declan can be with her. This competition is either going to go really well for Charlotte or really badly. Dec and Regina are totally going to hook up, right?
Nolan has returned to the arcade where he and Edith played Street Fighter. He snaps a photo of the Falcon's high score with his phone. He's figured out that it serves as the numeric passkey, which he tells to Aiden, who's on the phone with him sitting somewhere in the shadows. Nolan thinks they should bring Emanda into the loop, but Aiden insists they stay the course. As he's saying this, Takeda opens the door where Aiden is. He's waiting in Takeda's living room, which has traditional Japanese decor and samurai swords everywhere. Aiden ends his call with Nolan. Takeda talks down to Aiden about his lack of restraint. It'll be his undoing, Takeda says. Aiden demands that Takeda let him and Ems be, or he will inform her of Takeda's true plans for them. He was never going to let them go. Takeda walks over to a sword stand and grabs two sheathed blades, tossing one to Aiden. They draw swords and regard each other before attacking simultaneously. After crossing blades a few times, Takeda manages to kick Aiden in the chest, knocking him down. Aiden takes a few swings from a disadvantaged position and gets sliced across the arm. He charges again, this time taking a melee strike and having his blade flung away. Takeda goes for a stab, but Aiden claps his palms around the blade before it can reach him. Takeda: "You were a soldier, not a warrior." Aiden quickly sidesteps, driving Takeda's sword into a wooden pillar behind him, then breaks the blade and shoves Takeda's chest into the shard. "This is where your path ends," Aiden growls. You're better than that, Aiden.
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Daniel and Charlotte sit isolated in an upscale restaurant. Big brother wants to know what little sister has been doing kissing girls and getting arrested. What's it all about? Charlie says she's tired of her parents ruining everything and everyone. She doesn't want to bring anyone else into that mess. Dan thinks she's talking about their estranged brother, but she's not. Charlotte's pregnant. Daniel's jaw actually drops when she tells him.
At the Stowaway after closing time, Jack watches the local TV news, which has a breaking story about an audio tape of Alison Stoddard revealing her husband's heart condition. The audio is from Victoria's conversation with Alison. As if on cue, Victoria walks into the bar, asking for some brandy. She claims that Conrad released this audio tape to the press in response to the spy photos. Victoria wants to lay all their cards on the table. She knows Jack doesn't like her and wants Conrad to fail. She admits she wants the same thing. But why? Jack admits that he believes Conrad ordered Amily's murder. Victoria asks for proof, prompting Jack to pull out the audio recorder with the tape of Conrad's meeting with Nate Ryan where he ordered the hit. He plays it back for Victoria and she takes it in.
Nolcorp. Aiden rushes into the office, asking if Nolan has accessed the account. Nolan's just been waiting on "Mr. Treasurer's" account info. Aiden logs in (for the record, the Graysons are worth $3.8 billion), and now it's decision time. As soon as they click the transfer button, the Graysons will be bankrupt. Emanda enters the room, fuming that they've hidden this from her. She tells Aiden they're not ready for this, but he ignores her and clicks the button.
At Grayson campaign headquarters, Conrad, Ashley and their supporters are watching a news report on the big screen that has Conrad ahead in the polls after the revelation of Stoddard's heart condition. They all raise a toast to the successful campaign. Back at Nolcorp, Ems is freaking out. Not only do they not know for sure where the money went, but Aiden using his admin account makes this totally traceable. Cut to Regina removing cash from an ATM. She and Declan have scrounged together the $3,000 they needed, but now that they're ready to spring Charlotte, the power has gone out. Cut to Charlotte and Daniel at dinner where the power also goes out. And also at Grayson campaign headquarters. All of New York City starts going black. Cut to Edith lying on her prison bunk. The power goes out there, as well, and she smiles to herself. Cut to the Stowaway. More darkness. A crane shot over New York Harbor shows the whole city go black and then the Statue of Liberty, too. At Nolcorp, Aiden, Nolan and Ems look out on the dark city. Nolan recognizes this as the work of Carrion. Emanda: "It's started."
-- Pablo G. is some guy who lives in Austin, Texas. He used to co-host TWoP's original "Trailers Without Pity" with his brother Omar G. Check out their webcomic Space Monkeys! and follow Pablo's writing at Pablog. Follow him @PendejoJoe on Twitter.