Channel Surfing: On \'Revenge,\' the Twists Came From the Ads

A disturbing development Sunday night on ABC's “Revenge”: It's possible that the series' advertisements became more interesting than the show itself.

In its second season, “Revenge” has grown increasingly convoluted as Emily/Amanda (Emily VanCamp) seeks payback among the rich folks of the Hamptons for the besmirching of her father's good name and his eventual murder. The show actually hasn't been very “revengy,” as Nolan (Gabriel Mann), its best character, might say - that is, the nice, clean “you did my father wrong and now you're being punished” of Season 1 has given way to a lot of side plots and intrafamily backstabbing. There was, finally, a bit of old-school revenge Sunday night involving the slimy reporter Mason, or at least I think there was - it was hard to tell because by that point in the program I was mostly concentrating on the advertise ments.

Neiman Marcus and Target were the sponsors, and the first break introduced a slickly filmed ad sequence that featured cast members from the show, each getting an invitation - in the form of an outfit to wear - to a midnight gathering. The related hashtag on Twitter was #GiftofRevenge, and what better conveys the true spirit of the holidays than revenge? Huh? Anyway, the ads built to a trendy-looking party hosted by none other than Nolan. Because it's not a party unless Nolan is there.

The point seems to have been to announce a partnership between Neiman Marcus and Target. But it led to the best tweet of the night:

…you're not gonna convince me that the Hamptons elite get excited about surprise gifts from Target! #Revenge #GiftofRevenge

- DivasandDorks (@DIVASANDDORKS) November 12, 2012

It was a little jarring to go from the show to commercials featuring the show's stars - certainly not t he first time that's been done, but do we hate the gimmick or love it? More to the point, the ads were a welcome change in that they featured intrigue that built to a clear payoff. The series itself has more intrigue with each passing week, but does it still have a payoff?