In its first season, Revenge was my favorite soapy, ridiculous drama. But the second season had its ups and some serious downs, and it became less and less exciting to watch. Most of you seemed to move on to Scandal (I know, I’ll get into it one day) and I looked to Nashville for campy Saturday morning DVR viewing.

Yet, I’m still back. This show is still capable of surprising me, I think, and I was hoping that the writers would be re-focusing on Emily’s revenge mission this season. The first episode was disappointing though.

New, European Charlotte was a total flop. Her “If she doesn’t, I will” threat to destroy her new brother had about as much ominousness as a baby pug. And the Huntington Disease story? The scheme was too complicated, and didn’t play as well on television as I imagine it did in the writers’ imaginations.

I also didn’t understand Jack going from making out with Emily to telling her that he has no feelings at all for her. Like, immediately. Then he gives her the rest of the summer to finish her mission, or he’ll out her? Ugh. That felt like an empty ultimatum. If Jack was against Emily’s mission, he’d out her now. He wouldn’t give her a deadline. It felt like a cheap plot device.

If this were the show’s last season, I could feasibly get into this – Emily will have a wedding on August 8 and take down Victoria once and for all. If the series plans to continue after that, they have their priorities sorely mixed up.