The ABC series Revenge is a modern reimaging of Dumas’ classic The Count of Monte Cristo that transforms the late 19th century Frenchman into a young 21st century woman in the Hamptons. The series borrows much of its plot and style from the Dumas’ work: the intrigue, the characters, the twists and turns, and especially the narrative delay that I talked about in my previous blog. What Revenge adds by bringing Dumas’ story into the here and now, however, is a distinct commentary on the excesses of the wealthiest Americans, drawing on the zeitgeist of the recovery from the Great Recession. A scene that points to this shot at the rich is in Episode 8 when Declan, the impoverished barkeep’s brother, goes on a date to the home of the wealthy and powerful Grayson’s; he says to Victoria Grayson, the most wealthy and distinguished resident of the Hamptons, “I wouldn’t want the food to get cold; I’m sure you’ve been slaving away in the kitchen all day.” After a brief and shocked pause where everyone considers the ridiculousness of this statement, Victoria graciously laughs. The irony is layered; Declan’s statement is clearly ridiculous, namely that a woman of Victoria’s status would have paid someone to cook. In addition, the pause throws his word of “slaving” into high relief, showing that the gap between what is socially acceptable in each of their respective socio-economic statuses is so large that the idea of having to cook her own food for a party is “slavish” to Victoria, and respectable to Declan. While the drama of Dumas’ story is still there, Revenge translates his commentary about French aristocracy and corruption using scenes like this one.
In her New York Times article “When It’s Payback Time in the Gilded Hamptons,” Alessandra Stanley points out the kairos of Revenge: “There is plenty of resentment for the wealthiest Americans, who have coasted through the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression without a tax increase or a dip in lifestyle,” allowing Revenge to play on the 99%’s distrust of the rich, who they already see as corrupt (para 1). Airing Revenge in the post-recession economic environment makes the otherwise outlandish schemes of the wealthy characters slightly more believable. Stanley even remarks that not only current economic environment, but also the past culture of the television drama gives Revenge an edge: “Revenge is a corrective to past nighttime soap operas about the filthy rich that didn’t punish them enough” (para 6). The producers of Revenge have been so successful in reaching their target audience simply because, due to the time they aired it, their target audience was anyone not living the Hamptons lifestyle, and the time felt right to finally see those people punished.
Stanley, Alessandra. “When It’s Payback Time in the Gilded Hamptons.” New York Times. N.p., 21 Sept. 2011. Web. 04 Oct. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/21/arts/television/revenge-on-abc-places-emily-vancamp-in-the-hamptons.html>.
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