Orange is the new look for Amanda Clarke (Emily VanCamp) who is facing up to ten years in prison for murder one. Luckily her A-team has reunited, leaving Nolan, Jack and her father David to exonerate her once and for all. But it’s not going to be easy with Amanda’s ex-baux, Detective Ben Carson (Brian Hallisay) tailing her every move. Ben gets special assignment to be there when Amanda gets thrown in jail. What Ben thinks is a smart move, might be exactly the play Amanda needs to escape.
Amanda makes it out on bail, forced to rock a Lindsay Lohan ankle monitor. Ben’s hot, but stalking your ex on house arrest? That’s a bit much. Besides, does Ben really think Nolan can’t hack his way into an ankle monitor? I’m pretty sure Nolan has hacked Edward Snowden’s texts so this should be simple.
At least getting arrested has given Amanda time to think–something she hasn’t had in awhile. After four years devoted to a brutal revenge plot, Amanda hasn’t had the luxury of processing human emotions. Here, she finally begins to scratch the surface of who she is–who she loves. Which brings us to Jack.
Amanda is, at long last, able to tell Jack how she feels. The two have been soul mates since they were kids. But it hasn’t always been easy–they were torn apart by tragedy again and again. Even so, for Amanda, it’s always been Jack. He’s the sweet, boy-next-door who just wants to take her away on his boat. “I wanna be with you,” Amanda tells Jack as they swing peacefully on the sunlit porch. He smiles and for a moment it feels like everything’s going to be okay.
Then Amanda escapes on her mission to find proof that Victoria (Madeleine Stowe) is still alive. She doesn’t get far though–Nolan’s ankle bracelet hack is no match for Detective Ben. He drops by and one police helicopter later, Amanda’s back in jail. She was out long enough to gather evidence but how can she prove Victoria’s alive now?
Amanda needs to interrogate Victoria’s right hand, Margaux LeMarchal (Karine Vanasse). Hacker BFF, Nolan has Margaux wrongfully imprisoned, putting her right at Amanda’s feet. After all, Amanda needs Margaux to disclose Victoria’s location, and she’ll do whatever it takes. Amanda locks herself in Margaux’s cell and goes full Jack Bauer.
And we ultimately get a name, a lead, something to give to Ben. But does detective ex still care? In a heartfelt convo on the super-awkward prison phone, Amanda finally gets Ben to trust her. He agrees to go on a mission to see if Victoria is still alive.
In an even more depressing prison phone call, Daddy Clarke (James Tupper) relays some tough news to Amanda. After waiting for weeks, David finally got his test results back. According to the report, his lymphoma has not been responding to the chemo. His cancer has progressed to stage four, meaning he has six months to live–or less. Shit.
With her father dying, it’s a good thing Amanda can still count on Ben. He follows her lead to a house in New Jersey. Ben rocks his badge and gun since Victoria is well, a serial killer. He walks through the empty house when suddenly … “Son of a bitch!” Ben yells. Could it be? Victoria?
Ben sees Victoria alive and in the flesh just before he’s attacked by … Courtney Love? Yup, the blonde chick who stabs Ben to death–definitely played by Kurt Cobain’s ex. Hired by Victoria to kill Amanda, blondie goes by the name of White Gold.
Okay, so Victoria’s alive, Ben’s dead and David is dying. There are a lot of unanswered questions here, but all in all, it’s a great episode. There’s non-stop action and murder and I’m sure next week will be insane. Don’t miss the end of Amanda’s story in the series finale, “Two Graves.”