Previous recap: Renaissance (September 28)
Following recap: Ashes (October 12)
At the beach house, a storm raged as Victoria slept on the couch. A clap of thunder awakened her, and she threw off the covers and ran to the door. David apologized if he'd frightened her, but he explained that he'd needed to get to her after he'd seen her outside the manor. She stared at him in disbelief and caressed his face, and she smiled as she murmured, "It's you." David said that he had to know the truth, since he'd told himself that Conrad had been the mastermind and that Victoria had been a victim, but he had to hear it from her.
Victoria professed her love, but David beseeched her to tell him the truth, and she remained silent. He said that it was a mistake to be there, but she claimed that she hadn't had a choice, and she'd regretted the moment ever since. David put his hands on either side of her head, and he suddenly began choking her. Victoria woke up with a start, and she found herself in the back of a van. When David opened the back door, Victoria kicked him in the face and ran into the woods. She yelled for help and tried to flag down a pickup truck, and David knocked her out of the way of an approaching semi. He said there was no way he was going to lose her again.
Victoria asked where David was taking her as he led her through a sewer system, and he replied that he was taking her to his grave. She said that she'd seen his grave after he'd allegedly been murdered, but he showed her a hidden, sparsely furnished room, and he forced her in and closed the door. Victoria realized the room had been where David had lived, but he demanded answers. He said that he'd had 20 years to piece together the conspiracy that had destroyed his life, but he had one unanswered question, and he asked whether she'd betrayed him.
Victoria cried that her heart had broken on the night she'd lost David, and it had never mended. She explained that she'd gone straight to the D.A. to testify, but Conrad had intercepted her and had threatened their children, so she'd had no choice but to be a good wife until she hadn't been able to stand it any longer. Victoria swore that David had always been the love of her life, and David promised that he believed her and that he wouldn't hurt her. David confessed that he still loved her and always had, and he tenderly took her into his arms.
David apologized for scaring Victoria, and he explained that believing she was innocent had been the only thing that had kept him alive. She asked what had happened after the world had thought he'd been stabbed, and he confirmed that he had been as he showed her a scar. He recounted that he'd been rushed to the infirmary, but he'd blacked out from the pain, and he had been out of prison when he'd regained consciousness. She inquired whether he'd been taken there, but he replied that it was better if she didn't know, for her safety as well as Charlotte's.
David stressed that he and Victoria needed to protect Charlotte the way he hadn't been able to protect Amanda, who he believed had died. David insisted that he couldn't lose anyone else, and he wanted to be in Charlotte and Victoria's lives. Victoria wondered if he expected to pick up where they'd left off after he had kidnapped her and refused to tell her what had happened, and he recognized that it was a lot to ask, but he thought they could get through it. Victoria contended that he didn't want an honest answer, or he would let her out instead of making her a prisoner. David obliged.
David and Victoria went to a diner for breakfast, and he remarked that she'd never ordered steak and eggs before. She said that a lot had changed, and the waitress asked if everything was okay with the order, since Victoria had dropped her steak knife. David realized that Victoria didn't trust him, and he acknowledged that he hadn't given her reason to, since he'd accused her of doing unspeakable things when he'd done some of his own. She asked what he'd done, and he revealed that he'd killed Conrad. David explained that he'd heard Conrad's confession and the vile things he'd said to Charlotte, and he hadn't been able to let Conrad keep dragging Victoria down with him. David said that he'd do anything for Victoria, and she clasped his hand tightly and thanked him.
In the van, Victoria asked where David was taking her, and he hoped to finally meet his daughter. Victoria said that there was something she needed to tell him, and she divulged that she'd been locked up against her will after she'd left Grayson Manor. David assumed that Conrad had been behind it, but Victoria blamed it on someone just as hateful who had left her relationship with Charlotte in ruins and her life in shambles. Victoria asserted that she couldn't entertain a future with David until the person had been stopped, and David offered to help. Victoria named Emily Thorne as the culprit.
Over the phone, Emily angrily reminded the psychiatric facility that they'd assured her that escape was impossible, and she ordered them to remove every trace of Victoria's presence, or the Feds would be the least of their worries. Nolan refused to enable Emily's thirst for revenge, but Emily insisted that her plan had been about Aiden and every terrible thing Victoria had done. Nolan reported that the car service had a record of dropping Victoria off at Grayson Manor, but she'd since disappeared. He warned that Emily would be the prime suspect if Victoria was found dead, and Emily ordered him to find Victoria so Emily could end it for good.
Jack and Ben monitored the highway for speeders, and Jack quipped that he hadn't known a Maserati could go under the speed limit. Ben noted that Jack would know, since Emily had purchased the biggest house in Southampton, and he suggested that she needed a boyfriend to live there with her. Ben asked how Jack knew her, and Jack explained that she'd been a friend of his wife. Jack divulged that Amanda and Emily had met in juvenile detention, and Ben remarked that Emily was full of surprises. They clocked someone speeding and chased after the driver.
Daniel implored Margaux to trust him to find a way to get Gideon out of the company and out of Charlotte's life permanently. Margaux called Daniel a good brother, and Daniel plunged a knife into a car tire.
Charlotte walked into her apartment as she heard a recording of Conrad saying that Charlotte should keep her stupid, thankless mouth shut. She overheard Gideon guffawing that he couldn't believe he was dating such an idiot, but she was a cash machine. Charlotte walked in on Gideon in bed with another woman, and she accused him of using her, even though she'd thought he cared. His lover huffed that Charlotte was more pathetic than she'd thought.
Charlotte retreated to the hallway and called Daniel to report Gideon's cheating, and Daniel said good riddance. Daniel mentioned that her landlord had called to complain that she hadn't paid the rent, and he asked what had happened to the hefty check he'd given her. She sobbed that she'd cashed it, and he guessed she'd used the funds to party with Gideon. Charlotte wailed that she'd made a mistake, and Daniel blasted her for not having any idea what he'd gone through to get the money. Emily joined Daniel on the elevator, and he abruptly told Charlotte he couldn't help her. Charlotte pulled a vial of cocaine from her purse.
Emily claimed that she was scoping out the place for a friend, and Daniel snidely replied that he couldn't imagine she'd made any friends at her disastrous party. She retorted that she'd been keeping up the Grayson tradition, and she'd heard his mom was back in town. He said that she'd heard wrong, and he spat that it was sick how Victoria and Emily lived to destroy one another. He suggested that Emily follow Victoria's lead and disappear, and he exited the elevator.
During a videoconference with the Lemarchal board, Margaux announced that a news giant's CEO was retiring, and she thought it was an opportunity to absorb the competitor. A board member cautioned that her father had tried and failed to do so, but she asserted that she wasn't her father, and she had lunch plans with the CEO that afternoon. Gideon appeared and announced that he'd be taking lunch alone, and he shut off the television. He questioned the odds of getting four flat tires, and he reminded Margaux that their father had promised his legacy to his son, but she countered that Pascal had put her in charge before his death. Gideon crowed that they'd see once he completed the acquisition, and Margaux sent a text message to Daniel to inform him that Gideon had taken the bait.
Gideon arrived at a restaurant to meet Jerry Thomas, and Daniel approached him and ominously stated that he'd warned Gideon to stay away from Charlotte. Daniel pushed Gideon up against the wall, and Gideon threatened to have the incriminating photo of Daniel with the redhead online in seconds. Over lunch, Jerry remarked to Gideon that Margaux had stabilized the company within six months, and a woman stormed up to the table and accused Gideon of owing his suppliers. She declared that she was taking back what was hers, and she pulled bags of cocaine from his pocket. Jerry announced that the meeting was over, and Gideon protested that he'd been set up.
Later, Margaux raged that the board would flip over Gideon's actions, but Gideon suspected that she and Daniel had planned the whole thing. Margaux insisted that Daniel had done it on his own, and she called Jerry and assured him that everything had been an act of sabotage that Daniel had orchestrated. She encouraged Jerry not to disparage her brother because of a disgruntled employee, and she informed Gideon that Jerry had agreed to a second meeting, but Jerry had since gone to London. Margaux offered to get Gideon on the first flight out in morning, but Gideon was determined to head out that night.
At the airport, Margaux informed Gideon that a car would meet him at Heathrow to take him directly to the meeting, and she crowed that Daniel couldn't interrupt that one. Gideon asked why she was helping him, and Margaux explained that she was doing what their dad would have done by putting the deal first. Margaux watched Gideon approach the security checkpoint, and a police dog barked. Gideon ordered the officer to get the mutt away, and the officer asked if Gideon's bag had been out of his possession. Gideon replied no, and the officer cut into the side of the bag and pulled out drugs. Gideon swore that they weren't his, and he resisted arrest as the officer read him his rights. Gideon glared at a smirking Margaux.
Margaux met Daniel in his hotel suite, and he was impressed that she'd arranged for Gideon to be arrested for smuggling drugs. Margaux snarled that Gideon deserved worse than prison, and Daniel was surprised she'd had it in her. She said that Daniel had underestimated her, and he told her to take it as a compliment. She remarked that justice meant power, and if they ignored it, they'd lose it. She added that it was time they stopped fighting their impulses, and they kissed passionately and headed toward the bed.
Nolan peeled off what appeared to be a clear plastic sticker in the shape of a dolphin, and he placed it on a door and mused to himself that it was the last one. Later, he pulled up surveillance footage on his computer, and Emily called and reported that she didn't see Charlotte at the hotel, even though Nolan's tracking device had placed Charlotte there. Nolan checked his computer and said that the women were right on top of one another, and Emily looked around and then up. She saw Charlotte standing on the ledge of the roof.
Charlotte hovered near the edge, and Emily burst onto the roof. Charlotte ordered her to go away and to not get any closer, and Emily pleaded that Charlotte didn't want to do it. Charlotte wailed that Emily didn't know or care what she wanted, but Emily insisted that wasn't true. Charlotte told Emily to leave her alone like everyone else had, and Emily begged her not to do it. Ben suddenly tackled Charlotte, and Jack radioed in that the jumper had been apprehended, so the situation was under control.
Outside the hotel, Ben told Jack the situation was why he didn't give people a pass, although jumpers were generally just trying to get attention. Jack suggested that Ben get his shoulder looked at, and Ben balked, but Jack good-naturedly refused to give him a pass. Ben approached Emily and remarked that it had been lucky she had been there, and Emily claimed that it had been a coincidence that she'd been visiting a friend. Ben noted that Emily and Charlotte seemed to have quite a history, and he asked who Emily had been meeting there. Emily simply stated that she'd almost lost someone important to her, and she thanked him for saving Charlotte's life as she walked away.
Later, Jack took Charlotte to the beach house, and she remarked that it was déjà vu, but the blindfold was missing. Jack said that she needed to be with family who would help her through, and Charlotte spotted Emily and protested that she didn't want to be with either of them. Jack insisted that Emily was the only person in the world Charlotte needed to listen to, and after he left, Emily reiterated that Charlotte should be with family. Charlotte huffed that she'd do that, and she turned to leave, but Emily revealed that she had kidnapped Charlotte. Emily admitted that she'd done the wrong thing, but she wanted to make Charlotte believe that she'd done it for the right reasons, and she divulged that she was really Amanda Clarke.
Charlotte asked why Emily hadn't told her earlier, and Emily explained that every part of her had wanted to tell Charlotte, but she'd also needed to protect Charlotte. Emily admitted that after everything she'd done, she felt like she didn't deserve Charlotte, but she'd recognized Charlotte's pain on the rooftop that day. Emily recalled that after David had been taken away, she'd been shuffled around from foster care to living on the street and eventually juvenile detention, and she'd felt very alone. Emily continued that she'd only been able to see one way out at one point, and she showed Charlotte her double-infinity tattoo.
Emily said that she knew what Charlotte was feeling, but there was always another way to deal with it, and she took out the infinity box. Emily disclosed that their father had given it to her, and his journals had given her the strength to survive. She hoped the box's contents would do the same thing for Charlotte and that David's words would make her understand why Emily had done the things she had. Charlotte ranted that Emily had spent years using her and lying to her instead of embracing her, and she accused Emily of choosing revenge over her. Emily insisted that she hadn't had a choice, but Charlotte countered that Emily had, and she smashed the infinity box on the table.
In the police locker room, Ben said that he needed a drink, but Jack said that he had to work on the wiring at the Stowaway. Ben offered to give him a hand, but Jack urged him to rest his shoulder. Ben asked if there had been any word on Charlotte, and Jack reported that he thought she would be okay, thanks to Ben. Ben quipped that it never hurt to look like a hero in front of a beautiful woman, and Jack assumed he meant Emily. Ben replied that he thought Emily was interesting, but Jack said that she'd gone through a lot, and he tried to discourage Ben from starting anything.
Emily told Nolan that whenever David had gone to work or had tucked her in, he'd always tell her how much he'd loved her, and Nolan added, "Infinity times infinity." Emily recounted that she'd said it multiple times a day without thinking about what it really meant, and Charlotte had been right in that Emily had chosen revenge over her sister. Emily lamented that she'd done it all for a dead man who would never know, and Charlotte would never understand or forgive her. Nolan said that Emily couldn't control how Charlotte felt, but he pointed out that Emily's friendship with Jack had recovered, and he thought that Charlotte just needed time. Emily answered a call from Charlotte.
Emily greeted Charlotte at the Stowaway, and Charlotte politely thanked her for being there. Emily said that she was glad Charlotte was ready to talk, and Charlotte explained that she had a lot she wanted to say, but she couldn't do it without losing her temper, so she'd written it down. She handed Emily a notebook, and Emily began to read. There was a loud clang as a seething Charlotte whacked Emily in the head with a pan.
Charlotte poured gasoline all over the bar, and she smashed a lamp, which started a flame. "Goodbye, sis," Charlotte hissed to an unconscious Emily, and she coughed from the smoke as she ran out. Outside, a man saw Charlotte emerge from the flames, and he asked if anyone else was inside. Charlotte lied that the bar was empty, and she nonchalantly walked away.
Previous recap: Renaissance (September 28)
