Previous recap: Clarity (March 29, 2015)
After Emily's announcement to the press that she was really Amanda Clarke, Louise dug through the sand as she sobbed to Victoria that Nolan had lied to her. Victoria advised that Nolan and Emily were strangers to honesty, and Louise discovered the hard drive. Louise proclaimed that she wanted the truth.
Twelve hours after Emily's public declaration, a television journalist reported that there had been no further comment from Amanda Clarke, her father, or Victoria. At the manor, Emily was grateful there had been no word from Victoria or Margaux, but Nolan thought it would allow more time to for the legend to grow online. Emily worried that she'd made a deal with the Feds in exchange for not suing the government for her ordeal, and they could go after her for fraud. Nolan relayed that Tom Kingsly had been making contact with others in the "red Sharpie society," and he fondly remembered Tom's takedown as when he and Emily had become a team. Emily wanted to stop any surprises, but the doorbell rang, and Nolan said she'd missed one.
Ben entered and ranted that Emily owed him 50 bucks after he'd bet Kevin that she'd call Ben before Kevin had left town that morning. Ben angrily questioned how her announcement had made him look as a detective, and he was sure internal affairs would confront him about covering for Emily. She apologized for not considering his circumstances, but he snapped that live television had made it too late to do it over, and he stormed out.
Victoria griped to a computer technician that he'd claimed to be the next Nolan Ross, and the man explained that the files would self-destruct if he tried to download them incorrectly. He added that the drive would take a couple of hours to decrypt, and Victoria warned him not to say a word to anyone. Louise arrived, and Victoria asked how things had gone with the attorney. Louise revealed that she'd frozen up when the lawyer had inquired about grounds for divorce, since even though Nolan had lied, Louise didn't consider him the devil. Victoria contended that Louise had a right to know the whole truth, and the computer hummed along as it decrypted the file.
Victoria told Louise that Emily had arrived in the Hamptons with the purpose of destroying Victoria by tormenting Daniel and Charlotte and attacking Victoria's sanity. Victoria flashed back to how she'd ended up at Claremont at Emily's hand, but Louise was skeptical about Nolan's involvement. Victoria turned to the computer when it blipped, and she saw a handful of files appear on the screen. Victoria suspected it was proof Nolan had given Emily everything she'd needed to send Pascal to his grave, and Louise envisioned hanging Nolan by his unmentionables. Victoria urged Louise to continue with a civil divorce, while Victoria ended the tale of America's latest folk hero.
Nolan deleted the files on his laptop, and Louise returned home. He noted she hadn't returned home the night before, and he assured her that she didn't have to split just because they were ending their marriage. Louise claimed that she'd stayed in the city to have the divorce papers drawn up, and he wouldn't find any surprises, unlike turning on the television to discover her husband had been hiding a mystery about his best friend. Nolan defended that Emily's announcement to the press had surprised him, too, but he conceded that he'd known Emily was Amanda Clarke.
Nolan apologized for keeping it from Louise, but Louise spat that he'd lied, and she believed no one would ever be as close to him as Emily was. He insisted that it had nothing to do with their friendship, but Louise pointed out that he had kept other secrets about bonfire parties and laptops that he slammed shut every time she walked in. Nolan asked if they could talk, but she retorted that there was nothing left. Louise swore she was grateful that he'd rescued her from her mother, but he had never been her true "Wonder Twin," and she sternly told him goodbye as she walked out. Nolan raced over to his computer and performed a full system scan.
Over the phone in a dingy office, Tom Kingsly growled over the phone that Emily had taken his reputation and career, and he vowed to make her pay. He found Emily standing behind him, and he stammered that it had been a long time since she'd lied her way into his campaign office, but she retorted that it had been even longer since he'd knowingly convicted an innocent man. He confronted her about dismantling his life, and he warned that he'd made some calls. She surmised that he'd assembled an army of cowards.
Emily accused Tom of betraying her father's friendship, and she imagined Tom would have a hard time locating Lydia. She flashed back to taking down Lydia by exposing Lydia's affair with Conrad and ultimately claiming to the press that Lydia had shot her, but Tom contended that Emily didn't scare him. David entered and asserted that Tom had stolen 20 years of his life as well as his daughter's childhood, and he threatened that if Tom made a move against Emily, David would end Tom. Emily instructed Tom to spread the word to stay away from the Clarkes, and Tom ignored a call from Victoria. Emily announced that she'd handle Victoria.
Margaux looked at a newspaper headline, and she flashed back to asking Daniel to return home to be with her and the baby. Victoria entered, and she assumed Margaux had all hands on deck to cover Emily's public revelation, but Margaux replied that it wasn't her priority, since she was focusing on a more important story -- clearing Daniel's name. Victoria revealed that she'd spent the morning contacting Conrad's conspirators to gather evidence of the body count Emily had left behind, but Margaux contended that Emily wasn't a killer. Victoria huffed that Emily had selected Daniel as a sacrifice long before he'd sacrificed himself, and she reminded Margaux that Emily had posed as a federal agent to threaten Pascal, indirectly leading to Pascal's death.
Victoria promised that Margaux would get the story once the government had enough evidence to put Emily behind bars, and she wondered why Margaux didn't seem to care, especially since Emily had caused the loss of Margaux's child. Margaux admitted that she'd lied about Emily pushing her, since she hadn't been able to face that it had been her own fault for not being able to walk away from the feud. Victoria asserted that Amanda Clarke was chaos theory, and she refused to allow it to continue to happen. Margaux replied that she wouldn't stand in Victoria's way, but she wouldn't help, either. Victoria stalked off.
Emily and David plotted to shut down Tom Kingsly's plan, and the computer beeped, indicating that Victoria had left Margaux's office. David asked what Victoria had to back up her claims, and Nolan burst in and divulged that she might have a lot. Nolan recounted that he'd deleted files from his laptop, but Louise had accused him of keeping secrets, and she'd mentioned his laptop. He continued that he'd determined the files had been copied, and he knew that Victoria and Louise had been together the night before and that morning.
Nolan apologized to Emily, who admonished him for holding on to information that had ended up in Victoria's hands. Nolan explained that the files had meant something to him, since he'd wanted to remember what they'd accomplished. Emily hissed that the last thing he'd accomplished had been to ruin all of it, and David realized that Victoria was going to the press with the information. Emily vowed to stop Victoria by herself.
Victoria told a reporter that Amanda Clarke's story needed to be told properly, since Emily had married her son, and the world finally knew Daniel had died a hero. The reporter imagined that Victoria had been through quite an experience over the previous 20 years, and she suggested that Victoria allow the public to support her. Victoria insisted that people had to hear the whole truth, and Emily appeared and stated that everyone could hear the whole truth from her. Emily offered to give an exclusive interview with no questions barred on one condition -- Victoria couldn't ever appear on camera.
Nolan chugged shots, and he chucked one of his disguised webcams into the burning fireplace. Jack walked in through the unlocked door, and Nolan grumbled that security wasn't his strong suit. Jack said David had filled him in, and he encouraged Nolan not to beat himself up. Nolan replied that he had enough people to do that for him, but he restated his sentence as past tense. Jack mentioned that Emily's interview was about to start, but Nolan said he'd seen enough of her for the day.
Jack insisted that Emily was angry at the wrong person, but Nolan took responsibility for keeping the files. Nolan explained that he'd thought he'd been part of something bigger than himself for four years, but he felt like Emily considered him to be nothing more than a hacker. Jack grabbed a liquor bottle away from Nolan and chalked it up to the bourbon talking, and he called Nolan and Emily the dynamic duo. Jack contended that Emily couldn't let Nolan go even if she wanted to, but Nolan thought Emily was scared. Jack recognized that the situation might be out of her control, and he suggested they watch her interview.
During the live interview, the reporter referred to the animosity she'd witnessed between Emily and Victoria backstage, and Emily revealed that she and Victoria had had a disturbing relationship that dated back to her childhood. Emily revealed that Conrad had made sure David had been convicted, and Victoria had set her sights on David's daughter, who had been the last person who'd believed in David. Emily divulged that Victoria had arranged for her to be locked up, brainwashed, and tortured until she'd stopped believing, too. The reporter asked what had made Emily see the light, and Emily explained that David had written to her from prison to chronicle the ruthless betrayal.
Emily declared that David's words had saved her, so she'd saved her father in the only way she'd known how -- by becoming Emily Thorne. The reporter inquired about what the lies and deception had done to the people who had cared about Emily, and Emily replied that the cost had been high. Emily reflected upon the real Emily Thorne's death and Charlotte's downward spiral, and she tearfully recalled finding Aiden's lifeless body in front of her fireplace. Emily apologized for becoming emotional, and the reporter asked if Emily had ever had to harm someone physically to protect her identity. Emily confirmed she had, but she'd never crossed a line, and the reporter surmised Emily knew someone who had.
Emily flashed back to Victoria killing Aiden, and she stated that Victoria had to take responsibility for her own actions, although she expressed sympathy that Victoria had been born with a dark soul. Emily mentioned that Victoria had been convicted at the age of 15 for killing a man, and Victoria had only grown more toxic after that. Emily claimed that she'd waited to reveal herself because she knew what Victoria was capable of, and the reporter asked if Emily thought the battle was over. Emily prayed it was, but deep down, she knew it wasn't. As Victoria stood on the street in Times Square, looking up at a huge television screen, Emily pleaded, "Victoria, if you're watching, it's in your hands to end this."
Jack couldn't imagine how it had felt for Emily to say everything out loud, and Nolan realized that she was no longer revenging and that she was just "their Amanda" again. Jack agreed, and as he got up, Nolan wondered if Jack was going to her. Jack replied that he was meeting someone for drinks, but Nolan insisted that it was Jack's moment to go to the girl he'd met on the beach -- the same girl Jack had named his boat after. Jack flashed back to reuniting with Emily as adults and sharing a kiss after they'd said goodbye to Sammy together. Nolan swore Jack and Emily belonged together, and he believed that Emily knew it, but Jack recalled Emily repeatedly turning down his attempts to pursue a relationship. Jack thanked Nolan for the pep talk and wished him a good night.
Victoria looked through baby photos of Daniel, and Margaux arrived and said she'd tried to call, but Victoria explained that she'd turned the phones off. Margaux blasted Emily for cruelly going on the air and spouting outright lies, and she recalled that Victoria's mother had forced a young Victoria to take the blame for the man's death. Margaux said she was sorry Emily had picked away at Victoria's dignity and happiness, and she offered to call the authorities with the evidence Victoria had dug up.
Victoria bemoaned that she'd tried to make things right many times by going to the government to put Conrad away and to clear David's name, but Emily had won in the court of public opinion. Victoria lamented that Emily had dug a grave for Victoria that night, but Margaux refused to let Emily put Victoria in it. Margaux begged Victoria to let her help, just like Victoria had been there for Margaux in times of need, but Victoria said Margaux couldn't resurrect a woman who was dead to the world.
On the beach house porch, David flashed back to telling his young daughter he loved her and drawing a double-infinity sign in the sand. Emily appeared, and he said he couldn't be more proud of her. They hugged, and he marveled that the world had finally gotten to know her the way he did. She presented him with the infinity box, and he remarked that he hadn't seen it since he'd made it for her. He read one of his letters aloud, and he'd written that if she was reading it, two things had happened -- he'd provided her with the life she'd been unjustly denied, and he wouldn't be able to share that life with her.
Emily softly stated that David had been half-right, and he recounted that their life had started wonderfully on the beach with Sammy and Jack. She said she'd spent her whole life chasing that happiness after it had been taken away in an instant, and after what she'd done that night, things would change again. David applauded her for letting the whole world in, and she pointed out that she had to be prepared for anything. Emily added that she had no idea what would happen next, and David put his arm around her, just like he had 20 years before.
Someone drank cocktails in a tropical location while perusing an article about Amanda Clarke. Using a black Sharpie, the person traced a circle around the photo of Emily's face.
Previous recap: Clarity (March 29, 2015)
