Daniel & Jack: They’re No Good For You, Girl
The days of Emily Thorne getting her weekly revenge against one deserving party and, of course, playing the Graysons in the meantime are long gone. The best thing about Season 3 thus far has been watching Emily’s house of cards tumble much more quickly than we ever thought it would, and all of this fallout means that Ems will need some serious, stable support if she wants to live another day. And you know who is exactly the opposite of stable? Daniel “I Just Shot You” Grayson.
A gentleman as handsome and wealthy as Daniel could easily make a girl go weak in the knees — and make her quick to forgive even the most heinous of crimes — but do you know what dating expert Elizabeth Lemon would say to Emily if she learned that Daniel had shot her in the chest? “That’s a dealbreaker, lady!”
Indeed it is. After years of a “will she or won’t she actually fall in love with Daniel” plot, Revenge effectively put the nail in the Emily-Daniel relationship coffin when they had him use horrific, deadly violence against her. If they ever try to reintroduce a romance between Daniel and Emily again, they’ll have failed her — because no matter how s–tty she may be (and she is), fans shouldn’t have to witness and support a destructive, violent relationship. Ever. And we haven’t even touched the issue of his mother, and how everyone in his family (sans Charlotte) is totally okay with committing murder (mass or otherwise) and blaming it on someone else. Emily is right smack in the middle of Victoria’s target now, so keeping away from Daniel forever is definitely the best option if Emily wants to keep her pretty head.
Of course, Jack is no longer a great option either — he’s a good person at his core, but that core has been flayed and flambeyed and just utterly pummeled by the events of the last two-odd years. He’ll always care for Emily, but even if they were to give it another go, they’d be faced with some serious relationship-killing issues. First, because Jack will never be able to forget about Amanda and Declan (even if we can), and the havoc that their deaths wreaked on his life — he deserves to not have to think about that every day for the rest of his existence just as much as Emily deserves(ish) to be with someone who doesn’t always trigger her immense guilt, and distract her from the difficult things she has to do.
Second, as much as Jack wants to believe that he is, he absolutely is not made of the same stuff that keeps Emily, Aiden, and Nolan afloat. He doesn’t have the money, the resources, or the stomach to handle all of the evil that the three of them have decided as a team to do. Which is by no means an insult — they’re all horrible people, and Jack probably should have taken that boat down to Rio or Mexico or even Delaware while he still had the chance.
Aiden & Nolan: They’re Your Only Hope, Girl
With Daniel and Jack out of the way, that leaves Emily’s real partners-in-crime — Aiden and Nolan. Nolan is my one true love and Emily’s greatest companion, but his male-skewing sexuality and amazing friend-chem with Emily makes him the Watson to her Sherlock (or is it the other way around?) rather than a romantic interest. Until this last year I would have said that only the two of them belong together in perpetual anger and misery, but Aiden has proven himself time and again to be fully capable of loving and protecting Emily — emotionally and physically. His sexy spy heroics in “Homecoming” were exactly what Emily needed to survive, and if everything was left up to Jack and/or Daniel she’d still be floating in the harbor this very day.
Sure, Emily and Aiden’s love is strange and fueled by passion and secrecy with some hatred on the side, but their shared pain and mutual desire for a better, cleaner future makes them a pair to root for. Jack has experienced enough loss to bond with Emily, and Daniel has certainly racked up enough regret, but Aiden has experienced both and emerged a stronger person — one who is capable of helping Emily become the same way. So while Daniel and Jack will always leave Emily stuck in her soul-crushing past, if Aiden has his way, he’ll be the one to lead her towards a healthy future. Also, he’s British.
What do you think, HollywoodLifers? Can Emily and Aiden ever work? Can she ever free herself from Jack, Daniel, and her childhood demons? Let me know in the comments!
— Shaunna Murphy
Follow @ShaunnaLMurphy