'Revenge': Thoughts From Superfan Stephen King

It’s a tough time for Revenge fans. In just three days, ABC will air the final episode of the series after four seasons. The cancellation announcement was not really a surprise to anyone — ratings have been declining steadily for years — but for those of us who never gave up on the over-the-top Emily Van Camp drama, it feels like ABC has drawn a big X on our hearts with a red Sharpie.

One such Revenge-to-the-end fan is Stephen King. While you no doubt know King as the famous author of countless iconic books (which have also been adapted into countless iconic movies), what you may not know is that he’s also a major TV junkie. Even better, he’s a TV junkie who loves everything from macho bad-guy dramas like Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy to straight-up soap operas, like Days of Our Lives and the soon-to-be-dearly-departed Revenge.

Back in 2009, I had the good fortune to take over as Stephen King’s editor at Entertainment Weekly, where he wrote a pop culture column. Over the years we’ve exchanged emails about a variety of TV shows — Sons, The Bridge (King is partial to the Scandinavian original), The Fall, American Crime (“It’s AMAZINGLY good. And VERY depressing,” he wrote) — but the series we came back to more than any other was Revenge. Whether it was Victoria’s withering one-liners or the increasing absurdity of Nolan’s hair (“It’s taking on a life of its own,” King noted one week), there was always something to e-chat about. And now, with Emily Thorne/Amanda Clarke’s corrosive tale coming to a close, I asked King if he would mind sharing some of his funny, fanboy emails with grieving Revenge viewers around the world. His response: “YOU GO, GIRL.” So here we go!

Season 4 premiere: “Renaissance” (Sept. 28, 2014) Emily takes over Grayson Manor and Victoria escapes the psych ward with help from a clear plastic umbrella.

Stephen King’s Thoughts:

How could we miss it? King also noted Victoria’s GIF-worthy escape from the mental hospital:

Season 4, episode 4: “Meteor” (October 19, 2014) Victoria and Emily both learn David Clarke is alive.

Stephen King’s thoughts:

Season 4, episode 5: “Repercussions” (October 26, 2014) David Clarke tries to uncover the truth about his daughter Amanda.

Stephen King’s thoughts:

And just like any Revenge addict, Steve was still thinking about the episode the next day.

Season 4, episode 8: “Contact” (November 16, 2014) David Clarke is attacked at the hospital, so Emily tracks down one of the attackers and interrogates him in her tricked-out torture closet.

Stephen King’s thoughts:

Season 4, episode 10: “Atonement” (December 7, 2014) Daniel Grayson takes a bullet for Emily and dies in her arms.

Stephen King’s thoughts:

Season 4, episode 14: “Kindred” (January 25, 2015) Nolan enters into a marriage of convenience with Louise, while Emily and Ben begin dating, much to Jack’s chagrin.

Stephen King’s thoughts:

Editor’s note: In case you’re not a Revenge fan, here’s the aforementioned southern belle, Louise:

As for the rest of the season, King is “saving what’s left” for a post-finale binge. Smart idea. After all, who doesn’t want to put off a sad goodbye?

The series finale of Revenge airs Sunday, May 10 at 10 p.m. on ABC.