This week's "Winter Finale" wasn't as good as last week's flashback, but what it lacked in Adrienne Barbeau it made up for in Ashley's comeuppance, the Nolan and Marco reunion, and one of the goofiest endings of the year. All in all, I'd rank it as the second best episode of the season, and it sets things up nicely for the return next month.
Let's take a look at the individual stories.
Emily/The Graysons
We start with some skeet shooting, because ... why not? Naturally, Victoria is an expert, while Conrad is a bit rusty, but they're really here for the benefit of rich investor Salvador, who holds the key to who will control Grayson Global. If they can convince him to vote no to Daniel's takeover attempt, it'll fail, and the company will remain under Conrad's control.
Victoria and Conrad have other problems, though, as The Initiative are still breathing down their necks. Helen calls to inform them that if they tell Daniel anything about what's going on, he'll be "removed from the situation" ... with extreme prejudice!
Emily and Aiden are there as well, trying to scope out Salvador. They know Daniel can't win without his vote, and they need Daniel to win so Aiden can take a seat on the board and make inroads into finding out more about the initiative. A least, I think that's what I think happened. I was a bit distracted by Aiden wearing an ... ascot.
Nolan drops by to be shown off by Emily in front of Salvador, and she apologizes that NolCorp has to be the sacrificial lamb to get this in motion. Nolan might have something up his sleeve, though, and when Emily asks what, he says, 'That's for me to know and you to find out. How's it feel? Not so fun, huh?" And in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, Aiden excuses himself and kisses Emily on the cheek, and politely declines when Nolan wants the same. (As an added bonus ... Nolan with a cane!)
The plan hits a snag when they discover on hidden cam that Ashley is doing everything she can to turn Daniel against Aiden, but Emily has her own Ashley card to play, and it's a doozy. A video of Ashley and Conrad having sex ... in the Grayson mansion. She sends it Victoria, thinking it will get Ashley out of the picture once and for all ... but it actually backfires. Victoria is livid, of course, but Conrad convinces her that yes, he did sleep with Ashley, but it was before she hooked up with Daniel, and besides, it's obvious that this was sent by The Initiative to try and weaken their resolve, and they have to show them that they remain a united front.
Victoria yields some hefty payback, though. She confronts Ashley, who breaks down and begs for forgiveness, and says she'll do anything to keep Daniel from finding out. Victoria immediately call her on it, instructing her to meet Salvador at his hotel ... to "persuade" him to back Conrad.
Emily and Aiden witness the confrontation, and realize that their plan is about to fall apart. They need to get Ashley out of the way now. And they succeed, spectacularly.
Aiden asks for a meeting with Daniel at the same hotel Ashley and Salvador have their "negotiation," and when he arrives, he asks why he's suddenly trying to freeze him out Grayson Global. Daniel tells him that he's only known him for a few weeks, and it was suggested that he be vetted more closely. Aiden warns him that if it's Ashley who suggested it, he should know that she's a big ho, and is upstairs right now proving it.
Daniel barges into Salvador's room, catches them both, and takes a picture, telling Salvador that if he doesn't vote Daniel's way, he'll give the picture to his wife. Salvador agrees, and at the board meeting, he votes for Daniel, giving the young Grayson control of the company. Victoria and Conrad warn him that he's in grave danger, but of course, can't provide specifics. Meanwhile, poor Ashley is kicked to the curb by everyone. Maybe Marion's fur is big enough for two.
But after all of their scheming, the joke is in Emily and Aiden, when Daniel says, sorry, there's no room on the board, and their "In" is now a definite "Out."
The final scene is one of the silliest the show has given us. Daniel is in his office, and after deleting Ashley's pics from his laptop, and mooning over his leftover pics of Emily, he decides to pour himself a drink, and notices the ornate desk clock next to his family portrait. The note on it reads, 'Welcome To The Fold," and as he picks it up, we see his image on a monitor ... in the cabal boardroom of The Initiative. I have to admit to laughing heartily at the "shadow conspiracy" of it all. So ... how long were those poor board members just sitting there waiting for Daniel to do ... something?
Nolan
Nolan has problems of his own when he agrees to meet Daniel to discuss the company takeover. He's shocked to see former lover and CFO Marco there, and disappointed and angry when Daniel tells him that Marco spilled the beans about the missing $500 Million from NolCorp, and Daniel will launch an investigation unless Nolan agrees to give him 51% of the company.
Nolan has no choice but to agree, but it's obvious that Marco has hurt him immensely, and Marco actually looks like he may still be carrying a torch.
They meet up later at The Stowaway, where Marco tells him that he's tired of living hand-to-mouth and he wants his job back, and hey, isn't it curious that Nolan allegedly stole all that money for Amanda, but here she is living above a bar. Marco's veiled threats strike a chord, and he later decides to give him a job at NolCorp. Padma is upset by this, and by the takeover, but Nolan tells her not to worry. He always has a contingency plan, and in this case, it means he can do the most destruction from within ... as a Nolan Trojan Horse.
... And The Rest!
Jack asks Nolan to do some digging and find out info on Teen Wolf Dad and Teen Wolf Dad's brother. The news is not good. Nolan confirms that they are the offspring of Joe Ryan, the extortionist who was killed in 2006, and they both have long rap sheets.
At the christening for Baby Carl, Jack runs into Matt, who shot Joe with the gun belonging to Jack's dad. He warns him away from the Ryan Boys, but later is confronted by them on the docks. A shot rings out, and Jack rushes out to see Matt bleeding on the ground. Matt confesses that he was the one who killed Joe, but the Ryan Boys are convinced it was Jack's dad.
Later, Jack is paid a visit by the Ryan Boys, who deliver some serious stink eye and veiled threats. And Jack searches under the floorboards ... and finds the gun.
So that's it until next month. I think the show might slowly be finding its footing again, but this Initiative thing can turn fatally ridiculous very easily. But I like the Nolan/Marco dynamic, and it appears that Emily may try to rekindle the Daniel romance, which could be fun ... or at least get her more scenes with Victoria.
What did you think?
Here's my favorite moment.
