Hello everyone, and welcome to the year 2002.

In last night’s episode of Revenge, “Legacy,” we got a big ol’ flashback complete with of-that-time political and pop culture references, a surly Amanda, a TERRIBLE-WIGGED Jack, and a much, much different Nolan. At first I really loved this episode and thought it was très interesting, but as it went on—especially at the New Year’s Eve party when people were just sort of standing around and chatting about Rudy Giuliani and the DC sniper and “Puff Daddy’s” White Party, I think it lost some momentum. But all in all, it was nicely done and shed a lot of light on Amanda and her motivations.

Because this episode was a little different, the set up of this is gonna take a bit of a detour from my normal, bulleted lists. (I know you’re all shocked. But it will be okay. I promise.) Instead, let’s just have a running commentary, ok? OK! *cheerleader clap*

So, we start out in a club where a dude groping a brunette Amanda. She shrugs him off and he goes and finds another girl to grope/assault in the bathroom. This Amanda is all badass and orders things like, “Vodka tonic. Hold the tonic.” Amanda goes into the bathroom and beats the hell out of the dude she was with, all with a smile on her face. Nolan serendiptiously comes by and picks her up as she’s being thrown out of the club.

This Amanda is reckless and and surly and angry and self-destructing. She literally says, “Destruction’s in my DNA.” This Amanda hasn’t read the David Clarke journals. Nolan insists she read the journals so she can know who her dad really was.

OH HEYYYYY FRANK THE SECURITY GUY. Someone sent a postcard “from” David Clarke that included smeared blood and the word “shame,” all ominous-like. To figure out who-dun-it, Conrad has Frank invite all possible people who would have a vendetta against them to their NYE party so Frank can check them out in a contained space.

Amanda goes to The Stowaway. The bartender is a lady, who is young and seems cool. I’d like to think we’d be friends. Amanda orders another “vodka tonic, hold the tonic.” OMG NO JACK PORTER NO. THE HAIR. He kisses the cute bartender. Then Amanda goes to the Clarke beach house and has a flashback to her dad getting ready for the NYE party. Uncle Bill [Harmon] is there too. In the empty house, she starts reading the journals.

Then she spies on Victoria. (Jesus Christ, Madeleine Stowe looks great.) Frank the Security Guy sees her tracks in the snow.

Lydia (hey girl) and Michael come by Grayson Manor, chatting about the housing market in the Hamptons. Tell them they put an offer on the David Clarke house, which is owned by a dummy corporation that won’t unload it. *ahem*

WHY DOES JACK HAVE A MULLET?! Bartender chick, who is his girlfriend, wants out of Montauk and in the City. Which is hilarious considering how many people flee the city during the summer to head to Montauk. The Stowaway isn’t doing well, which is why the Porters live in the bar. Jack’s GF wants to take an additional catering gig on NYE to make some extra cash, but Papa Porter tells her that if she takes it, she’s fired. Amanda tells Jack’s GF she’ll take her catering gig and give her 25% to set it up. Says her name is Mandy.

SAMMY. he is whining. and outside in the cold. Hey Nolan. Bad Wigged Jack opens the door and lets Sammy in.

Victoria goes over the David Clarke house and finds a picture of him lying in the floor. Then she flashes back to the NYE party she met him, which is in the early ’90s. There’s a Rudy Giuliani quip. Conrad joins V in the dark Clarke house and she shows him the photo and says someone has been there. Conrad says that he’s selling the place to Lydia and Michael. AND THEN! We see that Amanda had been in the house the entire time the Graysons were there and heard Conrad accuse V of still being in love with David. Interesting. I think.

Treadwell needs an ashtray dammit! Victoria asks Amanda, who is setting up for the party at Grayson Manor, to provide one for him, as well as a designated smoking area. Amanda has a very un-Emanda moment and sort of freezes in her tracks, recalling when Treadwell asked if she wanted to help him save her dad. And then his ego saves her. Treadwell gave V the photo of David on the day he died. Tells V to keep because “we both know he’d have wanted you to have it.” Oh Treadwell. You are so . . . something. Ballsy isn’t quite the right word, but he has some chutzpah I suppose.

Amanda sets out the dinner placecards and meets the players who framed her father. Roger Halsted = her dad’s one true friend. He asks to not be seated at dinner and says that he’ll have dinner in the poolhouse. Frank asks what he said to Amanda and she tells him that he just wanted to switch tables.

Back at The Stowaway, Nolan hangs out while Nick’s GF is decorating. He hits on her. Bad Wig Jack informs Nolan the GF is with him. Nolan introduces himself to Jack, which amuses Bad Wig Jack.

Amanda brings Halsted a bottle of whiskey in the poolhouse. She confronts him about David Clarke and tells him who she is. They chat. Halsted confirms that Clarke was right about being set up. Amanda promises that she’ll make sure that the people who did it will get what they deserve. Then calls him a coward when he tells her to drop it.

In another Victoria flashback to the early ’90s, David begs out of NYE party so he can go watch the ball drop with Amanda. V mentions that little Daniel is with the in-laws. V invites David and his family to brunch the next day. V is all sad (but not really) when she learns that his wife died, and she and David share a lingering look.

Frank tells Conrad that he thinks Halsted is the person who sent the threatening card. Lydia interrupts them, Frank leaves, and then Conrad tells her that the David Clarke house is owned by the Graysons. He thinks it’s gross and weird that V’s holding onto the house. Lydia tells Conrad she backed his testimony to protect him. Then kisses him. Then apologizes for kissing him. He gets up and wordlessly closes the door. Erlack.

Treadwell is Ted from HIMYM at parties. All the fancy guests chat about resolutions. Halsted, who has joined the party, gets all weepy about the people they’ve had to destroy. He’s drunkity drunk drunk. Frank comes over and takes him outside to “have a talk.”

Then we learn that Nolan bought the Porters house. He tells Papa Porter that he was just taking his business manager’s advice, and didn’t realize he’d be displacing so many families. Nolan says he can pull out on the deal. Turns out, Papa Porter couldn’t afford to keep the place because his ex-wife sucks, so he asks Nolan not to back out of the deal so that he doesn’ thave to tell the boys that their mom is a horrid, selfish bitch. Jack’s GF overhears it all.

Frank shows Halsted the bloody shame card. (Haha. Bloody shame.) Amanda barges intp the pool house, offering aspirin. Frank says he has something stronger and shouldn’t she be getting the champagne ready?

Conrad announces that his company is finally in the black again, after the horrible events of 1993. Also announces that Lydia and Michael will be their neighbors, but makes a dig at V in the process. Lalala.

Jack’s GF kisses Nolan at midnight. Bad Wig Jack punches Nolan.

Victoria talks to Lydia about the house. Tells her that he and Conrad are the owners of the house and that she held onto it for reasons of her own. But, she tells Lydia to take the house and make it her own and how pleased she is her best friend will now be her best neighbor. Blah.

Amanda goes back to the poolhouse to check on Roger. He’s dead in the bathtub.

Turns out, Treadwell wrote the Bloody Shame note. He tells V that he wanted to “shame the devil” and turn up some fresh intrigue for his new book.

V: “You are despicable.”

M: “Gee, thanks. That’s high praise coming from you.”

Amanda is DISTRAUGHT over Roger’s death, so she calls Nolan, freaking out. Nolan says that her father wanted her to get past all of it, not avenge him. Then he tells her not to try and take all those people out, and that she will never get close enough to bring the Graysons down and expose them. So she cry-prays on the porch of her old house and then sees the double infinity etched into the bannister.

Then we see her getting her tattoo. She doesn’t wince or cry because she should be an Avenger. The letter she’s reading from her dad says to get as far away from the Graysons as she can.

Then in a very nice transition, we’re back in whatever year is the present during Revenge (I guess 2011?), and Daniel comes home and apologizes for the traffic delay. Emanda has her house decorated for the holidays exactly as it had been in her flashbacks. Daniel proposes that they duck out of his parents’ party and make thier own fun. She tells him she wants to hang out with his parent’s friends on NYE.

I’m sure we all know why.

So, flashback episode! What did y’all think of it? At the end of it, while I was glad to have a more definitive backstory, I now really want to see how Amanda reinvented herself and positioned to become Emily Thorne, poised orphan-millionaire-philanthropist. But maybe that’s just me and no one else cares. That’d probably actually be a boring episode. Oh well.

Tell me all of your thoughts and feelings and THINGS in comments!