'Revenge' looks to keep the thrills, chills coming in Season 2

By Chuck Barney

BEVERLY HILLS -- Last season, "Revenge" was certainly sweet for ABC, as the deliciously addictive melodrama generated loads of buzz. But after all the ruthless scheming and bloody beat downs, isn't Emily Thorne ready to chill out for a while?

Apparently not.

"I don't see an end quite yet (to her thirst for payback)," says Emily VanCamp, who plays the avenging angel out to destroy the powerful and deceitful Grayson family.

"Coming into Season 2, she has sort of regrouped," VanCamp told reporters recently on the sprawling Grayson manor set. "She's sort of numbed that human side of her for a little while, and she's back to that sociopathic nature."

Season 1 of "Revenge" ended with a mind-blowing cliffhanger that featured, among other things, a plane crash and the stunning news that Emily's mother -- long presumed dead -- actually is among the living. Jennifer Jason Leigh has been cast as the mysterious mom.

"I was so excited (to learn she's alive)," VanCamp said. "I think the relationship between daughter and mother is so interesting, even in a semi-normal family, let alone Emily Thorne's family. Their relationship is going to be very interesting to explore."

VanCamp revealed that the woman Leigh plays won't be "the most stable of characters."

"It's very possible that this will possibly start to affect (Emily's) psyche and have her wondering, 'OK, how crazy am I? Am I following her footsteps? Am I mentally unstable?'" the actress said.

VanCamp teased that Season 2 will also introduce several other key villains, along with a new love interest for her character. He'll be played by British actor Barry Sloane.

"He's someone who was part of her life when she went away to study," she said. "... But this is a character she really cared about, and he betrayed her. It was one more disappointment in her life."

VanCamp is looking forward to revealing more sides of a character who has pulled off some heinous deeds, but somehow remains sympathetic.

"The thing that I love about Emily and why people are able to continue to root for her is that as much as she behaves like a sociopath, underneath that shell is a vulnerable, hurt, angry young girl who ultimately wants to rid herself of that feeling," she said. "Those moments of vulnerability are what allow people to continue to connect to her."

A few more tidbits about "Revenge":

# Series creator Mike Kelley said Season 2 will begin with a flash-forward to a "terrible event" that occurs at the end of the summer, and subsequent episodes will reveal what happened before then.

# Gabriel Mann, who plays Emily's accomplice, Nolan, warned fans that Season 2 will be "utterly twisted and darker and deeper than even last year, if that's possible."

# Victoria Grayson's mother will show up at one point. Who would be among Kelley's "dream" actresses to play the role? Sophia Loren or Joan Collins.

# Speaking of Victoria, the woman who plays her -- Madeleine Stowe -- was conspicuously absent from the media event. But there's no way she could have died in that plane crash, right? Kelley's lips were sealed, but we don't believe for a minute that we've seen the last of her.

"Revenge" returns for Season 2 on a new night at 9 p.m. Sept. 30 on ABC.

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