Revolution (stylized as REVOLUTI⏻N) is an American post-apocalyptic science fiction television series that ran from September 17, 2012, until May 21, 2014, when it was cancelled by NBC. The show takes place in the post-apocalyptic near-future of the year 2027, 15 years after the start of a worldwide, permanent electrical-power blackout in 2012. Created by Eric Kripke and produced by J. J. Abrams' Bad Robot for the NBC network, it originally aired on Mondays at 10:00 p.m. ET, and did well enough that NBC ordered a second season shortly after the first-season finale. Film director Jon Favreau directed the pilot episode. In October 2012, NBC picked it up for a full season of 22 episodes, which was later reduced to 20 episodes. Season 1 of the show was filmed in and around Wilmington, North Carolina. Many of the scenes were shot in historic downtown Wilmington and on the campus of the University of North Carolina Wilmington. On April 26, 2013, the series was renewed by NBC for a second season of 22 episodes to air in a new time slot of Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Season 2 of Revolution was filmed in and around Bartlett and Granger, Texas. The second-season premiere aired on September 25, 2013, and the finale aired on May 21, 2014. A four-part comic book series from DC Comics appeared in May and June 2015 to wrap up the story.
Plot
Series overview
Season 1 The series is set in a post-apocalyptic near-future, in 2027. Fifteen years earlier, in 2012, a worldwide event known as "The Blackout" caused all electricity on Earth, ranging from computers and electronics to car and jet engines, to be disabled permanently. As a result, trains and cars stopped where they were, ships went dead in the water, and aircraft plummeted from the skies and crashed. In the years after the Blackout, people adapted to this new world without electricity. The series begins with the surviving Matheson family; Ben and his two young adult children, daughter Charlie and son Danny, now live in a village near Chicago. Ben wears a small pendant around his neck that is the key not only to finding out what happened fifteen years ago, but also a possible way to reverse its effects. Sebastian Monroe, Monroe Militia general and self-appointed President of the "Monroe Republic", whose borders are the Mississippi River and the old states of Kentucky and the Carolinas, is searching for the pendants so he can use their power to take control of the entire North American continent. In the series' pilot, Ben Matheson is killed and Danny is abducted by Captain Tom Neville of the Militia. The remaining Matheson family, joined initially by Miles Matheson, Aaron Pittman, and Nora Clayton, now are on the run from the Monroe Militia. Monroe's new benefactor, Randall Flynn, a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense who fifteen years earlier ordered deployment of the weaponized technology that caused the Blackout, now works with Monroe in his efforts after Ben's wife Rachel (working under duress for Monroe) escapes from his custody. This technology is later revealed to be a form of nanotechnology whose ability to drain electricity can be countered by the pendant. Opening Introduction:
We lived in an electric world. We relied on it for everything. And then the power went out. Everything stopped working. We weren't prepared. Fear and confusion led to panic. The lucky ones made it out of the cities. The government collapsed. Militias took over, controlling the food supply and stocking up on weapons. We still don't know why the power went out. But we're hoping someone will come and light the way. Season 1 Episode 5, "Soul Train", explains that government and public order collapsed after the blackout, leading areas that are ruled by militias and their generals. A map of the former continental United States, Canada, and Mexico is shown with the continent of North America divided into six "republics" (including parts of present-day Canada and Mexico along with the contiguous United States):
In the same episode, it indicates that the Georgia Federation and Plains Nation have allied against the Monroe Republic; border skirmishing in southwest Illinois, near St. Louis, is also mentioned. According to the wife of Captain Thomas Neville (Julia) in a letter to her husband, the Monroe Republic capital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is relatively safe; however, life outside west of Pittsburgh is subject to rebel attacks and other dangers such as bandits. The fates of Alaska and Hawaii are not mentioned, while Mexico is shown to still exist, albeit in a much-reduced form.
Season 2 In April 2013, the series was renewed for a second season of 22 episodes. The new season aired on Wednesdays at 8:00 pm (ET) as opposed to the previous time slot of Monday at 10:00 pm (ET). The season premiered on September 25, 2013, took a mid-season break before Thanksgiving 2013, and returned with new episodes on January 8, 2014. Nicole Ari Parker was cast in a recurring role as Secretary Justine Allenford. Patrick Heusinger and Jessie Collins were also signed. Supernatural alumnus Jim Beaver was cast as John Franklin Fry, "a hard-ass, whip smart Texas Ranger who allies with Miles." The second season takes place six months after the events of the first season. The themes and settings of the series change significantly in the second season. The Monroe Republic is no longer the primary enemy, being replaced by the Patriots. Sebastian Monroe becomes an ally (albeit an uneasy one) of the Matheson family, while the Nevilles are largely isolated from this group. The action of the main group of characters is centered on the town of Willoughby, in the nation of Texas. There is still considerable travel from this location (to the Plains Nation, the outpost called New Vegas, and to Mexico) but there is not a single continuing odyssey, as in the first season. The pendants and the Tower are no longer significant, with self-willed nanites becoming the major science-fictional element.
Planned season 3 According to the show's creator, Eric Kripke, the third season was going to be different from the first two seasons:
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