Amanda and Aiden are on the beach, in hoodies, practicing karate or kung fu or tae kwon do or power Pilates.  Anyway, they’re working out and then making out.   In New York City, Daniel is walking to work as CEO of Grayson Global when he’s called over to a limousine by the ever-present Helen Crowley.   Now that Daniel is in charge of the company, Helene, in her role as representative of The Initiative would like to ensure that Daniel is serving their needs.  She tells him that NolCorp isn’t the only secret asset hidden within Grayson Global, and that he should dig a little deeper to uncover other buried treasures.

Conrad and Victoria are enjoying a little leisure time together, now that Conrad has plenty of it.   Well, Conrad is trying to enjoy the time, letting phone calls from worried investors go unanswered.  Victoria is still being herself, working to remove her son from the family company, and for this she knows she’s going to have to ask for Amanda’s help.    She also informs Conrad that Patricia Barnes and her husband will be spending the weekend with the Graysons, and that they’ve purchased a table for a fundraiser for Patricia’s Liberty Foundation.  Now, the first interesting bit of information about this visit is that Mr. Barnes happens to be Judge Robert Barnes, who presided over David Clarke’s trial and is now a heartbeat away from being a member of the United States Supreme Court.   The second tidbit is about the Foundation, as its’ mission is to help those who have been wrongly accused and convicted of crimes.  Well, that’s rich.

While the Graysons are going over their plans,  Amanda and Aiden are looking through the Infinity box, reading an unsigned letter which addresses David Clarke’s miscarriage of justice.   They believe that the letter may have been written by Barnes’ clerk, James Palmer,  who died just three days after a press conference in which Judge Barnes fully committed himself to a speedy trial for the man accused of banking terrorists – in the interest of justice, of course.

Aiden shows up at Grayson Global, under the premise that he really needs to see Daniel.  When he’s told where Daniel is having lunch, of course he calls Amanda, so that all of them can be there at the same time.  Conrad is dining with Daniel and Daniel wants to know about the secret accounts – the boy may not be too bright, but at least he’s forthright.   Their attention is drawn to another table where there’s an argument going on – a loud one.  Aiden and Amanda are putting on a performance of how to break up in public so that everyone can see and hear you, and it’s all for the Graysons’ benefit.  It worked.   After lunch, Daniel returns to work only to find Nolan sitting at his desk.   When Nolan asks Daniel “where’s London fog”, Daniel tells him that she – Ashley – is somewhere licking her wounds.  Daniel does tell him that Aiden and Amanda have broken up their relationship to which Nolan responds “quelle surprise”.    Daniel then informs Nolan that he wants his very skillful technical help hacking into Grayson Global’s accounts in search of the hidden stuff.

Nolan, because he’s Nolan and likes Amanda and doesn’t like Daniel, lets her know what Daniel is planning.  He also tells her that he’s heard about her break up with “Remington Steele”,  smirking a little, until  Aiden walks in and Nolan realizes that it was just a “fake-up”.   Amanda explains to Nolan that this allows her to cozy up to Daniel.  Aiden just wants to ensure that Nolan tells him everything he finds out about The Initiative before he tells Daniel anything.

Victoria is flitting about, inviting everyone she needs to dinner to meet Judge and Mrs. Barnes.   Daniel is more than happy to come, now that he can sit across the table from Amanda and look at her with those sad puppy dog eyes of his.   The meal is going according to plan until Amanda brings up the name of a law professor she had – James Palmer.   Judge Barnes acknowledges that he was his clerk during the David Clarke trial.  The judge also goes on and on about how contemptible Clarke was, and that he couldn’t be happier with the man’s conviction – yep, he’s certain as all get out of that guy’s guilt.  Patricia Barnes is looking a little green around the gills, however, as if hearing Palmer’s name and the talk of the trial is about to choke her to death.  She claims she has a headache and her husband hustles her off to bed faster than you can say “power corrupts”.

While the rich and powerful residents of the Hamptons are scheming, the Porters are having their own problems, thanks to the Ryan brothers.   The new partners in the Stowaway are flexing their muscle and, at the same time, are up to no good.    Jack knows it and is trying to get his son and future wife out of harm’s way.  Declan senses something and, while using Charlotte as cover,  starts searching the storage room for something.   He’s especially suspicious about the bags and bags of coffee beans piled up in the room.    His suspicions appear to be well-founded and Declan finds drugs among the beans.   He spills a few, though, raising some eyebrows between the Ryans.   When Jack and Declan finally get an opportunity to talk, Jack remembers that he has an old friend who’s now a cop – a friendship that might come in handy under the circumstances.     That night, the police raid the bar and the boat, where Declan and Charlotte are having a romantic moment.   Police dogs hit on drugs and a gun and, at first, arrest Declan.  Jack intervenes, telling the police that he owns the boat and his brother doesn’t know anything about any of it.   Jack is placed in cuffs and taken to jail.  The Ryan brothers aren’t too happy with this turn of events and warn Declan about any more calls to the police – whoever is making them should be careful.

Nolan has wormed his clever way into Grayson’s security system, again, and shows Aiden a piece of video where Helen Crowley is seen making a phone call, more than likely to The Initiative.   The phone is activated by a code word which Aiden says is “ingress”, the Latin word for entry – among the many other things you learn at Revenge school, they also offer classes in lip-reading and the translation of Caesar’s Gallic wars.  He calls the number, says the code word and finds himself talking to Helen.  She isn’t surprised by the caller in the least and suggests that the two of them meet.   When they do, it isn’t pleasant at all.  Aiden wants to wring her neck, but Helen, very wisely, has brought along a few reinforcements with very big guns.  She tells Aiden that his sister is alive and will remain so as long as he never mentions their meeting to anyone else.

Nolan is having a bit of a problem with his former lover and CFO, Marco Romero.  Marco, it seems, would like to get back into Nolan’s good graces and has candles and wine at the ready, just in case Nolan has had a change of heart.  To further his cause, Marco also shows Nolan a computer coder thingamajig – that’s my tech-speak for whatever the heck it’s really called.  Nolan tells Marco that he abandoned the plans for that device because it was as powerful as “cyber-plutonium”.    To me, it sounds like the perfect gadget for any plans one might have for sabotaging Grayson Global and The Initiative.

The night of the Liberty Foundation fundraiser arrives and Patricia Barnes is still a little under the weather.  Amanda, after greeting Daniel, excuses herself to go apologize to the poor woman for upsetting her the night before.  While the two are alone, Amanda shows Patricia the handwritten and unsigned letter.  Patricia tells Amanda that she is the author of it and cared very deeply for and about James Palmer.    After a speech in which Conrad goes on and on about “truth, justice and the American way”, Patricia makes her way to the podium.  Armed with the letter, and her new found resolve, she tells the roomful of donors about the real Judge Barnes, the one who would sell the Statue of Liberty at a local pawn shop if he thought it would bring him more power.  She explains how her husband convicted David Clarke by withholding information that would have meant a mistrial, and that a tainted jury issued a guilty verdict.    She then removes her jacket to reveal bruises up and down her arms.  As the disgraced Barnes makes his way out of the room, Conrad does his own damage control and throws the judge under the bus.   Amanda scores another one – only this one carries much more weight in terms of the public’s perception about her father.

Helen is telling Daniel that Nolan’s fishing expedition is leaving a nice trail of breadcrumbs right back to NolCorp and it’s secrets.   Jack calls Emily from jail.  Daniel shows up at Amanda’s house and kisses her.  Victoria is watching and smiling.  Aiden is watching and he’s not smiling.

Empress