Revolution Episode 1.02 Chained Heat

The morning after the blackout, a very scared Rachel gets the kids ready to trek out of Chicago, while Ben packs supplies, including his handgun. Rachel imparts a seminal instruction to Charlie: her job as big sister is to NEVER let go of Danny's hand. Charlie takes her mother's words seriously, clutching Danny as her father pulls the kids down the street in a wagon. Fifteen years later, Maggie pulls Charlie out of her reverie, as the clanking of swords fills the air. In an abandoned train yard, Miles is fending off a bounty hunter named Jacob. Miles knocks the guy out and is about to make the kill when Charlie steps in to ask him not to. "One day into this trip, you're already a pain in the ass," Miles says, then locks Jacob into one of the abandoned boxcars. None of the travelers see Nate, who's still on their tail.

At the Militia encampment outside Philadelphia, General Monroe finds Sergeant Will Strausser amidst a rather torturous interrogation. Monroe asks for Strausser's knife, insisting they don't conduct interrogations like animals, then kindly approaches Strausser's victim. If the prisoner will reveal the rebels' location, Monroe will send him back to his family. After all, the rebels are terrorists! Don't people have the right to be happy? Bloody and battered, the man confesses that Americans aren't happy; they're scared to death of Monroe - but he's not. Monroe smiles, takes his time selecting one of Strausser's ultra-sharp knives, then slits the guy's throat.

Charlie et al find themselves at the Militia outpost of Pontiac, Illinois, where a black-ish market has sprung up around an abandoned factory. Charlie's not sure what they're doing there - they need to go find Danny! - but Miles has a plan. He ditches Charlie and enters a casino to ask the pit boss if he's seen Nora Clayton. When the pit boss asks Miles' name, Jacob offers it - adding they both should have killed each other when they had the chance. Miles offers to call it a draw in exchange for Nora's whereabouts, but Jacob prefers to fight for the money - since his men have captured Aaron, Charlie and Maggie. Miles claims he doesn't know them; he was just trying to "bang the British chick." But when Jacob tells his men to start slicing, Miles capitulates and allows himself to be shackled and led away.

Seconds after Jacob and his goons enter the marketplace, Miles makes his move. This time he shows no mercy. After killing the goons, Miles uses his handcuffs to put Jacob in chokehold. Once Jacob confesses that Nora was brought to a Militia work camp near Fort Chatsworth, Miles breaks his neck, stunning Charlie. Meanwhile, Captain Neville and his men hear a gunshot, so they follow the echo to an old farmhouse, where a fresh deer carcass hangs out front. Neville starts off friendly, but what he wants to know is does George have a gun, since the deer is full of buckshot? And did George know the penalty for owning, buying, selling or transporting a firearm (The Baltimore Act) is death? George hands over his rifle.

When Neville orders one of his men, Fletcher, to search George's house, George runs inside, grabs a pistol and shoots Fletcher in the gut. Neville quickly kills George, and kneels to tend to Fletcher, who's pretty much done. After an American flag is found in the house, Neville orders his men to burn everything. That night, Maggie works to free Miles of his handcuffs. She asks Aaron to get the Swiss Army knife from her bag, but he turns up an iPhone - which is dead, of course. Aaron wants to know why she keeps it, but Maggie won't say. Miles turns on Charlie: next time he wants to kill someone, she should just let him. Once out of the handcuffs, Miles heads out by himself. They need Nora - a munitions expert - to get Danny back, and Miles will move faster alone. Aaron, Charlie and Maggie should meet him in Lowell, Indiana, two weeks from now.

The next morning, Aaron and Maggie wake up to find Charlie gone. Maggie finds a note: "I went after Miles. I'm sorry. Please don't worry." Charlie moves quickly through the woods, full well knowing someone or something is on her tail. She takes a spill, injuring her ankle, which flushes Nate out of the trees. But when Nate gets close enough, Charlie claps Miles' handcuffs on Nate, securing him to an old utility pole. When she demands to know why he's following her, Nate admits his orders are to bring Miles back alive. Realizing Nate is using her to flush out Miles, Charlie turns to leave in disgust. But then she turns back. "Is your name even Nate?" "No. I've got my orders." So why did Nate save Charlie's life?

Maggie wants to try to catch up with Charlie, but Aaron knows this is impossible and feels confident they'll see her again. Furious, Maggie pulls out her iPhone. The reason she's kept it all this time is that it holds the only photos of her children, whose faces she can barely remember. So how can Aaron be so sure they'll see Charlie again? On a road in the middle of a cornfield, Neville tends to Fletcher, who's on his last legs. He can die quick or die painful. Neville offers a vial of opium to help ease the passing. Where Fletcher's going, he'll be warm, rested and fed, with his family. Better yet, he'll bask in the brightest, most beautiful light. Danny gets teary witnessing Fletcher's death and Neville's unexpected charity.

Charlie flashes back 15 years, to the day when her family made their pilgrimage out of Chicago. Rachel, Danny and Charlie are waiting for Ben outside the University of Chicago's Department of Computer Science - Daddy has to pick up a few things from work. Suddenly a wiry stranger steps out of nowhere to grab hold of Charlie with a desperate agenda. "She has such a pretty face. I'd hate to have to smash it in," he says, right before demanding all their food. It's Miles who snaps Charlie out of her daydream, and he's none too happy to see her. When he demands she rejoin Maggie and Aaron, Charlie tearfully explains why not. Danny has been her responsibility since they were kids. His capture is her fault, and she's not going to be able to sleep until he's safe. Miles has to let her help.

Aaron tells Maggie he has to make a confession and pulls out the silver pendant. Ben told him to bring it to a woman named Grace Beaumont in Grant Park, Illinois. Aaron's not sure why, but he posits a question: what if this pendant can help them get the power back? Maggie doesn't think it makes any sense, but the couple decides to head to Grant Park. Aaron theorizes that if the blackout was man-made, then maybe it can be reversed, which seems like pretty great news to him, considering.

Danny watches Neville and his men bury Fletcher in a sunflower field. After saying a eulogy, Neville turns on Danny without warning. Danny doesn't like the fact that Neville killed George - even though he owned guns and a rebel flag and shot Fletcher!? Neville insists the Monroe Militia is the one thing that's staving off total anarchy. Unfazed, Danny tells Neville what he thinks: Neville likes to kill because he's a murderer and a psychopath. Neville grabs Danny around the neck and thanks him for his honesty.

Charlie and Miles duck down when they hear the Militia's chain gang dragging a defunct Army helicopter through the woods. Miles remarks that Monroe is crazy - he must think he can get the power going! Just as Miles spies Nora, the man in front of her falls. She urges the guy to get up, but when he doesn't, the Warden shoots him with his very sophisticated sniper rifle. That night, Miles slips into the encampment to find Nora awake, the locks on her shackles already picked. She doesn't want to be rescued! But when another prisoner starts making noise, Nora runs for it, then lays into Miles. She got arrested on purpose! She's working a job - stealing the sniper rifle. Charlie can't believe it, but Nora assures her a beauty like that sniper rifle will be priceless on the black market.

Nora is furious that her plan to steal the sniper rifle has been thwarted. Miles was supposed to stay away from her, remember? When Miles allows things have changed, Charlie explains it's all her fault; Miles promised to help her rescue Danny. Nora can't believe Miles isn't working some kind of angle, but when he tells her this is for real, she agrees to help. But only if she can get the rifle first. It's not long before Nora is building a gun out of a piece of old pipe and making a plan with Miles to shoot the Warden. Miles points out that both he and Nora would be shot on sight, so Charlie steps up. Miles isn't impressed, confident Charlie will choke. Charlie explains that it's not about the rifle; it's about all the people working like slaves on the chain gang. And it's insane that neither of them have mentioned it.

With Nora's pipe gun tied to her arm, Charlie steps out of the woods with her crossbow, right into the path of the chain gang. As a guard hustles her towards the Warden, Charlie flashes back to that day in Chicago, when the wiry stranger held her captive. Ben stepped out of his office, gun drawn, demanding the stranger let Charlie go. Once Charlie was safely in Rachel's arms, the stranger walked away with the Mathesons' wagon full of food. Ben threatened to shoot, but the man kept walking. When the gun went off, Ben was no longer holding it - Rachel was. Back in the present, Charlie makes her move, shooting the Warden and grabbing his rifle.

Miles and Nora step in to do battle with Militia soldiers in the ensuing chaos. Miles is right: Nora is awesome in a fight. Charlie is first to fire the rifle when a guard nearly takes her out, surprising Miles - two kills in one day! After the fray, he finds Charlie sitting by herself, shell-shocked. When he tells her she did good - freeing the enslaved prisoners - Charlie points out that killing two people is a big deal for her, even if it isn't for him. Suddenly, Miles jumps up, having spied an American flag tattoo on Nora's back. What? She joined the Rebels?! Nora's not selling the rifle - she's going to give it to the Rebels. Clearly, Miles thinks the Rebels are deluded, but Nora thinks they're patriots, trying to restore the United States.

Grace works hard on the computer in her attic, surround by schematics and her glowing pendant, as Aaron and Maggie near her home. There's a knock on Grace's door, but it's not who she suspects. She shuts and locks her door, then runs back to the attic, grabs the pendent and connects. As heavy boots approach the attic door, Grace types "Randall is here." We don't see his face, but we can see the glowing pendant he wears around his neck and the electric cattle prod in his hand.

In Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the seat of the Monroe Republic, Monroe climbs off his horse and proceeds to a locked room which holds none other than Rachel Matheson - alive! Again, Monroe starts off nice, offering wine, ice, anything Rachel wants. When he remarks that it's always nice to see someone who knew him when, she admits he used to be a womanizing drunk, and she liked him a lot better then. For that matter, so did he. Finished with small talk, Monroe delivers bad news: Ben is dead. Rachel's not surprised, but when she learns Monroe has captured Danny, she lunges for him. Instantly, Monroe has her in a chokehold. The time for games is over. If Rachel wants to see Danny again, she's going to talk about Ben, the power, everything.