Revenge plots have become common place in many TV shows nowadays, and there is a good reason why. Fans seemingly enjoy the thrill of thought-out and carefully executed high stakes plans. Beyond that, there’s nothing like a good dose of vicarious TV to create loyal viewers.
However, some shows undoubtedly have better revenge stories than others. For revenge junkies or just plain old viewers looking for the thrill of some tit-for-tat action, here’s a list of a few impressive TV show revenge plots. It is important to note that this list appears in no particular order.
1. Arya Stark vs. Walder Frey (Game of Thrones)
Game of Thrones has a cascade of satisfying TV show revenge plots ranging from Khaleesi’s (Emilia Clarke) kickass slave master hunt to Jon Snow’s (Kit Harington) vengeance on his murderers after being resurrected. However, the red wedding revenge is arguably one of the most satisfying in the show. Arya Stark’s (Maisie Williams) vengeance for her mother, brother, and pregnant sister-in-law undoubtedly reverberated in the minds of viewers.
This plot began in the Season 6 finale when Arya Stark killed Walder Frey (David Bradley) in the most gruesome way possible. She paid him a visit disguised as a servant and served him pie containing the remains of his sons. Once he realized it, she took off her mask to reveal her true identity. The scene ends with Arya saying to Lord Frey, “The last thing you’ll see is a stark smiling down at you.” Then she slit his throat. What makes this even better is the fact that it doesn’t end there.
The Season 7 premiere opens with Arya wearing Walder Frey’s face and addressing his men. Next thing viewers see, they’re all choking on their wine and falling to the ground. What follows is one of Arya’s most satisfying lines in the series. She turns and tells one of Frey’s child brides, saying “When people ask you what happened here, tell them the North remembers. Tell them winter came for House Frey.”
2. Lumen vs. Jordan Chase (Dexter)
The special thing about this TV show is that the showrunners aren’t focused on respect for ethical and moral boundaries. For instance, the protagonist in Dexter is a serial killer. The main premise of the show sees the most amoral, monstrous villains facing off against the show’s less evil protagonist, so the audience always roots for Dexter (Michael C. Hall). In a nutshell, it’s a bad-guy-kills-bad-guy cycle.
The fifth season presents fans with a pretty good TV show revenge plot when Lumen Pierce (Julia Stiles) is introduced. Lumen, who Dexter rescued after she was raped and tortured by the Barrel girl gang, is determined to hunt down her attackers. With Dexter’s help, she’s able to track them down and kill each of them; Jordan Chase (Jonny Lee Miller) being the last. The plot is subtly reminiscent of I Spit On Your Grave, allowing for a harrowing but satisfying revenge story.
3. Sansa vs. Ramsay Bolton (Game of Thrones)
Another intriguing Game of Thrones revenge plot is one that viewers waited long and hard for. Sansa Stark’s (Sophie Turner) character arc was slow and steady, but she eventually got to where she needed to be. She started out with fairytale dreams and an unhealthy crush on Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson). However, over the course of the show, she’s forced to face harsh realities and learns to survive the treacherous and sly kingdom she was born into.
After getting raped, locked up, and psychologically tortured by Ramsay Bolton(Iwan Rheon) earlier in the season, Sansa managed to escape. However, Ramsay Bolton invites her brother, Jon Snow, to battle for his sister’s return, using their brother, Rickon, as bait. At the Battle of the Bastards, when Ramsay Bolton is finally chased down and defeated, Sansa gets the last laugh. He’s locked up in the dungeons as she watches his own hounds eat him alive.
4. Emily Thorne vs. the Graysons (Revenge)
After framing Emily Thorne’s (Emily Van Camp) father and supposedly assassinating him in prison, Conrad and Victoria Grayson (Henry Czerny and Madeleine Stowe) thought they would get away with it. Unfortunately for them, David Clarke (James Tupper) had a daughter who was determined to avenge her father. Seeing as the show itself is called Revenge, this particular plot is the main storyline of the TV show, not just a chunk of the overall plot.
Though the storyline went on for 4 seasons, the show was consistent and focused on the original storyline. Emily Thorne (originally Amanda Clarke) was forced to endure long years in the system and juvenile prison after her dad’s incarceration and murder. This gave her lots of time to stew in her anger.
On her release, she discovered she inherited a significant amount of money along with a diary containing information about her father’s false imprisonment. Naturally, she used her newfound money and information to infiltrate the Grayson family and systematically destroy them from the inside out. Though it took a while for Emily’s revenge plot to unfold, the storyline had a way of drawing you in as it progressed. At the end of the day, Emily’s schemes play out is pretty satisfying.
5. Lisa Nova vs. Lou Berke (Brand New Cherry Flavor)
The horror TV series Brand New Cherry Flavor also has a slow and systematic revenge plot. It may not be as satisfying as one would expect. This doesn’t mean the main antagonist didn’t eventually get what was coming to him.
Lisa Nova (Rosa Salazar), a talented and aspiring filmmaker, moves to LA after shooting a captivating short movie. She has a meeting with big-shot producer, Lou Burke (Eric Lange), who’s interested in acquiring her movie with her as the director. Much to Lisa’s horror, he ends up hitting on her, and when she turns him down, he steals her script and fires her.
However, she gets back at him with the help of a witch named Boro (Catherine Keener). After putting a hex on him, viewers watch as Lou’s life slowly falls apart. Unfortunately, magic comes at a price, so Lisa also has some unpleasant experiences along the way. This show gives a more realistic representation of real-life revenge despite its fantastical, magical elements.
6. Amy vs. Danny (Beef)
Lee Sung Jin‘s dark comedy TV show, Beef, perfectly concludes this list. For the most part, the show’s plot focuses on Amy Lau (Ali Wong) and Danny Cho’s (Steven Yeun) ploys to get back at each other. But it also brings to light the realities of pent-up anger and the societal pressure to get rich.
While their revenge plans ultimately hurt them and their surrounding circles, the story is beyond exciting, dramatic, and satisfying. The Season produced the perfect ending, where Amy and Danny experience each other’s pasts and emotions after a mushroom poisoning episode. Needless to say, the overall plot is quite rewarding in its own way, and the gloves come off in more ways than one.
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