A reveal is supposed to shock you, to make you feel like the floor is falling out from under you. But a reveal also has to feel fair: a truly great reveal, like the mechanism behind a magic trick, is something that you realize in the end has been right in front of you all this time. That last shot of the fourth season of Breaking Bad, when we see the Lily of the Valley plant in Walter White’s backyard; Olivia Pope sliding into the backseat of that limo, looking across the way at the man we've only known as “Command” and calling him “Dad” — THESE are reveals. Should a dedicated fan work her way back through old episodes, poring over the details like microfilm, she’d be able to put the whole thing together. It would be elegant, obvious, even in hindsight.
So when the “big reveal” at the end of last night’s episode was that A was some dude named Charles whom we had literally never met and, save for a few industrious souls on the internet, never even heard of until 18 minutes before the credits rolled, all I felt was annoyed. Seriously, this random guy? And if he were going to be so freaking important, he couldn't have shown up sooner?
Dropping in a brand-new character as the answer to the long-teased question of “Who is A?” is NOT a reveal. It is not a reveal when that character never takes off his mask. Yes, the fan forums were apparently abuzz with the “twin theory” as it may have pertained to one of the 10 billion girls in frilly yellow tank-tops who were accidentally buried alive that fateful evening, but you shouldn't have to do outside reading to understand a television show.
Lingering concerns: How is Charles funding this dollhouse prison, exactly? In addition to secretly existing, is he secretly wealthy? Why did the female announcer in the Dollhouse say “welcome” in multiple languages when all the prisoners speak English? If this prom night were seven years ago but time is never constant in Rosewood, how are we supposed to know what prom it was? What’s up with Andrew listening in on the Hastings’ phone call?
I didn't think you were wearing that to make a fashion statement. With the table firmly set for any number of possibilities, it should be interesting to see how the show proceeds from here.