document_title: Emily Thorne

question_text: who does emily end up with in revenge

question_tokens: who does emily end up with in revenge

text: Emily Thorne

text: Description[edit]

text: Emily Thorne has been described as a flawed and multifaceted heroine figure.[3][4] Due to her father being betrayed and her being forced into foster care and juvenile detention, Thorne has become emotionally troubled. Emily VanCamp, who portrays Thorne, described the character as having become "corrupted" to the point where VanCamp was concerned that it would be difficult to make Thorne appealing to audiences. The character usually appears calm and cold while dealing with difficult circumstances but as the series progresses, she begins to reveal vulnerabilities in her demeanor and reacts more emotionally to situations, which also impedes her efforts to get vengeance.[3] According to VanCamp, Thorne has tried to bury her emotions but has an unstable emotional side, which means her feelings come out in extremes.[5]

text: In Revenge Thorne serves as a modern female version of Edmond Dantès, the lead character from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, which is the novel that inspired the series.[6] According to Anthony Letizia of alterna-Tv.com, similar to Dantès being falsely imprisoned for fourteen years on the charge of treason, Thorne was imprisoned in juvenile detention[a] and her father was framed for the crime of financing a terrorist attack on the United States. Letizia notes several more similarities between the characters such as both of them training in combat after leaving incarceration in preparation for their plans of revenge and both pursuing revenge against a group of powerful and wealthy conspirators.[7]

text: Her pursuit of revenge has been noted as a sympathetic aspect of the character. Commentators cited recent economic difficulties as making viewers more receptive to Thorne's efforts to get revenge against a group of privileged elites for the harm they caused her family.[3][8] VanCamp described the character as "quite justified in what she's doing" adding that "everybody can connect with the theme of revenge, whether they act on it or not." The character's "girl next door" appearance is attributed as contributing to this appeal, with show producer Mike Kelly suggesting that it means viewers are "rooting for her even though she's doing something that's kind of diabolical."[9]

text: Madeline Stowe, who portrays the antagonist Victoria Grayson on Revenge, has likened her own character to Thorne. Stowe notes the two characters as being complicated and said that Thorne is on a similarly amoral path as Victoria.[3] She suggests that because of these similarities her character is able to recognize "something really amiss" about Thorne.[10] Lyle Masaki of AfterElton also noted similarities between the characters stating that they are "equally cool customers, equally matched and neither are completely sympathetic."[11]

text: Like her father, she is incredibly intelligent and is capable of resolving complicated situations with great cleverness. She is also proficient in shooting and martial arts and speaks fluent French and Japanese. Emily does not kill her targets, although some of her actions have led to people dying at the hands of others.

text: "Illusion" reveals Emily's birthdate as July 11, 1984, making her 27–28 years old during the events of season 2, which takes place in 2012. She has a net worth of $1 billion, as stated on the show (although ABC.com's biography states that "only Emily Thorne knows"). As of "Endurance" Emily's wounds from being shot in the stomach by Daniel have left her unable to have biological children.

text: Character arc[edit]

text: Background[edit]

text: Amanda Clarke was the daughter of the Clarke family, living in the Hamptons in 1992. Her mother, Kara Wallace, was said to have died of illness when Amanda was five, although Amanda later discovered her mother isolated herself due to her psychological issues. David, who worked as a hedge fund manager at Grayson Global, was having an affair with his boss Conrad Grayson's wife, Victoria, and they were prepared to divorce their respective spouses to marry each other. During this time, Conrad Grayson, Victoria's husband, laundered money to a terrorist group, Americon Initiative, which they used to bring down Flight 197. Desiring to save themselves, Conrad and Victoria manipulated the evidence to point to David Clarke. The FBI arrested David for treason, while Amanda was taken into foster care for at least eight years, and she never saw her father again. She spent two years at Alanwood Juvenile Detention Center, until she was released to Nolan Ross, a friend of her father's, who informed her of the truth and gave her a wooden box of mementos from her father (dubbed the "Infinity Box"), along with 49% shares of stock in Nolan's computer software company, NolCorp, in which her father had invested. She has a tattoo on her wrist of a double infinity symbol, representing her father's love for "infinity times infinity", as he told her as a child. David had pleaded with her in his journals not to confront the true culprits behind Flight 197, but she refused to follow his advice. She spends several years researching the members of the conspiracy and creating an elaborate fake back-story by changing her name to the one of her former cellmate, to seek revenge.

text: Season 1[edit]

text: The "Pilot" begins by showing the future "Fire and Ice" engagement party for Emily and Daniel Grayson, the son of Conrad and Victoria Grayson, taking place on Labor Day Weekend. All seems to be going well until a body assumed to be Daniel's is discovered on the beach by his sister Charlotte.

text: Five months before, Emily rents her childhood beach home and begins her revenge plan by destroying the careers and lives of the minor players in the conspiracy against her father, beginning with Lydia Davis, her father's secretary and Conrad's mistress. She saves Conrad and Victoria for last, and schemes to marry their son Daniel in order to have access to the Grayson family records.

text: Nolan Ross, a billionaire software developer and friend of David Clarke, recognizes Emily as Amanda and deduces her plans for revenge. He offers to assist her; she initially rejects him, but later counts on him as a trusted ally.

text: Daniel's college friend, Tyler Barrol, shows up in the Hamptons to stay with the Graysons. Emily is distrustful of him from the start, while Emily's friend and Victoria's event planner, Ashley Davenport, is smitten with him. When Lydia returns, determined to get her house and reputation back after her affair with Conrad was revealed, she blackmails the Graysons and Emily. Emily, however, sets her up to take the fall for her other takedowns, causing the Grayson head of security Frank Stevens to throw her off her balcony, although she survives.

text: Emily sends Conrad a video recording of the Frank and Lydia incident, which causes Conrad to fire Frank. As a result, Frank attempts to regain favor with the Graysons by digging into Emily's past. He discovers Emily's former cellmate, the real Emily Thorne who is posing as Amanda Clarke, but she murders him before he can warn Victoria. After "Amanda" alerts Emily to the killing, Emily sets up the Graysons for Frank's murder. Her attempts to send Amanda away fail, and her former cellmate stays in the Hamptons and becomes involved with Emily's old friend Jack Porter.

text: Tyler, meanwhile, becomes a larger problem, and Emily enlists Nolan to get rid of him, only for him to begin a romantic relationship with Tyler. Emily exposes Tyler's misdeeds, but Tyler ends up blackmailing Conrad when he tries to fire him. Emily steals the leverage Tyler has on Conrad, and Daniel evicts him from Grayson Manor. Daniel's birthday party later goes awry when Tyler appears and holds the party at gunpoint. Daniel and Jack get the upper hand and have Tyler arrested by the police.

text: Emily burns down the house of her antepenultimate target Mason Treadwell, an author who wrote a faux tell-all about David Clarke, destroying his work. Before the fire, she steals several of his interview tapes, which reveal that Charlotte, the Graysons' daughter, is her biological half-sister. Emily uses this against Victoria, and Conrad threatens to expose this information in the midst of their divorce proceedings.

text: Emily returns home one day to find her Infinity Box missing. Tyler, who has escaped custody, reveals himself as the thief and that he has kidnapped Amanda. When Amanda turns on Emily, she enlists her mentor Satoshi Takeda for assistance at her engagement party. Takeda retrieves her Infinity Box and murders Tyler on the beach before fleeing with Amanda. Returning to the starting point of the pilot, the partygoers find that the body is not that of Daniel, but Tyler, and Daniel becomes the prime suspect. Emily discovers that Victoria hired a contractor named Lee Moran to attack Daniel in order to have him released on bail. Emily implicates Moran in Tyler's murder, and he is later found dead in prison, seemingly having committed suicide, although Emily discovers that Conrad contracted to have him killed by the same man as her father's killer.

text: Investigating her father's murder, Emily learns that Conrad often spoke with a "white-haired man", whom she discovers is her father's killer. She becomes determined to kill him. Victoria acquires immunity as she exposes Conrad to the SEC. She later hands evidence of David Clarke's innocence over to Daniel, only for Emily to steal it from Daniel's briefcase.

text: The white-haired man abducts Nolan. Emily rescues him and attacks the white-haired man, but she spares his life. Nolan hands Victoria's evidence over to the SEC, but as Victoria and Lydia come forward as witnesses, the plane carrying them to the hearing crashes, supposedly killing them and destroying the evidence. However, Nolan reveals that he copied a hard drive in Conrad's evidence, which contains a video that reveals Emily's supposedly deceased mother to be alive.

text: Season 2[edit]

text: In the second season premiere, the Amanda (Jack Porter's boat) is shown as having sunk, with at least one casualty. Three months earlier, Emily returns to the Hamptons after a long absence and begins to investigate what happened to her mother, Kara Wallace Clarke. At a Memorial Day party, Charlotte tells Emily that Victoria is alive and in hiding before she is taken back to rehab at Conrad's doing. After Emily visits Victoria, she contracts the white-haired man to kill her.

text: Victoria double-crosses the white-haired man (Gordon Murphy), who was helping her and Charlotte to disappear, causing him to seek out Emily for assistance. She asks for information about her mother, but Murphy attempts to kill her again. He is killed by Emily's ex-lover Aiden Mathis before she can learn more.

text: Kara eventually resurfaces, but recognizes Amanda, not Emily as her daughter. Mason Treadwell also returns, and discovers the truth about Amanda Clarke only to be framed by Emily for Gordon Murphy's death. They strike a deal in which he will take the fall until Emily finishes her revenge, in exchange for the rights to her biography and an exoneration.

text: Emily assists Daniel in becoming elected CEO of Grayson Global. His victory draws out Helen Crowley from the Initiative. Emily abducts Crowley and Aiden and "dies" in an ensuing shootout in a ruse to make Crowley trust Aiden. Convinced that Victoria was involved, Crowley blackmails Aiden into killing her, though he discovers her leverage is false. Believing her to be a danger to Daniel, Victoria kills Crowley and leads the Initiative to believe that Amanda was behind her disappearance.

text: The Initiative's intentions soon become clear: with the use of Nolan's incomplete "Carrion" project, they will disable the power in Manhattan for their next attack. To this end, they hire a young woman named Padma Lahari to obtain it from Nolan, though they develop a relationship.

text: Emily learns that Conrad has bought half of the Stowaway, Jack's bar, and urges Amanda to buy it back. When Conrad refuses to sell it, Amanda uses Emily's laptop without her knowledge to blackmail him. Emily spots a man on the Amanda as it is leaving for Jack and Amanda's honeymoon. Nolan identifies him as Nate Ryan, a mobster with a vendetta against Jack. The two of them rescue Jack, though in an ensuing fight Nate destroys the boat and mortally wounds Amanda, who dies in Emily's arms on the water.

text: Her thirst for revenge reignited, Emily sets out to identify and locate both "the Fa1c0n", a hacker employed by the Initiative, and Patrick, the secret firstborn son of Victoria. Because of the Fa1c0n, Nolan is unable to locate Padma before she is killed by "Trask" from the Initiative. Emily, Nolan and Aiden avenge Padma by having Lee arrested by the FBI, and killing Trask.

text: As Daniel and Emily become re-engaged, Takeda returns with knowledge of the Initiative's next attack, but he is killed by Aiden in a battle. Afterwards, Aiden and Nolan bankrupt the Graysons against Emily's wishes, which activates the stolen Carrion program and shuts down the power across all of New York, commencing the Initiative's next attack.

text: Emily learns that Takeda was tracking an assassin named Gregor Hoffman, who she finds posing as an IT tech at Grayson Global. Conrad, who reveals to Victoria his role in the Initiative, attempts to have Jack killed. In the midst of his gubernatorial election speech, an explosion occurs close by at the company with Jack and Declan inside. Emily later learns that while Jack escaped before the explosion, Declan did not. Daniel sends the police after Aiden, suspecting he perpetrated the attack, though Nolan is arrested due to the Fa1c0n's tampering. Aiden's fate is left uncertain after Daniel is seen with a bloodied shirt following a confrontation. After Declan dies of his injuries, Jack attempts to murder Conrad as he is making his winning speech. Emily stops him by revealing that she is Amanda Clarke.

text: Season 3[edit]

text: In the third season premiere, Emily is shown in a wedding dress on a boat. She turns around, and apologizes to an unknown person, before she is shot twice, causing her to fall into the water. Two months earlier, she returns to the Hamptons having spent six months away. Emily poisons Conrad, which causes him to be falsely diagnosed with Huntington's disease. Emily and Daniel set a date for their wedding: August 8 (double infinity), the day she destroys Victoria.

text: Emily destroys a new David Clarke conspirator, Paul Whitley, now a priest. However, she determines that he has atoned for his own sins, but is unable to undo her takedown. Feeling guilt, she requests his assistance in making Conrad confess to the conspiracy. Later, Emily pulls up to a crashed car on the side of the road and finds Whitley severely injured. After Whitley dies of his injuries, Emily suspects that Conrad murdered him, but discovers that the brakes on his car were tampered with. It is revealed that Patrick - who has reunited with Victoria - caused the accident in an attempt to kill Conrad and protect his mother.

text: Emily reveals her final plan to Nolan and Jack: fake her death, and frame Victoria for her murder on her wedding day. To keep Daniel in her grasp, Emily claims she is pregnant. Lydia Davis, thought to have died in the plane crash at the end of season 1, returns and uncovers evidence that Emily has plotted against them. Lydia shows this evidence to Victoria, derailing her plan. In an argument, Emily reveals that she is not pregnant. Daniel overhears this and shoots her off the boat in a drunken rage.

text: Barely surviving, Emily is discharged into Victoria's care, where she meets Niko, Takeda's daughter, who poses as her nurse. Niko has an agenda of her own, having come to the Hamptons to hunt down her father's killer. Emily initially plans to flee the Hamptons, but she changes her mind when she discovers that her injuries have sterilized her. She outs Lydia as her shooter to the press, blackmailing Daniel and Victoria to remain in the Grayson family.Daniel dates Sara and sits with her in bed to irk Emily, then Emily calls Sara's mom and after some disagreement Sara decides to leave.In a fit of rage Daniel attacks Emily grabbing her by the hair and pushing her onto the bed,he then says sterilising her was his gift to the universe. Aiden is abducted by Niko, who has discovered he killed her father, and she vows to kill Emily as revenge. Emily manages to defeat Niko in a difficult struggle, but spares her life. https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSs7GB1bHNE2Gn4kW9KERo5EMkrd5bU6hx6_OyY-cCdGIJVPt0-tw

text: Stevie Grayson, a lawyer, Jack's mother and Conrad's ex-wife, is summoned to the Hamptons by Emily. She offers her assistance in Emily's scheme and reveals the existence of evidence disks confiscated by her law firm. Jack steals them, and they are revealed to contain a letter written by Victoria's lover Pascal LeMarchal, mentioning Aiden's father. Further investigations lead Aiden to Oscar Chapman, a reporter in hiding from the Graysons. Chapman reveals that Trevor Mathis was killed by Pascal, who in the present day tracks down Chapman and silences him as well. Emily poses as a Homeland Security agent and wins Pascal's allegiance in extracting a confession out of Conrad. However, this goes completely awry when he is pushed into a helicopter blade by Conrad and killed instantly.

text: With all other options exhausted, Emily abducts Charlotte and holds her for ransom, but then releases her sister and has her extract a confession from Conrad, which is then broadcast on television. Conrad is arrested and David Clarke is finally exonerated. Dead set on destroying Victoria, Aiden goes to Michelle Banks, Emily's old therapist, but Victoria - now aware that Emily is Amanda Clarke - anticipates Aiden's visit, and murders him as revenge for Pascal's death. In her final revenge against Victoria, Emily has her committed to a psychiatric facility. Emily walks away as Victoria struggles and repeatedly screams that Emily is Amanda Clarke.

text: Season 4[edit]

text: In the fourth season premiere, picking up six months following the events of "Execution", Emily has taken over Grayson Manor. Conrad was murdered and Victoria remains under psychiatric care, concluding her revenge. Despite this, she finds it difficult to move on, and is galvanized back into action when Victoria escapes.

text: One night, a hooded man attempts to kill Emily, but is scared off by Nolan. They are unable to recognize the assailant. Asked to look at police suspects, Emily is astonished to see her father, David Clarke among them. David claims that he was held captive by Conrad and tortured. However, Emily finds evidence suggesting that this is untrue and that David murdered Conrad. Victoria's hold over David delays Emily reconnecting with him. She eventually reveals herself to David, but he is unwilling to sever ties with Victoria.

text: Two men attempt to abduct David, though Emily intervenes. David reveals that a rival of Conrad named Malcolm Black is hunting him. Emily discovers evidence that links him to FBI Agent Kate Taylor. Taylor approaches Emily and claims that Malcolm Black is holding her mother hostage. As they discuss how to dispose of him, Taylor reveals that not only is she his willing operative, but she is his daughter. The two women engage in a violent battle. Daniel, who happens upon the fight while on the beach runs to Emily's assistance only to be killed by Taylor. Jack kills Taylor moments later.

text: Emily and Jack dispose of Kate's body and stage the scene as if Emily killed Daniel in self-defense. Seeking revenge, Malcolm Black abducts Emily and Victoria. Both women overcome him as David, Jack and the police find them. Emily brawls with Malcolm, but he gains the upper hand. Before he can kill her, David shoots Black into a furnace, killing him. After this, Emily begins a relationship with Jack's partner and later detective, Ben Hunter.

text: Margaux LeMarchal, Daniel's pregnant girlfriend, repeatedly attempts to destroy Emily, culminating in a miscarriage. Feeling guilt, Emily changes her public narrative of Daniel's death to one closer to the truth and reveals her true identity to the world. After her reputation is publicly ruined, Victoria ends her own life by detonating Grayson Manor while inside, but leaves evidence suggesting she was murdered. Emily is arrested by the police.

text: Jack and Nolan arrange for Margaux's arrest, allowing Emily to interrogate her. Margaux reveals that Victoria is in fact alive. Emily conveys this information to Ben, who investigates the home of a deceased woman whose body was used in the "murder". He finds Victoria, but is murdered by an assassin Margaux hired, "White Gold".

text: Emily escapes to hunt down Victoria, discovering that she used her mother's body in the setup. White Gold stabs Jack, which pushes Emily to her breaking point. She confronts Victoria for the final time with the intention of killing her for her crimes. Before she can fire, David appears behind her and kills Victoria, who shoots Emily in the back before succumbing to her wounds. Emily barely survives with the help of a heart transplant, which is revealed in a recurring nightmare to have come from Victoria. It is left ambiguous as to whether this nightmare is real.

text: David, who has cancer, is released on compassionate grounds before dying of the disease. Months later, Emily marries Jack and they sail off on their honeymoon. In a voiceover, she remarks that karma spared her from suffering the consequences of her actions, and asks the viewer to consider her story as they embark on a journey of revenge of their own.

text: Relationships[edit]

text:
Victoria Grayson - Emily detests and hates Victoria for her role in her father's downfall and wishes only to see her suffer, making her the ultimate target of her revenge. While Emily shows no trace of her negative feelings around Victoria, the two have a tense relationship throughout the series especially when Emily begins dating Daniel, Victoria's beloved son. Victoria's distrust of Emily goes as far as to suggest framing her for Tyler's murder because it was committed with her weapon, and contracting Gordon Murphy, who killed David, to kill Emily. Victoria later uncovers Emily's true identity and, feeling that she is responsible for the death of Pascal LeMarchal, murders Aiden. In retaliation, Emily leaves her in a mental institution. After six months, Victoria manages to escape and takes revenge on Emily by getting to her father first and feeding him lies. Emily admits that she has considered killing Victoria, but has not gone through with it because she had no intention of causing death and too many lives had been lost by that point.
Charlotte Grayson/Clarke - Initially, Emily and Charlotte had no interactions, until Emily discovered Charlotte was her half-sister from Mason Treadwell's interview tapes, and they grow close. Charlotte becomes one of the few people Emily seeks to protect from her revenge scheme. Charlotte developed an addiction to oxycodone, and she attempted suicide in the first season finale, though Emily's reaction to this was never depicted. At one point, Emily attempts to console Charlotte on her porch swing by telling Charlotte a story she remembers from her childhood that she claims Amanda told her. Charlotte trusted Emily enough to tell her that Victoria was alive and in hiding. Emily is shown to realize the relationship she is missing with Charlotte by posing as the real Emily Thorne, and vice versa. When Charlotte announces her decision to change her surname to Clarke on her 18th birthday, Emily is seen smiling. Animosity develops on Charlotte's part towards Emily when she discovers her pregnancy was false, and continues in spite of Emily revealing her true identity as her sister. Charlotte is so angered that she subdues Emily in the Stowaway and sets it ablaze in an attempt to kill her. Emily decides to forgive Charlotte, who later calls on her for help when she accidentally kills a man she had slept with, who threatened her father. Taking Emily's advice, Charlotte leaves for rehab.
Nolan Ross - Emily met Nolan when he released her from juvenile detention in 2002. He gave her the Infinity Box, which contained her father's possessions and proof of his innocence. Years later, when Emily returns to the Hamptons, Nolan offers his assistance, which she initially refuses. Despite being antagonistic with him at the start, Emily finds his technical genius and ability to be quite useful, though her plans put him in physical danger numerous times. She later warms to him and accepts him as a friend and trusted ally. Nolan also acts as her conscience and tries to reason with her when he feels she is taking things too far. Nolan considers Emily to be family, going so far as to give up Nolcorp, his company, to Grayson Global to prevent a forensic investigation that would expose Emily. Nolan affectionately refers to Emily as "Ems". Some fans support a romantic relationship between Nolan and Emily. While Gabriel Mann has entertained the prospect of "Nemily",[12] creator Mike Kelley and VanCamp are opposed to the idea, considering Nolan and Emily to have a sibling relationship.[13][14]
Daniel Grayson- As part of her revenge scheme, Emily planned to seduce Daniel and marry him to gain access to Grayson Global, in order to find evidence of her father's innocence. However, this is complicated by real feelings that Emily develops for him. They become engaged midway through the first season, although Daniel's decision to conceal his father's part in framing David Clarke ruins her love for him. The engagement ends when Ashley tells Daniel she saw Emily and Jack kissing. However, Daniel never quite gets over Emily, and she still views him as someone useful. They reunite, with Emily asking to take it slow, although she has a dream at one point where they engage in passionate sex. They become engaged again in season 2 and marry in the first part of season 3. However, on their honeymoon boat Daniel discovers Emily has been using him and shoots her off in a drunken rage. Emily becomes sterile as a result of these wounds, but stays in the marriage through blackmail for a little longer. After Daniel learns Emily's real identity, they become cordially, if not exactly friendly. Daniel finally understands why she used him, although he still resents her. Daniel overhears Emily fighting with Kate Taylor and runs to her assistance, taking a fatal gunshot wound for her. In his final moments, Emily holds him and admits that despite all that happened everything that the two shared was real.
Aiden Mathis - Emily met Aiden in 2006 at a New York nightclub when she was sent by Satoshi Takeda to access the kidnapper of Aiden's sister Colleen. Emily stops him from killing his sister's kidnapper twice and puts herself in physical danger to rescue him. Two years later, a flashback shows that Aiden was recruited by Takeda and that he and Emily had begun a relationship, a weakness Aiden exploited in their training. Aiden prepares to leave when Takeda locates his sister, and chooses to bring Emily, although he instead leaves her behind. This causes Emily to become embittered towards him in season 2, rejecting his attempts to reconcile. She eventually forgives Aiden and they rekindle their relationship. The two argue often, but have a deep love for one another. Aiden wishes for Emily to finish her revenge so that they can be together. This dream is shattered, however, when Victoria murders Aiden in cold blood.
Amanda Clarke - "Amanda Clarke", or the real Emily Thorne, was Emily's cellmate in juvenile detention. Initially, the two often engaged in physical fights, although they later became friends at the suggestion of their warden. Emily visits her friend in juvie and they agree to switch identities in return for $500,000. Eight years later, "Amanda" reunites with Emily when she murders Frank Stevens after he discovers their secret. Amanda then begins to complicate Emily's plans by becoming involved with Jack Porter and thus endangering him to the Graysons. Though the two have a rivalry, Amanda stands by her vow to "do anything" for Emily. Tyler later kidnaps Amanda and turns her against Emily, although she ultimately remains loyal to Emily and disappears from the Hamptons for several months. By the time she returns, she is six months pregnant with Jack's child, which breaks Emily's heart. Amanda, freshly trained by Takeda as an asset to Emily remains loyal even after she nearly loses her baby in a fall. At her son's baptism, she notices Emily's misery and believes she deserves a family like hers, a claim Emily rebuffs. Amanda desired to confess her identity to Jack, feeling guilt for stealing him from Emily, although Emily advised against it. In her dying moments, Amanda returns a locket necklace that Emily gave her years ago and thanks her for giving her a "real family". Emily is incredibly devastated after Amanda's death, which fuels her to refocus her revenge back onto the Graysons.
Kara Wallace Clarke - Emily had very few memories of her mother, who she believed dead of an illness unknown to her. After learning that she is in fact alive, Emily postpones her revenge plan and goes so far as to put Amanda's life on the line to locate her mother, only to be disappointed when she finally resurfaces. As a child, Kara's psychological issues led her to attempt to drown Emily, and to keep her from danger Kara left the Clarke family, David lying that she succumbed to her sickness. Despite Kara believing Amanda is her daughter, Emily attempts to build a friendly relationship with her mother through Amanda's son. Emily even visits Victoria to give her a wedding gift, which is really a ploy to see her mother for the "last" time. While she loves her mother, Emily knows that she is a danger to those around her and convinces her to leave the Hamptons after Aiden stops her from murdering the Graysons when she learns the truth about David. As Emily watches Kara leaving, she has a flashback where her mother sings to her as a child.
Gordon Murphy - As the killer of her father, Emily resents Murphy. It did not appear as if Emily was interested in identifying her father's killer until she listened into a conversation between Murphy and Conrad Grayson, which revealed their involvement in David's murder. Deciding that she will kill Murphy, the only time she has ever expressed interest in murdering someone herself, she reveals herself as Amanda Clarke to him and is brought to his secret torture chamber, where they engage in a fight, though she chooses to honor her father by not going through with the killing. This in turn leads to the destruction of the evidence Emily had accumulated when Murphy detonates the plane carrying Lydia and Victoria. Although Murphy meets with the Graysons a few times after the fight with Emily, for unknown reasons he does not reveal her identity to them. In season 2, Murphy asks Emily for tapes that will exonerate him as the "kidnapper" of Victoria, but when she asks for her mother he attempts to kill her only to be killed by Aiden Mathis. Emily later learns that Murphy is her stepfather through marriage to Kara Clarke.
Satoshi Takeda - Takeda recruited Emily after she was referred to him by Warden Stiles. From what has been seen thus far, it appears that while she could often be frustrated with Takeda, she still deeply respected him. In the present day, they have more differences and argue more often. Examples of this are when Takeda chastises her for being in love with Daniel and their fight in her home when he reveals he is Tyler's murderer and that he framed Daniel and Jack. At the start of season 2, after Aiden stops Emily from intentionally drowning (as a method of remembering her mother), Takeda disapproves of her desire to find her mother as it conflicts with revenge for her father. To this, Emily replies that after she learns her mother's fate, she will take down everyone who kept them apart, Takeda included. She also angrily thinks Takeda sent her a "nanny" in the form of Aiden when he comes to the Hamptons to help her. Takeda returns to the Hamptons months later and attempts to take Aiden away after revealing his past to Daniel, for which Emily scolds him. Takeda refuses to allow her and Aiden to help him prevent the Initiative's attack. In spite of Takeda's faults as perceived by Emily, she cries bitterly upon finding his body. Emily would later learn that Takeda was using her and Aiden to avenge the death of his fiancé, an unrecorded passenger on Flight 197.

text: Reception[edit]

text: The choice of VanCamp to portray the character was generally well-received among critics, with Scott Pierce of The Salt Lake Tribune citing VanCamp's past involvement with Everwood and Brothers & Sisters as helping audiences contrast Thorne's sympathetic appearance with her ruthless pursuit of vengeance.[9] VanCamp's portrayal of the character has been praised by several critics for how she has depicted Thorne's charming and duplicitous nature.[8][15] Daniel Fienberg of HitFix has been more negative regarding the portrayal of the character. When the show premiered Fienberg stated that, while he was appreciative of VanCamp's work on other shows, he felt she was "passive" in the role of Thorne and that she portrayed the character as "robotically efficient", which made Thorne a less sympathetic character for him.[16]

text: Catherine Weagle of the Salem State Log criticized VanCamp's portrayal, stating that Thorne's "revenge glare" was not sufficiently intimidating and also found it implausible that Thorne would be able to keep her true identity a secret.[17] An initial review by Maureen Ryan of AOLTV was negative regarding the portrayal of the character, though Ryan faulted the premise of the show as making it difficult for VanCamp to portray Thorne realistically.[18] Ryan became more positive about the character's portrayal as the show progressed stating that VanCamp had "made Emily more interesting than the character almost has a right to be."[19]

text: Thorne's voice-over narrations during the show were described by Stephanie Goldberg of CNN as "insightful" and as being able to get the support of viewers, but other commentators have criticized the narrations as cliché and formulaic.[20][21] Fienberg stated that the narrations were devoid of meaning and attributed it to ABC having "an in-house style that says that having your female lead narrate nothingness at the start of every episode is a worthy strategy", which he stated does not provide a good setting for a story about revenge.[16]

text: Some critics favorably compared the role of Thorne on Revenge to that of Dexter Morgan on the Showtime series Dexter. Tierney Bricker of E! states that, like Dexter, Thorne captivates audiences even when they may not support her actions.[15] In a review of the episode "Infamy" for ChicagoNow, Andrew Daglas noted the portrayal of Thorne burning down Treadwell's home in the episode and suggested that Thorne's actions would prompt audiences to question their sympathies for the character's pursuit of revenge. Daglas then states that the character of Dexter has prompted similar questions, adding that in both series the characters force viewers "to realize how easily our darkest impulses can bubble up to the surface, and how those impulses become more dangerous when they're wrapped in a nobler guise like justice."[22]

text: In other media[edit]

text: In early 2014, it was announced that Marvel Comics and ABC Studios had plans to jointly develop a comic book inspired by Revenge that detailed the origin of Emily Thorne.[23] Co-authored by Ted Sullivan (a writer for the show) and Erica Schultz, and illustrated by Vincenzo Balzano, Dustin Nguyen, and Felix Ruiz, Revenge: The Secret Origin of Emily Thorne was published September 2, 2014.[24] The story is set in Switzerland years before the events of the television series and follows Emily/Amanda on her first revenge mission, aided by her mentor Takeda.[25][26] Marvel has stated that the comic's plot is considered canon.[25]

text: Notes[edit]

text: Jump up ^ Letizia says that Emily was imprisoned for ten years, while according to episode 3 of season 1, Emily was only imprisoned for two years, from ages 16 to 18. "Ten years" comes from the pilot episode in which Emily tell Nolan she hadn't seen her father for ten years.


document_title: Supporting characters on Will & Grace

question_text: who plays will's mother in will and grace

question_tokens: who plays will 's mother in will and grace

root

text: Supporting characters on Will & Grace

text: Supporting characters[edit]

text:
Actor
Character
Seasons

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Leigh-Allyn Baker
Ellen

Tom Gallop
Rob

Molly Shannon
Val Bassett

Debbie Reynolds
Bobbi Adler

Steve Paymer
Steve

Gregory Hines
Ben Doucette

Marshall Manesh
Mr. Zamir

Laura Kightlinger
Nurse Sheila

Sydney Pollack
George Truman

Tim Bagley
Larry

Jerry Levine
Joe

Lesley Ann Warren
Tina

Woody Harrelson
Nathan

Leslie Jordan
Beverley Leslie

Blythe Danner
Marilyn Truman

Eileen Brennan
Zandra

Charles C. Stevenson Jr.
Smitty

Rip Torn
Lionel Banks

Harry Connick, Jr.
Dr. Marvin 'Leo' Markus

Minnie Driver
Lorraine Finster

Jamie Kaler
Gary

Emily Rutherfurd
Joanne

Jon Fleming
Russell

Bobby Cannavale
Vince D'Angelo

Alec Baldwin
Malcolm Widmark

Mathew Botuchis
Dave

Bernadette Peters
Gin

tag: table

text: Family members[edit]

text: Grace's family[edit]

text:
Dr. Marvin "Leo" Markus, portrayed by actor and singer Harry Connick, Jr., is a Jewish doctor and Grace's husband from the fifth season. Leo meets Grace Adler in Central Park while she is on her way to be artificially inseminated with gay best friend Will's baby. After Will finds out that Leo and Grace are dating, they have their biggest fight of the entire series, in which Will tells Grace to move out. Thanks to Jack and Karen's meddling, they forgive each other and Will accepts Grace's relationship. In November, 2002, Grace and Leo are married at a spontaneous group ceremony in Central Park, which was supposed to be broadcast on The Today Show. It was later revealed in the storyline that the ceremony was not legal, but the two officially marry at a ceremony soon after. Leo and Grace's relationship was a constant source of tension between Will and Grace, although they eventually achieved a certain accord with each other - Leo even commenting to Will at one point that he considered himself essentially married to both of them due to his ability to accept their close relationship. Leo's true first name is Marvin, as revealed by his mother at their wedding reception. According to The Nation Magazine, this was the first time in television history that a Jewish protagonist character had married inside the faith.[1] Grace immediately realizes she does not know as much about Leo as she expected. Their marriage fails after less than two years, when Leo reveals that he had a one-night stand while working in Cambodia for Doctors Without Borders. Leo admits his affair to Will first. Will then refuses to help Leo break the news to Grace. After Leo comes clean about his affair, Grace briefly considers continuing their marriage, but quickly decides she wants a divorce. Leo reappears during season eight, a little over a year after the divorce in the storyline, in the episode "Love Is in the Airplane." In the episode, he and Grace have a sexual encounter on an airplane after coincidentally ending up on the same flight to London, though Leo was to continue to Thailand. The result is Grace's pregnancy, as discovered in the season eight episode "The Definition of Marriage". A couple of months later Grace meets Leo, with the intention of telling him that she is pregnant with his baby, but he informs her that he is engaged to another woman, Kate. Consequently, Grace decides not to tell Leo about the pregnancy. In the series finale (May 2006) Leo tells a heavily pregnant Grace that he loves her. Leo has a job as a hospital researcher in Rome, Italy, and this is where Grace gives birth. After one year in Rome, Leo and Grace move back to Brooklyn, New York, where they raise their daughter, Laila, together.
Bobbi Adler, Grace's mother, is played by Debbie Reynolds. Bobbi is an actress and singer, although her performances are generally with the Schenectady Players and involve gender changing roles, in plays such as "Death of a Salesperson", "The Music Person" and "Queen Lear". She has a constant desire to meddle in the love lives of her daughters, is the creator of the Adler family "Told you so" dance, and can always be relied upon to have a song for every occasion. She has, in the past, shown a perfect willingness for Will and Grace to get married.
Martin Adler, Grace's father, is played by Alan Arkin. Portrayed by his family as the stereotypical Jewish patriarch, Martin shows genuine affection for Grace, although remarks he has made suggest Joyce is his favorite. He has been known to pinpoint Grace's flaws without looking up from his Kojak and Baretta reruns.
Janet Adler, Grace's older sister, is played by Geena Davis. Janet lives in a van and designs jewellery. Her nickname for Grace is "Smudge". It is once implied that she has difficulties with her mother. In the episode "Lows in the Mid-Eighties", Will asks if Grace has another sister named Janet, to which Bobbi, Joyce, and Grace quickly answer "No!"
Joyce Adler, Grace's younger sister, is played by Sara Rue. It is suggested that Grace and Joyce had a not too friendly relationship growing up, and that Joyce was formerly a binge eater. She is often hostile to Grace, but one word from Will and she tends to giggle and act girlishly; it appears that she, like Grace before her, has a crush on Will.
Laila Markus, Grace and Leo's daughter, is played by Maria Thayer. Laila was conceived by Leo and Grace on an aircraft, during a period where her parents were divorced. She was going to be raised by Will and Grace, but her parents remarried shortly before her birth. She appears on screen only during the series finale.
Warren, played by Jesse Fremont Allis, is the imaginary son of Grace and Leo in a dream that Grace has during the last episode of season 8. Grace and Will raise 'their' son together.

tag: ul

text: Will's family[edit]

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Vince D'Angelo, played by Bobby Cannavale. An Italian-American police officer, Vince first met Will after giving Karen a ticket for speeding and they started dating after the subsequent hearing. Vince was friends with Joe and Larry and began Will's first long-term relationship in the series' run. Vince broke up with Will, requesting time alone after repeatedly losing his job. He re-encountered Will in season 8 and, during the funeral of Will's father, they acknowledged their mutual feelings, thus rekindling their romance. In the finale, Will and Vince are shown to raise a son, Ben, together.
Marilyn Truman, Will's mother, is played by Blythe Danner. A typical WASP, Marilyn regularly drinks, collects Lladró statues and treats them as if they were her children, and put up with her husband's regular affairs until their ultimate separation. She is not a fan of musical theater – once claiming that Les Misérables was unrealistic because "poor people don't sing that much" – but was impressed with Mamma Mia!. She does not like the jokes Grace and Karen make about Will's sexuality, saying, "Is that a gay joke? I don't like that."
George Truman, Will's father, is played by Sydney Pollack. While he and Will have a close loving relationship, of which both Jack and Grace are envious, it is eventually revealed that he had trouble dealing with telling others of his son's sexuality, initially telling his friends Will was married to Grace. He dies in season 8, only days after having a fight with Will in which he admitted he would rather that Will was not gay.
Sam Truman, Will's brother, is played by John Slattery in season one and Steven Weber in season 8. He had a falling-out with Will over comments Will made about his wife, but reconciled after he had a one-night stand with Grace. He eventually divorced his wife and gained full custody of their two children.
Paul Truman, Will's brother, is played by Jon Tenney. Paul never really came to terms with his brother's sexuality and often behaved like a childish bully, belittling and insulting Will.
Peggy Truman, Paul's wife and Will's sister-in-law, is played by Helen Slater. She was only shown in one episode and came off as waspish and suspicious of Grace's friendly behavior towards her own husband.
Tina, George's mistress, is played by Lesley Ann Warren. She began a relationship with George while he was still married to Marilyn, but was dismayed to learn that George was then seeing his ex-wife behind her back. Ultimately she and Marilyn come to an understanding, that they will share George between them without him knowing what is going on. This arrangement apparently ended not long before George's death.
Jordy Truman, Sam's son and Will's nephew, is played by Reed Alexander. Flamboyant Jordan incenses Will, since Marilyn is incredibly accepting of him even though she was not at first accepting of Will. His nickname is Jordy. He is perceived to be gay by the other characters, although he is still a child, because of his flamboyant nature, love of show tunes and musicals, along with his general disposition.
Casey Truman, Sam's daughter and Will's niece, is played by Kyla Dang. Casey was adopted by Sam and his ex-wife.
Ben Truman, Will and Vince's son, is played by Ben Newmark. Appearing only during the series finale, Ben was apparently born from a surrogate mother using Will's sperm.[2] Upon going to college, he meets and later marries Grace's daughter, Laila.

text: Karen's family[edit]

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Stanley "Stan" Walker, Karen's third husband (little is known about her first two), is a mostly unseen character. He is an obese man, and has worn a toupee since his teens. Stan has two children from a previous marriage to a woman named Kathy. Karen fell in love with him in the 1980s but they didn't marry until 1995. Stan was jailed for tax evasion in season four, and began an affair with a cafeteria worker named Lorraine (played by Minnie Driver), and – after his release in season five – continued the affair, ultimately separating from Karen because of it. He is reported to have died at the end of season five but, at the end of season seven, he reveals to Will that he had faked his own death and is hiding out with the aid of the government. He and Karen reconcile in season 8, but subsequently faced marital difficulties and divorce. Stan's popularity with fast food establishments leads to Pizza Hut taking out a full-page ad in the New York Times to congratulate him on his release from prison; Taco Bell also organize a flyover at his funeral. It is revealed in the series finale that Stan's riches were actually borrowed and that he had no real money of his own.
Mason Walker, Stan's son, is another unseen character. He is known to Karen as "the fat one". During one episode, Karen visits Mason during a swim try-out. She cheers and applauds and has a conversation with him until, at the end, she realizes she has been conversing with the wrong boy and not Mason after all.
Olivia Walker, Stan's daughter, is played by Hallee Hirsh. Although she has had fun times with Karen, such as sticking food to the floor to see how long Mason will spend trying to eat it, she also has problems with her stepmother.
Lois Whitley, Karen's mother, played by Suzanne Pleshette. A con artist who used Karen in her early schemes. They had been estranged for several years when they reconciled in season 4, with the help of Jack.
Virginia "Ginny" Delaney, Karen's sister, played by Bernadette Peters. In 1963, as a child, she was injured in a brutal game of Twister played with Karen.
Barry, Karen's cousin, is played by Dan Futterman. Originally a gay bookish homebody, Karen had Will and Jack bring him out of his shell to become an attractive person whom both Will and Jack fall for.
Sylvia Walker, Karen's mother-in-law, is played by Ellen Albertini Dow. She is a woman that 'strikes fear in her heart-facsimile'. A seemingly kind, but homophobic old woman, Sylvia appears in one episode to accompany Will and Jack to a club. In the beginning neither Will nor Jack wanted to babysit Sylvia, known as "Syl". She had been dumped on them by Karen, who then ditched her. Karen and Syl have a caustic relationship.
Sumner, Karen's nephew, is played by Paul Satterfield. Karen tries to keep him from dating Grace in season 3.

text: Rosario Inez Consuela Yolanda Salazar[edit]

text: Karen Walker's put-upon but faithful maid portrayed by actress Shelley Morrison. In 1985, Rosario met Karen Walker at a club, while working as a cigarette lady, and went to work for her as a maid, which was where she was working when the series began in 1998. Rosario and Karen are very close, but their relationship is love-hate. They are notorious for swapping insults. Rosario is just as feisty as Karen, and is one of the few people who manage to go head-to-head with her. A native of El Salvador, Rosario was a school teacher who received a bachelor's degree in clinical psychology from the University of Texas and who almost got a master's degree. She also attended business school. At some point, she moved to the Bronx, presumably while studying business; however, Karen makes a comment that she bought Rosario from Rosario's parents. While there, she also performed with a then-unknown Jennifer Lopez, including a production of "Tea for Two" at the Shalom Retirement Center. At one point, she was also paid to tape pornographic videos for Tommy Lee. Although she had been mentioned by Karen since the pilot episode, Rosario's first appearance was in the season 1 finale. Due to Karen's patronizing tone, we're made to think that Rosario doesn't speak English well. Rosario actually speaks English fluently, albeit with a thick accent, but is an illegal alien. To keep her in the country, Karen has her marry Jack McFarland, her gay friend, to get a green card. The marriage was later terminated at the end of season 2 when Rosario asked for a divorce in order to pursue other romantic interests. However, she maintained a close relationship with Jack (often echoing hers with Karen) and claimed to still think of him as family. In the series finale, Rosario was shown to have lived with Karen and Jack in the years after the show ended, growing older with them and possibly still working for them despite being in a wheelchair (though she states that she is only in the wheelchair due to a sprained ankle).

tag: p

text: Jack's family[edit]

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Judith McFarland, Jack's mother, is played by Veronica Cartwright. Despite the obvious clues, Judith did not learn about Jack's sexuality until he was 30. She was impregnated with Jack while at a swinger's costume and pool party.
Daniel McFarland, Jack's stepfather, is played by Beau Bridges. Daniel always had trouble relating to Jack, due to his own athleticism and Jack's lack thereof. Despite Jack's statements to the contrary, Daniel is shown to be a caring man who is at least recently trying to reconnect with Jack.
Joe Black, Jack's biological father. Never portrayed on screen, Joe was revealed to have attended a swingers costumed pool party during the 60s, where he was dressed as Richard Nixon. During the party he impregnated Judith, who was dressed as the rear end of a horse. He dies several years before Jack discovers that Daniel McFarland is not his biological father.
Elliott, Jack's son, is played by Michael Angarano. Shortly after learning of his biological father's death, Jack meets Elliott – his biological son created from sperm Jack donated at the age of 17. He is described by Will as, "Polite, sweet, and kind" which, he says, is the reason Karen initially dislikes him. His relationship with Jack is shown to be very close - Jack noting in one episode that he wants to avoid being the kind of father he had as he always regretted the fact that they never really connected. However, they have a brief rift when Elliott prepares to leave for college during the last season.
Bonnie, Elliott's mother, is played by Rosie O'Donnell. Initially, Bonnie did not want Jack to be included in Elliott's life. Bonnie was a lesbian, but was not open about her sexuality to Elliott. She felt jealous that Jack found it easy to be open with Elliott about his sexuality when she did not feel she could be.

text: Friends[edit]

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Rob and Ellen, Will and Grace's close friends, are played by Tom Gallop and Leigh-Allyn Baker. Ellen and Grace were best friends since college, as were Rob and Will, and the two couples regularly played charades and other games during dinner parties. Grace also sleeps with Rob in season one when they were both going through break-ups and felt emotionally vulnerable, a fact that didn't come up until Rob and Ellen's wedding some years later. The couple did get married, however, and have since had three children, the youngest named Roman (which is the name of Debra Messing's real-life son, born in 2004). Rob and Ellen want to separate, so that they could begin dating other people, and they announce their separation at a dinner date with Will and Grace. Grace makes them realize that they had worked at their marriage and they should remain together; and also keenly reminded them that no one else would have them. Rob and Ellen decided to give their marriage another chance.
Joe and Larry are Will, Jack and Grace's close friends, and are played by Jerry Levine and Tim Bagley. A gay couple, once party animals, Joe and Larry adopted a baby girl called Hannah in season three. Karen occasionally refers to them as "Mo and Mary", with "Mo" being a play on the word "Homo".
Val Bassett, a neighbor of Will and Grace, is played by Molly Shannon. Slightly crazy, and alcoholic, Val originally befriends only Will, until Grace eventually discovers some common interests with her. Both of them still consider her crazy, as does Jack, who found her as an uninvited guest in his bedroom. When Grace accidentally attends an AA meeting, she is seen there by Val, who coerces her to stay. Grace pretends to be an alcoholic for the "free food and therapy".
Beverley Leslie, played by Leslie Jordan, is an effeminate and very short "frenemy" of Karen's. Having a wealthy spouse, as Karen does, Karen and Beverley routinely find themselves traveling in the same society circle of the wealthy and elite. Their relationship is that of friends and enemies. Beverley's wife's name is Crystal and is considerably older than he is. His marriage seems to be held together purely out of his love of Crystal's money. Karen, Will, Grace, and Jack see Beverley as a closeted gay man. He is often seen with a younger attractive man named Benji who appears to be his lover, but Beverley tries to pass him off as a "business associate". When Beverley appears on screen he often catches the other characters by surprise. Sometimes his appearance comes after a character says something that could be comically associated with him. For instance, whilst discussing a dessert, Jack says, "I want something small and fruity, with ladyfingers," and Beverley enters. Beverley and Karen often trade insults, as Karen enjoys ridiculing him for his height. Whenever he appears on screen he can usually be heard saying 'Well, Well, Well' in an effeminate way. Crystal later dies and Beverley inherits the fortune. Some years later Karen's husband Stan loses his fortune, putting Karen's extravagant lifestyle in jeopardy. Beverley presumably spends several more years with Benji after Crystal's death, and then begins seeing a reluctant Jack, who only dated Beverley to support Karen's excessive spending habits, as she had done for him for so many years. During the series finale Beverley is swept off a balcony by a strong gust of wind and dies, leaving his estate in his will to Jack.
Rory, Toby, and Josh are friends of Jack who are never seen, but mentioned in various episodes. Early in Season 3 Rory is mentioned as being into Asian men. In Season 4 Josh, Toby and Jack watch a video of Will freezing up on camera talking about Stanley Walker, but Josh and Toby leave before Will gets home.

text: Love interests[edit]

text: Grace[edit]

text:
Nathan, played by Woody Harrelson. Nathan is Grace's neighbor in season 3, who becomes her boyfriend. They appear to be a good match, but early in Season 4 he abruptly proposes to her during sex and she becomes distraught at the unromantic nature of his proposal, forcing him to take it back and ask again in a more romantic way. For several days they are awkward around each other and, fearing that their relationship is over, Grace proposes to Nathan who reluctantly refuses and breaks up with her.
Ben Doucette, played by Gregory Hines, is introduced in mid-season 2. Grace sues him after he violates her contract of employment, firing her without reimbursement for expenses she incurred while decorating his house. Although at first he played Grace and Will, who was representing her, he eventually gave her the money voluntarily and hired Will to work at his renowned law firm. Grace and he disliked each other for the rest of the season, until the season finale when Ben showed her his more humane face, when Will invited him to dine with them. They then started a happy, semi-monogamous relationship that lasted for roughly six months, until they broke up early in Season 3 when they realized that they were not in love.
Josh, played by Corey Parker. A sweet, romantic New Age-y man whom Grace dates in season 2. Grace often has issues with him being far too affectionate and nice, to the point of being obnoxious. The two broke up because Jack confessed that he had slept with him.
Nick, played by Edward Burns. A greetings-card writer who falls for Grace when he meets her one Valentine's Day in season 7, after her divorce from Leo. Nick is the first guy Grace starts dating after her divorce with Leo. They decide to break up when he has to go out of the country to work on a screenplay he wrote.
Tom Cassidy, played by Eric Stoltz. An old friend of Grace's, now married, with whom she reunited briefly at the end of season 7. He asks her to help design his and his wife's hotel, yet she still feels chemistry with him and kisses him. She nearly takes it further, but feels guilty and breaks it off with him at the beginning of season 8.
Danny, played by Tom Verica, Grace's long-term boyfriend from roughly 1995–1998, whom she nearly marries in the pilot episode. She realizes, after Will advised her against the marriage, that Danny was too immature for her, and practically leaves him at the altar. They reunite at the end of season 1, much to Will's dismay. Yet again Grace decides that she does not love him and, after roughly a week (one episode), Grace breaks up with him off-screen.
Mark, played by Ken Marino, is another of Grace's partners in Season 3, "Three's a Crowd, Six is a Freakshow". She dumps him because he has 6 toes, although the actual 6th toe was not seen in the episode.

text: Will[edit]

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Barry, played by Dan Futterman. Karen sets up her hopeless cousin Barry with Will, shortly after he comes out. Will and Jack soon undertake a Pygmalion-esque attempt at turning Barry into a more confident gay man, ending when Will falls for Barry though Barry wants to play around before settling down.
James Hanson, played by Taye Diggs. Will meets James at a Manhattan theater and the two have an immediate connection. He later runs into James while on a trip to Los Angeles. James has recently discovered he is going to be deported back to Canada. Grace agreed to marry James so that he can acquire a green card in order to remain in the United States, thus giving James and Will's relationship a chance. However, Will soon discovers James was not who he thought he was, as James began showing himself to be self-centered. Will requests that Grace annul their marriage.
Matthew, played by Patrick Dempsey, is a sports reporter Will meets at a Banana Republic store while trying to help Jack woo him. Jack and Matt have little in common and Will instead finds himself in a relationship with him. They date for a while but Matt's refusal to come out leads to their break-up.
Scott, played by Branden Williams, is Will's 23-year-old date in two episodes in season 3, and works at a local video rental shop. Although they get along well together, Will feels self-conscious about dating Scott, who is quite a bit younger than he is. Will agrees to break it off with Scott if Grace agrees to dump Nathan. Grace agrees and Will breaks up with Scott, though Grace keeps on seeing Nathan.
Diane, played by Mira Sorvino & Lisa Borgnes, is a woman with whom Will has a drunken one-night stand in order to convince himself he was a 100% gay after leaving Grace. She is also one of Leo's exes. Both of these facts make Grace very jealous. Diane states that Will is much better in bed than Leo. Diane was shown briefly (though she had no lines) in the season 3 episode titled "Lows In the Mid-Eighties", but was played by a writer's assistant, Lisa Borgnes.
Claire, played by Megyn Price, is Will's high school friend and girlfriend, the first of the only two women Will has ever dated, the second being Grace. She lives in Paris and asks Will to donate sperm so that she can have a baby, but Will realizes that if he was going to donate sperm he wanted to donate it to Grace.
Michael, played by Chris Potter, is a mostly unseen character and is Will's lover of seven years. When the sitcom first appeared, he and Michael had recently broken up. Michael appears in the episode "Hey La, Hey La, My Ex-Boyfriend's Back", which aired on March 14, 2000. He is mentioned occasionally by Will and Grace, and more than once Will refers to him as the love of his life. In the early seasons of the show Will has a hard time letting him go.

text: Karen[edit]

text:
Lyle Finster, played by John Cleese. Lyle is the father of Stan's mistress, Lorraine. He becomes Karen's fourth husband for about 20 minutes until the couple realize how little they had in common outside of the bedroom.
Scott Woolley, played by Jeff Goldblum. Wooley is the man who lost to Karen for Student Body President and has spent his life hatching schemes to ruin her. Sadly, his schemes are often poorly thought out and eventually Grace realises that he doesn't hate Karen, he loves her. However, his attempts to woo her are as misguided as his previous ones. Woolley also has a dreadful sense of word-play (i.e. "The Scotty Mammoth", "Beam me up, Woolley"). He also changes his first name when using an alias, whereas most people change their last names.
Lionel Banks, played by Rip Torn. Banks is a bachelor who falls for Karen, under her alias Anastasia Beaverhausen, while Stan is in jail and tempts her into having an affair.
Malcolm Widmark, played by Alec Baldwin. Widmark is a government agent who helps Stan fake his death. He has a brief relationship with Karen before she reconciles with Stan, and Widmark goes on a government mission to Sri Lanka.

text: Jack[edit]

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Stuart Lamarack, played by Dave Foley, is a client of Will's who becomes Jack's longest relationship, until Jack cheats on him.
Jack has countless short-term lovers over the course of the series (and presumably long before and after), although most are never mentioned by name, or mentioned at all; it is constantly assumed, and not always stated, that he has multiple boyfriends in every episode. Due to Jack's promiscuity, and his habit of forgetting his boyfriends' names, it would be literally impossible to list all of his love interests over the course of the show. Will jokes that if he was to avoid every man that Jack has ever slept with, "That would leave me with...women!", Grace jokes that if everyone stopped working for every man that broke his heart "The city would shut down". Jack also comments that he goes on thousands of dates a year.

text: Other supporting characters[edit]

text:
Lorraine Finster, played by Minnie Driver, is Stan's mistress. She is a slutty prison cafeteria worker (and, it is implied, prostitute) who instantly forms a hatred of Karen. She was Karen's stepdaughter very briefly (for about 20 minutes) when Lyle, her father, marries Karen. Lorraine was unable to attend the wedding due to an aggressive strain of herpes that kept her from flying. According to the episode "The Accidental Tsuris" she was raised as a girl, despite being genetically male or perhaps a hermaphrodite. It is implied she was estranged from her father for several years and may have been born out of wedlock.
Harlin Polk, played by Gary Grubbs, is a major client of Will's in season one who ultimately fires him.
Mrs. Freeman, played by Jo Marie Payton, is an executive assistant at Doucette & Stein, her most commonly uttered phrase is "Mm-hmm" which is often said with sass.
Zandra Zoggin, played by Eileen Brennan, is Jack's crusty acting coach and a chain-smoking former Hollywood star. After Jack takes over her class, Zandra loses her interest in life and ends up in an actor's retirement village.
Dr. Jay Markus, played by Tom Skerritt, is Leo's father and Grace's eventual father-in-law. She meets him during brunch, thinking he is one of Leo's "old friends".
Eleanor Markus, played by Judith Ivey, is Leo's mother and a noted author of three books on theatre; she meets Grace during brunch alongside her husband. She also is the first to tell her new daughter-in-law her son's actual name, Marvin.
Mr. Stein, played by Gene Wilder, is the senior partner at Will's firm, an eccentric man who takes a liking to Will. He refers to Will as "Gay Will," but without at first realising that Will is actually gay. He and Karen are attracted to each other, but nothing comes of it. He is away from the office for some time prior to season 5 due to a mental breakdown and subsequent incarceration in a mental facility; having been referred to in the company letter-head as running "The London Office" in his absence.
Margot, played by Lily Tomlin, is a senior partner at Will's firm, who apparently takes over after Mr. Stein. She is also quite eccentric and sarcastic. She promotes Will to partner.
Dorleen, played by Parker Posey, is Jack's bitchy, chain-smoking boss during his brief tenure at Barneys New York.
Mr. Zamir, played by Marshall Manesh, is an obnoxious tenant in Will and Grace's building, with a tendency to take off his shirt and to steal Will and Grace's newspapers.
Benji, played by Brian A. Setzer, is Beverley Leslie's "business associate" and boytoy.
Joanne, played by Emily Rutherfurd, is a student of Zandra's acting class who becomes a devoted follower of Jack and his "McFarland method".
Russell, played by Jon Fleming, is a handsome, muscular student of Zandra's acting class who is often asked by Jack to take his shirt off when Jack is teaching the "McFarland method".
Julius, played by Neil Vipond, is Bobbi Adler's close friend and a pianist.
Gary, played by Jamie Kaler, is Will's coworker at Doucette and Stein.
Nurse Sheila, played by Laura Kightlinger, is a rather creepy nurse who works at the sperm bank (where Will visits, intending to donate sperm to his high-school friend Claire). She openly admits she is a whore in season 4 (when Will and Grace are planning to have a baby together), and thereafter seems to appear whenever Will goes into a hospital. She is pregnant in season 8 and attends birth-classes alongside Grace. Her brother, a doctor played by guest-star Jack Black (Kightlinger's real-life former boyfriend), claims he would be "tappin' that big time" if they weren't related.
Dave, played by Mathew Botuchis, is the only openly straight worker at OutTV, the gay network where Jack works in the last seasons. Jack is unimpressed with his heterosexuality and instead refers to him as Elizabeth.
Jamie, played by John Ducey, is the station manager at OutTV.
Tim, played by Mark Harelik, is a member of Senior Management at OutTV.
Jimmy, played by Sam Pancake, is a colleague of Jack's at OutTV.
Smitty, played by Charles C. Stevenson Jr, is a bartender who regularly serves Karen at different establishments. She has been known to call other bartenders "Smitty", even when they tell her it isn't their name. If Karen is depressed Smitty will tell her a tragic story about his own life, which she will laugh at thinking it is a joke.

text: Guest stars playing one-time characters[edit]

text:
Shohreh Aghdashloo, as Pam, an incompetent Iranian hired by Grace who she then fires upon realizing Pam is Jewish and thus she 'doesn't owe (her) anything'.
Rosanna Arquette, as Julie, a masseuse who lives in the same building as Leo and Grace.
Orson Bean, as Professor Joseph Dudley, a gay former literature professor of Will and Grace.
Jason Biggs, as Baby Glenn, a former local celebrity and a guest at Will's auction.
Roscoe Lee Browne, as Linus, owner of a landmark gay bookstore about to be turned into a gym.
Jack Black (uncredited), as Dr. Isaac Hershberg. He examines Karen and is also the brother of the occasionally seen nurse Sheila, played by show writer and Black's girlfriend at the time, Laura Kightlinger.
Richard Chamberlain, as Clyde, an elderly man who Will brings to game night, much to Grace's chagrin
Glenn Close, as Fannie Lieber (a play on celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz), a noted photographer who takes Will and Grace's picture.
Joan Collins, as Helena Barnes, a designer with whom Grace competes for a job, and a nemesis of Karen's.
Macaulay Culkin, as Jason Towne, a lawyer representing Karen in her divorce from Stan.
Tim Curry, as Marion Finster, Lyle Finster's brother.
Matt Damon, as Owen, Jack's heterosexual rival, pretending to be gay to vie for a spot in the Manhattan Gay Men's Chorus.
Kristin Davis, as Nadine, Vince's straight female friend – the same as Grace is to Will.
Ellen DeGeneres, as Sister Louise, a nun to whom Will sells Grace's uncle's old car.
Michael Douglas, as Gavin Hatch, a somewhat closeted gay police detective who becomes attracted to Will and has issues with seeing food stuck in people's teeth.
Christine Ebersole, as Candy Pruitt, another of Karen's rivals.
Edie Falco, as Deirdre, one of a pair of lesbian real-estate "flippers".
Victor Garber, as Peter Bovington, a former actor now working as a doorman.
Andy García, as Milo, a restaurateur, and lover of Karen's, who fails to phone Karen after their date and is confronted by Grace.
Sara Gilbert, as Cheryl who, like Will, is a Barry Manilow fanatic, a.k.a. "fanilow".
Seth Green, as Randall Finn, a former child star.
Clark Gregg, as Cameron, Jack's wealthy boyfriend who becomes Grace's client.
Neil Patrick Harris, as Bill, the leader of a group of so-called "former" lesbians and gays.
Alex Kapp Horner, as Alice Robinson, one of Grace's former classmates.
Peter Jacobson, as Paul Budnik, an overbearing guy who Will dates but is more fond of his dog.
Kathryn Joosten, as the owner to a cabin Grace finds money in.
Stacy Keach, as Wendell Schacter, a former colleague of Jack's who usurps his acting class.

Piper Laurie, as Sharon Timmers, the best friend of Professor Joseph Dudley.
Michele Lee, as Lucille, one of the lesbians who ended up dancing with both Will & Jack.
Hal Linden, as Alan Mills, an elderly gay man who befriends Will and bestows expensive gifts upon him.
Natasha Lyonne, as Gillian, Grace's intern who decides to turn into the spitting image of Karen.
Madonna, as Liz, Karen's roommate.
Lee Majors, as Burt Wolfe, a friend of Grace's father.
Camryn Manheim, as Psychic Sue.
Jason Marsden, as Kim, a friend of Leo's.
Dylan McDermott, as Tom, a boyfriend of Will's who is very closely attached to his elderly mother.
Michael McDonald, as a Don, a student in a cooking class Will takes and dates his brother.
Julian McMahon, guy in an elevator who Grace flirts with.
Demi Moore, as Sissy, Jack's former babysitter.
Nick Offerman, as a plumber that Karen has sex with on Thanksgiving when Stan asks her to be sexually active while he is still in jail.
Sharon Osbourne, as a bartender in No Sex N' in the City.
Peter Paige, as a gay Immigration and Naturalization Service officer whom Jack tries to convince his marriage with Rosario is real.
Scott Patterson, as Grace's former high school crush in "Das Boob".
Sara Paxton, as Melanie, the head cheerleader at Elliot's school.
Luke Perry, as Aaron, a "hot gay nerd" bird-watcher on whom Jack develops a crush.
Jeremy Piven, as Nicholas, Grace's ex. who asks Grace if she wants to join him in a threesome with his current lover.
Chita Rivera, as Lenore, one of the lesbians who ended up dancing with Will & Jack.
Brandon Routh, as Sebastian, a stud whom Alan Mills replaces Will with, after the two have a falling out over Will's misinterpretation of their relationship.
Chloë Sevigny, as Monet, a wealthy bisexual real-estate agent who falls for Will.
Nicollette Sheridan, as Dr. Danielle Morty, a fellow doctor who wanted Leo sexually.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler, as Ro, Vince's lesbian sister.
Britney Spears, as Amber Louise, a conservative Christian and a "hardcore lesbian" as she describes herself, and a co-host to Jack on his talk show.
Wendie Jo Sperber, as April, Grace's short-lived housekeeper.
Sharon Stone, as Georgia Keller, Will and Grace's therapist.
Larry Sullivan, as Robert, Will's ballet dancing boyfriend on the holiday episode "Jingle Balls".
Wanda Sykes, as Cricket, a woman Karen offers to pay to deliver a child for her.
Tamlyn Tomita, as Naomi, half of the couple that takes Will and Grace out all night.
Rip Torn, as Lionel Banks, a man with whom Karen almost cheats on Stan with during his incarceration.
Stuart Townsend, as Edward, Karen's pansexual pastry chef, who ends up "sexing" Will, Karen, and Rosario.
Tracey Ullman, as Anne, the instructor of a couples cooking class that Will, Jack, and Jack's boyfriend Stuart attend.
Steve Valentine, as Kai, half of the couple that takes Will and Grace out all night.
Steven Webber, as Will's brother Sam.

text: Guest stars playing themselves[edit]

text:
Kevin Bacon
Candice Bergen
Sandra Bernhard
Cher
Katie Couric
John Edward
Jennifer Lopez

Rudy Galindo
Hall & Oates
Deborah Harry
Janet Jackson
Elton John
James Earl Jones

Matt Lauer
Stone Phillips
Josh Lucas
Patti LuPone
Barry Manilow
Martina Navratilova

Bebe Neuwirth
Al Roker
George Takei
Rip Taylor


document_title: Colonial molasses trade

question_text: what did the new englanders trade to the west indies

text: Colonial molasses trade

text: Colonial rum production[edit]

text: Sugarcane grows in hot, humid climates. After landing in the Canary Islands, Christopher Columbus brought sugarcane to the Caribbean during his second voyage to the Americas, in 1493. During the eighteenth century, sugar-refining methods at the time produced much more molasses to sugar than they do today. It was estimated that "as much as three parts molasses was produced to four parts sugar, and on an average it was estimated that the ratio of molasses to sugar was about one to two.".[1] This molasses was either used for table use or in the production of rum.

text: To make rum, sugarcane juice or molasses is fermented with yeast and water and then distilled in copper pot stills. The liquor was given the name rum in 1672, likely after the English slang word rumballion which meant clamor.[2] Sugar plantation owners in the Caribbean often sold rum on discount to the naval ships so that they would spend more time close to the islands, providing protection from pirates. Rum also gained popularity in Britain as English ships brought the liquor from America across the Atlantic.

text: Economic significance[edit]

text: In the 18th century, New England became one of the leading rum producers in the world. It was the colonies’ only commodity that could be produced in large quantities by non-English powers and sold to the English. The French West Indies had a large supply of molasses at this time, but the area was lacking in lumber, cheese, and flour. These products were the main exports of the North American colonies, which led to a very secure business relationship between the two areas.

text: Molasses was important in triangular trade. In the triangular trade, traders from New England would bring rum to Africa, and in return, they would acquire African slaves. These slaves then brought to the West Indies and sold to sugarcane plantations to harvest the sugar for molasses. Molasses was then brought from the West Indies to the colonies and sold to rum producers.

text: Problems with demand[edit]

text: The molasses trade experienced many problems in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Throughout this period, there was often never enough demand to meet the large supply of molasses that was continuing to increase. Neither England nor France had much of a market for molasses. England imported molasses mostly in the form of rum, but that was usually coming from the colonies at this time. The French islands in the West Indies were prohibited from shipping rum to France with regard to France's market for brandy.[3] In the last decades of the eighteenth century, imports of French rum were at an all-time low. To combat this problem, many English planters on the islands developed their own local distilleries in order to deal with the large surplus of molasses. There were no specific restrictions on the English islands, so they were able to profit from the disposal. By the 1650s, many plantations on the islands had their own distilleries and were exporting rum to the mainland colonies. By the beginning of the eighteenth century, rum production was rising rapidly.

text: Dutch threat to the monopoly[edit]

text: At the beginning of the eighteenth century, Dutch possessions in the West Indies began to encourage trade with the islands and New England. Several bills were to be prepared in order to hinder Dutch trade with colonies, but none of them were passed. By 1715, Boston and many other colonial areas were importing around one hundred thousand gallons of molasses from the Dutch annually.[4] New York was also importing large amounts of foreign molasses compared to English. At the same time, French imports of molasses to the colonies were also growing. This combination of importing foreign product to the English colonies caused England a lot of agitation in the years to come.

text: Molasses Act of 1733[edit]

text: When the trading of molasses first began, it was unrestrained, apart from small local taxes. The colonies began to prefer French molasses to British because of the price difference. French policy provided incredibly cheap prices, and the British could no longer compete. In order to control the molasses trade with the English colonies, the Parliament of Great Britain decided to place high taxes on any molasses that was shipped from a foreign power to the colonies in North America. The Molasses Act of 1733 imposed a fee of six pence per gallon on foreign molasses.[5] This act was meant to force the colonies into buying molasses from the British or stop producing rum in North America. Many, however, say that the Molasses Act was put in place to destroy New England’s rum industry. Contrary to Parliament’s plans, the colonies first protested this act. They soon realized that instead of complying with the new Molasses Act, it would be much easier for them to just ignore the new prohibitive taxes and smuggle molasses from the West Indies. Many ports collected about half of the legal duty that must have been imported to their harbors. This was clear in Massachusetts where it "...imported legally less than half as much molasses and rum as it exported..."[6] These illicit operations would continue for several decades. Had the Molasses Act succeeded in its purpose, New England rum production would have been destroyed.

text: Sugar Act of 1764[edit]

text: After the French and Indian War, the British tried once again to impose strict policy on trading goods that benefited the colonies. In 1764, the new British prime minister, George Grenville pressed the Sugar Act to revive what the Molasses Act had failed to do. The colonies once again protested this the act and succeeded in lowering the tax, but the penalties and fines angered the colonies still. Although the act was only in place for two years, it was much more successful in its goals than the previous Molasses Act. Smuggling, however, was still very common. This was proven by the fact that annually, the British West Indies exported about a million gallons of molasses to the colonies.[7] After the Sugar Act was instated, exports fell in the coming years, according to records. On the other hand, mainland rum production rose during those years. The Sugar Act was later repealed in 1776, and a penny-per-gallon tax was placed on British and foreign molasses imports. This law marked the first large-scale legal importation of rum and molasses, but smuggling still continued.

text: When the colonies gained their independence, they were freed from these restraints, but their trade with the British West Indies restricted. Although the law was later changed to allow direct importation of molasses to New England, the Navigation Acts hindered American shipping until around 1830. By the end of the colonial period, "only about one-sixteenth of the molasses imported to the mainland came from the British sugar islands."[8]

text: Other uses of molasses[edit]

text: Outside of the rum distillery, the most important use of molasses was its use in brewing beer. Molasses beer was said to be cheaper, easier to make, and less alcoholic than commercial beer. This came in handy for people who lacked access to purified drinking water. Molasses became a very important part of family diets and cooking purposes at this time.

text: Although the colonial rum industry was very successful in the eighteenth century, whiskey would soon become its largest competitor. Molasses, however, was also used in the colonies for kitchen purposes, such as for baked beans, brown bread, Indian pudding, pie, and soft drinks. Molasses were also used for curing meat and pickling fish, and for medicinal purposes.

text: New England rum[edit]

text: The rum industry in the colonies was limited to the middle colonies and New England.

text: Massachusetts and Rhode Island together made up three-quarters of the mainland's domestic rum exports by the end of the colonial period. By the middle of the eighteenth century, Massachusetts supported sixty-three distilleries, which accounted annually for about 700,000 gallons.[9] Rhode Island supported around thirty distilleries, and after the Sugar Act was repealed, produced about 500,000 gallons of rum annually.[10]

text: Other colonies, such as Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania also had rum distilleries, but they operated on local terms and did not participate in the large-scale exportation of rum that Massachusetts and Rhode Island were involved in. South of Pennsylvania, there was little interest in rum distillation, as distilleries were very expensive and difficult to build.