Major spoilers ahead, so if you didn’t watch last night’s episode of Revenge, stop reading now! For those of us who did tune in, hands up if you’re still recovering from the shocking ending—we know we are.
Earlier in the season, costume designer Jill Ohanneson hinted that Victoria’s red dress from the Fourth of July party might have a pivotal role in an episode to come, and sure enough, the plot line delivered.
In the final scene of the episode, Emily leaves her mansion in hopes she can meet Jack at the airport and stop him from moving to Los Angeles, only to arrive moments after he has already left. While she is out, Victoria, clad in the red L’Wren Scott number from Episode 16, breaks back into Grayson manor with her iconic chair, opens a gas valve, and takes a seat. Before we have time to enjoy the moment of Queen Victoria back in her throne, she ignites a lighter, and the house explodes in flames while she is still inside.RELATED: All About Victoria’s Red Fourth of July Dress
“For the finale like that, it was the dress to use. Even though it wasn’t brand new, Victoria put on her absolute favorite dress that had the best memories,” Ohanneson explains. “That was really one of our favorite dresses from all four seasons. She was like, ‘If I’m gonna go, this is the dress I’d put on to go with.'”
Prior to the July Fourth party, Queen V’s L’Wren Scott dress, which was paired with a Michael Kors cuff for the scene, was previously worn during a moment with Pascale. Using previously worn items was a deliberate move by Ohanneson as a nod to the transformation of Victoria’s character. “I wanted the other outfits she wore leading up to that scene to seem vulnerable, so that when you get to the red dress, it’s like—this is it,” she says.
“We wanted to make sure each costume led up to that red dress. Victoria was taking control of her life at that moment. She was no longer a victim, and she was going to be in charge and make what she wanted to happen instead of being at the mercy of everyone else.”There aren’t enough words to describe how sad we over Victoria’s demise (or anyway, we’re pretty sure she couldn’t have survived that …), but we suppose if she had to go, at least she did it in classic Queen Grayson fashion—dressed to the nines in her favorite label, of course.
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