Ashley Davenport's past is revealed! (ABC)

The latest installment of "Revenge", entitled "Lineage", takes viewers back to Thanksgiving 2006. The majority of the episode is a flashback in which we learn much about several key characters and plot lines.

In 2006 Victoria's mother made a surprise appearance at Grayson Manor at the invitation of Daniel. She arrived clad in leopard, but was no kitten. In fact she seems even worse than Victoria, as if we ever thought that was possible.

Her mother, Marion, used men for money. In an opening flashback Marion told a young Victoria that her beau had better ask her to marry him because they were running out of money- it seems that situation occured multiple times in Victoria's upbringing. When he tried to walk out on Marion, she shot and killed him, forced Victoria to take the gun, shoot him herself, and take the fall for it. We learn Victoria spent 6 months in a psychiatric facility for that incident. This story is told over the Grayson's dinner table. Happy Thanksgiving!

In 2006 Emily was on her first mission for Takeda involving a Russian gangster and club owner named Dmitri. We learn that it was in this setting she met both Aiden and Ashley (though the two did not meet each other). Aiden was tending bar at the New York City club. Ashley was at the club as a desperate young woman considering prostitution. 

Apparently, Dmitri was also a large-scale pimp and human trafficker, in addition to being a gangster. Emily followed Ashley to the bathroom and offered to be a friend, telling her there were other ways to make money. She handed Ashley a huge wad of cash and a phone number, telling her to text Emily when Dmitri would be arriving at the club. Ashley went off into the night, later texting as instructed and thanking Emily for "saving her". Regarding this storyline, it is shocking, yes, and could have been interesting, but was lacking on the substance of the details. The fact that Ashley said "having an MFA in Art History" couldn't get her "a job in this town" (implying that was why she was considering prostitution) made the plotline seem phony. Say what?

In his first year at Harvard, Daniel was deciding between Finals Clubs and thinking about not pursuing Business as his major. In fact, the episode reveals he wanted to be a poet, and was actually quite talented! Sadly, poetry was not what Conrad or Victoria had in mind for their Grayson heir. They sabotaged his attempts to connect with publishers and steered him toward Grayson Global. Poor, sweet Daniel. His sister Charlotte was absent from this episode, vacationing with her grade school friends in the Alps. 

In 2006, Nolan and his team at NolCorp were about to take the company public. This announcement was announced to the staff by Nolan and his then-CFO, Marco. Marco, it turns out, was Nolan's boyfriend in addition to being his CFO. Sound familiar? Nolan loves his CFO relationships! Marco and Nolan got into an argument about a  secret account that Nolan had created and then liquidated for Emily without Marco's knowledge. When Nolan attempted to explain his connection to David Clarke, Marco was unsympathetic. Nolan fired Marco and and their relationship ended-- five minutes after we learned of it! Due to Nolan firing him, Marco leaves with a very sour taste in his mouth.

Out in Southampton, we learn that the strange feud between the Porters and the preppy brothers runs a generation deep. Tensions originally evolved between Jack and Declan's father, Carl, and the father of the brothers, who was swindling and threatening Carl in a similar fashion. With the boat-slip and alcohol sales, it seems mob-related. A friend and fellow merchant of Carl's felt equally desperate about the threats and shot and killed the swindler with Carl's gun. 

Back at Grayson Manor, Victoria's seething mother says that Victoria "drove a wedge" between she and every man she ever loved. From the flashbacks it seems that Marion's male suitors took interest in Victoria, sometimes in pedophilic ways. Victoria opens up during the family Thanksgiving and reveals that when her mother found her boyfriend sneaking into Victoria's room in the night, she threw Victoria out on the street. She was only 15 at the time.

The beau Marion brought to dinner was mortified and left saying he never wanted to see her again. Marion was devastated and had nowhere to go, which meant Victoria had finally achieved revenge for what her mother did to her by being able to turn her out on the street. We learn in a later scene that Conrad and Victoria orchestrated the chance meeting between Marion and her beau (he was an actor paid by the Graysons) and the subsequent fallout. Is revenge as sweet when you pay for it?

At the Russian club in NYC, Emily became sympathetic to Aiden after learning he was trying to avenge the demise of his sister, Colleen, who she seemed to know. Emily saved Aiden when he was held by Russian thugs after pulling a gun on Dmitri, though was less successful in preventing him from killing the violent Russian mastermind. She asked Aiden what he knew about Flight 197 and he said his father was a baggage handler that night at Heathrow airport. Emily said she believed they used Aiden's father as they used her own. She later told him about Takeda's school of Revenge and convinced Takeda to take Aiden on. 

Emily and Aiden's first meeting (ABC)

Aiden had a mustache in 2006 and was not so steamy as in modern day. And actually, neither was Daniel! While trying to save Aiden, Emily showed off her incredible karate skills (perhaps her first public brawl?) and shuffled through an air vent in a skin-tight cocktail dress. Only Em!

Returning to present-day, we find Emily and Aiden in bed at her home. They are loving and happy, as Aiden remarks how much things have changed in the six years. Emily is softer and more vulnerable with him than she ever has been. He promises her that he will not disappear again, calling her by her real name, Amanda. Downstairs she introduces him to her box of evidence and information about her father's conspiracy.

At the same time, Daniel tracks down Marco asking him if he will be open to a business proposition regarding NolCorp. Marco agrees to hear him out. Uh oh!

This week's episode helped fill in gaps in knowledge from the past. Next week's episode looks like a series of dramatic bombs are going to go off, including Victoria and Daniel catching Ashley and Conrad in an affair. I knew this was coming… Check out the preview below.

Reach Staff Reporter Ashley Riegle here. Follow her on Twitter here.