Revenge type TV Show network ABC

Sixty seconds into the new season of Revenge, Emily Thorne was shot. But exactly who fired the gun was a mystery that the show kept from viewers and expertly unraveled in the episodes that followed.

Tonight, the mystery was finally solved. [Do not read on if you do not want to know who shot Emily Thorne.]

The person behind the pistol? Daniel Grayson (Josh Bowman), Emily’s new husband.

In the chat below, star Emily VanCamp shares with us her reaction to the twist and previews what’s to come. (One word hint: Amnesia!)

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What was your reaction when they told you who the shooter was?

EMILY VANCAMP: I certainly wasn’t expecting it, which was a good reaction. I was a little bit worried that they would go a route that people would expect, which in my mind was Aiden (Barry Sloane) or Patrick (Justin Hartley) — or even Jack (Nick Wechsler) I thought would be a more obvious choice. And just the idea that her new husband is shooting her on their wedding day is so absolutely shocking. I was thrilled, and I think we were all thrilled and the big question was [at the time], “How are we going to get there?” It was interesting watching them lay all the evidence and explore the lead-up to the big wedding. I think they did a really good job.

I find it fascinating that you thought Jack was an option, because midway through the episode, that popped into my mind. “It’s not going to be Jack, is it!?”

Yeah! To be honest, he’s got so much rage, and he’s the one who would, really, have the most incentive. He has had everything taken away from him by this girl, basically, so he has a right to have a lot of rage toward her. And it would have made a lot of sense to me and the aftermath of Jack shooting her would have been interesting as well because it’s sort of that question: Will she now love him just as much? Or will Aiden go after him?

There would have been so many options to explore there, too, but this idea that Daniel shoots her is incredibly interesting because they’re married. And in the public eye, they’re a couple and the most fascinating thing is if she’s going to continue in this marriage after he shot her twice in the stomach. And in true Emily Thorne fashion, that’s a possibility because she’s very dedicated to this plan. But I’ve also really enjoyed exploring this weaker side of Emily in the aftermath of all of this — this more vulnerable side of her. It’s a huge game-changer, and now in the second half of the season, we’re really able to take it to that dark and twisted place that we all love and I think the viewers love as well.

Talk to me a bit about what comes next. They showed a trailer after the episode where it teased an amnesia storyline!

Well, I know there have always been amnesia storylines on shows like this, but in this case, it makes perfect sense. I mean, here’s a girl who’s suffered so much trauma in her life — emotionally and physically — and she’s sort of lived with this invisible armor her whole life to protect her from the pain she felt as a child. And now being in this physical vulnerable position, it makes sense that something in her brain would just shut off to protect her from the truth because her body is so weak. I also think it’s very interesting to see her…it’s almost like seeing the little girl in the flashbacks. She’s so lost, she’s so confused, she’s so vulnerable. It’s a whole different side we’ve never seen.

It’s also interesting to see how everyone else around her reacts to this new side of her. Interestingly enough, it draws Jack to her a little bit because it reminds him of who she once was. Obviously, it’s also very beneficial for Daniel that I don’t remember what happened. it’s very interesting to see how the Graysons take advantage of that. In true Grayson form, they’re delighted, I think, that I can’t remember [laughs]. But the big question is how long does it last. Does she regain her memory, and if so, how much of it. There are definitely a lot of questions to answer after the big shooting.

Like you said, an amnesia plot line is definitely a soap trope. But if there’s one character on TV for which a twist like this is wildly inconvenient, I think it’s Emily Thorne.

Exactly! But it’s a lot of fun, and I like taking these sort of heightened story lines and trying to root them in reality as much as possible and bring them to life in the most subtle and interesting way possible. I think that’s what we all try to do; we try to breathe life into these insane story lines so you almost could believe it. Hopefully that’s what we’re doing. I know my fellow co-stars are some of the best actors in the biz and some of the material — which is beautifully written but just crazy — we try to bring it back down to a place that is real. And in episode ten and all those that follow, hopefully you get that soapy feel that everyone loves but the viewers also enjoy really good storytelling and the nitty-gritty drama we truly are.

I have to ask about filming the scene. How much of the stunt work did you do yourself?

They did not put me in the ocean, thank goodness. We had to do some work in a tank. We had a really bad situation when we shot the death of Amanda when Margarita [Levieva] and I were in a 45-degree tank for about five hours and, I swear to God, we were borderline hypothermic all night. [Laughs] So now we’re a little more cautious with what we do with water because it was incredibly dangerous. So we were cautious about that and try to keep it to a minimum after that evening. But they love to throw me in water on this show.