Revolution Finale Burning Questions: The End of the World (As They Knew It)

Over the course of its first season, Revolutionevolved far beyond a simple search-and-rescue mission. And after Monday's finale, there's no going back to its agrarian roots. The episode signaled a drastic change of direction for the dystopian drama, killing off two major characters and leaving the entire world's fate in jeopardy.

So did Aaron restore the power? Which of our heroes bit the dust? Find out the answers to these and 11 other burning questions from the Revolution finale. [Warning: The following contains major spoilers from Revolution's season finale "The Dark Tower"]

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1. Is Rachel making the right decision? The Mole People make it very clear to Rachel (Elizabeth Mitchell) that the power cannot — under any circumstances — come back on, but Rachel refuses to listen. In a completely irrational argument, Rachel insists that even though the nanites are currently malfunctioning beyond control, the chances of them malfunctioning when she turns the lights on are slim (because, you know, they're so predictable and safe).The Mole Leader promises Rachel that she and her friends are guests and will remain unharmed — that is, unless they go to Level 12. Then they're all dead. Hilariously, Rachel seems confused by this threat, as though she suddenly forgot all the times she betrayed friends to get what she wants. For instance...

2. It's all Danny's fault Rachel and Grace (Maria Howell) share a sweet heart-to-heart about Danny, whose sickly body is the reason the DoD got ahold of the nanites in the first place. "We have to set things right for him, so he doesn't die for nothing," Rachel pleads. Though Grace understands (she, too, lost a child apparently), she sensibly doesn't want to risk setting the world on fire for a simple vendetta. So Rachel does what any good friend would do: chloroforms Grace and stashes her in a closet. Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos) must be so proud.

3. The Neville Republic Since we last saw Neville (Giancarlo Esposito), he's succeeded in fully usurping Monroe's camp. Though one loyal Monroe man points out commanding 100 men in the middle of Colorado isn't exactly something to brag about, Neville ominously sneers, "From an acorn, mighty oaks grow."

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Neville quickly resumes his masquerade as a compassionate leader, explaining that he's going to let the man go since he's "neither brutal, nor capricious" like Monroe (David Lyons). Neville even goes so far as to offer the man a horse to get him safely back to his wife and kids. Of course, as soon as the other soldiers leave the tent, Neville fires two shots behind his back, shoots the major, and then places the weapon in the dead man's hand to create the appearance Neville killed him in self-defense. "You try to be a nice guy," Neville says with a sigh. It doesn't look like his son Jason (JD Pardo) buys the ruse.

4. Miles turned on Monroe because ... Monroe was crazy! The reason behind the pair's great breakup wasn't anything too shocking — Monroe went overboard and killed an attempted rebel assassin's entire family — but the pair's confessions were heartbreaking to watch. "I did that for you! Everything I have ever done was for you," Monroe begs. "That's the only reason I followed you into any of this. And you tried to kill me for it."

5. What does Neville want? Power, but not in the electric sense. While Neville claims he doesn't want Rachel to restore electricity because it's too dangerous for any republic to control, we get the sense it's much more selfish than that. Understandably wary of his father's intentions, Jason nonetheless agrees to help Neville as long as Charlie and Rachel are left alive (no concern for Miles, Aaron and Nora though).

One person Neville seems to have no intent of keeping safe: Monroe. After the general's former underlings capture him in the woods, Neville is keen to use the opportunity to assert his dominance. "I can't just shoot people in the face like you did," he said, explaining he at least needed the appearance of a trial. "That's the difference between you and me: You frighten. I inspire." Ironically, it was in this moment that Neville has never been more terrifying.

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6. Bromance never dies  While there's nothing romantic between them, there's no doubt in my mind Miles (Billy Burke) and Monroe are each other's One True Pairing (though Neville might disagree with the platonic nature of their relationship, insisting Bass has a "borderline erotic fixation" on Miles).

After a season of failed assassination attempts, Miles realizes he has more important things to worry about than killing Monroe. But before he can rescue Charlie and Rachel, Miles makes a quick pit stop at the tent where his old friend is being held hostage. "We're still brothers. And as much as I hate that — let me tell you I do — that's never going to change," Miles says as he frees Monroe. But things aren't exactly peachy between the former bros. Miles immediately alerts the militia of the former general's escape because though Miles can't kill Monroe, it doesn't mean he has a problem with anyone else doing it.

7. It's better to have lived and loved This was not Nora's (Daniella Alonso) episode. After nearly drowning, the rebel faces an even harder struggle: acknowledging the real object of Miles' affection.  "You love him, don't you?" Nora asks Rachel, before finally admitting, "He'll choose you every time." But Nora didn't let their romantic rivalry hinder the mission, helping Rachel extinguish the Mole People (see what I did there?). Unfortunately, Nora's last act of pyrotechnics came at a cost. She once again sustained a serious abdominal injury, which ultimately took her life. But before she passed, Nora was able to see Miles one last time and — for once — Miles chose to try and save her, rather than Rachel.

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8. Did Aaron destroy the world? As proof that there are no coincidences (at least in Revolution), it's revealed that Aaron (Zak Orth) unwittingly wrote the code that runs The Tower. After fighting their way into the control room, Aaron (with a lot of pushing by Rachel) initiates the program to restore power. As lights come on across the globe, we see Julia (Kim Raver) and Priscilla (Maureen Sebastian) in awe of the electricity surging through their homes. But Georgia President Foster didn't waste any time on excitement, ordering her men to throw everything they got (including tanks and choppers) at Philly.

Though, sending out helicopters at that point might not be the smartest move. The sky is soon crackling with lightning, implying Rachel's plan might have some of those dire consequences Grace and the Mole People warned of.

9. Why did the lights go out? After so many discoveries about what caused the blackout, it was easy to forget we still have no clue who caused it or why. Rachel seemed to think it was the nanites malfunctioning, but as Aaron discovered, the "backdoor" in his code was left open. Meaning, the blackout's global reach was definitely deliberate.

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10. Will Neville kill the Mathesons? Even though he promised Jason otherwise , Neville orders his men to open the door to the control room and kill everyone inside — Charlie and Rachel included. Will Jason allow his father to go through with the slaughter? Or will he finally see the man Neville is and turn against him for good?

11. What the heck happened with Randall? The enigmatic DoD secretary just got 10 times more mysterious. It was always clear Randall (Colm Feore) was using Monroe to get the power on, but no one could have predicted the reason why. As soon as the power is restored, Randall locks himself in another control room and sends missiles to destroy Atlanta and Philadelphia. "I just wanted Monroe to wipe out Georgia, then I'd wipe out Monroe. And after that, the East Coast is wide open," Randall explained from behind the safety of bulletproof glass. "After all, our great nation must be united. A house divided against itself cannot stand. I'm a patriot, Rachel," he added, before shooting himself in the head.

Um, what?! I assume Randall's actions are motivated by his son's death, but I'm not quite sure how. If anyone has any insight, please share because that sh-- is bonkers!

12. Is this our new villain? While Randall might have had the craziest reaction to the power being restored, this takes the cake for the creepiest. Sitting in a room seemingly decorated with nothing but taxidermied animal heads and an American flag, the former President of the United States casually turns on and off his light before being informed that — at long last — it's finally time to go home. With Monroe demoted from Big Bad and Neville too awesome to hate, could this be our new main foe? And if he is a good guy, then why the heck is he holed up in Guantanamo Bay? Answers, please!

What did you think of the Revolution finale?