> > 'Revolution' showrunner teases blackout mystery solution
> > by James Hibberd

> > Revolution showrunner Eric Kripke doesn't want to hold onto the NBC
> > drama's central mystery - What caused the blackout? - too much longer.
> > And he's giving some hints about what the answer might entail.

> > "We're talking very seriously about revealing [what caused the
> > blackout] before end of this season," Kripke tells EW.  The answer is
> > something that's passed muster from a physicist consulted by the
> > producers. So expect what caused the blackout to be at least somewhat
> > scientifically plausible.

> > "The sweet spot is to find an answer that's actually scarier than what
> > you were thinking," Kripke says. "Like, 'Oh wait, this is not even
> > just about electricity.' And that's what we're designing. I don't see
> > any reason to withhold it much longer."

> > Billy Burke, who plays Miles on the breakout drama, says Kripke's
> > blackout answer has managed to assure the actors, who have had many of
> > the same questions about why certain technologies no longer function
> > as fans. "We're asking those questions on a daily basis," Burke says.
> > "We have conversations on set all the time - 'What about this? What
> > about that? Wouldn't that work?' There always seem to be a
> > technologically sound answer for the questions."

> > One fan question about the epic power loss that's been asked since the
> > pilot - Wouldn't steam engines work? - was answered in a recent
> > episode that showed a steam train. Another recent episode featuring a
> > thunderstorm resulted in a debate in the writers room over whether
> > lightning would still work (it does).

> > A giant Revolution revelation makes creative sense. Fans of the show
> > don't tune in each week for nuggets about the blackout mystery, so
> > it's really unlikely answering that question will result in a ratings
> > drain. Whereas holding onto mysteries too long sometimes annoys
> > viewers. The show's characters, frankly, have bigger things to worry
> > about. Noting that the blackout occurred 15 years before the show's
> > main storyline, Kripke asks, "How much are you sweating what happened
> > in 1997?"

> > For more scoop on Revolution, check out this week's issue of
> > EntertainmentWeekly for a feature story on the show.

> The answer is a device, shielded by a larger version of the pendants, which
> creates a field that disrupts electrical devices.  Worldwide.  It continues
> to operate.
> It was a DARPA project, powered by a small atomic pile, also shielded, that
> created the blackout.  The pendants are small shield generators which
> nullify, in a small area, the effects of the first DARPA device.