Mystery of the Week (MotW): Justin Smith, a scrawny, nerdy high schooler who likes to spend his time rating girls with his gross loser friends and works part-time at the video store, decides that the only way he can hang out with an attractive girl (Veronica) is to get her to help him find his long-lost dad. Only problem is, his dad is actually dead, and Justin is a sleazebag. But wait, there's a twist, because -- dun dun dun -- he's not really dead! Veronica's scheme reveals said father, "John Smith," actually lives in San Diego as a parole officer. As Veronica and Justin investigate John Smith's house, a woman who's been frequently spotted at the Justin's video store drives up, and we realize that she is, in fact, Justin's father, and goes by "Julia" now. So how does the MotW relate to our main story? Justin's mother lied to him for all these years, saying that his father was dead, in order to protect him from learning the truth -- that his dad was transgender. Was this lie for the best? Justin's clearly devastated at first, but slowly starts to accept his dad as she is. In this case, a transgender dad is better than no dad at all, and truth has won out over lie. Does the same apply to our main characters?
Let's look at Duncan. It's revealed that he's been taking anti-depressants for the past six months, which might explain the generally blank looks he gives everyone these past two episodes (or was that just bad acting? dun dun dun). He's silent during dinners, cold to Veronica, and has no interest in his future. One morning, he accidentally drops his pill down the sink, and experiences a day without numbed emotion. He's nauseous, but he's clearly enjoying himself a little more. The next day, he skips his pill on purpose, and enjoys some more outbursts of happiness. His mood also swings the other way, when after seeing Veronica kiss Troy leads him to jump off the bleachers and hit his head on the pavement. Both Duncan and Veronica's actions during this episode confirms to the audience that they both still have residual feelings for each other, and while being of his medication, Duncan is finally starting to smile and act warmly towards Veronica, thawing out their relationship a little. All positives. That is until he has a vivid dream about Lilly, with blood still caked on her head, scolding him for ignoring how her murder doesn't add up, warning him that the truth is going to come out, and he needs to wake up. This proves too much for Duncan to handle, and he goes back on his pills the next day, re-assuming his numb and cold exterior to both Logan and Veronica's dismay. Duncan prefers the lie, perhaps afraid of what the truth will reveal, or maybe just too uncomfortable with dealing with his emotions over his sister's death.
Veronica's case is a little more complicated. So far, we've seen her put on a tough exterior towards her mother following her disappearance. She throws her mother's music box in the trash. She's angry at her for leaving. "The hero is the one that stays, and the villain is the one that splits," she tells her father. Reducing the matter to such simple, black and white terms is preferable to pining away for her mother, waiting for her to come home. But there are clear contradictions in her stance, revealed by the fact that although she blames her mother for leaving and doesn't want to wait for her, she has actually been searching for her mother ever since she discovered her mom's license plate number. She confesses to Justin that she would give anything to know that her mother cared for her the way Justin's father did, and proceeds to drive four hours to Arizona in the hopes of finding her. She's devastated when she discovers her mother has left again. Veronica's lie is to Keith, to show him how tough she is, how unaffected she is by her mother's disappearance. It's also to prove her loyalty and commitment to her father. But Veronica's lie is also to herself, as a form of protection. She needs to reject her mother in order to save herself the heartache of never finding her. But she is only human, and her vulnerabilities will wind a way to the surface in some form or another. Veronica is a flawed protagonist. Her pathological need to paint the world black and white, to fiercely adhere to her principles without any room for nuance, and to repress emotions and categorize them as weak, will inevitably blow up in her face as she continues to dig up skeletons that lie not only in other people's closets, but her own as well.
"Tragedy blows through your life like a tornado, uprooting everything, creating chaos. You wait for the dust to settle, and then you choose. You can live the wreckage and pretend it's still the mansion you remember. Or you can crawl from the rubble and slowly rebuild. Because after disaster strikes, the important thing is that you move on. But if you're like me, you just keep chasing the storm. The problem with chasing the storm is that it wears you down, breaks your spirit. Even the experts agree, a girl needs closure."
Other Thoughts:
- Troy continues to be charming. Although the jukebox and sex joke was just weird.
- "I'm old school, eye for an eye." "Actually I think that's old testament." "Hm."
- I love this spinning shot -- Veronica is in slow motion and everyone else in the background is sped up. It continues to show how isolated she is from everyone, and how entrenched she is in her belief that the past was perfect, and she is simply drifting through the present in a funk.
- Kudos to Veronica for being so straight-forward in asking out Troy. "Let's go out." So refreshing to see amidst all the teenage angst in typical dramas. Just ask the guy or girl out, for god's sake.
- Ms. Rebecca James is played by Paula Marshall, who starred in Rob Thomas's short-lived 1998 series, Cupid. Watch it, if you haven't already. It is highly underrated.
- "Wallace is a friend of mine. Take that, high school guidance counselor." I love how flippant Veronica is towards the counselor's assessment of her being socially isolated. One friend is all you need, really. Now that's self-confidence.
- Duncan accidentally says Veronica's name while he's making out with Shelley. Instead of getting all flustered, he just starts cracking up. Hehehe.
- I really like the way this scene is shot. The driving background looks completely fake, but I think it really works here. It emphasizes the fake, sunny California setting -- how everything is slightly surreal, how it's almost too perfect, and behind all the trappings of blue skies and sunshine, there are murderers and adulterers lurking about, streets covered in grime. The song also gives a dreamy quality to this scene ("Edge of the Ocean," Ivy).
- The greenish tinge to this flashback scene makes it eerie and unsettling, like it's taking place under a murky ocean. It also conveys an almost nauseous feeling, mirroring what Duncan must be feeling.
- I wish knew someone named Duncan so I could give him the nickname, "Donut."
- So Duncan knows deep down that something was wrong with Lilly's murder case. Up to this point, we have had no reason to believe that Duncan had any suspicions. So what exactly does Duncan know that doesn't add up?
- I wish they could've gotten an actual transgender person to play Justin's father. Representation matters. Although it is nice to see them portray a transgender person in a positive light, and not as a stereotype.
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