1.08 "Like a Virgin"
Aired Nov 23, 2004
Details
Mars Investigations office: Veronica looks at the two pictures of the shoes: one from Lilly's room on the night of her murder and one from Abel Koontz's houseboat, two months later. Cliff McCormack comes into the office. Veronica wants him to get her onto death row to visit Abel Koontz. Cliff laughs and says Koontz isn't seeing anyone. Veronica keeps after him, so he says he'll try.
school: girls' locker room: Veronica comes out of the shower in a towel and goes to her locker. It's open and her clothes are missing. She asks everyone where her clothes are, but the girls just ignore her. She finds them in the toilet. Meg, a nice 09er, asks her if she needs something to wear.
lunch outside: Veronica is wearing Meg's cheerleading outfit as they walk outside. The 09ers whistle at her. Meg invites her to eat lunch with her and the other 09ers but Veronica declines and goes home to get changed. Dick Casablancas and some other 09ers including Pam, Kimmy, and Cole are eating together while Dick takes an online purity test. Meg joins them, and Pam tells her to make sure to wash her uniform after Veronica is done wearing it. Meg tells them Veronica is cool, but Dick doesn't agree. He reminds them of the bong in Logan's locker that got him suspended. Kimmy joins in, saying that after Veronica told Ashley her dad was having an affair, her parents split up. The topic of conversation changes to the purity test as Duncan joins the group. Meg asks what it is and they explain that it asks questions about anything dirty or illegal that you might have done. After you've taken the test, you get a score saying what percent pure you are; the lower the score, the worse you've been. Kimmy says it was emailed to the whole school and that everyone is taking it. Pam has an obvious crush on Duncan who doesn't seem interested. When Meg asks Cole what he got, his score is very high. Meg says she's glad they decided to wait and leaves. Cole is teased by the guys, but he takes it good-naturedly.
Fennel living room: Veronica and Wallace are waiting for a Pay-Per-View program. Wallace asks Veronica if she took the test. Her look suggests that he's out of his mind and he says that yeah, it's stupid. Veronica asks what he got on the test and he says a 70, which is only one point away from being cool. She unzips her top and flashes her sports bra to him. Just then, Wallace's mom, Alicia, comes in and wants to talk to Wallace.
Fennel kitchen: Alicia tells Wallace that he shouldn't spend all of his time with Veronica. Alicia says she has only heard bad things about the Mars family since they moved to Neptune.
Fennel living room: Veronica, looking at Wallace's laptop, discovers that anyone can buy the results of anyone else's purity test for $10. She says she can't wait until school tomorrow.
school hall: The next day, the whole school is in chaos. Girls are screaming at each other about sleeping with boyfriends and guys are cheering girls. Veronica smiles until she sees Meg trying to rub a red spray-painted 48 off her locker. Cole has Meg's test and accuses her of sleeping with her tour guide in Spain. Meg says she hasn't had sex with anyone and that she didn't even take the test. Cole doesn't believe her and leaves. Veronica tells Meg she believes that she didn't do anything because she's the last good person at the school. She offers to help Meg find out who took the test for her.
Opening Credits
school computers: Veronica asks the computer teacher how someone would be able to get passwords to access other people's email. The teacher says he's really a gym teacher and Veronica should look in the parking lot for Mac, recognized by blue hair.
parking lot: Veronica sees a girl with a streak of blue hair who has apparently locked herself out of her car. Veronica opens it by picking the lock. Mac thanks her and they introduce themselves. Mac is called that because her last name is Mackenzie. Mac tells Veronica that everyone's email is easily accessible. Veronica agrees, but says that in order to take the test, you need a password too. She asks who would have someone's password and Mac tells her that other than the student, the only other person who knows it is the IT guy, Renny DeMouy. Mac offers to help Veronica if Renny can't.
Fennel home: Veronica strikes an unusual pose with her hands raised in the air. Wallace snaps her picture, commenting that she is bonkers. Wallace goes to answer the phone and as Veronica puts her things away, she sees Alicia talking to their tenant, Jeremy. Alicia is upset because Jeremy hasn't paid rent in over two months. Jeremy doesn't want to talk about it and shuts the door.
school: The televised announcements are on, and Meg and another boy, Lars, are the anchors. Meg announces that auditions for "Cabaret" will be held on Friday. Lars goes off script and asks Meg about her acting experience, before clarifying that she was the lead for "Guys and Dolls" last year. Meg is flustered and doesn't answer. Meg leaves the desk and joins Kimmy and Pam. Pam is sympathetic but Meg says she's just not herself lately. She tells Kimmy that she should have gotten picked for the anchor position since her audition tape was great.
hall: Meg is at her locker and Veronica walks over to ask Meg if she is okay. Meg tells Veronica that boys have been emailing her porn, calling her house, and slut-sneezing. Veronica says that whoever posted the results for Meg must have known her password. Meg says that only her little sister, Lizzie, might know her password.
girl's bathroom: Veronica asks Lizzie if she posted Meg's test. Lizzie admits she resents being constantly compared to her "perfect" sister, but she denies faking Meg's test.
IT office: Veronica goes to see Renny. She is suprised by his French accent and good looks. She tries to get him to give her a friend's password, claiming she wants to change her screensaver to say, "Happy Birthday!" He refuses, claiming he could be fired, even when Veronica offers to pay him.
auditorium: Kimmy is auditioning for "Cabaret," singing "Don't Tell Mama." She does a mediocre job. Meg is next. At first, she does a fantastic job, until several students who are watching start whispering, slut-sneezing, licking their lips, etc. Meg gets flustered and has trouble continuing to sing. Soon she runs out.
hall: Veronica goes after her Meg, trying to comfort her. Meg says she can't take it anymore and that everyone thinks she's the biggest slut at school. Veronica says it looks like Meg's the second biggest as they see that the number 14 has been spray-painted on Veronica's locker.
Veronica's bedroom: Veronica's VO reads a letter she is typing to Abel Koontz. She says her name is Ellen White and she is studying criminology. She is also from his home town and would love to talk to him. Veronica superimposes the picture Wallace took of her onto a picture of a town sign of Stallingsburg. She goes on to say that she splurged and read her purity test. Apparently she pleasured the swim team while hopped up on goofballs.
IT office: Veronica asks Renny to change her password since someone got ahold of it. He suggests changing it to something difficult. She replies that her old password was GJ7B!X. Renny stares at her, then wryly says to make it tougher.
Fennel home: Wallace, Alicia, and Wallace's little brother, Darrell return home and walk into the kitchen. Jeremy is there, making dinner on their stove. Alicia tells him to leave, but he won't. Wallace wants to fight him but Alicia won't let him. She tells Jeremy that he can cook the dinner and she takes the boys out of the room.
Mars home: Wallace comes over to study, but he's upset about the tenant. Veronica offers for her dad to stop over to take care of things. Wallace says it's not necessary, but Keith says he'll stop by.
class: Veronica tells Meg that the this version of the purity test came from "Grind Girl" magazine and that Lizzie is the only person in school who subscribes to it. Mrs. Murphy sees Veronica talking and calls on her to share her position on the topic at hand. Dick says, "All fours!" Mrs. Murphy says she'll see Dick after class. Veronica says in her VO that Dick has made her list.
Fennel home: Keith talks to Alicia, telling her that Wallace mentioned the trouble they were having with their tenant. She is very rude to him, saying she'll take care of things and that he should worry about his own family. As Keith leaves, he reads the name "Jeremy Masterson" on the second mailbox.
Mars Investigations office: Veronica gets a call asking for Ellen White. The person is calling to set up a visitation with Abel Koontz. He will see her on Friday between two and four. Veronica writes necessary information down.
school: outside: Cole, Duncan, and Dick are making nasty comments about Meg. Lizzie tells Cole to stop talking about Meg. Veronica asks Lizzie where Meg is. Lizzie says she stayed home and that her parents have finally stopped telling her to be more like Meg.
Meg's room: Meg's garbage can is full of tissues, and she's under the covers. She says her dad was angry at first, wanting to sue the school. Then he flipped out when he found some letters from a guy she met in Spain who had a crush on her. Meg says that after everything else going on at school, it was too much for her. She asks Veronica how she can handle the way people talk about her. Veronica says it doesn't bother her. She tells Meg that you get tough and get even. Meg will go to school tomorrow and not take anything from anyone.
Fennel home: The Fennels come home to find the gas stove has been left on. Alicia and Darrell stay outside, while Wallace runs in to turn it off, making sure to keep his mouth covered with Alicia's sweater. She says that now they can go to the police.
outside: The Fennels talk to Deputy Sacks. He says he can't do anything. They need to get a lawyer and file an eviction notice. Alicia says that means in the best case scenario, Jeremy won't be out for 60 days. Sacks shrugs and Alicia thanks him, sarcastically, for his help.
Mars home: Wallace asks if he can spend the night. He tells Veronica that his house is being exterminated. Veronica asks Keith if he ever talked to Mrs. Fennel. Keith says she was taking care of it and he didn't want to overstep. Veronica says he always oversteps. Keith leaves to go to his office. Wallace tells Veronica that his mom thinks he's staying at Norman's house. Norman happens to be his imaginary friend. Veronica thinks Alicia would freak if she knew he was staying at a girl's house. Wallace says the workers at Kane Software have been telling Alicia how terrible the Mars family is. Veronica's VO says that sometimes it does bother her when people talk about her, depending on who is listening.
Mars Investigations office: Keith looks up information on Jeremy Masterson and discovers he has a record.
Fennel home: Jeremy comes into the Fennel's dark kitchen, and when he opens the refrigerator door, he is startled to see Keith sitting there. Keith tells him he's moving out and has until 6 A.M. to pack up. Jeremy says he's not going anywhere and shuts the fridge door.
Jeremy's room: Jeremy's alarm goes off at 6 A.M. As Jeremy rolls over, he is shocked to find Keith there. Keith tells Jeremy it's time for him to move out. He dares Jeremy to be nutty, saying he heard that's his thing. Keith demonstrates craziness to him. He barks and screams, shaking the bed. He tells Jeremy to pack up and move out and to never talk to the Fennels again.
porch outside: Keith sits on the porch, watching Jeremy leave.
Mars home: Wallace can't find his keys and Veronica is helping him look. Keith enters carrying bagels and tosses Wallace's keys to him. Veronica and Wallace look puzzled.
computer room: Mac is on the computer with Veronica looking over her shoulder. Mac comments that someone is getting rich off the purity test since some students have ordered dozens. Veronica asks her to email her some information, which Mac does. However, Veronica can't log into her account. Mac checks and says that someone else is currently logged in as her in the journalism room. They rush to the room, but the bell has already rung, and no one is there. However, Veronica sees that the screen is still up. She says her school email account doesn't have anything confidential in it. Unfortunately, she sees a message in her outbox to Duncan from herself. The message says that she still loves him and thinks about him constantly. It also says that she has VD and she hopes he didn't get it. Veronica is horrified but is distracted when someone sends an instant message, asking if the person is still there. Mac says that since the bell has rung the message-sender should know the person has left for their next class. Veronica agrees, unless the person is not at school. She sends an IM, asking for a password. The person replies, "Another one?" Veronica says she knows who it is and takes off. Mac is completely clueless.
Inspiration Rock Quarry: Veronica's VO says that only one person knows all of the passwords at Neptune High, and she followed him to the low-rent version of Lover's Lane. She runs up to a car, snapping several photos.
school hall: Veronica asks in her VO who would post the test for Meg. Her suspicions drift from Cole to Pam to Lizzie as each of them walks by. Kimmy then walks by and Veronica beckons for her to come over. She tells Kimmy that she followed the IT guy around and look what she found out. She shows some of the pictures to Kimmy and tells her she messed with the wrong person. Kimmy insists she didn't post Veronica's test, but that Pam did. Pam hates Veronica because Duncan is still hung up on her. Kimmy only posted Meg's test because Meg gets everything Kimmy wants: cheerleader, anchor job, the lead in the musical. Veronica smiles and thanks Kimmy as she opens her locker to reveal a video camera. Kimmy looks like she's going to be sick. Veronica asks her if Renny made the test in the first place. Kimmy says he doesn't know anything about it. Veronica walks away and Kimmy calls after her, asking what she's going to do with the tape.
classroom: Meg hands some tapes to a student before she goes on the air for announcements. She announces that the Pirates's lacrosse team is continuing in their winning streak and that another student has the story. The video that is shown, however, is the video that Veronica took of Kimmy's confession. Duncan raises his eyebrows when he hears Kimmy say that he's hung up on Veronica. After that, the video changes to the lacrosse game and report. Pam yells at Kimmy for confessing that Pam took Veronica's test and makes fun of her for being jealous of Meg. Kimmy runs out crying. Meg and everyone else stare at Pam, who doesn't seem sorry.
parking lot: Dick's car's hood is up. The car is smoking and Dick is on his cell phone. Veronica's VO says, "All fours, huh, Dick? You mess with the bull..." Mac drives by in a brand new Beetle and waves at Veronica. Veronica's VO continues, saying that only one person was smart enough to pull off the purity test, but she can't blame her. As she gets to her car, Meg comes over and thanks Veronica. Meg says that people have been apologizing to her all day, including Cole, although she doesn't care. Veronica says nobody has apologized to her. Meg tells her that's because they're scared of her. Veronica is happy with that. Meg says that getting tough was good advice and but Veronica might want to rethink getting even. Meg informs her that she does have friends and walks away. Duncan walks by, and Veronica gets his attention. She says that someone got her password and sent email messages to him. She tells him she doesn't have VD and never did, and she doesn't still love him. Duncan says he's not still hung up on her. Veronica says she didn't think he was. It's awkward, but then Duncan teases her, saying he keeps getting something on his lip and doesn't know who he could have gotten it from. Veronica smiles and playfully punches him. He laughs, gives her a little wave, and leaves.
Mars Investigations office: Alicia enters as Keith is pouring himself a cup of coffee. He sees her and pours one for her too. She thanks him for getting rid of Jeremy, even after she was so rude to him. She asks him if he knows what people say about him and he says he does. She chokes on the coffee and asks for sugar. He goes to get some.
prison: Veronica enters the prison, walking toward Abel Koontz. They talk about their hometown, since she is posing as an Ellen White. Abel asks her about the pear blossom festival and Veronica corrects him, saying it's the apple blossom festival and that yes, she'll be going in May. Veronica holds up the two photographs of the shoes, saying she found them online. She says it could prove that he didn't take the shoes the night of Lilly's murder and that he could possibly get a retrial. He says he doesn't want a retrial, prompting Veronica to say that someone planted the shoes on his houseboat. He never knew Lilly Kane, so why would he confess to killing her? Koontz asks what it will take for Keith Mars to let sleeping dogs lie. He very creepily asks Veronica if she wants to know how he bashed her friend's head in. He says he knows who she is and that he knew her mom when she used to visit the Kane office at lunch. He tells Veronica that she is dedicated, a trait she didn't inherit from her mom. Therefore, unfortunately, she is her father's daughter.
Veronica says her dad tried to save his life, but Abel tells her that he means her real father. He tells her to look in a mirror, saying she doesn't look anything like Keith but like the daughter of the king and queen of the prom. Veronica is shocked. Abel smiles, satisfied, and calls for the guard.
prison parking lot: Veronica sits in her car, stunned. She starts crying.
Closing Credits