3.01 "Welcome Wagon"
Aired Oct 03, 2006
Speculation
Welcome to our first MarsInvestigations.net Mystery speculation! Please have a seat, grab a drink, and watch us dig out the clues for the mysteries of Season 3 — it's way more comfortable than untangling them yourself.
And now meet our hosts, Inigo "You killed my father prepare to die!" Montoya and grim "Is that my scythe you're sitting on?" squeaker!
grim squeaker: So, spec?
Inigo: Okay. And I'll get coffee.
grim squeaker: Yay. Sounds good.
Victims
grim squeaker: So, what do we have? Serial rapist, likes to humiliate victims by cutting off their hair. Likes to totally control them, thus drugs them. From the two victims we know - Parker and Stacy - seems to target self-confident, outgoing, party-loving girls who might not be that picky with their male (?) company, and could maliciously be called "easy."
Inigo: Well, there was Dawn too, who didn't seem to be the same type as Stacy and Parker, although we didn't know that much about her pre-rape personality. She seemed subdued to me, but that could be as a result of the rape.
Inigo: There's also the girl at the rally, who certainly didn't come across as shy or retiring.
grim squeaker: So the victims we have: Dawn, Stacy, Rally Girl, Parker.
Fraternities and social conflict at Hearst
Inigo: Is it one rapist? Certainly, from RoG, the suggestion was that it could be a fraternity.
grim squeaker: I think the fraternity link was a red herring because of the hair stuff. That somehow pushes it beyond ignorant fratboys, which is why I don't think Dick is the serial rapist, too.
Inigo: I think that fraternity [in RoG] was, but I don't think the general idea can be dismissed - that it's an institutional thing.
Inigo: In other words, I think RoG opened up the possibility that it could be the actions of more than one person, although I think you're right, it's likely to be one person.
grim squeaker: I think the institutional aspect will come in with the way this is handled, but they might ultimately shy away from any direct corporate criticism.
Inigo: Although the Dean of Student Affairs acted quite quickly on the fraternity.
grim squeaker: And I'm not sure how much we can take what RoG told us for granted, given that they try to not refer back to previous seasons so much. On the other hand, they did bring up the fraternities again - which makes me again believe that it is a red herring.
Inigo: I doubt we'll lose the fundamental social divide, it's focus will simply change from 09ers vs. 02ers to fraternity/sorority vs. independents. There's still the rich vs. poor element there, being as fraternities are frequently socially inclusive.
Dick - Major suspect or just a dick?
grim squeaker: About Dick - my current hypothesis is that he has done something - I think it would be too much of a rehash of the Logan situation in Season Two if he was completely innocent - but that he is not the rapist.
Inigo: I don't believe for a moment that Dick has done anything connected to the rapes, although I'm curious as to his motivation for his display at the rally. That smacked of some sort of initiation, which brings up back to the fraternities.
grim squeaker: Yes, I agree, but I do think there is something going on with him. I wonder if "I have done something stupid" really has substance, or if it was just a cliffhanger to set him up as a suspect.
Inigo: Well, we saw that Dick was working hard to be obnoxious and had clearly succeeded in getting thrown out of university accommodation. To be honest, I didn't immediately think he was telling Logan that he had done one "bad" thing. I thought he was referring to have gone so far down the jackass route that he suddenly found himself friendless and alone. I thought that in context, not as a faux-cliffhanger.
grim squeaker: Oh heaven help me, introspective Dick. Yeah, it's possible. My interpretation was that he actually had done something, but to be honest, my paranoia detector is all over this thing.
Inigo: Dick is a dickwad, always will be. But he doesn't have the cushioning he had before and I think he's just come to realise that and what it means.
We know he's certainly capable of rape and of feeling no remorse. So we can't dismiss him. Also, I think one purpose of the juvenile delinquents was to establish how easily non-college students could access the campus. Thus Dick could have easily been responsible for the earlier rapes.
The hair detail - psychological clue or stinking red herring?
grim squeaker: But what about the hair? Dick is capable of rape, and drugging someone who is not willing, but why the hair stuff?
Inigo: We don't have enough on the hair to comment, I don't think. We could use our TV-gained knowledge of motivations and serial rapists on what deep psychological meaning the hair has, but wouldn't it just be guess work?
grim squeaker: Yes and no.
I do think it is an important aspect, and I do think it points to someone with psychological issues instead of merely fratboys out to have fun. Yes, that's TV show psychology, but this is a TV show, so going from this angle has merit. Think about it.
Inigo: True. The hair is presumably a trophy of some significance. But the frat boys had their trophies too, so I don't think it automatically excludes collective action.
grim squeaker: I'd say that the hair itself isn't that important, it's the act of cutting it off, of humiliating the girl. Of making her ugly, dressing her down. Taking away her strength (think of Samson - yes, I know that's a dude, but stay with me here.).
Suspect round-up
Inigo: Okay, we have people outside the college vs. people within the college, hair as decoy vs. hair as pychological need, single person vs. collective effort. Within the college, we have Tim, Prof Landry (or something like that), Geeky RA, Dick (who's a within/without on the timing). We also have the band members of Undefeated or Unwashed or whatever they were called, as Parker seemed to hook up with the band the night before (or a few nights before).
We have Sigma Squared Pi or any of the fraternities.
grim squeaker: Unwashed, together with Perturbed, I think. Professor Landry is correct. I wouldn't leave out Piz, and let's wait if the old fraternity really comes back before making them suspects.
Let's just say: Fraternities.
Inigo: Okay, and yes, Piz is in the same category as Dick. Logan too, I suppose but I doubt they'll go there again. Outside, we have Lamb (power issues) and Sacks and any of the worthies and unworthies of Neptune, as anyone can walk into the campus.
What about the drugs?
Inigo: Any significance in the college radio station playing during the rape?
grim squeaker: Time of rape?
Inigo: How does the rapist get the drugs?
grim squeaker: I'm not sure if how they got the drug is really important, as it seems fairly easy for anyone to get drugs in Neptune.What kind of drugs were they?
Inigo: Lamb said roofies.
grim squeaker: So, generic drug, available on every street corner in Neptune.
Inigo: True, but it's worth thinking about as it could provide a clue. Also, how is it administered?
Inigo: We know from Stacy that she must have ingested the roofies at the party, before she hooked up with Troy.
grim squeaker: I think roofies work rather fast.
Inigo: But Troy didn't notice anything.
"I was the last thing that Stacy remembered before she passed out. Everyone saw us go upstairs together. "
grim squeaker: Yes, but if someone spiked her drink at the party - which would point to a student - or if someone spiked something she ate/drank before that, and it takes a few hours to work, that might be right about time.
I think this discussion has more merit once we've actually heard what Parker has to say. I hesitate using RoG as a starting point.
Inigo: Okay.
grim squeaker: It gives us much more evidence to sample, too.
Inigo: Yes. I assume Veronica will get around to interviewing Stacy, Dawn and rally girl at some point too. And find others who hid it, as Dawn initially did.
Even more suspects
grim squeaker: Yes. Would you describe Professor Landry as "smarmy?"
Inigo: I don't think he was smarmy. Yet. He came across as friendly, I thought. I found him fairly neutral at this stage.
grim squeaker: Maybe I'm just unconsciously reacting to something, then.
Inigo: I thought he recognised Veronica's name and was quite impressed by her, but was holding back his amusement to save the face of his TA. But, he is top of my list at the mo for reasons I can't really say.
grim squeaker: Maybe it is the same thing after all.
Inigo: Maybe.
grim squeaker: Which bothers us I mean. It might just translate differently.
Inigo: For me, I think it's more about him being the most unlikely, therefore he's likely. I don't think I consciously took anything from what he did or said in that scene.
Inigo: And I'm going off the idea. The rapist attacks the girls in their dorm rooms. I think a college prof wandering around the dorms would be too noticable.
Inigo: I think it has to be someone who would blend in more easily.
grim squeaker: For me, it was his demeanour, the fact that he is sexually attractive to female students, the fact that he might possibly be a mentor-type figure to Veronica.
Inigo: Yes, those are all reasons for me too, but as I say, I'm starting to have practical objections. But I think he'll be a main suspect.
The RA is the one with the best opportunity. Anywhere he's seen, he'd be part of the environment. He has the added authority giving him access to keys and stuff. if I had to bet now, I'd go with the RA. He's best placed. He's well placed to access drugs, having an overview of what goes on with all the students. His naming of his tea shows a specific type that could be the sort to collect hair. The geekiness, and being labeled as such could induce the rage and need to prove he has power over women, who otherwise dismiss him as a weed. And I saw another little hint: When Veronica goes to Mac's room the first time and knocks on the door, she is struck by the contrast between Parker's whiteboard and Mac's simple label. On Parkers whiteboard, someone has written "What the frak."
grim squeaker: Ooh. Nice.
That leaves us with Timmy the Assistant as another candidate, because he would be right between them. Less opportunity than the RA, less conspicious in a dorm room setting than the prof.
Inigo: The antipathy between Tim and Veronica lets him off the hook in my mind.
Although again, another suspect.
So, done on "Who is the Hearst rapist?" for now?
grim squeaker: Done.
More after episode 2.
So, what's with Keith and Cormac and Kendall and Vinnie and Liam and the friggin' briefcase?
Inigo: Let's move on to the Fitzpatricks. Can we clarify what we think actually happened?
grim squeaker: What I think happened is that Keith needed some plot, and that's why he spend so much time bunking with Cormac in a car. Yikes, that sounded much more hoyay-ish then I anticipated.
No, this is what I think happened:
Kendall came to Keith and told him about her problems with Liam. Liam knew that she had come into Beaver's money and wanted a share. He threatened her. Meanwhile, Cormac was close to getting out. Keith agreed to help Kendall and collect Cormac. That he did. Cue to long, pointless scenes in a car with Cormie and Keithie. Then the car broke down, Keith took a nap and Cormac took the opportunity to take the gun. Then they arrived in Kendall's hideout. Why Cormac didn't shoot Keith then and there is beyond me, but hey, what is logic to a Fitzpatrick? Oh, and Vinnie's visit to Keith in the beginning was about bugging his briefcase, which probably means they'll either get trouble with Liam - if Vincent was really working for him - or Vinnie is going to ride to the rescue.
Oh, and Cormac shot Kendall because he is greedy. If he shot her at all, since we didn't see her corpse.
Inigo: Okay. I'd fill in that Keith spirited Kendall away for three/four months to get her away from Liam. Keith was the only one who knew where she was. Roll forward and Cormac has winged Keith, who's coatless and hurt, expecting him to die in the desert.
grim squeaker: Yep.
Inigo: So, lots of questions, like why kill Keith at all. Why not let Keith leave, then kill Kendall? I suppose that it was because Keith would know. But, that still doesn't make sense. Kendall had the money in cash. Keith would never know that Cormac killed Kendall and disappeared with the money.
grim squeaker: So, what's in the briefcase? I assume it was money, but it was never really clarified, was it? And you are right, about the lacking necessity of killing Keith. Methinks Cormac is an idiot.
Inigo: But Kendall having the money in cash is all that makes any sense. Otherwise, on her death the money goes to Big Dick. I thought there was a line about the money being in the briefcase.
grim squeaker: Right, but it was never said, was it. We can assume that the money is in the briefcase, but we don't know for sure.
Inigo: I suppose we can assume that she got the cash somehow, as being in hiding, she'd need to have it with her.
So, she sells Phoenix Land Trust, walks away with the money into hiding with Keith's help. She has Keith (?) liase with Cormac to reunite them.
grim squeaker: Yes.
Inigo: Vinnie bugs Keith, and who else could he be working for but Liam (or Cormac).
grim squeaker: Why should he work for Cormac, that wouldn't make sense. Cormac wouldn't need to tag Keith because he's with him. Liam makes sense, because Keith would lead him to Kendall and Cormac.
Inigo: He would if he wants to be collected.
grim squeaker: Why would he want to? He could just take Keith's car and drive away, couldn't he? Besides, there is that curious modern invention called the phone...
Inigo: If Cormac planned to kill Keith and Kendall, he might need Keith's car to stay at the scene, organising some "Keith killed Kendall killed Keith scenario." No, we already know there's not phone reception in the desert. And they have no idea where Keith hid her.
They can't rely on being able to phone.
grim squeaker: But why would he have to organize a scenario if no one except him knows they are even there?
Inigo: What Cormac knows is only when he is being released and that Keith is picking him up. We could have Cormac and Kendall working together, scamming Keith for reason(s) unknown. Certainly, Kendall has no reason to love Keith. We could have Cormac and Liam working together to take Kendall's money. Within either scenario, we could have double-crosses going on.
grim squeaker: Yes, both are certainly possible.
Inigo: Right now, I can't make sense of any of it. And I agree that the jury's out on whether Kendall's actually dead.
grim squeaker: I think this one is really more wait and see.
Inigo: That Keith was deliberately made a witness to the event makes me lean towards her not being dead, but he could just as easily be being set up as a patsy.
There has to be a lot of staging going on there. Nothing else really makes sense.
grim squeaker: In the end, it will probably turn out that Kendall didn't want to share the money after all.