3.02 "My Big Fat Greek Rush Week"
Aired Oct 10, 2006
Roundtable Reviews
Polter-Cow: I thought the episode seemed kind of...off, somehow. I had pretty high expectations for it from what I'd heard about it, and it didn't seem to have a whole lot of oomph. It was definitely more like a Veronica Mars episode than the premiere, though.
maribella: So far, season three is shaping up to be good, but not great. I was engaged in the episode, but I didn't leave thinking about the great twists or interesting resolutions. And it didn't give me the feeling of anticipation for the next episode that many of Season 1 did. Overall, a good, but not great, episode.
misskiwi: I definitely enjoyed this more than last week. Much stronger than the premiere, I think.
leila: I agree that it was stronger overall, but the different storylines didn't gel well (hee). Sometimes the transitions were jarring, like when they switched from a profile shot of Logan to a mirror one of Chip so quickly, it almost seemed as if they'd blended into the same frame. While it was fun to play spot the guest star (Shawn! Dee Vine! Neal! Homer!), I want the main characters to interact with each other more.
topanga: Allow me to disagree with people who didn't like this episode. Wow. I loved it. I like and respect shows that make characters walk a moral tightrope. This episode had all of Diane's trademark grayness. Good people do bad things that hurt people, sometimes unintentionally.
misskiwi: With you all the way. Diane rocks.
I loved the use of "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" in the background as Veronica walked into the Rush party — perfectly ironic and hilarious, much like the use of "That's Amore" in "Hot Dogs," though not quite as twisted. I was also struck by the fact that while VMVO gagged at the sorority making them dress up like "a '50s vacuum ad," Veronica's outfit actually reminded me of some of the outfits she used to wear pre-Lilly's murder. Mmm, taste the irony.
Was I the only one reminded of "Drinking the Kool-Aid"? Only this time, Veronica wasn't able to pull it out of the fire before somebody got hurt. It's nice to see her taken down a peg once in a while and be reminded that she's not always smarter than everyone.
topanga: You're right, misskiwi. But Veronica Mars is still smarter than me.
maribella: There were lots of similarities between the two episodes even beyond just the resolutions. Veronica goes into the Collective with VMVOs like "Forbidden barn? Check. Implied polygamy? Check. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a cult." In this episode, it's "Boys, Booze, [panty-dropper]...Jackpot!" Both times we see Veronica's misconceptions and stereotypes about the places and how they blind her to the truth. I also think it's interesting and a bit funny that in "Drinking the Kool-Aid" Veronica was expecting and hoping to find marijuana at the Mooncalf Collective, but actually finding it at the sorority house ended up being the reason she decided that they were not so bad after all.
fulfilled: It's interesting that both the sorority and the "cult" offered a sense of community and belonging, and even though Veronica went in with her own prejudices, she found people who would accept her. In both cases, not only did she hurt them, but she also alienated herself from a community of people who had the potential to care about her, had she allowed them to. It's ironic, too, that by exposing the sorority and isolating herself from that community, she also isolated herself from the newspaper and the sense of belonging that she could have found there.
Polter-Cow: I totally agree, fulfilled. I loved that Veronica got pwned hardcore. She was only trying to do what she thought was right, but she, as usual, was blinded by her preconceived notions of What People Like This Are Like. And by the time she realized she was wrong, it was too late, as the ostensible "good guy" ended up taking advantage of the situation for her own personal vendetta.
topanga: Veronica's realization that her great detective skills would lead to the downfall of someone who didn't deserve it? I felt her pain and her guilt. But the party scene with a fake-drunk Veronica was hilarious. Her dancing was the bomb — she and Dick should go out clubbing. They'd have a ball.
misskiwi: Dick and Veronica, clubbing? BARF. Changing the subject to retain my lunch: holy cow, I got my wish! Sure, it was a dark and twisted wish, but I really, really wanted to see Parker get mad at Veronica and Mac and for them to feel guilty about what happened to her. I always wanted to see some fallout from Veronica's rape but we never even got close — she dated Duncan without so much as a mention of the fiasco of Shelly's party — so I'm both surprised and thrilled that we actually got some emotional reckoning.
This also explains why Veronica and Mac were being borderline bitchy last week — it's kind of hard to knock somebody off their high horse if they're not on a high horse in the first place.
topanga: I agree, misskiwi. I loved that Parker's rape rekindled memories of Veronica's own rape — even down to Lamb's reaction. Which was very mean but typical of Lamb. Parker's outburst and Veronica's guilt at having witnessed the rape were priceless.
misskiwi: Is Veronica's rape common knowledge? I mean, obviously Lamb still thinks she was lying, but I'd really like to see her admit it to Mac — not that Mac needs yet another reason to be revolted by how evil Cassidy was — and definitely Parker. Speaking of whom, I loved Parker's performance in this episode — what a 180 from the ditzy bitch she was last week. Very moving.
Polter-Cow: It was definitely a different side of Parker, obviously. I was a little confused, though, about how Parker went from "Veronica wasn't sure whether the sex I was having was consensual" to "Veronica thought I was the SLUT OF THE WORLD!"
fulfilled: I really bought that leap in her logic, Polter-Cow. Parker wasn't thinking rationally at all, and felt guilty as well as violated, which easily leads to seeing accusations in everything that's said by anyone else, no matter how seemingly innocent.
maribella: I, too, was a little suprised at Parker's outburst at Veronica. Really, Veronica was trying to be polite. If it had been consensual (and she had no reason to expect it wasn't, even if Mac hadn't made her out to be a floozy), and she had turned on the lights or interrupted, anyone would have been mad. However, fulfilled, thinking about it after the fact, I think that you are right in that it was just a believeable reaction after a traumatic experience. Parker will probably even apologize to Veronica in a future episode.
misskiwi: Parker was roofied, raped, and had her head shaved. I think applying the word "logic" to any of her statements or reactions is taking it too far. She's in shock and traumatized and, being that we know she's a bit of a bitch, her striking out at someone who she perceives is even partially to blame makes sense. Who else is she going to blame? Blaming herself would be pretty traumatic from where's she standing.
maribella: I think Parker's interaction with her mom and Mac was interesting as well. She and Mac are an unlikely pair, but I think their friendship will be interesting to watch as it develops.
topanga: The actress had an opportunity to give the character some depth. Mac seemed like an accessory character at times, but I liked her opening scene with Veronica and the way she comforted Parker at the end of the episode. Although that scene threw me. All of your stuff is packed up in the car, and you're telling your roommate goodbye, but when she's telling you to stay, you say "okay" without a second thought?
fulfilled: I thought she just needed someone to validate the choice she wanted to make. I felt terrible for her, having to tell her parents — or, even if someone else told them, having to face their reactions. Between Veronica's assumption that it was consensual (an unintentional put-down on Veronica's part) and her parents' "I told you so!" attitude about leaving home (very intentionally manipulative and taking advantage of the situation), I think that Parker just needed someone to tell her that she could stand up to both her parents' preconceived ideas about her and the potential backlash at school, and to reassure her that not everyone thinks she's as weak and spineless as she thinks they do. It'll be interesting, though, to see how the dynamic between Veronica and Parker develops, and whether that puts Mac in the middle at all.
Polter-Cow: We've already begun to make progress on the major mystery, too. Veronica suspected Moe, which means Moe isn't the rapist. But I wonder whether Rob realizes that we've gotten wise to his methods. Two years in a row now, the villain is someone that Veronica never suspects. In fact, that's how a lot of people picked Beaver. Because they realized that there were arrows pointing every which way, but nothing was pointing to him. So, again, this time we'll be dismissing anyone Veronica suspects because they're always red herrings, and we'll start accusing people who seem vaguely suspicious but have never actually been suspected on the show. A double-back twist, then, where Veronica suspects someone and writes him off only to discover she'd been right in the first place would be even more surprising because it would buck the mystery resolution trend. Still...I hope Moe isn't the rapist. He's amusing.
misskiwi: I totally agree on the double-fakeout idea, and I remain suspicious of Moe for three reasons. One, he's got easy access to victims as both an R.A. and a safe cart driver; two, he participated in the prison/guard experiment and who knows what that did to his psyche, especially considering how creepy and weird he was about it; and three, maybe the setting-the-clock-forward trick was foreshadowing and Moe somehow did that to fake his alibi. That being said, he's almost too obvious a suspect, and his participation in the sociology experiment could have just been a convenient way to squeeze in a wide range of exposition into a single scene.
maribella: Upon rewatch, I don't think Moe's reaction to the Prison Experiment is a throwaway line either. It's just too creepy they way he says it and the way that they kept the shot on him. "Life-changing", indeed. Perhaps he was a prisoner in the experiment and he got really badly harassed? I'm not sure how it will fit in, but I'm betting it will.
misskiwi: Yeah, that's my thinking too. Something really bad happened in a previous Prisoner/Guard experiment — not necessarily to Moe, though. Maybe the real rapist was also in the experiment and Moe's line here is just an early line-drop for the eventual reveal.
Polter-Cow: And I'm really getting suspicious of those Take Back the Night girls. I would not put it past them at all to be lying about some of the rape victims in order to fuel the fire. I'm not sure I'd put it past them to be orchestrating the rapes in order to get the Greek system shut down. And I think that would be such a twisted resolution that I wouldn't mind if it followed the established trend. Although, really, I think Veronica should be a bit suspicious of them too. They're so gung-ho on their "The Greeks are evil!" bent. She's got to at least entertain the thought.
topanga: Hmm. That's a good thought, Polter-Cow. That newspaper editor was very close with the Take Back the Night girls. What was up with her? She was so excited about outing this sorority. Maybe she tried to get into a sorority in college but got rejected, so now she's bitter.
Did anyone else feel she had a crush on Veronica?
misskiwi: She can join the club. One other thought on the rapes: this might be just an ease-of-storytelling issue, but don't any of these victims get examined by, oh, I don't know...a doctor? Maybe have a rape kit taken, so they can (a) prove there's actual rape involved (who knows, maybe it is a woman who's merely making the girls think they were raped) and (b) have DNA evidence to nail the bastard later? It's possible they just don't have the money to shoot hospital scenes or something, but they could throw us a bone in the dialogue or have Parker escorted to the hospital by a cop or something. I've watched CSI, Thomas: I know how this goes.
topanga: Yeah, Rob, and where's Weevil? Who knew Weevil's hilarious line from "An Echolls Family Christmas" would prove to be prophetic? He's probably in jail, but his name is still in the credits.I miss his Maybelline lashes. (If he's in the previews for next week's episode, PLEASE DON'T TELL ME. SPOILERWHORES MUST DIE!!!!!!!!!).
misskiwi: Dude, you must chill. Francis is probably only in a given number of episodes, so I bet they're biding their time bringing him on board. And remember — as far as we know, Weevil's in jail for Thumper's murder, so it's not like there's any reason for him to be involved in any of the ongoing plots at this point.
topanga: Diane must really like Wallace being the moral center of the show. In the episodes she's written, Wallace was willing not to play in a big basketball game for the sake of a parrot in "Betty and Veronica," he was Veronica's shoulder to cry on in "A Trip To the Dentist,", and this week, he got the prisoners to crack without doing anything mean or immoral. And I must say, Percy is looking especially cute this season. Of course, he had me at "flagpole."
misskiwi: Was I the only one who saw the clock trick coming? Props to Wallace, though, because it was clever, as was Logan's planting false information with the one most likely to crack. How did Wallace know that the "prisoners" would try and break out, though? Seems like kind of a random thing.
fulfilled: Or was Wallace just taking advantage of the situation? There were a number of things that the fake sleeping could have lead to — the prisoners could have talked about the address, or the false-information conversation could have happened there, or any number of other things. I think that Wallace just took advantage of the situation when it presented itself.
misskiwi: See, that's what I would think, too, but the professor made it sound like the prisoners escaping was part of the "fake sleeping" plan.
fulfilled: Maybe the guards told the professor that they planned it, so they'd look smarter.
leila: They fooled me with the clock thing, although I knew it was a trap right when Logan did it. They even fooled me with the address switcheroo. I was like, Why is Logan being so friendly? Prison must really be getting to him. I think his compassion for Horshack was genuine, though, and it was nice to see. He never would've given him a second glance in high school. I hope we see more of the sociology class, if for nothing more than to see how many Homer-isms the writers can sneak in. Plus, Logan/Wallace bonding can never be bad in my book.
topanga: I, too, was fooled by the clock change. Throughout the experiment, I kept waiting for Wallace to lose it and do something inhumane to the prisoners, but good ol' Wallace never did.
misskiwi: I kept waiting for Wallace to start wailing on the jackass guard, but instead he just used him to outsmart the others.
maribella: I was a little thrown by the friendship of Wallace and Logan. I mean, I know they bonded during the physics experiment in Season 2, but I didn't get the feeling that they were that close otherwise. Though I suppose with Veronica and Logan dating again, they must have hung out and bonded over the summer. It's an interesting friendship, and not one we would have expected to see from Logan in, say, Season 1. The fact that he can hang out with a non-09er like Wallace shows a new side to his ever-evolving personality.
misskiwi: Also shown: the side of Logan's personality that makes him not raise his hand at the question "How many of you think, 'I would never do that to another human being.'" Twisted.
fulfilled: I agree, misskiwi, but I kind of enjoyed the moment where he decided not to raise his hand — it looked as though he was debating raising it so he wouldn't stand out in the class or not raising it because he couldn't honestly say that he wouldn't do it. It's an interesting callback to his abusive home life, I think. If a father — the person who, ideally, is supposed to be protective and caring — can be so cruel to his son, his son's girlfriend, his daughter's boyfriend, his wife...it stands to reason that Logan's thought is probably along the lines of, "Who wouldn't do something like that, if provoked?" I didn't see it as a "Mwahahaha, Logan's so evil!" moment, but as a realization that he probably knows a lot more about cruelty and what sets it off than many of the others in the class. And also, he's probably the least likely to go along with a popular opinion just because everyone else's hand is raised.
topanga: At the risk of superficiality, I can't stop thinking, "Yes, I like Piña Coladas and getting caught in the rain." Classic Logan. It was awesome.
misskiwi: Damn, I'm going to have that song stuck in my head all week.
Polter-Cow: Definitely classic Logan. I was actually fooled at first because I thought he might give up the info just because he was tired of the stupid game and wanted to go home. But the opportunity not to write a paper is a strong motivator!
misskiwi: And while there are a number of movies he could rip off for this particular essay, it might not be quite as easy to get away with it in college as back in high school when he purloined Easy Rider to win that essay contest.
I found Keith's subplot a lot more engaging this week than last week. I loved the trap he set for Cormac and the way he used Vinnie's pen to his advantage — it seems stupid of him to take something that he thought might let Liam find him, but maybe he assumed Cormac would follow him?
maribella: I'm not sure that he took it on purpose. In his realization of what it was and his hurry to escape the house and an armed Cormac, he may have just kept a hold on it unintentionally. And when he found the trap, he saw an oportunity to get Cormac, Liam, or both off his trail.
misskiwi: I also liked seeing him finally break down when he saw Veronica. We've seen Keith vulnerable before, and we've seen him screw up before, but we've never seen him screw up quite this bad, and it was a nice dimension to the character. Although I think "someone got hurt" is a light way of putting it, considering Kendall got shot DEAD. Or at least, so we're led to assume.
topanga: Keith's realization that he was responsible for Kendall's death and his subsequent guilt were played perfectly. Good job, Enrico. I loved the scene with him and Veronica at home, comforting each other. It felt very authentic, especially when it took Veronica a few tries to find the perfect way to hold Keith's hand.
leila: I wonder if this will affect Keith and Veronica's relationship in the long term. Veronica is a bit of a daddy's girl; she stood by him although it cost her that "normal" life she so desired. Maybe this patent proof of his fallibility will allow her to see him as more of a man than a superhero. Not that I want them to grow apart by any means, but I think it would help Veronica grow up. She still has a tendency to view people as black/white; maybe recognizing the faults in her father will enable her to accept and forgive them in others more easily.
In another vein, was I the only one cowering behind a pillow when Liam confronted Cormac? I'm not even sure if he shot him because I was shrieking so loudly. Liam is batshit crazy, and I'm worried for Keith.
Polter-Cow: I squirmed when Liam stepped on Cormac's wound. And then it was scary when his face filled the screen: "Dónde está MY MONEY?" I love Liam. He's so damn menacing. Well played, Rod Rowland.
topanga: Word. This is the same dude who almost gave Veronica a Lucky Charms tattoo in "Ahoy, Mateys!" I'd run from him, too.
misskiwi: And I'm just twisted, because my reaction to the trapping of Cormac and him getting subsequently cornered by Liam was "AHAHAHA, you go, Keith!" Apparently I wouldn't have raised my hand in the sociology class, either.
topanga: misskiwi is EEEVVVIIILLL!!!!!!