This Must Be a Real Kafkaesque Experience For You

Episode 3.6: Hi, Infidelity. Original Airdate 11.07.06

"Veronica is accused of plagiarizing her paper for Professor Landry's criminology class. In trying to clear herself, she discovers that her mentor is not who she thought he was. Wallace is pardoned by Dean O'Dell for cheating on his exam, but makes a decision that could affect his college career. Piz invites Veronica to a night of bowling and she decides to bring Logan and Parker, unaware Piz wanted the evening to be more of a date."

Zelda's Thoughts:

• Wow, Dean O’Dell is expelling Claire for lying about knowing the guy in the ATM photo, EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS STILL QUITE OBVIOUSLY RAPED WHAT THE FUCK
• Now they’re implying the rapes were all faked? What the damn hell
• I miss Principal Clemmons
• Dang, Prof Landry brushes off Tim Foyle to take V to lunch and offer to mentor her. Gosh, I wonder if this rivalry will come to anything.
• And Harmony’s asking Keith out on a date
• Ugh, V’s being framed for plagiarizing her paper.
• “You think it’s me? You think I’m trying to get you out of Landry’s class because I don’t like you?” “Wait, you don’t like me?”
• Oh Piz still exists.
• Wallace, amazingly, was given the out of dropping the class he cheated in, without further punishment. I mean, there’s further punishment in terms of he’d also have to change his major, but no double-weighted zero, no note in his record, revocation of scholarship, or penalty in his athletics arena.
• Meanwhile Claire got expelled.
• Let's sit with that.
• “Do you have any idea who I am?” // “I don't, and I don’t care” *slips his test in the middle of the pile so it can no longer be invalidated*
• Now the excuse for NO MAC AGAIN is “Mac’s had this project all week” WHERE THE HELL IS MY BEST FRIEND MAC
• “Look if you don’t wanna go because you’d rather see me fed to bears …”
• NO KEITH NO
• Dean O’Dell doesn’t lock his office door. He was clearly not warned by Clemmons.
• And is the least suspicious person ever apparently, because he believes V’s clearly bogus excuse about losing an earring.
• Wallace is staying in class and taking the 0. That’s good but I’m still kind of amazed neither he nor Veronica were threatened with worse for what looks like blatant cheating.
• Piz has a bowling shirt, which is kind of adorable.
• “When did crappy old shirts with stupid stuff on them become cool?” It’s like Keith never watched an episode of Buffy.
• Keith remains in denial about dating a married lady, and V is calling him out.
• Tina is my new favorite. “This isn’t illegal, is it?” Logan/V: look caught. “No, I’m just kidding, hold on.” 

My new best friend since Mac is missing

• Also the summary above is wrong. Piz wanted Wallace there so it specifically wouldn’t look like a date, and now everything is awkward.
• But Parker is really kind of sweet, and I’m glad she’s having fun smack talking everyone in bowling.
• And shoutout to Horshack and Rafe, who both got caught cheating in class … together. Omg are they in cheating love? Is that why he didn’t hold his shitty behavior during the prison experiment together?
• Poor Wallace. His athletic career vying with his mechanical engineering academic career.
• Ew Mercer introducing himself slimily to Parker as if he didn’t rape her and shave her head.
• OMG AND PARKER’S HAVING A MEMORY. She remembers his cologne.
• I forgot that they clued him as the rapist so early, but of course it’s a classic move. Point right at the baddie, then do something to make them seem clear of the crime (in this case, I think he at some point seems alibied out because of his radio show but it was a pre-record?)
• And Lamb shows some actual police competency by connecting the fact that Mercer’s cash box had some vials of date rape drugs in it.
• Wallace is taking a semester off from basketball to focus on academics … and magically gets to keep his scholarship. I don’t properly understand how all this works.
• Gasp Mrs. O’Dell is having a fling with Prof Landry … who posted her paper, framing her for plagiarism. The hell.
• And Keith can no longer fool himself. Harmony got a room in the hotel and is asking Keith to come upstairs with her.
• Keith just got T-boned and both Daniel and I completely forgot that plot development because we gasped in terror.
• But I guess this is what helps him decide that he’d rather have an affair with Harmony than count that what-if as a regret? Slash adrenaline from having survived an almost-death.
• Oh right, Landry didn’t frame Veronica. Tim Foyle did it, but wanted Veronica to follow the breadcrumbs to find Landry and Mrs. O’Dell in the hotel. His mentor has abandoned him, his idol has fallen, and he wants to make sure hers does too.
• Oooh Tim Foyle is also investigating the serial rapist.
• V is making a habit of lunching with faculty. Dean O’Dell just asked her to sit down with him.
• His enjoyment of the burger makes the second stupid secret he’s asked her not to tell his wife. Random and dumb.
• And an emotional Logan begs Veronica to help clear Mercer, because he can alibi him out for the summer rape … an alibi he won’t tell Veronica. I forget how that all sorts, since … you know … we know the truth.
• Wait, was there a tag team, Scream-style? Did Mercer have an accomplice?

Daniel's Thoughts:

• I really hate that fake rape charges so often happen on TV – it’s so rare in real life, but you’d never know it when you watch TV and movies.  It’s perpetuated this fear among men today – and has made things worse for women.
• Also I’m getting really sick of these women constantly laying suspicious on Veronica as if she’s not on their side.
• And now it’s Wallace’s turn to meet the Dean.   I wonder if Veronica knows.
• Veronica talks about text messages as if it’s a new-fangled fad.
• Ok, more plagiarism talk.  I guess this is a big thing in schools. [Super very yes. - Z, the daughter of two professors]
• Oh hey, it’s Piz – he’s a…main character?
• It’s nice to know Wallace still plays basketball and is still a rockstar.
• Jeff Ratner, douchie college guy, to Veronica: Deal with it.  THOSE ARE YOUR FAMOUS LAST WORDS.

"Deal with it"

Read: "Oh I will, Dumbass"

• Logan’s sociology teacher is also a douche.  So many douches in an episode.
• Every time I see Mercer Hayes, I ask Zelda if we’ve met him before.  Apparently he’s been in a million episodes. (See crossfire below)
• “I think I just ate something’s beak” – Parker
• Oh hey, Keith and Harmony are having an emotion affair.
• Veronica’s breaking in to Dean O’Dell’s office….no security?  Seems unlikely, but OK.  And…the door is open – because…the Dean is still there.  Shit.
• She gives a totally lame excuse.  You know.  I was a good kid – I think because I remember trying to come with excuses if I got caught in advance and I could never come up with something I thought was believable.  But, also, I was just a good kid.
• Veronica has enough to prove she’s innocent but she still wants to nail the person who did it.  That’s why we love Veronica.
• “It’s not a date.  We saw a movie, had a drink and talked” “Which is a date.”
• “This isn’t illegal is it?  No, I’m just kidding, go on.” – I love this girl.
• I love insecure Veronica “girlfriend, Veronica” – but I love that Logan is just as insecure.
• And now Parker meets Piz.  Cool.
• Piz has really cool early 2000s hair.  Just sayin’ [So pretty, so shiny. - Z]
• Oh look,  the main suspect is the guy who told Veronica to DEAL WITH IT.  OH SHE’S DEALT WITH IT ALL RIGHT.
• OH NO WALLACE IS LATE FOR HIS TEST.  RUN WALLACE RUN.  Oh. He’s just late for basketball practice.  That’s okay.
• Poor Piz, he’s love-smitten with Veronica.
• After all that studying– Wallace only gets a D on his next test.
• Veronica has never been more uncomfortable than she is when setting up two friends.
• Mercer introduces himself to Parker and now they I know who he is…it’s so gross.
• She finds clippers in Mercer’s dorm room but a lot of guys have that.
• Wow is Lamb actually working with Veronica?
• Wallace drops basketball for a season putting his scholarship in jeopardy which is all noble and stuff but the Coach is cool and tells him to keep his scholarship – also very noble but…  Is that…kosher?  I mean it’s nice and all but the basis of his scholarship is to play basketball…so…shrug. 
• Wow, so…professor Landry was setting Veronica up? Why?  To prove she’s good at Criminal Investigation?
• Again, Laura SG is so good here.  I like this story line, it’s atypical of your usual affair story line.  And Keith takes the moral highground which is great, but also kinda sad…and on his way home, he gets into a car accident….which is also really interesting because it makes him think he doesn’t want to give up a potential love.
• TA doucheface used Veronica to get back at his professor.  Smart, though.
• Heh, Veronica set up Ratner – which, oops.  But he did tell her to DEAL WITH IT.
• So Logan tells Veronica that Mercer (I know who he is now) – but he can’t tell her why because …of course they were probably doing something illegal at the time.

Crossfire!

D: Who is that?

Z: Really?

D: Do we know him?

Z: Yeah.

D: Have we seen him before?

Z: Yeah.

D: Has he been in 30 episodes?

Z: Yeah.

D: Is he the rapist?
Z: Yeah.

D: What’s his name?

Z: Mercer Hayes.

D: And we’ve seen him before?

Z: Yeah.

D: See, that’s why he’s the perfect suspect, because I have no idea who he is every time I see him.

Z: That’s me with Chip Diller. I know we’ve met him but he’s a blank.

D: Who’s Chip Diller?

Z: The frat guy V accused in season two.

D: And who’s this guy?

Z: Mercer Hayes.

Mercer Hayes                                               Chip Diller
.....right?

Favorite Lines:

Zelda: “This isn’t illegal, is it? … No, I’m just kidding, hold on.” - Tina

Daniel: Keith: “It’s not a date. We saw a movie, had a drink, and talked.” Veronica: “Which is a date.”

Arc/Continuity:

Neptune Roll Call: Logan, Wallace, Parker, Piz, Sheriff Don Lamb (Absent: Dick, Mac, Weevil)

First Appearance: Tom Barry, Jeff Ratner, Tina Callis

Recurring:  Harmony Chase, Mason, Nish Sweeney, Professor Hank Landry, Tim Foyle, Mercer Hayes, Claire Nordhouse, Max, Professor David Winkler, Mindy O'Dell, Dean Cyrus O'Dell

Professor Hank Landry’s Alias: Rory Finch

Logan's Nicknames: Admiral Moneybags (himself)

Stats:

Dead Humans - 0

Backup Sighting - 1

Veronica Breaks In - 2

Veronica Tases Someone - 0

Mac Hacks - 0

Who's Your Daddy? - 0

Wallace Does Veronica a Favor - 0

Veronica Wants a Pony - 0

Logan Punches Someone - 0

Dick's Single Entendres - 0

Shenanigans Called - 0

VERONICA WAS RIGHT - 0

VERONICA WAS WRONG - 0