S02.E16: The Rapes of Graff

[Lisin]

From IMDB: "While accompanying Wallace to Hearst College, Veronica runs into her ex-boyfriend Troy. The next day, Troy is accused of raping a girl on campus and then shaving her head, and Veronica reluctantly agrees to help him. Meanwhile, Keith helps Cliff with a personal problem involving a prostitute, and Logan makes a decision regarding his relationship with Hannah."

Troy's back! And less of an ass than the last time. I love the casting of Michael Cera and Alia Shawkat, such a great Arrested Development shout-out. Plus Veronica gets some GREAT snark in this one.

Keith and Cliff's storyline is great, or at least I love Keith having to help Cliff out of handcuffs and that whole mess. Too funny.

 

 

[clemmyb]

Troy is back indeed, and I like that he's somewhat redeemed here, but still unable to stay out of trouble.  Some people don't even go looking for it.  It just finds them.

Michael Cera and Alia Shawkat are great Arrested Development shout-outs, and I know that originally, the show planned to bring Cera back in season 3 for a recurring role, but his schedule didn't allow it.

And there is definitely some great snark here. 

I love how this episode sets up the first major mystery of season 3.

[Carrie Ann]

This episode always makes me wish Troy would have been in Season 3. He seems really redeemed here, and I think it would have been interesting to have him show up here and there at Hearst.

[Lisin]

@Carrie Ann I would have LOVED to have Troy in Season 3, maybe instead of Piz... not really, on rewatch I hate him less.

[halgia]

Not that it wasn't already spoiled in the Amazon episode summary, but previously-ons are so annoying in that it was absolutely no surprise that Troy showed up. Oh well.

Michael Cera / Alia Shawkat were great. I guess I should be happy I went to a college with much less of a frat scene that Hearst apparently has, because goddamn are the Pis horrible.

[ApathyMonger]

Another great thing about this episode: the Tegan and Sara track during the Logan/Hannah hotel scene. The VM soundtrack was the first place I heard them, and I've been a fan ever since.

If Cera had been able to come back for S3, and been the tea-drugging TA as initially intended, his recent transition into creepy weirdo roles might have come a lot sooner.

[atomationage]

Troy was my favorite pairing for Veronica.  I'll have to look up the other episodes that Aaron Ashmore was in to see what people have to say.  I had more sympathy for him than Veronica, which says more about the actor's charisma than anything else. 

[Athena]

 

This episode always makes me wish Troy would have been in Season 3. He seems really redeemed here, and I think it would have been interesting to have him show up here and there at Hearst.

I forgot about Troy, but he is definitely better than Piz. Actually, I think Piz was the most boring of all of Veronica's romantic relationships. Troy was almost half Logan and half Duncan. I liked Ashmore in the role too.

[Hanahope]

I love seeing actors in some early roles, like Cera.  I think this is the first VM "episode" mystery not solved at the end of the episode (other than the season long ones).  I actually totally expected the rapist to be Cera, since it does always seem that the guest star is the culprit, at least when its obvious that the "obvious" person is not.  So was the rapist trying to get into Pi, or just framing Pi and Troy and didn't care who got charged? I wish they had explored a bit more why the Hawaiian girl didn't report her rape.

 

It looks like they must have used a hospital as a stand-in for the exterior shots of Hearst College (and great shout-out to "Hearst").  Too bad they couldn't use the castle. :)  But I saw that "Emergency" pillar, which hospitals use near their ER, though you'd think they'd cover it up with something for the show.  I guess Hearst College must have some great rep for a basketball star like Wallace to want to go.  I can totally understand Veronica's desire to go to college in a completely different and far away area, given her history at Neptune (and frankly, going to a college that close to home, she might as well live at home).

 

And nice to get a little movement in the season mystery.