S03.E09: Spit & Eggs

[Lisin]

From IMDB: "Dean O'Dell reinstates the Greek system on campus and, determined to solve the campus rape case, Veronica, along with Mac, Wallace and Piz, attends a party armed with coasters designed to test for drugs in the drinks of her peers. Meanwhile, Dean O'Dell hires Keith to investigate whether or not his wife is cheating on him."

I really have to give it to Logan here, he is doing the right thing in my opinion. Not that I have to like it, but I do think that at least at this point Veronica is being so unrelenting in her need for him to be "good" and can't take the fact that she's dating the person she's dating. I'm not saying that Logan is always right, I'm saying that you have to know who you're with. He's accepting the fact that he can't be with someone who won't let him help her and also can't trust him. It's honorable. Heartbreaking but honorable. 

I like the resolution of the rape storyline halfway through the season. I like that they made the decision to not do a giant story for the whole season even if it was because they didn't get picked up for a full run initially and they wanted to be able to finish something. It's a satisfying end to the story at least. 

The last scene, with Logan beating the cop car to get arrested to exact revenge on Mercer is exactly the type of thing that Veronica can't stand, but is also the type of thing that makes Logan who he is and that I find super hot even though I know I shouldn't. Such a stupid but sweet move. 

[clemmyb]

This is a really tense episode, but there was always something so ridiculous about the Mercer reveal at the end.  Especially when he starts talking about why he rapes these girls--I'm not discrediting it, I guess, but something about it didn't sit right with me.  And are we to believe that he just got so cocky about being able to pull it off that he got sloppy? Apparently I'm still struggling with this part.

And yeah, Logan beating the cop car is amazing, even though it shouldn't be.  It says something about the character--and the actor--that something so colossally stupid can also be completely appealing.

[halgia]

I usually don't like in media res openings; I guess this one was okay, and it was necessary to keep the tension up for the initial part of the episode, but eh.

Yeah, this one felt like a mini-finale: it was tense but also kind of, well, small. I don't entirely buy Mercer's motives: if he's really just too lazy to want to chat girls up, what's with the shaving of heads?

Also, the idea that major donors wouldn't have made their opposition to closing the frats known beforehand is just a little silly. No way would a school like Hearst ban frats so easily.

Agree that Logan is right to dump her. She's just not gonna let it work.

Okay, so the thing that bugged me about the whole faked rapes stuff: I'm skeptical that people would actually do that. There were already a ton of real rapes; was Claire the only fake one? What point did that even serve other than making the comedy newsletter or whatever look bad? And, basically, the last thing we need in the world is more people assuming rape victims are lying; having it happen on this show is just one more push in that direction. Basically, I just don't think the (presumably unintentional and presumably small) nudge of cultural opinion in the wrong direction was worth the storyline that they got out of it. At least Nish and co weren't the overall villains and there was a real rapist, I guess.

[clemmyb]

Okay, so the thing that bugged me about the whole faked rapes stuff: I'm skeptical that people would actually do that. There were already a ton of real rapes; was Claire the only fake one? What point did that even serve other than making the comedy newsletter or whatever look bad? And, basically, the last thing we need in the world is more people assuming rape victims are lying; having it happen on this show is just one more push in that direction. Basically, I just don't think the (presumably unintentional and presumably small) nudge of cultural opinion in the wrong direction was worth the storyline that they got out of it. At least Nish and co weren't the overall villains and there was a real rapist, I guess.

You're not alone in being bothered by this.  If my memory serves, there was a fair amount of criticism lobbed at the show about the portrayal of the Lilith House (and the feminists in general) on the show and the way the entire rape story line was handled.  I agree that the last thing we need is any fuel to feed the rape culture, rape apologists, and rape-splainers, and I wish that they hadn't faked one (or more) rapes on the show as a way of being what amounts to a red herring.

And I still think Nish and the other girls were villains, just not to the same degree as others on the show.  I feel like they were vilified, at least.

[Lisin]

I had real problems with it too. 

Like I said in an earlier post, I get that the show was trying to make a point about getting to the TRUTH of the crime rather than punishing an easy scapegoat but they did not handle it well at all in my opinion. 

This was airing originally right around the time of the whole Duke Lacrosse rape case, I wonder if it had anything to do with it? I mean the charges were officially dropped in April of 2007 well after this episode aired (and was written) though I believe that by the end of April 2006 it was fairly clear that they did not have a case. Anyway Kobe Bryant's case was 3 years earlier and maybe this was more in the cultural zeitgeist back then? I don't know. I do know that this 9 episode long story arch about rape that ends partially in some feminists faking rapes wouldn't fly now. I'm not really sure what else to say about it. 

It's really such a strange tack to take when you're desperately trying to keep viewership up and gain ground on a new network, it's just a super controversial topic to broach as your opening mystery arch. I didn't really care about it in that way back when it first aired, but looking back it seems like a misstep for the writers to go this way when they're trying to not get canceled. 

[formerlyfreedom]

I am in agreement about what a tricky issue the rape storyline was, and there were parts that I wish had been handled differently - I agree, @Lisin, I don't know if the story line would work today.

That aside, I do really enjoy this episode - the absolute menace of Mercer in the unicorn dorm room still spooks me, it's so well done. Veronica Mars was the first thing I saw Ryan Devlin in, and so different from a lot of his other work (Brothers & Sisters, Cougar Town). During my rewatch of this episode, I got chills in that scene, which I've probably watched a couple of dozen times in the last seven years. The music is good in this episode, I enjoyed the use of Fatboy Slim and The Diamond Smugglers were a lot of fun.

I would love to have Keith and Logan having my back - Keith tracking Mercer and Moe down ("Your ride back to Neptune is here.") and Logan (classic Logan) taking on the police cruiser so he could share the cell with the two of them (Seriously, Neptune only has one cell? First he has to share with his dad, and now they put him in with the two guys accused of attacking his ex-girlfriend? Yes, I know, continue suspension of disbelief...)...

[Lisin]

Don't get me wrong, I love this episode! Especially the Keith and Logan having her back parts. They're just so great.

[John Potts]

Lisin I do know that this 9 episode long story arch about rape that ends partially in some feminists faking rapes wouldn't fly now. I'm not really sure what else to say about it.

 

While I'm not sure it was a good idea, it does chime with how people really do act. "My cause is so just, anything I do to further it is justified!" which is entirely believable. Just look at Animal Rights or Anti-Abortion activists, even when such actions undermine the very cause you're trying to promote.

[Carrie Ann]

I don't think that occurs as often in real life as it does on TV. Just like faking a sexual assault is close to statistical 0% of all sexual assaults, but in fiction, it's fairly common. I get that Veronica Mars likes to show that sometimes the stereotypical bad guys haven't done anything illegal and the good guys have, and motivations are complicated and whatever. But, they also subverted that on their own show by having the animal rights activists be like normal moral people. I just wish they could have done the same thing for a group of feminists.

RT and the other writers are free to do what they want, and I don't hate the show or judge them or anything. But I think it was unnecessary, and I will always wish that they hadn't done it.

[Hanahope]

Frankly, anything that can give people pause when confronted with an actual rape victim is harmful, imo.  Its hard enough to prove rape that being able to say they saw someone fake it on TV it just an extra added burden.  So yeah, not happy at all with that part of the story.

 

I don't get while the taser didn't work on Mercer.  They never explained why he's shaving girls' heads.  I get the whole didn't want to waste an hour of his life (although really, that's the reason you're giving for rape?  How .... weak), but the shaving part makes no sense.

 

Sad to see the dean is dead.

 

The whole process for the party, different color cups, names, the drug testing coaster, just amazing how times have changed from when I went to college.

[rejnel]

I'm on my way through a first viewing of the series. I found the resolution of the serial rape mystery fairly satisfying. And once Veronica was left in Moe's room and saw the photo, it accelerated so strongly that I was left to put a few pieces together for myself (or with the help of the thread above), specifically about the prison experiment. I like that; usually I feel over-explained-to. 

But hey, is this a fairly huge plot hole? If the evidence that originally cleared Mercer was simply that he was on air during two of the rapes, why didn't he or his lawyer bring that up? It wouldn't take Veronica's sleuthing to bring that to light. Right?

Overall, I've noticed little things in the writing are not as sharp as in Seasons 1 and 2, but still enjoying the show!

[The Companion]

On 2/25/2014 at 7:31 PM, Dougal said:

I usually don't like in media res openings; I guess this one was okay, and it was necessary to keep the tension up for the initial part of the episode, but eh.

Yeah, this one felt like a mini-finale: it was tense but also kind of, well, small. I don't entirely buy Mercer's motives: if he's really just too lazy to want to chat girls up, what's with the shaving of heads?

Also, the idea that major donors wouldn't have made their opposition to closing the frats known beforehand is just a little silly. No way would a school like Hearst ban frats so easily.

Agree that Logan is right to dump her. She's just not gonna let it work.

Okay, so the thing that bugged me about the whole faked rapes stuff: I'm skeptical that people would actually do that. There were already a ton of real rapes; was Claire the only fake one? What point did that even serve other than making the comedy newsletter or whatever look bad? And, basically, the last thing we need in the world is more people assuming rape victims are lying; having it happen on this show is just one more push in that direction. Basically, I just don't think the (presumably unintentional and presumably small) nudge of cultural opinion in the wrong direction was worth the storyline that they got out of it. At least Nish and co weren't the overall villains and there was a real rapist, I guess.

I agree on just about all of this. The idea that donors wouldn't be all over the Greek vote was ridiculous. It would be a huge issue with alumni, not just current students.

The reasoning behind the rapes and the tag team approach didn't really come together for me. The moustache twirling monologue was a stretch. 

The fake rape and entire way the feminist group was portrayed really bugged me. Mostly, it was the inconsistency. They had a number of complaints about the Greek system (the sex partner ranking system, the fat shaming, etc.), so why was the possibily unaffiliated rapist their only talking point? They were portrayed as illogical, humorless jerks and then you add the bizarre and problematic fake rape on top.

On 5/30/2018 at 10:46 PM, rejnel said:

I'm on my way through a first viewing of the series. I found the resolution of the serial rape mystery fairly satisfying. And once Veronica was left in Moe's room and saw the photo, it accelerated so strongly that I was left to put a few pieces together for myself (or with the help of the thread above), specifically about the prison experiment. I like that; usually I feel over-explained-to. 

But hey, is this a fairly huge plot hole? If the evidence that originally cleared Mercer was simply that he was on air during two of the rapes, why didn't he or his lawyer bring that up? It wouldn't take Veronica's sleuthing to bring that to light. Right?

Overall, I've noticed little things in the writing are not as sharp as in Seasons 1 and 2, but still enjoying the show!

My first time around too. I was confused why there was no physical evidence if the rapes weren't being faked. It felt like there were just a few too many illogical twists for the sake of surprising the audience to me. 

I think Logan and Veronica are both wrong when it comes to navigating their relationship issues. Veronica has taken almost no steps to protect herself. Not even basic "have a buddy walk you to the car" or "have the taser out while walking" or "tell someone where you are going" steps. She asked Logan to take I to account her history when it came to trust issues, but ignores that he had a girlfriend who was murdered. That his best friend's ex girlfriend was also murdered. Meanwhile, he is asking for blind trust he hasn't earned, making demands, etc.