1.3 - Credit Where Credit's Due

Common sense. It seems to be a commodity in short supply these days, especially in teens. Of course, teens have these things called "hormones" racing through their bodies, so maybe they have some sort of an excuse.

Chardo should've known better... but then again, I understand. I've never committed a felony before, but I get why he did what he did... although why you'd want to date Paris Hilton is beyond me. Of course, I'm the guy who thinks that Kaylee from Firefly is hot, so let's not use me as a judge, shall we?

The one thing that everyone wants is a happily ever after. High school students more than anything are looking for the future... but their idea of the future is often unrealistic, unnatural. It's an ideal and it's amazing how many teens manage to delude themselves with it. Wouldn't we all want to date (and perhaps bang) the head cheerleader or the captain of the football team? There's power and prestige at the top but only one person is allowed there at a time.

Chardo wanted it... but for all his street smarts, he was incredibly naive. Teens always are. It's a skill that's not pushed very hard in schools these days: thinking of possibilities. In terms of development, by the time a person reaches their mid teens, their brains are ready to consider possibilities, hypothetical cases.

One of the most telling quotes of the entire episode was by Chardo when he was being grilled by Veronica in the girl's restroom: "See, I got a plan... Caitlin and me, we're gonna run away. We ARE, and once we're gone, I'll write a confession, send it back. They gotta let Weevil go then."

Happily ever after.

And how many of us have had our hearts broken like that?

I hope that Chardo learned a lesson. Heck, I hope that all teens watching learned a lesson. It's one of the most basic concepts, founded in the 15th century. It says, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." Consequences should never be taken lightly and should always be considered.

One could only hope. I'm not crossing my fingers, though. If Chardo comes back next season and shoots Weevil, I won't exactly be surprised.

On an unrelated note, the quote is also a reflection on the writers, not necessarily because any of them were like this, but because it shows that these people have a high schooler's voice down cold. It adds to the realism of a show that continues to skirt the border between Plausible Ave. and Fantastic Dr.

Other Notes

- After the Voiceover barrage of the first episode, I was a little hesitant when approaching this one... but like I mentioned in another review, thank GOD they cut down on those.

- You get the sense with this episode that Rob Thomas is trying to find a voice, throwing stuff against walls and seeing what sticks. You see these first few episode, he's concentrating on perfecting the Veronica character. I say this because Logan and Weevil have still yet to hit their stride, which they do marvelously a few episodes later.

- I'd be remiss if I left out a mention of Sydney Poitier who does a remarkable job as the "cool teacher." It's too bad we lost her after like episode 7.

Final rating: ***½. It was a solid episode with decent replay value but doesn't quite hit the standard, namely the writers haven't found the voices of the other characters.