Date of airing: February 15, 2005 (UPN)
Nielsen ratings information: 2.70 million viewers, 1.8/3 in Households, 1.2/3 with Adults 18-49
teleplay by: Jed Seidel, Diane Ruggiero
story by: Rob Thomas
directed by: Marcos Siega
This is an episode that could have lived another life during the #MeToo era, as well as any other year after that. That was what I had to think about constantly, as Mr. Rooks’ story was developing, and Veronica seemingly went more and more to her teacher’s side, trying her best to defend him and to make sure that he will continue to teach, because he happens to be the best teacher she ever had. But this is 2023, after hundreds and hundreds of famous men have been revealed as predators and abusers, so it was natural that I always believed in Kerry’s story, no matter how much Veronica wanted to prove her a liar. This episode essentially showed that Veronica can be wrong and biased, that she makes mistakes sometimes, and that she is blinded by the truth that would hurt her emotionally.
Kerry was ready to carry all the blame and shame her story created, and she was capable of ducking when the bullets were flying in her direction. That it was not her story and instead someone else's truth did not even matter – she was maligned in the public for the story she told, and she was vilified for making a popular and beloved teacher stand in the pillory for the unthinkable crimes he has committed. Maybe that makes Kerry the hero of the episode instead of Veronica. The story showcased Kerry’s bravery in getting into a firefight without a gun, and it showcased Veronica’s missing objectivity in a case, as well as her ability to still keep an emotional distance from the people she wants to help, just in case those people turn out to be the villains after all.
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| The trap was laid and Veronica put her hands in it. |
But yeah, everything that came after the Harvey Weinstein story in 2017 made this episode kind of predictable, though it does not mean it was suddenly a weaker episode. It still works because of the way Mr. Rooks was creating the narrative of the allegations against him, and how he seemingly still had the upper hand generally, because the entire school was taking multiple dumps on Kerry, instead of taking a distance from their favorite teacher to let the story play out. But here is the kicker of the story: Because Mr. Rooks was everyone’s favorite teacher, it was almost like no one wanted to believe the allegations against him. No one wanted to lose the best teacher in school, since his FAMILY FEUD-style modus operandi in the classroom seemed extremely interesting.
No one wanted to put more pressure on their favorite teacher, because Kerry is probably a whore who deserved the aborted pregnancy, right? No one wanted to blame Mr. Rooks for what happened, because the only person to blame will always be the woman in this party, correct? If this episode had been part of the Hulu revival season, it would have probably looked a little different, but the moral behind the story would have been the same: believe women. And if they are not believed by the population, let it be guaranteed they are being trash-talked about, and the male side of the story is being carried high and mighty in the media.
And it seemed so damn obvious that Mr. Rooks was the guilty one, and that Kerry's accusations had levity. The way he was friendly to Veronica, even with this case dangling above his head, the fact that he invited Veronica to a pizza and drink in his house... I did not even need to see the black sheets, or the crappy Mick Jagger lovemaking music to realize that Mr. Rooks was the creepy teacher Kerry was talking about, although I was a bit surprised that he was not depicted as the truly evil serial sex abuser he could have been, if this story happened in the real world. The story of Rooks and Susan sounded like they were in love, which kind of turned it into a Mary Kay Letourneau-type story, in which the student and the teacher were actually in love with each other. But then the student got pregnant, and the teacher wanted her to “take care of it” with a couple of $100 bills. That is where the love ended and the allegations began. Now I am suddenly interested in how this story would have looked in a fictional sense if the abortion angle had not been included, and Susan and Rooks really were in love. But I guess that is a completely different story, and one that does not need Kerry to fall on Susan’s sword multiple times, just to get Rooks out of Neptune High.
In addition, I do not know if the writers downplayed the Rooks story on purpose, but the question whether he is a sexual abuser of minors, or just horny for teenage girls who are in love with him, is still unanswered. It is even more something of a curious case because of Rooks’ backstory – his divorce and part-time custody of his daughter, which suddenly needs explanation, let alone making me think now that his daughter might be endangered in the care of her father. Is it a good thing to leave this story lying in the ditch, so the episode does not look darker than it already is, or was it a mistake to leave that story in the ditch, now that I fear for the little girl?
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| The future Queen of the Upper East Side has to deal with evil men first. |
Meanwhile, Logan was still looking for his mother (or to be precise, Veronica was looking for his mother), and the writers decided to put a damper on the theory that Lynn is still alive. Granted, she still could be (thank you, missing credit card), because maybe it was someone else who jumped off the bridge, and Lynn just happily obliged giving that person her car, or maybe Lynn survived the jump and she came back to live down the river, and figured her suicide attempt could not have been executed better. She might have survived, but everyone believes she is dead, and she still got away from Aaron.
Of course, if Lynn really is dead, it would be a better twist for Logan’s overall character arc. Seeing him getting distressed over losing his mother is a better opportunity for the character to finally jump off the metaphorical cliff and into the black hole of emotional torture and trauma, and all I am waiting for now is Logan realizing he does not have any friends who could help him get off that ledge. Or for Logan to realize he does have friends in unexpected places who offer their help, only does he have difficulties reaching their hands.
