While this episode does focus a little too much time on a character that is probably undeserving, it also manages to show how well the series utilises the case-of-the-week antics to progress the more important story forward and help us to learn that much more about who Veronica is.
‘Meet John Smith’ sees Veronica helping a fellow student track down presumed dead father, which leads them to make a shocking discovery about his identity. Duncan weans himself off anti-depressants leading to some serious complications.
As I’ve already stated, this series tackles each subject in a way that allows Veronica herself to change and grow almost weekly. ‘Meet John Smith’ is the first proper example of how well that can work, when she helps Justin find his father. While the story of him finding his long lost father is brilliant all on its own, when partnered with Veronica’s newfound desire to do the same herself, it makes it all the more satisfying. Not every episode has to feature a ‘life imitates art’ scenario though, since other light hearted episodes prove it can work just fine without it, it’s just worth noting the clever correlation between the two concurrent plots of the episode.
Seeing his parent make such a tremendous sacrifice just to see his son for a few seconds motivates her to see if her mother cares even a fraction of that for her. Moments like these really help break down the tough exterior that she puts on, and make all her quests for closure more essential. Her seeing her mother run away yet again is such a pivotal moment in allowing her to open up to someone new and help break down the hard wall that she has put around herself. While I was never a major Troy fan given what we learn in upcoming episodes, it was nice to see Veronica expose some vulnerability.
Duncan isn’t the most headline worthy character this show has, and the abundance of screen-time he got during this episode is a little frustrating, but in ‘Meet John Smith’ we’re presented with a slightly intriguing insight into the change anti-depressants can have on a teen who’s been through what Duncan has.
9/10
I can't comment too specifically on these reviews since I haven't watched the show in forever, but I loved what you wrote about Veronica's personality and how the cases parallel her own emotions and growth. This show had such great writing.
ReplyDeleteI really ought to re-watch it at some point. Great reviews, Panda.
These past two episodes don't do much for me, but I do like them. I think Veronica's ending narration helps explain a lot about her character, she will chase the storm.
ReplyDeleteI also love the Weevil/Veronica scene from the previous episode, where they both discuss their reputations. I love that part of the show, especially since both of them have to deal with that judgement constantly. Veronica in particular can be very upfront about her dislike for people, and is very prone to believe the worst in people despite knowing what it feels like to have a bad rep.
Liking these reviews a lot. I always thought you were a Duncan fan, though...
maxpower03: It holds up very well to re-watching, I can assure you!
ReplyDeletetvfan: Yeah, I actually elaborate on the narration in a later review. And I used to like Duncan (good memory!), but on re-watching I really grew to realize that he's just a bit dull. Not unlikable, just not very interesting, especially given the amount of appeal the rest of the cast have.