‘Drinking the Kool Aid’ follows up the shocking revelation of the previous episode with Veronica facing some harsh realities while also giving us one of the series most interesting mysteries so far. When the show tackles something out of the norm I think it establishes itself as one of the more intelligent teen dramas around.
In ‘Drinking the Kool Aid’ Veronica, against her father’s wishes, infiltrates a local group known as the ‘Moon Calk Collective’ to find out why a fellow student, and former rich kid, gave up his fortune to join them. After sending in samples for a paternity test, Veronica ponders the possible rewards of discovering she may be an heiress to the Kane fortune.
For me, one of the central parts of this series is the intense bond between Keith and Veronica and last week’s revelation really shook that bond up not only for Veronica, but for the viewers too. It’s painful to see her interact with him throughout this episode all the time knowing that she has to face whether or not the bond they feel is through blood. The answer to this debate is of course put on hold when Veronica decides to shred the results to the test, ensuring the truth comes out at a more important time. It was nice to see her make the decision to stick with Keith, no matter who her biological father is.
This episode played up on that relationship well, and pitting them against one another came at a terrific time to coincide with Abel’s confession. Though ‘Mars vs. Mars’ attempts to tackle this dynamic in a more direct manner, I think ‘Drinking the Kool Aid’ is one that manages to really make it feel like we’re dealing with a single father, and stubborn daughter. Her defying Keith’s orders and trying to stand her ground is so reminiscent of a typical teenage girl. It’s great seeing her exhibit such intelligence and quick wit all the time, but showing this side to her is what makes her such an amazing character.
The ideas of cults and ‘de-programming’ are explored fantastically here as well, and the ending is a surprisingly strange one. Though I love some of the more straight forward cases that Veronica deals with in other episodes more out of the normal ones like this one make for fascinating viewing from time to time.
9/10
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