I Am God was never really about advancing the story through twists and reveals; it was all about the people that Neptune had lost as a result of this horrific accident. It’s an examination of how hard Veronica’s dedication to solving this mystery has been hitting her, a new-age adaption of her past focus on Lily’s murder. It explores that effect through amazing visuals and some really insightful dialogue; it’s another classic.
As she gets caught up in the bits of evidence that she drags out of the people around her, Veronica builds a picture of these lost souls in her head. One of the reasons I Am God’s dream sequences are so strong is that they analyze just how Veronica sees these students; like Peter Ferrer, who wears Rhinestones; an easy differentiation given his sexual orientation. Rhonda wanders around the bus gaggling on her phone; a talkative A-typical teenage girl is all that Veronica can gauge from that voice message she left her friend, at least on a personal level.
That guilt that she feels over not giving these young people the justice they so desperately need becomes a huge part of her daily life. She talks to Ms James about how she can’t sleep until she figures out who was responsible for that incriminating drawing in the bus. This could all just be down to her need to constantly find out the truth, but it could also be a result of her guilt that she might be partially responsible for the crash. But what’s most interesting is the idea that she feels guilt over not giving the victims the respect she feels they need. They’ve always just been puzzle pieces to her but here they become more. It’s a really great angle to approach her commitment to this investigation.
Logan and Wallace is an interesting pair for the show to try out. It’s a dynamic that’s explored again under different circumstances in season 3’s My Big Fat Greek Rush Week, and I like how natural they are in joining forces against this girl who’s out to make Veronica’s life difficult. Keith’s side action was really well constructed, too. It cleverly tied in with Veronica’s visits with Rebecca James, since she instantly puts Rebecca and Keith together. It’s impressive how easily it becomes a part of the episode’s second side-plot as well, when he finds the assistant to the doctor administering these excuses to people like Angie Doyle.
I Am God isn’t instantly exciting, but it’s one of the show’s strongest character driven scripts, and one that always stands out as one of the most emotionally ambitious episodes the show ever produced.
10/10
I love this episode, too. The dream sequences were a great way of bringing Veronica back to the season's main storyline, and her survivor's guilt was an interesting idea that probably should have been explored more...it does kind of bother me that she was essentially saved by a hallucination of Lilly back in the premiere. Although, obviously, Lilly already popped up in Duncan's hallucinations early on in season one. Eh, moving on...
ReplyDeleteI loved all those little touches you mentioned that really added character to the dreams, like Veronica listening to the Ahoy Mateys! podcasts and some of the bus crash victims wearing distinctive t-shirts (if I'm remembering correctly, anyway). The dreams are beautifully shot, too.
A lot of laughs from Dick, too. Loved his Brokeback Mountain impression (I'm not sure how I know the 'I quit can't quit you' thing comes from BM since I've never seen it though...), and I love how Veronica gets his attention with 'I know who you did last summer' on her computer screen.
Pretty close to the end of season two now! Have you already rewatched the third season?
Yeah, I watched and reviewed the entire show last winter, so I plan on finishing the posting over the next couple of months.
ReplyDeleteLoved all the Dick stuff, too. Always nice to see him being taken down a peg. Thanks for stopping by.