Episode Report Card Jacob Clifton: A+ | 2 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT It Gets Better, Then It Gets Worse
By Jacob Clifton | Season 1 | Episode 12 | Aired on 01.10.2011
For Lucas, it's more like she broke up with him by not doing what he wants, which is another gross true thing about boys, and she tries to walk him through that one, but he is not having it. Young Mr. Lucas is officially off the rez. "NO! You people just think you can push me around like some kind of mop! And you're no different! You're no different from the rest of Alison's anointed! You let her march around and act like some 17th-century torture squad! And considering what that bitch did to me, I should have done way worse to her!"
That one hits Hanna so hard her wheelchair rocks back a little, but then he babbles enough in his nonlinear rant that she figures out he's talking about trashing the memorial. Remember? The shoes? So yeah, not as bad as what she thought at the end of the last paragraph. She finally just gives in at this point like, "What am I gonna do with you, Lucas." He stumbles off toward the night talking about how she can call the cops, whatever, it's an eleven minute walk from her house to his (or vice versa, aw) and whatever, and she's like, "Girl, I am not calling the cops. You have been through hell."
Of course, that's unacceptable too because Hanna's being nice, and this time Lucas really does leave: "Don't make me like you. It's too hard." You know, I don't think there's a person on this show that I don't love, or at least feel such compassion for that it equals the same thing. Sex Cop, Aria's creepster dad, Ian. That's basically it. For such a completely unreal show, they are so spot on about the weirdest, ugliest, saddest things. Acting and direction play a giant part, duh, but the dialogue, especially in this episode, is just too, too real. The only measurable difference between this show and my senior year of high school is like, almost nobody had a cell phone in '94. That's basically it.
Sean comes out to check on Hanna -- "You shouldn't be alone with him" -- but now that they're alone, she can finally ask him about Noel. Old Sean gets pretty antsy when you ask him about his relationship with Noel. I'm not saying anything, it's just interesting. Of course Hanna's being super strange about it -- "Who is Noel when he's not with you?" -- and can't explain why she's asking, so it's just a totally weird contextless thing.
("Um, I assume he does what all guys our age do: Avoid sex with their girlfriends at all cost, for no real reason. You know, normal stuff. We do normal things together, we do normal things when we're apart. Which is most of the time. Football practice and like, the occasional... I mean, I barely know the guy. Noel... Noel... Not ringing a bell, Hanna. Hanna, I have to go.")