Episode Report Card Aaron: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Yea, though he walk through the valley of the shadow of death
By Aaron | Season 1 | Episode 12 | Aired on 08.18.2001
The Lean Green Corpse Machine pulls into the school parking lot, and Claire and Gabe get out. You know, given everything else that's happened over the course of the season, I'm surprised that we never saw Claire's character "blossoming" and repainting the Corpse Machine a feisty new color after the "toe-slut" incident. Heck, they could have used some of the leftover red from all the gallons of fake blood Billy goes through this week. Anyway, Gabe is all nervous about returning to school for the first time, and even goes so far as to deliver an actual PSA, saying, "It's not cool to OD." Claire correctly points out that "everyone is too obsessed with what everyone else thinks of them to think about anybody else." And how does Gabe respond to this trenchant societal observation? He calls her a "freak." You see why I hate him? I rest my case. As they head inside, a group of girls start whispering about Gabe, and Claire immediately jumps to defend him. You see why I love her? I rest my case.
At Brenda's Brotherfucking Boudoir, Brenda confronts Billy about the creepy sleepy-time photos he took in their hotel room last week. Ignoring his feeble denials, she demands that he return his key to her apartment, and also that he go back on his meds immediately. When the subject of pharmaceuticals is raised, Billy quickly picks up a baggie of pot from the table, and observes that Brenda herself is no stranger to the concept of self-medication. I think someone on the SFU staff might be issuing a cry for help with their marijuana addiction here. Billy insists that he would never hurt Brenda, because she's "the most important person in [his] life." "Don't you think that's a little fucked up?" asks Brenda. Uh, yes. Yes, we do. He promises to go back on the medication, but Brenda still wants the key. Heck, she might even change the locks, although this doesn't seem to faze Billy. "Do you know how easy it would be to break into this place?" he asks. Uh, yes. Yes, we do. Just ask Cockadile Dundee. Billy finally caves and throws the key at Brenda, and then stages a petulantly dramatic exit as he stalks off with a cardboard box on his head.
Das Sargzimmer. David and Nate are meeting with the parents of the gay-bashing victim. Against David's suggestion, Mom demands an open casket for the funeral. She brought pictures for them to use in the restoration process, and for a moment, I thought the DGDJ was actually Jeremy Drencher The Internet Boy from last week. He's not, though. The Dad reveals some barely repressed homophobia when he can't even bring himself to say the word "gay." He wishes his son had come out, only so that he could have helped protect him from this sort of thing. Just to make sure we get the point, the scene ends with a close-up on David looking concerned.