Episode Report Card Deborah: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Arcadia the Beautiful
By Deborah | Season 2 | Episode 5 | Aired on 10.21.2004
In the cafeteria, Brian hands out his flyers. Luke, Grace, and Joan are watching him from their table. Grace and Luke have a chair between them. Luke comments, "We need Brobdingnagian." Grace glances at him, but in a way that doesn't betray whether or not she knows what he's talking about. Joan, not so much. Her raised eyebrow makes it obvious she doesn't know what he's driving at. Luke explains, "Huge. The latest polls don't look good." Joan thinks she just needs to dig up some dirt on Lars: "Whatever it takes. It's the only way to beat these guys." Grace: "A horse's head always works." Joan: "I thought you were the poster girl for apathy." I beg to differ. Just because someone doesn't want to work within the prevailing, screwed-up system doesn't make her apathetic. Luke remarks, "She was hit by a wave of school spirit." Heh. Joan: "And she told you?" Grace quickly takes a drink of her big ol' coffee to hide her expression, and Luke's eyes shift nervously as he says, "I gleaned it." Joan gives Grace a suspicious look but Grace isn't looking at her. Grace is very definitely not looking at her. Oh, Joanie, how long will it take you? I can't wait until she finds out. Or figures it out. I don't know which one would be better. In a way I kind of hope she's the last to know. Before Joan can follow her Spidey-sense up the gangplank of the S.S. Atomic Punk (tm queengeek), Judith -- and Friedman -- come zipping up. She says, "I think I have something." Friedman: "Yes, something is rotten in the state of Denmark." She tells Friedman to get a grip and then explains "the dealio" (really) to Joan: "No secret I've been hanging around Lars…God, he was wearing those low pants, tight Ts…" Grace rolls her eyes, weary. "Anyway, I saw him walk into the…school counsellor's office." Oh, golly, Nancy Drew. Next you'll tell us you saw him speaking to Principal Hotness. Joan points out, "Hello? We go to the school counsellor." Judith: "Because they make us, after crazy camp. No one'll ever voluntarily see Mr. Dingle." Grace: "Trouble in paradise." Judith thinks maybe he's addicted to pain killers. Joan's idea: "Steroid abuse." Grace: "Can't spell his name." They look up in time to see Brian get shoved by some big galoot. Joan: "Look, we have to find out. This is about good and evil." Brian sits down at the table, looking tired. Joan points in his direction: "And good is gonna kick ass."
Helen comes into Principal Hotness's office, probably to speak to him. But no one's there -- well, no one except Shellacky. She hesitates, but then decides to take the artwork. Of course, she knocks Shellacky off his cage-top perch when she does, so she picks him up with some distaste, dumps him in the cage, and absconds with it.
At the courthouse, Kevin -- dressed in yet another blue shirt, as he has been in every scene -- tells his father that he's really only heard good things about Lucy: "Graduated summa cum laude from Annapolis, joined the police academy after her father's death in 1984…again, head of her class…" Will asks about her stint in New Orleans: "That place has been corrupt for years." Kevin says she received a commendation from the city: "What is it about her? You having trouble working for a woman?" Hee. Will: "What? No. She's just slid into Roebuck's job so easy, and now she's trying to change the way we do business…" Kevin notices her coming down the hall with a bunch of files and an even bigger smile. And the worst hairstyle yet. I think her hair is just too curly for what they're trying to do with it. Will follows Kevin's eyes and turns. She walks up to Kevin, extending her hand: "Hi…Lucy Preston. You must be Will's son." Kevin introduces himself and she says it's a pleasure. She hands him the files, saying, "It's all here, indexed and alphabetized. News clippings, commendations, recommendations, job assessments… One guy trashed me but I think it's only because I crushed him at golf. I've also included the name and phone number of my last boyfriend, who I'm still on good terms with if you want to get into the personal side of things, and if there's anything else that you'd like, just…" She looks at Will: "Ask." Will's sheepish: "We were just talking. He's doing research for the paper." She replies, "If I was in your position, I would have made the same call, Will. If we trusted everybody, we'd be lousy cops, wouldn't we?" Will stares down at her and barely nods. She asks, "Aren't you testifying?" He says he was just on his way in. She says she'll see him back at the office, and tells Kevin she looks forward to his article: "Maybe you can make me sound tall." Kevin nods but doesn't smile. She smiles and takes off. Yeah, Will and Kevin are both thoroughly intimidated.