Betrayal

Go, now. Go.

The kettle drummy background music ushers us into the opening scene, a turned-ninety-degrees shot of "Sant" Angela Chase lying in bed, staring stonily ahead. AVO explains, "I loved Jordan Catalano so much, and talked about him so much, and thought about him so much, it was like he lived inside me. Like he'd taken possession of my soul, or something. And then one day" As the Violent Femmes' "Blister In The Sun" kicks up on the soundtrack, Angela suddenly grins. "I got over him," AVO concludes in a tone of relieved wonder.

Cut to Angela dancing around her bedroom in her nightie, whipping her hair around and doing clumsy somersaults on her bed and flirting with her mirror. The vogueing goes on for a few minutes, and then we wipe to the kitchen table, where Angela sits, smiling happily, and AVO tells us, "It was like Jordan Catalano had been surgically removed from my heart." Angela pours syrup on her waffles, still smiling; in the background, Patty "Hearst" Chase and Graham "Nash" Chase give her the customary "to what do we owe this fleeting good mood" furry eyeball.

Cut to Abyssinia delivering a vintage-high-school stilted line reading from Our Town in the My So-Called Theater. Pull back to a perch in the balcony, where Angela asks Rickie "Don't Lose That Number" Vasquez, "Abyssinia Churchill's auditioning?" Rickie says yeah, "she's good." Rayanne "Boleyn" Graff agrees, "Yeah, she's really good! Screw this," and stomps away. Angela and Rickie follow her down the stairs, Angela telling her not to let Abyssinia's audition "psych [her] out," but Rayanne -- clad in a camo mini-dress and furry moon boots -- isn't having it, saying she can't believe she let Angela and Rickie talk her into this, and it's a stupid play anyway: "It's a town, it's ours, end of story." Angela continues to encourage her, and there's expository back-and-forth about Rickie "crashing at the teacher's," and Angela tells Rickie that he should have seen Rayanne practicing the night before: "She, like, became Emily." Rayanne scoffs that, actually, she became Angela, sing-songing that "Emily's supposed to be sweet and innocent." Angela flinches a little and says defensively, "So?" "So, I just imitated you," Rayanne shrugs, not seeing the big deal. "Do you really think I'm sweet and innocent?" Angela asks, dismayed, but Rayanne ignores her to whine, "Didya really think I was good?" Rickie tells Rayanne that she's up , and Angela informs Rayanne in a lofty tone that, if she heard the dream Angela had about Corey Helfrick the night before, "[she] wouldn't think [Angela] was so sweet and innocent." "You had an erotic dream about Corey Helfrick?" Rayanne snorts. "Join the club," quips Rickie. Angela announces that she is "so over Jordan Catalano." Rayanne joins the rest of the viewing audience in laughing that they've all "heard that before," but Angela insists that she means it this time; they only went out "for, like, a split second," and besides, she doesn't think that they "were ever really meant for each other -- I mean, as friends, maybe, but that's it." As Angela talks, Rayanne studies her and imitates her mannerisms. "It's just such a relief to finally have my life back," Angela says. Oh, Angela -- will you never learn to avoid the sweeping declarations? They do you in every time. Rayanne continues to study Angela; over her shoulder, we see Rickie smirking skeptically.

Out front, Mr. "--" Katimski calls Rayanne's name. Angela wishes Rayanne "luck" by telling her with a big smile that "acting is like lying, and who's a better liar than you?" But while Angela is a mere clerk in The Department Of Casually Observed Comments That Cut To The Bone, Rayanne is its minister: "You know when something matters to you, you do this hair-flick thing, and then your eyes get all wide?" Angela starts to look annoyed that Rayanne has her down so well. "And then you stand sort of --" Rayanne adopts Angela's cross-legged, cocked-head posture, and Angela smacks her and laughs, "Quit studying me and get out there!" Mr. K calls Rayanne's name again. Rayanne gives Angela a knowing look and walks out onto the stage. Rickie looks at Angela sympathetically before turning to watch Rayanne strut away.

Rayanne's bag hits the floor. Shot of Mr. K making a note. Cut back to Rayanne's furry-moon-booted feet; pan up to show that she's standing like Angela, her body language totally pretzelled up and turned inward, and pan up to her face, where she's tucking her hair behind her ear Angela-style as she delivers her lines. Cut again to Mr. K literally sitting up and taking notice of her.

Static. Now it's black-and-white video footage of the yearbook office, and we hear "Lion's" Sharon Cherski saying that she likes the layout. Then Sharon comes into the frame, going over photo sizes with Delia "Passion" Fisher while Brian "Boom Shaka" Krakow films them with his camcorder; Sharon tells Delia to leave out any photos of clubs that have fewer than five people in them. Delia says that none of the clubs has more than five people. "Chess Club has six," Brian pipes up. Sharon and Delia stare at him like he's moldy bread. "Sometimes," he adds. Heh. Brian tries to get Sharon to tell him what's the what with the video yearbook, and she tells him impatiently that "Foster didn't even want a year in video -- I had to basically beg," and Brian should just keep it simple -- get candid shots of people hanging out "where peoplehang out." Brian, who has let the viewfinder stray down to Sharon's chest, whips it back up to her face: "So, um, where do people hang out?" Sharon: "[Pursed lips of exasperation.]" Static.

So-Called Hallway. Rayanne bets that Angela's friend Abyssinia gets the part: "You must be so proud." Angela retorts that she barely knows Abyssinia: "I'm proud of you -- you were great!" Rayanne says that didn't "cry right"; she should have cried more like Angela. Angela protests good-naturedly as Rayanne proceeds to do an uncanny rendition of Angela crying, but when Rickie walks up and asks Rayanne, "Why are you crying like Angela?" Angela bursts out, "Shut up, I do not cry like that!" "You do so," Rickie laughs, and Rayanne collapses, victorious, into Rickie's arms before spotting Corey Helfrick walking towards them and trying to point him out to Angela. Angela doesn't believe that it's really Corey, so she starts telling them about her dream about him -- he had on "this really weird towel made of, like, Saltines, but they kept crumbling" -- and Rickie and Rayanne try to shut her up, but she doesn't listen. Corey walks right up to their little group and says, "Hi," and then, to Rayanne, "Nice cry." Angela asks him, "You're in Drama Club?" "Yeah, he paints scenery," Rickie says, then rolls his eyes at himself and adds with a little smile, "I mean, probably." Hee! I love Rickie so. Angela starts babbling at Corey about painting and how that's "interesting"; Rayanne and Rickie openly laugh at her, and Rayanne butts in all "never mind the scenery" and starts to ask whether Corey eats Saltines with his soup, but Angela literally smothers her against the row of lockers. Rayanne wriggles free and heads off with Rickie. Angela makes an embarrassed face and starts to walk away herself.

Just then, Jordan "Aires" Catalano materializes and leans against a nearby wall, seemingly waiting to talk to Angela. Angela spots him, ducks her head, and walks quickly over to Corey's locker to pepper him with fluffy questions: "Um, so what's the scenery gonna be like? For Our Town." She does the non-glance glance over Corey's shoulder to make sure Jordan's watching. Shot of Jordan making a "she's talking to that guy?" face. More screamingly obvious flirtation from Angela for Jordan's benefit. Corey delivers a lecture on artifice in set design (hmm), Jordan sulks, and Angela arrays her plumage for Corey as AVO tells us, "I like him. I do. And I want to pay this much attention to every word he says. It's not just because Jordan Catalano is watching." Corey winds up his monologue, and Angela zeroes in, saying that maybe she could "help, or something." Corey didn't know she "was interested in art." "Oh, yaahh," Angela says for the thirteenth time. Jordan gets the hint; he rolls his eyes and makes tracks past Angela and Corey, and Angela is unable to stop herself from turning to watch him go by as she raves that she'd "love to, definitely." "Love to what?" Corey asks, puzzled. Angela, starting to come to: "Help. Or something."

Chase kitchen. Patty kneads something in a bowl; the phone rings, and Graham tells her that, if it's Hallie, he's not there. Patty gives him a "whatever" look, and Graham whines that Hallie will want to talk about the prospectus, which he hasn't even looked at yet. Patty tells him just to tell Hallie that, and indicates her messy hands, so Graham answers the phone; it's Camille Cherski, who tells Patty that Graham sounds "happy," an observation that Patty passes along to Graham. Uh oh. Then she hits Patty up for help with a clothing drive. Banter about clothes that Graham never wears; Graham endears himself to me forever by protesting, "But that doesn't mean I never will [wear them]." Words to live by, my good man. The phone rings again; in exchange for free reign over Graham's closet, Patty agrees to screen the call, which of course is from Hallie, and she and Hallie make small talk, and Patty lies that Graham is in the shower. Oh, brother.

Static. Brian at a pool hall, filming. A guy in sunglasses and a leather motorcycle jacket brushes past him menacingly; Brian smiles fearfully. Through the viewfinder, Brian spots Rayanne and Rickie, and Rayanne in turn spots Brian and slurs wearily, "Krakow, don't put that in my face," and walks away. Rickie explains that "she's upset" because of the audition, and Rayanne doubles back to grab him by lapels and say, "You don't have to tell the whole world." She faces the camera: "It's just a ssstupid play! Dead people. Come back. And visit! Right. Like that's really gonna happen." She drags Rickie off; Rickie smiles apologetically. Brian keeps filming, coming to rest on Menacing Guy, who glares at him again, so Brian quickly jerks the lens around to find another subject and comes to rest on Jordan, who's swigging a beer. Back to color, and we pan from Jordan over to Rickie, who's telling Rayanne that he's not going to hang around and watch her "get plastered." Uncapping her flask, Rayanne pouts that she's "been so good," and Rickie knows it. Rickie says that isn't the point. Rayanne sips from her flask; Rickie rolls his eyes and takes off. Rayanne comes to stand to Jordan, who asks if he can "see" her flask; she asks if he's got another beer to trade. He nods, and they head out the back door. Brian lowers the viewfinder to watch them go.

Outside, they lean on Jordan's car; Jordan upends the flask, then passes it back to Rayanne, telling her to take it before he finishes it. She muddles that he can have as much as he wants: "I'm drunk." Jordan is too, but "not enough." After struggling over the words for a moment, he asks who Rayanne's "here with." "If you mean Angela, she didn't come," Rayanne laughs, then adds sulkily, "Just like usual." Jordan wants to ask Rayanne something, but Rayanne isn't listening; she crabs that "it wasn't even [her] ideato audition for the stupid play. It was Angela's," and adds that she "could never be Emily." Emily who, Jordan asks. Rayanne explains that it's a part in the stupid play, and sighs that "it was just wishful thinking, though, I could never be her." But which "her" could she possibly mean? "Angelacould be her," Rayanne says. Close-up of a pensive Jordan as Rayanne continues, "She's exactly like Angela, Iyou know, she's so innocent, but she, like, doesn't, know she's innocent?" "Yeah," Jordan whispers, his eyes doing that drunken unsteady-focus thing. Rayanne says that Emily always says things like, "My, isn't the moonlight terrible?" "Yeah, she's always sayin' innocent stuff like that," Jordan murmurs shakily. Rayanne mushily tries to explain that she meant Emily, but gives up. Jordan asks if Angela likes Corey "or what." Rayanne shrugs with her eyes: "I dunno. It's hard to say." Jordan says that sometimes, he really thinks he knows Angela, "and then it'll be likelike we're total strangers." "I know," Rayanne sighs. Then she elbows him, jollying him out of it: "Hey, Catalano. It's cool." He turns towards her; suddenly, he's giving her The Look. "Hi," he breathes. Rayanne locks onto The Look and returns it: "Hey." He leans towards her a little bit; she looks from his eyes to his mouth and back again. He reaches up to brush a lock of hair away from her forehead, then touches her cheek with his fingers, and she rubs her face into his hand like a cat. At last, he comes in for the kiss, and she throws her arms around his shoulders to kiss him back, and the camera comes in at them from different angles to reinforce the sensation of intoxicated disorientation. Jordan reaches down to open the door of the car. They break apart; Rayanne sips her beer. Jordan opens the door and leans against it, leaving Rayanne room to get into the car, and he looks breathless and sick. Shot of Rayanne looking scared; another swig of beer. She wipes her mouth. She wipes her mouth again. Then, out of focus and slow, she ducks into the back seat of the car. Quickly to black-and-white, then back to color as Rayanne's silhouette settles itself in the back seat. Jordan looks around, then follows Rayanne in, and their silhouette disappears below the window line. Black-and-white of the same vignette. Brian lowers the viewfinder and twitches in discomfort.

Sidebar time. I used to belong to an email list about the show, and the ferocious debate about this scene never stopped -- what were Rayanne and Jordan thinking at the time, did they decide to betray Angela or did it "just happen," can we blame their actions on the alcohol, did Rayanne want to become Angela at that moment, on and on and on. Here's my take on it: we aren't supposed to know for sure. All we know is that two lonely kids got drunk and had sex with each other. That's it. But giving ambiguities like this one room to breathe is what made this show such a star.