zwolanerd

This episode focuses a lot on Veronica and has Rose in it, so you know it’s going to be great.

The focus is on identity, and Ted’s telling us that right out of the gate doesn’t dilute the episode. In fact, using Alice and Ernie as quick examples in passing is a great way to show that everyone from the lowest levels to the highest still want to figure themselves out. We go from Alice and Ernie to Veronica in just a few minutes, people we don’t know at all to someone we know pretty well thirteen episodes in. I’ve always wanted to sit in on a writer’s room when they’re talking ideas out. Watching the extras on the Seinfeld DVDs reveals that many of the iconic stories are based on things that actually happened to one of the writers. It just makes me wonder how they hit on this issue of identity, a thing that everyone deals with to some extent, but is probably an even bigger thought-occupier in an actor’s head.  I’m speculating here and putting more on the episode than it warrants, but it’s something that crossed my mind.

Anyway!

Veronica’s delight at seeing the search engine find random pictures of her is one of my favorite Veronica moments in the whole series. She’s self-confident and powerful, but she still likes attention – we’ve seen that before in Veronica, of course, but her “More, more more!” here while excitedly clapping is just too adorable, a phrase I don’t think I’ve ever applied to Veronica before. Her glee turns into another rare thing for her in short order. How often do we see Veronica who doesn’t know what to do almost immediately? Her attempt to point attention to Linda and run out of the room is very amusing.

Veronica doesn’t want to look weird or weak in front of the underlings. She certainly doesn’t want them laughing at her, most likely because she feels if they’re laughing at her they won’t be listening to, obeying, and respecting her. She saw how disastrously everything went when she tried to be more supportive and kind, so her panic mode here is most likely justified. But the heart wants what it wants, and Veronica’s heart wants Kevin. She decides to be true to herself and perform, and it’s the right choice for her. In the end, and to their credit, the Veridian employees are mesmerized by her performance, and since we never hear about it again, it must not have caused any of them to lose respect for Veronica.

Meanwhile, Phil’s existential crisis is jumpstarted by champion bull rider Byron McNurtney, who looks just like him. “If this guy looks just like me, why is he surrounded by gorgeous women and I am not?” Leave it to a couple of scientists to theorize that if you fake confidence you have it and then want to test it. Smooth Phil is great, but Regular Phil’s decision to not become him makes the most sense for the character. Being confident and awesome is fine as far as it goes, but getting punched a lot is no fun.

Meanwhile, in Ted & Linda Relationship Land, Ted returns to being a person he used to be (someone who goes on dates) and Linda figures out a little bit more of who she is (someone who shouldn’t be dating someone else because she wants to be with Ted).

I love how the theme gets played out in several different ways throughout the episode, with pretty much everything in the episode coming back to it. There’s actual growth in the characters, while not being anything that will drastically change the show, because you can’t really do that and keep the magic of the show. Even Phil’s realization about what he could be with some effort but deciding to stay where he is is a change for the character while still being growth. It’s a neat bit of writing, I think.

Bits and Pieces:

• “So my boyfriend wants us to move in together.” – Linda
  “Why would he want us to move in together?” – Veronica
  “No, I mean he wants me to move in with him.” – Linda
  “Then where am I supposed to live?” – Veronica
• “Okay, fellas, nerd it up.” -Veronica (This should be this site’s new tagline)
• “With this technology we have finally defeated privacy!” – Bhamba
• “Is that the magician?” – Ted
  “His name is Mordor, what do you think?” – Veronica
• Bhamba pulling the handkerchief for Veronica, because even Bhamba stays true thimself in this episode, and that’s just the sort of thing Bhamba would do. No existential crisis for Bhamba!
• Mordor the Unforgiving
• “Why would I be on a bull without zinc on my nose?” – Phil
• Phil thinks that spurs are tall shoes with throwing stars attached
• Linda’s friend Rebecca is a veterinarian, and she seems very nice.
• Ernie calls Veronica “V-ness” right before she slaps him
• Veronica hates Dutch Blend again
• “People are not loving the slapping.” – Ted
• Veronica slaps Ted. Ted slaps Veronica. “We’re cool.” – Veronica
• “So you’re saying by just acting confident, you can McNurtney-ize yourself?” – Lem
• “I bought a boat!” – Rose ($140,000!)
• “Well… don’t pick up when I call.” – Phil, being super smooth
• Lem assumes it was a girl who beat Phil up
• “I’m a scientist, Lem. I’ve been a threat to humanity, the environment, even Jupiter once, but never to a hot girl’s boyfriend.” – Phil
• Linda leaves a screenful of Ted pictures when she goes to lunch with Rebecca. Is this weird to anyone else? Or is everyone in the office so aware of Linda’s Ted cruch that it isn’t strange?  I mean, she doesn’t even lock her screen.
• Veronica’s stage name is Athena. Athen loves Mordor.  There’s your tattoo idea, folks.
• Phil & Lem, scientists who figure out the secrets of the universe, are all agog at the magic show. Good for them!
• “Yo, where’s my quarter?” – Ernie, after Linda slaps him

Commercial:

No commercial this week!  Boo!

Ideas/Inventions mentioned in this episode:

• Image-based search engine – I’m pretty sure Google stole this idea from Veridian
• Container full of eyes
• Carnivorous shoes (theoretical)
  

Coworkers named/seen:

• Alice, who still thinks she’s 20
• Ernie, who thinks he’s a gangsta, and is one of my favorite extra characters “Crazy story…”

Next week: Season 1 wrap-up and a discussion about what the future holds for Let’s Watch Something Together

Tags: Better Off Ted, LWST

Written by: Mark