Meanwhile, the guidance counselor asks to speak with Veronica's dad, so she wants to read her file to see what the woman might be saying about her. However, it's pretty obvious from their first meeting that the counselor has a romantic interest in the dad. She tells him that she thinks Veronica needs someone to talk to and offers to be that person. Honestly, isn't that her job, though? It is such an obvious ploy. At first the dad turns down her offer, but after Veronica asks about her mom again, and her dad snaps at her for it, he decides the counselor has a point.
Anyway, this prompts Veronica to ask Wallace to get her Justin's file, which is where she learns that Justin's dad is supposedly dead. She goes to confront him about this but just as she's reaming him out for wasting her time and money, he gets a letter from John Smith. The ploy Veronica used, worked.
After checking the zip code, Veronica narrows it down to one of three people. She follows each of them and takes their pictures so she can show them to Justin. He says no to the first two because they don't have brown eyes, but the third one hasn't taken off his sunglasses, so Justin joins Veronica in staking the guy out. Justin ignores Veronica and approaches the guy who lowers his glasses just enough for Justin to realize that can't be his dad either. However, Veronica notices a handwriting match for the letter. Veronica takes Justin to the address, based on his activity Veronica thinks he's a petty criminal. She breaks into his house to see if he's driving a classic car. He catches her and tells her he's going to call the police at which point she finds out he's a bail bondsman, not a criminal as she suspected. She tells him she's here about his son, but he responds that he doesn't have a son. Just then, a car pulls up to the driveway and in it there's one of the regulars at the video store where he works, a beautiful woman with brown eyes. It turns out his dad has transitioned and is now living as a woman.
After freaking out on her and being more than a little transphobic, Justin is still upset as they drive home. Veronica tells him that his dad travelled 92 miles every week just to catch a glimpse of him and that she, Veronica, would give anything to think that her mother cared enough to do that.
Veronica finds the place where her mother was staying, but she has already left. A college friend of the mom is there instead. She says that Veronica's mom was afraid Mr. Mars would find her and that's why she left and she says that Veronica is all her mother cares about. Veronica isn't so sure. She drives home.
In the meantime of all this, there is a subplot of Veronica starting to date the new guy. They get along well throughout the date, but he goes in for a kiss at the end and she pulls back. I had initially thought this was about residual trauma from the rape, but it seems it was not wanting to move on from Duncan just yet. The next day at school she tries to correct this mistake by kissing him at the bleachers, but wouldn't you know it Duncan hurls himself off the edge and cracks open his head. It turns out he's gone off the antidepressants his parents had him on following Lilly's death. The doctor warns him he could have hallucinations, but he says it will be worth it. However, after a dream in which his dead sister stars telling him that the explanation of her death doesn't make sense, he decides to go back on them.
The episode ends for Justin with him making the decision to keep his transitioned dad in his life. He calls her to let her know the video she special ordered has come in and tells her exactly which days he works so she can be sure to catch him.
Veronica's last scene, after coming home from trying to see her mom, is her showing up outside the new guy's house. He wraps her in a hug, fade to black.
I thought this was interesting on many levels. It shows a certain disfunction in the Kane family and some callousness from the dad (which you'd expect if he was the murderer), both parents seem distant to Duncan. It deals with a family splitting up for non-conventional reasons and it has a good conclusion to the mystery. I liked the way it handled the trans story line. I thought it was done mostly respectfully. Justin's outburst notwithstanding. It didn't portray Julia as some caricature of a trans woman, and it showed her being in a loving relationship by the way her boyfriend (or husband) hugged her as Justin and Veronica left. It ended with Justin coming to terms with her new identity (shown by his using her chosen name when calling to let her know the video was in) and deciding to keep her in his life. This is rare for a show during this time period and I applaud it. 9/10, stellar episode.
