TV Bender

This episode starts out with Piz and Veronica studying; Veronica for her PI exam and Piz for his interview with a Hearst student who was a child soldier in Uganda and wrote a book. The book is a hit and Apollo (the author) is set to appear on Oprah and have a movie made.

A newly-licensed Veronica gets a call from a man who thinks he’s Apollo’s father. In the process of getting a sample of Apollo’s mother’s handwriting to compare with the letter the man provided, Veronica learns the startling truth that the book isn’t true. Apollo was never a child soldier. It’s A Million Little Child Soldiers! Veronica relays this information to her client, who shows up to meet Apollo anyway. And surprise! Apollo actually did write the book! He just had the guy think that there wasn’t any money in order to weed out the cash-seeking people from people who actually cared about him. Smooth move, Apollo. Smooth move.

The rest of this episode has all the Hearst students worrying about their summers. Piz has gotten an internship with a music critic’s website in New York, but is obviously reluctant to leave his newfound relationship with Veronica. His fears are quelled at the end of the episode when Veronica gets her internship at the FBI and will therefore only be a couple-hour train ride away. Dick and Logan’s surfing plans are cancelled when Daddy Casablancas shows up and wants to spend more time with Dick before he goes to jail, but only after Dick gives him a piece of his mind and proves he’s actually a human being. Wallace is moved by Apollo’s story and signs up to go to Uganda to help out.

This week was a huge improvement over the last couple of episodes. The mystery was engaging and promoted a good cause without being preachy. And I did not see the twist of Apollo actually writing the book coming. Next week is the two-hour season finale! I’m excited; I heard that the CW executives really like this episode and it might very well be what saved Veronica from the chopping block.

P.S. For more information about child soldiers in Uganda and what you can do to help, visit www.invisiblechildren.com.