This week brought us the return of Sweet/Vicious after their short winter hiatus. We picked up right where the last episode left off with Ophelia and Jules facing the very real possibility of having their operation blown into the public’s eye. This episode also contained one of the strongest scenes and performances of the shows run so far between Jules and her rapist. The episode was written by Jared Frieder and directed by Todd Biermann. Here is what went down in the sixth episode, “Fearless”.
TWO BIRDS ONE STONE | When last we left our heroes, Ophelia (Taylor Dearden) had royally stepped in it by letting herself be seen taking out one of the “Get In” rapists. Now her vigilante alter ego is Snapchat famous (because we’re Millennials…it’s what we do). She takes off across campus to get away from the cops and is tackled by Jules (Eliza Bennett) who is PISSED. They head back to the apartment to wait out the lockdown now being enforced across campus and survey the damage via Snapchat. They have her from all kinds of angles and worst of all, there is a clear view of the giant gash on her arm that she sustained in the fight. Ophelia decides they should use the lockdown to their advantage, playing the part the scared innocent girls and let assumption and stereotypes divert attention away from them. Harris (Brandon Mychal Smith) shows up at her door looking for her and tells Jules that Tyler (Nick Fink) is also downstairs worried. When Jules goes to meet Tyler, Harris pulls Ophelia aside and tells her his theory that Jules is the vigilante. Ophelia quickly dismisses this idea but knowing him, he will continue to poke around and that has her worried. They go downstairs where Ophelia snaps a cute picture of the Jyler on the couch so Jules can post it on Instagram (social media is this generation’s alibi). When Jules sees the cops checking people’s arms for the gash, she and Ophelia make a plan to throw both the cops and Harris off their scent. As an added wrench in the night, Nate (Dylan McTee) decides to ‘check on’ Jules after seeing her picture on Instagram.
They decide to go forth with the plan regardless and have what can only be described as the shout circle thing athletes do before the big sportsball game to get psyched and it’s go time. Ophelia excuses herself to take a shower and then climbs out the bathroom window in her vigilante gear while Jules hangs out with the guys downstairs. Ophelia cuts the power in the store and sprints through, bashing Harris in the knee as she goes around him and out the front door right into a gaggle of cops who give chase. Using her handy phone tracking software, she leads the cops to the house of “Get In” rapist number two. She tackles him to the ground and cuts his arm in the same place they cut her. She runs out but not before leaving a black hoodie in the other room for the cops to find when they get there moments later. Between the cut, the hoodie, and the male-ness, the cops think they’ve got their guy and arrest him.
CONFRONTATION | Everyone is worried about their friends in the lockdown and Kennedy (Aisha Dee) is no exception. While the other girls in the house build a blanket fort basecamp in the living room, she checks in on Jules via text. Jules shoots back that she is still with Ophelia working on Statistics homework. Later when she goes up to Jules’ room on the mission of finding her speakers, she spots Jules’ statistics book. On the phone with Jules she asks her about the book and Jules lies saying she’s looking right at it. Kennedy is crushed and tells the other girls. Mackenzie (Skyler Day) drunkenly proclaims it as an “I told you so” moment from behind her giant fortress of pink solo cups. When Nate shows up at Vinylton, Ophelia tries to make him leave but Harris, not knowing the truth, lets him in. Jules asks him what the hell he is doing there and he tells her he has been thinking about their “conversation” from the other night and wants to “hang out some time”. Thankfully Tyler cuts in and she uses him to escape from Nate.
After Ophelia returns from successfully framing “Get In” rapist number two, Jules and Tyler hang back in the apartment to have a little alone time. Things heat up and they end up in the bed. Tyler asks if she’s sure and she says yes but it’s not long before she has a flash of not Tyler, but Nate on top of her and she panics, pushing Tyler off of her and running out of the room. She comes into the store and grabs Nate, shoving him into the wall with her hand over his mouth. She tells him EXACTLY what he did to her in one of the most well written speeches I have ever seen on TV of someone confronting their attacker. This show does not pull it’s punches and I respect the hell out of them for that and the importance of this two-minute scene. Nate looks shocked and when she releases him, runs out of the store. Unfortunately, Tyler comes in just in time to see Nate leave and Jules break down as Ophelia rush to her side. After she and Ophelia talk, Tyler pulls her aside to talk about what happened. He is confused and hurt. She can’t tell him what Nate did (not before she tells Kennedy) so she tells him she can’t do this anymore and they break up. Jules goes to the house to tell Kennedy but Nate got their first. Kennedy only got Nate’s side of the story and between that and the recent lies Jules has told her, she doesn’t believe Jules when she tells her Nate raped her. Jules shows up at Ophelia’s door broken down and with her bags and asks if she can stay with her. Ophelia says of course and pulls her into a tight hug while Jules sobs into her shoulder.
PAUL BLARTON MALL COP | Barton (Greg Worswick) goes to his boss to report his findings on the pattern of attacks and present his theory that they have a vigilante specifically targeting rapists. The suit is impressed and tells Barton he will bring this to his superiors. Later, the suit visits Barton at his office and tells him that after hearing Barton’s findings, the powers on high at the university have ordered he be let go. His boss can’t tell him exactly why but a little green haired birdy told me one of the rapists being targeted is none other than the son of the president of the university who might not want that getting out. In cleaning out his desk, Barton finds a reference to the bathroom wall where all the rapists’ names are written and checks it out himself.
OTHER THOUGHTS:
• Froyo delivery people are the true heroes of the lockdown
• Apparently “Vesuvius is your asshole” was improvised and I would like to thank Taylor Dearden personally for that fit of giggles.
• Dear marketing team, I need “Ye Old Vagilante” on every piece of merchandise humanly possible and I need it now.
So what did you think? Are the girls out of the woods as far as suspects? Will Kennedy and Jules be able to mend their friendship? Let us know in the comments below!
Be sure to catch Sweet/Vicious, Tuesdays at 10/9c on MTV!