P.S. Stephanie, in my office it's the attorney who took the bar the most recently that gets all the questions outside of our specialty. Go Bar prep!

Thanks! It's days like today that I really miss the law. It was all I could do not to get all Troxel v. Granville on everyone.

Even putting aside the particulars of who has what burden, I still think Duncan/Veronica's actions were not believeable. Duncan's staying in the Neptune Grand - go stay in a regular apartment and use your money to get custody of your daughter. The best wank I can come up with is that Duncan *thought* he would never get custody and acted accordingly. He's not known for thinking too hard.

It was all I could do not to get all Troxel v. Granville on everyone.

Heh, I remember that case from a grandparent visitation memo I did a few years ago.

Even putting aside the particulars of who has what burden, I still think Duncan/Veronica's actions were not believeable. Duncan's staying in the Neptune Grand - go stay in a regular apartment and use your money to get custody of your daughter. The best wank I can come up with is that Duncan *thought* he would never get custody and acted accordingly. He's not known for thinking too hard.

Well, getting a regular apartment requires an income or a co-signer and generally a lease. Besides, if the Kanes were paying for the hotel room, it's not like he'd have pocketed any money they saved. And Duncan is a bit thought-challenged, but Veronica should have been smarter.

I don't want to play legal smackdown (because I would probably lose) but I was taught that absent unfitness, parents get custody.

I know you meant this, but just to clarify, the "best interest of the child" standard must be qualified by a presumption in favor of the natural parent(s).

I was being too brief in my comments. I was focusing on the point that it's not a certainty that Duncan would get the child. But as you both note, there is a strong presumption toward the natural parent.

WRT VM, the plotline about custody makes little sense. Would have been better if they were more worried about Meg's parents getting even temporary custody and abusing the baby while the custody hearings were going on, but I find that difficult to swallow.

As an alternative, rather than being concerned about Meg's parents abusing the baby, maybe if there was some concern about them taking off with the child if Duncan went to court?

As an alternative, rather than being concerned about Meg's parents abusing the baby, maybe if there was some concern about them taking off with the child if Duncan went to court?

That would have made more sense, but they failed to lay any foundation for going in that direction. I wonder if RT bothered with having any attorney give input on the custody storyline which could have made it tighter/more plausible. My guess is no.

In Re: Time to fake the donuts line...

I figured it was Logan's crass innuendo that Duncan wasn't enough man for Veronica. Maybe "time to make the donuts" is a euphemism for sex, and "time to fake the donuts" is for faking an orgasm. Hey, it's a stretch.

Also? Interesting coincidence: The Duncan Donuts guy who gave us the "Time to make the donuts" line died last Christmas eve.

Next week's opening scene is up.

DNA testing does take time, the backlog is terrible, especially for low-priority testing

Sure, if you're the DA trying to get something tested by the crime lab. But if you're talking paternity test at a private lab, it's not. And I'm sure you can put a rush order on that, pay the extra bucks...

As many other said--it's not that we can't fanwank it, it's that we have to at all. And I've come to expect so much better.

I never bought the break-up: it looked and felt far too staged.

And Lucy Lawless rocked. Heee.

I'm a bit confused why they decided Veronica wasn't really involved, though.

I don't think they did decide that; they just decided they didn't have enough proof. I mean, the tape recorder is pretty damning, but it's not conclusive, I suppose.

Man, the only things I liked about this episode were:

(1) Logan and Weevil, for lo, they are pretty and look good together;

(2) Keith, because he kicks so much ass as a dad;

(3) Charisma Carpenter HOTT;

(4) Baby cute;

(5) Logan asking Dick, "You're not a complex guy, are you?"

But honestly. Everything that others have said about the WTF? of an 18-year-old very very VERY rich white boy *not* getting custody of his kid -- YES YES YES. Weak plot, yo. I've gotten used to SO much better from VM. That's why I watch the show -- for the tight plotting. But this one? Made no sense from start to finish.

Also, enough with the 007 shit from Veronica. A lot of her Nancy Drew-ing I have no trouble believing, but the complex scheme to get the baby out of the country? I *don't* believe an 18-year-old girl can come up with a plan that complex and convoluted. I just don't.

In conclusion, Logan -N- Weevil 4EVAH!!!1!