by which I gather that they're probably not screening the military personnels for STD, at least in 2004 when this review was written.

I know when my godson's dad signed up in '95, he had to go through some screening, but I guess once you're in, they let you go. Huh. (Also, it's possible that they didn't screen for anything beyond HIV. I'd have to ask him.)

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I'm not sure how it would work with him knowing Gia was in the limo

Oooh, I didn't think of that part. That kiboshes my theory. Which I'm OK about because Cassidy = love.

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Oh! I have another cracked theory.

From "Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner," we know Meg babysat for the Goodmans. And we knew the rich and powerful 09er dads had no compunction making a blatant pass at their babysitters from that episode. What if WOODY, not Lucky, is Meg's baby's father? (Here, I'd venture that there was at minimum coersion and possibly a rape involved.) And Meg told him and threatened exposure, and Woody found a convenient way to do away with her via the bus crash. Perhaps the phone call to Gia wasn't as much to ensure Gia was safe as to confirm that Meg was on the bus.

Not quite sure where Lucky fits in here, but it's a theory. I suspect I'll have a dozen more before the finale.

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If you do get caught, don’t let it be while reading Wikipedia on Chlamydia: Symptoms.

Spik-el-oost II: I Thought It Was a Flower Boogaloo.

In the daisy-chain, we have Kendall, big Dick, possibly Ed Jerse/Fitzpatrick Wossname, Logan, Duncan, Meg, whoever Meg has slept with possibly Lucky, and finally Veronica. Maybe we can exclude Meg, who, when you've spent 5 months in a hospital with doctors all up in your business, you'd think they would have noticed. In which case, Duncan got it after Meg went into the coma, which makes Kendall the only "suspect."

We can assume Meg did not remain infected, but I don't think her hospitalization or pregnancy excludes her from the daisy chain as far as passing it on. There is no way to make an STD patient reveal all his or her sex partners. Plus, we saw Meg be a little vindictive in NitW, so even though she's basically good people, if she knew she had an STD prior to the crash and was reasonably sure she got it from someone else, she mightn't tell Duncan. If she was reasonably sure she got the STD from Duncan, she might have decided to let him stay infected. If she was comatose when it was detected, then she wasn't awake long enough that I'd believe she'd have to inform anyone. Also, we don't know if Duncan HAS NOT ever been with anyone else. We just know that Logan says he's only sure about Meg and Veronica wrt Duncan's partners.

Also, put me in the camp that thinks that Woody looks way too guilty. He's a bad guy, but I don't think he's THE bad guy. If he was involved in the crash, I'm gonna take a guess that it was inadvertantly (minion or associate acting independently) or tangentially (he, through Gia, was a target).

Yep.

I like that. It would be tragic and godawful if the culprit was one of Woody's victims, someone who's been so damaged and furious and vent on payback that he just wanted to lash back and hurt Woody through killing Gia, and damn the consequences. That'd make a nice parallel with Weevil's storyline, re. the price of vengeance. And if I'm continuing with that particular train of thought, the only potential suspect with that particular motive, enough brains to carry it off, and the requisite amount of screentime this season, would be Beaver.

But I LIKE Beaver, damnit! OK, someone talk me out of my theory. (But dude, this is the kind of outcome that'd actually have me majorly emotionally involved in the whole proceedings.)

Vonnie speaks for me. This has been the other half of my heartbreak, besides the obvious epic reasons, since watching the episode, last night. I think Beaver is bad to the bone, now.

I like this. (in the 'Noooooo!' sense of like) It would make Mac's cell phone receptor a good angsty plot point (although I'm sure it will be anyway). I'm not sure how it would work with him knowing Gia was in the limo, but I leave that sort of thinking to people who have attention spans.

He didn't care if he and others died, too (up to and including possible suicidal feelings), maybe?

From "Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner," we know Meg babysat for the Goodmans. And we knew the rich and powerful 09er dads had no compunction making a blatant pass at their babysitters from that episode. What if WOODY, not Lucky, is Meg's baby's father? (Here, I'd venture that there was at minimum coersion and possibly a rape involved.) And Meg told him and threatened exposure, and Woody found a convenient way to do away with her via the bus crash. Perhaps the phone call to Gia wasn't as much to ensure Gia was safe as to confirm that Meg was on the bus.

Oh, I like this theory too Vonnie, but I still think Woody is looking way too much like the only suspect to be the only suspect. He's likely involved/at fault/a catalyst or otherwise up to horrible things, but I'll be surprised if the bus crash was his doing.

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Woody's not the only suspect, just the most obvious one, but I maintain that it all comes back to the incorporation, which makes Gia a likely target.

So I asked myself the question last night, who benefits now that it's not go through?

• How do Big Dick's real estate scams work? Would he make more money/be safer if the incorporation failed? Do Beaver's work the same way?

• If the incorporation went through, Lamb would be stuck with a low paying job with less budget -- all the crime, and none of the perks. The man's had to fight for what little he has, all season. And is it just coincidence that he and Madison were at the same hotel the night Cliff's briefcase was stolen? What does he stand to lose?

• What exactly was Kendall's con?

• Why does Lucky hate Woody? And why did his parents go bankrupt?

I think, when it's all said and done, those are our suspects, and I'm starting to suspect we can stop looking at Lucky.

I hate to say it, but in a field of bad people, I'm starting to look at Lamb.

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How do Big Dick's real estate scams work? Would he make more money/be safer if the incorporation failed? Do Beaver's work the same way?

I don't know about Big Dick's, but the show has hinted that it would be better for Beaver if the incorporation failed (that scene with the FBLA teacher telling the club about Palo Alto).

If the incorporation went through, Lamb would be stuck with a low paying job with less budget -- all the crime, and none of the perks.

Are we sure about this? I saw you mention something similar in your lj, but there would still be a county, right--there'd just be a city, as well. It seems to me Woody was trying to get Keith to run for Sheriff and using the potential incorporation as a selling point with which to convince Keith.

What exactly was Kendall's con?

No clue, but she could be conning Beaver.

Why does Lucky hate Woody?

I say molestation. He was wearing a letter man's jacket. The DVD focused on all the little league teams. We know Woody was a LL coach.

And why did his parents go bankrupt?

No idea, but it certainly could tie into Woody, which could rule out Woody as molesting him, but there seems to be too much sex stuff this season to rule out molestation, entirely (and maybe Manning is a culprit).

I hate to say it, but in a field of bad people, I'm starting to look at Lamb.

For the bus crash? I don't think so. If so, I'll be disappointed in the show, unless they really earn it in the next 84 minutes of screen time.

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Are we sure about this? I saw you mention something similar in your lj, but there would still be a county, right--there'd just be a city, as well. It seems to me Woody was trying to get Keith to run for Sheriff and using the potential incorporation as a selling point with which to convince Keith.

Woody explicitly said that if incorporation went through, they would hire Keith as Chief of Police for the new city of Neptune, leaving Lamb as Sheriff of the unicorporated areas of the county.

However, he said that after Keith had lost the election for Sheriff.

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Cereal to add that it was also said (I cannot remember which character said it) that Lamb would not be happy to lose responsibility over the nice parts of Neptune county. Less money, less power, less prestige, less opportunity for graft.

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Are we sure about this? I saw you mention something similar in your lj, but there would still be a county, right--there'd just be a city, as well. It seems to me Woody was trying to get Keith to run for Sheriff and using the potential incorporation as a selling point with which to convince Keith.

Sure there would, it just wouldn't be getting tax dollars from all the rich people, and property values would plummet (as per the business teacher.) His job would suck even more.

But no, I can't tie him straight to the bus crash. Not unless I'm missing something. I just get the feeling there's something I should be looking at there.

We're really down to Woody being either the villain or the target, though. It all hinges on him.

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We're really down to Woody being either the villain or the target, though. It all hinges on him.

I would laugh like a drain if it turned out that Woody was just an enormous, badly-behaved red herring.

"So, it was Mac all along. I never suspected a thing."

"But what was up with the mayor?"

"Oh, he was just a jerk."

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