Dunkin' the Donut
The more I talk, read and think about this episode, the more confused I get. So I thought I'd try to reason it out.
was celeste in on it?
In my mind: no. From a characterization standpoint it doesn't make much sense. No sense, in fact. But Vinnie's "you pay better than your mother" comment, the fact that she reported the theft of the earrings, etc, make me think she really was so against becoming a grandmother that she was willing to sacrifice her only remaining child, her golden boy for whom she was willing to go to jail just two years before.
what the hell was astrid's part in it?
While in Napa over the Christmas break, Duncan got Astrid involved in the plan, unbeknownst to his mother. We're shown that Celeste treats her like crap, so it would be no wonder if Astrid did it just to spite her. I think there was probably some monetary compensation as well. After delivering the baby into the waiting arms of daddy dearest she can just go back to Celeste and pretend nothing happened.
Her "the FBI thought [I was Veronica] too" was explained to me by lapses. She was the one who went up to Big Bear and posed as the buyer, and then played the tape of Duncan phoning Veronica before high-tailing it back to Neptune to take the baby across the border with Vinnie. Two things I don't quite understand here:
we need a shower scene for kendall!
My understanding is that Kendall didn't know a thing, that Duncan asked her to come over, and that Veronica's arrival with Logan was planned so that Logan would be there to witness Veronica "discovering" Kendall in Duncan's room. Why is this necessary in life? To give Duncan and Veronica a reason to fight? Yeah, because Duncan getting his ex pregnant just isn't enough for a fight. There neeeeds to be a shower scene to really do the fight justice. /sarcasm
vinnie the weasel
How could Veronica and Duncan be sure that Vinnie wouldn't doublecross them and go back to Celeste for a counter-offer? This is the weak part of my plan, and the one that makes me highly suspicious that Celeste actually was in on it. Maybe he realized that if he went to Celeste he couldn't really prove anything and he couldn't deliver Duncan, so why bother? He does seem like a "path of least resistance" kind of guy.
logic is for suckers!
The thing that makes the least sense to me is why they're so enamoured with the idea of committing felonies left and right without even trying to settle things through the courts. I mean, the first thing you'd do in a case like this is get an injunction so that the Mannings can't put the baby up for adoption, as was their intention. Then Duncan would get a paternity test and get temporary custody of the baby. Am I right so far? No legal snafus?
I don't really see why a lack of support from his parents would matter as he's an emancipated minor who probably has a trust fund (I'm guessing, since the sailboat must have cost 80 000 dollars at least, and he still had money to pay off Vinnie). And yes, he has a medical condition, but at least he wants to raise his child, unlike the child-abusing Manning family, who are putting it up for adoption.
The way I see it, there's one easy way out of all these plotholescraters:
Make someone else the biological father of the child.
Seriously, it explains Duncan's reason to run, as well as Celeste's lack of interest.
My theory goes like this: when Meg wakes up, Duncan gives her an out by saying "what do we do?". At this point he already knows that he's not the father because they never slept together (or the letter could have said something to that effect). Meg is relieved that he's throwing her a lifeline, so she grabs onto it and continues the charade for Veronica's benefit. (This also explains why she asks Veronica to make sure her parents don't get the baby instead of asking Duncan. Also, if her father was the father, that could explain even further why she wouldn't want the baby even near them.)
I'm thinking that Veronica remains oblivious about the baby's paternity throughout all this, she only takes Duncan at his word when he says he has to go on the lam (because let's face it, thinking things through is not Veronica's strong suit. For evidence, see just about every single case in season 1. And questioning Duncan isn't her strong suit either. For evidence, see just about every single episode in season 2).
They concoct this elaborate scheme when Duncan realizes that his mother isn't going to help him with a baby that isn't a true Kane (her visit to Neptune was most likely prompted by Duncan finding out about Meg's pregnancy. And if she were the first person he told, it would make sense that he'd spill the beans then about not being the real father, and then realize that it was a bad idea to tell anyone else about that little factoid).
Retcon, Rob. Really, look into it. And just look at it this way: this makes Duncan an even greater guy! And I get a storyline that makes sense. Though not characters that make sense. At this point I'll settle for one out of two.
was celeste in on it?
In my mind: no. From a characterization standpoint it doesn't make much sense. No sense, in fact. But Vinnie's "you pay better than your mother" comment, the fact that she reported the theft of the earrings, etc, make me think she really was so against becoming a grandmother that she was willing to sacrifice her only remaining child, her golden boy for whom she was willing to go to jail just two years before.
what the hell was astrid's part in it?
While in Napa over the Christmas break, Duncan got Astrid involved in the plan, unbeknownst to his mother. We're shown that Celeste treats her like crap, so it would be no wonder if Astrid did it just to spite her. I think there was probably some monetary compensation as well. After delivering the baby into the waiting arms of daddy dearest she can just go back to Celeste and pretend nothing happened.
Her "the FBI thought [I was Veronica] too" was explained to me by lapses. She was the one who went up to Big Bear and posed as the buyer, and then played the tape of Duncan phoning Veronica before high-tailing it back to Neptune to take the baby across the border with Vinnie. Two things I don't quite understand here:
- Why was it necessary for the FBI to think that Veronica had any part in the plan at all? Couldn't they just have had someone who looked like Duncan instead, so that Veronica could avoid prosecution? Hey, people are always mixing up Logan and Duncan, why not use him? Okay, so he has the ankle thing, but still! Why implicate Veronica further when Duncan would be the smarter choice?
- Was the tape left behind on purpose? Because that seems like the stupidest thing ever and I can't think of a single reason for it. It gives the FBI actual tangible evidence to use against Veronica.
we need a shower scene for kendall!
My understanding is that Kendall didn't know a thing, that Duncan asked her to come over, and that Veronica's arrival with Logan was planned so that Logan would be there to witness Veronica "discovering" Kendall in Duncan's room. Why is this necessary in life? To give Duncan and Veronica a reason to fight? Yeah, because Duncan getting his ex pregnant just isn't enough for a fight. There neeeeds to be a shower scene to really do the fight justice. /sarcasm
vinnie the weasel
How could Veronica and Duncan be sure that Vinnie wouldn't doublecross them and go back to Celeste for a counter-offer? This is the weak part of my plan, and the one that makes me highly suspicious that Celeste actually was in on it. Maybe he realized that if he went to Celeste he couldn't really prove anything and he couldn't deliver Duncan, so why bother? He does seem like a "path of least resistance" kind of guy.
logic is for suckers!
The thing that makes the least sense to me is why they're so enamoured with the idea of committing felonies left and right without even trying to settle things through the courts. I mean, the first thing you'd do in a case like this is get an injunction so that the Mannings can't put the baby up for adoption, as was their intention. Then Duncan would get a paternity test and get temporary custody of the baby. Am I right so far? No legal snafus?
I don't really see why a lack of support from his parents would matter as he's an emancipated minor who probably has a trust fund (I'm guessing, since the sailboat must have cost 80 000 dollars at least, and he still had money to pay off Vinnie). And yes, he has a medical condition, but at least he wants to raise his child, unlike the child-abusing Manning family, who are putting it up for adoption.
The way I see it, there's one easy way out of all these plotholescraters:
Make someone else the biological father of the child.
Seriously, it explains Duncan's reason to run, as well as Celeste's lack of interest.
My theory goes like this: when Meg wakes up, Duncan gives her an out by saying "what do we do?". At this point he already knows that he's not the father because they never slept together (or the letter could have said something to that effect). Meg is relieved that he's throwing her a lifeline, so she grabs onto it and continues the charade for Veronica's benefit. (This also explains why she asks Veronica to make sure her parents don't get the baby instead of asking Duncan. Also, if her father was the father, that could explain even further why she wouldn't want the baby even near them.)
I'm thinking that Veronica remains oblivious about the baby's paternity throughout all this, she only takes Duncan at his word when he says he has to go on the lam (because let's face it, thinking things through is not Veronica's strong suit. For evidence, see just about every single case in season 1. And questioning Duncan isn't her strong suit either. For evidence, see just about every single episode in season 2).
They concoct this elaborate scheme when Duncan realizes that his mother isn't going to help him with a baby that isn't a true Kane (her visit to Neptune was most likely prompted by Duncan finding out about Meg's pregnancy. And if she were the first person he told, it would make sense that he'd spill the beans then about not being the real father, and then realize that it was a bad idea to tell anyone else about that little factoid).
Retcon, Rob. Really, look into it. And just look at it this way: this makes Duncan an even greater guy! And I get a storyline that makes sense. Though not characters that make sense. At this point I'll settle for one out of two.