What I’m Watching: Vice Principals

Vice Principals: Season 2, Episode 2 “Slaughter” (B+)

One of the best things about this show has been the unexpected transformation of Neal into a good person. In this episode, he demonstrated a few positive traits, starting with his realization that he had caused damage to Robin’s life. Offering him readmission to school following his expulsion was a very nice thing to do, and giving Dayshaun a real gift was nice too. He even wanted to protect Amanda from Lee’s wrath, though that may all have changed when he got triggered at the end of the episode by the sight of her new boyfriend. With Neal’s world outlook softening, Lee is coming into focus as the malicious one, motivated by his own hatred for others and desire above all to be liked. Listening in to the teachers’ gossip was a bad idea, and it didn’t even matter that he was bugging them when he called them all into the woods to demand their IDs before burning them and telling them they would be shot if found on school property. Lee has some truly evil impulses, like referencing making execution videos when talking about his hatred for Mrs. LeBlanc. It’s hard to tell whether the things that he and Neal do actually stick since they’re so wild and unbelievable, but Lee’s act is unquestionably a declaration of war against all those who oppose him. Lee’s wife is on his side, telling him that kindness is power, but we saw how that sushi offer went from a decent idea to a terrible one in mere moments.