What I’m Watching: Vice Principals

Vice Principals: Season 2, Episode 5 “A Compassionate Man” (B+)

This show always manages to be more complex than it might seem at first glance. Things going awry was pretty inevitable, and it’s not as if all the teachers’ perceptions of Lee could really get any worse. One thing that has definitely changed since this show started is that Lee and Neal really are friends now, and, when everyone was against him, he was there to stand by his friend. Christine’s meltdown was epic, and it’s good to see the quietest, least featured character really show just how unhappy she is since Lee very clearly made up rumors about Kevin, who seems much more interested in her than Lee ever is, so that they would break up and he could make his move. With just two episodes left in this series, which still makes me sad, I don’t think this will have any real impact on Lee’s career or on the show in general, but this was completely in keeping with this show’s style, particularly Neal’s decision to bring Robin with him to the party rather than a date. The best part was Neal’s reaction to learning that Ms. Abbott has drugged Brian’s drink so that he would look stupid. Initially, he appeared to express concern and realize that this wasn’t okay, ready to run to Amanda to tell her that he knew it was wrong. But then he came to a different conclusion, that she was doing something nice for him, which means they’re going to sleep together, something she’s always wanted and he’s resisted. I can’t imagine that will have a positive impact on his chances with Amanda, but maybe it will make him happy briefly, which is something.