4x01/02 The Ghost In The Machine --recap

With a new season comes new character looks such as Spinner’s longer hair and Craig ditching the curls.

The season opens as Spinner, Paige, and Craig are at Joey’s car lot as Spinner is christening the new car he just purchased. Spinner and Paige then go for a ride and are talking about taking the car to the drive in for a date. Things are going all too perfect as they pull into Paige’s driveway and the cops pull up behind them. Worried that Spinner received a speeding ticket it turns out that the cops are there to serve Paige as it’s finally time for Dean’s trial after all these years.

WHATEVER IT TAKES (complete with new back-track and removal of Terri from the credits)

Paige and Spinner along with third wheel Marco are at the Drive In. Marco mentions he hates Zombie Movies which he first told us back in It’s Raining Men. While Spinner’s mad the shorties are sitting shotgun in his car when he’d rather be sitting with Paige making out. When it’s time to get concessions Paige makes an interesting line that I’m sure if spoken now would of gotten her some flames. She’s as ‘hungry as Paris Hilton looks’.  

The next scene which I assume is the next day is Spinner, Paige, and Marco moving Dylan into his dorms. It’s Labor Day summer’s official funeral and while they could have been doing other things the perks of being able to do this and be Juniors with College Party privileges is too awesome to pass up. Spinner comments that he’s tired of not being alone with Paige and always has to be surrounded by a crowd. Paige promises once the trial is over she’ll be ready to have one on one time again. Paige leaves to pick up pizza for the group and runs into Dean. Dean approaches saying he knows they aren’t supposed to talk but tells Paige she shouldn’t have to relive the night and should call off the trial.

It’s the first day back at school. Emma and Chris, Toby and Kendra, and Liberty and Towerz all broke up and we’ll never see Kendra and Towerz again despite the former being a major characters sibling and said major character having some pretty major plots still to come in his tenure on the series.

Paige says ‘hi’ to Ellie and Alex who since last season now seem rather chummy and Alex comments that just because Paige acknowledged her with a hello doesn’t mean she has to say it back.

JT and Manny who are not together comment about the new students (I assume grade sevens) and Danny turns around to flirt with Manny (I’d assume that he was SORASed a smidge cause if he’s a grade seven now he would have only been in grade ten the season he graduated …note seasons 6/7 and 8/9 are the same school year)

Craig’s locker is all decorated and he looks to Ashley who makes a face….Marco did it and wishes Craig a Happy Birthday.

Jimmy and Spinner are arguing over just what pin up to put in their locker….Mandy Moore? No Hillary Duff she looks more like Paige. Paige approaches during this debate saying she’d rather look like Lindsey Lohan when the boys ask about the trial. She says it would have been tomorrow but she’s not going. Spinner is upset as she JUST told him that she needed the trial for closure before they had one on one time. Paige insists she HAS moved on and tells Spinner they could go and make out that evening.

Craig is home celebrating his birthday and watching a video Caitlin sent him from Thailand. Joey gives Craig a gift from his late dad and it turns out to be a 10 thousand dollar check to apparently tide him over until he’s eighteen and receives the rest of his trust fund.

Spinner and Paige make out in Spinner’s car and Paige stops making a comment on the familiar voice of the singer of the song on the radio. The song just so happens to be sung by one Cassie Steele better known as Manny Santos. She has flashbacks of the rape and pulls back. Spinner promises he won’t hurt her and Paige declares maybe she does need the trial after all.

The following day Ashley apologizes to Craig for being weird the other day and he tells her about the money his father gave her admitting he wanted to rip the check up and not have anything to do with his father. Ashley tells him he should go crazy with the money.

Paige along with a mother who doesn’t have a heavy accent arrives at the court and Spinner soon arrives as well. Paige tells him to leave wanting to spare him the details however he stays and soon the trial begins with Dean’s lawyer reaming into her.

Ashley and Craig go on a shopping spree at a music store and as Craig picks up a highly expensive guitar all I got was Mike Meyers’s voice from Wayne’s World in my head going ‘I’m feeling saucy….I think I’ll buy it.’

The verdict comes in and due to lack of witnesses and physical evidence Dean is NOT GUILTY…..to be continued

Paige is going through her closet wallowing when Marco shows up. There is a party at the university and they were planning to go. Paige wants to back out but after Marco compares the rape to when he got bashed in Pride she decides to go.

I KNOW I CAN MAKE IT THROUGH

Spinner, Paige, Jimmy, Hazel and Marco are at Dylan’s party and soon Paige has a mini panic attack (not her last) before taking a drink and partying it up. Spinner pulls Paige into a bedroom and she begins to strip telling him she’s easy and when he tells her he doesn’t want to hook up with her she says he doesn’t like her cause she’s damaged. He just wants the old Paige back….the Paige he loves and she informs him that she died that night when Dean took her innocence. Spinner leaves and soon Paige takes his keys.

Craig and Ashley show up with their music store haul and after seeing Craig’s four thousand dollar guitar Joey asks that he start paying rent. Craig thinks Joey’s mad at him and frankly he’s offended with the sudden proposition from his guardian to pitch in.

Jimmy and Spinner are playing pool and Jimmy is talking about how a few scouts are already showing interest in him for basketball when Hazel asks them where Paige is.

Paige shows up at Dean’s fraternity and she puts him on blast. He then makes a few remarks leading Paige to take Spinner’s car and ram it into Dean’s. Spinner arrives and sees this causing Paige to leave and go home in a cab.

Craig ends up spending the night with Sean at his place.

The following day Spinner assesses the damage to his car as Paige goes to her guidance appointment all bubbly. The councilor comments on her strength and that even though she lost the trial she’s stronger for coming out and doing what she did. Paige sees Spinner in the hall and asks how he is promising to pay for the damages. The cops show up soon at the school to talk to Spinner.

Simpson tells Craig that Joey’s been looking for him all night and is worried.

Spinner calls Paige from the police station as he’s been arrested since while Paige was driving it was his car and he tells her that she’s been going through enough so he took the fall. As Paige is showing up to the station Dean is leaving after giving a statement and tells Paige the frat wouldn’t let him in because of her outburst and Spinner was going to get it. She admits she was the driver and unlike him she’s owning up to her crimes and telling the cops about it.

Craig heads to Joey’s to get his stuff for the night and Joey admits he asked for the extra money from Craig because the shop isn’t doing well and he might lose it. Craig says that yea he’ll give Joey money.

Paige lost her license and has to do community service and tells Spinner she plans to get a job and seriously plans to pay for the damage. She brings up a triple feature at the drive in and asks if Spinner would go the following weekend and he says if the car is in better shape he will.