In the final two hours of “Sweet/Vicious” season one, everything that Jules has been working toward comes to a head. She finally has the courage to tell the school what happened to her and has the chance to confront Nate as the vigilante. As a result, a few new chapters open.

Harris knows all

As teased in the episode preview, we didn’t have to wait long at all to find out what Harris knows: he knows everything. He overheard the heated exchange between Jules and Ophelia after their last takedown, and while Harris might not approve of their methods, I’m glad to see that he doesn’t allow either girl to end up in jail.

What’s so great about someone like Harris - a person studying law who believes in the system - is that he can see when the system isn’t working. He doesn’t allow himself to be blinded by the career path he wants to take and even decides to join the team. (Yes, Harris is totally Charlie.)

The justice system is flawed

Surprisingly for Jules, and the audience, the school finds in favor of her when she files her complaint. Over the course of the season, we saw so many young women who were persuaded not to get help or whose rapists weren’t found guilty, that we all expected the same outcome. What’ interesting here is that it turns out Darlington isn’t completely corrupt, though the conviction being overturned by the school dean does show that there is more.

Money means more to the people in charge, and to the district attorney’s office than the safety of young people. Like Harris, when we find out that they’ve been making rape cases disappear to make sure that revenue from the university keeps coming into town, you can’t help but be appalled. The students, in a perfect world, should come first.

In reality, athletes and students whose parents donate large dollar amounts to schools have been able to get away with a lot. We’ve seen the tide change a little bit over the last two years as more students come forward when they survive or witness an assault, but Darlington is definitely a microcosm of the university experience that reflects our society incredibly well.

Kudos to the writing staff for getting so many of the details right.

Who knew Miles was going to be so great?

We probably all saw Miles as harmless comic relief in past episodes, but he steps up in the finale in a big way. He might be the stoner friend, but he’s the stoner friend who can actually tell right from wrong, which is refreshing since the rest of Nate’s fraternity brothers decide that they like him more than they like being decent human beings. Given that so many of the rapists were members of his fraternity, though, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised by that.

I do hope “Sweet/Vicious” gets a season two that gives us more Miles, though. I’d love to see him as someone the girls go to for help once in awhile to have an in with the frat guys.

The Nate takedown

From the moment we find out Nate assaulted Jules, we all knew that at some point, the vigilante would have to take him down. An old fashioned beat-down isn’t quite enough for Nate since he’s prepared for that, but the way Jules and Ophelia take him on instead is remarkable.

Not only do Kennedy and her sorority sisters get involved, reminding Nate that there’s a target on his back, but even Miles is used to spy on him. I love the addition of the anonymous notes and the public shaming of Nate. It’s fitting that it’s Nate’s takedown that has the “Sweet/Vicious” vigilante set up a website for people to report the assault to them as well.

Lingering questions

Does Evan know the truth?

He’s quick to tell Ophelia about the student assaulted on his floor, and also quick to give her space.

How long before Tyler learns the truth? Tyler and Jules made up and got closer, but what happens when he realizes she’s a vigilante?

The verdict

Such a fantastic end to the first season of the show, these two episodes are great paired together! I cannot stress enough how much I hope MTV grants “Sweet/Vicious” a season two.

5 out of 5 stars