"Seven
schools and seven states and the only thing different is my locker combination."
I've heard many
people abstractly wonder if J.D. had ever killed before Heathers.
The answer seems obvious to me: of course he has!
If killing people was something new to him then
the locker combination wouldn't be an issue. Let's first recall his
introductory scene, and how he whips out his very big gun the instant bullies
enter his personal space. Let us then bring to attention the extent
of planning J.D. puts into his suicides: "Yeah, but this is Ohio, if you
don't have a brewski in your hand you might as well be wearing a dress."
When Veronica asks him (after he dictates some meaningful phrases in Heather's
suicide note) if he's ever "done this before" he doesn't answer her.
It's as good as saying 'yes'. And as it turns out, J.D. also knows
how to forge other people's handwriting. As a death threat he forges Veronica's:
"Recognize the handwriting?" He's clever, he's manipulative, he's
got Veronica in the sack after two brief conversations, and he's got her
killing with him the next day. It's almost certain that he's had
previous girlfriends in the same situation . . .
"I
Loved you! Sure I was coming up here to kill ya, but first I was
gonna try and win you back with my amazing petition!"
If J.D. had lured
other girlfriends (or even friends) into murder the way he did Veronica,
chances are good that they ended up "committing suicide" before he skipped
town. If not, then they were able to live with it. Veronica's
different in that she fights J.D. and lives to see the credits roll.
Though he did intend to kill her (she beats him to the punch by
hanging herself) he changes his mind after the boiler room scenario.
We can't take all the credit away from Veronica, she does successfully
"influence" J.D. to retire, but we can't give her all the credit
either.
"I
knew that loose was too noose--I mean noose too loose, damn you woman."
Can we go so
far as to assume that these are the words of an experienced killer?
I think so.
We now can take
a stab in the dark at what makes J.D. tick . We know very little
about his past. He lives with his demolition worker father, Big Bud
Dean, a man who lives to destroy. It's simple to say he destroyed
J.D.'s chances at a normal life. When Veronica asks J.D. if he "likes
his father" his reaction is distant and almost mind boggled at it even
being an issue (of course at that same moment it had dawned on him to blow
up Westerburg). He nonchalantly says: "I've never given the matter
much thought." And goes on to tell Veronica about his mother, and
how she walked into a building two minutes before his dad blew the place
up.
"She
waved at me and then . . .boom."
We're not told
when in J.D.'s life this "tragedy" took place. Perhaps he was
a child, or perhaps it was seven years ago? Whatever floats your
boat. The moral of the story here folks is that J.D. may inadvertently
blame his father for his mother's death. "How nice, the last time
I saw my mom she was waving at me from a library window in Texas--right
dad?" This is the only time in the film J.D. calls his father "dad"
and not "son." It's also the primary example (though however subtle)
of J.D.'s grudge against his father. Perhaps that's why he calls
him "son" instead of "dad." J.D. does not have the respect to acknowledge
Bud Dean as his father, and he's angry at him as well. J.D. probably
also believes that he has surpassed his father in some way. Insight?
Intelligence? And that is why he dubs him "son." Then again,
it's just a stab in the dark. And of course there's the obvious reason.
Both J.D. and Big Bud Dean are f*@#ed in the head.
"Get
off my bed you fucking psycho!"
After all is
said and done, however, we can't forget that J.D. (no matter how you cut
him) is still psychotic.
Maybe his mother's suicide planted the seed; but J.D. is most likely inherently
twisted. In the dream sequence, which could have just as well been
a reality, Veronica tells him: "You think you're a rebel?! You're
not a rebel! You're fucking psychotic!" J.D.'s response is
perfecto: "You say tomato, I say tamato." He's a total nutbag and
we love him for it.
--Elisa Higgins, 1999
Next: Are
You a Heather?
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