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2023 Nostalgia Re-readathon | SVH Magna Edition #6: Return of the Evil Twin
Screams in the night...
Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield have no idea that their world is about to be turned upside down - again. Last Christmas, Margo - a girl who looked, talked, and dressed exactly like Jessica and Elizabeth - arrived in Sweet Valley to take what she considered her rightful place in the Wakefield home. On a dark winter's night, Margo fell to a violent death, and the Wakefields thought their nightmare was over.
But they didn't know about Nora, Margo's own twin sister. Nora, separated from Margo at birth, is outraged when she discovers that the sister she'd never known is dead...and that California's picture-perfect twins are to blame. Now Nora wants revenge - and she's capable of evil beyond anything Margo could have ever dreamed.
Ah, Return of the Evil Twin, one of the terribad books that followed TGMOAT, and the only one that ever tries to actually top it. The sad thing is, the first half of the book is quite compellingly written - its the second half where shit just goes completely OTT.
We're 20 books and 1 year after the events of book #100. Jessica and Elizabeth are feeling pretty weird as the one-year anniversary of Margo's antics looms upon them. Though everyone makes mention of Liz's trial for manslaughter and Sam's death in the miniseries immediately following TGMOAT, nobody ever says anything about Margo. Here, suddenly, they can't shut up about her. The Wakefields vow to never let anything so sinister happen to them again, and then discuss their upcoming fundraising function for the children's wing of the hospital. As with the Jungle Prom, the twins come up with the idea of having a carnival - or, more accurately, taking over a family-run carnival that's coming to town on New Year's Eve. Jessica actually sticks around to help plan it (unlike the prom), and everything seems to be going smoothly.
One night, the gang is meeting at Secca Lake for a caroling party. Jessica and Todd are noticeably absent. Todd's errands took too long, and he's driving his father's heretofore unknown old Thunderbird up the treacherous roads around Secca Lake. He swerves suddenly and crashes into the guardrail, falling unconscious. Jessica comes along shortly thereafter and sees the accident, and immediately jumps out to try to help. She's having visions of the car crash that killed Sam, and is determined not to let it happen again. She manages to pull Todd out of the car before it falls over the cliff and explodes in a fireball of gasoline.
Liz and co see the fireball from the lake and Liz takes off, also with visions of a previous car crash dancing in her head. She commandeers Lila's car and drives to the crash scene, just in time to see Jessica climbing into an ambulance clutching Todd's hand. She follows them to the hospital, worried and also feeling a little irrationally jealous. Her jealousy only gets worse when Todd wakes up and asks to see Jessica ~alone~. He's supremely grateful that Jessica saved his life and wants to express this to her. They are interrupted by a photographer from the Sweet Valley News, who snaps their pic and then splashes it across the front page the next day. Jessica is identified in the caption as Todd's girlfriend, much to Elizabeth's chagrin.
Even worse, neither Todd nor Jessica can shut up about Jessica's dramatic, heroic rescue of the unconscious Todd from the side of the mountain. Liz is going insane with jealousy and insecurity, convinced that Todd is going to dump her for her twin. Jessica revels in the spotlight, but neglects her own boyfriend, Ken Matthews. Liz and Ken go to a movie one night after Todd and Jess blow them off at the Dairi Burger, and Jessica gets pissy about Liz going out with her boyfriend behind her back. The twins aren't speaking too each other, and its like an eerie re-run of the Christmas before.
This time, however, the girls decide to make up on Christmas morning, and laugh and forgive each other for their silly fight.
Meanwhile, in Savannah, Georgia, Nora Chappelle has just lost her only living parent, her father. She is left with her wicked stepmother Blanche, who drops a bombshell on her: Nora once had a twin sister named Margo, whom Blanche forced Nora's father to give up when she was a toddler, because Margo was incredibly violent and unstable. Blanche wanted to give up both girls, but Mr Chappelle wouldn't do it. Blanche was Nora out of her life, so she gives her $50k along with this news, and Nora sets out to find her missing half. She traces Margo to New York, then follows the trail from the year before, as Margo left her last foster home and started killing people on her way to Sweet Valley. She learns of her twin's murderous deeds, culminating in her death on New Year's Day, and she sobs for the loss.
Margo was evil and malicious, and Nora isn't that. She's plenty unstable, though, with germaphobic OCD tendencies and a form of synesthesia - she can "see" scents and fragrances, and it drives her nuts. Nora starts looking in the mirror and seeing Margo, who is urging her to avenge her death in Sweet Valley, so she travels there to seek revenge on the "perfect" Wakefields.
So far, so good. There's just enough of a hint of the major storylines of TGMOAT, blended with current canon (Jessica and Ken are adorable together, and he holds the record as her only living canon boyfriend), and the ominous foreboding of Nora's journey to Sweet Valley, to make for pleasantly compelling reading. I had no memory of this, and was wondering if my judgment of the book as awful after the original read 30 years ago was somehow wrong
LOL, nope. Shit gets really crazy, really fast.
On Christmas evening, after the Wakefield twins have made up and are happy and content with the world, Nora goes to the site of Margo's grave and starts digging around. Imagine her shock - and ours! - when she falls into hand-to-hand combat with her supposedly dead twin sister!
Apparently Margo didn't die from the glass cutting into her throat on the patio of the Fowler pool house earlier that year. No, she magically stayed alive long enough to attack the ambulance attendants, crash the bus, and escape, leaving the attendants' bodies floating in a nearby river. Apparently nobody notices this, or the fact that Margo's body has disappeared, because they erect a memorial stone for her and go on with their lives. (I mean, I could pick apart everything wrong with this explanation for days. First of all, there wouldn't be an ambulance, but a coroner's van. They'd put her in a body bag, not under a sheet on a stretcher, etc.)
Nora is overwhelmingly happy to see Margo and wants nothing more than to take her away and live happily on the remains of Blanche's money. Margo has other ideas, however. Nora is creeped out by Margo, her smoking, her uncleanliness, but convinces herself to go along with her, because she's always wanted a twin. Margo wants the Wakefields to pay for her near-death, and the only way to do that is to make the twins suffer. She's been stalking both of them for the last year (from her grave, apparently) and now with Nora on board, they can do what Margo wanted to do in the first place: kill the Wakefields and take their places.
Margo and Nora engineer a fight between the twins a couple days before the carnival. They prey on Elizabeth's continued insecurity about Todd and Jessica: Nora goes out with Todd in the guise of Liz and attend the movie that she knows Liz and Enid are seeing (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which is a bit too on the nose), and makes sure that Liz and Enid witness her making out with Todd in the front row. She's wearing the same outfit that Jessica left the house in, so when Jessica returns (having attended the same movie, spending the entire time making out with her own boyfriend in the back row), Liz lays into her without really telling her why she's so angry. She assumes Jessica knows what she did - and hell, that Todd does too for that matter). Liz goes absolutely crazy and OTT with the jealousy, lashing out at everyone. Enid is angry, too, and firmly in Liz's corner.
On the night of the carnival, the twins are angry and not speaking. They attend with their friends, with Liz feeling lonely and sorry for herself on top of feeling betrayed by Jessica and alienated from Todd. Jessica goes to the House of Mirrors by herself, unable to convince anyone to go in with her, and is absolutely creeped out by the funhouse mirrors and endless images of herself.
At the same time, Nora is pacing her hotel room, wondering where Margo went. The two had argued over who was going to be who - Margo and Nora both wanting to be Jessica this time, LOL - and Margo stormed off without another word. Nora decides that if she wants to be Jessica, she can't wait and follow Margo's meticulously laid plans: she's going to have to take her chance that very night, before Margo has the chance to strike.
Nora stalks the Wakefield home later that night, believing that Jessica is there by herself. She takes Margo's butcher knife and kills Jessica in bed, but unwittingly awakens the sleeping Liz next door. Liz rushes in to see her sister's bloody body, and Nora escaping through the window.
Liz had been awakened from a surreal dream she was having about Jessica pleading for her help, which was blending with the recurring nightmare of the year before, of Margo at Secca lake brandishing the knife. She rushes into Jessica's room just in time to see "Margo" leaving and Jessica's lifeless body in the bed.
Everyone is, of course, in complete shock. Nobody believes Liz when she claims that she saw Margo leaving the bedroom - after all, Margo was dead on New Year's Day! They all saw her! (But apparently didn't look very closely, or follow up to make sure her body had actually been buried, but you know. Semantics.) Elizabeth convinces her family to hold Jessica's memorial service at Sweet Valley High, because Jessica apparently loved the school so much (?!) and would want to swan away from the auditorium stage in style.
Nora knows she's made a terrible mistake: first of all, by killing Jessica and immediately being found out, and second of all, because she did it without Margo's blessing. Margo hasn't been seen since New Year's Eve and Nora becomes paranoid and convinced that Margo will kill her for taking out Jessica, leaving them to fight over who will kill Liz and take her place. She keeps hearing the voice in her head chanting "there is only one left," which she takes to mean that she has to get Margo before Margo kills her and takes over Liz's life, since there is no longer a place for both of them in the Wakefield household.
Nora goes to the memorial service and SVH and becomes convinced that Margo is there at the school, lurking somewhere. Elizabeth goes to the memorial service and becomes convinced that Jessica is somehow still alive. Everyone tries to dissuade her - her parents, her brother, Todd, Jessica's friends - but she's convinced that her twin isn't really dead, but is lurking somewhere at SVH and desperately needs her help. She begins having strange dreams about Jessica pleading for help, and ultimately steals the detective's gun when she returns to the house to question the Wakefield family about what happened.
Nora breaks into SVH to confront Margo; Liz breaks into SVH to save Jessica. All roads lead to the furnace room just off the auditorium, where in an eerie replay of book #100's events, Liz finds herself confronting two girls who look exactly alike, and who are fighting over a knife. Mercifully, she chooses to point her stolen gun at the perpetrator, and Jessica ties her up. The two begin exchanging notes about Margo's return, when "Margo" on the floor sputters, "You're not Margo?!" and the truth comes out: the real Margo kidnapped Jessica from the House of Mirrors at the carnival, brought her to the furnace room at SVH for some reason, and returned to the carnival to slip into her place. She's the one who returned to the Wakefield house that night, and Nora actually killed Margo in Jessica's bed. Nora has a complete comeapart at the thought of killing her own twin, and the police (who have followed Liz to the high school because of the stolen gun) can only sit there and shake their heads: it's the darndest thing they've ever seen!
I mean. This is just wild and crazy shit, even for post-#100 SVH. Nora is way too weak a character to actually kill; she's rather pitiful, actually, in how easily she's persuaded to follow Margo's plans even though she is afraid and repulsed by her. Margo still being alive and actively stalking the twins is ridiculous. Jessica being taken to SVH instead of being killed makes absolutely no damn sense - especially considering the carnival is in the next town over!! - as is the idea of having a memorial service for her there.
I can't believe Frannie & co had the audacity to even try to revive the Evil Twin storyline in the first place, but to do it and then botch the execution so completely (especially after a promising start) is just mind-boggling. If TGMOAT and the preceding 20 books hadn't convinced you that SVH jumped the shark in 1993, surely this book does. The fact that it's immediately followed by the miniseries where Jessica dumps Ken is just icing on the shittastic cake.
no subject
Sorry, will never be over that apparently?
Not sure I ever took the time to really poke the "why the fuck would Margo a) keep Jessica alive and b) take her miles away to SVH to keep her hostage" because by the time we get to that, we're already careening down the hill of what the hellllllllll at breakneck speed. Seriously though, Margo's every reaction to everything previously was kill-kill-kill and now she's suddenly taken the time to NOT kill the Wakefield twin whose life she's gonna take over? Yeah, no. Stashing her at SVH also makes about as much sense as Nora the neatfreak deciding to murder Jessica in her own bed. Blood, Nora. Blood will get EVERYWHERE and while the Wakefields would absolutely buy 'Jess' a new mattress, someone's gonna notice the obscene amount of blood. (Jessica did get a new mattress after all this, right? Also, who cleaned everything up? That's NOT something I see anyone in the Wakefield family doing.) I know true crime wasn't nearly as big then, but it was enough that dude... the Wakefield house would absolutely be a crime scene, so they wouldn't just be going back there, especially after 'Jessica' died.
I do get Liz's plea to have the memorial at SVH, though honestly I'd think Jess would've preferred the beach, personally. Jess doesn't seem the type to want her memorial held at a funeral home and I don't really see the Fowlers holding it at their mansion, though it's probably more fitting than school. I've always let this one go because it's one of those things that always seems to happen when a teen character dies. Hold the memorial at school! (I do snicker every year when they point out that the body will not be at the school.) I also still call bullshit that the auditorium at SVH could hold two THOUSAND people. Hell, I call BS that two thousand people would show up for Jessica's funeral, period. But Sweet Valley is always described as a fairly small town, right? No way that many people will fit. And also BS that none of the grands or extended family show up.
For years I've loved the scene where Ken, Todd, Enid, Lila, and all the friends gather at Casa Wakefield after hearing about the attack but the last few years I've wondered HOW they heard about it. I know they mention hearing about it on the radio (riiiiiiiiiiiiight) but not that much information, like Liz seeing the murderer.
Also love the twins and their double date to the carnival to scope things out, and even how well Nora does manage to fool Todd.
But considering everyone else that ever came from the South in any SV book had an accent, I'm wondering how Nora escaped that fate. Which then reminds me of the tragic way Nora thinks, There is no New Hampshire and now I'm wheezing with laughter. :P
There are so many well done moments sprinkled in here and then it goes straight to batshit 13.
It'll never not drive me bonkers and amuse me that both evil twins want to be Jessica and that Nora's plotting to change Jess to be less messy but never once considers just...not having Liz be quite so uptight? Also, I know Nora's from the South, but who the fuck is giving a 13/14 year old a tattoo? Because you KNOW Nora's not getting one done at some hole in the wall place.
One other thing that bugged me this year: when Todd is going on about having nearly died (which is fair) not once does he, Jessica, or Elizabeth point out that HELLO, Liz also nearly died a year ago? Yes, Todd's is more recent and also more of a case of chance, which'll fuck with you in different ways, but they could've and maybe should've bonded over that instead of having Liz freak out every time Jessica or Todd took a breath.
Oh! And I know they really wanted that tattoo to pay off at the end, but you know what else probably gave away which one was Jessica? The one with her wrists still tied up. But I do always love her confusion as to which outfit Jess SHOULD be wearing, so it's definitely a mixed bag here.
To end on a happier note, every year I love Ken's, At least I've only seen The Shining once comment as he and Liz ditch Todd/Jessica at the DB.
no subject
Post #100, we can't have nice things. And don't feel sorry - I hate, it, too. Ken deserved better, and it doesn't help that his next long-term GF got killed off at the end of the series.
Margo's every reaction to everything previously was kill-kill-kill and now she's suddenly taken the time to NOT kill the Wakefield twin whose life she's gonna take over? Yeah, no. Stashing her at SVH also makes about as much sense as Nora the neatfreak deciding to murder Jessica in her own bed.
Yeah, neither Chappelle twin had much good sense when it came to their murderous intentions. Margo had experience, at least, but her deciding to keep Jess alive in this instance has never made sense to me. I mean, when she was after Liz, she'd dug her a grave and everything behind Fowler Crest! Why not similar planning here?? And who the hell knows what Nora was thinking - where was she going to hide the body AND all those bloody sheets?!
Jessica did get a new mattress after all this, right? Also, who cleaned everything up? That's NOT something I see anyone in the Wakefield family doing.
They had someone professionally come in and clean it up. I imagine she lost a lot of other stuff, too, since her wardrobe covered everything in sight. It might be the one time Jessica's bedroom is ever actually clean in the entire series, LOL.
honestly I'd think Jess would've preferred the beach, personally. Jess doesn't seem the type to want her memorial held at a funeral home
The beach makes more sense than the high school auditorium!
I also still call bullshit that the auditorium at SVH could hold two THOUSAND people. Hell, I call BS that two thousand people would show up for Jessica's funeral, period. But Sweet Valley is always described as a fairly small town, right? No way that many people will fit. And also BS that none of the grands or extended family show up.
Yeah, SV is supposed to be small townish. I think of it around the size of my hometown, which was officially 7,500 people, with my graduating class having ~140 people in it. I seriously doubt 2,000 people would fit in the auditorium (the stadium, maybe, if they have one) or that 2,000 people would show up to Jessica's funeral. Surely they were counting all the press that showed up to cover the thing?? And yeah, ALL the Wakefields and Robertsons would be there!
For years I've loved the scene where Ken, Todd, Enid, Lila, and all the friends gather at Casa Wakefield after hearing about the attack
Yes, that was a great scene! I'm sure Caroline Pearce and her princess phone were burning up the phone lines, reporting all the emergency personnel and activity at the home, and naturally, people are going to be curious about what's going on. I love the idea of Liz's (and Jess's!) friends being there for her when she gets home, though.
reminds me of the tragic way Nora thinks, There is no New Hampshire and now I'm wheezing with laughter. :P
Yeah, I LOLed at that line! WTF??
It'll never not drive me bonkers and amuse me that both evil twins want to be Jessica and that Nora's plotting to change Jess to be less messy but never once considers just...not having Liz be quite so uptight?
Yeah, I'm not sure how Nora thought she was going to pull off Jessica suddenly being conscientious and wanting things all neat and organized. Where's the fun in that?? Nora really should've targeted Liz because she did much better than Margo when it came to fooling other people.
when Todd is going on about having nearly died (which is fair) not once does he, Jessica, or Elizabeth point out that HELLO, Liz also nearly died a year ago?
Because they were too busy thinking that Sam did die, and hello, they are both boys. Trying to compare boy and girl experiences does not compute in this era of SV logic.
And I know they really wanted that tattoo to pay off at the end, but you know what else probably gave away which one was Jessica? The one with her wrists still tied up
I think Jess had managed to free her hands at that point, but she was still leashed to whatever Margo had tied her to, giving her just enough range to use some sort of toilet (not sure why the ghostie had to put in that detail, ugh). And I'm sure Jessica's clothes were in less than pristine condition. So yeah, it should've been really obvious who was who, LOL.
To end on a happier note, every year I love Ken's, At least I've only seen The Shining once comment as he and Liz ditch Todd/Jessica at the DB.
KEN!! Oh, you deserved so much better than you received :(