Though I don't buy the defense you laid out, I will say that you have one very big thing working in your favor for a Veronica/Malone reconciliation - the lack of continuity. (grin)My comments (see posting" The stupidest thing Malone...or any other man for that matter...ever said")while very realistic and valid for any other show have no real bearing on TLW. While in life/on any show with well developed characters, realistic character interactions and strong continuity Veronica might at the very least go through a few episodes of anger/hurt over the entire ordeal, more than likely by the next episode (Barbarians at the Gate) it won't even been an issue....(another casualty of the Plateau's amnesia flower). More than likely, they all (Summerlee, Veronica and Malone) will have completely forgotten that it had even happened at all. (grin)

So if I was a Malone/Veronica fan I wouldn't even sweat it....

My thoughts on the defense:
*If* the writer's had not allowed slips that showed that he clearly Malone was in his full capacity, aware of what was going on even to the point of saying that he loved Veronica and trying to justify what happened by using the excuse that he did, I would be all for the "I was controlled completely by the parasite and had no idea of what I was doing" explanation.

He obviously *was* aware of what was going on and even felt what he did was wrong because even still infected he told the leech woman that he loved Veronica. (Not the actions of a person so controlled by another organism that he could not make his own decisions or control himself.)

*He* didn't even believe it and he didn't even go there. He went straight to his siloliquy of trying to justify his actions, of trying to play on Veronica's sympathies especially with that "Can you blame her for wanting a child?" Remember that episode where Veronica tried to keep the evolved ape baby and then had to give it up? She really should have slapped him upside the head for trying to use a situation which really caused her a lot of pain to his advantage.

(Sidebar: Of course this remark was interesting because he was not around her that episode when she wanted to keep the ape child (Time after time) which of course means that either Summerlee or Challenger discussed it with Malone at some point. This is the type of thing that I think the scenario under "Summerlee needs a woman" 2nd and 3rd Grea posts could address - who confides in/sides with whom.)

Summerlee saw the organism and *assumed* that it was completely controlling Malone. I don't think it was. Note: Malone was shirtless when he brought the girl back to the treehouse and he had no organism in his back. The organism apparently transferred to him *after* he slept with the girl (which would explain the need for a man - fertilization and cocoon period). Yet, he slept with her anyway. If they wanted to make it seem like it was completely the fault of the organism, they should have made it creep into him the first time they kissed. (Also note, she still had the original organism inside of her up through the end which means that there were 2 organisms, the second of which was "conceived" by her organism and Malone, which he carried up until the end of the episode before she kissed him, when he was acting very much in his usual temper)

At best, once inside of his body, the creature may have hyped up his testoterone (probably in an effort of procreation and self-protection). The leech girl said that it was only developing in Malone's body and that it had returned to hers when she kissed him. Organism gone, Malone was still kinda watching her wistfully as she left and seemed fully aware of everything that went on (not the norm for someone "possessed").

At best I would say that he felt strongly compelled to sleep with the leech girl but did so of his own free will. We all have times of intense temptation but if we give in, the burden of responsibility is ultimately our own. I really felt that Malone got that and accepted responsibility for it. Though he tried to justify his actions and made excuses for why, he at no time tried to blame the girl or blame the organism.

In closing, it's an interesting way to look at it but neither he nor Veronica bought the "I was possessed." angle. If it was supposed to be that he was so possessed that he couldn't help himself, the writer's should have written it better.