Clever? I think not. His "test" wasn't believable, at all. That is, for the people who actually have the least bit of logic.
Offtopic:
ploy
n.
An action calculated to frustrate an opponent or gain an advantage indirectly or deviously; a maneuverCould still work, kind of.
Plot makes less sense.
Ontopic: He shouldn't have done it, I agree. However, it does drive home a point that people can go out of their way to be starfishs. What if he really did die, and his parents just wanted to give us a heads up?
