Post by raenstorm on Apr 19, 2006 21:51:53 GMT -5
I apologize for being lazy this week but I'm taking the easy way out this week and just copying over my LJ post about this episode. Mostly because I'm not sure what to take out and what to leave in... so you're getting it all. ;D
It seems I am destined to never have the same reaction to episodes as everyone else. Well, that's probably a bit of an overstatement but I didn't love this episode the way many others seem to love it. I think some of it is because of how the pieces and parts didn't feel as cohesive as they were intended, like things *ahem*Jackie/Wallace*ahem* are shoved in there because they need to get people into place for the final three episodes rather than really fitting into what was happening. Usually even those side stories have some tie into the overall theme of an episode and I'm not sure they all did this week.
My name is Harry, you killed my dog, prepare to die.
I haven't seen anyone else say this but I thought the guy who played Harry sucked. Every scene with him felt "off." At first I wasn't sure if it was intentional or not so I was giving him the benefit of the doubt. In fact, when we first met his brother, I wondered if he was lying about the dog and just wanted to find out who beat up his kid brother. That would have explained the weird "looks like he's honestly broken up but wow he sucks at fake crying" scene at the lunch table with V. But, no, in the end I was really supposed to buy the whole thing. Eh. So, yeah, Harry didn't help the feeling that something was a little off about the episode.
Oh, hey, related to Harry... the props we saw during our set tour turned out to be for his scene. So much for guessing that they had something to do with Dick!
Never mind the buttocks... aim straight for the eye.
I should say that if Harry was supposed to come off like Mandy, from last year's dog episode (also #19), it didn't work. Even if I imagine Mandy with some backbone and scary bow and arrows rather than a taser, he was too weird for me. Maybe it's just harder for me to get a 'weird but cute' vibe off of guys?
Forget about the happy ending, Jackie.
Heh. That line from Wallace. I'm sure that line was unintentional and it was an inappropriate moment for me to bust out laughing... but I did. *is 12* Ok, so the weird Jackie/Wallace stuff sandwiched in between stuff in this episode didn't help much with my liking of it. First of all, maybe it's just his lust for Jackie clouding his mind but Wallace isn't usually such a heel. I know the stuff he said in the hallway at school came out wrong but, dude, what the hell was he thinking?
Unlike others, I actually like what Jackie did with her hair. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be just a hair change or an indication that she can no longer afford the perms that probably kept her hair in spirals. I suspect the latter but, either way, I liked the look. And, see, I care about these two getting back together but these scenes felt shoehorned into this episode. Not to mention, the whole happy ending/Sorbonne thing is so cliche. I'm glad Wallace decided he didn't care about it but the fact that that was the reason Jackie was avoiding him disappointed me. She had such character growth lately and it felt like she lost it almost instantly. Probably because I don't think the Jackie we've been sold this season would let something like going to Sorbonne stop her from being with Wallace.
Mac Attack
I love how Mac and V's friendship has progressed. I'll be so happy if we get V, Wallace, and Mac hanging out at college together next year. I have no idea where Mac applied to school and I don't care... I want those three being friends for life. And, yes, I know we've haven't Mac and Wallace share much screen time but I'm just know he's friendly with her.
Mac's geek speak kept me chuckling longer than it should have. What can I say, I adore Mac. I love how she's so blunt and honest about the cell phone interceptor. Plus, her reactions to Butters comments in Clemmons' office were CLASSIC. "I'm actually wearing pants." Heh. Loved the look of panic on Veronica's face during that scene and the way she kept trying to distract Butters and Mac. Oh Veronica. It amuses me greatly that you didn't have the guts to tell Mac what you promised to get her stuff back.
Meanwhile, clearly Mac's enterprising ways with the cell phone listening are gonna be important soon. It's weird how I don't mind the anvils when the resulting images dancing around my head are little mini Macs.
Butters
Who knew I'd have a section just for you! Your crush on Mac is too sweet and you were great in those scenes. You're blackmailing her to get her to go to the dance with you but your like for her is so genuine that I hope we'll see you again in the future.
Locker #333: Meeting Satan Halfway
First, I like the subtle ways this show reminds us that Veronica knows things like people's locker numbers. Second, it'd be an interesting to do a character study about the people on the show based solely on the stuff confiscated during random locker searches. How often do you think Veronica, Weevil, and Mac's lockers get searched "randomly" based on the loot that Clemmons gets from them every time?
I've gotten distracted. I was going to talk about Weevil. I have to give Veronica some props. While I don't think she was serious about thinking Weevil was responsible for the bus crash (I think that accusation had more to do with Thumper than the bus), I have to admit that I never thought about the bomb being intended for the LIMO as opposed to the bus or about the fact that Logan was supposed to be on that field trip. The limo thing is a little hard to swallow because there would have been no guarantee that someone would have called for one, thus separating the masses, which would have made it hard to plan the whole thing ahead of time. What would have Weevil and Cervando done if they had all gone back on the bus? Not to mention, I don't think Weevil's capable of taking out that many kids just to get to Logan. No, there were much more subtle ways to handle it - as he proved - than to go that route. Plus, the most obvious thing of all, Cervando had plenty of time to let Weevil know that Logan wasn't actually on the field trip and they would have aborted the plan.
[We interrupt this Weevil section for a brief aside regarding the bus crash and Logan.]
Logan being on the bus, though? Whole different can of worms. For one thing, it suddenly lends some credence to the idea that Aaron could be behind the bus crash. If Logan was supposed to be on that bus along with Veronica AND Duncan... well Aaron's got all three of the strongest witnesses in his case right there. The son he beat and the only two people who actually saw what was on those tapes. After getting rid of those three, he'd just have to find a way to get the evidence destroyed - not too hard as we know - and it'd be damn hard to convict the man of anything. Plus, it'd be hard to connect him to the bus seeing as he's in prison and I'm sure he'd work the "my son was on that bus!" angle quite convincingly. It's not like many others alive know about his treatment of Logan. More theories for thought and this one's not even much of a crackpot theory.
[And now back to Weevil...]
Where was I? Oh, at the top of the food chain with Weevil. There's a lot of snake imagery with Weevil and the PCHers this year. Was it a stuffed python that Thumper was carrying around the Winter Carnival? If so, nice imagery that Weevil's the one who can handle/feed the real python whereas Thumper was just playing at it with a stuffed python. Because I'm all about correlations between imagery and story lines. Weevil certainly proves that he's the one best suited to handling live snakes with the way he frees the PCHers from the Fitzpatricks at the end. But is anyone else dying to know just who was on that list? Hello anvil in the shape of a paddle! Or a photocopied paddle at least. And, hey, good to know that there was a good reason for leaving it in the box of locker loot in Clemmons office. Hell, that's probably better than putting it in a safety deposit box since it's unlikely the Fitzpatricks would ever think to look there for it.
Though I probably could be, I'm not a Veronica/Weevil 'shipper. That said, I like it when these two share screen time and sorta work together. They always have their own agendas when they help each other and I love that about their relationship. Plus, I admit to having a soft spot for the way Weevil continues to refer to Keith as "Sheriff." You know it gets to Keith too. He never seems quite sure what to think about V's continued friendship with Weevil and, while he always looks like he wants to disapprove of it, he's given up actually warning her away. Poor Keith, his daughter's choice of partners is going to drive him into an early grave.
Ok, honey, now prepare to be impressed...
Speaking of graves for Keith.... WHAT THE HELL?! Despite the fact that the UPN promo department is sucktastic and totally gave away the fact that Keith was the one about to get shot with the promos for this episode, I was still scared! I was afraid I had jinxed these two with my comments last week about not wanting to see this father/daugther combo to ever go away. And comparisons aside I do feel it's safe to say, if Joss were the creative genius behind this show, Liam would have checked the gun and put more bullets in it before going into that house. Also, for the record, I'm still worried about someone getting shot this season. If that was foreshadowing of any kind, I will be VERY UPSET. Just putting that out there now...
In the meantime, how much do I love that Keith and Veronica continue to work together on the bus crash? SO MUCH. It's about time they openly shared information with each other and actually put their heads together when solving something. Unlike Lilly's murder, the bus crash appears to be a much more complex mystery. I'm glad we're not supposed to believe that Veronica is able to solve it all on her own.
The one thing I find interesting is how obvious it is that Keith is the better PI. It's only right but I'm glad we actually get to see it. Veronica investigated Kendall in episode THREE. She should have known about the Kendall/Priscilla thing way back then. Her sucky job at investigating Collin back in GEM should have been a clue. That and the fact that mistaken identity/hidden identities has been such a huge theme this season. Maybe the "outing of all outings" really is about outing someone's true identity rather than their true sexuality.
One last thing about Keith... the man can fight! Did you see how he held his own once it was down a fist fight with Liam? He has no problem leaving Liam bloody and getting away. We've always known he can take of himself but it was nice to finally get to see him in action!
Priscilla Banks or is it Kendall banks?
I am having a hard time thinking of Kendall as a "Priscilla." She looked fantastic in her Priscilla outfit but I wish I had another name for her. Apparently so does she! So, hey, was the Fitzpatrick she was dating Molly's dad? Have we heard Molly's dad's name before or do we just know that he's in prison? Not that I suppose that matters given that we know Keith put several of the Fitzpatricks in jail. I kinda get why Liam didn't let Keith go, ya know. Not that I approve of him taking the shot in cold blood, staring into Keith's eyes, right after he makes the sleazy, creepy comment about keeping an eye on Veronica for him. Eeek. BUT, I'm glad the writers didn't pull any punches there. In Liam's eyes, Keith has wronged the Fitzpatricks family way more than Cervando ever did and we know what he did to Cervando. It would have been unbelievable to think he'd let Keith just walk away.
This episode sure did a convincing job of setting Kendall up for the bus crash fall, eh? Too convincing in my eyes. I believe that Kendall was the one who orchestrated the bus crash like I believe Thumper killed Felix. I may be wrong about one of those but I'm guessing I'm not wrong about both. It was too much, too fast. I think she's been up to no good but I don't think it has anything to do with the bus crash. I do wonder what part her sleeping with Logan has to do with it all, though. I find it hard to believe that a con artist like Kendscilla would risk her entire con to have a random affair with a high school kid. I mean, Logan IS hot (Veronica, you LIAR!) and all but he's not that hot. So what's going on there? And just how much does Beaver know? I'll love it if it turns out Beaver has known about Kendall's true identity all along.
And the Oscar goes to...
Geezus. I did NOT see that coming. The fact that Cliff's brief case was stolen for the keys to the Echolls' storage locker (and, excuse, couldn't we have learned about this freakin' storage locker AGES ago - like when the house burnt down and Logan moved into the hotel suite...) pokes all kinds of holes into my idea that we haven't seen the last of Logan's murder case. Crap.
Sorry. I got lost in "Cervando did it DAMMIT" land in my head for a minute there. The keys. I must admit that I didn't make that connection myself, it was nm973 on LJ who remembered the keys in the briefcase, but it's brilliant and it makes me wonder if the escort lied about it being a guy who hired her. But maybe Kendall got one of the Fitzpatricks to hire the girl? Either way, the keys were obviously needed to get one of the Oscar's out. As with pretty much everyone else on the planet, I'm not sure how the hell Kendall would have been able to get Lilly's blood on the statue but I like this twist to the murder trial.
I do have one cripe about this whole thing... did we have to wait ALL season to get to this story line? I suspect the timing has something to do with Logan finally feeling free and happy again and it is the most realistic handling of a trial that Neptune has seen yet, but I hate that it's all mixed up in the end of the year mystery solving stuff too. Actually, I'm pretty sure it really is mixed up in the mystery and that's probably why we haven't gotten it until now, but I'm still worried that the next three episodes are going to be overflowing with so much information and action that my head is likely to explode.
I have to follow up the cripe with a compliment. The way this whole Aaron/Oscar thing has come about is absolutely fucking brilliant. It does make it clear that the bus mystery could have been handled with much more finesse because the way they weaved all the bits and pieces of the set up for this play out with Aaron has been seamless. We'll ignore the fact that I still don't believe it'd be so easy for Kendall to be sure she had Duncan's hair from the drain, sending her in to get that was perfect. We were all puzzled by it but it makes perfect sense now. Then the way the Kane House was mentioned a few episodes ago seemed to be a throw away line but, even though we suspected it'd turn out to be important, the way it was used still blindsided us. Love the set up and execution of this whole thing!
Theme Schmeme/Mystery Schmystery
Hey, remember how Veronica was the one who told us that "nothing happens accidentally"? Well, we're already seeing how that applies to almost everything that's happened this season. This episode she told us that, "The genius is its simplicity." Every idea I've come up with for the bus crash is way too complex. I feel like that line was a reminder of that. The Kendall/Casablancas idea seems simple but I doubt we'd get the solution to the whole thing with three episodes to go. My Aaron idea also seems simple but I dunno... I feel like there's so much information that it's breaking my head.
All I saw was his butt.
The Gia/mooning thing? LAME. For soooo many reasons but mostly because it surely would have come up long before now. I can buy that we didn't hear about the car passing them until now. It's a relatively simple detail that would have no meaning to anyone until now. It would have tingled Veronica and Keith's spidey senses had they heard about it earlier but I could buy that Lamb wouldn't think much of it so it wouldn't have been a detail that Veronica/Keith would have learned before now. It's the mooning thing that makes it unbelievable. I can't believe that Gia Motor-mouth wouldn't have thought to bring it up again once she got over the shock of seeing the bus go off the cliff.
I'd have to point the writers in the directions of Veronica's, "The genius is its simplicity." Gia still could have seen the car pass the limo, it's a very distinctive car and color, and remembered it once she saw Veronica's ad. If she had casually stopped Veronica in the hall and said she'd seen the car in Veronica's ad on the same day as the bus crash, it all would have played out the same as having someone mooning the limo. Plus, it wouldn't have come off as contrived as it did.
But, let's talk about the more important thing we learned from this little conversation between Veronica and Gia. Woody called Gia to see where they were! Let's ignore, for the moment, that I have no idea why the limo is right behind the bus when the bus stopped at the damn gas station. And, had it been following the bus at that point, V wouldn't have been stranded and had to get a ride with Weevil. So, how the hell did the limo end up behind the bus instead of in front of it?
Hmm. So much for ignoring that! *g*
So, the limo is behind the bus. Woody calls, finds out where the limo, and hence the bus, is. If it's important the person who is responsible for the bus crash knew where it was, we have more reason to suspect Woody. Plus, we've confirmed that he did have access to a phone to make "the call" that supposedly detonated those explosives. How long before Veronica makes that connection?
I'm not blonde!
I can't believe I've waited until the end of this post to discuss this! No, seriously, I can't believe I waited because this scene was the whole reason for making this post in the first place.
Can I be a total fangirl for a moment and admit that I was sad we didn't get more Logan in this episode? I don't it would have made any sense to have more of him but that doesn't stop me from missing him! Plus, I also have to admit I kept wishing he'd ask V to the prom, especially when she was so quick to tell Butters she was NOT going with him. No pity dates for Veronica Mars!
But, that scene? OMG. I love how Logan is snarky and flirty with Veronica every time he interacts with her these days and she is so obviously trying to ignore it. I was going to quote bits and pieces that I loved but, hell, I loved it all so...
Yeah. I love it. First, I would pay big bucks for Veronica to find Logan's list slipped into her locker in the next episode. Only it'd be like ten pages long and many of the first five would be "Lilly Kane on the beach. Lilly Kane in the pool. Lilly Kane in the poolHOUSE." etc., etc., etc. Hee!!
The fact that the townie girl was this summer cracks me up. Technically, he could be referring to Veronica herself but, if not, just who was he hooking up with over the summer while V was accepting fortune cookies from Duncan?! It'll be great if Veronica brings that up again at a later date.
Besides paying her back for giving him such a hard time every time he comes to her for help, does anyone else think that Logan takes his sweet time giving her the information she wants so that he can prolong their banter? Those little moments there where he's trying to avoid answering whether he was with Kendall or not feel like he's purposely drawing out the information so she's forced to stay there and converse with him. I really like that it's Logan who realizes he likes her and is doing the flirting but not pushing it so that it's going to have to be Veronica who makes the first step if they are ever to get back together. He's giving her all the subtle hints that she needs to know he likes her but he's not going to be the one to cross the line they have drawn in the sand between them.
Now, will the new developments with Aaron draw these two closer together or push them further apart? We're ripe for Veronica to regret helping Duncan escape now that it'll just help Aaron prove that it was Duncan who murdered Lilly. And Logan will be angsty about his stupid decision to erase/burn the tapes so that his Dad can even get away with such a claim. Dammit. I knew Happy!Logan was never going to last.
Holy crap! Who knew I had so much to say... it's been a while since I've really written my thoughts about an episode out like that and yet I'm pretty sure I forgot to talk about some aspect of it. Like the ending....
So, am I supposed to see that ending scene as a comparison between Veronica and Weevil's ways of dealing with things? Honestly, I don't really see it the same way. Veronica's decision is more about fear of what could happen whereas Weevil knew damn well what would happen. I'd bet Weevil kept an eye on the Fitzpatricks and Thumper and that's why he's able to make the pun about Thumper being crushed. Veronica's decision not to give Harry information that could potentially put him and Liam in danger isn't the quite the same for me. I do wonder if she would have made the same decision if Liam had actually killed Keith. I'm not sure she would. Also, I have a bad feeling that this decision is going to come back to haunt her somehow. Sort of a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" thing. If Liam ends up hurting/killing anyone at the end of this season, will Veronica regret not giving his name to Harry? Let's hope not but this is Neptune...
It seems I am destined to never have the same reaction to episodes as everyone else. Well, that's probably a bit of an overstatement but I didn't love this episode the way many others seem to love it. I think some of it is because of how the pieces and parts didn't feel as cohesive as they were intended, like things *ahem*Jackie/Wallace*ahem* are shoved in there because they need to get people into place for the final three episodes rather than really fitting into what was happening. Usually even those side stories have some tie into the overall theme of an episode and I'm not sure they all did this week.
My name is Harry, you killed my dog, prepare to die.
I haven't seen anyone else say this but I thought the guy who played Harry sucked. Every scene with him felt "off." At first I wasn't sure if it was intentional or not so I was giving him the benefit of the doubt. In fact, when we first met his brother, I wondered if he was lying about the dog and just wanted to find out who beat up his kid brother. That would have explained the weird "looks like he's honestly broken up but wow he sucks at fake crying" scene at the lunch table with V. But, no, in the end I was really supposed to buy the whole thing. Eh. So, yeah, Harry didn't help the feeling that something was a little off about the episode.
Oh, hey, related to Harry... the props we saw during our set tour turned out to be for his scene. So much for guessing that they had something to do with Dick!
Never mind the buttocks... aim straight for the eye.
I should say that if Harry was supposed to come off like Mandy, from last year's dog episode (also #19), it didn't work. Even if I imagine Mandy with some backbone and scary bow and arrows rather than a taser, he was too weird for me. Maybe it's just harder for me to get a 'weird but cute' vibe off of guys?
Forget about the happy ending, Jackie.
Heh. That line from Wallace. I'm sure that line was unintentional and it was an inappropriate moment for me to bust out laughing... but I did. *is 12* Ok, so the weird Jackie/Wallace stuff sandwiched in between stuff in this episode didn't help much with my liking of it. First of all, maybe it's just his lust for Jackie clouding his mind but Wallace isn't usually such a heel. I know the stuff he said in the hallway at school came out wrong but, dude, what the hell was he thinking?
Unlike others, I actually like what Jackie did with her hair. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be just a hair change or an indication that she can no longer afford the perms that probably kept her hair in spirals. I suspect the latter but, either way, I liked the look. And, see, I care about these two getting back together but these scenes felt shoehorned into this episode. Not to mention, the whole happy ending/Sorbonne thing is so cliche. I'm glad Wallace decided he didn't care about it but the fact that that was the reason Jackie was avoiding him disappointed me. She had such character growth lately and it felt like she lost it almost instantly. Probably because I don't think the Jackie we've been sold this season would let something like going to Sorbonne stop her from being with Wallace.
Mac Attack
I love how Mac and V's friendship has progressed. I'll be so happy if we get V, Wallace, and Mac hanging out at college together next year. I have no idea where Mac applied to school and I don't care... I want those three being friends for life. And, yes, I know we've haven't Mac and Wallace share much screen time but I'm just know he's friendly with her.
Mac's geek speak kept me chuckling longer than it should have. What can I say, I adore Mac. I love how she's so blunt and honest about the cell phone interceptor. Plus, her reactions to Butters comments in Clemmons' office were CLASSIC. "I'm actually wearing pants." Heh. Loved the look of panic on Veronica's face during that scene and the way she kept trying to distract Butters and Mac. Oh Veronica. It amuses me greatly that you didn't have the guts to tell Mac what you promised to get her stuff back.
Meanwhile, clearly Mac's enterprising ways with the cell phone listening are gonna be important soon. It's weird how I don't mind the anvils when the resulting images dancing around my head are little mini Macs.
Butters
Who knew I'd have a section just for you! Your crush on Mac is too sweet and you were great in those scenes. You're blackmailing her to get her to go to the dance with you but your like for her is so genuine that I hope we'll see you again in the future.
Locker #333: Meeting Satan Halfway
First, I like the subtle ways this show reminds us that Veronica knows things like people's locker numbers. Second, it'd be an interesting to do a character study about the people on the show based solely on the stuff confiscated during random locker searches. How often do you think Veronica, Weevil, and Mac's lockers get searched "randomly" based on the loot that Clemmons gets from them every time?
I've gotten distracted. I was going to talk about Weevil. I have to give Veronica some props. While I don't think she was serious about thinking Weevil was responsible for the bus crash (I think that accusation had more to do with Thumper than the bus), I have to admit that I never thought about the bomb being intended for the LIMO as opposed to the bus or about the fact that Logan was supposed to be on that field trip. The limo thing is a little hard to swallow because there would have been no guarantee that someone would have called for one, thus separating the masses, which would have made it hard to plan the whole thing ahead of time. What would have Weevil and Cervando done if they had all gone back on the bus? Not to mention, I don't think Weevil's capable of taking out that many kids just to get to Logan. No, there were much more subtle ways to handle it - as he proved - than to go that route. Plus, the most obvious thing of all, Cervando had plenty of time to let Weevil know that Logan wasn't actually on the field trip and they would have aborted the plan.
[We interrupt this Weevil section for a brief aside regarding the bus crash and Logan.]
Logan being on the bus, though? Whole different can of worms. For one thing, it suddenly lends some credence to the idea that Aaron could be behind the bus crash. If Logan was supposed to be on that bus along with Veronica AND Duncan... well Aaron's got all three of the strongest witnesses in his case right there. The son he beat and the only two people who actually saw what was on those tapes. After getting rid of those three, he'd just have to find a way to get the evidence destroyed - not too hard as we know - and it'd be damn hard to convict the man of anything. Plus, it'd be hard to connect him to the bus seeing as he's in prison and I'm sure he'd work the "my son was on that bus!" angle quite convincingly. It's not like many others alive know about his treatment of Logan. More theories for thought and this one's not even much of a crackpot theory.
[And now back to Weevil...]
Where was I? Oh, at the top of the food chain with Weevil. There's a lot of snake imagery with Weevil and the PCHers this year. Was it a stuffed python that Thumper was carrying around the Winter Carnival? If so, nice imagery that Weevil's the one who can handle/feed the real python whereas Thumper was just playing at it with a stuffed python. Because I'm all about correlations between imagery and story lines. Weevil certainly proves that he's the one best suited to handling live snakes with the way he frees the PCHers from the Fitzpatricks at the end. But is anyone else dying to know just who was on that list? Hello anvil in the shape of a paddle! Or a photocopied paddle at least. And, hey, good to know that there was a good reason for leaving it in the box of locker loot in Clemmons office. Hell, that's probably better than putting it in a safety deposit box since it's unlikely the Fitzpatricks would ever think to look there for it.
Though I probably could be, I'm not a Veronica/Weevil 'shipper. That said, I like it when these two share screen time and sorta work together. They always have their own agendas when they help each other and I love that about their relationship. Plus, I admit to having a soft spot for the way Weevil continues to refer to Keith as "Sheriff." You know it gets to Keith too. He never seems quite sure what to think about V's continued friendship with Weevil and, while he always looks like he wants to disapprove of it, he's given up actually warning her away. Poor Keith, his daughter's choice of partners is going to drive him into an early grave.
Ok, honey, now prepare to be impressed...
Speaking of graves for Keith.... WHAT THE HELL?! Despite the fact that the UPN promo department is sucktastic and totally gave away the fact that Keith was the one about to get shot with the promos for this episode, I was still scared! I was afraid I had jinxed these two with my comments last week about not wanting to see this father/daugther combo to ever go away. And comparisons aside I do feel it's safe to say, if Joss were the creative genius behind this show, Liam would have checked the gun and put more bullets in it before going into that house. Also, for the record, I'm still worried about someone getting shot this season. If that was foreshadowing of any kind, I will be VERY UPSET. Just putting that out there now...
In the meantime, how much do I love that Keith and Veronica continue to work together on the bus crash? SO MUCH. It's about time they openly shared information with each other and actually put their heads together when solving something. Unlike Lilly's murder, the bus crash appears to be a much more complex mystery. I'm glad we're not supposed to believe that Veronica is able to solve it all on her own.
The one thing I find interesting is how obvious it is that Keith is the better PI. It's only right but I'm glad we actually get to see it. Veronica investigated Kendall in episode THREE. She should have known about the Kendall/Priscilla thing way back then. Her sucky job at investigating Collin back in GEM should have been a clue. That and the fact that mistaken identity/hidden identities has been such a huge theme this season. Maybe the "outing of all outings" really is about outing someone's true identity rather than their true sexuality.
One last thing about Keith... the man can fight! Did you see how he held his own once it was down a fist fight with Liam? He has no problem leaving Liam bloody and getting away. We've always known he can take of himself but it was nice to finally get to see him in action!
Priscilla Banks or is it Kendall banks?
I am having a hard time thinking of Kendall as a "Priscilla." She looked fantastic in her Priscilla outfit but I wish I had another name for her. Apparently so does she! So, hey, was the Fitzpatrick she was dating Molly's dad? Have we heard Molly's dad's name before or do we just know that he's in prison? Not that I suppose that matters given that we know Keith put several of the Fitzpatricks in jail. I kinda get why Liam didn't let Keith go, ya know. Not that I approve of him taking the shot in cold blood, staring into Keith's eyes, right after he makes the sleazy, creepy comment about keeping an eye on Veronica for him. Eeek. BUT, I'm glad the writers didn't pull any punches there. In Liam's eyes, Keith has wronged the Fitzpatricks family way more than Cervando ever did and we know what he did to Cervando. It would have been unbelievable to think he'd let Keith just walk away.
This episode sure did a convincing job of setting Kendall up for the bus crash fall, eh? Too convincing in my eyes. I believe that Kendall was the one who orchestrated the bus crash like I believe Thumper killed Felix. I may be wrong about one of those but I'm guessing I'm not wrong about both. It was too much, too fast. I think she's been up to no good but I don't think it has anything to do with the bus crash. I do wonder what part her sleeping with Logan has to do with it all, though. I find it hard to believe that a con artist like Kendscilla would risk her entire con to have a random affair with a high school kid. I mean, Logan IS hot (Veronica, you LIAR!) and all but he's not that hot. So what's going on there? And just how much does Beaver know? I'll love it if it turns out Beaver has known about Kendall's true identity all along.
And the Oscar goes to...
Geezus. I did NOT see that coming. The fact that Cliff's brief case was stolen for the keys to the Echolls' storage locker (and, excuse, couldn't we have learned about this freakin' storage locker AGES ago - like when the house burnt down and Logan moved into the hotel suite...) pokes all kinds of holes into my idea that we haven't seen the last of Logan's murder case. Crap.
Sorry. I got lost in "Cervando did it DAMMIT" land in my head for a minute there. The keys. I must admit that I didn't make that connection myself, it was nm973 on LJ who remembered the keys in the briefcase, but it's brilliant and it makes me wonder if the escort lied about it being a guy who hired her. But maybe Kendall got one of the Fitzpatricks to hire the girl? Either way, the keys were obviously needed to get one of the Oscar's out. As with pretty much everyone else on the planet, I'm not sure how the hell Kendall would have been able to get Lilly's blood on the statue but I like this twist to the murder trial.
I do have one cripe about this whole thing... did we have to wait ALL season to get to this story line? I suspect the timing has something to do with Logan finally feeling free and happy again and it is the most realistic handling of a trial that Neptune has seen yet, but I hate that it's all mixed up in the end of the year mystery solving stuff too. Actually, I'm pretty sure it really is mixed up in the mystery and that's probably why we haven't gotten it until now, but I'm still worried that the next three episodes are going to be overflowing with so much information and action that my head is likely to explode.
I have to follow up the cripe with a compliment. The way this whole Aaron/Oscar thing has come about is absolutely fucking brilliant. It does make it clear that the bus mystery could have been handled with much more finesse because the way they weaved all the bits and pieces of the set up for this play out with Aaron has been seamless. We'll ignore the fact that I still don't believe it'd be so easy for Kendall to be sure she had Duncan's hair from the drain, sending her in to get that was perfect. We were all puzzled by it but it makes perfect sense now. Then the way the Kane House was mentioned a few episodes ago seemed to be a throw away line but, even though we suspected it'd turn out to be important, the way it was used still blindsided us. Love the set up and execution of this whole thing!
Theme Schmeme/Mystery Schmystery
Hey, remember how Veronica was the one who told us that "nothing happens accidentally"? Well, we're already seeing how that applies to almost everything that's happened this season. This episode she told us that, "The genius is its simplicity." Every idea I've come up with for the bus crash is way too complex. I feel like that line was a reminder of that. The Kendall/Casablancas idea seems simple but I doubt we'd get the solution to the whole thing with three episodes to go. My Aaron idea also seems simple but I dunno... I feel like there's so much information that it's breaking my head.
All I saw was his butt.
The Gia/mooning thing? LAME. For soooo many reasons but mostly because it surely would have come up long before now. I can buy that we didn't hear about the car passing them until now. It's a relatively simple detail that would have no meaning to anyone until now. It would have tingled Veronica and Keith's spidey senses had they heard about it earlier but I could buy that Lamb wouldn't think much of it so it wouldn't have been a detail that Veronica/Keith would have learned before now. It's the mooning thing that makes it unbelievable. I can't believe that Gia Motor-mouth wouldn't have thought to bring it up again once she got over the shock of seeing the bus go off the cliff.
I'd have to point the writers in the directions of Veronica's, "The genius is its simplicity." Gia still could have seen the car pass the limo, it's a very distinctive car and color, and remembered it once she saw Veronica's ad. If she had casually stopped Veronica in the hall and said she'd seen the car in Veronica's ad on the same day as the bus crash, it all would have played out the same as having someone mooning the limo. Plus, it wouldn't have come off as contrived as it did.
But, let's talk about the more important thing we learned from this little conversation between Veronica and Gia. Woody called Gia to see where they were! Let's ignore, for the moment, that I have no idea why the limo is right behind the bus when the bus stopped at the damn gas station. And, had it been following the bus at that point, V wouldn't have been stranded and had to get a ride with Weevil. So, how the hell did the limo end up behind the bus instead of in front of it?
Hmm. So much for ignoring that! *g*
So, the limo is behind the bus. Woody calls, finds out where the limo, and hence the bus, is. If it's important the person who is responsible for the bus crash knew where it was, we have more reason to suspect Woody. Plus, we've confirmed that he did have access to a phone to make "the call" that supposedly detonated those explosives. How long before Veronica makes that connection?
I'm not blonde!
I can't believe I've waited until the end of this post to discuss this! No, seriously, I can't believe I waited because this scene was the whole reason for making this post in the first place.
Can I be a total fangirl for a moment and admit that I was sad we didn't get more Logan in this episode? I don't it would have made any sense to have more of him but that doesn't stop me from missing him! Plus, I also have to admit I kept wishing he'd ask V to the prom, especially when she was so quick to tell Butters she was NOT going with him. No pity dates for Veronica Mars!
But, that scene? OMG. I love how Logan is snarky and flirty with Veronica every time he interacts with her these days and she is so obviously trying to ignore it. I was going to quote bits and pieces that I loved but, hell, I loved it all so...
*Veronica waiting*
LOGAN: As a rule, I like to start every school day with a hot blonde waiting for me in the parking lot.
VERONICA: Me too.
LOGAN: I'm not blonde. *touches head as if to check*
VERONICA: Or hot. Got a question for ya. Remember back when you were doing the deed with Dick's stepmom?
LOGAN: Mmmm, vaguely. I remember she thought I was hot.
VERONICA: Were you with her on the day of the crash? You two talked on the phone a few times that day...
LOGAN: Man, you're obsessed with my sex life. Do I need to start carrying around a web cam from now on?
VERONICA: Logan!
LOGAN: *muttering* Day of the crash, day of the crash. Uh... I'd really have to consult my feelings journal to be sure.
VERONICA: Kendall stood to make millions by sending Dick and Beaver over that cliff. There was an insurance policy.
LOGAN: Kendall requires a domestic staff to make cereal, you think she could really pull out a murder?
VERONICA: Were you with her at 7:03?
LOGAN: Actually, she kicked me out before the sheets were dry but, considering her husband's fondness for hand guns and the fact that Dick and Beaver could home at any minute, who could blame her? Anything else? *pause* Oh, I-uh-I got to second base with Tammie Forrester in 8th grade in Duncan's closet. *disgusted, V walks away* And last summer I made this townie girl moan without even using my hands. *watching her walk away* Is any of this relevant? Should I make a list?
LOGAN: As a rule, I like to start every school day with a hot blonde waiting for me in the parking lot.
VERONICA: Me too.
LOGAN: I'm not blonde. *touches head as if to check*
VERONICA: Or hot. Got a question for ya. Remember back when you were doing the deed with Dick's stepmom?
LOGAN: Mmmm, vaguely. I remember she thought I was hot.
VERONICA: Were you with her on the day of the crash? You two talked on the phone a few times that day...
LOGAN: Man, you're obsessed with my sex life. Do I need to start carrying around a web cam from now on?
VERONICA: Logan!
LOGAN: *muttering* Day of the crash, day of the crash. Uh... I'd really have to consult my feelings journal to be sure.
VERONICA: Kendall stood to make millions by sending Dick and Beaver over that cliff. There was an insurance policy.
LOGAN: Kendall requires a domestic staff to make cereal, you think she could really pull out a murder?
VERONICA: Were you with her at 7:03?
LOGAN: Actually, she kicked me out before the sheets were dry but, considering her husband's fondness for hand guns and the fact that Dick and Beaver could home at any minute, who could blame her? Anything else? *pause* Oh, I-uh-I got to second base with Tammie Forrester in 8th grade in Duncan's closet. *disgusted, V walks away* And last summer I made this townie girl moan without even using my hands. *watching her walk away* Is any of this relevant? Should I make a list?
Yeah. I love it. First, I would pay big bucks for Veronica to find Logan's list slipped into her locker in the next episode. Only it'd be like ten pages long and many of the first five would be "Lilly Kane on the beach. Lilly Kane in the pool. Lilly Kane in the poolHOUSE." etc., etc., etc. Hee!!
The fact that the townie girl was this summer cracks me up. Technically, he could be referring to Veronica herself but, if not, just who was he hooking up with over the summer while V was accepting fortune cookies from Duncan?! It'll be great if Veronica brings that up again at a later date.
Besides paying her back for giving him such a hard time every time he comes to her for help, does anyone else think that Logan takes his sweet time giving her the information she wants so that he can prolong their banter? Those little moments there where he's trying to avoid answering whether he was with Kendall or not feel like he's purposely drawing out the information so she's forced to stay there and converse with him. I really like that it's Logan who realizes he likes her and is doing the flirting but not pushing it so that it's going to have to be Veronica who makes the first step if they are ever to get back together. He's giving her all the subtle hints that she needs to know he likes her but he's not going to be the one to cross the line they have drawn in the sand between them.
Now, will the new developments with Aaron draw these two closer together or push them further apart? We're ripe for Veronica to regret helping Duncan escape now that it'll just help Aaron prove that it was Duncan who murdered Lilly. And Logan will be angsty about his stupid decision to erase/burn the tapes so that his Dad can even get away with such a claim. Dammit. I knew Happy!Logan was never going to last.
Holy crap! Who knew I had so much to say... it's been a while since I've really written my thoughts about an episode out like that and yet I'm pretty sure I forgot to talk about some aspect of it. Like the ending....
So, am I supposed to see that ending scene as a comparison between Veronica and Weevil's ways of dealing with things? Honestly, I don't really see it the same way. Veronica's decision is more about fear of what could happen whereas Weevil knew damn well what would happen. I'd bet Weevil kept an eye on the Fitzpatricks and Thumper and that's why he's able to make the pun about Thumper being crushed. Veronica's decision not to give Harry information that could potentially put him and Liam in danger isn't the quite the same for me. I do wonder if she would have made the same decision if Liam had actually killed Keith. I'm not sure she would. Also, I have a bad feeling that this decision is going to come back to haunt her somehow. Sort of a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" thing. If Liam ends up hurting/killing anyone at the end of this season, will Veronica regret not giving his name to Harry? Let's hope not but this is Neptune...