Ten Statements About....VERONICA MARS SEASON TWO, EPISODE NINE 'My Mother, The Fiend' (2005)

"This is the unnecessary plot element for this episode.
Please pick one up at the end of class." 

"Why do you have to go out of your way to pick off a twenty-five-year-old scab?”
“I just want a little proof that my mom was a good person. That she wasn't one of the girls I hate so much, one of the girls that makes high school miserable for everyone else."

1) One of the main reasons I love this episode so much is that it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Duane Daniels’ Van Clemmons is, in his way, as smart and clever as Veronica.  The way he gently manipulates her to get what he wants makes you realize he’s not just a comedic supporting character but someone Veronica can look at with respect.

2) Unlike with last episode, the balance between the ongoing overarc subplot and the done-in-one story is much more effective.  The script by Phil Klemmer and Dayna Lynne North does give us significant movement on all of the threads in play, but the done in one is front and center throughout.  This results in this episode feeling like a Season One episode in it focus and momentum.

3) It also helps that this done in one mystery is personal to Veronica.  Dealing as it does with her trying to learn something about her mother and the circumstances, there’s a level of intimacy that makes it unique while--given that so much hardboiled detective fiction is about digging up the sins of the past--allowing the show to remain true to its noir sensibilities.

"I see my career's future.  In a few years I end up the pointless
recurring girlfriend in a Sly Stallone movie series!"

4) And here Alyson Hannigan’s Trina Echolls is given her send off, and her comeuppance, before the actress settles into her long run on How I Met Your Mother. Hannigan always seemed to have fun playing the flipside of her Willow character, and this episode gives Trina a proper bitter ashes send off that’s gentle due to her being the least objectionable of the satellite Echolls.

(And let’s not forget that there is a mini-Buffy reunion as Trina mocks Charisma Carpenter’s Kendall)

5)  And Eli’s transformation into Veronica’s Hawk continues.  Evoking the Season One episode The Girl Next Door, we see Francis Capra’s character proposing that he and Jason Dohring’s Logan team up--and then orchestrates a fight with him so that no one knows they’re collaborating.  And Eli’s development as a dark avenger only gets better from here on in.

6) It still amazes me that no one caught that the killer for the overarc was in plain sight throughout this season, and Rob Thomas gleefully doesn't hide it much.  Not only do we see more evidence of his being a true mastermind when he recruits two regular characters into his present scheme, we see him begin what we can interpret as him macking on one of them in the interest of making her his Miss Techmacher!

Yes, I am so sad I will watch Kristen Bell do filing...

7) Once more we get evidence of Thomas and co. striving to further create a true interconnected universe for Veronica to exist in, as real life wife of Kyle Secor Kari Coleman’s Mrs. Hauser re-emerges after her turn in Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner as someone who helps spur on Veronica’s investigation into her mother’s suspension.  And it’s fortunate she shows up here, as it gives Hauser a little more depth of character as opposed to the cartoony version we saw there.

8) It is nice that this episode gives us a new perspective on Lianne Mars.  Even though Corrine Bohrer’s time on the show has long passed, leaving us with a very bad impression of who Lianne is and was, the ultimate resolution of the case reminds us that she had a positive side to her.

9) The Meg storyline continues as Alona Tal briefly begins a tenure in the real world before returning to her status as ghostly counsel to Veronica.  Granted, all she does in this episode is lie there....but the double whammy of the very last moments of this episode continues this section of the season’s talent for gobstopping cliffhangers.

10) Is it just me, or does that entire storyline involving the baby simulators have no purpose in this episode?  Yes, it does serve as foreshadowing for a couple of episodes in the future, but we don’t know that in media res, and taken on its face value, it’s not even good comic relief.  You could cut out that aspect of the show whole, have Miss Hauser lecture the sex ed class on something else, and the episode would be unchanged.

Overall...a definite upturn from the previous episode that gives us new insight into past characters, restores the intimacy of the show, and advances all the other plot threads without being obtrusive about it.

Ten Statements About....VERONICA MARS SEASON TWO, EPISODE EIGHT 'Ahoy, Mateys!' (2005)

Yep...sometimes Kristen Bell is dressed like this in
my dreams, too.

" Did Duncan go to bed?”
“Yes. And he wanted me to tell you to give me your undivided attention. Pretend for a moment that your dog's life is at stake.."

1) And here is where Alona Tal’s Meg officially becomes this season’s Lily Kane thanks to a pair of dreams experienced by Teddy Dunn’s Duncan.  While it’s always refreshing to have Tal back (not to mention seeing Kristen Bell tarted up as a bad girl in the first dream sequence), she doesn’t have the...enthusiasm for this role that Amanda Seyfried did.

2) During the round of interviews I did in support of Veronica Mars (One does not get the reputation as the biggest Veronica Mars fan on the block and expect not to have a slew of podcasts asking you about that movie) I referred to Francis Capra’s Weevil as Hawk to Veronica’s Parker, and here is where that transformation begins.  Spurred on by indications that the PCH’ers are doing things that are against his own code, Weevil starts his own investigation....no matter how that investigation is infused by his own outlaw instincts.

3) We’re in week three of the Wallace Drought...so thank God Tina Majorino’s Mac finally steps into the Watson role.  Mac’s high-tech, slightly mercenary attitude provides a wonderful contrast to Wallace--and given the nature of the done-in-one plot, her techy background makes her fit more than Wallace.  That being said....

Ahhh, Ms. Mackenzie....you were sorely missed....

4) You’ll notice that the done-in-ones become much more sketchy much earlier in the season.  Unlike the first season, where the overarc was allowed to develop in its own sweet time, there are so many plot threads that need developing that each episode has a diluted feel.  This season is one that has a desperate need of a focus.

5) Of course, one of the other problems with this episode is how the script by John Enbom and Cathy Belben can’t decide what the main angle of the mystery is.  Both Keith and Veronica have paths into this mystery, but they end up with different conclusion.  It’s almost as if there are two mysteries independent of each other.

6) One of the things that I think makes Kristen Bell the perfect actress to play Veronica is how she is convincing both as a bad ass and as a scared little girl....and if you don’t believe me, check out how Bell turns on a dime when she realizes she is face to face with Rod Rowland’s Liam Fitzpatrick.  Her breakdown feels so legitimate, it emphasized how scary the Fitzpatricks are...

7) Once again, we have a very, very subtle foreshadowing reference to the overarc--one that literally passes you by until we get to the last episode.  As much as this episode is lukewarm...bravo, writers.  Bravo.

When Plastic Surgeons Attack...Next Time On Jerry!

8) It nice that, just as with Season One, there are efforts to create a viable universe where characters drift in and out of the story.  In this one, Duane Daniel’s Van Clemmons’ son shows up in a slightly less minor role that dovetails into the main mystery.

9) One of the things that I always appreciated is how the series never forgets its noir roots...and it does in this episode when our bad guy is glad that he hurt the Oliveras family.  That sort of viciousness is so at odds with the usual teen drama structure.

10) Conversely, I appreciate how Keith handles what he learns about the lengths David Barrera’s Carlos will go to in regards to his court case.  This moment is also very indicative of how Rob Thomas is insistent on keeping the series anchored in a hardboiled tradition, where everything is shade of grey and not black and white.

Overall...unlike the previous episode, where the final act serves to conceal the cluttered nature of the plot, this one is all over the place and remains all over the place, tripping over all its subplots as it feels around in the dark for a direction.

Ten Statements About....VERONICA MARS SEASON ONE, EPISODE SIXTEEN 'Betty And Veronica' (2005)

Don't misconstrue this moment--this plot thread
reminds you that we're in a film noir world...

"Why are you following me?"

"You say following, I say taking a walk with a friend."

1) We pick up where we left off--and there's an interesting reversal of dynamics here. Whereas the relationship between Veronica and her father is equal-but-separate, with the father keeping the upper hand, the relationship between her and Corrine Bohrer's Lianne is much different. Here, Veronica is the paternal one, having to comfort and manage this mess that is her mom.

2) Even though Duane Daniels' Vice Principal Clemmons has been sliding around the edges of the series, he begins to take a new level of prominence here, acting as the catalyst (and client) for this episode's A plot. Daniels is a very low-key actor and, as he starts gaining more screen time (and a promotion), his dry, deadpan delivery becomes more and more of an asset.

Bizzaro Neptune calls for Bizzaro Veronica....

3) And speaking of that A Plot--as you might be able to tell from the title, this is a light hearted break before we enter Act Three of this Season and a wide swath of Dark Times Ahead.

4) Yep...nothing is as iconic a Veronica Mars moment as watching Kristen Bell making dinner while listening to the interrogation tapes from the Lily Kane investigation on her Walkman....

5) ...and there's nothing that speaks volumes more about the Veronica/Wallace dynamic than his discovery that she's making the Spirit Boxes his finds in his locker...because, as she puts it 'he doesn't' find school pride corny.

6) You know, as much as I like Kyle Secor's Jake Kane at this point, Lisa Thornhill never rises above Soap Opera Villian with Celeste. Her scenes, both in flashback and in the present, always ring broadly false, and disrupts the flow of the episodes she's in.

Veronica Mars...Now with Snickerdoodles!

7) I gotta give Alona Tal a lot of props here. She infuses Meg with a genuine desire to keep her relationship with Veronica even as Veronica tries to will it to wither--and it's Tal's brightness and natural likability that makes the moment where she is able to repair that rift between then work. She's a lot of fun, and I wish they kept her around past the middle of Season Two.

8) You know...I rather like the whole 'Bizzaro Neptune' aspect of Veronica's brief foray into rival school Pan--and the fact that she has this great respect for what could be considered Wallace's opposite number, Kyle Searles' Richie, to the point where she tells him how special he is, is one of the tiny touches that makes this whole comedic A Plot more than incidental.

9) The final scene has two phases...in the first phase, we learn how Veronica has put Lianne into rehab, sacrificing her college fund to do so, which sounds like a hopeful resolution until we realize that this is a hardboiled detective series at its core, and things tend to end badly. In the second phase, we learn something about Abel Koontz that will propel us into Act Three.

10) Speaking of which--this is officially the end of the Second Act of Season One. You'll find that more and more of the shows eschew the A Plot structure to focus on the Lily Kane...and when the A Plot does show up again, they tend to be...pretty stinky. You've been warned.

Overall...a pretty cool mix of lighthearted goofy A Plot and some pretty dour overarc stuff. There's a lot of fun stuff, both plotwise and performance wise, and it's a fitting close to the second act of this season.

Ten Statements About....VERONICA MARS SEASON ONE, EPISODE FIFTEEN 'Ruskie Business' (2005)

She calls it 'Manilla Whore Barbie'...I call it Derrick Hottie
Growl Worthy...

"J. Geils was right--love stinks. You can dress it up in sequins and shoulder pads, but one way or another you're just going to end up alone at the Spring Dance strapped into uncomfortable underwear."

1) Okay...we're close to the end of this season's second act, which means there's still fifteen balls up in the air. Just look at the pre-title teaser--we touch upon the Veronica/Logan situation (wonderfully underplayed by both Dohring--who looks like he has no idea how to start being Veronica's friend again--and Bell), reintroduce Meg so she can throw a spanner into another relationship thread for Veronica, begin the tease for the reintroduction of the Lianne Mars thread...and then get the first taste of the A plot. And, thanks to writers Phil Klemmons and John Enbom, and the direction of Guy Norman Bee--who utilizes a number of tracking shots to give this all a fluid momentum--it's seamless.

2) Oh--and since the whole Logan and Veronica relationship is beginning to develop, it's time to drag Max Greenfield back in to banter with her as Leo...and you know, there's a certain much-missed chemistry that just falls into place immediately. It's a pity Greenfield doesn't stick around for much longer (although he'll pop up time and again throughout the series)...he's a lot of fun.

3) And speaking of people I missed...man, is Alona Tal fun as all get out. She's even more confident playing Meg, and the interplay between her and Veronica is stellar. It's a pity that, like Leo, she gets written out fairly quickly at the beginning of Season Two, because she and Bell are comedy gold.

"You need to stay away from her, Logan...she was an evil
lesbian witch on her previous show."

4) And here we get the official debut of Alyson Hannigan as Trina Echolls. Hannigan was between jobs here, having finished Buffy the year before and about to start How I Met Your Mother, and it seems that she agreed to do this solely if she could play the exact opposite of Willow Rosenberg. Thus, Trina is a shallow, venal and more or less detestable person who only adds to the American Gothic that is the Echolls family. To be absolutely fair, I couldn't see originally considered Denise Richards or ...grumblemutter.... Tara Reid doing a better job. Hannigan shows up a handful of times before New York and a fake marriage to Jason Segal whisks her away...

5) That being said...take a look at the first scene with Logan and Trina. First off, it's interesting how Bell is continually reacting to the insults and accusations flowing between the two...although her surprise at the accusations of abuse seem odd given how close Veronica and Lily were supposed to have been. And when Trina leaves, the way Dohring just allows himself to collapse totally, almost as if he is regressing into a child, crying and seeking comfort in Veronica's awkward embrace is powerful. It's a hell of a lot more effective than Veronica's breakdown several episodes back.

Keith Mars' attempt to find a date for his
daughter was somewhat lacking...

6) You'll notice how I haven't mentioned the A plot...it's because it's hardly there, only blasting into high gear at the 30 minute mark. The funny thing is how it sort of gets resolved by Keith, and even then by accident. As we'll see as we move further into this season, Rob Thomas gets more and more impatient with these A Plots as we move closer to the final act, and the revelation of Lily's murderer.

7) I can forgive the thoroughly inconsequential aspect of this story taking place leading up to an 80's dance called 'Total Eclipse of the Heart,' since it does get me the sight of Bell dressed as, in her words, 'Manilla Whore Barbie.'

8) You know, I really have to wonder how closely Thomas studied the works of John Hughes...because I swear there are a number of visual and dialogue throwbacks to his work during the sequence at the dance...and to have it shattered by the big reveal leading to the final scene, leaving us as confused as Leo is as Veronica tries to runs off in inappropriate heels....

9) I do like how Meg continues to prove that she's one of the true stand-up people in Neptune High by being the person to get Leo to the dance...although it's heartening that he came to see Veronica. Hell, our girl even gets some smoochies out of it...at least for the moment.

10) My God, the final scene...just as Logan regresses when confronted with the truth about his mother's death, so does Lianne Mars regress when confronted with Veronica, only she regresses into a recalcitrant child, trying to push her daughter away out of fear. And when we see why she's afraid, we almost sympathize with Veronica's stunned silence.

Overall...forget about the whole 'Russian gal looks for a boyfriend-who-isn't-her-boyfriend-that Keith-susses-out A Plot. Just bask in the way all these ducks fall into a row getting us ready for the bang-a-minute third act of this story.

Ten Statements About....VERONICA MARS SEASON ONE, EPISODE EIGHT 'Like A Virgin' (2004)

Needless to say...in my dreams, she's not wearing a bra.  But
then, sometimes in my dreams, she turns into a giant bird and
pecks at my eyes....

"Meg, you're the last good person in this school. I believe cartoon birds braided your hair this morning. If you want, I can find out who posted that test for you. It'll clear you name, and make somebody pay...unless there's a fairy godmother already on it."

1) While it is true we get two new character introductions--Alona Tal's Meg, who will become very significant towards the end of this season, and Erica Gimpel as Wallace's mother Alice, who becomes extremely significant to Keith Mars' character arc--I can't help but point out the second appearance of Daran Norris' Cliff McCormack, who plays a part in this episode's B plot surrounding Abel Koontz. I really, really like Cliff...he's funny, and an excellent foil for Veronica.
 

2) I enjoy how, in the last scene before the credits (we're still in The Land of The Extraordinarily Long Teaser), Veronica is basking in the chaos caused by the Purity Test Purchase scheme...until she sees that it hurts someone she cares about. That slow transition from schoolgirl taking some pleasure in karmic payback to the private detective seeker of vengeance for Meg is another indication of why Rob Thomas needed Kristen Bell for this series to work.

3) And here, at the 9:30 mark, we are introduced to Tina Majorino's Mac. Mac becomes the Willow to Veronica's Buffy very, very rapidly--there's a large chunk of Season Two where she pretty much replaces Wallace whole--and, much like Alyson Hannigan in the Whedon-verse, Tina Majorino injects some serious nerd cool into the series.

4) Alona Tal does fulfill a vital function in this season--namely, she gives the 09'ers a human face. Up until this point, all we've seen of them outside of the series regulars are a bunch of douches up to no good--Tal is an inherently likeable actress, and that likability rubs off on Meg to give Veronica an ally on the inside. Granted, next season she gets pretty badly messed up, but now...

This may not be The Face of Evil...but Christian Clemmenson
makes you believe it is.

5) Since this episode revolves around reputations, we get a fairly keen insight into how Veronica feels about her present reputation--and it's very telling that the only time she's upset by what is being said about her is during a scene with Wallace where she learns what his mother thinks of her.

6) To this day...whenever I think of Enrico Colantoni, the first thing that pops into my head is the scene in this episode where he bullies Alice Fennel's tenant into moving. At turns ice-cold and humorous, Colantoni thoroughly sells us on how Keith Mars is Not A Man To Mess With. The sight of him howling, mad eyed and pointing at the con man, who is practically driven to tears, is priceless.

7) The final resolution as to who put up the Purity Test website is subtle, and serves to shore up the cred of the person behind it--and since the true, nasty villains are exposed as not being connected to this mastermind, it assures us that this person will be back.

8) I know that the scene with Abel Koontz is there mainly to set up what will be a major thread in the overarc's second act...but get a load of Christian Clemmenson. Starting out as cordial and buying into Veronica's deception, he effortlessly becomes more and more sinister until he mocks her for not knowing certain facts about background. Clemmenson (who will go from here to become a sideshow in David E. Kelley's Boston Legal) is truly scary in this moment.

9) I know I have praised Bell in the past for her acting...but as much as I understand how Clemmenson's performance should be enough to send Veronica into a teary panic attack...well, I don't buy the teary panic she evokes.

Every hero needs a nerdy, technologically gifted sidekick,
Veronica...here's yours...

10) You know...I'm somewhat shocked at how much each episode is crammed with. Between the A and B plot, and the Keith Mars/Alice Fennel subplot and all the introductions, I didn't realize this is missing such major characters as Logan and Weevil.

Overall...a whole lot happens here, and a whole lot of it is good on so many levels. A definite improvement after the 'very special episode' of last week.