08:00 Veronica Mars
09:00 Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars. Episode 5. "You Think You Know Somebody" An average case, but an above-average episode. This is the one where Troy's car is stolen. Which is bad for Troy. But one of his buddies had drugs stashed in the car, and there are some bad people after him. Which is worse for his buddy. Watching Veronica track down the car is kinda boring. We know her at this stage and we know that she's capable of more than this. Luckily, this episode is more about the character drama of the piece and - on that level - it's very good. Veronica's father is dating and we get to see father and daughter have a fight for the first time. Sure, on one level, Veronica is trying to protect her family and keep the memory of her mother alive. But, on another level, she's being mean to Keith and denying something that would mean a lot to him: an end to his loneliness.
Truthfully, I never forgave Veronica for that. It was, I think, our first glimpse of her flaws. (On a side note: I love Veronica dearly, but if she was my daughter and she tried to get me to stop dating Paula Marshall I would kick her skinny blonde ass out the front door so fast her head would spin right off!) And, on the subject of flaws: This is also the episode where we get to Troy's true colours. Too good to be true? Yes, indeed.
This ending of this episode is one of the best they ever did on the show, and it's a perfect example of what this show is all about. In the closing minutes, Veronica outwits everybody and two bad guys bite the dust in spectacular/satisfying fashion. But it's an empty victory for our heroine. She's alone and sad when the credits roll. And that's how I think of Veronica (and I think of her often): alone and sad. She will always win out, beat the bad guys and uncover the truth. But, in the world of Veronica Mars, the truth is painful to behold and it is frequently Veronica herself who wears the scars.
Veronica Mars. Episode 6. "Return of the Kane" No case-of-the-week, per se, but Veronica gets involved in the world of school elections. And, of course, she finds corruption. The mid-point of the episode - where Veronica finds out how the fix was done - would have been a great place to end the storyline. Unfortunately, it goes on for a bit after that and we find out that Wanda (the girl Veronica is helping) is a bit of a bad apple. Not only is the twist utter rubbish, but the way Veronica catches her is complete rubbish, too. Sigh. A low-point in the series.
Meanwhile, over in the realms of character development, this is a pretty good episode. We meet Logan's father for the first time and get a flavour for their unusual/unhealthy relationship. We can start to understand why Logan is the way that he is, and we can see that his father is a violent man. Poor Logan. At this stage I had already started to like him. How much of that is down to the great writing, and how much is down to the casting of Jason Dohring?
This episode has an unforgettable/haunting ending as Logan takes a beating to the sound of America's "Ventura Highway" on the soundtrack. A high-point in the series.
Highlight? Veronica Mars (Ventura Highway)
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Tue, Aug 19, 08 - Veronica Mars
