Veronica Mars
We got famous folks and characters that will be important for the remainder of the series in the episodes for today. Let's get right to it.
"The Girl Next Door"
Veronica Mars: "Did you hear something last night?"
Keith Mars: "What kind of something?"
Veronica Mars: "Like a loud thump from upstairs?"
Keith Mars: "I don't know. But you know me, I can sleep through an earthquake. Why?"
Veronica Mars: "I don't know. It sounded like a falling body. It really freaked me out."
Keith Mars: "A falling body?"
Veronica Mars: "Yes. A falling body."
Keith Mars: "Would you describe the sounds as "Hichcockian?"
Veronica Mars: "I'm glad you're able to entertain yourself."
Keith Mars: "Oh, sweetie. Don't sell yourself short. I find you completely entertaining."
Veronica is concerned when her pregnant upstairs neighbor goes missing, particularly when she heard some fighting and a thump from their apartment the night before. Veronica starts investigating and immediately believes Sarah's boyfriend, Andre is responsible. When Sarah's parents come to visit, Keith gets involved and the truth might be more insidious than Veronica thinks. At the same time, Veronica learns more about her mother's relationship with Jake Kane.
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| Yearbook fun. |
One of the fun things about watching these old episodes of "Veronica Mars" is seeing future famous faces pop up. I have seen this episode multiple times but I had completely forgotten that future Oscar winner, Jessica Chastain, played Veronica's pregnant neighbor, Sarah. Sarah doesn't feature a ton in the episode. It's all about her disappearance, but she's in the first few minutes and then the last few minutes. But, it's pretty clear from the start that Chastain is a star. She really shines and even if you didn't know that she eventually became this award winning actress, it wouldn't be difficult to guess, after watching this, that's where she ended up.
This episode starts off at the end with Veronica sitting on the front steps of her apartment complex with sirens flashing and people being carried out on gurneys. And Veronica is ruminating on the situation, wondering if she is the cause of all this. I like episodes or movies that begin at the end but then kind of fill in the blanks as things progress. And I think there is something to be said for really looking at whether Veronica is helping or hindering situations. I'm just not sure that this is the episode for that rumination though.
This episode never really lives up to the opening. The opening sets up something that you expect to be a little more exciting than it turns out being. This is a pretty run of the mill case and it feels like something that we've seen before. The red herrings that the episode throws out are so clearly red herrings. The episode makes it very clear early on that Sarah and Andre are a volatile couple. Veronica has heard them arguing a lot and hears them arguing the night she disappears. Andre is immediately at the top of her suspect list, which basically guarantees that he won't be the culprit.
Andre being an obvious red herring is just hammered home when Veronica meets him and he is just the worst. Andre is played by Adam Kaufman. You may recall him as Buffy's disastrous, douchebag one night stand from the season four episode, "The Harsh Light of Day." It seems that Kaufman just really excels at playing assholes. Andre is just so smarmy. He's seemingly unconcerned about Sarah's disappearance. He shrugs off Veronica's concern and has his nude model strip in front of her. These are all the actions of a guilty person, but on a show like this, it means he's innocent.
In the last third of the episode, it's like the writers were like, oh yah, we need to wrap this up, so pretty quickly we learn that not only is Sarah's baby the product of a sexual assault, she was sexually assaulted by her stepfather, who is currently visiting with her mom. This leads to the showdown that ends the episode. Sarah pulls a gun on him, he gets it and Keith ends up shooting him through the window of the apartment. It's a lot and definitely feels kind of melodramatic and maybe like a little too much for "Veronica Mars."
The B plot revolves around Veronica helping a Neptune High alum pull photos for their reunion. She agrees because it's for Lianne's graduating class and when she goes through the high school yearbook and sees that her mother and Jake Kane were prom king and queen and high school sweethearts. Duncan is seemingly non plussed with this information, but Veronica starts to think that maybe that is the reason that Duncan broke up with her with no explanation. Could there be a familial connection? This B plot feels really disconnected from the A plot so that just adds to the overall disjointed feel of this episode.
I also probably could have done without the Weevil/Logan detention/car prank sub plot. It feels like it was all just a way to get Logan to see Weevil's Lilly tattoo and it feels like they could have done this in a different way.
Oh and this episode marks the last appearance of Sydney Tamiia Poitier's Mallory Dent. She won't be missed.
Grade: B-
"Like a Virgin"
Meg Manning: "I didn't even do anything!"
Veronica Mars: "I know."
Meg Manning: "You believe me?"
Veronica Mars: "Meg, you're the last good person at this school. I'd believe cartoon birds braided your hair this morning. If you want, I can find who posted that test for you. We'll clear your name and make someone pay."
Meg Manning: "Really?"
Veronica Mars: "Unless there's a fairy godmother already on it."
The results of an online purity test are leaked, causing chaos at Neptune High. The good girl of Neptune High, Meg Manning, is accused of being one of the least pure girls in the school, the complete opposite of her reputation. Veronica actually likes Meg, so she decides to help her with the assistance of Neptune High's resident computer genius, Mac. Meanwhile, Veronica strong arms Cliff McCormack to get her in to see Lilly's accused murderer, Abel Koontz, on death row.
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| Silence of the Mars. |
This is kind of a big episode of "Veronica Mars." It introduces a number of characters that will be important to the show for the entirety of its run. We've heard a lot about Abel Koontz, the man who is on death row for the murder of Lilly Kane. The sleazy attorney, Cliff McCormack, who was appointed as Koontz's public defender and the only person Koontz will see. Veronica gives Cliff a letter posing as someone from Koontz's hometown who is interested in the case. He agrees to see her and while there, Veronica shows him the crime scene photos and presses him on why he confessed to a crime her clearly didn't commit.
Veronica gets her "Silence of the Lambs" moment with Abel, who tells her he knows who she is and that Lianne would come to visit Jake at Kane Software. He heavily implies that Veronica is the daughter of Jake Kane not Keith Mars. Christian Clemenson is great as Abel Koontz. The way that he winds Veronica up and really goes for the jugular is great. We haven't really seen Veronica shaken so far in the series, so seeing her sobbing in her car at the end of the episode is really impactful. Keith is Veronica's rock and the idea of possibly not being his daughter after she has stood by him is seriously an awful moment in the episode.
We meet Meg Manning in this episode. Meg is the quintessential good girl. Everyone loves her. She's the golden child. And she even likes Veronica. It's great to see kids who aren't immediately antagonistic to Veronica. We first meet Meg when she gives Veronica her cheerleading uniform to wear after the mean girls dump her clothes in the toilet while she's showering, which is just indescribably awful. It makes complete sense that Veronica would decide to help Meg when the results of the fake purity test are made public.
High school kids are really the worst and it makes total sense that they would jump on the idea that maybe Meg is a secret slut. That's one of the things I love the most about this show. Sure we have a teenage girl solving PI cases, but we also get a real look at teenagers and how they can be so awful to each other because of their own insecurities.
I will say that it's not a huge surprise when you find out who is behind all this. The whole episode Meg is talking about how Kimmy is always coming in second place. The look on Kimmy's face, you just know that she is behind it. I was surprised that she was having an affair with the hot French IT guy. And the other bitch at the lunch table, Pam, is responsible for Veronica's fake test because she is upset that Duncan is hung up on her. This leads to a cute moment between Veronica and Duncan when she tells him she never had VD unlike the fake email Pam sent from her account claimed. It becomes less cute when you remember they could be brother and sister.
Meg is definitely the kind of character that I don't usually enjoy, but I can't help but like her. We've seen the people Veronica help turn out to be shit people, but Meg stays good all the way through. And she cautions Veronica about revenge and assures her that she does have friends at Neptune High. Meg will become an important character in the life of the series, so watch out for that.
Speaking of friends, we meet another classic "Veronica Mars" character who becomes Ronnie's other stalwart friend, Tina Majorino's Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie. If you watched movies in the '90's and early '00's, I'm sure you recognize Majorino and she's great as Mac. She and Bell have an easy chemistry and I honestly really enjoy the girl power in this episode overall. I love the friendship between Wallace and Veronica, but it's cool to see Veronica vibing with other females. And, when Veronica realizes that Mac is the one that was selling the purity results, she can't even be made. Game recognize game.
Speaking of Wallace and Veronica, there is a subplot this episode about Wallace's mother, Alicia, not loving her son's friendship with Veronica. It's understandable. Like Wallace points out, Alicia works at Kane Software so she's not going to be hearing great things about the Mars family. Veronica puts up a tough exterior, but I love when that exterior drops and we see some real human moments like when Wallace says he has made up a "good friend" so he can stay over at her house. Veronica wants the mother of her best friend to like her, which is completely understandable.
It's Keith to the rescue. After he helps evict a problematic tenant for the Fennel's, Alicia comes to him and thanks him and all is right with the world. It's a fun little subplot that ties in well with the main story about potentially ruined reputations due to lies.
Grade: A-
Next up, Veronica investigates a cult and goes to a holiday part at the Echoll's.
What did you all think? Are you ever surprised to see the famous faces pop up on the show? Were you surprised that so many major characters were introduced in one episode? Will you miss Ms Dent? Let me know in the comments.
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