Episode #01.16: Betty and Veronica
Original Air Date: March 29, 2005
Written By: Diane Ruggiero
Directed By: Michael Fields
Report Card (Capsule Episode Review)
Yearbook (Recurring & Guest Stars/Character Statistics)
Drama Club (Performances: Highlights and Lowlights)
Chemistry (The Analysis of LoVe Scenes) (None)
Journalism (The Mystery of the Week)
Study Hall (Miscellaneous Plot Details)
Extra Credit (Clues to the Season Mystery Arcs)
History (Flashbacks)
Band Class (The Music of Veronica Mars)
Literature (LoVe Lines/In Memory/Quotable Quotes)
Social Science (In Reference To ... Pop Culture & The World)
Homeroom (On Second Viewing, Get a Clue)
Pep Squad Practice (Ambiguously (Or Not) Gay Logan Moments) (None)
Detention (While the Censors Were Out to Lunch ...) (None)
Philosophy (Unanswered Questions)
Principles of Democracy (Hindsight is 20/20)
Staff Grade: B
Membership Grade: B (50.8% / 63 votes)
This is an interesting episode in that the A and B story are both very strong. Regular and recurring cast both provide excellent performances (especially Kristen Bell, showing her dramatic and comedic chops). The direction deftly jumps between the comedy of the A story and the drama of the B story, handling both with ease. The dialogue is alternately fresh and witty and heartbreaking and powerful. The problem is that the A and B stories do not mesh ... at all; there is no connect between the two where there is normally at least the hint of one. And the disparity in tone is so drastic and creates such a disconnect that it mars what should be an A+ episode (yes, even without Logan).
Credited Cast Non-Appearance
Jason Dohring - Logan Echolls
Recurring Guest Stars (Previous Episode Appearances)
Corinne Bohrer Lianne Mars
- Pilot
- You Think You Know Somebody
- Ruskie Business
Carl Bresk - Coach (listed as Computer Teacher previously)
- Like a Virgin
- Clash of the Tritons
Duane Daniels Vice Principal Van Clemmons
- Pilot
- Return of the Kane
- The Girl Next Door
- Clash of the Tritons
- Mars vs. Mars
Christopher B. Duncan Clarence Wiedman
- Drinking the Kool-Aid
- Silence of the Lamb
- Ruskie Business
Max Greenfield Deputy Leo DAmato
- Silence of the Lamb
- Mars vs. Mars
- Ruskie Business
Kyle Secor Jake Kane
- Pilot
- Credit Where Credit's Due
- Meet John Smith
- The Wrath of Con
- Return of the Kane
- An Echolls Family Christmas
Alona Tal Meg Manning
- Like a Virgin
- Ruskie Business
Lisa Thornhill Celeste Kane
- Pilot
- Meet John Smith
- The Wrath of Con
- An Echolls Family Christmas
Guest Stars
Christopher Babers Jack
Adam Gorelick Wilson Stavers
Paityn James Arriana
Billie Jones Nadine
Andy Morrow Zeek
Kyle Searles Richie
Jerry Zatarain Pan High Wrestler
Whos Who In Neptune
Arriana Neptune High Student. Leader of SAAC (Students Against Animal Cruelty).
Jack Student at Neptune High. On the basketball team with Wallace.
Nadine Student at Neptune High that has the hots for Wallace.
Richie Student and basketball player at Pan High.
Wilson Stavers Pan High student that pretends to be Pollys kidnapper
Zeek Team Manager of the Pan High basketball team.
Highlights
Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) - Kristen Bell exhibits her talent once more by becoming the very essence of the Comedy/Tragedy Drama Mask. The Drama Mask originated in ancient Greece. They were worn by the actors since the theatres were so large the spectators could not see the faces of the actors. Eventually the comedy/tragedy masks became the symbol for theatre and have served that function ever since.
In Betty and Veronica, Kristen effortlessly dons her comedy mask and plays the clueless airhead with practiced ease. Veronica's adventures while solving a typical high school mystery with her signature snark and flair are seamlessly juxtaposed with the ongoing tragedy of her mother's continual downward spiral into the depths of alcoholism and Veronica's efforts to prevent this. All of her childhood pain and hope and longing for her family are reflected in Veronica's eyes in her scenes with Lianne.
In ancient Greece, the comedy and tragedy masks were used to show a change in mood on the part of the actor. In Betty and Veronica, Kristen effortlessly changes moods as she juggles comedy and tragedy and in so doing creates another indelible acting highlight.
This episode was long on season arc developments and somewhat short on mystery of the week, leaving the mystery fairly simple. Still, since for many of you, No Logan = No Repeat Viewing, a good recap is in order.
The plot begins with Veronica summoned to Mr. Clemmons office. Both she and the audience suspect shes once again a suspect in some Neptune High mischief, but instead, it turns out Polly the parrot has gone missing, and Mr. Clemmons wants her to find it. Well, its not a Neptune serial killer, but its a case. He suspects kids from rival school, Pan High, and worries thing will get ugly before the big upcoming basketball game. Veronica negotiates for a new locker - presumably away from Duncan and Meg - a letter of recommendation, and two excused absences. While not quite as bad as Zach basically running Bayside High on Saved by the Bell, its still a little disconcerting that a Vice Principal would trade recommendations for parrots. On the other hand, if I were him, Id be worried that her price seems a little low, so she probably has the whole negotiation on tape to use against him in some future scheme.
We next see Veronica at her new locker, next to conquering basketball hero Wallace Fennel. Seriously, Wallace can not take two steps without a high five or chest thump from some adoring student fan. Which is strange, because we dont see this behavior in any other episode. Even Duncan congratulates Wallace on his assists; Wallace tells him those are called dimes on the street; and Veronica wonders if hes referring to the mean streets at the corner of Pleasant Valley and Marigold where he lives. Despite all the adulation, Wallace is depressed because Polly apparently lives in the school office where he and she have formed a meaningful bond.
Fortunately, Veronicas lunch is long enough to change clothes & drive 15 miles inland to Pan High, where she is able to waltz right into lunch and get some food in the cafeteria. So much for school security. Fortunately the reputation of Veronica Mars has not made it this far inland, as shes quickly invited to the popular table. Which seems to consist primarily of one jock named Richie and a geek named Zeek not quite like the popular table at my high school. In any case, Veronica claims to be Betty, a new transfer from Riverdale, where she was Horny. The schools rhino mascot. Her visit is timed impeccably - while shes there, news arrives that Neptune has gotten their goat (no more puns this episode? Please?) mascot.
Back at Pan High, Zeek, whose hold on the popular table just cant be that strong to start with, is in trouble for placing a bet on Neptune to beat Pan High. Apparently everyone is doing so at Rest Stop 15, a hotbed of high school criminal activity, halfway between Neptune and Pan High that, strangely, Veronica has never heard of. Maybe she needs to get Wallace a job there. Seems a bookie there is taking even money bets on the game, even though Neptune is heavily favored. This conversation is interrupted -- as critical conversations on Veronica Mars often are, generally by a red herring -- whose name in this case is Wilson, the schools biggest geek who is becoming popular by showing pictures of himself with Polly, whom he claims he stole by waltzing into Neptune High and pretending to be a student there. Inconceivable!
Veronica turns on the charm with Wilson (although the fact that she was surely the first high school girl ever to speak to him was probably charm enough), asking him to be her tour guide at Rest Stop 15 at 4pm. Where, of course, she has Weevil waiting for him. Weevil threatens him with a Polly reference saying "Weevil wanna punch a cracker." The fact that this line made it on the show lends serious credence to the rumor that UPN cant afford to hire censors. Turns out Wilson is innocent - he took a picture of himself with a parrot at a pet store so hed seem cool. That reminds me of this time when I was in high school ... wait, never mind.
Before leaving Rest Stop 15, Veronica sees Weevil taking even money bets on Neptune to beat Pan High. Hmmm. Leo later suggests that Weevil must know something that his "clients" dont about the game - a line Im sure you missed while shutting your eyes and plugging your ears in fear that he might kiss her again.
Back at Neptune, Duncan is receiving scads of letters to the editor outraged that Polly has been stolen. With one exception - the group Students Against Animal Cruelty (the fabulous acronym, SAAC) hopes Polly has been set free to join her fellow parrots in nature. Or perhaps at the pet store, probably the only other home she has ever known. Veronica decides to visit SAAC to learn more about this stance, but her attempts to infiltrate the organization are hindered by her fake fur coat and leather boots. You know, combined with not knowing about Rest Stop 15 and not understanding the basics of betting, this complete failure as a "secret agent" makes Veronica look fairly incompetent. Fortunately for her, a new lead appears when Megs school news broadcast is interrupted by a demand - Wallace doesnt play in the big game vs. Pan High or Polly dies.
Veronica is forced to swallow her pride and talk to Meg. Seems the newscast was taped, so someone altered the tapes. They view the tapes together, and find that the kidnapper has basketball shoes with the number 13, Richies Pan High number. By my count, thats three red herrings (Wilson, SAAC, Richie), a sure sign of a mystery thats just not that mysterious without some help. Veronica remembers that Richie believed Wilson stole Polly, meaning he didnt do it. So she asks to see a Neptune High basketball program.
Next day at school, Veronica returns with Polly. After giving Richie a fairly nauseating speech about how he cant stop Wallaces "sweetness and purity of spirit," she approaches Neptune High's #13, and Wallaces replacement at starting point guard, Jack. Seems she found Polly in Jacks room. And evidence that Jack threw last years game against Pan High, planned to do it again with Wallace out, and covered the other side of Weevils action. Itd be surprising if Weevil didnt know that this fix was in, just one more of the questionable actions by main characters that make this show so fascinating. Wallace is reinstated in the starting lineup, and Veronica suppresses her hatred for all things Neptune to watch her best friend in action.
- Veronica flew to Barstow the morning after the dance in Ruskie Business so that she would have the opportunity to change and not meet her mother wearing her Manila Whore Barbie outfit.
- Wallace has a lot of friends at school now. He wants Veronica to socialize and try a little harder to fit in. He has started having lunch with his jock buddies and leaves Veronica to eat alone when she wont join them.
- Duncan and Meg are engaging in frequent exhibitions of PDA. It is making Veronica so uncomfortable that she changes lockers and is a little stand-offish with Meg.
- Neptune High's mascot is a bird named Polly. Wallace, as an office aide spent a lot of time with Polly and they bonded.
- Neptune has an intense rivalry with Pan high school that has escalated in recent years. Pan High is fifteen miles inland from Neptune and is in a less affluent area. Their mascot is a goat named Billy.
- In the last four years, Neptune has lost every basketball game to Pan.
- Jack was a starter on Neptune Highs basketball team last year. He threw 2 free throws in the final minute of the fixed game against Pan High.
- Clemmons knows that Veronica helps her dad with cases.
- In her deal with Clemmons Veronica got a letter of recommendation, a locker next to Wallace and two excused absences.
- Veronica bakes Wallace cookies and puts them in a box decorated with school colors that says Go Wallace, We love you, you rock which she puts in his locker. The boxes also include stuffed animals. (All together now awwwww!)
- Nadine, the girl who says hi to Wallace as though she has the hots for him, is a Junior at Neptune High.
- Wallace earned eighteen points and eight assists in his last basketball game.
- Wallace lives at the corner of Pleasant Valley and Marigold.
- Sheriff Lamb takes an annual marlin fishing expedition.
- Veronica wrote a check to pay for her mother's alcohol treatment. The bank called to tell her that her checking account is overdrawn and Keith took the call. He is a little concerned, but Veronica convinces him that it is an error on the bank's side.
- In their old house Veronica had her own phone line and answering machine.
- Neptune High's basketball team is currently 14 and 6.
- Weevil is a bookie for school sporting events. Rest Stop 15, which is halfway between Pan and Neptune, seems to be his office. It's described as a cross between Inspiration Point and Tijuana. Apparently you can get just about anything you want there including beer, weed, porn, and car stereos.
- Lianne was sleeping with Jake Kane when Veronica was conceived.
- Lianne smokes cigarettes.
- Leo explains a sports bet line to Veronica like this: A bookie usually tries to find a line on a game in which half the money gets bet on one team and half the money gets bet on the other. They make their money on commission. If a bookie accepts bets that are all on one side of the line, he's, well, he's either going to make a killing or he's gonna get killed.
- Wallace hid Billy in his guest house where he ate the rug, the sofa, and his Air Jordans.
- The Neptune school paper has a 'Letters to the Editor' page.
- Veronica bakes.
- Wallace is taking algebra.
- Wallace picks his mother up from work occasionally.
- Veronica gives Wallace a rubber tree plant (with a bug) to leave at Kane software with Lois, Clarence Wiedmans assistant, when he picks up his mom.
- Leo takes Veronica for dinner (Chinese) then to an Italian restaurant for gelato. At the restaurant they run into Meg, Duncan and the Kanes. Meg is very friendly with Veronica, but Veronica is a little cold. The next day at school when Veronica asks her for her help, Meg reaches out again, but Veronica rebuffs her saying that they run in different circles, but they do end up working together.
- Neptune High has a Big Bear ski trip with a rented bus.
- Neptune has a TV channel that airs school news. If there is no breaking news, it is videotaped the night before.
- Veronica has saved nearly every penny she has made working for her Dad because she knew that she couldnt count on college money from him. She had enough for four years at San Diego State, a year at Stanford and a semester at the Sorbonne. She spent it all paying for a 12 week rehab stint for her mother.
- Abel Koontz's mother was named Stella. She died of cervical cancer on May 23, 2001.
- Neptune wins the episodes game against Pan High.
- Veronica received a pencil sharpener from the Wildlife Alliance, even though she had never donated. Clarence Wiedman had a bug hidden in the sharpener and has been listening to Veronica while she was in her bedroom. She brings Keith in and asks why he thinks Koontz would confess to the murder when he was innocent. Keiths opinion is that he would do it for money. Since Koontz wont be around to spend it, he assumes it would be for someone else he cares about to spend after his death. Veronica says into the mic that she knows who the money is for and Wiedman takes the bait and asks his assistant to get Amelia DeLongpre on the phone, which Veronica hears through her bug. Amelia is Koontzs daughter.
- After her mother tells her that it is not safe for them to be together, Veronica tells her that she knows about the affair with Jake Kane. Lianne knew that he was innocent because she was with him in a room at the Neptune Grand when the murder happened. She claims that they were just talking, but Veronica and I dont believe her.
- Veronica goes to Leo and asks for the interrogation tapes from Lilly's murder investigation. The next day he brings them to the office and "loans" them to her in exchange for a date.
- Lianne was in Veronicas room a few days before Lilly died and heard a message Celeste left for Veronica, where she said that she had interesting information regarding Lianne and Jake. Lianne arranged to meet Jake to "talk" to him about it and to get him to make her back off. Lianne told him that she would run a paternity test and take him for millions if he didnt intervene with his wife. The problem is Lianne does not know who really is Veronica's father. While they were in the room, Celeste, who had been following Jake, burst in. When she started to scream, Lianne left. In the lobby she went to the ladies room and saw Celeste leave the hotel. Veronica thinks that Celeste might have seen Lianne and had the photos taken to protect her alibi as well as to keep Lianne and Veronica away from her family.
- Keith interrogated Jake after Lilly's murder, saying it was routine. Jake's alibi was that he was at the Neptune Grand with Celeste for two and a half hours. He claimed that they needed some alone time and that they did it frequently. When Keith pressed for receipts, Jake became agitated. Keith then demanded details on what exactly happened in the room. Jake said that they put on the TV for background noise and got right to it. Celeste, in her interrogation, said that the TV was not on and that they had champagne from home on the balcony.
- Every scene with Lianne.
- Keith interrogates Jake.
- Keith interrogates Celeste.
"Pick Up The Phone" (The Notwist)
Scene: Clarence Wiedman sets Veronica up for a game of hide-and-seek. And score one for the Marster, it's in the panda!
"You And Your Kind" (The Brown Mountain Lights)
Scene: Seeing as how this is a mother and child reunion, I'm rather surprised that Rob and co. didn't go for Paul Simon's "Mother and Child Reunion." Would have been apt, I think.
"A Chorus Line" (Ultramagnetic MC's)
Scene: Watch Wallace play some b-ball! Watch Veronica watch Wallace play some b-ball! Oh yeah, we're having some fun now!
"Rabbit" (The Fire Marshals of Bethlehem)
Scene: The continuation of the mother-child reunion and still no Paul Simon! We do have coffee though. (Which some might consider necessary when playing Paul Simon -- not that it is!)
"Nothing Is Wrong" (The Brown Mountain Lights)
Scene: Hmm, first off -- where the heck is Paul Simon?!?! Secondly, "nothing is wrong." And Lianne is in the scene. I'm sensing irony.
"Fall Behind Me" (The Donnas)
Scene: Okay, this scene should be pretty easy to spot because it contains a rare anomaly in the second half of Veronica Mars, season one. Get ready for it: An appearance by Weevil!!! And not only that! It's Weevil playing all bad-ass much to a nerdy mc-nerd's dismay. Oh, Weevil, we love you long time!
"Headphonland: The Gangster Chapter" (Mice Parade)
Scene: OH MY GOD! It's Weevil again! Being accused by Veronica of doing the misdeed of the episode. Ah, Logan isn't in this episode -- she needs someone to blame for something they didn't do and with Logan missing, Weevil gets the job.
In Memory
Lianne: I wish you weren't seeing me like this.
Veronica: You should have seen me last night. I was wearing blue eye shadow. We had an eighties dance at school.
Lianne: Oh, that sounds fun. Was that fun? Well, I guess things don't just stop, do they? There's still birthdays and dances and Christmas.
Veronica: No, there's really not.
Veronica: Guess you couldn't tell Dad you were in a hotel with your ex.
Lianne: It wasn't like that.
Veronica: It doesn't matter what it was like, Mom.
Lianne: I just went there to talk to him.
Veronica: On the one day all the Starbucks were closed?
Veronica: Just tell me the truth! How did you convince him?
Lianne: I told Jake that if Celeste tried to contact you again, I'd have a paternity test done and take him for millions.
Veronica: (Voice breaking.) So you know, then? Are you sure that test will prove that Jake's my father?
Lianne: No.
Veronica: Will it prove that Dad is?
Lianne: (Crying.) I don't know.
Quotable Quotes
Veronica Mars Voiceover: Wiedman was listening when I booked my flight to Barstow. I should have left right from the dance but I didn't want my mother to see me for the first time in a year looking like an extra from Valley Girl. It seemed important at the time.
Wallace: Respect the jumper, Jack. Respect the jumper. Kid's got rank.
Jack: Enjoy this moment, 'cause it's over now.
Wallace: I've space and opportunity. Ooh. That's your jock back there.
Veronica: Do you need to jump back and kiss yourself? 'Cause I can wait.
Veronica: Who's the hoochie?
Wallace: Nadine? She's in our grade. See, you need to socialize more, that's your problem.
Veronica: Wait. That's my problem?
Wallace: Yeah, I know. This school hasn't always been great to you.
Veronica: The gentleman does have the gift for the understatement.
Clemmons: Veronica. My office. Now.
Veronica: I love this school!
Veronica: Someone stole our mascot? Well, let's get to it. You (Air quotes.) know it was me and I know it wasn't and now I'm suspended or expelled, tarred, feathered --
Clemmons: Excuse me?
Veronica: I didn't take the bird.
Clemmons: I'm not accusing you. I'm asking for your help.
Clemmons: And what do you normally charge for something like this?
Veronica: A lot. Yeah, it's gonna set you back.
Clemmons: How far back?
Veronica: Personal letter of recommendation. I'll write it, you'll sign it. My own parking space and ... a different locker, preferably in the east hall.
Clemmons: The letter and the locker, fine. But you're not getting your own parking space.
Veronica: Can you get me out of P.E.?
Clemmons: No.
Veronica: How about a few excused absences?
Clemmons: How about one?
Veronica: I'm thinking three.
Clemmons: Miss Mars ...
Veronica: You're the one with the missing bird.
Clemmons: Fine. Two.
Wallace: I must say, I'm a little touched. You picked the locker next to mine.
Veronica: This is prime real estate. Wallace Fennel adjacent?
Wallace: I'm telling you. This school is so much better than my old one. Look at this. (Opens box to show her.)
Veronica: Wow, your own cookies?
Wallace: Snickerdoodles. And they just appear in my locker, just like that. Open my locker, bam. Homemade Cookies. And that's not all.
Veronica: A peeled grape?
Wallace: (Reading box.) "Go Wallace. We love you. You rock."
Veronica: Wow. A snack and an ego stroke. I wish I was a baller.
Duncan: Great game the other night, man. Eighteen points, eight assists.
Wallace: On the streets, we call those dimes.
Veronica: Streets! You live on the corner of Pleasant Valley and Marigold.
Veronica: Can I just do something? (Pats Wallace hard on the back.) Why does everyone keep doing that to you? Seriously, it's like you're made of velour or something.
Wallace: I was gonna go hang out with some of the guys on the team at lunch.
Veronica: And ruin the sanctity of our lunch duo? You know that'll send me crying to the bathroom.
Veronica Mars Voiceover: Pan High, the Un-Neptune. Just 15 miles away, but when those miles are heading inland, there are no yacht clubs and no five million dollar homes with coastal views. The parking lot is full of American-made cars from the nineties and the vending machines don't carry Orangina. People here hate Neptune as much as I do.
Veronica Mars Voiceover: Go to any high school in America and you can tell who the popular kids are. They travel in packs of the biggest, the shiniest, and the prettiest. And much like wolves, they're always on the lookout for new meat.
Richie: Got some room over here!
Veronica Mars Voiceover: Whoever said it's a man's world had no idea how easy it is sometimes to be a girl.
Veronica (as Betty): I love basketball. I'm kind of a freak when it comes to sports. I totally get into it.
Richie: Are we talking face paint?
Veronica: Face painting, hair streaked the color of the school. At my old school, I was Horny. (Long pause.) We were the Rhinos. I was the mascot.
Richie: And what school was that?
Veronica: Riverdale.
Richie: Whoever stole it is my hero. Neptune High sucks. Believe me.
Veronica: Oh, I do.
Veronica Mars Voiceover: A day in the life of a human Google. Always in search mode. One moment tracking down the absurd, parrots and goats, metaphors for a school pride I don't possess ... and an hour or two later, going after the appalling, the murderer of a teenage girl. Sheriff Lamb takes an annual marlin fishing expedition. I can't let the opportunity go to waste.
Keith: You got a weird call yesterday. The bank wanted to let you know you were overdrawn. I thought you were squirreling away all that college money.
Veronica: Must be a mistake. Forgot a decimal or something? Or I blew it on dames and horses.
Keith: You'd tell me if there was a problem, right?
Veronica: I tell you everything.
Veronica (as Betty): How'd you get your hands on it?
Wilson: I just walked into the school, like I was a student there and nobody even asked me anything.
Veronica (as Betty): That's so brave. Can't believe that worked.
Weevil: Hey there, buddy. Looking for love in all the wrong places?
Wilson: Who, me? I'm a no one.
Weevil: Where's the bird, Wilson? I'm nearly bursting with Pirate pride here. Weevil wanna punch a cracker.
Weevil: Someone's going to H-E-double hockey sticks.
Weevil: Wait a minute. You went to a pet store and took a picture of yourself with a parrot so people would think you were cool?
Wilson: Yeah. Alright?
Weevil: That's this close to taking a hot cousin to your prom.
Weevil: No more favors for you. Now I gotta feel bad for this kid.
Veronica: If it's any consolation, I hate myself.
Wallace: Why are you following me?
Veronica: You say following, I say 'taking a walk with a friend.' I'm just curious to know where you're going with the apple, the potato chips and the raisins.
Wallace: Forgot about that third eye.
Veronica: So what'cha up to?
Wallace: Trust me, you don't want to know.
Veronica: Oohh, how I hate to know things. (Looks at van.) Please tell me that's not filled with Polish hookers.
Veronica: You stole a goat?
Wallace: They stole our parrot. Matter of principle. Unlike you, I have some school pride.
Veronica: And a goat crapping apples in the back of your buddy's van. Congratulations.
Wallace: This was Jack's idea. I don't even know how I got stuck with the damn thing. I had it in the guest house and it ate everything. The rug, the sofa, my Air Jordans.
Veronica: And he lived to tell the tale?
Wallace: I don't know what to do with it. It's driving me crazy.
Veronica: Bad, kidnapped goat!
Duncan: (Reading letter.) "Polly's kidnapping is more than just a juvenile school prank. It is an act of terrorism."
Veronica: Wow. Polly wanna payback.
Duncan: I think she's one of those SAAC girls.
Veronica: Yeah, that's gonna need a little further explanation.
Duncan: Uh, Students Against Animal Cruelty. They threw the bucket of blood on the homecoming queen a couple of years ago for wearing fur.
Veronica: Bucket of blood. Have we learned nothing from Carrie?
Wallace: Wait a minute. These are snickerdoodles. You're the one who's been making my spirit boxes?
Veronica: I used to be on pep squad, remember?
Wallace: But you think all this stuff is stupid.
Veronica: You don't.
Veronica: Can you do me a weird favor without asking any questions?
Wallace: Isn't that the bedrock upon which our friendship was founded?
Arriana: I'm sorry. I have a hard time believing that someone who let a cow die so she could wear butch boots cares about a parrot.
Veronica: My boots aren't butch.
Veronica: We just -- we run in different circles.
Meg: It doesn't have to be like that.
Veronica: It does. I'm not programmed to forgive and forget. I can't just start chumming around with people who've ignored and mocked me for a year. That's just not me.
Meg: Well, maybe we can have our own circle without them.
Veronica: Maybe.
Veronica: Well, whoever they are, they've done a stellar job at concealing their identity. Jacket, mask, gloves. No visible "Hello, my name is" sticker.
Veronica: You better warm up, Fennel.
Wallace: You got Polly back?
Veronica: I kinda rock. I know what you're thinking, Jack. Aarrgh.
Veronica: Wallace Fennel has a killer crossover. But it's really his sweetness and purity of spirit that makes him unbeatable.
Veronica: Go kick some ass, Air Fennel.
Veronica Mars Voiceover: Ah, the big game. Another high school high that makes me want to eat rocks. Being surrounded by screaming, foam-fingered spirit freaks who hate me hardly sounds thrilling, but for Wallace, this is his shining moment. So what's it gonna be, girlie girl?
Veronica Mars Voiceover: I've saved nearly every penny since I started working for Dad. I know I can't count on college money from him and I know it kills him that he can't offer. It's gone now. I had enough for four years at San Diego State, a year at Stanford and a semester at the Sorbonne. Let's hope it's worth it.
Veronica: Dad, can you come in here for a minute?
Keith: I really need to get you a bell so you can ring for me.
Archie Comics ... (Referenced by the episode title as well as the cover story Veronica tells the Pan High students.)
An American comic book set in the fictional town of Riverdale featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Forsythe "Jughead" Jones. Archie comics was conceived by John L. Goldwater, originally drawn by Bob Montana (until his death in 1975) and written by Vic Bloom. Archie first appeared as a filler in Pep Comics issue 22 in December of 1941. Archie and friends continued to be featured in Pep Comics until 1945 when, due to its unbridled success and popularity, the Archie comic series was born.
To this day, Archie comics, as well as the many different series' (such as Betty and Veronica, Jughead, Pals 'n Gals, etc.) and spin-offs (such as Josie and the Pussycats, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, etc.) continue to be published and remain popular. In the 60+ years from when Archie first made his appearance, he and his friends still have not graduated from Riverdale High School.
Barstow ... (Referenced by the man who tells Veronica that a blonde lady used the payphone to call her.)
A city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, Barstow has a population of roughly 23,000 and is best known for its ties to transportation. Its roots come from the mining history of the Mojave Desert. Due to the rush of miners heading in the location roundabouts where Barstow sits today in search of silver in the 1860's, new railraods were constructed to transport the goods. Railroad magnate, William Barstow Strong, owner of the Santa Fe Railroad had lines running straight through what is now Barstow in 1888 and is the city's namesake.
The relationship between Barstow and transportation continued with the paving of the major highways and interstates through the city. Route 66 ran through Barstow and the town's name is mentioned in the lyrics to the song, "Route 66."
Valley Girl ... (Referenced by Veronica as she thinks about why she didn't want to reunite with her mother before changing out of her 80's dance clothing.)
A teen movie hit, released in 1983 and directed by Martha Coolidge, about two people from different worlds finding love. Julie (played by Deborah Foreman) is a rich girl from the San Fernando Valley that just recently broke up with her jock boyfriend. She meets Randy (played by Nicolas Cage), a punk from the city of "Holly-weird" (as Julie's friends like to call it), and the two immediately fall for each other much to the disdain of Julie's shallow and snobby friends. Julie is then faced with the decision of whether love or the approval of her friends is more important to her. In this film, the girls from the Valley had a unique way of speaking thus making popular the term "Valley Talk." Valley Girl has achieved cult status and could be considered eighties culture at its best.
"They like you. They really like you." (Referenced by Veronica as she teases Wallace about his sudden popularity.)
"You like me, you really like me!" This is a well known portion of actress Sally Field's 1985 Academy Award acceptance speech. She won the award for her portrayal of Edna Spalding in the movie Places in the Heart. Although the phrase is an oft-quoted, Oscar classic, it is actually not quite correct. Her exact speech is as follows: "I haven't had an orthodox career and I wanted more than anything to have your respect," she declared. "The first time [for her title role in Norma Rae, in 1980] I didn't feel it, but this time I feel it, and I can't deny the fact that you like me! Right now, you like me!"
Snickerdoodles ... (Referenced by Wallace as he shows Veronica the contents of the Spirit Box he found in his locker.)
A rich sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon and sugar and baked to golden brown perfection. Snickerdoodles are a universally popular cookie, especially a favorite among children. Once baked, a delicious Snickerdoodle has a crackly cinnamon-sugar coating and a warm, chewy center. Yummy!
Orangina ... (Referenced by Veronica as she considers the differences between Pan High and Neptune High.)
A carbonated orange soda produced by the French beverage company, Pernod Ricard. Originally produced in French Algeria, and later in France, it is now made in the United States as well, under French license. Orangina has a unique combination of orange and tangerine flavors and is sold in a pear-shaped bottle with a texture similar to the peel of a citrus fruit.
Google (Referenced by Veronica as she refers to herself as the "human Google", always in search mode.)
Google is a search engine owned by Google, Inc. whose mission statement is to "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." Google receives over 200 million queries a day. The name "Google" is derived from a play on the word "googol", which refers to the number represented by 1 followed by one hundred zeroes. Google's headquarters, located in California, are referred to as "the Googleplex."
Google began as a research project in January, 1996 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two students at Stanford University. The term "to google" has come to be used as a verb synonymous with "to search for something on the internet," though Google officials discourage the use of this phrase for fear that it will lead to trademark dilution.
Similar to the Search Engine Olympics Veronica took part in in Donut Run, there are several games that can be played with Google. In "Gwigle," participants learn advanced Google search tricks as they go through the puzzles. In "Googlewhack," you attempt to find two words that produce exactly one search result. (Examples: "dork turnspit", "unconstructive superegos", "bibliophilic sandwiched", "dripstone ingles") "Googlefight" pits two keywords against each other to find which one has more results. In "Guess the Google," the objective is to guess which search term resulted in the displayed images.
In addition to its webpage search engine, Google also provides services for searching images, Usenet newsgroups, news websites, videos, searching by locality, maps, and items for sale online.
Cyndi Lauper (Referenced by Lianna as she tries to reminisce with Veronica about a time when she wanted to shave her hair like the singer.)
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper is an American pop singer and actress, most known for her work in the 1980s. She was born June 22, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York. She began her career in a cover band, but soon began performing her own songs. Her first album released in 1980 with the band Blue Angel, but it was unsuccessful. In 1983, Lauper released her first solo album, She's So Unusual, which became a worldwide hit. Popular songs include "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" and "Time After Time" (used in Mars Vs. Mars).
Lauper's late 1970s punk look (including her signature hairstyle) made her popular with teenagers.
Lauper performed the song "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" for the 1985 film The Goonies, and also provided the theme song for "Pee-wee's Playhouse" under the name Ellen Shaw.
Lauper also appears in the film Life with Mikey, and won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her spot as Marianne Lugasso in the series Mad About You (she was featured in four episodes). Lauper's 1997 album Sisters of Avalon featured a song about the complications of a drag queen's double life ("The Ballad of Cleo and Joe") and a song about coming out ("You Don't Know"), and was heartily embraced by the gay community. Lauper began performing as a featured artist at gay pride events.
She has found success now on Broadway in the Tony-nominated Threepenny Opera opposite Tony winner (for Cabaret), Alan Cumming. Lauper married David Thornton in 1991 and their son Declyn Wallace Thornton Lauper was born in 1997.
Starbucks (Referenced by Veronica as she asks Lianne why she had to meet with Jake at a hotel.)
Starbucks is a large multinational chain of coffee shops with corporate headquarters in Seattle, Washington. The company was named in part after Starbuck, a character in Moby Dick, and its insignia is a stylized cartoon siren, or a melusine (two-tailed mermaid). The logo has changed several times since its conception. The original design showed the siren's bare breasts and a fully visible double fish tale. The current logo has the breasts fully covered and the stylized fishtails are hardly noticeable.
Starbucks serves coffee, a variety of hot and cold drinks, and pastries, and is popular among students and young professionals. Shops are often located inside other retail locations, such as bookstores or supermarkets, or in retail chains. Starbucks is known for the novel slang of its menu. The traditional "small," "medium," and "large" are substituted with "tall," "grande," and "venti" respectively.
Veronica's disbelief that all the Starbucks could have been closed on the same day is a subtle dig at the copious amount of Starbucks outlets in any given area. As of February 2006, Starbucks has 6,216 company operated outlets worldwide; 5,028 in the United States. Off the top of my head, I can think of at least five Starbucks within fifteen minutes from my house.
The Simpsons has also spoofed the over-abundance of Starbucks. In the episode, Bart goes to the mall to get an ear piercing and passes at least two adjacent soon-to-be Starbucks on the way. Upon his arrival, the guy tells Bart "Better hurry up! In five minutes, this place is becoming a Starbucks!" In the movie Shrek 2, a parody of Starbucks (Farbucks) was attacked by a giant gingerbread man, and the townspeople can be seen fleeing from the ruins to another Farbucks across the street. A thinly disguised Starbucks is also destroyed by the anti-capitalist guerrillas in the movie Fight Club.
Inspiration Point (Referenced by Richie as he describes Rest Stop 15 to Veronica.)
Inspiration Point is the generic term for a scenic make-out spot popular with teens in Anytown, USA. In the movie Pleasantville, the spot is called "Lovers' Lane," but the sentiment is the same. The name "Inspiration Point" is also given to scenic locations in national parks all over the US and is a popular name for gathering places for debate, poetry, or religious camps.
Tijuana (Referenced by Richie as he describes Rest Stop 15 to Veronica.)
Tijuana is the largest city in the Mexican state of Baja California. The current mayor is Jorge Hank Rhon of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). The city stands on the U.S. Mexico border, adjacent to San Diego, California to the north. The city's motto is "Aqui empieza la patria", which translates to "The homeland starts here." It is sometimes referred to as the "Most visited city in the world" due to its proximity to the world's busiest border crossing. The city is commonly called TJ in Southern California. The most popular tourist attraction is Avenida Revolucion. Many foreigners visit the strip to drink, buy prescription drugs, bootleg brand-name clothing and accessories, and Mexican curiosities. There are also plenty of nightclubs in Plaza Fiesta, across from the Plaza Rio Mall that are mainly frequented by the locals. The Revolucion strip is also famous for its nearby red-light district La Coahuila, which boast numerous street prostitutes and various strip clubs.
Weed (Referenced by Richie as he tells Veronica about what she can find at Rest Stop 15.)
The Cannabis plant -- known more commonly as marijuana with many a nickname including weed, pot, mary jane, reefer, etc. -- is often dried or otherwise processed to create a "product" that offers medicinal and psychoactive effects. Despite past use as an accepted medicine, in the early 20th century, the drug became illegal due to the overwhelming consumption of the recreational variety.
To this day, marijuana usage remains against the law despite the mellow side affects as opposed to the harder drugs of the day. While not widespread, legalizing marijuana has been the efforts of activists for some time, among those fighting for it's legal use is Oscar-nominated actor Woody Harrelson. Apparently, none of these activists (including Woody) have ever heard of the dangers that can befall one who has been taken over by reefer madness. Just ask Mary Lane.
Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places (Referenced by Weevil as he grabs Wilson for a little chat at Rest Stop 15.)
"Looking For Love (In All the Wrong Places)" is a popular classic country song by Johnny Lee recorded in 1980. It was at the top of Billboard's country singles chart for three weeks in a row. The chorus:
Air Jordan is a brand of Nike basketball shoes named after the professional athlete Michael Jordan. Jordan signed a deal with Nike in 1984 and continues to profit from the sale of the shoes today ($33 million in 2005).The brand's logo is a silhouette of Jordan doing a slam dunk.
The first model of the shoe released in 1985, the Air Jordan I, was banned by the National Basketball Association because the black and white shoe colors violated the league's color rules. The Air Jordan IX was the first Jordan released after Michael Jordan's retirement, and it was also made as a baseball cleat. Jordan wore this pair in one scene in his movie Space Jam. The Air Jordan XI is the most popular and most counterfeited Air Jordan of all time.
Carrie ... (Referenced by Veronica after Duncan tells her SAAC had thrown a bucket of blood on a past homecoming queen.)
A horror movie released in 1976 and based on a novel by Stephen King (the first of King's works to be adapted into a feature film). Directed by Brian De Palma, the movie tells the story of Carrie White (an Oscar nominated performance by Sissy Spacek), the daughter of a religious fanatic and a social pariah who is ostracized and ridiculed by her classmates for being shy and different. Carrie also possesses a strong telekinetic ability (the power to move things with your mind), and, although she can't fully control it, forceful emotions allow her to channel her power. Carrie is finally pushed over the edge at the climactic school prom when a cruel prank leaves her covered in pig blood with everyone laughing at her. It is there that she unleashes her telekinetic abilities in revenge.
Big Bear (Referenced by Meg during her newscast, talking about an upcoming ski trip.)
Big Bear Lake, a reservoir surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest and Mountains of California, is a popular four-season alpine resort community located in San Bernardino County, 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Big Bear Lake was created in 1884 by damming the Bear Creek, a tributary of the Santa Ana River; its surface is at an elevation of 6,743 feet, it covers an area of 3,000 acres with over 22 miles of shoreline and a depth of 72 feet.
Big Bear enjoys about 300 days of sunshine each year, with summer temperatures on average approximately 72 degrees during the day and 45 degrees at night. Winter in Big Bear brings about 100 inches of snowfall, with temperatures in the low 40s during the day and mid 20s at night. Because of its incredibly diverse climate throughout the year, Big Bear is wildly popular as a recreational destination with a broad range of activities from fishing, water-skiing, swimming, and boating, to horse backriding, hiking, skiing and snowboarding.
San Diego State (Referenced by Veronica as she thinks about the schools she'd been planning to attend with the money she'd saved.)
San Diego State University is, not surprisingly, a college in San Diego California. The university seems pretty competitive academically, with admitted freshmen having an average GPA of 3.5. Their football team, the Aztecs, is significantly less competitive, winning only 5 of their 12 games during the 2005 season.
Stanford University (Referenced by Veronica as she thinks about the schools she'd been hoping to attend with the money she'd saved.)
Stanford University is an Ivy League University located in Stanford, California. This institution is known for its strong academic programs and highly competitive admissions process. Nearly 75% of students enrolled in the university attained a score of 700 or better on both the verbal and mathematical portions of the SAT exam. That said, only about 13% of applicants to Stanford are actually admitted. Perhaps more daunting than the rigorous academic barriers facing Stanford hopefuls, are the financial ones. Tuition and room and board cost almost $40,000 a year.
Sorbonne ... (Referenced by Veronica as she thinks about the schools she'd been planning to attend with the money she'd saved.)
A college founded by Robert de Sorbon in 1257 for theology students without any money. The Collge de Sorbonne stood as the celebrated theological college of the French capital until it closed in 1882 and became a part of the University of Paris. It is the most famous of colleges that currently constitute the University of Paris, and its name is often still used to refer to the entire university system in the city. The Sorbonne University today houses the Arts and Human Sciences faculties of the University of Paris. The Sorbonne's international reputation has always placed it among Europe's most important universities.
- Veronica doesn't wear her choker while "undercover."
- Veronica's act slips when the Pan kids praise Wallace.
- Leo's flag (on his uniform) is backward when he brings Veronica the tapes.
- When Veronica takes the cookies out of the oven, she uses her hand without the hotpot holder to push the cookie sheet on the counter.
- Wallace's oh so cute "one more" face.
- Keith's Bogart impersonation.
- Enrico Colantoni is working those jeans in the last scene.
- How much does a last minute ticket to Barstow cost? And again, it is not that far from San Diego, why fly at all?
- How long has the bug been in Veronica's room? What else did Wiedman hear?
- With Wallace's growing popularity and Veronicas status as an outsider, how long until their different world views collide and cause a rift in their relationship?
- How expensive are parrots? Couldn't Clemmons have just bought a new bird?
- Did Veronica's two excused absences include her "undercover" days?
- How does Veronica get the cookies into Wallace's locker without being seen?
- Billy, Polly, who named these mascots? They lack originality.
- Who goes fishing with Lamb every year? Did Keith ever go? Before Lilly's death were they friends?
- Did Lianne's alibi for Jake cover the real time of the murder, or just when the coroner said she died?
- Jake had to be known by sight in most of Neptune. How did he get to the hotel, in and out without anyone seeing him and coming forward later after Lilly was dead?
- Can Leo fix traffic tickets? Because if he can handy!
- Does Keith know that Veronica spent her nest egg?
- Do banks still call to say that you are overdrawn? I guess in Neptune they do!
- Does Veronica still have her own phone line?
- Whose idea was it to deliver the meat to Pan High? Because, funny!
- What picture did Weevil want Veronica to send him?
- How has Veronica as a '09er and the daughter of Neptune's Sheriff, never heard of Rest Stop 15? And since every other teenage kid seems to know about it, how do the cops not?
- Leo got a week's suspension for letting Veronica get into the evidence room. What would happen to him if they found out he was taking things from the evidence room to give to her?
- Wallace expected Veronica to stay at a table with basketball players while he bailed? What's up with that?
- Whose van is Billy destroying? And how did they get Billy without being seen?
- What is Alicia going to say when she sees what Billy did to her guest house?
- Was the day of Lilly's death the first time Celeste and Jake were at the Neptune Grand? Or, was it a regular thing? Who paid for the room?
- Who did Veronica make spirit boxes for when she was on the spirit squad?
- If Wallace picks Alicia up from work, who drops her off in the morning? I guess that solves the mystery of why he sometimes has a car.
- So Keith is okay with Veronica dating Leo? Doesnt that seem odd?
- Why didn't Jake and Celeste get their stories straight before they were questioned? They had to assume that they would need to account for their whereabouts at some point.
- Dinner with the family? Meg and Duncan are moving along pretty quickly, arent they?
- Why didn't Jake stand when he was introduced to Leo? Manners should have dictated that at least. Plus, if he thought Veronica might be his daughter wouldn't he be more curious about her date?
- How did Celeste get a key to "burst" into the hotel room? After she had seen her leave, why didn't Lianne go back and ask Jake what happened?
- Did Celeste see Lianne in the lobby? Or were the photos just about the paternity?
- How did they cut into the news feed?
- Meg is trying really hard. Is Veronica ever going to give her a break?
- What is Weevil going to do to Jack to ensure that his bets are covered?
- Why did Veronica want to go to the Sorbonne?
- Why does Koontz's daughter have a different last name? With all the press when he was convicted, how did no one know he had a daughter?
- Did Wiedman's assistant know who Wallace was? Is that how he knew who delivered the bugged plant?
- Wiedman could alter the time of death on Lilly's corpse but couldn't make sure that the Kane's alibi stood up? What's up with that?
- Are Keith and Alicia seeing each other already? If so, why hasn't Veronica noticed his absences?
Written/Compiled By:
JenniferH: Report Card; Band Class; Literature
Mastermia (Maria): Yearbook; Social Science; Study Hall; Extra Credit; History; Homeroom; Philosophy; Principles of Democracy
Pixigal (Gerrie): Drama Club
SeluciaV (Alli): Social Science
smlf70 (Mark): Journalism
Tar Frimmer (Joanne): Study Hall; Literature
Original Air Date: March 29, 2005
Written By: Diane Ruggiero
Directed By: Michael Fields
Staff Grade: B
Membership Grade: B (50.8% / 63 votes)
This is an interesting episode in that the A and B story are both very strong. Regular and recurring cast both provide excellent performances (especially Kristen Bell, showing her dramatic and comedic chops). The direction deftly jumps between the comedy of the A story and the drama of the B story, handling both with ease. The dialogue is alternately fresh and witty and heartbreaking and powerful. The problem is that the A and B stories do not mesh ... at all; there is no connect between the two where there is normally at least the hint of one. And the disparity in tone is so drastic and creates such a disconnect that it mars what should be an A+ episode (yes, even without Logan).
Credited Cast Non-Appearance
Jason Dohring - Logan Echolls
Recurring Guest Stars (Previous Episode Appearances)
Corinne Bohrer Lianne Mars
Carl Bresk - Coach (listed as Computer Teacher previously)
Duane Daniels Vice Principal Van Clemmons
Christopher B. Duncan Clarence Wiedman
Max Greenfield Deputy Leo DAmato
Kyle Secor Jake Kane
Alona Tal Meg Manning
Lisa Thornhill Celeste Kane
Guest Stars
Christopher Babers Jack
Adam Gorelick Wilson Stavers
Paityn James Arriana
Billie Jones Nadine
Andy Morrow Zeek
Kyle Searles Richie
Jerry Zatarain Pan High Wrestler
Whos Who In Neptune
Arriana Neptune High Student. Leader of SAAC (Students Against Animal Cruelty).
Jack Student at Neptune High. On the basketball team with Wallace.
Nadine Student at Neptune High that has the hots for Wallace.
Richie Student and basketball player at Pan High.
Wilson Stavers Pan High student that pretends to be Pollys kidnapper
Zeek Team Manager of the Pan High basketball team.
Highlights
Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) - Kristen Bell exhibits her talent once more by becoming the very essence of the Comedy/Tragedy Drama Mask. The Drama Mask originated in ancient Greece. They were worn by the actors since the theatres were so large the spectators could not see the faces of the actors. Eventually the comedy/tragedy masks became the symbol for theatre and have served that function ever since.
In Betty and Veronica, Kristen effortlessly dons her comedy mask and plays the clueless airhead with practiced ease. Veronica's adventures while solving a typical high school mystery with her signature snark and flair are seamlessly juxtaposed with the ongoing tragedy of her mother's continual downward spiral into the depths of alcoholism and Veronica's efforts to prevent this. All of her childhood pain and hope and longing for her family are reflected in Veronica's eyes in her scenes with Lianne.
In ancient Greece, the comedy and tragedy masks were used to show a change in mood on the part of the actor. In Betty and Veronica, Kristen effortlessly changes moods as she juggles comedy and tragedy and in so doing creates another indelible acting highlight.
This episode was long on season arc developments and somewhat short on mystery of the week, leaving the mystery fairly simple. Still, since for many of you, No Logan = No Repeat Viewing, a good recap is in order.
The plot begins with Veronica summoned to Mr. Clemmons office. Both she and the audience suspect shes once again a suspect in some Neptune High mischief, but instead, it turns out Polly the parrot has gone missing, and Mr. Clemmons wants her to find it. Well, its not a Neptune serial killer, but its a case. He suspects kids from rival school, Pan High, and worries thing will get ugly before the big upcoming basketball game. Veronica negotiates for a new locker - presumably away from Duncan and Meg - a letter of recommendation, and two excused absences. While not quite as bad as Zach basically running Bayside High on Saved by the Bell, its still a little disconcerting that a Vice Principal would trade recommendations for parrots. On the other hand, if I were him, Id be worried that her price seems a little low, so she probably has the whole negotiation on tape to use against him in some future scheme.
We next see Veronica at her new locker, next to conquering basketball hero Wallace Fennel. Seriously, Wallace can not take two steps without a high five or chest thump from some adoring student fan. Which is strange, because we dont see this behavior in any other episode. Even Duncan congratulates Wallace on his assists; Wallace tells him those are called dimes on the street; and Veronica wonders if hes referring to the mean streets at the corner of Pleasant Valley and Marigold where he lives. Despite all the adulation, Wallace is depressed because Polly apparently lives in the school office where he and she have formed a meaningful bond.
Fortunately, Veronicas lunch is long enough to change clothes & drive 15 miles inland to Pan High, where she is able to waltz right into lunch and get some food in the cafeteria. So much for school security. Fortunately the reputation of Veronica Mars has not made it this far inland, as shes quickly invited to the popular table. Which seems to consist primarily of one jock named Richie and a geek named Zeek not quite like the popular table at my high school. In any case, Veronica claims to be Betty, a new transfer from Riverdale, where she was Horny. The schools rhino mascot. Her visit is timed impeccably - while shes there, news arrives that Neptune has gotten their goat (no more puns this episode? Please?) mascot.
Back at Pan High, Zeek, whose hold on the popular table just cant be that strong to start with, is in trouble for placing a bet on Neptune to beat Pan High. Apparently everyone is doing so at Rest Stop 15, a hotbed of high school criminal activity, halfway between Neptune and Pan High that, strangely, Veronica has never heard of. Maybe she needs to get Wallace a job there. Seems a bookie there is taking even money bets on the game, even though Neptune is heavily favored. This conversation is interrupted -- as critical conversations on Veronica Mars often are, generally by a red herring -- whose name in this case is Wilson, the schools biggest geek who is becoming popular by showing pictures of himself with Polly, whom he claims he stole by waltzing into Neptune High and pretending to be a student there. Inconceivable!
Veronica turns on the charm with Wilson (although the fact that she was surely the first high school girl ever to speak to him was probably charm enough), asking him to be her tour guide at Rest Stop 15 at 4pm. Where, of course, she has Weevil waiting for him. Weevil threatens him with a Polly reference saying "Weevil wanna punch a cracker." The fact that this line made it on the show lends serious credence to the rumor that UPN cant afford to hire censors. Turns out Wilson is innocent - he took a picture of himself with a parrot at a pet store so hed seem cool. That reminds me of this time when I was in high school ... wait, never mind.
Before leaving Rest Stop 15, Veronica sees Weevil taking even money bets on Neptune to beat Pan High. Hmmm. Leo later suggests that Weevil must know something that his "clients" dont about the game - a line Im sure you missed while shutting your eyes and plugging your ears in fear that he might kiss her again.
Back at Neptune, Duncan is receiving scads of letters to the editor outraged that Polly has been stolen. With one exception - the group Students Against Animal Cruelty (the fabulous acronym, SAAC) hopes Polly has been set free to join her fellow parrots in nature. Or perhaps at the pet store, probably the only other home she has ever known. Veronica decides to visit SAAC to learn more about this stance, but her attempts to infiltrate the organization are hindered by her fake fur coat and leather boots. You know, combined with not knowing about Rest Stop 15 and not understanding the basics of betting, this complete failure as a "secret agent" makes Veronica look fairly incompetent. Fortunately for her, a new lead appears when Megs school news broadcast is interrupted by a demand - Wallace doesnt play in the big game vs. Pan High or Polly dies.
Veronica is forced to swallow her pride and talk to Meg. Seems the newscast was taped, so someone altered the tapes. They view the tapes together, and find that the kidnapper has basketball shoes with the number 13, Richies Pan High number. By my count, thats three red herrings (Wilson, SAAC, Richie), a sure sign of a mystery thats just not that mysterious without some help. Veronica remembers that Richie believed Wilson stole Polly, meaning he didnt do it. So she asks to see a Neptune High basketball program.
Next day at school, Veronica returns with Polly. After giving Richie a fairly nauseating speech about how he cant stop Wallaces "sweetness and purity of spirit," she approaches Neptune High's #13, and Wallaces replacement at starting point guard, Jack. Seems she found Polly in Jacks room. And evidence that Jack threw last years game against Pan High, planned to do it again with Wallace out, and covered the other side of Weevils action. Itd be surprising if Weevil didnt know that this fix was in, just one more of the questionable actions by main characters that make this show so fascinating. Wallace is reinstated in the starting lineup, and Veronica suppresses her hatred for all things Neptune to watch her best friend in action.
- Veronica flew to Barstow the morning after the dance in Ruskie Business so that she would have the opportunity to change and not meet her mother wearing her Manila Whore Barbie outfit.
- Wallace has a lot of friends at school now. He wants Veronica to socialize and try a little harder to fit in. He has started having lunch with his jock buddies and leaves Veronica to eat alone when she wont join them.
- Duncan and Meg are engaging in frequent exhibitions of PDA. It is making Veronica so uncomfortable that she changes lockers and is a little stand-offish with Meg.
- Neptune High's mascot is a bird named Polly. Wallace, as an office aide spent a lot of time with Polly and they bonded.
- Neptune has an intense rivalry with Pan high school that has escalated in recent years. Pan High is fifteen miles inland from Neptune and is in a less affluent area. Their mascot is a goat named Billy.
- In the last four years, Neptune has lost every basketball game to Pan.
- Jack was a starter on Neptune Highs basketball team last year. He threw 2 free throws in the final minute of the fixed game against Pan High.
- Clemmons knows that Veronica helps her dad with cases.
- In her deal with Clemmons Veronica got a letter of recommendation, a locker next to Wallace and two excused absences.
- Veronica bakes Wallace cookies and puts them in a box decorated with school colors that says Go Wallace, We love you, you rock which she puts in his locker. The boxes also include stuffed animals. (All together now awwwww!)
- Nadine, the girl who says hi to Wallace as though she has the hots for him, is a Junior at Neptune High.
- Wallace earned eighteen points and eight assists in his last basketball game.
- Wallace lives at the corner of Pleasant Valley and Marigold.
- Sheriff Lamb takes an annual marlin fishing expedition.
- Veronica wrote a check to pay for her mother's alcohol treatment. The bank called to tell her that her checking account is overdrawn and Keith took the call. He is a little concerned, but Veronica convinces him that it is an error on the bank's side.
- In their old house Veronica had her own phone line and answering machine.
- Neptune High's basketball team is currently 14 and 6.
- Weevil is a bookie for school sporting events. Rest Stop 15, which is halfway between Pan and Neptune, seems to be his office. It's described as a cross between Inspiration Point and Tijuana. Apparently you can get just about anything you want there including beer, weed, porn, and car stereos.
- Lianne was sleeping with Jake Kane when Veronica was conceived.
- Lianne smokes cigarettes.
- Leo explains a sports bet line to Veronica like this: A bookie usually tries to find a line on a game in which half the money gets bet on one team and half the money gets bet on the other. They make their money on commission. If a bookie accepts bets that are all on one side of the line, he's, well, he's either going to make a killing or he's gonna get killed.
- Wallace hid Billy in his guest house where he ate the rug, the sofa, and his Air Jordans.
- The Neptune school paper has a 'Letters to the Editor' page.
- Veronica bakes.
- Wallace is taking algebra.
- Wallace picks his mother up from work occasionally.
- Veronica gives Wallace a rubber tree plant (with a bug) to leave at Kane software with Lois, Clarence Wiedmans assistant, when he picks up his mom.
- Leo takes Veronica for dinner (Chinese) then to an Italian restaurant for gelato. At the restaurant they run into Meg, Duncan and the Kanes. Meg is very friendly with Veronica, but Veronica is a little cold. The next day at school when Veronica asks her for her help, Meg reaches out again, but Veronica rebuffs her saying that they run in different circles, but they do end up working together.
- Neptune High has a Big Bear ski trip with a rented bus.
- Neptune has a TV channel that airs school news. If there is no breaking news, it is videotaped the night before.
- Veronica has saved nearly every penny she has made working for her Dad because she knew that she couldnt count on college money from him. She had enough for four years at San Diego State, a year at Stanford and a semester at the Sorbonne. She spent it all paying for a 12 week rehab stint for her mother.
- Abel Koontz's mother was named Stella. She died of cervical cancer on May 23, 2001.
- Neptune wins the episodes game against Pan High.
- Veronica received a pencil sharpener from the Wildlife Alliance, even though she had never donated. Clarence Wiedman had a bug hidden in the sharpener and has been listening to Veronica while she was in her bedroom. She brings Keith in and asks why he thinks Koontz would confess to the murder when he was innocent. Keiths opinion is that he would do it for money. Since Koontz wont be around to spend it, he assumes it would be for someone else he cares about to spend after his death. Veronica says into the mic that she knows who the money is for and Wiedman takes the bait and asks his assistant to get Amelia DeLongpre on the phone, which Veronica hears through her bug. Amelia is Koontzs daughter.
- After her mother tells her that it is not safe for them to be together, Veronica tells her that she knows about the affair with Jake Kane. Lianne knew that he was innocent because she was with him in a room at the Neptune Grand when the murder happened. She claims that they were just talking, but Veronica and I dont believe her.
- Veronica goes to Leo and asks for the interrogation tapes from Lilly's murder investigation. The next day he brings them to the office and "loans" them to her in exchange for a date.
- Lianne was in Veronicas room a few days before Lilly died and heard a message Celeste left for Veronica, where she said that she had interesting information regarding Lianne and Jake. Lianne arranged to meet Jake to "talk" to him about it and to get him to make her back off. Lianne told him that she would run a paternity test and take him for millions if he didnt intervene with his wife. The problem is Lianne does not know who really is Veronica's father. While they were in the room, Celeste, who had been following Jake, burst in. When she started to scream, Lianne left. In the lobby she went to the ladies room and saw Celeste leave the hotel. Veronica thinks that Celeste might have seen Lianne and had the photos taken to protect her alibi as well as to keep Lianne and Veronica away from her family.
- Keith interrogated Jake after Lilly's murder, saying it was routine. Jake's alibi was that he was at the Neptune Grand with Celeste for two and a half hours. He claimed that they needed some alone time and that they did it frequently. When Keith pressed for receipts, Jake became agitated. Keith then demanded details on what exactly happened in the room. Jake said that they put on the TV for background noise and got right to it. Celeste, in her interrogation, said that the TV was not on and that they had champagne from home on the balcony.
- Every scene with Lianne.
- Keith interrogates Jake.
- Keith interrogates Celeste.
"Pick Up The Phone" (The Notwist)
Scene: Clarence Wiedman sets Veronica up for a game of hide-and-seek. And score one for the Marster, it's in the panda!
"You And Your Kind" (The Brown Mountain Lights)
Scene: Seeing as how this is a mother and child reunion, I'm rather surprised that Rob and co. didn't go for Paul Simon's "Mother and Child Reunion." Would have been apt, I think.
"A Chorus Line" (Ultramagnetic MC's)
Scene: Watch Wallace play some b-ball! Watch Veronica watch Wallace play some b-ball! Oh yeah, we're having some fun now!
"Rabbit" (The Fire Marshals of Bethlehem)
Scene: The continuation of the mother-child reunion and still no Paul Simon! We do have coffee though. (Which some might consider necessary when playing Paul Simon -- not that it is!)
"Nothing Is Wrong" (The Brown Mountain Lights)
Scene: Hmm, first off -- where the heck is Paul Simon?!?! Secondly, "nothing is wrong." And Lianne is in the scene. I'm sensing irony.
"Fall Behind Me" (The Donnas)
Scene: Okay, this scene should be pretty easy to spot because it contains a rare anomaly in the second half of Veronica Mars, season one. Get ready for it: An appearance by Weevil!!! And not only that! It's Weevil playing all bad-ass much to a nerdy mc-nerd's dismay. Oh, Weevil, we love you long time!
"Headphonland: The Gangster Chapter" (Mice Parade)
Scene: OH MY GOD! It's Weevil again! Being accused by Veronica of doing the misdeed of the episode. Ah, Logan isn't in this episode -- she needs someone to blame for something they didn't do and with Logan missing, Weevil gets the job.
In Memory
Lianne: I wish you weren't seeing me like this.
Veronica: You should have seen me last night. I was wearing blue eye shadow. We had an eighties dance at school.
Lianne: Oh, that sounds fun. Was that fun? Well, I guess things don't just stop, do they? There's still birthdays and dances and Christmas.
Veronica: No, there's really not.
Veronica: Guess you couldn't tell Dad you were in a hotel with your ex.
Lianne: It wasn't like that.
Veronica: It doesn't matter what it was like, Mom.
Lianne: I just went there to talk to him.
Veronica: On the one day all the Starbucks were closed?
Veronica: Just tell me the truth! How did you convince him?
Lianne: I told Jake that if Celeste tried to contact you again, I'd have a paternity test done and take him for millions.
Veronica: (Voice breaking.) So you know, then? Are you sure that test will prove that Jake's my father?
Lianne: No.
Veronica: Will it prove that Dad is?
Lianne: (Crying.) I don't know.
Quotable Quotes
Veronica Mars Voiceover: Wiedman was listening when I booked my flight to Barstow. I should have left right from the dance but I didn't want my mother to see me for the first time in a year looking like an extra from Valley Girl. It seemed important at the time.
Wallace: Respect the jumper, Jack. Respect the jumper. Kid's got rank.
Jack: Enjoy this moment, 'cause it's over now.
Wallace: I've space and opportunity. Ooh. That's your jock back there.
Veronica: Do you need to jump back and kiss yourself? 'Cause I can wait.
Veronica: Who's the hoochie?
Wallace: Nadine? She's in our grade. See, you need to socialize more, that's your problem.
Veronica: Wait. That's my problem?
Wallace: Yeah, I know. This school hasn't always been great to you.
Veronica: The gentleman does have the gift for the understatement.
Clemmons: Veronica. My office. Now.
Veronica: I love this school!
Veronica: Someone stole our mascot? Well, let's get to it. You (Air quotes.) know it was me and I know it wasn't and now I'm suspended or expelled, tarred, feathered --
Clemmons: Excuse me?
Veronica: I didn't take the bird.
Clemmons: I'm not accusing you. I'm asking for your help.
Clemmons: And what do you normally charge for something like this?
Veronica: A lot. Yeah, it's gonna set you back.
Clemmons: How far back?
Veronica: Personal letter of recommendation. I'll write it, you'll sign it. My own parking space and ... a different locker, preferably in the east hall.
Clemmons: The letter and the locker, fine. But you're not getting your own parking space.
Veronica: Can you get me out of P.E.?
Clemmons: No.
Veronica: How about a few excused absences?
Clemmons: How about one?
Veronica: I'm thinking three.
Clemmons: Miss Mars ...
Veronica: You're the one with the missing bird.
Clemmons: Fine. Two.
Wallace: I must say, I'm a little touched. You picked the locker next to mine.
Veronica: This is prime real estate. Wallace Fennel adjacent?
Wallace: I'm telling you. This school is so much better than my old one. Look at this. (Opens box to show her.)
Veronica: Wow, your own cookies?
Wallace: Snickerdoodles. And they just appear in my locker, just like that. Open my locker, bam. Homemade Cookies. And that's not all.
Veronica: A peeled grape?
Wallace: (Reading box.) "Go Wallace. We love you. You rock."
Veronica: Wow. A snack and an ego stroke. I wish I was a baller.
Duncan: Great game the other night, man. Eighteen points, eight assists.
Wallace: On the streets, we call those dimes.
Veronica: Streets! You live on the corner of Pleasant Valley and Marigold.
Veronica: Can I just do something? (Pats Wallace hard on the back.) Why does everyone keep doing that to you? Seriously, it's like you're made of velour or something.
Wallace: I was gonna go hang out with some of the guys on the team at lunch.
Veronica: And ruin the sanctity of our lunch duo? You know that'll send me crying to the bathroom.
Veronica Mars Voiceover: Pan High, the Un-Neptune. Just 15 miles away, but when those miles are heading inland, there are no yacht clubs and no five million dollar homes with coastal views. The parking lot is full of American-made cars from the nineties and the vending machines don't carry Orangina. People here hate Neptune as much as I do.
Veronica Mars Voiceover: Go to any high school in America and you can tell who the popular kids are. They travel in packs of the biggest, the shiniest, and the prettiest. And much like wolves, they're always on the lookout for new meat.
Richie: Got some room over here!
Veronica Mars Voiceover: Whoever said it's a man's world had no idea how easy it is sometimes to be a girl.
Veronica (as Betty): I love basketball. I'm kind of a freak when it comes to sports. I totally get into it.
Richie: Are we talking face paint?
Veronica: Face painting, hair streaked the color of the school. At my old school, I was Horny. (Long pause.) We were the Rhinos. I was the mascot.
Richie: And what school was that?
Veronica: Riverdale.
Richie: Whoever stole it is my hero. Neptune High sucks. Believe me.
Veronica: Oh, I do.
Veronica Mars Voiceover: A day in the life of a human Google. Always in search mode. One moment tracking down the absurd, parrots and goats, metaphors for a school pride I don't possess ... and an hour or two later, going after the appalling, the murderer of a teenage girl. Sheriff Lamb takes an annual marlin fishing expedition. I can't let the opportunity go to waste.
Keith: You got a weird call yesterday. The bank wanted to let you know you were overdrawn. I thought you were squirreling away all that college money.
Veronica: Must be a mistake. Forgot a decimal or something? Or I blew it on dames and horses.
Keith: You'd tell me if there was a problem, right?
Veronica: I tell you everything.
Veronica (as Betty): How'd you get your hands on it?
Wilson: I just walked into the school, like I was a student there and nobody even asked me anything.
Veronica (as Betty): That's so brave. Can't believe that worked.
Weevil: Hey there, buddy. Looking for love in all the wrong places?
Wilson: Who, me? I'm a no one.
Weevil: Where's the bird, Wilson? I'm nearly bursting with Pirate pride here. Weevil wanna punch a cracker.
Weevil: Someone's going to H-E-double hockey sticks.
Weevil: Wait a minute. You went to a pet store and took a picture of yourself with a parrot so people would think you were cool?
Wilson: Yeah. Alright?
Weevil: That's this close to taking a hot cousin to your prom.
Weevil: No more favors for you. Now I gotta feel bad for this kid.
Veronica: If it's any consolation, I hate myself.
Wallace: Why are you following me?
Veronica: You say following, I say 'taking a walk with a friend.' I'm just curious to know where you're going with the apple, the potato chips and the raisins.
Wallace: Forgot about that third eye.
Veronica: So what'cha up to?
Wallace: Trust me, you don't want to know.
Veronica: Oohh, how I hate to know things. (Looks at van.) Please tell me that's not filled with Polish hookers.
Veronica: You stole a goat?
Wallace: They stole our parrot. Matter of principle. Unlike you, I have some school pride.
Veronica: And a goat crapping apples in the back of your buddy's van. Congratulations.
Wallace: This was Jack's idea. I don't even know how I got stuck with the damn thing. I had it in the guest house and it ate everything. The rug, the sofa, my Air Jordans.
Veronica: And he lived to tell the tale?
Wallace: I don't know what to do with it. It's driving me crazy.
Veronica: Bad, kidnapped goat!
Duncan: (Reading letter.) "Polly's kidnapping is more than just a juvenile school prank. It is an act of terrorism."
Veronica: Wow. Polly wanna payback.
Duncan: I think she's one of those SAAC girls.
Veronica: Yeah, that's gonna need a little further explanation.
Duncan: Uh, Students Against Animal Cruelty. They threw the bucket of blood on the homecoming queen a couple of years ago for wearing fur.
Veronica: Bucket of blood. Have we learned nothing from Carrie?
Wallace: Wait a minute. These are snickerdoodles. You're the one who's been making my spirit boxes?
Veronica: I used to be on pep squad, remember?
Wallace: But you think all this stuff is stupid.
Veronica: You don't.
Veronica: Can you do me a weird favor without asking any questions?
Wallace: Isn't that the bedrock upon which our friendship was founded?
Arriana: I'm sorry. I have a hard time believing that someone who let a cow die so she could wear butch boots cares about a parrot.
Veronica: My boots aren't butch.
Veronica: We just -- we run in different circles.
Meg: It doesn't have to be like that.
Veronica: It does. I'm not programmed to forgive and forget. I can't just start chumming around with people who've ignored and mocked me for a year. That's just not me.
Meg: Well, maybe we can have our own circle without them.
Veronica: Maybe.
Veronica: Well, whoever they are, they've done a stellar job at concealing their identity. Jacket, mask, gloves. No visible "Hello, my name is" sticker.
Veronica: You better warm up, Fennel.
Wallace: You got Polly back?
Veronica: I kinda rock. I know what you're thinking, Jack. Aarrgh.
Veronica: Wallace Fennel has a killer crossover. But it's really his sweetness and purity of spirit that makes him unbeatable.
Veronica: Go kick some ass, Air Fennel.
Veronica Mars Voiceover: Ah, the big game. Another high school high that makes me want to eat rocks. Being surrounded by screaming, foam-fingered spirit freaks who hate me hardly sounds thrilling, but for Wallace, this is his shining moment. So what's it gonna be, girlie girl?
Veronica Mars Voiceover: I've saved nearly every penny since I started working for Dad. I know I can't count on college money from him and I know it kills him that he can't offer. It's gone now. I had enough for four years at San Diego State, a year at Stanford and a semester at the Sorbonne. Let's hope it's worth it.
Veronica: Dad, can you come in here for a minute?
Keith: I really need to get you a bell so you can ring for me.
Archie Comics ... (Referenced by the episode title as well as the cover story Veronica tells the Pan High students.)
An American comic book set in the fictional town of Riverdale featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Forsythe "Jughead" Jones. Archie comics was conceived by John L. Goldwater, originally drawn by Bob Montana (until his death in 1975) and written by Vic Bloom. Archie first appeared as a filler in Pep Comics issue 22 in December of 1941. Archie and friends continued to be featured in Pep Comics until 1945 when, due to its unbridled success and popularity, the Archie comic series was born.
To this day, Archie comics, as well as the many different series' (such as Betty and Veronica, Jughead, Pals 'n Gals, etc.) and spin-offs (such as Josie and the Pussycats, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, etc.) continue to be published and remain popular. In the 60+ years from when Archie first made his appearance, he and his friends still have not graduated from Riverdale High School.
Barstow ... (Referenced by the man who tells Veronica that a blonde lady used the payphone to call her.)
A city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, Barstow has a population of roughly 23,000 and is best known for its ties to transportation. Its roots come from the mining history of the Mojave Desert. Due to the rush of miners heading in the location roundabouts where Barstow sits today in search of silver in the 1860's, new railraods were constructed to transport the goods. Railroad magnate, William Barstow Strong, owner of the Santa Fe Railroad had lines running straight through what is now Barstow in 1888 and is the city's namesake.
The relationship between Barstow and transportation continued with the paving of the major highways and interstates through the city. Route 66 ran through Barstow and the town's name is mentioned in the lyrics to the song, "Route 66."
- Well if you ever plan to motor west
Just take my way that's the highway, that's the best
Get your kicks on Route 66
Well it winds from Chicago to L.A.
More than 2000 miles all the way
Get your kicks on Route 66
Well, goes from St. Louie down to Missouri
Oklahoma City looks oh so pretty
You'll see Amarillo and Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff, Arizona don't forget Winona
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino ...
Valley Girl ... (Referenced by Veronica as she thinks about why she didn't want to reunite with her mother before changing out of her 80's dance clothing.)
A teen movie hit, released in 1983 and directed by Martha Coolidge, about two people from different worlds finding love. Julie (played by Deborah Foreman) is a rich girl from the San Fernando Valley that just recently broke up with her jock boyfriend. She meets Randy (played by Nicolas Cage), a punk from the city of "Holly-weird" (as Julie's friends like to call it), and the two immediately fall for each other much to the disdain of Julie's shallow and snobby friends. Julie is then faced with the decision of whether love or the approval of her friends is more important to her. In this film, the girls from the Valley had a unique way of speaking thus making popular the term "Valley Talk." Valley Girl has achieved cult status and could be considered eighties culture at its best.
"They like you. They really like you." (Referenced by Veronica as she teases Wallace about his sudden popularity.)
"You like me, you really like me!" This is a well known portion of actress Sally Field's 1985 Academy Award acceptance speech. She won the award for her portrayal of Edna Spalding in the movie Places in the Heart. Although the phrase is an oft-quoted, Oscar classic, it is actually not quite correct. Her exact speech is as follows: "I haven't had an orthodox career and I wanted more than anything to have your respect," she declared. "The first time [for her title role in Norma Rae, in 1980] I didn't feel it, but this time I feel it, and I can't deny the fact that you like me! Right now, you like me!"
Snickerdoodles ... (Referenced by Wallace as he shows Veronica the contents of the Spirit Box he found in his locker.)
A rich sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon and sugar and baked to golden brown perfection. Snickerdoodles are a universally popular cookie, especially a favorite among children. Once baked, a delicious Snickerdoodle has a crackly cinnamon-sugar coating and a warm, chewy center. Yummy!
Orangina ... (Referenced by Veronica as she considers the differences between Pan High and Neptune High.)
A carbonated orange soda produced by the French beverage company, Pernod Ricard. Originally produced in French Algeria, and later in France, it is now made in the United States as well, under French license. Orangina has a unique combination of orange and tangerine flavors and is sold in a pear-shaped bottle with a texture similar to the peel of a citrus fruit.
Google (Referenced by Veronica as she refers to herself as the "human Google", always in search mode.)
Google is a search engine owned by Google, Inc. whose mission statement is to "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." Google receives over 200 million queries a day. The name "Google" is derived from a play on the word "googol", which refers to the number represented by 1 followed by one hundred zeroes. Google's headquarters, located in California, are referred to as "the Googleplex."
Google began as a research project in January, 1996 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two students at Stanford University. The term "to google" has come to be used as a verb synonymous with "to search for something on the internet," though Google officials discourage the use of this phrase for fear that it will lead to trademark dilution.
Similar to the Search Engine Olympics Veronica took part in in Donut Run, there are several games that can be played with Google. In "Gwigle," participants learn advanced Google search tricks as they go through the puzzles. In "Googlewhack," you attempt to find two words that produce exactly one search result. (Examples: "dork turnspit", "unconstructive superegos", "bibliophilic sandwiched", "dripstone ingles") "Googlefight" pits two keywords against each other to find which one has more results. In "Guess the Google," the objective is to guess which search term resulted in the displayed images.
In addition to its webpage search engine, Google also provides services for searching images, Usenet newsgroups, news websites, videos, searching by locality, maps, and items for sale online.
Cyndi Lauper (Referenced by Lianna as she tries to reminisce with Veronica about a time when she wanted to shave her hair like the singer.)
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper is an American pop singer and actress, most known for her work in the 1980s. She was born June 22, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York. She began her career in a cover band, but soon began performing her own songs. Her first album released in 1980 with the band Blue Angel, but it was unsuccessful. In 1983, Lauper released her first solo album, She's So Unusual, which became a worldwide hit. Popular songs include "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" and "Time After Time" (used in Mars Vs. Mars).
Lauper's late 1970s punk look (including her signature hairstyle) made her popular with teenagers.
Lauper performed the song "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" for the 1985 film The Goonies, and also provided the theme song for "Pee-wee's Playhouse" under the name Ellen Shaw.
Lauper also appears in the film Life with Mikey, and won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her spot as Marianne Lugasso in the series Mad About You (she was featured in four episodes). Lauper's 1997 album Sisters of Avalon featured a song about the complications of a drag queen's double life ("The Ballad of Cleo and Joe") and a song about coming out ("You Don't Know"), and was heartily embraced by the gay community. Lauper began performing as a featured artist at gay pride events.
She has found success now on Broadway in the Tony-nominated Threepenny Opera opposite Tony winner (for Cabaret), Alan Cumming. Lauper married David Thornton in 1991 and their son Declyn Wallace Thornton Lauper was born in 1997.
Starbucks (Referenced by Veronica as she asks Lianne why she had to meet with Jake at a hotel.)
Starbucks is a large multinational chain of coffee shops with corporate headquarters in Seattle, Washington. The company was named in part after Starbuck, a character in Moby Dick, and its insignia is a stylized cartoon siren, or a melusine (two-tailed mermaid). The logo has changed several times since its conception. The original design showed the siren's bare breasts and a fully visible double fish tale. The current logo has the breasts fully covered and the stylized fishtails are hardly noticeable.
Starbucks serves coffee, a variety of hot and cold drinks, and pastries, and is popular among students and young professionals. Shops are often located inside other retail locations, such as bookstores or supermarkets, or in retail chains. Starbucks is known for the novel slang of its menu. The traditional "small," "medium," and "large" are substituted with "tall," "grande," and "venti" respectively.
Veronica's disbelief that all the Starbucks could have been closed on the same day is a subtle dig at the copious amount of Starbucks outlets in any given area. As of February 2006, Starbucks has 6,216 company operated outlets worldwide; 5,028 in the United States. Off the top of my head, I can think of at least five Starbucks within fifteen minutes from my house.
The Simpsons has also spoofed the over-abundance of Starbucks. In the episode, Bart goes to the mall to get an ear piercing and passes at least two adjacent soon-to-be Starbucks on the way. Upon his arrival, the guy tells Bart "Better hurry up! In five minutes, this place is becoming a Starbucks!" In the movie Shrek 2, a parody of Starbucks (Farbucks) was attacked by a giant gingerbread man, and the townspeople can be seen fleeing from the ruins to another Farbucks across the street. A thinly disguised Starbucks is also destroyed by the anti-capitalist guerrillas in the movie Fight Club.
Inspiration Point (Referenced by Richie as he describes Rest Stop 15 to Veronica.)
Inspiration Point is the generic term for a scenic make-out spot popular with teens in Anytown, USA. In the movie Pleasantville, the spot is called "Lovers' Lane," but the sentiment is the same. The name "Inspiration Point" is also given to scenic locations in national parks all over the US and is a popular name for gathering places for debate, poetry, or religious camps.
Tijuana (Referenced by Richie as he describes Rest Stop 15 to Veronica.)
Tijuana is the largest city in the Mexican state of Baja California. The current mayor is Jorge Hank Rhon of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). The city stands on the U.S. Mexico border, adjacent to San Diego, California to the north. The city's motto is "Aqui empieza la patria", which translates to "The homeland starts here." It is sometimes referred to as the "Most visited city in the world" due to its proximity to the world's busiest border crossing. The city is commonly called TJ in Southern California. The most popular tourist attraction is Avenida Revolucion. Many foreigners visit the strip to drink, buy prescription drugs, bootleg brand-name clothing and accessories, and Mexican curiosities. There are also plenty of nightclubs in Plaza Fiesta, across from the Plaza Rio Mall that are mainly frequented by the locals. The Revolucion strip is also famous for its nearby red-light district La Coahuila, which boast numerous street prostitutes and various strip clubs.
Weed (Referenced by Richie as he tells Veronica about what she can find at Rest Stop 15.)
The Cannabis plant -- known more commonly as marijuana with many a nickname including weed, pot, mary jane, reefer, etc. -- is often dried or otherwise processed to create a "product" that offers medicinal and psychoactive effects. Despite past use as an accepted medicine, in the early 20th century, the drug became illegal due to the overwhelming consumption of the recreational variety.
To this day, marijuana usage remains against the law despite the mellow side affects as opposed to the harder drugs of the day. While not widespread, legalizing marijuana has been the efforts of activists for some time, among those fighting for it's legal use is Oscar-nominated actor Woody Harrelson. Apparently, none of these activists (including Woody) have ever heard of the dangers that can befall one who has been taken over by reefer madness. Just ask Mary Lane.
Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places (Referenced by Weevil as he grabs Wilson for a little chat at Rest Stop 15.)
"Looking For Love (In All the Wrong Places)" is a popular classic country song by Johnny Lee recorded in 1980. It was at the top of Billboard's country singles chart for three weeks in a row. The chorus:
- I was looking for love in all the wrong places.
Looking for love in too many faces.
Searching their eyes, looking for traces of what I'm dreaming of.
Hoping to find a friend and a lover,
I'll bless the day I discover another heart, looking for love.
Air Jordan is a brand of Nike basketball shoes named after the professional athlete Michael Jordan. Jordan signed a deal with Nike in 1984 and continues to profit from the sale of the shoes today ($33 million in 2005).The brand's logo is a silhouette of Jordan doing a slam dunk.
The first model of the shoe released in 1985, the Air Jordan I, was banned by the National Basketball Association because the black and white shoe colors violated the league's color rules. The Air Jordan IX was the first Jordan released after Michael Jordan's retirement, and it was also made as a baseball cleat. Jordan wore this pair in one scene in his movie Space Jam. The Air Jordan XI is the most popular and most counterfeited Air Jordan of all time.
Carrie ... (Referenced by Veronica after Duncan tells her SAAC had thrown a bucket of blood on a past homecoming queen.)
A horror movie released in 1976 and based on a novel by Stephen King (the first of King's works to be adapted into a feature film). Directed by Brian De Palma, the movie tells the story of Carrie White (an Oscar nominated performance by Sissy Spacek), the daughter of a religious fanatic and a social pariah who is ostracized and ridiculed by her classmates for being shy and different. Carrie also possesses a strong telekinetic ability (the power to move things with your mind), and, although she can't fully control it, forceful emotions allow her to channel her power. Carrie is finally pushed over the edge at the climactic school prom when a cruel prank leaves her covered in pig blood with everyone laughing at her. It is there that she unleashes her telekinetic abilities in revenge.
Big Bear (Referenced by Meg during her newscast, talking about an upcoming ski trip.)
Big Bear Lake, a reservoir surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest and Mountains of California, is a popular four-season alpine resort community located in San Bernardino County, 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Big Bear Lake was created in 1884 by damming the Bear Creek, a tributary of the Santa Ana River; its surface is at an elevation of 6,743 feet, it covers an area of 3,000 acres with over 22 miles of shoreline and a depth of 72 feet.
Big Bear enjoys about 300 days of sunshine each year, with summer temperatures on average approximately 72 degrees during the day and 45 degrees at night. Winter in Big Bear brings about 100 inches of snowfall, with temperatures in the low 40s during the day and mid 20s at night. Because of its incredibly diverse climate throughout the year, Big Bear is wildly popular as a recreational destination with a broad range of activities from fishing, water-skiing, swimming, and boating, to horse backriding, hiking, skiing and snowboarding.
San Diego State (Referenced by Veronica as she thinks about the schools she'd been planning to attend with the money she'd saved.)
San Diego State University is, not surprisingly, a college in San Diego California. The university seems pretty competitive academically, with admitted freshmen having an average GPA of 3.5. Their football team, the Aztecs, is significantly less competitive, winning only 5 of their 12 games during the 2005 season.
Stanford University (Referenced by Veronica as she thinks about the schools she'd been hoping to attend with the money she'd saved.)
Stanford University is an Ivy League University located in Stanford, California. This institution is known for its strong academic programs and highly competitive admissions process. Nearly 75% of students enrolled in the university attained a score of 700 or better on both the verbal and mathematical portions of the SAT exam. That said, only about 13% of applicants to Stanford are actually admitted. Perhaps more daunting than the rigorous academic barriers facing Stanford hopefuls, are the financial ones. Tuition and room and board cost almost $40,000 a year.
Sorbonne ... (Referenced by Veronica as she thinks about the schools she'd been planning to attend with the money she'd saved.)
A college founded by Robert de Sorbon in 1257 for theology students without any money. The Collge de Sorbonne stood as the celebrated theological college of the French capital until it closed in 1882 and became a part of the University of Paris. It is the most famous of colleges that currently constitute the University of Paris, and its name is often still used to refer to the entire university system in the city. The Sorbonne University today houses the Arts and Human Sciences faculties of the University of Paris. The Sorbonne's international reputation has always placed it among Europe's most important universities.
- Veronica doesn't wear her choker while "undercover."
- Veronica's act slips when the Pan kids praise Wallace.
- Leo's flag (on his uniform) is backward when he brings Veronica the tapes.
- When Veronica takes the cookies out of the oven, she uses her hand without the hotpot holder to push the cookie sheet on the counter.
- Wallace's oh so cute "one more" face.
- Keith's Bogart impersonation.
- Enrico Colantoni is working those jeans in the last scene.
- How much does a last minute ticket to Barstow cost? And again, it is not that far from San Diego, why fly at all?
- How long has the bug been in Veronica's room? What else did Wiedman hear?
- With Wallace's growing popularity and Veronicas status as an outsider, how long until their different world views collide and cause a rift in their relationship?
- How expensive are parrots? Couldn't Clemmons have just bought a new bird?
- Did Veronica's two excused absences include her "undercover" days?
- How does Veronica get the cookies into Wallace's locker without being seen?
- Billy, Polly, who named these mascots? They lack originality.
- Who goes fishing with Lamb every year? Did Keith ever go? Before Lilly's death were they friends?
- Did Lianne's alibi for Jake cover the real time of the murder, or just when the coroner said she died?
- Jake had to be known by sight in most of Neptune. How did he get to the hotel, in and out without anyone seeing him and coming forward later after Lilly was dead?
- Can Leo fix traffic tickets? Because if he can handy!
- Does Keith know that Veronica spent her nest egg?
- Do banks still call to say that you are overdrawn? I guess in Neptune they do!
- Does Veronica still have her own phone line?
- Whose idea was it to deliver the meat to Pan High? Because, funny!
- What picture did Weevil want Veronica to send him?
- How has Veronica as a '09er and the daughter of Neptune's Sheriff, never heard of Rest Stop 15? And since every other teenage kid seems to know about it, how do the cops not?
- Leo got a week's suspension for letting Veronica get into the evidence room. What would happen to him if they found out he was taking things from the evidence room to give to her?
- Wallace expected Veronica to stay at a table with basketball players while he bailed? What's up with that?
- Whose van is Billy destroying? And how did they get Billy without being seen?
- What is Alicia going to say when she sees what Billy did to her guest house?
- Was the day of Lilly's death the first time Celeste and Jake were at the Neptune Grand? Or, was it a regular thing? Who paid for the room?
- Who did Veronica make spirit boxes for when she was on the spirit squad?
- If Wallace picks Alicia up from work, who drops her off in the morning? I guess that solves the mystery of why he sometimes has a car.
- So Keith is okay with Veronica dating Leo? Doesnt that seem odd?
- Why didn't Jake and Celeste get their stories straight before they were questioned? They had to assume that they would need to account for their whereabouts at some point.
- Dinner with the family? Meg and Duncan are moving along pretty quickly, arent they?
- Why didn't Jake stand when he was introduced to Leo? Manners should have dictated that at least. Plus, if he thought Veronica might be his daughter wouldn't he be more curious about her date?
- How did Celeste get a key to "burst" into the hotel room? After she had seen her leave, why didn't Lianne go back and ask Jake what happened?
- Did Celeste see Lianne in the lobby? Or were the photos just about the paternity?
- How did they cut into the news feed?
- Meg is trying really hard. Is Veronica ever going to give her a break?
- What is Weevil going to do to Jack to ensure that his bets are covered?
- Why did Veronica want to go to the Sorbonne?
- Why does Koontz's daughter have a different last name? With all the press when he was convicted, how did no one know he had a daughter?
- Did Wiedman's assistant know who Wallace was? Is that how he knew who delivered the bugged plant?
- Wiedman could alter the time of death on Lilly's corpse but couldn't make sure that the Kane's alibi stood up? What's up with that?
- Are Keith and Alicia seeing each other already? If so, why hasn't Veronica noticed his absences?
Written/Compiled By:
JenniferH: Report Card; Band Class; Literature
Mastermia (Maria): Yearbook; Social Science; Study Hall; Extra Credit; History; Homeroom; Philosophy; Principles of Democracy
Pixigal (Gerrie): Drama Club
SeluciaV (Alli): Social Science
smlf70 (Mark): Journalism
Tar Frimmer (Joanne): Study Hall; Literature
