Episode #01.22: Leave it to Beaver
Original Air Date: May 10, 2005
Written by: Rob Thomas & Dianne Ruggiero (Story by Thomas)
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)
Journalism (The Mystery of the Week) (None)
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 ...)
Philosophy (Unanswered Questions)
Principles of Democracy (Hindsight is 20/20)
Staff Grade: A
Membership Grade: A (83.1% / 65 votes)
Like the episode before it, Leave it to Beaver has issues -- notably the fact that it's a bit too jam-packed and Veronica's sudden psychic ability to predict exactly how Lilly was murdered -- but unlike the previous episode, this one's overall strengths more than make up for the (much) minor flaws. The fast pace of the episode leaves the viewer quite on the edge of their seat. The three actors who have become the most prominent (Bell, Dohring and Colantoni) do not disappoint. The production values, the writing, the little moments (the tray falling is a gem of a touch!) that with rewatch showcase their brilliance. All of it adds up to an exciting, emotional, satisfying thrill ride to an overall amazing, topnotch first season of television that offers the medium at its finest.
Recurring Guest Stars: (Previous Episode Appearances)
Corinne Bohrer Lianne Mars
- Pilot
- You Think You Know Somebody
- Ruskie Business
- Betty and Veronica
- A Trip to the Dentist
Kyle Gallner - Cassidy 'Beaver' Casablancas
- M.A.D.
- A Trip to the Dentist
Jennifer Gareis - Cheyenne- A Trip to the Dentist
Erica Gimpel - Alicia Fennel- Like a Virgin
- Weapons of Class Destruction
- M.A.D.
- A Trip to the Dentist
Harry Hamlin - Aaron Echolls- Return of the Kane
- An Echolls Family Christmas
- Clash of the Tritons
- Lord of the Bling
- Hot Dogs
- M.A.D.
- A Trip to the Dentist
Ryan Hansen - Dick Casablancas- Credit Where Credit's Due
- Meet John Smith
- Return of the Kane
- The Girl Next Door
- Like a Virgin
- Lord of the Bling
- Kanes and Abel's
- M.A.D.
- A Trip to the Dentist
Brandon Hillock - Deputy Sacks- Pilot
- Credit Where Credit's Due
- Return of the Kane
- The Girl Next Door
- Like a Virgin
- Silence of the Lamb
- Clash of the Tritons
Michael Muhney - Sheriff Don Lamb- Pilot
- Credit Where Credit's Due
- Return of the Kane
- Silence of the Lamb
- Clash of the Tritons
Daran Norris - Cliff McCormack- Pilot
- Credit Where Credit's Due
- Like a Virgin
- Clash of the Tritons
- Mars vs. Mars
- M.A.D.
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
- Betty and Veronica
- Kanes and Abel's
Amanda Seyfried - Lilly Kane- Pilot
- Credit Where Credit's Due
- Meet John Smith
- The Wrath of Con
- Return of the Kane
- The Girl Next Door
- Lord of the Bling
- Kanes and Abel's
- Hot Dogs
Lisa Thornhill - Celeste Kane- Pilot
- Meet John Smith
- The Wrath of Con
- An Echolls Family Christmas
- Betty and Veronica
- Kanes and Abel's
- Hot Dogs
- A Trip to the Dentist
Highlights
Kristen Bell & Enrico Colantoni (Veronica Mars & Keith Mars) - The culmination of an incredible season filled with many wonderful dramatic highlights, Leave it to Beaver features a lovely, heart-felt moment that offers some of the television season's finest acting, bar none. As Keith tells Veronica that he is indeed her father, the two share a hug that seems to almost enfold the viewer into the embrace also. Bell and Colantoni solidify with joy and heart, the best father-daughter relationship possibly ever seen on television.
Jason Dohring (Logan Echolls) - As we close out the season, we are treated to one final exquisite Jason Dohring performance. Logan is dealt even more pain as he realizes that Veronica suspects him of killing Lilly. Dohring's voice breaks as Logan meets Veronica on the beach in an intense, shattering confrontation. His final moments, teetering between life and death, are the piece de resistance to a year filled with riveting performances. Encore, encore!
Scene One: Runaway Girlfriend
As this is an extremely short scene there will be just a few comments. Remember the key to the Logan/Veronica relationship? Avoidance. Well, it's in full swing here as Veronica clearly DID blame Logan for the cameras at the end of A Trip to the Dentist and chose to deal with that (mis)information by doing what she does best when it comes to Logan: Running away. Veronica, Veronica, Veronica.
Also, it must be said: In the few seconds of screentime Logan had here ... damn, he looked hot. If he has to wear shirts at all, he needs to wear shirts like that like all the time.
Scene Two: Bad Boyfriend
Or Not. The irony of Garbage's "Bad Boyfriend" playing over this scene is just fabulous, especially in retrospect. On one level, you have the fact that as far as the viewers go, Logan is suspect numero uno in the Lilly Kane murder now (nevermind that this entire last-minute set-up is so very clearly the plot contrivance known as red herring). Ahem. So you've got Logan, potential murderer of his last girlfriend, talking to his current girlfriend and (as in A Trip to the Dentist) being like the best boyfriend ever.
Understanding and compassionate, Logan saw that Veronica was upset and chose to offer her space. He didn't get angry with her for running out on him again, he didn't get all pissy or moody (okay, except for his initial, "Oh, I exist?" comment, but that was totally gentle snark and much, much less than she frankly deserved), he was just, you know, the best boyfriend ever. Not to mention that he looked like the best boyfriend ever ... that shirt is so my friend. Ahem. However, viewers are supposed to believe that this guy who is being so supportive and understanding killed his last girlfriend. Thus the first level of the "Bad Boyfriend" irony.
Then we get to the retrospective second level by episode's end. He didn't kill his first girlfriend; he truly was being as supportive and understanding as anyone could possibly be with Veronica considering what she did to him. He truly was being this wonderful boyfriend and yet we had:
He had no way of knowing that she suspected him of murdering Lilly. Yes, the paper practically exonerating Abel Koontz had come out that morning, but Veronica had skipped out on Logan prior to that reveal so the connection wouldn't be there. So, I do choose to believe that even as her head was telling her, 'He could have done it,' her heart -- whose voice she was choosing desperately to ignore -- was crying, 'No, he couldn't have.'
Yuppers, that's my story and I'm sticking with it.
Scene Three: His One Phone Call
Let's get it out of the way first. Yes, Logan looks incredibly good in this scene. Really, really, really good. Okay, done, now onto the meat of the scene. Aside from looking just gorgeous in this episode (done for reals this time!), Jason Dohring also delivered, possibly, his best episode performance to date. Every moment was spot-on and this scene was one of the stand-outs. As he was talking to Lamb, snarky (hilariously so, I might add), seemingly confident on the surface, because Dohring is just that good, you could see that below the surface, Logan was scared shitless.
It wasn't in the surface line delivery, his eyes, his smile -- those all held that confidence. No, it was in the way he held himself, a beat before and after certain words, just the slightest brittle quality to the smile, just the glassiest edge in his eyes. Just below the surface, you could feel -- not see, but feel -- the fear there. How he managed to do this, I have absolutely no clue. I am just amazed.
And annoyed with the camera cuts after Lamb reveals that Veronica turned him in. We did not need the off-kilter cut to show Logan's world being sent all askew. When you have an actor like Jason Dohring, he can deliver that without any fancy-schmancy tricks. Perhaps, it may have simply been the fact that the director, Michael Fields, had only directed two episodes (The Wrath of Con and Betty and Veronica) prior and only one featured Dohring and that one (while great) didn't really require too much of the terribly subtle stuff. Maybe he simply wasn't aware that Dohring didn't need help in selling Logan's state of mind. Whatever the case, it's a shame that we had the screwy camera cuts getting in the way of what was, undoubtedly judging from what we saw between the cuts, yet another masterful couple of moments of acting from Jason Dohring. Ah well.
And then on the other side of the phone, damn and blast!, I think that they were playing the card that viewers wouldn't really believe Logan was guilty, if Veronica didn't. So instead of getting levels of Veronica being responsible for Logan's arrest, but not really believing that he did it -- which Kristen Bell absolutely could have delivered, we got Veronica basically blowing him off again, avoiding him, in a different way, yet again. Yeah, she was upset, but not as upset as I think that Veronica truly would have been had the show not been trying to manipulate us into believing that Logan did it.
Damn and blast!
Scene Four: On the Beach
And here we go, folks. This is our blue-ribbon winner for most devastating Logan/Veronica scene ever. (Lord, may it not ever get worse than this). I mean, really, Logan is so miserable that ... He. Is. Not. Even. Wearing. Hair. Gel! Yes, people, it's that bad! And again, must be commented on because this truly is the episode of Jason Dohring looking hotter than should be humanly possible ... Even without the hair gel and all sniffly and miserable, Logan looked really, really hot. How Veronica didn't just forget this whole silly murdering his ex thing and jump him right then and there, I do not know.
Okay, okay, I'm making light, but the devastation in this scene is just incredibly, incredibly painful, I don't want to deal with it. {Sobs} Veronica accuses him of wanting her dead, Veronica attempts to sic Backup on Logan, Veronica pretty much confirms that she broke up with him by, you know, the belief that he murdered Lilly, wanted her, Veronica, dead and threatened him with her pitbull. And, and, and she just doesn't seem to care! Ugh, I was so mad at the writers for painting this obvious, red-herring bull's eye all over Logan without allowing Veronica to really show much sign at all that she didn't truly believe he was responsible.
I figure that they reasoned that if Veronica didn't really believe he was responsible for Lilly's death, then no viewer would buy it, but, but, but, couldn't it have been played out that she believed in him despite all of the evidence? Just a little bit. Sigh. It was just -- this scene was just so heartbreaking. Starting with this exchange that, as written, is just horrible, but as delivered magnificently by Dohring -- this scene truly was his, just utterly stand-out -- completely breaks your heart.
Logan falling to his knees before her, the wind ruffling his gel-free hair, as he asks Backup, while petting the adoring pitbull, if he's going to rip his throat out, gazing up at Veronica at that exact moment, pain shadowing his eyes. His voice soft as he tries to convince her that he's innocent even as she stands above him, her gaze hard, her stance unwavering. Logan was speaking to her with his broken heart. He was hurt, devastated and wanted her to believe that he couldn't have done that.
It is because of that last part that I believe that Logan had pretty much already forgiven her. He wasn't angry with her, he wasn't yelling at her, he was on his knees trying to convince her that he was innocent. He wouldn't be doing that if he hadn't forgiven her. He just wouldn't have. And I do believe that she was sensing that. She was wavering towards the end, I think. But then Keith had to show up and I think that was the end of it. Keith cut Logan off and Veronica didn't protest, so he was done trying to convince her or anyone else of his innocence. He was done.
When Keith showed up believing that Logan had killed Lilly, it wasn't about trying to convince his girlfriend; it wasn't about expecting the worst of him because of his shitty behavior. It wasn't just his peers (one in particular) making his life hell. It wasn't a low blow; it wasn't a game of one-up-manship. It was an adult -- a RESPECTED adult -- believing that he was capable of murdering another human being, and not just any human being, but a girl that he had loved. And that is why I believe he walked away without a fight.
And then there was the specific adult it was, Keith, Veronica's father -- the one that she had stood beside and, in his viewpoint, turned her back on her friends to do so. So, of course, if Keith believes the worst of him, if Keith says this is how it is, then he has no chance of ever convincing Veronica that he is innocent. Keith has spoken and Veronica will stand by him. Leaving Logan alone ... once again.
Sigh, poor Logan.
Scene Five: Totally Logan at the Door
I'm including the final scene because as far as I'm concerned, it's totally Logan at the door.
From a dramatic standpoint, it simply HAS to be Logan or Duncan because, let's face it, this is television. You don't create a cliffhanger moment and then have it turn out to be a buddy; it's got to have potential to affect the coming season. Only Logan or Duncan could achieve that. So dramatic standpoint, ONLY Duncan and Logan would fit, so by that right, it HAS to be one of those two. Eliminating everyone else.
And Duncan doesn't fit. His dad was arrested; his mother no doubt needs him. If he really needed to see Veronica/talk to Veronica, he would have done so at the crime scene, or gone to the hospital or gotten there a lot earlier. At the point when she opened that door, he'd be dealing with the fall-out from Jake's covering up the murder. Police, press, Celeste, etc. Okay, so you ask: Why wouldn't Logan be dealing with the fall-out of Aaron committing the murder? Simple. Duncan loves his dad and is going to want to be there for him. Logan? His dad? Love? Not so much. Especially not now. While Duncan would want to be there for Jake. Which brings us back to Duncan.
Aside from the logistics, again, dramatic standpoint, to me, I didn't sense any romantic vibe in the scenes between he and Veronica. There were two line readings (gotta give props to Kristen Bell) in the scene after the Aaron/Lilly death scene that bespoke to me where Veronica's feelings lie. The first was when she was explaining that Aaron beat up Trina's boyfriend and then she said, "He beats Logan, you know?" And the way she said that line, especially Logan's name, was filled with a quick burst of OHMYGOD!LOGAN!, that was quickly tamped down because now really wasn't the time. But it was there, this thread of oh my poor Logan, was totally in her tone of voice. So, girl has feelings for Logan. Big-time!
The second line was when she told Duncan that she wasn't his sister. I'm sure some may have read it as, 'see, we can be together!' But that was totally not the line reading. The line reading was, 'I know you're squicked out because you think you had sex with your sister, but I'm not your sister, so no worries. Gotta run!' with a cheery smile. So, girl does NOT have those feelings for Duncan.
But, but, but Logan was trying to kill himself, you say. He wouldn't be running off to Veronica, he's in the depths of despair. I didn't see his actions as suicidal. To me, he wasn't attempting suicide ... he was tempting fate. There is a difference. It wasn't that he wanted to die (which would be attempting suicide); it was that he didn't care if he lived or died (which is tempting fate) and that, to me, is much more in character to who Logan is. For someone who cares so damn much, to find out that the one bit of happiness he had left (Veronica, their relationship) was stripped from him, he made the decision to just stop caring. (And knowing Logan, that won't last long.)
Okay, so, Weevil was going to beat him up. True, but Logan's made of hearty stuff, I can see him dragging his bleeding carcass to Veronica's door if that's where he wanted to be. Alright then, why would Logan want to be at Veronica's door? He totally can't forgive her. And to that I say, yes, he can. As stated above about Scene Four, I firmly believe that Logan had already begun the road to forgiveness.
So to recap: It's not Wallace because that doesn't work as a dramatic device for a cliffhanger. Same goes for Weevil under the same conceit. It's not Duncan because the feelings aren't there from her end and he'd be too tied up in dad's been arrested-related stuff. Which leaves Logan. Who has shown forgiveness for Veronica in the past. Who showed himself, more hurt than angry, on the beach. Who, most importantly, is once again all alone. The last time he was all alone -- when Lynn died -- he showed up at Veronica's door just about EXACTLY the same way that this final scene was shot. The difference is that this time we didn't see Logan standing outside, arms wrapped tight, giving himself the hug that no one else was there to give.
So. Totally Logan at the door.
- Cheyenne's real name is Deborah Collins.
- Duncan's #4 on the soccer team.
- Lianne insists that putting a spoon in your mouth will stop you from crying while cutting onions.
- Jake and Celeste are not Republicans. They are, however, having a dinner for the Republican governor with entertainment people invited. Who, I wonder, could they be talking about?
- Lilly collected shot glasses. The last one Logan gave her said Baked in Ensenada.
- Logan now has a top locker.
- Logan crossed the border from Mexico at 8:57 am the morning Lilly died.
- Aaron has starred as a cop in a lot of movies.
- The letter Logan left for Lilly was never found.
- Lilly liked to keep secret items in her air conditioning vent, which she told Veronica before she died. Apparently Celeste liked to poke around Lilly's room, so she left matchbooks around with ethnic names just to drive her mother crazy.
- Lilly was in Italy the summer before her death. She met a guy who sent her naked pictures of himself.
- Veronica tells Duncan about Logan's abuse.
- Veronica lives ten minutes away from the Kanes.
- Lianne was at the Hazelwood Facility in Soquel.
- Logan's current inspirational message is: Adversity is the diamond dust with which Heaven polishes its jewels.
- Lianne cooks and likes to have her music match their meal. She thinks that Connie Francis goes with spaghetti bolognaise, crusty bread and a nice Chianti. Hot dogs and tater tots requires late seventies southern rock and pork chops call for old school country, unless they are fried and then it is early Elvis time.
As she cooks dinner, Lianne confirms that she is no longer drinking as she swigs from a very large water bottle. She and Veronica are getting along well and Keith seems happy to have Lianne home. So happy in fact, that the next day he dumps Alicia. A few days later Veronica takes a drink from a water bottle (just like Lianne had) and finds vodka. She calls the rehab facility to check on Liannes story.
When she gets home from almost dying, she tells her mother to pack and get out of the house before her father comes home. She reveals that she knows Lianne checked herself out of rehab before she finished and wasted Veronica's college money. Lianne makes some half assed attempt at an explanation and Veronica does not seem moved. On her way out, Lianne takes the Kanes' check for $50,000. Worst. Mother. Ever.
- At the hospital, Veronica is told that Keith will be better eventually. The doctor sends her home, but she says she doesnt want him to wake up alone. When asked if there is someone she can call Veronica smiles. Veronica goes home and Keith wakes up to Alicias smiling face.
After dreaming of saying goodbye to Lilly, Veronica is awakened by a knock at the door at 3:07. She opens it, saying, "I was hoping it would be you." And fade to black as we spend all summer agonizing over who it is.
- Keith has received the DNA test back, but has not read the results yet. He calls Cliff! and tells him that he wants to sue the Kanes. Cliff! is hesitant, but Keith assures him that they will settle. They decide to put it to the test and serve the Kanes.
There is a settlement conference at which Celeste says that she is happy to write the check right now. The condition is that Veronica signs away any future claim to the Kane fortune. Keith, well aware of the reasons behind the request, says he will take it to Veronica. Cliff! on the other hand looks totally confused. Back at the office, Veronica finds Keith deep in thought. He tells her the conditions and Veronica signs without hesitation. When Keith asks her if she knows what she is giving up, she tells him that the Kanes have nothing she wants. (Actually, Veronica I would ask for that red number Lilly wore in one of the flashbacks. It would look awesome on you!) Keith, moved by her sacrifice tells her that he is her father after all. She sobs, I sob, we all sob and heave a sigh of relief.
- Keith takes Cheyenne to Lloyd at the local newspaper and tries to get them to run the story about Abel being with her at the time of the murder. Lloyd is hesitant because he doesnt believe the story or want to run something that will make him a laughing stock. Keith hands over all his evidence and asks him to reconsider.
The next day, the story runs on the cover of the newspaper that Dick and Beaver are reading. Well, to be honest I am not sure Dick can read, so Beaver might be doing all the heavy lifting. Beaver is very concerned that Koontz might be innocent, but Dick tells him to chill. The story is apparently a love letter to Keith and lays out all the holes in Abels story including the shoes being in Lillys room after the murder. Veronica is very happy that her father has been vindicated but upon seeing Logan, pulls Wallace into the bathroom because apparently she is a big baby. She plans to avoid Logan for as long as possible and sends Wallace on his 007 mission to make sure the coast is clear.
Meanwhile, Duncan has read the story and finally believes that Koontz is innocent. His parents try to convince him that the story is not true, but Duncan insists that he is not a child and wants to know the truth. Then Jake tells him that he had a fit and killed Lilly and that they covered it up. Duncan asks for his footy Pjs and his binky and wishes that he were still a kid and his parents still hid things from him as he cries and his father comforts him.
Beaver, who wishes to be called Cassidy, tells Veronica that Logan's airtight alibi has sprung a leak. Apparently they were together in Mexico with Dick that weekend. However the morning that Lilly died Logan drove back to see her because he suspected she was seeing someone. He brought with him a shot glass from Mexico that was in the inventory of Lillys car. This means, dum dum dum DUM, that Logan found Lilly before she died.
Veronica runs into Logan at school and spins a web of lies about how she freaked out because things were going so fast. Logan seems to buy her LIES and asks that she not run out on him again, and just tell him what is going on. Veronica agrees, but says that she still needs some time. Logan, who thinks Duncan is the killer, is unaware that his girlfriend is convinced it is him. Awkward. As soon as he leaves, Veronica whips out her cell phone and has a very indiscreet phone call with her father regarding his guilt.
After just announcing to her father, while standing in the hallway of her high school, that Logan had plenty of time to kill Lilly, Veronica tries to back pedal when Weevil steps out of the nearby classroom having obviously heard everything. Weevil doesn't believe her denials and heads off ...
... to have a chat with Logan. Well his tire iron was going to do most of the talking, but then it is the chattier of the team. However the police, whom Veronica and Keith have thoughtfully called to tell them of the non-alibi, show up just in time to save, um I mean, arrest Logan. Meanwhile, more friendly Deputies (but no Leo) search his room, much to Aarons apparent distress.
At the police station, Lamb attempts to interrogate Logan. But apparently he has never seen any of Aarons thirty cop movies because Logan runs circles around him. Logan makes his phone call and calls ... Veronica. Whoops. Veronica, doing her deer in the headlights impersonation, says that she will do what she can to help him. Lamb barely waits for Logan to hang up to break the news that Veronica is the reason Logan is there in the first place. Logan's heart visibly breaks as does the heart of every LoVe fan watching.
But Lamb's work is not yet done. Keith calls to get the status of the investigation and is gleefully informed that Logan is dating Veronica. Keith is not happy to hear that Logan has been released due to lack of evidence and when Keith hears from Lianne that Veronica is out with Backup he takes off after her.
Parental advisory: The next scene is not for the faint of heart. I advise a strong drink and/or pharmaceuticals to get through it. Veronica, on the beach with Backup, gets confronted by Logan. He asks her if they broke up, which seems pretty evident from the whole turning him in to the cops thing. Veronica, tries to leave, but he stops her, justifiably upset.
After telling her he wants her dead, in a manner of speaking, she threatens to sic Backup on him. Logan drops to his knees and Backup, showing a hell of a lot better judgment that Veronica, licks Logan's face. Still kneeling, Logan confesses that he came home to confront Lilly, unsure if he would forgive her or not. (Damn, where are those Kleenex?) Logan tells Veronica that he saw Lilly at the carwash and knew that it was over between them. He wrote her a note and left it in her car with the shot glass, without speaking to her. Before Veronica can stomp on his heart anymore, Keith shows up and acts like Logan is an armed lunatic, rushing Veronica home.
Veronica decides to sneak in to the Kane house during the party for the governor, no less, to look for the letter. I guess she figured her black wig and glasses give her some sort of invisibility power. And apparently she is right as no one recognizes her or figures out that she is not supposed to be there. She puts her appetizer tray on a table near the bedrooms and it makes a loud noise that no one seems to hear as it clatters on the tile floor. Or do they?
She goes into Lilly's room and unlike Shelly's party where she would apparently find half naked adolescents having sex, she finds the room empty. Or does she? She pulls over a chair and starts to loosen the screws on the vent, but finds that one is already loosened. She starts on the other one when Duncan comes in, tackling her off the chair because like Clark Kents glasses, a different hair color keeps him from recognizing the girl he dated for a year and thinks is his sister.
Anyhoo, Veronica rips off the wig and Duncan figures out that she is there looking for clues. He tries to frog step her to his room but she stops him by telling him that Logan killed Lilly and recounts his blown alibi while the closet door wiggles menacingly. Duncan, shocked, encourages Veronica to open the grate and they are both surprised to find three videotapes. They go to Duncans bedroom to view the tapes and Duncan is even more surprised to find Lilly having sex with Aaron Echolls on them. One tape shows Lilly finding the camera in the Echolls' pool house presumably on the day she died and another shows her doing the deed with her boyfriends father and is dated October 1.
Veronica freaks out, but the pieces fall into place and she tells Duncan she has solved the crime (much to Jennifer's annoyance at her suddenly perfect psychic ability to know exactly how it happened). Lilly, while waiting for Aaron, sees the camera in the pool house, much like Veronica did, and takes the tape out of the machine plus others she finds lying around. Aaron comes in, sees the bookcase open and the tapes missing and follows Lilly home.
While Lilly is driving, she runs the light and then stashes the tapes before Aaron gets there. She goes to the pool, where he finds her. He demands the tapes, she tells him he can see them on a TV tabloid show, and he bashes her brains in with a marble ashtray. Guess he didnt like her plan. He wipes his fingerprints off the ashtray, throws it in the pool and leaves. Duncan comes home, sees Lilly, cradles her body and is found by his parents.
Duncan tells Veronica that Aaron is at the party and Veronica makes him promise to watch him while she gets the tapes to her father. On her way out she 'oh by the ways' that they are not related as Duncan looks after her, dumbfounded. Outside, Veronica calls her father and tells him that Aaron is the killer and that she has the tapes. He wants to come to her, but Veronica insists that it is not safe because Aaron is there. As she heads to her car she calls Logan and gets his inspirational message for the day. She doesn't leave a message. Guess she wasn't inspired.
What she doesn't know is the reason she got his message is because he is drunk off his ass playing on the Coronado Bay Bridge. He hears motorcycles and antagonizes Weevil by pretending to be Keanu Reeves (again) by doing The Matrix bring it on hand gesture.
Veronica is driving on a quiet residential street when Duncan calls to say that he cant find Aaron. (Boy, she gave him just one job ...) Veronica asks him to call if Aaron turns up and then throws the phone in the passenger seat. Looking up she locates Aaron all by herself - in her back seat! Aaron commands her to keep driving while he fishes her bag off the passenger's seat and reclaims his tapes. Once he is distracted she drives them into a tree. Considering her options, I cant say I disagree with her decision.
She regains consciousness due to the ringing of her cell which is Keith calling to check on her. When he doesnt reach her, he leaves the house. Luckily for Veronica, Aaron forgot to put his seatbelt on when he broke into her car, wishing her bodily harm, and is still out cold. Veronica retrieves the tapes, but can't quite reach the phone. As he starts to come to, she exits the car to a nearby house. As she frantically tries to get the owners attention she drops two of the tapes into handy hiding places and throws the third on an upstairs ledge. She looks back and the passenger's door is open, with no Aaron in sight. Say it with me: Dum, dum, dum, DUM.
Veronica sees lights turn on in the house, and bangs on the sliding door. Just as salvation seems within reach, Aaron knocks the owner out from the inside of the house and Veronica out as he slides the door open. Veronica regains consciousness (I sincerely hope that the Mars family does have insurance because the girl has got to have a concussion at this point) to find herself locked in an enclosed space, one of her walkie-talkies with her. Aaron agrees to let her out in exchange for his tapes. Veronica declares that it is quite comfy and she is happy where she is. Of course the flaw in that plan is evident as Aaron starts to pour gasoline on the refrigerator that she is locked in.
Veronica tells Aaron that the tapes are on the roof. He goes to get them just as Keith finds her car. She hears him and calls his name, which Keith hears through the walkie in Aarons hand. Keith turns as Aaron jumps on him and a tussle ensues. Hell, a full-blown brawl ensues. Keith is just about down for the count when he lands a shot on the apparatus that got Aaron into all this trouble in the first place. As Keith turns the tables and starts to really pound away, Aaron pulls out his lighter and sets the gas on fire. Veronicas fridge goes up in flames as Aaron cheerfully tells Keith where he can find his daughter. Keith rescues Veronica but suffers pretty severe looking burns in the process. There is a tender reunion as Aaron gets Veronicas keys and makes for Keiths car.
He gets in the car, but has his own surprise guest in the back seat - Backup, who takes a bite out of crime. Or more accurately, Aarons forearm. Aaron gets out of the car, staggers into the street and gets nailed by an oncoming delivery truck. The driver gets out and recognizes OJ, um I mean Aaron. Veronica shows up with Keiths gun and tells the driver to call for help.
Keith is wheeled away by the paramedics, cracking jokes as he goes, but looking terrible. Aaron is also on a stretcher, being read his rights when Jake and Duncan show up. Jake, seeing Aaron, threatens to destroy him and his family. Lamb, apparently figuring now is as good a time as any, arrests Jake for obstruction of justice. Like to see him make that one stick! Duncan and Veronica share a wordless glance amid the chaos.
- The Kanes find Lilly and Duncan.
- Lilly and her secrets in her bedroom.
- Lilly tells Veronica she has a secret.
- Lilly showing up at the Echolls poolhouse to find it empty; while laying on the bed (much like Veronica in A Trip to the Dentist) she notices the camera in the ceiling fan and follows its source. She steals the videos. Later Aaron comes looking for her, demanding the tapes. When Lilly blows him off, Aaron smashes her head in with the ashtray, wipes the blood off, throws it in the pool and runs off.
"Where the Boys Are" (Connie Francis)
Scene: Mother-daughter bonding while daddy watches on in thinly-veiled disgust ...
"La Bamba" (Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan)
Scene: And both mommy and daughter are oblivious ... although, mommy really should have a clue!
"Bad Boyfriend" (Garbage)
Scene: Poor Logan ... his last present to his (dead) ex-girlfriend very well may be his undoing, while his (alive) current girlfriend is playing him false and is pretty much an ex already even as she does take the time to prove that he does, in fact, exist.
"Wannabe" (Spice Girls)
Scene: Girls just wanna have fun -- the girls in play being Lilly and Veronica groovin' to the fast-fading, Spice phenom in happier times when, you know, Lilly wasn't dead and Veronica wore a long, really fake-looking wig.
"Bad Boyfriend" (Garbage)
Scene: And the poor to the Logan just continues to ratchet up heartbreak everywhere. Poor little rich boy alone and tottering on the bridge (where his mommy jumped) because his girlfriend (the one that is alive) dumped him and turned him in to the cops for killing his girlfriend (the one that is dead). And he doesn't even know yet that his daddy actually whacked the dead girlfriend and is trying to put the alive one in the dead category. Sigh. Poor Logan!
"Lily Dreams On" (Cotton Mather)
Scene: A pool filled with lilies and a Lilly and a Veronica (but no veronicas) in pink bikinis that don't exactly match in the yellow-filtered world of closure.
LoVe Lines
Veronica: Hey.
Logan: (Looking up and around him for someone else.) Oh. I exist? Thought I felt different today.
Veronica: I've been avoiding you.
Logan: Really? I hadn't noticed.
Logan: Don't run out on me again, okay, I mean, if you need to do whatever, you just let me know.
Veronica: I need to do whatever. (Logan sighs.) Just for a couple of days and then I'll be back to normal or as close to normal as I can get.
Logan: Okay. (Leaning forward, he sweetly kisses her on the forehead.) You know where to find me.
Logan: So, I guess we broke up, huh?
Veronica: What do you want me to say, Logan?
Logan: How about: "Logan, I'm gonna go home and put my head in the oven because I can't go on living knowing what a heartless BITCH I am." Something like that!
Veronica: One word from me and Backup goes for your throat. (Logan looks down at Backup, then to Veronica. He smiles and loses his angry tone, just sounding sad now. He looks back down at Backup.)
Logan: Is that what you'd do, boy? You'd tear out my throat? (He looks meaningfully up at Veronica as he utters the last line. Bending down, he begins to pet Backup who greets him enthusiastically.) Who's a man killer, huh? Who's a man killer?
Veronica: I was hoping it would be you.
In Memory
Lilly: Celeste is a bit on the nosey side.
Veronica: Yuck.
Lilly: Tell me about it. I'm getting even, though. I left phone numbers on matchbooks for Tyrone and Leroy and Chico around the room. Give the woman a little drama in her life.
Veronica: Wait ... who's Tyrone and Leroy and Chico?
Lilly: Beats me, but they seem to really upset Mom.
Quotable Quotes
Veronica: It's just funny to me how you always have to have your music match your meal.
Lianne: It is called setting a mood.
Veronica: Of course.
Lianne: Connie Francis is spaghetti bolognaise with a crusty bread and a nice Chianti. (Off a look from Keith.) Uh, sans the Chianti.
Veronica: Okay, say we were having hot dogs and Tater Tots?
Lianne: Late seventies southern rock, Skynyrd, maybe Creedence.
Veronica: Pork chops.
Lianne: Country, old school.
Keith: Unless it's fried, then it's Elvis, the early years.
Cliff: Tell me this is a joke. You want to sue the Kane family.
Keith: Yes.
Cliff: Please tell me there's another Kane family in town. Maybe a Boris and Gilda Kane?
Keith: They'll settle.
Cliff: Oh, they will. Well, that's good to hear. Seems like you have this pretty well sewn up. Anything you need me to have notarized?
Wallace: (Reading the paper.) Since his removal from office, Keith Mars, the ousted sheriff, has tirelessly and single-handedly continued his own investigation, despite being shunned by the community at large.
Veronica: You'd think it might be gross to read a love letter to your dad, but I kind of enjoy it.
Wallace: All I know is if I were him right now, I'd be I-told-you-soing all over Neptune.
Wallace: My blonde-pulling-me-into-the-girl's-room fantasy? Ruined!
Veronica and Wallace: (Simultaneously.) Do me a favor?
Jake: Don't seat the entertainment people next to the corporate people. Right? Let's keep it civil.
Celeste: Jake, honey, when did we become Republicans?
Jake: We haven't, we're, uh, we're going with the flow. Besides the governor's very popular and, honestly, it's going to be good for business. And his social policy --
Celeste: No. Just ... spare me.
Keith: And the condition?
Celeste: Veronica relinquishes any future claim to the Kane estate.
Barry: Contracts are prepared; all we need is your daughter's signature.
Cliff: Future claims? So what, she slips and falls outside Kane Enterprises, tough toenails?
Veronica: (To Keith.) You're not trying to burn a hole through a stack of paper using only the power of your stare again?
Keith: I met with Celeste Kane today.
Veronica: She's paying you double and sponsoring our club membership?
Keith: Well, she actually agreed to pay up but only if you sign this contract that says that you'll never sue them again. She wants you to waive any claim on the Kane fortune. (Without hesitation, Veronica picks up a pen and signs the contract. Keith watches her intently.)
Veronica: What? Was I supposed to sign in blood?
Keith: (Barely containing his emotions) Do you know what you just signed away?
Veronica: There's nothing that I want from them.
Keith: Nothing. You didn't sign away a thing. (Pulling out the paternity test results.) Veronica, I am without a doubt your father.
Veronica: Oh! Yeah, you are!
Keith: You think that charm of yours is learned behavior? That's genetics, baby!
Aaron: Whoa, whoa, whoa. You can't just barge in here!
Lamb: Now, come on now. What? You've been in like, what, thirty cop movies?
Lamb: (Tapping the table for emphasis.) You said you were in Mexico the day of Lilly's murder. Why?
Logan: How many episodes of NYPD Blue did you have to watch to get the finger tapping down?
Lamb: I asked you a question.
Logan: And I ignored it and moved on. (Snapping his fingers.) Keep up.
Keith: The Echolls kid. What'd you find out?
Lamb: Among other things, I'm pretty sure he's dating your daughter. That, uh, girl of yours, she's pretty hard-boiled, huh?
Logan's Voicemail: You've reached Logan and here's today's inspirational message: 'Adversity is the diamond dust with which Heaven polishes its jewels.' - Eleanor Roosevelt
Logan: (Laughing and drunk.) Seriously, what do you -- what do you think you can do to me, huh?
Weevil: I'll think of something.
Aaron: Veronica? You're an odd duck. Hey, how many teenage girls keep walkie-talkies in their car?
Aaron: I'll let you out as soon as I have my tapes back.
Veronica: No, thanks. Honestly, I feel safer in here.
Aaron: Where are the tapes? You know, Lilly never told me where the tapes were hidden either. I kinda think there's a cautionary tale in that, Veronica. Something like I'm not going to let a seventeen-year-old piece of ass (Screams.) ruin my life!
Aaron: (Lights fire, then laughs.) She's in the fridge, Keith. You might want to check up on her.
Veronica: (Crying and holding Keith.) I love you. I love you so much. I knew you'd come, I knew you'd save me. Dad.
Veronica: (As Keith is taken to ambulance.) You mean the world to me, do you understand that? Are you listening to me?
Keith: Hey, who's your daddy, huh?
Veronica: (Half sob, half laugh.) I hate it when you say that.
Veronica: You can't be here when dad comes home.
Lianne: Veronica.
Veronica: I know, Mom. I know you're not through drinking, I know you didn't even finish rehab. You checked yourself out and that was my college money! I bet on you, and I lost. I've been doing that my whole life. And I'm through.
Lianne: (Crying.) Veronica ... it's not easy.
Veronica: I know it's not.
(Dream) Veronica: Isn't it better, like this?
(Dream) Lilly: So much better.
(Dream) Veronica: This is how it's supposed to be.
(Dream) Lilly: Totally.
(Dream) Veronica: This is how it's gonna be. From now on. Right? Lilly?
(Dream) Lilly: You know how things are gonna be now, don't you? You have to know.
(Dream) Veronica: Just like this. Just like this.
(Dream) Lilly: Don't forget about me, Veronica. (Lilly is then gone and a tear runs down Veronica's cheek.)
(Dream) Veronica: I could never.
Leave it to Beaver ... (Referenced by the episode title.)
This classic family sitcom originally aired from 1957-1963 and continues to live on in syndication to this day. The series was about a suburban family, the Cleavers, and was centered around the youngest son, Theodore (Jerry Mathers). Like Neptune's Cassidy Casablancas, Theodore had the unfortunate nickname of "Beaver." Also like Cassidy, this Beaver had an older brother, however Wally Cleaver (Tony Dow) was no Dick. The show's plots usually revolved around a moral lesson taught to the boys by their parents, Ward (Hugh Beaumont) and June (Barbara Billingsley).
234 episodes of the series were produced and a 1983 made-for-television reunion movie, Still the Beaver, led to a spinoff series, The New Leave it to Beaver, that ran from 1985-1989. A feature film adaptation was released in 1997, but to little success.
Connie Francis ... (Referenced when Lianne and Veronica are making dinner.)
Born Concetta Rosemarie Franconero in Newark, New Jersey's Italian neighborhood in 1938, Connie was encouraged to change her surname to something more pronounceable and marketable following her early success on Startime as an accordion player and singer.
Francis went on to be one of the first female rock and roll'ers of the late 1950's and early 1960's with hits like "Who's Sorry Now" and "Stupid Cupid." Francis' most well-known song "Where the Boys Are" was one of the first pop songs to be recorded in foreign languages and was also part of the inspiration for the 1960 motion picture of the same name. Connie had a role in the film and sang the title song. The same year, Francis became the youngest headliner ever in Las Vegas, where she appeared regularly for nine years.
Lynyrd Skynyrd ... (Referenced when Lianne and Veronica are making dinner.)
Lynyrd Skynyrd is considered to be the definitive Southern rock band, fusing the overdriven power of blues-rock with a rebellious, Southern "red-neck" image and a hard rock swagger. Formed in the late 1960's by Jacksonville Florida high school students Ronnie VanZant (vocals), Allen Collins (guitar), Gary Rossington (guitar), Leon Wilkeson (bass) and Billy Powell (keyboardist), the band chose their name as a mocking tribute to their gym teacher Leonard Skinner.
Along with drummer Bob Burns, Skynyrd began playing throughout the south, and became known as a hard-living, hard-driving rock & roll band, with a signature three guitar sound after the inclusion of guitarist Ed King and music firmly entrenched in blues, rock, and country. The band was signed to MCA in 1972 and released their debut album, Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd. The band's single "Free Bird" and an opening slot on the Who's 1973 Quadrophenia tour helped to build Lynyrd Skynyrd's devoted fanbase, and promoted its sophomore effort, 1974's Second Helping. Featuring the popular single "Sweet Home Alabama", Second Helping reached number 12 and went multi-platinum.
For many, Lynyrd Skynyrd's redneck image tended to obscure the songwriting skills of its leader, Ronnie VanZant. Throughout the band's early records, VanZant demonstrated a knack for lyrical detail and a down-to-earth honesty that was more reminiscent of country than rock & roll. Sadly, it wasn't until he was killed in a tragic plane crash in 1977 along with bandmembers Steve and Cassie Gaines, that many listeners began to realize his talents.
Skynyrd split up after the plane crash, and in 1987, Rossington, Powell, King, and Wilkeson reunited Lynyrd Skynyrd, adding vocalist Johnny VanZant and guitarist Randall Hall. The band embarked on a reunion tour, which was captured on the 1988 double-live album, Southern by the Grace of God/Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour -- 1987.
Creedence Clearwater Revival ... (Referenced when Lianne and Veronica are making dinner.)
Known affectionately by fans as CCR, Creedence Clearwater Revival was formed in 1950's California by Tom Fogerty and previously known as both the Blue Velvets and the Golliwogs. The band released its first album as CCR in 1968, after Tom's younger brother John Fogerty became the lead vocalist and primary songwriter. With CCR's first hit, a cover of a "swamp rock" classic, "Suzie Q", the band brought back a return to the roots of Rock with their synthesis of rockabilly, R&B, and country. Though CCR was clearly an ensemble group, CCR's musical style was that of singer, songwriter, guitarist, and leader John Fogerty, and reflected burning social issues of the day.
Creedence had multiple hits throughout the 1970's, such as "Proud Mary," "Bad Moon Rising," "Green River," "Down on the Corner," "Travelin' Band," "Who'll Stop the Rain," "Up Around the Bend," and "Lookin' Out My Back Door." The gritty songs demonstrated John Fogerty's talent for invoking Southern roots rock infused with inspiration from singers like Little Richard. Ultimately, John's dominant presence in CCR resulted in his brother Tom's departure from the band in 1971. After releasing one album as a trio in 1972, CCR disbanded and John Fogerty enjoyed solo success in the 1980's.
Elvis Presley ... (Referenced by Keith as he and Lianne explain her meal-matching music habit with Veronica.)
Elvis Aron Presley was born January 8, 1935, in East Tupelo, Mississippi. At the time, no one knew the tiny child was going to grow up to be 'The King of Rock and Roll'. Elvis became one of the most commercially successful singers of rock and roll, before moving onto a little bit of country. Not only a singer however, Elvis also acted in several movies, drawing large crowds each time.
A young Elvis became an icon of American pop-culture; representing the 'American Dream' of going from rags-to-riches. As he grew older, despite erratic behavior and loss of his movie-star looks, Elvis still retained enormous popularity. The American idol's fame outlived his life, having died at the age of 42; probably of heart attack, combined with the misuse of prescription drugs. Today, Elvis impersonators (both young, hearthrob Elvis, and older, bloated, sequined Elvis) are one of the most popular acts around and have retained a popularity all their own.
Republican ... (Referenced by Celeste as she sarcastically asks Jake when they became Republicans.)
The Republican party is one of two major political parties in the United States (Democratic being the other), and was founded in 1854, by members of several different parties who opposed slavery, and held a vision to modernize the US.
The current US president, George W. Bush is the party leader; and eighteen of the twenty-nine presidents (including Abraham Lincoln) since the founding of the party, have been Republican. Currently 28 out of 50 governors are Republicans, while the state legislatures are split equally.
Garfield ... (Referenced when Duncan makes awkward small talk with his parents before confronting the issue on who killed Lilly.)
Created by Jim Davis, Garfield is the widely popular cartoon comic strip that debuted on June 19, 1978, from United Feature Syndicate. The comic features Garfield, the fat, lazy, lasagna-loving orange feline title character, loveable but dopey pet dog Odie (that usually finds himself as the target of Garfield's pranks), their nerdy and somewhat clueless owner, Jon Arbuckle, and a number of other well-developed secondary characters. The comic strip pokes fun at pet owners by portraying the pets as the true masters of the home. Garfield is also written to appeal to the general population by struggling with human problems, such as diets, boredom and a hatred for Mondays.
In 1982, the comic strip was turned into a television cartoon special titled Here Comes Garfield. Eleven more cartoon television specials followed through 1990. A cartoon television series, Garfield and Friends, ran for six years between 1988 and 1994. A live-action movie version (with a computer generated Garfield) of the comic strip was released in the United States on June 11, 2004. Garfield: The Movie featured Bill Murray as the voice of the computer generated Garfield.
Mexico (Referenced by Beaver when he tells Veronica that Logan left him and Dick in Mexico the morning of Lilly's muder.)
Mexico (Spanish: Mxico) is a country located in North America, approximately 753,665 square miles in size, bordered at the north by the United States, and at the south with Guatemala and Belize in Central America. It is the northernmost and westernmost country in Latin America, and with a population of 106.5 million, Mexico is also the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world. The official name is Estados Unidos Mexicanos, which translates as the United Mexican States. The term State of Mexico (Estado de Mexico) does not refer to the country, but only to one state within Mexico, located near the center of the country adjacent to the Federal District.
U.S. citizens, like Keith's crazy bail-jumper, have been known to cross the border into Mexico to evade U.S. authorities and skip tracers (like Papa Mars). Most often, these individuals cross the border into Tijuana due to its proximity to the world's busiest border crossing. What is interesting is that criminals continue to cross into Mexico to evade criminal prosecution despite the extradition treaty that has been in place between the U.S. and Mexico since 1980.
According to EscapingJustice.com, the Treaty provides for extradition of a party who has been charged with or found guilty of an offense committed in the United States, who has fled to Mexico. An offense is extraditable if it is a crime in both countries and punishable by incarceration for a period of one year or more. The Extradition Treaty further provides that where the offense for which extradition is sought is punishable by death, extradition may be refused unless assurances are given that the death penalty shall not be imposed, and if imposed, shall not be executed.
Ensenada ... (Referenced on the shot glass that Logan bought for Lilly.)
A popular tourist location, Ensenada is the third largest city in the state of Baja California, Mexico with an estimated population of 314,281. Known as the "Cinderella of the Pacific," Ensenada is located 70 miles south of Tijuana and is around a 90-minute drive from San Diego, CA. Ensenada boasts a protected harbor and modern port facilities making it Baja California's leading seaport. It is also Mexico's second most visited port-of-call for major cruise lines and pleasure boats.
Tijuana (Referenced by Veronica as she asks Keith if he found out anything about Logan's alibi.)
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.
NYPD Blue ... (Referenced when Logan is questioned by Sheriff Lamb.)
NYPD Blue was a gritty police drama that aired on American television from 1993 to 2005, from the creator of Hill Street Blues. NYPD Blue debuted amidst controversy over its partial nudity, usage of the words "ass" and "dickhead" and was touted as the first R-rated series on network television. Tacit approval of police brutality was also portrayed on the show but didn't garner the same attention as the bare butts and partial boobs.
The controversy, of course, boosted the ratings and NYPD Blue quickly became a hit. The popularity of the show helped renew interest in the hour-long drama and set new standards for the police drama genre. In the twelve year run, it has received eighty-two Emmy nominations and won twenty of them, and helped pave the way for shows like The Sopranos and The Shield.
Italy ... (Referenced by Lilly as she shows Veronica naked pictures of a guy she met during her summer vacation in Italy.)
The boot-shaped country of Italy is found in the southern European area; composed of one mainland, and two smaller islands found in the Mediterranean Sea. Italy was once home to several influential European civilizations including the Greeks and Romans. Today, Italy is a highly developed country, with the eighth highest GDP (Gross Domestic Product; the US is first).
Italy has largely one language (Italian) and religion (Roman Catholic), but is quite diverse in culture, economics, and politics. They also have the fifth-highest population density in Europe (499 per square mile) coming in at a total of 58.4 million people.
Soquel ... (Referenced when Veronica seeks to call her mother's rehab facility.)
Soquel is a small community of approximately 8,000, located north of Capitola on the Monterey Bay's North Coast and part of Santa Cruz's metro area. Considered to be the gateway to the Santa Cruz Mountains, Soquel is know for several area vineyards that are available for tours and daily wine tasting, such as the popular Bargetto's wine tasting room. Downtown Soquel is an eclectic mix of the old and the new, popular among antique hunters for its diverse treasure trove of shops and the village also boasts more than 20 gourmet restaurants.
Etch a Sketch ... (Referenced when Duncan catches Veronica snooping in Lilly's room.)
Etch-a-sketch is one of the most popular children's drawing toys in the world, first sold in 1960. It has a rectangular, flat surface with two large knobs on either side of the bottom and looks kind of like an old fashioned television. By twisting the knobs, a line appears on the screen; one knob controls the vertical movement and the other controls the horizontal movement. Turning both knobs at once can achieve a curved line. It is very difficult to create more than wiggly and odd-looking doodles, but some very talented people have created some amazing sketches.
The etch-a-sketch works by magic! Uh, not really but the original name was "Magic Screen." It actually works by having the inside surface of the screen coated with fine powder made from aluminum. This powder is then wiped off when the knobs are turned, leaving a dark line on the light-gray screen. To start over, turn the toy upside and shake and the screen will become blank again. Back in the days before TVs, VCRs and videogames in minivans, parents used to rely on this type of toy to keep children occupied and quiet for hours during roadtrips. Kids would happily play with the toy knowing the other option was to be locked in the trunk until they finally got to grandma's house. Try an online version of the toy out at the etch-a-sketch site.
Access Hollywood ... (Referenced when Lilly tells Aaron that she will give the sex tapes to Access Hollywood.)
Access Hollywood is a nationally syndicated, entertainment/pseudo news television program that airs in the United States. It reports on the gossip and goings-on of celebrities from the music, television and movie industries. Premiering in 1996, it quickly earned a reputation as a very pro-celebrity show. While it purports to give in-depth interviews and analyses, Access Hollywood segments consist of little more than fluffy sound bites and promotion for upcoming entertainment events, CDs, television shows, and movies while occasionally passing along idle speculation and rumors. It is in the same vein as Entertainment Tonight and E! News Live, but is considered to be the most trivial.
Joan of Arc ... (Referenced as Aaron poured gasoline over the refrigerator that he trapped Veronica in.)
Born Jeanne d'Arc in Domremy, France on January 6, 1412, Joan of Arc (also known as the Maid of Orleans) is a national heroine in France and saint of the Catholic Church. She was born to a peasant family during The Hundred Years' War between France and England. In the year 1425, Joan began having religious visions. She stated that Saint Michael the Archangel, Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret were advising her that she was chosen by God to drive out the English from the French soil.
In the year 1429, Joan set out to fulfill what she believed was her chosen destiny. She left to meet with King Charles and convinced him to believe in her by relating a private prayer that he had made the previous year. She was given an army and together they broke the siege of the city of Orleans by the English in a mere ten days in April of 1429. She then persuaded Charles that he needed to be coronated. She led Charles and his military escorts through enemy territory, defeating many English troops along the way. Charles was crowned King Charles VII on July 17, 1429, with Joan by his side.
After many successful battles, Joan was captured by the Burgundians on May 24, 1430, and sold to Pierre Cauchon, the bishop of Beauvais who was allied with the English. The English tried Joan as a witch and heretic. She was found guilty and burned at the stake on May 30, 1431. In the year 1455, Joan's remaining family members asked for a new trial. The Pope pronounced Joan innocent in 1456. Joan was beatified by Pope Pius X in 1909 and declared a martyred saint of the Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XV in 1920.
Who's Your Daddy? (Referenced by Keith as Veronica stays with him as he's being wheeled to the ambulance.)
While Keith's use of this expression can be taken literally (and as foreshadowing for the whole paternity issue), the phrase, which rose to popularity in the 1990s, is usually used as a command for respect. And sometimes as rather disturbing-if-you-think-about-it-too-much dirty talk (see Bill Murray and P.J. Soles in Stripes).
Since Keith is such a baseball fan, I'm sure he'd remember that in September, 2004, Boston Red Sox pitcher, Pedro Martinez, after his team lost again to the New York Yankees, was quoted as saying, "I tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy ... I can't find a way to beat them at this point." Yankees fans ran with it and took up the chant, "Who's your daddy?" whenever their team played against Martinez's. As the Red Sox and the Yankees faced off in the 2004 ALCS, the Major Baseball League added to the situation by selling t-shirts with the slogan. When the Red Sox staged a surprising comeback, their fans turned it around by asking "Who's your daddy now?"
- Wallace's Veronica impersonation, "Do me a favor." He has her down.
- The regular titles dont play; instead the names just show over a regular scene.
- Logan's tapping of the finger and general mocking of Lamb in the interrogation scene.
- According to Michael Muhney, if you look closely in the scene between Lamb and Logan, his girlfriend's name (Jaime) is written in red marker on the white board. They were goofing around and it was left there accidentally.
- Perhaps as a true sign of Logan's devastation, in the beach scene wherein he confronts Veronica, he is wearing no hair gel. And perhaps as a sign that Logan had bucked up a bit (or is too shallow to even think of going to his grave with messy hair), the gel is once more expertly applied as he makes his date with the Coronado bridge.
- There is a lily on the side of the truck that nails Aaron and the name of the flower delivery service is Thomas's.
- Teddy Dunn's hilarious line read of "Mr. Echolls" as they watch the sex tape.
- Dunn doesn't do a good job of selling righteous anger in the kitchen scene. In fact, he kind of looks constipated.
- There is a lovely, albeit sad, symmetry to Logan teetering on the edge of the Coronado Bridge -- as well as the bookends to Logan, Weevil and his gang against Logan (the beach in The Pilot, the bridge here.)
- There are lilies in the pool with Lilly.
- Right before the show broke to opening credits, we got Veronica shutting her front door and right before the closing credits we got Veronica opening her door. Nice symmetry there.
- The double meaning of the title. The most basic why behind the season's main mystery (Who killed Lilly Kane?) is because Aaron was having an affair despite the fact that he was (a) married (b) the girl was underaged (c) a friend of the family and (d) his son's girlfriend. Thus, Leave to to "Beaver."
- Why did Keith have the paternity results sent to the house? What if Veronica had gotten the mail?
- Does putting a spoon in your mouth really stop you from crying while cutting onions?
- How did Keith get Cheyenne to Neptune? Doesn't she have a thriving business that needs her, um, personal attention?
- Are hot dogs and tater tots a regular Mars family meal?
- Where is Lianne sleeping? Did she just stroll back into Keiths bed like nothing happened?
- How much time has elapsed since A Trip to the Dentist?
- Considering how Veronica uses the bathroom as her personal office, how has Wallace never been in there before?
- Are Jake and Celeste really Democrats? Hm.
- Why didn't the Kane family lawyers call them and warn them about the newspaper story? I would think they would try to squash it.
- Why did Celeste answer the door to the process server? Don't they have several servants for that kind of thing?
- Why is Cassidy's nickname Beaver?
- Why did Beaver tell Veronica about Logan? Was it because he still felt guilty about Shellys party and wanted to protect her?
- Since Logan crossed through Border Control, why didn't anyone check? I mean it's nice to believe people have alibis but aren't you supposed to check them as well?
- Veronica has avoided Logan for days, but she told her father that she couldn't help but talk to him. Did she want to hear what he would say or was it really unavoidable?
- If Logan crossed the border to California at 9 am and Lilly died at 6 pm, where was he all day? He wasn't at home or he would have seen the show. He wasnt at the Kanes or he would have seen a different kind of show. Where the hell was he? And how did no one see him or his bright yellow, impossible to miss, Xterra?
- What was Weevil doing in the empty classroom?
- So Lynn and the Kanes share a lawyer? Small world.
- Did Keith expect the quid pro quo from Celeste? Is that why he sued, to force her hand? What would he have done if Veronica didnt sign the release?
- Cliff refers to Kane Enterprises. Isn't it Kane Software? Just how diversified is the Kane estate?
- Does Celeste really think that Veronica is Jake's daughter, or does she just think she has Keith over a barrel and now is a time to deal with the situation?
- If Keith hadn't pushed Veronica would she have turned in Logan?
- Would Aaron have let Logan take the fall for the murder if Veronica hadn't figured it out?
- Lamb tells Logan that Aaron has sent a lawyer. Then why is he interrogating an underage suspect without proper representation? Worst. Cop. Ever. Also, he had to know that he didn't have enough to hold him. Why arrest him at all?
- Why did they cut the Logan reaction shot in the interrogation? I would have liked to see the dawning horror.
- How did Logan know that Veronica would be on the beach?
- Has Backup met Logan before? If not, wouldn't he sense Veronica's unease and be more guarded?
- What was in Logan's note to Lilly? How did he get into her car to leave it?
- Sabrina from Kanes and Abel's also spent a summer in Italy. A popular 09er destination, or does Neptune have a school trip or something?
- Why does Lilly call her mother Celeste?
- What did Celeste hope to find when she was nosing around Lilly's room?
- Did Lianne really think that no one would take a drink from her "water" bottle?
- Even with the black wig and the glasses how did no one recognize Veronica? She was Lilly's best friend and dated Duncan. She must have been in and out of that house constantly before the murder.
- I totally did not get the chain of events the first two or three times that I watched the episode. Who else thinks it was brilliant of RT to have the tray going over in one scene and then to learn later that is what signaled Aaron that Veronica was coming?
- The Governor's security sucks. How did Veronica get anywhere near that party? And, wouldn't security be higher for someone like Arnold?
- What was the timeline for Lilly's liaisons? Weevil wrote her letters that caused her to be moved from her PE class at some point before she died. So how long before she started sleeping with Aaron did she break up with Weevil? Or is that why she broke up with Weevil, because she had moved on to, um bigger and better things? (I, personally, would have stayed with Weevil.) And then where does Logan fit into this? They broke up a short time before she died (after kissing Yolanda at the party) but was she already sleeping with Aaron at this time? Because sleeping with both father and son at the same time? Ick!
- Veronica said she knew that the first tape was the day Lilly died because she was wearing her pep squad outfit. That wasn't the first day she wore it right? I would not think that narrows it down beyond a shadow of a doubt. They should have had a time stamp on the video.
- Would Lilly have told Veronica she was sleeping with Aaron at the car wash if they hadn't been interrupted?
- How has no one ever seen the cameras in the pool house, except for Lilly and Veronica?
- Did Logan know about the cameras?
- Since there were only two other tapes, does that mean Lilly only slept with Aaron twice?
- Did Duncan know about Logan's abuse?
- So Lilly is in Aaron's bed, in his pool house and when she is murdered they don't find one trace of physical evidence even though she has the same clothes on? I don't buy it.
- Why didn't Veronica expect Aaron to be at the party?
- Why didnt Veronica stay at the party? If Keith was only ten minutes away she should have stood up on the dining room table and sang karaoke until he was there. Aaron would not have been able to touch her in a room full of witnesses.
- How did Weevil know where Logan was?
- It is not that late, why isn't there anyone else on the bridge?
- When Duncan said he could not find Aaron, why didn't Veronica turn back around and go back to the party?
- How did Aaron know where she parked her car? How did he get into the car with what should have been pretty good security?
- How did Aaron get into the house to knock out the owner?
- There is a house in the Kanes' neighborhood that has a washing machine, a toilet and a freezer in the front yard? Classy! Celeste must not be the head of the Homeowner's Association.
- Is there only one road between the Mars house and the Kane estate? How did Keith find her so fast?
- All the yelling, fire and banging and Backup never barked while in the car? I would think that Veronica's screaming would have gotten his attention.
- How badly hurt is Keith?
- How badly hurt is Aaron and do we care?
- Where was the delivery truck going at that time of night?
- Who called the Kanes? Why wasn't Celeste with Jake and Duncan? And wasn't there a police perimeter? Who the hell let Jake Kane get anywhere near his daughter's murderer?
- What will Jake do to Aaron?
- Will Jake go to jail? What about Celeste?
- Why was Veronica so insistent that Lianne leave that night? The hospital did not seem even close to releasing Keith.
- How did Lianne know where to find the check?
- Did Lianne see Jake when she came home?
- Oh, and one other little thing ... who was at the door?
- Veronica is Keith's daughter, not Jake's. Therefore Veronica and Duncan are not brother and sister.
- Lilly was having an affair with Logan's father, Aaron.
- In retaliation for her threat to reveal the affair to the press, Aaron killed Lilly.
Written/Compiled By:
ameriott45 (Amy): Social Science
duchessjms (Jayne): Social Science
holly96 (Holly): Social Science
JenniferH: Report Card; Chemistry; Band Class; Literature; Homeroom; Detention
Krissy215 (Krissy): Social Science
Mastermia (Maria): Yearbook; Journalism; Study Hall; Extra Credit; Social Science; Homeroom; Philosophy; Principles of Democracy; History
Pixigal (Gerrie): Drama Club
SeluciaV (Alli): Social Science
Tar Frimmer (Joanne): Study Hall; Literature; Social Science
Additional Help:
samwg (Shannon): Social Science
Vicki: Social Science
Original Air Date: May 10, 2005
Written by: Rob Thomas & Dianne Ruggiero (Story by Thomas)
Directed by: Michael Fields
Staff Grade: A
Membership Grade: A (83.1% / 65 votes)
Like the episode before it, Leave it to Beaver has issues -- notably the fact that it's a bit too jam-packed and Veronica's sudden psychic ability to predict exactly how Lilly was murdered -- but unlike the previous episode, this one's overall strengths more than make up for the (much) minor flaws. The fast pace of the episode leaves the viewer quite on the edge of their seat. The three actors who have become the most prominent (Bell, Dohring and Colantoni) do not disappoint. The production values, the writing, the little moments (the tray falling is a gem of a touch!) that with rewatch showcase their brilliance. All of it adds up to an exciting, emotional, satisfying thrill ride to an overall amazing, topnotch first season of television that offers the medium at its finest.
Recurring Guest Stars: (Previous Episode Appearances)
Corinne Bohrer Lianne Mars
Kyle Gallner - Cassidy 'Beaver' Casablancas
Jennifer Gareis - Cheyenne
Erica Gimpel - Alicia Fennel
Harry Hamlin - Aaron Echolls
Ryan Hansen - Dick Casablancas
Brandon Hillock - Deputy Sacks
Michael Muhney - Sheriff Don Lamb
Daran Norris - Cliff McCormack
Kyle Secor - Jake Kane
Amanda Seyfried - Lilly Kane
Lisa Thornhill - Celeste Kane
Highlights
Kristen Bell & Enrico Colantoni (Veronica Mars & Keith Mars) - The culmination of an incredible season filled with many wonderful dramatic highlights, Leave it to Beaver features a lovely, heart-felt moment that offers some of the television season's finest acting, bar none. As Keith tells Veronica that he is indeed her father, the two share a hug that seems to almost enfold the viewer into the embrace also. Bell and Colantoni solidify with joy and heart, the best father-daughter relationship possibly ever seen on television.
Jason Dohring (Logan Echolls) - As we close out the season, we are treated to one final exquisite Jason Dohring performance. Logan is dealt even more pain as he realizes that Veronica suspects him of killing Lilly. Dohring's voice breaks as Logan meets Veronica on the beach in an intense, shattering confrontation. His final moments, teetering between life and death, are the piece de resistance to a year filled with riveting performances. Encore, encore!
Scene One: Runaway Girlfriend
As this is an extremely short scene there will be just a few comments. Remember the key to the Logan/Veronica relationship? Avoidance. Well, it's in full swing here as Veronica clearly DID blame Logan for the cameras at the end of A Trip to the Dentist and chose to deal with that (mis)information by doing what she does best when it comes to Logan: Running away. Veronica, Veronica, Veronica.
Also, it must be said: In the few seconds of screentime Logan had here ... damn, he looked hot. If he has to wear shirts at all, he needs to wear shirts like that like all the time.
Scene Two: Bad Boyfriend
Or Not. The irony of Garbage's "Bad Boyfriend" playing over this scene is just fabulous, especially in retrospect. On one level, you have the fact that as far as the viewers go, Logan is suspect numero uno in the Lilly Kane murder now (nevermind that this entire last-minute set-up is so very clearly the plot contrivance known as red herring). Ahem. So you've got Logan, potential murderer of his last girlfriend, talking to his current girlfriend and (as in A Trip to the Dentist) being like the best boyfriend ever.
Understanding and compassionate, Logan saw that Veronica was upset and chose to offer her space. He didn't get angry with her for running out on him again, he didn't get all pissy or moody (okay, except for his initial, "Oh, I exist?" comment, but that was totally gentle snark and much, much less than she frankly deserved), he was just, you know, the best boyfriend ever. Not to mention that he looked like the best boyfriend ever ... that shirt is so my friend. Ahem. However, viewers are supposed to believe that this guy who is being so supportive and understanding killed his last girlfriend. Thus the first level of the "Bad Boyfriend" irony.
Then we get to the retrospective second level by episode's end. He didn't kill his first girlfriend; he truly was being as supportive and understanding as anyone could possibly be with Veronica considering what she did to him. He truly was being this wonderful boyfriend and yet we had:
- If you can't love me honey
Go on just pretend
C'mon baby
Be my bad boyfriend
He had no way of knowing that she suspected him of murdering Lilly. Yes, the paper practically exonerating Abel Koontz had come out that morning, but Veronica had skipped out on Logan prior to that reveal so the connection wouldn't be there. So, I do choose to believe that even as her head was telling her, 'He could have done it,' her heart -- whose voice she was choosing desperately to ignore -- was crying, 'No, he couldn't have.'
Yuppers, that's my story and I'm sticking with it.
Scene Three: His One Phone Call
Let's get it out of the way first. Yes, Logan looks incredibly good in this scene. Really, really, really good. Okay, done, now onto the meat of the scene. Aside from looking just gorgeous in this episode (done for reals this time!), Jason Dohring also delivered, possibly, his best episode performance to date. Every moment was spot-on and this scene was one of the stand-outs. As he was talking to Lamb, snarky (hilariously so, I might add), seemingly confident on the surface, because Dohring is just that good, you could see that below the surface, Logan was scared shitless.
It wasn't in the surface line delivery, his eyes, his smile -- those all held that confidence. No, it was in the way he held himself, a beat before and after certain words, just the slightest brittle quality to the smile, just the glassiest edge in his eyes. Just below the surface, you could feel -- not see, but feel -- the fear there. How he managed to do this, I have absolutely no clue. I am just amazed.
And annoyed with the camera cuts after Lamb reveals that Veronica turned him in. We did not need the off-kilter cut to show Logan's world being sent all askew. When you have an actor like Jason Dohring, he can deliver that without any fancy-schmancy tricks. Perhaps, it may have simply been the fact that the director, Michael Fields, had only directed two episodes (The Wrath of Con and Betty and Veronica) prior and only one featured Dohring and that one (while great) didn't really require too much of the terribly subtle stuff. Maybe he simply wasn't aware that Dohring didn't need help in selling Logan's state of mind. Whatever the case, it's a shame that we had the screwy camera cuts getting in the way of what was, undoubtedly judging from what we saw between the cuts, yet another masterful couple of moments of acting from Jason Dohring. Ah well.
And then on the other side of the phone, damn and blast!, I think that they were playing the card that viewers wouldn't really believe Logan was guilty, if Veronica didn't. So instead of getting levels of Veronica being responsible for Logan's arrest, but not really believing that he did it -- which Kristen Bell absolutely could have delivered, we got Veronica basically blowing him off again, avoiding him, in a different way, yet again. Yeah, she was upset, but not as upset as I think that Veronica truly would have been had the show not been trying to manipulate us into believing that Logan did it.
Damn and blast!
Scene Four: On the Beach
And here we go, folks. This is our blue-ribbon winner for most devastating Logan/Veronica scene ever. (Lord, may it not ever get worse than this). I mean, really, Logan is so miserable that ... He. Is. Not. Even. Wearing. Hair. Gel! Yes, people, it's that bad! And again, must be commented on because this truly is the episode of Jason Dohring looking hotter than should be humanly possible ... Even without the hair gel and all sniffly and miserable, Logan looked really, really hot. How Veronica didn't just forget this whole silly murdering his ex thing and jump him right then and there, I do not know.
Okay, okay, I'm making light, but the devastation in this scene is just incredibly, incredibly painful, I don't want to deal with it. {Sobs} Veronica accuses him of wanting her dead, Veronica attempts to sic Backup on Logan, Veronica pretty much confirms that she broke up with him by, you know, the belief that he murdered Lilly, wanted her, Veronica, dead and threatened him with her pitbull. And, and, and she just doesn't seem to care! Ugh, I was so mad at the writers for painting this obvious, red-herring bull's eye all over Logan without allowing Veronica to really show much sign at all that she didn't truly believe he was responsible.
I figure that they reasoned that if Veronica didn't really believe he was responsible for Lilly's death, then no viewer would buy it, but, but, but, couldn't it have been played out that she believed in him despite all of the evidence? Just a little bit. Sigh. It was just -- this scene was just so heartbreaking. Starting with this exchange that, as written, is just horrible, but as delivered magnificently by Dohring -- this scene truly was his, just utterly stand-out -- completely breaks your heart.
- Veronica: What do you want me to say, Logan?
Logan: How about: "Logan, I'm gonna go home and put my head in the oven because I can't go on living knowing what a heartless bitch I am." Something like that!
Logan falling to his knees before her, the wind ruffling his gel-free hair, as he asks Backup, while petting the adoring pitbull, if he's going to rip his throat out, gazing up at Veronica at that exact moment, pain shadowing his eyes. His voice soft as he tries to convince her that he's innocent even as she stands above him, her gaze hard, her stance unwavering. Logan was speaking to her with his broken heart. He was hurt, devastated and wanted her to believe that he couldn't have done that.
It is because of that last part that I believe that Logan had pretty much already forgiven her. He wasn't angry with her, he wasn't yelling at her, he was on his knees trying to convince her that he was innocent. He wouldn't be doing that if he hadn't forgiven her. He just wouldn't have. And I do believe that she was sensing that. She was wavering towards the end, I think. But then Keith had to show up and I think that was the end of it. Keith cut Logan off and Veronica didn't protest, so he was done trying to convince her or anyone else of his innocence. He was done.
When Keith showed up believing that Logan had killed Lilly, it wasn't about trying to convince his girlfriend; it wasn't about expecting the worst of him because of his shitty behavior. It wasn't just his peers (one in particular) making his life hell. It wasn't a low blow; it wasn't a game of one-up-manship. It was an adult -- a RESPECTED adult -- believing that he was capable of murdering another human being, and not just any human being, but a girl that he had loved. And that is why I believe he walked away without a fight.
And then there was the specific adult it was, Keith, Veronica's father -- the one that she had stood beside and, in his viewpoint, turned her back on her friends to do so. So, of course, if Keith believes the worst of him, if Keith says this is how it is, then he has no chance of ever convincing Veronica that he is innocent. Keith has spoken and Veronica will stand by him. Leaving Logan alone ... once again.
Sigh, poor Logan.
Scene Five: Totally Logan at the Door
I'm including the final scene because as far as I'm concerned, it's totally Logan at the door.
From a dramatic standpoint, it simply HAS to be Logan or Duncan because, let's face it, this is television. You don't create a cliffhanger moment and then have it turn out to be a buddy; it's got to have potential to affect the coming season. Only Logan or Duncan could achieve that. So dramatic standpoint, ONLY Duncan and Logan would fit, so by that right, it HAS to be one of those two. Eliminating everyone else.
And Duncan doesn't fit. His dad was arrested; his mother no doubt needs him. If he really needed to see Veronica/talk to Veronica, he would have done so at the crime scene, or gone to the hospital or gotten there a lot earlier. At the point when she opened that door, he'd be dealing with the fall-out from Jake's covering up the murder. Police, press, Celeste, etc. Okay, so you ask: Why wouldn't Logan be dealing with the fall-out of Aaron committing the murder? Simple. Duncan loves his dad and is going to want to be there for him. Logan? His dad? Love? Not so much. Especially not now. While Duncan would want to be there for Jake. Which brings us back to Duncan.
Aside from the logistics, again, dramatic standpoint, to me, I didn't sense any romantic vibe in the scenes between he and Veronica. There were two line readings (gotta give props to Kristen Bell) in the scene after the Aaron/Lilly death scene that bespoke to me where Veronica's feelings lie. The first was when she was explaining that Aaron beat up Trina's boyfriend and then she said, "He beats Logan, you know?" And the way she said that line, especially Logan's name, was filled with a quick burst of OHMYGOD!LOGAN!, that was quickly tamped down because now really wasn't the time. But it was there, this thread of oh my poor Logan, was totally in her tone of voice. So, girl has feelings for Logan. Big-time!
The second line was when she told Duncan that she wasn't his sister. I'm sure some may have read it as, 'see, we can be together!' But that was totally not the line reading. The line reading was, 'I know you're squicked out because you think you had sex with your sister, but I'm not your sister, so no worries. Gotta run!' with a cheery smile. So, girl does NOT have those feelings for Duncan.
But, but, but Logan was trying to kill himself, you say. He wouldn't be running off to Veronica, he's in the depths of despair. I didn't see his actions as suicidal. To me, he wasn't attempting suicide ... he was tempting fate. There is a difference. It wasn't that he wanted to die (which would be attempting suicide); it was that he didn't care if he lived or died (which is tempting fate) and that, to me, is much more in character to who Logan is. For someone who cares so damn much, to find out that the one bit of happiness he had left (Veronica, their relationship) was stripped from him, he made the decision to just stop caring. (And knowing Logan, that won't last long.)
Okay, so, Weevil was going to beat him up. True, but Logan's made of hearty stuff, I can see him dragging his bleeding carcass to Veronica's door if that's where he wanted to be. Alright then, why would Logan want to be at Veronica's door? He totally can't forgive her. And to that I say, yes, he can. As stated above about Scene Four, I firmly believe that Logan had already begun the road to forgiveness.
So to recap: It's not Wallace because that doesn't work as a dramatic device for a cliffhanger. Same goes for Weevil under the same conceit. It's not Duncan because the feelings aren't there from her end and he'd be too tied up in dad's been arrested-related stuff. Which leaves Logan. Who has shown forgiveness for Veronica in the past. Who showed himself, more hurt than angry, on the beach. Who, most importantly, is once again all alone. The last time he was all alone -- when Lynn died -- he showed up at Veronica's door just about EXACTLY the same way that this final scene was shot. The difference is that this time we didn't see Logan standing outside, arms wrapped tight, giving himself the hug that no one else was there to give.
So. Totally Logan at the door.
- Cheyenne's real name is Deborah Collins.
- Duncan's #4 on the soccer team.
- Lianne insists that putting a spoon in your mouth will stop you from crying while cutting onions.
- Jake and Celeste are not Republicans. They are, however, having a dinner for the Republican governor with entertainment people invited. Who, I wonder, could they be talking about?
- Lilly collected shot glasses. The last one Logan gave her said Baked in Ensenada.
- Logan now has a top locker.
- Logan crossed the border from Mexico at 8:57 am the morning Lilly died.
- Aaron has starred as a cop in a lot of movies.
- The letter Logan left for Lilly was never found.
- Lilly liked to keep secret items in her air conditioning vent, which she told Veronica before she died. Apparently Celeste liked to poke around Lilly's room, so she left matchbooks around with ethnic names just to drive her mother crazy.
- Lilly was in Italy the summer before her death. She met a guy who sent her naked pictures of himself.
- Veronica tells Duncan about Logan's abuse.
- Veronica lives ten minutes away from the Kanes.
- Lianne was at the Hazelwood Facility in Soquel.
- Logan's current inspirational message is: Adversity is the diamond dust with which Heaven polishes its jewels.
- Lianne cooks and likes to have her music match their meal. She thinks that Connie Francis goes with spaghetti bolognaise, crusty bread and a nice Chianti. Hot dogs and tater tots requires late seventies southern rock and pork chops call for old school country, unless they are fried and then it is early Elvis time.
As she cooks dinner, Lianne confirms that she is no longer drinking as she swigs from a very large water bottle. She and Veronica are getting along well and Keith seems happy to have Lianne home. So happy in fact, that the next day he dumps Alicia. A few days later Veronica takes a drink from a water bottle (just like Lianne had) and finds vodka. She calls the rehab facility to check on Liannes story.
When she gets home from almost dying, she tells her mother to pack and get out of the house before her father comes home. She reveals that she knows Lianne checked herself out of rehab before she finished and wasted Veronica's college money. Lianne makes some half assed attempt at an explanation and Veronica does not seem moved. On her way out, Lianne takes the Kanes' check for $50,000. Worst. Mother. Ever.
- At the hospital, Veronica is told that Keith will be better eventually. The doctor sends her home, but she says she doesnt want him to wake up alone. When asked if there is someone she can call Veronica smiles. Veronica goes home and Keith wakes up to Alicias smiling face.
After dreaming of saying goodbye to Lilly, Veronica is awakened by a knock at the door at 3:07. She opens it, saying, "I was hoping it would be you." And fade to black as we spend all summer agonizing over who it is.
- Keith has received the DNA test back, but has not read the results yet. He calls Cliff! and tells him that he wants to sue the Kanes. Cliff! is hesitant, but Keith assures him that they will settle. They decide to put it to the test and serve the Kanes.
There is a settlement conference at which Celeste says that she is happy to write the check right now. The condition is that Veronica signs away any future claim to the Kane fortune. Keith, well aware of the reasons behind the request, says he will take it to Veronica. Cliff! on the other hand looks totally confused. Back at the office, Veronica finds Keith deep in thought. He tells her the conditions and Veronica signs without hesitation. When Keith asks her if she knows what she is giving up, she tells him that the Kanes have nothing she wants. (Actually, Veronica I would ask for that red number Lilly wore in one of the flashbacks. It would look awesome on you!) Keith, moved by her sacrifice tells her that he is her father after all. She sobs, I sob, we all sob and heave a sigh of relief.
- Keith takes Cheyenne to Lloyd at the local newspaper and tries to get them to run the story about Abel being with her at the time of the murder. Lloyd is hesitant because he doesnt believe the story or want to run something that will make him a laughing stock. Keith hands over all his evidence and asks him to reconsider.
The next day, the story runs on the cover of the newspaper that Dick and Beaver are reading. Well, to be honest I am not sure Dick can read, so Beaver might be doing all the heavy lifting. Beaver is very concerned that Koontz might be innocent, but Dick tells him to chill. The story is apparently a love letter to Keith and lays out all the holes in Abels story including the shoes being in Lillys room after the murder. Veronica is very happy that her father has been vindicated but upon seeing Logan, pulls Wallace into the bathroom because apparently she is a big baby. She plans to avoid Logan for as long as possible and sends Wallace on his 007 mission to make sure the coast is clear.
Meanwhile, Duncan has read the story and finally believes that Koontz is innocent. His parents try to convince him that the story is not true, but Duncan insists that he is not a child and wants to know the truth. Then Jake tells him that he had a fit and killed Lilly and that they covered it up. Duncan asks for his footy Pjs and his binky and wishes that he were still a kid and his parents still hid things from him as he cries and his father comforts him.
Beaver, who wishes to be called Cassidy, tells Veronica that Logan's airtight alibi has sprung a leak. Apparently they were together in Mexico with Dick that weekend. However the morning that Lilly died Logan drove back to see her because he suspected she was seeing someone. He brought with him a shot glass from Mexico that was in the inventory of Lillys car. This means, dum dum dum DUM, that Logan found Lilly before she died.
Veronica runs into Logan at school and spins a web of lies about how she freaked out because things were going so fast. Logan seems to buy her LIES and asks that she not run out on him again, and just tell him what is going on. Veronica agrees, but says that she still needs some time. Logan, who thinks Duncan is the killer, is unaware that his girlfriend is convinced it is him. Awkward. As soon as he leaves, Veronica whips out her cell phone and has a very indiscreet phone call with her father regarding his guilt.
After just announcing to her father, while standing in the hallway of her high school, that Logan had plenty of time to kill Lilly, Veronica tries to back pedal when Weevil steps out of the nearby classroom having obviously heard everything. Weevil doesn't believe her denials and heads off ...
... to have a chat with Logan. Well his tire iron was going to do most of the talking, but then it is the chattier of the team. However the police, whom Veronica and Keith have thoughtfully called to tell them of the non-alibi, show up just in time to save, um I mean, arrest Logan. Meanwhile, more friendly Deputies (but no Leo) search his room, much to Aarons apparent distress.
At the police station, Lamb attempts to interrogate Logan. But apparently he has never seen any of Aarons thirty cop movies because Logan runs circles around him. Logan makes his phone call and calls ... Veronica. Whoops. Veronica, doing her deer in the headlights impersonation, says that she will do what she can to help him. Lamb barely waits for Logan to hang up to break the news that Veronica is the reason Logan is there in the first place. Logan's heart visibly breaks as does the heart of every LoVe fan watching.
But Lamb's work is not yet done. Keith calls to get the status of the investigation and is gleefully informed that Logan is dating Veronica. Keith is not happy to hear that Logan has been released due to lack of evidence and when Keith hears from Lianne that Veronica is out with Backup he takes off after her.
Parental advisory: The next scene is not for the faint of heart. I advise a strong drink and/or pharmaceuticals to get through it. Veronica, on the beach with Backup, gets confronted by Logan. He asks her if they broke up, which seems pretty evident from the whole turning him in to the cops thing. Veronica, tries to leave, but he stops her, justifiably upset.
After telling her he wants her dead, in a manner of speaking, she threatens to sic Backup on him. Logan drops to his knees and Backup, showing a hell of a lot better judgment that Veronica, licks Logan's face. Still kneeling, Logan confesses that he came home to confront Lilly, unsure if he would forgive her or not. (Damn, where are those Kleenex?) Logan tells Veronica that he saw Lilly at the carwash and knew that it was over between them. He wrote her a note and left it in her car with the shot glass, without speaking to her. Before Veronica can stomp on his heart anymore, Keith shows up and acts like Logan is an armed lunatic, rushing Veronica home.
Veronica decides to sneak in to the Kane house during the party for the governor, no less, to look for the letter. I guess she figured her black wig and glasses give her some sort of invisibility power. And apparently she is right as no one recognizes her or figures out that she is not supposed to be there. She puts her appetizer tray on a table near the bedrooms and it makes a loud noise that no one seems to hear as it clatters on the tile floor. Or do they?
She goes into Lilly's room and unlike Shelly's party where she would apparently find half naked adolescents having sex, she finds the room empty. Or does she? She pulls over a chair and starts to loosen the screws on the vent, but finds that one is already loosened. She starts on the other one when Duncan comes in, tackling her off the chair because like Clark Kents glasses, a different hair color keeps him from recognizing the girl he dated for a year and thinks is his sister.
Anyhoo, Veronica rips off the wig and Duncan figures out that she is there looking for clues. He tries to frog step her to his room but she stops him by telling him that Logan killed Lilly and recounts his blown alibi while the closet door wiggles menacingly. Duncan, shocked, encourages Veronica to open the grate and they are both surprised to find three videotapes. They go to Duncans bedroom to view the tapes and Duncan is even more surprised to find Lilly having sex with Aaron Echolls on them. One tape shows Lilly finding the camera in the Echolls' pool house presumably on the day she died and another shows her doing the deed with her boyfriends father and is dated October 1.
Veronica freaks out, but the pieces fall into place and she tells Duncan she has solved the crime (much to Jennifer's annoyance at her suddenly perfect psychic ability to know exactly how it happened). Lilly, while waiting for Aaron, sees the camera in the pool house, much like Veronica did, and takes the tape out of the machine plus others she finds lying around. Aaron comes in, sees the bookcase open and the tapes missing and follows Lilly home.
While Lilly is driving, she runs the light and then stashes the tapes before Aaron gets there. She goes to the pool, where he finds her. He demands the tapes, she tells him he can see them on a TV tabloid show, and he bashes her brains in with a marble ashtray. Guess he didnt like her plan. He wipes his fingerprints off the ashtray, throws it in the pool and leaves. Duncan comes home, sees Lilly, cradles her body and is found by his parents.
Duncan tells Veronica that Aaron is at the party and Veronica makes him promise to watch him while she gets the tapes to her father. On her way out she 'oh by the ways' that they are not related as Duncan looks after her, dumbfounded. Outside, Veronica calls her father and tells him that Aaron is the killer and that she has the tapes. He wants to come to her, but Veronica insists that it is not safe because Aaron is there. As she heads to her car she calls Logan and gets his inspirational message for the day. She doesn't leave a message. Guess she wasn't inspired.
What she doesn't know is the reason she got his message is because he is drunk off his ass playing on the Coronado Bay Bridge. He hears motorcycles and antagonizes Weevil by pretending to be Keanu Reeves (again) by doing The Matrix bring it on hand gesture.
Veronica is driving on a quiet residential street when Duncan calls to say that he cant find Aaron. (Boy, she gave him just one job ...) Veronica asks him to call if Aaron turns up and then throws the phone in the passenger seat. Looking up she locates Aaron all by herself - in her back seat! Aaron commands her to keep driving while he fishes her bag off the passenger's seat and reclaims his tapes. Once he is distracted she drives them into a tree. Considering her options, I cant say I disagree with her decision.
She regains consciousness due to the ringing of her cell which is Keith calling to check on her. When he doesnt reach her, he leaves the house. Luckily for Veronica, Aaron forgot to put his seatbelt on when he broke into her car, wishing her bodily harm, and is still out cold. Veronica retrieves the tapes, but can't quite reach the phone. As he starts to come to, she exits the car to a nearby house. As she frantically tries to get the owners attention she drops two of the tapes into handy hiding places and throws the third on an upstairs ledge. She looks back and the passenger's door is open, with no Aaron in sight. Say it with me: Dum, dum, dum, DUM.
Veronica sees lights turn on in the house, and bangs on the sliding door. Just as salvation seems within reach, Aaron knocks the owner out from the inside of the house and Veronica out as he slides the door open. Veronica regains consciousness (I sincerely hope that the Mars family does have insurance because the girl has got to have a concussion at this point) to find herself locked in an enclosed space, one of her walkie-talkies with her. Aaron agrees to let her out in exchange for his tapes. Veronica declares that it is quite comfy and she is happy where she is. Of course the flaw in that plan is evident as Aaron starts to pour gasoline on the refrigerator that she is locked in.
Veronica tells Aaron that the tapes are on the roof. He goes to get them just as Keith finds her car. She hears him and calls his name, which Keith hears through the walkie in Aarons hand. Keith turns as Aaron jumps on him and a tussle ensues. Hell, a full-blown brawl ensues. Keith is just about down for the count when he lands a shot on the apparatus that got Aaron into all this trouble in the first place. As Keith turns the tables and starts to really pound away, Aaron pulls out his lighter and sets the gas on fire. Veronicas fridge goes up in flames as Aaron cheerfully tells Keith where he can find his daughter. Keith rescues Veronica but suffers pretty severe looking burns in the process. There is a tender reunion as Aaron gets Veronicas keys and makes for Keiths car.
He gets in the car, but has his own surprise guest in the back seat - Backup, who takes a bite out of crime. Or more accurately, Aarons forearm. Aaron gets out of the car, staggers into the street and gets nailed by an oncoming delivery truck. The driver gets out and recognizes OJ, um I mean Aaron. Veronica shows up with Keiths gun and tells the driver to call for help.
Keith is wheeled away by the paramedics, cracking jokes as he goes, but looking terrible. Aaron is also on a stretcher, being read his rights when Jake and Duncan show up. Jake, seeing Aaron, threatens to destroy him and his family. Lamb, apparently figuring now is as good a time as any, arrests Jake for obstruction of justice. Like to see him make that one stick! Duncan and Veronica share a wordless glance amid the chaos.
- The Kanes find Lilly and Duncan.
- Lilly and her secrets in her bedroom.
- Lilly tells Veronica she has a secret.
- Lilly showing up at the Echolls poolhouse to find it empty; while laying on the bed (much like Veronica in A Trip to the Dentist) she notices the camera in the ceiling fan and follows its source. She steals the videos. Later Aaron comes looking for her, demanding the tapes. When Lilly blows him off, Aaron smashes her head in with the ashtray, wipes the blood off, throws it in the pool and runs off.
"Where the Boys Are" (Connie Francis)
Scene: Mother-daughter bonding while daddy watches on in thinly-veiled disgust ...
"La Bamba" (Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan)
Scene: And both mommy and daughter are oblivious ... although, mommy really should have a clue!
"Bad Boyfriend" (Garbage)
Scene: Poor Logan ... his last present to his (dead) ex-girlfriend very well may be his undoing, while his (alive) current girlfriend is playing him false and is pretty much an ex already even as she does take the time to prove that he does, in fact, exist.
"Wannabe" (Spice Girls)
Scene: Girls just wanna have fun -- the girls in play being Lilly and Veronica groovin' to the fast-fading, Spice phenom in happier times when, you know, Lilly wasn't dead and Veronica wore a long, really fake-looking wig.
"Bad Boyfriend" (Garbage)
Scene: And the poor to the Logan just continues to ratchet up heartbreak everywhere. Poor little rich boy alone and tottering on the bridge (where his mommy jumped) because his girlfriend (the one that is alive) dumped him and turned him in to the cops for killing his girlfriend (the one that is dead). And he doesn't even know yet that his daddy actually whacked the dead girlfriend and is trying to put the alive one in the dead category. Sigh. Poor Logan!
"Lily Dreams On" (Cotton Mather)
Scene: A pool filled with lilies and a Lilly and a Veronica (but no veronicas) in pink bikinis that don't exactly match in the yellow-filtered world of closure.
LoVe Lines
Veronica: Hey.
Logan: (Looking up and around him for someone else.) Oh. I exist? Thought I felt different today.
Veronica: I've been avoiding you.
Logan: Really? I hadn't noticed.
Logan: Don't run out on me again, okay, I mean, if you need to do whatever, you just let me know.
Veronica: I need to do whatever. (Logan sighs.) Just for a couple of days and then I'll be back to normal or as close to normal as I can get.
Logan: Okay. (Leaning forward, he sweetly kisses her on the forehead.) You know where to find me.
Logan: So, I guess we broke up, huh?
Veronica: What do you want me to say, Logan?
Logan: How about: "Logan, I'm gonna go home and put my head in the oven because I can't go on living knowing what a heartless BITCH I am." Something like that!
Veronica: One word from me and Backup goes for your throat. (Logan looks down at Backup, then to Veronica. He smiles and loses his angry tone, just sounding sad now. He looks back down at Backup.)
Logan: Is that what you'd do, boy? You'd tear out my throat? (He looks meaningfully up at Veronica as he utters the last line. Bending down, he begins to pet Backup who greets him enthusiastically.) Who's a man killer, huh? Who's a man killer?
Veronica: I was hoping it would be you.
In Memory
Lilly: Celeste is a bit on the nosey side.
Veronica: Yuck.
Lilly: Tell me about it. I'm getting even, though. I left phone numbers on matchbooks for Tyrone and Leroy and Chico around the room. Give the woman a little drama in her life.
Veronica: Wait ... who's Tyrone and Leroy and Chico?
Lilly: Beats me, but they seem to really upset Mom.
Quotable Quotes
Veronica: It's just funny to me how you always have to have your music match your meal.
Lianne: It is called setting a mood.
Veronica: Of course.
Lianne: Connie Francis is spaghetti bolognaise with a crusty bread and a nice Chianti. (Off a look from Keith.) Uh, sans the Chianti.
Veronica: Okay, say we were having hot dogs and Tater Tots?
Lianne: Late seventies southern rock, Skynyrd, maybe Creedence.
Veronica: Pork chops.
Lianne: Country, old school.
Keith: Unless it's fried, then it's Elvis, the early years.
Cliff: Tell me this is a joke. You want to sue the Kane family.
Keith: Yes.
Cliff: Please tell me there's another Kane family in town. Maybe a Boris and Gilda Kane?
Keith: They'll settle.
Cliff: Oh, they will. Well, that's good to hear. Seems like you have this pretty well sewn up. Anything you need me to have notarized?
Wallace: (Reading the paper.) Since his removal from office, Keith Mars, the ousted sheriff, has tirelessly and single-handedly continued his own investigation, despite being shunned by the community at large.
Veronica: You'd think it might be gross to read a love letter to your dad, but I kind of enjoy it.
Wallace: All I know is if I were him right now, I'd be I-told-you-soing all over Neptune.
Wallace: My blonde-pulling-me-into-the-girl's-room fantasy? Ruined!
Veronica and Wallace: (Simultaneously.) Do me a favor?
Jake: Don't seat the entertainment people next to the corporate people. Right? Let's keep it civil.
Celeste: Jake, honey, when did we become Republicans?
Jake: We haven't, we're, uh, we're going with the flow. Besides the governor's very popular and, honestly, it's going to be good for business. And his social policy --
Celeste: No. Just ... spare me.
Keith: And the condition?
Celeste: Veronica relinquishes any future claim to the Kane estate.
Barry: Contracts are prepared; all we need is your daughter's signature.
Cliff: Future claims? So what, she slips and falls outside Kane Enterprises, tough toenails?
Veronica: (To Keith.) You're not trying to burn a hole through a stack of paper using only the power of your stare again?
Keith: I met with Celeste Kane today.
Veronica: She's paying you double and sponsoring our club membership?
Keith: Well, she actually agreed to pay up but only if you sign this contract that says that you'll never sue them again. She wants you to waive any claim on the Kane fortune. (Without hesitation, Veronica picks up a pen and signs the contract. Keith watches her intently.)
Veronica: What? Was I supposed to sign in blood?
Keith: (Barely containing his emotions) Do you know what you just signed away?
Veronica: There's nothing that I want from them.
Keith: Nothing. You didn't sign away a thing. (Pulling out the paternity test results.) Veronica, I am without a doubt your father.
Veronica: Oh! Yeah, you are!
Keith: You think that charm of yours is learned behavior? That's genetics, baby!
Aaron: Whoa, whoa, whoa. You can't just barge in here!
Lamb: Now, come on now. What? You've been in like, what, thirty cop movies?
Lamb: (Tapping the table for emphasis.) You said you were in Mexico the day of Lilly's murder. Why?
Logan: How many episodes of NYPD Blue did you have to watch to get the finger tapping down?
Lamb: I asked you a question.
Logan: And I ignored it and moved on. (Snapping his fingers.) Keep up.
Keith: The Echolls kid. What'd you find out?
Lamb: Among other things, I'm pretty sure he's dating your daughter. That, uh, girl of yours, she's pretty hard-boiled, huh?
Logan's Voicemail: You've reached Logan and here's today's inspirational message: 'Adversity is the diamond dust with which Heaven polishes its jewels.' - Eleanor Roosevelt
Logan: (Laughing and drunk.) Seriously, what do you -- what do you think you can do to me, huh?
Weevil: I'll think of something.
Aaron: Veronica? You're an odd duck. Hey, how many teenage girls keep walkie-talkies in their car?
Aaron: I'll let you out as soon as I have my tapes back.
Veronica: No, thanks. Honestly, I feel safer in here.
Aaron: Where are the tapes? You know, Lilly never told me where the tapes were hidden either. I kinda think there's a cautionary tale in that, Veronica. Something like I'm not going to let a seventeen-year-old piece of ass (Screams.) ruin my life!
Aaron: (Lights fire, then laughs.) She's in the fridge, Keith. You might want to check up on her.
Veronica: (Crying and holding Keith.) I love you. I love you so much. I knew you'd come, I knew you'd save me. Dad.
Veronica: (As Keith is taken to ambulance.) You mean the world to me, do you understand that? Are you listening to me?
Keith: Hey, who's your daddy, huh?
Veronica: (Half sob, half laugh.) I hate it when you say that.
Veronica: You can't be here when dad comes home.
Lianne: Veronica.
Veronica: I know, Mom. I know you're not through drinking, I know you didn't even finish rehab. You checked yourself out and that was my college money! I bet on you, and I lost. I've been doing that my whole life. And I'm through.
Lianne: (Crying.) Veronica ... it's not easy.
Veronica: I know it's not.
(Dream) Veronica: Isn't it better, like this?
(Dream) Lilly: So much better.
(Dream) Veronica: This is how it's supposed to be.
(Dream) Lilly: Totally.
(Dream) Veronica: This is how it's gonna be. From now on. Right? Lilly?
(Dream) Lilly: You know how things are gonna be now, don't you? You have to know.
(Dream) Veronica: Just like this. Just like this.
(Dream) Lilly: Don't forget about me, Veronica. (Lilly is then gone and a tear runs down Veronica's cheek.)
(Dream) Veronica: I could never.
Leave it to Beaver ... (Referenced by the episode title.)
This classic family sitcom originally aired from 1957-1963 and continues to live on in syndication to this day. The series was about a suburban family, the Cleavers, and was centered around the youngest son, Theodore (Jerry Mathers). Like Neptune's Cassidy Casablancas, Theodore had the unfortunate nickname of "Beaver." Also like Cassidy, this Beaver had an older brother, however Wally Cleaver (Tony Dow) was no Dick. The show's plots usually revolved around a moral lesson taught to the boys by their parents, Ward (Hugh Beaumont) and June (Barbara Billingsley).
234 episodes of the series were produced and a 1983 made-for-television reunion movie, Still the Beaver, led to a spinoff series, The New Leave it to Beaver, that ran from 1985-1989. A feature film adaptation was released in 1997, but to little success.
Connie Francis ... (Referenced when Lianne and Veronica are making dinner.)
Born Concetta Rosemarie Franconero in Newark, New Jersey's Italian neighborhood in 1938, Connie was encouraged to change her surname to something more pronounceable and marketable following her early success on Startime as an accordion player and singer.
Francis went on to be one of the first female rock and roll'ers of the late 1950's and early 1960's with hits like "Who's Sorry Now" and "Stupid Cupid." Francis' most well-known song "Where the Boys Are" was one of the first pop songs to be recorded in foreign languages and was also part of the inspiration for the 1960 motion picture of the same name. Connie had a role in the film and sang the title song. The same year, Francis became the youngest headliner ever in Las Vegas, where she appeared regularly for nine years.
Lynyrd Skynyrd ... (Referenced when Lianne and Veronica are making dinner.)
Lynyrd Skynyrd is considered to be the definitive Southern rock band, fusing the overdriven power of blues-rock with a rebellious, Southern "red-neck" image and a hard rock swagger. Formed in the late 1960's by Jacksonville Florida high school students Ronnie VanZant (vocals), Allen Collins (guitar), Gary Rossington (guitar), Leon Wilkeson (bass) and Billy Powell (keyboardist), the band chose their name as a mocking tribute to their gym teacher Leonard Skinner.
Along with drummer Bob Burns, Skynyrd began playing throughout the south, and became known as a hard-living, hard-driving rock & roll band, with a signature three guitar sound after the inclusion of guitarist Ed King and music firmly entrenched in blues, rock, and country. The band was signed to MCA in 1972 and released their debut album, Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd. The band's single "Free Bird" and an opening slot on the Who's 1973 Quadrophenia tour helped to build Lynyrd Skynyrd's devoted fanbase, and promoted its sophomore effort, 1974's Second Helping. Featuring the popular single "Sweet Home Alabama", Second Helping reached number 12 and went multi-platinum.
For many, Lynyrd Skynyrd's redneck image tended to obscure the songwriting skills of its leader, Ronnie VanZant. Throughout the band's early records, VanZant demonstrated a knack for lyrical detail and a down-to-earth honesty that was more reminiscent of country than rock & roll. Sadly, it wasn't until he was killed in a tragic plane crash in 1977 along with bandmembers Steve and Cassie Gaines, that many listeners began to realize his talents.
Skynyrd split up after the plane crash, and in 1987, Rossington, Powell, King, and Wilkeson reunited Lynyrd Skynyrd, adding vocalist Johnny VanZant and guitarist Randall Hall. The band embarked on a reunion tour, which was captured on the 1988 double-live album, Southern by the Grace of God/Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour -- 1987.
Creedence Clearwater Revival ... (Referenced when Lianne and Veronica are making dinner.)
Known affectionately by fans as CCR, Creedence Clearwater Revival was formed in 1950's California by Tom Fogerty and previously known as both the Blue Velvets and the Golliwogs. The band released its first album as CCR in 1968, after Tom's younger brother John Fogerty became the lead vocalist and primary songwriter. With CCR's first hit, a cover of a "swamp rock" classic, "Suzie Q", the band brought back a return to the roots of Rock with their synthesis of rockabilly, R&B, and country. Though CCR was clearly an ensemble group, CCR's musical style was that of singer, songwriter, guitarist, and leader John Fogerty, and reflected burning social issues of the day.
Creedence had multiple hits throughout the 1970's, such as "Proud Mary," "Bad Moon Rising," "Green River," "Down on the Corner," "Travelin' Band," "Who'll Stop the Rain," "Up Around the Bend," and "Lookin' Out My Back Door." The gritty songs demonstrated John Fogerty's talent for invoking Southern roots rock infused with inspiration from singers like Little Richard. Ultimately, John's dominant presence in CCR resulted in his brother Tom's departure from the band in 1971. After releasing one album as a trio in 1972, CCR disbanded and John Fogerty enjoyed solo success in the 1980's.
Elvis Presley ... (Referenced by Keith as he and Lianne explain her meal-matching music habit with Veronica.)
Elvis Aron Presley was born January 8, 1935, in East Tupelo, Mississippi. At the time, no one knew the tiny child was going to grow up to be 'The King of Rock and Roll'. Elvis became one of the most commercially successful singers of rock and roll, before moving onto a little bit of country. Not only a singer however, Elvis also acted in several movies, drawing large crowds each time.
A young Elvis became an icon of American pop-culture; representing the 'American Dream' of going from rags-to-riches. As he grew older, despite erratic behavior and loss of his movie-star looks, Elvis still retained enormous popularity. The American idol's fame outlived his life, having died at the age of 42; probably of heart attack, combined with the misuse of prescription drugs. Today, Elvis impersonators (both young, hearthrob Elvis, and older, bloated, sequined Elvis) are one of the most popular acts around and have retained a popularity all their own.
Republican ... (Referenced by Celeste as she sarcastically asks Jake when they became Republicans.)
The Republican party is one of two major political parties in the United States (Democratic being the other), and was founded in 1854, by members of several different parties who opposed slavery, and held a vision to modernize the US.
The current US president, George W. Bush is the party leader; and eighteen of the twenty-nine presidents (including Abraham Lincoln) since the founding of the party, have been Republican. Currently 28 out of 50 governors are Republicans, while the state legislatures are split equally.
Garfield ... (Referenced when Duncan makes awkward small talk with his parents before confronting the issue on who killed Lilly.)
Created by Jim Davis, Garfield is the widely popular cartoon comic strip that debuted on June 19, 1978, from United Feature Syndicate. The comic features Garfield, the fat, lazy, lasagna-loving orange feline title character, loveable but dopey pet dog Odie (that usually finds himself as the target of Garfield's pranks), their nerdy and somewhat clueless owner, Jon Arbuckle, and a number of other well-developed secondary characters. The comic strip pokes fun at pet owners by portraying the pets as the true masters of the home. Garfield is also written to appeal to the general population by struggling with human problems, such as diets, boredom and a hatred for Mondays.
In 1982, the comic strip was turned into a television cartoon special titled Here Comes Garfield. Eleven more cartoon television specials followed through 1990. A cartoon television series, Garfield and Friends, ran for six years between 1988 and 1994. A live-action movie version (with a computer generated Garfield) of the comic strip was released in the United States on June 11, 2004. Garfield: The Movie featured Bill Murray as the voice of the computer generated Garfield.
Mexico (Referenced by Beaver when he tells Veronica that Logan left him and Dick in Mexico the morning of Lilly's muder.)
Mexico (Spanish: Mxico) is a country located in North America, approximately 753,665 square miles in size, bordered at the north by the United States, and at the south with Guatemala and Belize in Central America. It is the northernmost and westernmost country in Latin America, and with a population of 106.5 million, Mexico is also the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world. The official name is Estados Unidos Mexicanos, which translates as the United Mexican States. The term State of Mexico (Estado de Mexico) does not refer to the country, but only to one state within Mexico, located near the center of the country adjacent to the Federal District.
U.S. citizens, like Keith's crazy bail-jumper, have been known to cross the border into Mexico to evade U.S. authorities and skip tracers (like Papa Mars). Most often, these individuals cross the border into Tijuana due to its proximity to the world's busiest border crossing. What is interesting is that criminals continue to cross into Mexico to evade criminal prosecution despite the extradition treaty that has been in place between the U.S. and Mexico since 1980.
According to EscapingJustice.com, the Treaty provides for extradition of a party who has been charged with or found guilty of an offense committed in the United States, who has fled to Mexico. An offense is extraditable if it is a crime in both countries and punishable by incarceration for a period of one year or more. The Extradition Treaty further provides that where the offense for which extradition is sought is punishable by death, extradition may be refused unless assurances are given that the death penalty shall not be imposed, and if imposed, shall not be executed.
Ensenada ... (Referenced on the shot glass that Logan bought for Lilly.)
A popular tourist location, Ensenada is the third largest city in the state of Baja California, Mexico with an estimated population of 314,281. Known as the "Cinderella of the Pacific," Ensenada is located 70 miles south of Tijuana and is around a 90-minute drive from San Diego, CA. Ensenada boasts a protected harbor and modern port facilities making it Baja California's leading seaport. It is also Mexico's second most visited port-of-call for major cruise lines and pleasure boats.
Tijuana (Referenced by Veronica as she asks Keith if he found out anything about Logan's alibi.)
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.
NYPD Blue ... (Referenced when Logan is questioned by Sheriff Lamb.)
NYPD Blue was a gritty police drama that aired on American television from 1993 to 2005, from the creator of Hill Street Blues. NYPD Blue debuted amidst controversy over its partial nudity, usage of the words "ass" and "dickhead" and was touted as the first R-rated series on network television. Tacit approval of police brutality was also portrayed on the show but didn't garner the same attention as the bare butts and partial boobs.
The controversy, of course, boosted the ratings and NYPD Blue quickly became a hit. The popularity of the show helped renew interest in the hour-long drama and set new standards for the police drama genre. In the twelve year run, it has received eighty-two Emmy nominations and won twenty of them, and helped pave the way for shows like The Sopranos and The Shield.
Italy ... (Referenced by Lilly as she shows Veronica naked pictures of a guy she met during her summer vacation in Italy.)
The boot-shaped country of Italy is found in the southern European area; composed of one mainland, and two smaller islands found in the Mediterranean Sea. Italy was once home to several influential European civilizations including the Greeks and Romans. Today, Italy is a highly developed country, with the eighth highest GDP (Gross Domestic Product; the US is first).
Italy has largely one language (Italian) and religion (Roman Catholic), but is quite diverse in culture, economics, and politics. They also have the fifth-highest population density in Europe (499 per square mile) coming in at a total of 58.4 million people.
Soquel ... (Referenced when Veronica seeks to call her mother's rehab facility.)
Soquel is a small community of approximately 8,000, located north of Capitola on the Monterey Bay's North Coast and part of Santa Cruz's metro area. Considered to be the gateway to the Santa Cruz Mountains, Soquel is know for several area vineyards that are available for tours and daily wine tasting, such as the popular Bargetto's wine tasting room. Downtown Soquel is an eclectic mix of the old and the new, popular among antique hunters for its diverse treasure trove of shops and the village also boasts more than 20 gourmet restaurants.
Etch a Sketch ... (Referenced when Duncan catches Veronica snooping in Lilly's room.)
Etch-a-sketch is one of the most popular children's drawing toys in the world, first sold in 1960. It has a rectangular, flat surface with two large knobs on either side of the bottom and looks kind of like an old fashioned television. By twisting the knobs, a line appears on the screen; one knob controls the vertical movement and the other controls the horizontal movement. Turning both knobs at once can achieve a curved line. It is very difficult to create more than wiggly and odd-looking doodles, but some very talented people have created some amazing sketches.
The etch-a-sketch works by magic! Uh, not really but the original name was "Magic Screen." It actually works by having the inside surface of the screen coated with fine powder made from aluminum. This powder is then wiped off when the knobs are turned, leaving a dark line on the light-gray screen. To start over, turn the toy upside and shake and the screen will become blank again. Back in the days before TVs, VCRs and videogames in minivans, parents used to rely on this type of toy to keep children occupied and quiet for hours during roadtrips. Kids would happily play with the toy knowing the other option was to be locked in the trunk until they finally got to grandma's house. Try an online version of the toy out at the etch-a-sketch site.
Access Hollywood ... (Referenced when Lilly tells Aaron that she will give the sex tapes to Access Hollywood.)
Access Hollywood is a nationally syndicated, entertainment/pseudo news television program that airs in the United States. It reports on the gossip and goings-on of celebrities from the music, television and movie industries. Premiering in 1996, it quickly earned a reputation as a very pro-celebrity show. While it purports to give in-depth interviews and analyses, Access Hollywood segments consist of little more than fluffy sound bites and promotion for upcoming entertainment events, CDs, television shows, and movies while occasionally passing along idle speculation and rumors. It is in the same vein as Entertainment Tonight and E! News Live, but is considered to be the most trivial.
Joan of Arc ... (Referenced as Aaron poured gasoline over the refrigerator that he trapped Veronica in.)
Born Jeanne d'Arc in Domremy, France on January 6, 1412, Joan of Arc (also known as the Maid of Orleans) is a national heroine in France and saint of the Catholic Church. She was born to a peasant family during The Hundred Years' War between France and England. In the year 1425, Joan began having religious visions. She stated that Saint Michael the Archangel, Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret were advising her that she was chosen by God to drive out the English from the French soil.
In the year 1429, Joan set out to fulfill what she believed was her chosen destiny. She left to meet with King Charles and convinced him to believe in her by relating a private prayer that he had made the previous year. She was given an army and together they broke the siege of the city of Orleans by the English in a mere ten days in April of 1429. She then persuaded Charles that he needed to be coronated. She led Charles and his military escorts through enemy territory, defeating many English troops along the way. Charles was crowned King Charles VII on July 17, 1429, with Joan by his side.
After many successful battles, Joan was captured by the Burgundians on May 24, 1430, and sold to Pierre Cauchon, the bishop of Beauvais who was allied with the English. The English tried Joan as a witch and heretic. She was found guilty and burned at the stake on May 30, 1431. In the year 1455, Joan's remaining family members asked for a new trial. The Pope pronounced Joan innocent in 1456. Joan was beatified by Pope Pius X in 1909 and declared a martyred saint of the Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XV in 1920.
Who's Your Daddy? (Referenced by Keith as Veronica stays with him as he's being wheeled to the ambulance.)
While Keith's use of this expression can be taken literally (and as foreshadowing for the whole paternity issue), the phrase, which rose to popularity in the 1990s, is usually used as a command for respect. And sometimes as rather disturbing-if-you-think-about-it-too-much dirty talk (see Bill Murray and P.J. Soles in Stripes).
Since Keith is such a baseball fan, I'm sure he'd remember that in September, 2004, Boston Red Sox pitcher, Pedro Martinez, after his team lost again to the New York Yankees, was quoted as saying, "I tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy ... I can't find a way to beat them at this point." Yankees fans ran with it and took up the chant, "Who's your daddy?" whenever their team played against Martinez's. As the Red Sox and the Yankees faced off in the 2004 ALCS, the Major Baseball League added to the situation by selling t-shirts with the slogan. When the Red Sox staged a surprising comeback, their fans turned it around by asking "Who's your daddy now?"
- Wallace's Veronica impersonation, "Do me a favor." He has her down.
- The regular titles dont play; instead the names just show over a regular scene.
- Logan's tapping of the finger and general mocking of Lamb in the interrogation scene.
- According to Michael Muhney, if you look closely in the scene between Lamb and Logan, his girlfriend's name (Jaime) is written in red marker on the white board. They were goofing around and it was left there accidentally.
- Perhaps as a true sign of Logan's devastation, in the beach scene wherein he confronts Veronica, he is wearing no hair gel. And perhaps as a sign that Logan had bucked up a bit (or is too shallow to even think of going to his grave with messy hair), the gel is once more expertly applied as he makes his date with the Coronado bridge.
- There is a lily on the side of the truck that nails Aaron and the name of the flower delivery service is Thomas's.
- Teddy Dunn's hilarious line read of "Mr. Echolls" as they watch the sex tape.
- Dunn doesn't do a good job of selling righteous anger in the kitchen scene. In fact, he kind of looks constipated.
- There is a lovely, albeit sad, symmetry to Logan teetering on the edge of the Coronado Bridge -- as well as the bookends to Logan, Weevil and his gang against Logan (the beach in The Pilot, the bridge here.)
- There are lilies in the pool with Lilly.
- Right before the show broke to opening credits, we got Veronica shutting her front door and right before the closing credits we got Veronica opening her door. Nice symmetry there.
- The double meaning of the title. The most basic why behind the season's main mystery (Who killed Lilly Kane?) is because Aaron was having an affair despite the fact that he was (a) married (b) the girl was underaged (c) a friend of the family and (d) his son's girlfriend. Thus, Leave to to "Beaver."
- Why did Keith have the paternity results sent to the house? What if Veronica had gotten the mail?
- Does putting a spoon in your mouth really stop you from crying while cutting onions?
- How did Keith get Cheyenne to Neptune? Doesn't she have a thriving business that needs her, um, personal attention?
- Are hot dogs and tater tots a regular Mars family meal?
- Where is Lianne sleeping? Did she just stroll back into Keiths bed like nothing happened?
- How much time has elapsed since A Trip to the Dentist?
- Considering how Veronica uses the bathroom as her personal office, how has Wallace never been in there before?
- Are Jake and Celeste really Democrats? Hm.
- Why didn't the Kane family lawyers call them and warn them about the newspaper story? I would think they would try to squash it.
- Why did Celeste answer the door to the process server? Don't they have several servants for that kind of thing?
- Why is Cassidy's nickname Beaver?
- Why did Beaver tell Veronica about Logan? Was it because he still felt guilty about Shellys party and wanted to protect her?
- Since Logan crossed through Border Control, why didn't anyone check? I mean it's nice to believe people have alibis but aren't you supposed to check them as well?
- Veronica has avoided Logan for days, but she told her father that she couldn't help but talk to him. Did she want to hear what he would say or was it really unavoidable?
- If Logan crossed the border to California at 9 am and Lilly died at 6 pm, where was he all day? He wasn't at home or he would have seen the show. He wasnt at the Kanes or he would have seen a different kind of show. Where the hell was he? And how did no one see him or his bright yellow, impossible to miss, Xterra?
- What was Weevil doing in the empty classroom?
- So Lynn and the Kanes share a lawyer? Small world.
- Did Keith expect the quid pro quo from Celeste? Is that why he sued, to force her hand? What would he have done if Veronica didnt sign the release?
- Cliff refers to Kane Enterprises. Isn't it Kane Software? Just how diversified is the Kane estate?
- Does Celeste really think that Veronica is Jake's daughter, or does she just think she has Keith over a barrel and now is a time to deal with the situation?
- If Keith hadn't pushed Veronica would she have turned in Logan?
- Would Aaron have let Logan take the fall for the murder if Veronica hadn't figured it out?
- Lamb tells Logan that Aaron has sent a lawyer. Then why is he interrogating an underage suspect without proper representation? Worst. Cop. Ever. Also, he had to know that he didn't have enough to hold him. Why arrest him at all?
- Why did they cut the Logan reaction shot in the interrogation? I would have liked to see the dawning horror.
- How did Logan know that Veronica would be on the beach?
- Has Backup met Logan before? If not, wouldn't he sense Veronica's unease and be more guarded?
- What was in Logan's note to Lilly? How did he get into her car to leave it?
- Sabrina from Kanes and Abel's also spent a summer in Italy. A popular 09er destination, or does Neptune have a school trip or something?
- Why does Lilly call her mother Celeste?
- What did Celeste hope to find when she was nosing around Lilly's room?
- Did Lianne really think that no one would take a drink from her "water" bottle?
- Even with the black wig and the glasses how did no one recognize Veronica? She was Lilly's best friend and dated Duncan. She must have been in and out of that house constantly before the murder.
- I totally did not get the chain of events the first two or three times that I watched the episode. Who else thinks it was brilliant of RT to have the tray going over in one scene and then to learn later that is what signaled Aaron that Veronica was coming?
- The Governor's security sucks. How did Veronica get anywhere near that party? And, wouldn't security be higher for someone like Arnold?
- What was the timeline for Lilly's liaisons? Weevil wrote her letters that caused her to be moved from her PE class at some point before she died. So how long before she started sleeping with Aaron did she break up with Weevil? Or is that why she broke up with Weevil, because she had moved on to, um bigger and better things? (I, personally, would have stayed with Weevil.) And then where does Logan fit into this? They broke up a short time before she died (after kissing Yolanda at the party) but was she already sleeping with Aaron at this time? Because sleeping with both father and son at the same time? Ick!
- Veronica said she knew that the first tape was the day Lilly died because she was wearing her pep squad outfit. That wasn't the first day she wore it right? I would not think that narrows it down beyond a shadow of a doubt. They should have had a time stamp on the video.
- Would Lilly have told Veronica she was sleeping with Aaron at the car wash if they hadn't been interrupted?
- How has no one ever seen the cameras in the pool house, except for Lilly and Veronica?
- Did Logan know about the cameras?
- Since there were only two other tapes, does that mean Lilly only slept with Aaron twice?
- Did Duncan know about Logan's abuse?
- So Lilly is in Aaron's bed, in his pool house and when she is murdered they don't find one trace of physical evidence even though she has the same clothes on? I don't buy it.
- Why didn't Veronica expect Aaron to be at the party?
- Why didnt Veronica stay at the party? If Keith was only ten minutes away she should have stood up on the dining room table and sang karaoke until he was there. Aaron would not have been able to touch her in a room full of witnesses.
- How did Weevil know where Logan was?
- It is not that late, why isn't there anyone else on the bridge?
- When Duncan said he could not find Aaron, why didn't Veronica turn back around and go back to the party?
- How did Aaron know where she parked her car? How did he get into the car with what should have been pretty good security?
- How did Aaron get into the house to knock out the owner?
- There is a house in the Kanes' neighborhood that has a washing machine, a toilet and a freezer in the front yard? Classy! Celeste must not be the head of the Homeowner's Association.
- Is there only one road between the Mars house and the Kane estate? How did Keith find her so fast?
- All the yelling, fire and banging and Backup never barked while in the car? I would think that Veronica's screaming would have gotten his attention.
- How badly hurt is Keith?
- How badly hurt is Aaron and do we care?
- Where was the delivery truck going at that time of night?
- Who called the Kanes? Why wasn't Celeste with Jake and Duncan? And wasn't there a police perimeter? Who the hell let Jake Kane get anywhere near his daughter's murderer?
- What will Jake do to Aaron?
- Will Jake go to jail? What about Celeste?
- Why was Veronica so insistent that Lianne leave that night? The hospital did not seem even close to releasing Keith.
- How did Lianne know where to find the check?
- Did Lianne see Jake when she came home?
- Oh, and one other little thing ... who was at the door?
- Veronica is Keith's daughter, not Jake's. Therefore Veronica and Duncan are not brother and sister.
- Lilly was having an affair with Logan's father, Aaron.
- In retaliation for her threat to reveal the affair to the press, Aaron killed Lilly.
Written/Compiled By:
ameriott45 (Amy): Social Science
duchessjms (Jayne): Social Science
holly96 (Holly): Social Science
JenniferH: Report Card; Chemistry; Band Class; Literature; Homeroom; Detention
Krissy215 (Krissy): Social Science
Mastermia (Maria): Yearbook; Journalism; Study Hall; Extra Credit; Social Science; Homeroom; Philosophy; Principles of Democracy; History
Pixigal (Gerrie): Drama Club
SeluciaV (Alli): Social Science
Tar Frimmer (Joanne): Study Hall; Literature; Social Science
Additional Help:
samwg (Shannon): Social Science
Vicki: Social Science
I think it was Maxy that did the ss for etch-a-sketch.
