Episode #03.05: President Evil
Original Air Date: October 31, 2006
Written by: Jonathan Moskin & David Mulei
Directed by: Nick Marck
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)
Study Hall (Miscellaneous Plot Details)
Extra Credit (Clues to the Season Mystery Arcs)
History (Flashbacks) (None)
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)
Extra Curricular Activities (Beyond the Broadcast)
Role Call (Written/Compiled By ...)
Staff Grade: A
Membership Grade: B (41.7% - 103 votes)
Despite some problems (the main being the boredom of Wallace's story, the slight being the lack of follow-up to Weevil's baseless accusation against Logan), this is a very strong episode, and a wonderful callback to much of season one. Veronica is sooooooo Veronica, flaws, foibles and all. She is the "unlikeable" Veronica that we LOVE!, not the unlikeable pod-Veronica we saw most of S2 and the first couple of episodes this season. In fact, all of the regulars -- minus Wallace, whose non-sidekick-story once again blows and is so very OOC -- are on target and a delight to watch. The mystery of the week is interesting and since it engaged Veronica, we viewers are engaged as well. Even Keith's case meshes nicely because it includes characters we're aware of and ties into Veronica's matriculation. An excellent start from the new writers indeed, who also make the wise decision of bringing Cliff(!) back to our screens. Bravo.
Credited Cast Non-Appearance
Ryan Hansen - Dick Casablancas
Julie Gonzalo - Parker Lee
Chris Lowell - Stosh "Piz" Piznarski
Tina Majorino - Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie
Recurring Guest Stars (Previous Episode Appearances)
Ed Begley Jr. - Cyrus O'Dell
- Wichita Linebacker
Ryan Devlin - Mercer Hayes
- Wichita Linebacker
Brandon Hillock - Deputy Sacks
- Season One Appearances
- Season Two Appearances
- Welcome Wagon
James Jordan - Tim Foyle
- Welcome Wagon
Krista Kalmus - Claire Nordhouse
- Witchita Linebacker
- Charlie Don't Surf
Daran Norris - Cliff McCormack
- Season One Appearances
- Season Two Appearances
Guest Stars
Richard Grieco - Steven Batando
Angelo Middione - Deputy Barker
Jaime Ray Newman - Mindy O'Dell
Ryan Pinkston - Danny Rossow
Robert Ri'chard - Mason
Rachel Rogers - Bratty little girl
Adam Rose - Max
Blake Sheilds - Harrison
Michael B. Silver - Professor Winkler
Who's Who in Neptune
Steven Batando - Mindy O'Dell's ex-husband, and the father of her son, Jason. Currently making a living doing voiceover work.
Deputy Barker - Deputy in the Balboa County sheriff's department. Responded with Sheriff Lamb to the casino robbery.
Mindy O'Dell - Cyrus O'Dell's wife. Previously married to Steven Batando, with whom she has a son, Jason.
Danny Rossow - Works at the pizza shop. Also a Veronica Mars fanboy.
Mason - Wallace's friend and (presumably) teammate. Majoring in physical education.
Bratty little girl - Bratty little girl who mouthed off to Veronica and planted gum on the computer chair. Harrison's daughter.
Max - "Tutor" who Mason recommended to Wallace. Sells class test and answers.
Harrison - Campus security officer. Along with his partner held up the casino. Also father of bratty little girl.
Professor Winkler - Wallace's mechanical engineering professor.
Hey! It's That Guy/Girl
Richard Grieco (Steven Batando) - Joining the long line of 1980's throwbacks to appear on Veronica Mars (see: Harry Hamlin and Steve Gutenberg, for example). Following a stint on One Life to Live, Richard Grieco got his break when he landed the role of Detective Dennis Booker on 21 Jump Street. After one season, his character was spun off to Booker, which lasted only one season. Following his two stints as Dennis Booker, Grieco went on to appear in a number of films and made-for-television movies, among them Mobsters as Bugsy Siegal and A Night at the Roxbury as himself.
Ryan Pinkston (Danny Rossow) - Ryan Pinkston a cast member on Season 1 of Ashton Kutcher's hidden-camera MTV show, Punk'd. Despite only being fifteen, Pinkston was regularly featured in his own segment, in which he would pretend to interview celebrities on the red carpet for a kids' show, only to make fun of them instead. Following his stint on Punk'd, Pinkston was a guest on a number of talk shows before starring as Patton Chase on the short-live Fox sitcom Quintuplets.
Robert Ri'chard (Mason) - Robert Ri'chard began acting at the age of thirteen, soon winning the 1997 Daytime Emmy award for Outstanding Actor in a Children's Special for the made-for-television movie In His Father's Shoes. He went on to star with Usher in Light It Up and guest star on a number of TV shows. In 2005 he played the son of Samuel L. Jackson's character in Coach Carter and then Paris Hilton's character's boyfriend (something he has in common with Jason Dohring) in House of Wax. Ri'chard was also a regular during all five seasons of the UPN sitcom One on One, playing the good friend and later boyfriend of Kyla Pratt's character (something he has in common with Percy Daggs III -- see The Wrath of Con).
This episode was a beautiful example of an ensemble working in perfect harmony. Nothing grated, nothing detracted from the twisty, layered noir atmosphere of the episode. In particular:
Highlights
Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) - Brimming with steely determinism, Bell gave us a Veronica who is at a certain level of peace, but is still peering at the world through wary eyes -- directed towards friend and enemy alike. Her scenes with Francis Capra were especially effective and showed how thin that line between friend and enemy is in Veronica's world. One final tip of the hat for her wordless scene with the brat. It was lovely to see the "unlikeable" Veronica (reminiscent of season one) that we all love so.
Daran Norris (Cliff McCormack) - We must give notable attention to the welcome return of Daran Norris as our beloved Cliff (Call Cliff! Get off! - hee, hee, hee. Best slogan ever!). With impeccable comic timing and his warm presence, Norris eased back into the world of Veronica Mars with delicious savoir faire. Ah, Cliff, you were missed!
Michael Muhney (Sheriff Don Lamb) - Muhney showed us Lamb at his snarky, asshole best, delighting viewers while delighting in the sheer asshatted-ness of Lamb. Whee!
Francis Capra (Weevil) - Although, there was a negative to Capra's performance, the actor still delivered enough to warrant inclusion here. His scenes with Bell, Muhney and Jason Dohring (Logan) showed us all sides of Weevil and it was a smooth slide into Weevil's ambiguous, dangerous vibe.
Sidenote: Whatever the reason that Francis Capra has gained weight and is suffering from an outbreak of acne, he still managed to hit the right acting notes with his voice levels and facial expressions this week. Unfortunately this week his performance is hindered by his appearance and some of his scenes were lacking due to this. I found the flirting with the coed scene and his line that he was getting a lot of play unbelievable. I mention this because while appearance isn't key to a performance, at times it does factor into the role you are playing. I am not buying Weevil as sexy this year and it hurts the credibility of the scenes.
Lowlights
James Jordan (Tim Foyle) - Jordan gained a small following due to his performance as the tormented Lucky last season. Unfortunately, that talent and charisma is not working with this role. There is an unbelievability to the portrayal; I keep waiting for him to rip off his wig and start waving a gun about. In particular, he overemphasized certain words in his dialogue that gave his scene with Veronica some off-kilter vibrations.
Jamie Ray Newman (Mindy O'Dell) - A little too snooty and overly done in the admittedly stock role of trophy wife/concerned mother, Newman overplayed the role. Oy, can't we bring back Kendall? I mean Buffy died lots of times. We just need Willow, a deer and a some jar she found on the internet.
Scene One: Re: The Girlfriend Department -- Lilly Sucks; Veronica Rules
It's not a Logan/Veronica scene, but since the relationship is being discussed, I'm addressing it here. This scene between Weevil and Veronica offered us a mighty YAY! in the LoVe department and big ole boo! in the LoVe/Logan/WTF? department. We'll let Negative Nellie out to play first. Once again, Weevil inferred that Logan was a bad, bad boyfriend to Lilly ... and Veronica just let it slide. HEL-LO!!! LILLY cheated on Logan with Weevil (!), with Aaron, Logan's father (!!), with Lord knows how many other guys (!!!). LILLY dumped Logan time and time again, broke his heart and then blithely picked up the pieces when she got bored with whomever she cheated on Logan with that time. Logan worshipped Lilly. How? What? HUH!? is LOGAN the bad guy here?
You'd think that Weevil might, oh, have a clue that Lilly perhaps lied about Logan being such the loser since she (a) was the one cheating on him with Weevil, (b) went back to Logan and then accused Weevil of stalking her and (c) slept with Logan's father. Sigh, I guess it's too much to ask for the show to EVER acknowledge the idiocy of this. Or, you know, at least have VERONICA acknowledge it ... at least with regards to Logan. Would it have killed her to protest even a little bit? Say something, anything that would indicate Weevil didn't know diddly-squat about of what he was speaking? Seriously! No, she just glossed it over with a quip about gossip. Bad call, Veronica -- no, wait, I'm loving Veronica again (yay!), so she gets off (not by Cliff, silly! Eww!). Bad call, writers, BAD CALL!
And what makes this even worse, is that this isn't the first time. Weevil referenced Logan hurting Lilly in A Trip to the Dentist and that plot point was dropped as well. Sure, it's been answered by Rob Thomas in an interview:
As for the YAY! column -- once again we are seeing the continuing motif of Veronica truly TRYING to be a good, supportive girlfriend. Clearly she realizes that this is not something that she does naturally, so she's doing her damndest (as promised) to act unnaturally for her beau. So yay for Veronica. If they break up again, regardless of the circumstances -- his fuck-ups, her issues -- one can't say that she didn't at least try. So yay!
Scene Two: Truth and Consequences
Excuse me while I go a little in-depth here and expand beyond the mere horizons of this scene which offer just a few LoVe nuggets. The first being Veronica's clear and utter relief when she saw Logan show up and Logan's comfort of her in return, as well as his mature ignorance of Lamb's petty jibing. Okay, I don't want to leave that first one just lying there; I believe it deserves a little more commentary. I truly loved seeing how that moment when Logan arrived played out. Veronica was clearly pissed and depressed and just a little shaken when she saw Logan. She straightened and a look of such relief and almost longing (as if he needed to be there, his arms around her right then at that very second to make things better) on her face was lovely to behold, if only because it was once against a sign of how very much, yes, Veronica DOES love Logan, damnit! And because of all of the misery we were handed last season, I still am very much in the frame of mind to savor every such moment.
As for the deeper analysis ... it all revolves around this line:
Logan doesn't trust Veronica. As much as she doesn't trust him -- and we know she doesn't, he doesn't trust her ... with his heart. For Veronica, it's about the things he could/would do to himself, to others around him, stupid mistakes he could make that would lead to him hurting her. With Logan, it's about how Veronica can hurt him and it's much more direct and immediate. She could just break his heart all over again ... so easily by not trusting him, not loving him. She's done it twice, three times if you count the Alterna-prom. Three times he's completely laid himself out there for her, put his heart on the line for her to do with what she will. Sometimes the band-aid was ripped off quickly and other times slowly, but still, she ripped it off and left him with a gaping wound: His heart in tatters. I think that we are finally seeing the consequences of that now.
Many were frustrated with the Hannah arc last season, but many also understood (including myself) that the story it presented had a purpose. That purpose was to show Logan that there are consequences to every action and when those actions are harmful, people get hurt. They get hurt even when those committing the action don't truly mean to hurt someone, or even when the "ends justifies the means." People get hurt, sometimes innocent people, and there are always consequences. We saw a Logan in the first half of last season not acknowledging -- let alone dealing -- with any of the consequences of Lilly's actions, his father's, Veronica's and his own. He just bottled it up and went along his blithe, snarky way ... and people got hurt. Veronica got hurt. Duncan got hurt. Hannah got hurt. Weevil and Felix and Molly got hurt. Not all his fault, no, but consequences happened and some of the fallout was his fault. Yet, he'd never owned up to it, never had dealt with it. So seeing what he had done, out of a selfish (and certainly self-justifiable) need, to someone who truly was innocent, was perhaps the first real step in opening Logan's eyes. And then there was the night on the roof. Seeing what happened with Beaver, all of the wrong done to him that he just bottled up and then unleashed on innocents, including Veronica, seems to have finally (FINALLY!) firmly woke him up to the consequences of actions and how very much they hurt, not just others, but himself as well.
And so here we are, he and Veronica are together once more and truly making a go at it, but he knows that she doesn't trust him and he doesn't trust her with his heart. He doesn't trust that if he messes up again, she won't walk away, breaking his heart yet one more time. And because he doesn't trust her, he's walking on eggshells, doing his damndest to not only NOT screw up so badly that he sends her running, but also walking on the eggshells of his heart. He's holding himself back because he knows now, he gets it. If he screws up, the consequences are that he'll get hurt ... again. Those are the consequences. And he feels, perhaps thinks that he knows, that if he puts his heart all out on the line again for her, knowing her, she'll leave him again no matter what he does. And the consequences of that are that this time he may be broken beyond repair. Those are the potential consequences and Logan Echolls finally understands their power.
Scene Three: Non-Compartmentalization
Not much here except the joy of seeing Logan "helping" Veronica on a case. And how joyful is it? Pretty durn joyful for this viewer. And it's even sort of a semi-date, too. Woohoo!! Movies, popcorn, grilling film geeks ... okay, mayhap that last part is not quite the routine date, but Veronica including Logan in her sleuthing? Better than just a date, that's Veronica including Logan in her life! Yay, for the lack of compartmentalizing!
Scene Four: Teamwork
Ah, but the boy on the side is clearly what he wanted to be here. I've got to give kudos to Jason Dohring here. He had one line which consisted of one word: "No," and yet he was so a significant part of this scene. Wonderful job by him and also bravo to the new writers for acknowledging (FINALLY!) that he is the son of Aaron Echolls, a famous actor and would thus get some attention, especially from a film student. I loved how Veronica was practically blas about the guy's attitude towards Logan and just continued on with her questioning which was, of course, aided by Logan (without words) requesting the same. Teamwork, albeit silent on Logan's part. After all, for this gig, he was more than happy to just be the boy on the side.
Scene Five: A Boy, a Girl and a Dog
Really, this is just a different verse of the same song. Yay, Veronica included Logan in the sleuthing. Yay!! Lack of compartmentalizing is such a lovely thing. And of course, this scene featured Veronica and Logan ... walking Backup.
That made me so happy. I just, sigh, I just got such a happy smile and squeeed with joy because Logan and Veronica were walking Backup. So being a couple, so like being a family. Awww. And I really, really mean it.
The Trail of the Necklace
Veronica's in her Intro to Criminology class staring holes into her watch. I think. She's pretty much ignoring Lucky -- I mean TIM -- who is explaining to the class that Dr. Landry has been called to testify as an expert witness in some high profile case. Unfortunately for Veronica and co., that means that Tim will be running the class today while they continue with their oral presentations.
Tim calls on Veronica -- his new rival for Dr. Landry's affections -- to take the podium and give her presentation. She must be waiting for someone or something to arrive, because she hesitates, glancing at her watch and the door. Tim exhibits unholy glee in response to Veronicas apparent lack of preparedness. But wait! The door opens and Weevil arrives. Veronica breathes a quick sigh of relief because now shes ready to begin her presentation. Tim pouts like a whiny baby, but takes a seat and gives her the floor.
Weevil stands at the front of the class with Veronica as she gives her dissertation on The Life and Times of Eli Navarro. Tim immediately interrupts Veronica to snipe that she's supposed to be giving an oral presentation, not show and tell. I guess this means it isn't "take your favorite felon to class day." Veronica reminds Tim that Dr. Landry told them that they could use audio/visual aids. And Weevil is both an audio (hear his manly "Yo!") AND a visual (see his masculine, tattoo covered physique!) aide.
The class twitters with amusement while Tim (I hope) takes a moment to reflect upon the depth of his stupidity. Tim says he'll "let it slide" -- code for "you're right but there's no way in hell I'm admitting it." Veronica's nod in response conveys the perfect note of sarcastic acknowledgment. She concludes her introduction by explaining that her presentation will focus on the socio-economic conditions that lead teens and preteens into a life of crime.
Time passes and things in Intro to Criminology seem to be going smashingly well. The class is engaged and entertained as Weevil shares comical anecdotes about his life of crime as the leader of the PCHer's. He's both funny and honest and is clearly connecting with his audience -- much to Tim's annoyance. A cute girl at the back of the class asks Weevil if he thinks he'll ever really be able to leave gang life behind. Weevil sincerely says that he's really trying (and, Awwww for that!) but he does miss it: He misses having money in his pocket and he misses the thrill. I also suspect he misses the sense of family and of community he had in the gang, but I suspect that this revelation might be just a bit too touchy-feely for Weevil. Veronica is nearly glowing with pride over the success of her presentation and of Weevil's willingness to discuss his life to openly.
As the duo exit class, Weevil comments on Veronica's pretty necklace -- he recognizes it as one of Lilly's. Veronica fingers the pendant wistfully and comments that Lilly has been on her mind lately. The two share a moment of silence over their dearly departed friend.
Weevil tries to lighten the mood by asking Veronica about her Halloween plans. She snarks that she's got the usual on tap -- donning her sexy nurse's uniform and then rolling tweeners for their candy. Sweet. Then she relents and tells Weevil that she's planning to meet the boyfriend at the Benetian (Mercer's illegal dorm room casino) for some quality couples time over the poker table. Weevil laughs and assumes that Veronica's going to practice her card sharp skills on the unsuspecting student body. She grins, but tells him that the evening is actually a compromise: they'll gamble for part of the evening (one of his things) and then don costumes and hand out candy to the wee trick or treaters (one of her things). Aren't they so mature?
On that note, Veronica warns Weevil that she won't buy his custodian's uniform as a costume so he better not show up on her doorstep lookin' for goodies. Brushing his shoulder off, she also comments that he might want to consider a new shampoo. Nice Veronica. He doesn't need Head 'n Shoulders, he's simply covered in dry wall dust (which, correct me if I'm wrong, bears zero resemblance to dandruff) from the Student Union renovations.
Spotting the hot girl from class across the quad, Weevil cautions Veronica that she ought to use the short leash on her boyfriend. (Weevil, I beg you -- stop giving Veronica ideas.) Veronica tells Weevil that, shocking though it may seem, the hotties of Hearst aren't even close to the top of her list of worries about Logan. You know what Veronica? I hope by all that is holy you remember you said that. I'm marking your words -- and if any future behavior on your part makes that statement a lie, I'm gonna form those words into a dense ball of aggression and chuck them at your head.
Veronica's declaration catches Weevil completely off guard -- he had no idea that she was dating Logan again. Weevil seems to be harboring some serious misconceptions about Logan because he comments with utter incredulity that he can't believe she's dating him again "after what he did to Lilly." I assume he isn't referring to the way Logan played doormat to Lilly and her indiscretions with, oh, HIM. Not to mention Logan's father. And god only knows who else. Veronica jokes about the lousy state of the prison grapevine but doesn't address Weevils concerns. Weevil is not amused, and walks away shaking his head.
Side note: I can't for the life of me figure out why Veronica has such a hard time answering such simple questions these days! Is this a strictly a Logan-related mental block?!? Veronica, pay attention. When someone asks, "Do you have a boyfriend?" You reply, "Yes. His name is Logan." You can also improvise by adding some sort of descriptive comment about his greatness as a human being and a boyfriend to your response. When someone asks, "After what he did to Lilly?" You say, "Logan never did anything to Lilly but love her. She betrayed him on more occasions than I have fingers and toes -- including a liaison with Logan's abusive father." You may also feel free to scold the person who questions you about their utter inability to recognize Lilly's faults. Actually, you might want to work on that too. But, hey, now you know. And you know what they say ... knowing is half the battle. I expect to see you employ these simple tools the next time someone hits you with a Logan question. Got it? Good.
Later that night, Veronica (posing as Meg White of The White Stripes) arrives at Mercer's to meet up with Logan. It seems she's beaten her honey to the Venetian and since she's got some time to kill and could use a little extra scratch, she starts hunting for the "sucker" table. (A lovely nod to Veronica's poker prowess in An Echolls Family Christmas.) Before she can get the lay of the land, there is a commotion across the room. Two guys making like Patrick Swayze in Point Break (not to be confused with the Aaron Echoll's classic Breaking Point), dressed in suits and presidential masks, declare that they are bad men here to hold up the joint.
President Carter appears to be both ringleader and mouthpiece for this crime syndicate, and he orders all the partygoers to put all of their valuables -- watches, jewelry, wallets, etc. -- into Tricky Dick's trick or treat bag. (I guess he is a crook after all.) Carter seems to be confusing his movie motifs because although the look says Point Break the accent and delivery say Scarface. Tricky Dick remains silent. While Nixon makes the rounds collecting the goods from Mercer's guests, Jimmy gets the casino's cashbox and combination from Mercer.
Veronica parts with her wallet and watch without protest, but draws the line at Lilly's necklace. She even smacks Dick when he tries to get forceful and snatch it from her. President Carter jumps into the fray and he's pulling no punches. He grabs Veronica by the throat and slams her into the wall. He wraps his fingers in the chain and yanks hard, breaking the clasp and pulling it from her neck. As he releases Veronica and she slumps against the wall, she declares that he's gonna be sorry he did that. I'd almost feel sorry for the guy -- he clearly has no idea who he's up against -- if he werent, you know, an evildoer.
Shortly thereafter two Hearst rent-a-cops arrive on the scene, start gathering witness statements, and try to puzzle out what happened. Not surprisingly, most of the victims have little to no confidence in these two security guys. The first security guard, a large blonde guy, tries to gather the witness statements and keep the crowd calm while his partner, an Asian gent with a thick accent, questions Mercer. During the course of the interview we learn that Mercer's been told to shut down his operation more than once ... not that he particularly cares.
Logan arrives moments later posing as Jack White (of the White Stripes) to Veronica's Meg, sporting what may be the ugliest wig ever seen. *Shudders* (Seriously -- nothing that ugly should ever be permitted to tarnish the beauty that is Logan. For the love of god, someone put that thing on the bonfire with all the argyle garments. Please.) Anyway, Veronica tells Logan about the stick-up and is clearly anguished about the loss of Lilly's necklace. As Logan pulls her close to offer her the comfort of his big, strong, sexy guns, Lamb arrives on the scene spewing his standard mix of stupidity and vitriol.
He starts by making unsympathetic comments to the room full of victims about illegal gambling and underage drinking -- implying, of course, that everyone there deserved to be robbed at gunpoint by two clowns in masks. Then, for good measure, he snarks on Logan and Veronica for their PDA. Without actually giving any thought to the order before opening his mouth, he instructs one of the deputies to start collecting ID's. That is until Veronica points out that they all just had their wallets stolen. The "dumbass" is implied.
As blondie security guy starts to relay the details of the crime, Lamb cuts him off. "Good work JV, Varsitys taking the field now." Which, okay, I'll grant you is pretty freaking funny. However, I cant help but think that Captain Lamb and the Neptune Squad are gonna end up scoring more than a few points in the wrong end zone ... if you know what I mean. Logan quips that with "Scotland Yard" on the case, they are sure to get their things back in record time. Even if it were true, it wouldn't matter at this point because Veronicas got on her 'resolve' face now, boys. She tells Logan that she doesn't need any help because she knows who did it. Based on Veronica's penchant for haphazardly jumping to all the wrong conclusions, I can only assume that this wont end well.
Weevil arrives home at night after a hard day at work. As he goes to put his key in the door, the loud bark of what sounds like a very large dog comes loud and clear through his apparently unlocked door. Last time I checked, Weevil didn't own a dog -- and judging by the look on his face, he still doesn't. He grabs a large wrench out of his tool box and storms the door, flipping on the light to confront the uninvited guest. But Weevil's not being burgled. In retrospect he may wish he had been.
There on his couch sits one very angry Veronica Mars, with Backup in tow. I'm not sure exactly which one of them was barking, but it's clear that Veronica's the one who looks more inclined to attack. Veronica demands to know where Lilly's necklace is. Weevil takes a deep breath and makes a few cracks about the other goodies his adoring female public has left behind, before admitting that he has no idea what she's talking about. Veronica is already worked up and has clearly decided that she knows exactly who is behind the casino robbery. Remember what I said about jumping to all the wrong conclusions? Its more like she's leaping with abandon.
Veronica tells Weevil that she thinks it is too convenient that not six hours after she tells him about an illegal casino on campus, a guy the same size and build as Weevil who is wearing a mask and is covered in plaster dust and Drakkar Noir holds the place up and steals her necklace. She figures that based on his comments to her class about missing his life of crime paired with his comments to her about Lilly's necklace, he has to be the guilty party.
Weevil is pissed and genuinely insulted that she thinks he could really do that to her after all they've been through. She responds that after all that they've been through, how could she not think it? Waaaaaay harsh Veronica. Your trust issues are out of frakkin control, girlfriend. Weevil is clearly hurt and tells Backup that although he's welcome to hang out and have a beer, his girl's gotta go. Veronica clings to her righteous indignation and storms out the door. Weevil comments to her retreating form that it's no wonder she doesn't have more friends. Word to yo motha on that one, Weevs. I can only hope that Veronica's gonna be choking on her words here in the not too distant future.
Logan and Weevil run into each other in the school parking lot. Rather than tipping their proverbial hats and going their separate ways, neither can resist the opportunity to get a little snarking in. But before Joe College and Jose Lunchpail can do more than exchange their opening volleys, Lamb arrives on the scene to search Weevil's car. Weevil is completely frustrated by everyone's determination to accuse him of a crime he doesn't even know anything about! But contrary to his protests, Sachs finds some of the goods from the robbery stashed in the backseat of Weevil's lowrider.
As Lamb goes to arrest him, he quips that perhaps this time they can do his Miranda rights in harmony -- Lamb on lead vocals and Weevil on tenor? (Hee!) While Weevil's being cuffed Logan wonders aloud if something happens more than twice if it still qualifies as dj vu. Lamb puts Weevil in the backseat, and Logan suggests that Weevil ask for Cell B when he gets to prison ... it has the best light. As Lamb puts the car in gear, he picks up his CB and calls out, "Hey good lookin,' we'll be back to get you later!" Well, you got half of it right Lamb: Logan is extremely good lookin'. It's okay, you can say it. We know.
Hearing of Weevils arrest, Veronica pays a visit to the Sheriff's Department. When she informs Lamb that she's not there to prove the bad guy innocent, merely to pick up her necklace, he's not just surprised, he's downright baffled. He nearly has a mental meltdown which he expresses through the beauty of dance, The Robot. Veronica doesnt have any real interest in Lamb's show (unlike his deputies that are scrambling for a camera phone to immortalize this moment) but she is interested in finding out if he was tipped off about the stuff in Weevil's car. It wasn't a tip, but rather Weevil's use of one of the stolen credit cards to order himself a pizza for delivery. That's not too obvious or anything. Nothing about that story says "frame up" to me at all. I have to wonder if Veronica's even conscious at this point because she doesn't seem to find any of this suspiciously convenient.
Lamb allows her in to pay a visit to Weevil in his cell. They banter about decorating options to make the cell more like home for a minute before Veronica asks him again about Lilly's necklace. Second verse, same as the first Veronica. Read my lips: He. Doesnt. Know. Weevil tells her that he's being framed (and I'm sorry but DUH!). He didn't order the pizza, but he did enjoy a few slices when it mysteriously arrived at his apartment. Hey, it was free food and he wasn't looking a gift horse in the mouth.
Something must be penetrating because I do see a glimmer in Veronica's eyes. She wants Weevil to tell her that when she looks into the pizza thing, she's going to find out he didn't order it, right? Weevil says that she could just try believing him. After an awkward pause they share a chuckle over the ridiculousness of that statement because we all know that if Jesus himself came down from on high and told Veronica Mars that the sky was blue, she'd still look up just to check. As far as Veronica is concerned, no one is entitled to any benefit of any doubt. Ever.
Veronica pays a visit to Mamma Mia's pizza to track down the source of the mystery pizza order. The kid at the counter, Danny, recognizes Veronica from her glory days at Neptune High and is totally star struck. All Veronica wants to do is get the info on the order, but Danny's too caught up in reliving all of Veronica's greatest sleuthing moments to notice. Veronica finally gets a word in edgewise and tells Danny that she really doesn't have time for a trip down memory lane because she's working on a case. Danny is in awe ... she is so awesome. Veronica manages to reign him in by asking for his help.
She wonders if they have any way to track incoming orders -- you know, caller ID or the like? Danny says that they do and gives her a rundown of how the system works. She asks him to pull up the order delivered to Weevil's apartment so that she can check the phone number. As luck would have it, the order wasn't placed by phone -- it was an online order. The only way to find out where the online order originated is to have the manager request the info from their internet service provider. Unfortunately, the manager isn't in. Veronica turns on the charm and wonders if there is any way they can make it like his manager is there. Danny gulps in a way that perfectly conveys that he's willing to do whatever Veronica desires. And I meant that exactly the way I typed it.
Veronica follows Danny back to the office where he calls the internet company and does a fierce imitation of his boss. I don't even know the guy and yet I can picture him perfectly. I've got to give the kid props, he's good! Even Veronica's impressed by his chutzpa. He comes through like a champ and forwards the info to Veronica.
It seems that the IP address belongs to a public computer on the Hearst campus only forty feet from where Weevil's been arse deep in drywall. Veronica decides he still in the mix, but is clearly no longer as emphatically certain as she once was that he was the criminal mastermind behind this robbery -- partly because so many people have access to this terminal. As she grabs her bag and stands up she realizes she's got purple chewing gum stuck to her ass. Hey Veronica? That's KARMA. I hope you are paying attention.
Veronica surveys the crowd and spots the guilty party sitting outside the door to the university's security office. But the culprit isn't a student -- at least not at Hearst. She's a bratty kid about seven years old who seems to relish the torture her gum inflicts upon others. In fact, when Veronica calls her out for putting her gum on the chair, this little girl has the audacity to suggest that perhaps Veronica wouldn't have gum on her ass if she were, you know, smarter. Or more observant. You know, I generally love kids, but I'd like to give this one a boot to the head.
Weevil calls on Veronica to pay him a visit later that afternoon because he's got some info on the crime to share. Apparently one of his buddies on the janitorial staff found the masks and guns in the dumpster behind Venice Hall. He didn't turn them in to the cops because he wasn't sure if it would help Weevil or hurt him. Veronica's already thinking ahead and plans to get the stuff so she can track the ownership of the guns. There's only one little itsy-bitsy problem with her plan: The guns aren't real, they're props.
So where does one go on a college campus to locate gun props? Why, the theater department, of course. Veronica winds her way through the theater and approaches a group of students standing in the wings on stage left. Everyone in the group is dressed in period garb and they are all staring intently at the stage floor in front of them. Veronica wonders if they can point her in the direction of the props department. Handily enough, the prop mistress is one of the theater students, but Veronica's out of luck because they don't do guns. They do Moliere -- hence the garb. If Veronica wants guns, they suggest she check with the film department. And if she's headed that way, they'd love for her to pass along their thanks for the opening night present: A stage completely covered in Pam cooking spray. I have to admit, that's ... diabolically brilliant.
On that recommendation, Veronica (with boyfriend in tow) pays a visit to the film department's short film festival. Veronica's strategy is to go get popcorn and grill film geeks while Logan gets seats. However, that doesnt prove to be necessary as Logan points out the eerie "life imitates art" moment happening on screen: Two guys wearing Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon Masks are holding up a convenience store. I'm going out on a limb when I speculate that this isn't a coincidence.
Once the festival ends, Veronica corners the director. She tells him that a robbery recently occurred using the mask and gun props from his movie and wonders if he knows anything about it. Before she can get an answer out of him, film boy is distracted by Logan, Logan's money, and all of his Hollywood ties. The kid immediately launches into an investment inquiry, but Logan shuts him right down and gestures that he really ought to be paying attention to Veronica before she gets angry. The director acquiesces and tells Veronica that the equipment truck with all of their stuff, including those props, was stolen a week ago. The theft was reported and miraculously, the on-campus police actually recovered the truck. All the equipment was accounted for except for the guns and the masks. Veronica makes her "a ha" face. I'm guessing this means she's figured something out that I haven't yet.
The next day Veronica pays a visit to the blonde security guard she met the night of the robbery with Backup in tow. She stands on his porch and talks to him through the wrought iron bars of his front door and tells him she wants her necklace back. He chuckles, but pretends not to know what she's talking about. Veronica, naturally, isn't deterred. She tells him that she doesn't care about the rest of the money and stuff he and his partner stole, she just wants her necklace because it has sentimental value ... but no dice. Which was really unwise on his part.
Veronica explains how she put all the pieces together. See, the guard and his partner knew about the casino, because they'd been trying to shut it down for months. They arranged it so that his partner, Sasaki, wouldn't speak at all during the heist so that his accent wouldn't give them away. They got the idea to pin it on Weevil after reading his file as a new hire. The custodian on parole seemed like the perfect patsy, particularly since he too would be covered in drywall dust from the construction going on right outside the security office. And they got the idea for the heist when they recovered the equipment van for the film department.
Veronica wonders if she missed anything. The guard, mistakenly believing himself to be safe, tells her that the one thing she's missing is proof. Or is she??? Veronica pulls out a clear plastic bag containing the masks from the robbery. Even though the robbers wore gloves during the hold-up, the masks are just chock full of stray hairs and skin cells. She's basically holding a bag o' DNA. She asks one last time for her necklace and offers to trade it for the bag of proof. The guard takes a deep breath and tells her he'll need a day to get her necklace back.
Unfortunately, that's not really gonna work for Veronica ... and it isn't going to work for the guard either because those sirens in the distance represent her end game. Veronica shows off the wire she's been concealing in her cleavage during their little conversation, proving once again that she is smarter than the average (bear) college student. And can you believe it? She actually worked WITH Lamb to crack a case! I expect hell to freeze over at any moment.
After searching the house Lamb informs her that although they've recovered a lot of the stolen goods -- they (finally) have the right bad guys in custody -- they haven't found her necklace. Lamb speculates that maybe the other guy has it as his place and tells her they have squad cars on the way over to check it out. Then he takes off so that he can mug for the news crews and newspaper reporters. Veronica morosely heads back to her car to go home empty handed.
Just as she gets behind the wheel a school bus pulls up in front of the security guard's house. As the bus pulls away from the curb, Veronica sees the bratty little girl of the hideous ass hindering chewing gum talking to the cuffed guard. One can assume that this gal is daddy's little princess. Boy, the genes in this family do tell, don't they? Before Veronica can pull away, the girl strides over to her car spouting a tirade at her heedless of the fact that Veronica's got her window up. That is, until Veronica spots her necklace sitting prettily against the little girl's t-shirt. Veronica lowers the window, reaches out, rips the necklace right off the girl's neck, and then raises the window again without pausing. She puts the car in gear and pulls out into the street, heedless of the little girl's incessant bitching and whining in her wake.
So Weevil's innocent, the bad guys are going to jail, the snotty little beeatch got hers, and Veronica got her precious necklace back. But at what cost, I ask you? I can't imagine that her friendship with Weevil will ever be the same again. If there's any hope of these two reconciling, Veronica's going to need to choke down a rather large helping of crow.
The Case of the Sleazy Ex
Veronica arrives at Mars Investigations bagging on the illegally parked Porsche out front, completely oblivious to the fact that her dad is in his office with a client. A rich client who happens to own said Porsche. To add insult to injury, the Porsche-owning client is none other than Dean O'Dell (and his trophy wife). After an embarrassing episode of open mouth-insert foot, the Dean introduces his wife to Veronica while simultaneously putting Veronica cleanly in her place. I must say Dean: Well done. Keith suggests that his daughter go matriculate so he can get down to business. He asks Mrs. O'Dell to tell him all about her ex hubby.
When we next see the Dean and his missus, Keith is escorting them out of the office while assuring them he'll get right on the case. No sooner has the door shut behind them than Veronica's snapping about how O'Dell is the Dean most frequently burned in effigy. Rather than laugh at his daughter's wit, Keith tells Veronica to take it easy on the Dean. It seems that his stepson is dying -- and before he goes gently into that good night, the boy's dying wish is to meet his birth father. Sniff. Poor kid! Thank the lord Keith Mars is on the case.
The following day Keith calls the Dean to let him know that he's tracked down the deadbeat ex. The good news is he's living close by in sunny SoCal. The Dean is understandably skeptical that Keith has found this guy so quickly, but that's only because he doesn't know the genius of Keith Mars firsthand. Keith tells him that he found the guy through a string of exes, and took a tour of the guy's apartment where he found a slew of Backstage West mags with auditions circled. It seems that Mrs. O'Dells ex has been scratching out a living as a voiceover actor, and Keith's got a pretty good plan in mind on how to get him in a room with the Dean and Mrs. O'Dell.
Veronica arrives at the Mars Investigations offices just in time to help Keith out with his plan to trap the elusive Mr. Batando in a room with his ex and her hubby the Dean. Cliff is on hand to play one of the faux actors auditioning for a voiceover part (along with Keith) and Veronica will play the receptionist. One can assume she'll be going method on this one. Cliff amuses everyone by demonstrating the breadth of his talents as an announcer for monster trucks, which he tells us will be coming to Neptune this Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! Heeeee!
A few minutes later Richard Greico -- aka Steve Batando -- arrives looking like twenty miles of bad road. He checks in with Veronica who takes his resume and headshot (and, um, why do you need head shots as a VOICE actor?) before grabbing a seat on the couch next to Keith. Veronica calls "Mickey" (Cliff) in for his audition, but Mickey -- ever the perfectionist -- is still 'dialing it in.' He offers to let Steve go in his place.
Steve takes a deep breath and heads into the "casting room" a.k.a. Keith's office. As the door closes behind him, the Dean spins around in Keith's office chair and Mindy steps out from the shadows. As soon as he sees his ex, Steve realizes he's been duped and he has no interest in staying to talk about alimony or anything else. Mindy tells him that she needs to talk to him, but not about money. It's really important and she couldn't think of any other way to get him to agree to speak with her. (Honey, not to split hairs, but it doesn't look like he's agreeing now either). Keith enters the room and tells Steve to just stay for a minute and listen.
Mindy tells Steve that their son, Jason, has bone cancer and is dying. To have any chance of surviving, he needs a bone marrow transplant and Steve is their last hope. They used the DNA information from the paternity test to confirm that Steve is a match and Mindy begs him to donate his bone marrow to his dying boy -- to really act like Jason's father for once. Steve does look somewhat upset by this announcement, but it seems he's too bitter about the fact that Mindy left him for a richer dude and took his son from him to really care. He'd rather be a petty jackass than save his son's life.
And seriously -- how freaking callous and heartless do you have to be to deny a dying child your bone marrow? And not just any child, your own flesh and blood?!? Yeah Steve, clearly your hurt feelings and injured pride are more important than saving the kid's life, you jackass. If someone wants to suggest shooting this bastard and stealing his bone marrow before hiding the body in a hotel ice machine, I'm all for it.
Steve tries to tell Mindy that he's not interested in doing this "favor" for her, but the Dean's not interested in his whiny bullshit. He tells Steve that he's going to be a human being for three seconds and save his son's life, even if the Dean has to personally break him in half and take the marrow out by force. (Okay, that plan works too) Steve stands and tells the O'Dell's that Jason isn't his son, he's the Dean's. They've both seen to that and so he's audi.
Miserable, selfish prick. Grrrrrrrr.
Keith and Cliff are sharing tawdry work tales over lunch in the Mars Investigations offices when they are interrupted by a visit from Lamb and Detective Sanchez of the L.A.P.D. Detective Sanchez brandishes a business card and asks Keith if it belongs to him. Keith confirms that it does, which Sanchez points out is strange since the card identifies him as Adrian Monk, a Los Angeles County building inspector. (Seriously Keith -- that's freaking genius, my man!) It seems that the super that Keith gave that card to told Sanchez that Keith ordered him to let him into Steve Batando's apartment. Keith gives his best "who, me?" face and counters that he never ordered, merely asked politely. Keith is clearly amused by his own cleverness, and with good reason.
Except no one else (well, except maybe Cliff) thinks this is funny because it seems that Mr. Batando has been missing for fifty-two hours and Keith is now the lead suspect. Lamb and Sanchez try to question Keith, but lucky for him he's got his very own lawyer right there, chomping on a sandwich and looking out for his rights. Cliff interrupts and wonders if they are planning to arrest Keith. As it seems they are not, Cliff hands Sanchez his card and instructs him to call if he decides he's got any more questions. Lamb doesn't need the card of course, because the benches at the station are all covered with his stickers -- "Call Cliff and Get Off." Hee hee hee!!!! Sanchez warns Keith that they'll be watching him. Keith mock shivers in mock fear.
After Lamb and Sanchez depart, Keith heads into his office and makes a few calls. He learns that Jason O'Dell was discharged from the hospital the day before. Now Keith is worried that the O'Dell's have kidnapped Batando and are planning to take his bone marrow by force. Cliff cautions that these things rarely end well for the unwilling donor seeing as how it is much better for everyone if they just die and disappear once they've served their purpose. Keith decides he's going to track down the O'Dells and Cliff agrees to loan him his research guy to aide in the search.
I guess he didn't need to search very hard because the next time we see Keith, he's storming the Dean's office and he's madder than hell. The Dean tells Keith that he's just gotten off the phone with his wife. In an act of motherly desperation, it seems that she's taken Jason to some hospital in Rosarita, Mexico and is planning to move forward with the surgery. Apparently Mindy's got her brother helping her, but that doesn't make the Dean feel any better. He's afraid that now he's going to lose both his stepson and his wife and all because that bastard Batando had to be a selfish prick. Keith takes a deep breath and tells the Dean he'll find them. The Dean grabs his bag and tells Keith that hes coming with him -- Keith's going to need to track Mindy's phone and he's Keith's best bet for keeping her on the line.
Later, Keith and the Dean are wandering around a hospital in what I assume is Rosarita, Mexico, searching for Mindy and Jason. Keith wants the Dean to call Mindy again, but he emphatically tells Keith that it won't work because Mindy's not going to answer the phone. At that moment, Keith's phone rings. Cliff's on the line and it seems he has some updated information. Keith listens intently for several minutes and his expression darkens with each passing moment.
He hangs up the phone and rounds on the Dean. Cliff has discovered that the Dean and his wife have Jason stashed at Sister's of Mercy in San Diego where Mindy's uncle is an oncologist. The Dean refuses to apologize for leading Keith on this merry chase, because he did what he had to do to protect his son. Keith's incredulous over the lengths they are willing to go to. He has to figure that they managed to bring Steve into the hospital unconscious. The Dean confirms, but tells Keith that Steve didnt really leave them any choice -- they couldn't let Jason die.
As they arrive at Sister's of Mercy, the Dean is still pleading for Keith's understanding. He begs him not to burst into the OR and interrupt the surgery because that will surely lead to Jason's death. It isn't that Keith is unsympathetic, but since Steve is not participating in this surgery of his own free will, Keith has to speak up or risk being an accessory to god only knows what crimes. The Dean assures Keith that they have no intention to harm or kill Butanda, they just did what they had to do to save their son's life. Sensing Keith's inner struggle with the shades of moral gray, the Dean plays his trump card and asks Keith what he would do if it were Veronica in this situation. Keith sighs in defeat because the man has just discovered his Achilles heel.
The surgery is a success and Jason lives. One week later, Keith comes into Lamb's office and brings a visitor ... Steve Batando. Steve tells Lamb that he's really sorry to have caused all this fuss. He just went "camping" for a week and didn't tell anybody. Or take any of his stuff. Or take his cell phone. He comments that it would be funny if it weren't so ... Lamb goes with ridiculous, but I'd go with unbelieveable. Regardless, Steve's home, he's alive and he's not pressing any charges. Mainly because Mindy gave him her Porsche and signed away any rights to child support or alimony.
Oh, well. In this case, I suppose all's well that ends well.
- Wallace is sitting in class as a T.A. passes out papers to students who, judging by the moans and groans being heard, aren't finding little gold stars or smiley faces on their graded tests. This is also pretty obvious since the professor's current lecture is describing the results of their retest as "disheartening" and an "indictment of the U.S. public school system." Which ouch. Wallace doesn't seem all that worried, though. That is, until he gets a look at his own test score. Considering how quickly his face falls, he didn't get a smiley face either. Nervously, Wallace approaches the T.A. after class and admits that he may be in over his head. He'd like to drop the class, but the T.A. gives him the unfortunate news that the deadline for adding or dropping a class was up last week. Where are H.G. Wells or Sam Beckett when you need to do a little time traveling, anyway?
Later, Wallace sits in his room, studying, but seems to be growing more and more frustrated by the material. His mood isn't helped at all by the guy who's now standing in his doorway, mockingly asking Wallace if he's posing for a brochure touting academic excellence. Wallace explains to this new 'friend' that he's currently failing his mechanical engineering class, which is a major problem for him because he's never failed anything and he's always wanted to be a mechanical engineer. (Ah, yes. Remember all those times Wallace went on and on about his dreams of being a mechanical engineer? Er, never mind.) The new guy offers Wallace the sage advice that he needs to "chill" and to learn from the philosophical teachings of En Vogue -- free your mind and the rest will follow. Meaning, the best way to solve Wallace's current academic problems is to go out and party. (Uh oh. Wallace could really use a Jiminy Cricket of his own right about now because this guy isn't going to cut it.)
Another night, another frustrating session of studying for Wallace interrupted. This time by a knock on his door, which, to his credit, he attempts to ignore. When the person on the other side doesn't take the hint, Wallace gets up to answer it. It's his new friend again, but this time he brings popcorn, a horror movie and two female hotties calling out "Surprise!" This gets a laugh out of Wallace, but he does try to do the responsible thing and tells his friend and the girls he met last night, Chloe and Jessica, that he needs to study. The girls tell him to put that off for later, so they can have fun now. Wallace's repeated attempts to bow out get halted by his friend, who offers him the phone number of a "tutor" who got him through his difficult kinesiology class last year. Wallace smiles and relents, letting them in for their instant party.
Wallace goes to see the "tutor" in his dorm room. The guy's name is Max, according to the board on his door. And apparently he doesn't like public messages left for him because the board says quite clearly, "Do not write here." When Max answers the knock on his door, Wallace starts to explain why he's there, but only gets as far as mentioning his "teammate" before Max cuts him off and gets to business by asking him to name the instructor and class. That would be Winkler and Engineering. Max invites him in and digs into a cabinet for the appropriate file. It seems that Professor Winkler has used the same exam for three years now. Max goes on to describe the file as a "study guide" and not an exam. (Suuuure, dude.) And the purchase price is $100. If Wallace wants the answers, too, it'll be another $100. Wallace smiles and repeats that it's just a study guide, right? Max looks at him like he's an idiot and repeats that it's $200 for the set. Pulling out his wallet, Wallace tells him to keep the answers, he just wants the guide.
With his shiny new "study guide" open before him, Wallace sits at his desk, scribbling in his notebook, growing increasingly frustrated with the work he's doing. Finally, he tosses his pen down in frustration and goes to knock on Max's door once again. When the door opens, Wallace simply holds up another $100, which by the look on his face comes as no surprise to Max.
Some days later, Winkler's engineering class is busy taking their exam. Wallace finishes early and walks to the professor's desk to turn it in, to the surprised looks of his classmates and Winkler. (Sigh. Fennel. Dude. You were trying to get caught, right? Because otherwise, just stupid, stupid, stupid move.) Wallace exits and the professor begins looking through his test -- his smile changing to a look of concern.
Later, to the tune of "Busted" by Johnny Cash, Wallace opens his door to find Winkler's T.A. standing there with a solemn look on his face and a note in his hand. The next thing we see, Wallace and the T.A. are entering the classroom. The T.A. stands back as Wallace goes to his professor's desk to face the music. Busted, indeed.
- Mars Investigations is across the street from San Diego Hair Cuts and is located above Completely Video, Nickelodeon Records, and Kiko Fantastico's School of Dancing.
- Veronica and Keith eat take-out from the restaurants Shangri-La and Paco's Tacos.
- Weevil stole his first bicycle when he was six, has been in and out of juvenile detention (for a combined total of more than seven hundred days) since he was thirteen and took charge of the PCH Bike Club at the age of sixteen.
- Weevil lives in an apartment at 1172 Navasota.
- Weevil wears Drakkar cologne.
- Weevil still drives the car he bought with the money he stole in Ain't No Magic Mountain High Enough.
- Veronica's Intro to Criminology class has been studying fingerprint identification, as exhibited by the posters in the front of the class.
- Dr. Landry is currently acting as an expert witness in the State vs. Wolpert case.
- According to Veronica, Dean O'Dell is the college dean most frequently burned in effigy.
- Mindy O'Dell was once married to Steve Batando. She has a brother, a nine year old son named Jason and an uncle who works as an oncologist at Sisters of Mercy Hospital in San Diego.
-Mindy O'Dell Steve Batando drives a red convertible Porsche, with license plate #OWE321G.
- Steve Batando is a voiceover actor. He has a girlfriend now, but has more than one ex-wife.
- Mercer's room, aka The Benetian dorm casino, is in Bennis Hall, Room 332.
- Jenny works in the Props Department of the Hearst College Theater.
- The 8mm short film being shown at the film festival is called The Italian Submarine.
- One of Hearst College's IP addresses is: 156.1.240.45.
- Mr. Wolfcastle is the manager of a local pizzeria named Mama Mia Pizza. They accept internet orders.
- Local news is reported on KSVU channel 9.
- Veronica's PlanetZowie web search for Camp Waterloo turns up the following links:
- Veronica has 234 e-mails in her Hearst inbox when she reads Danny's e-mail:
- So, remember the ATM photo of Claire from last week?
Veronica. Logan. Clue. An appropriate cap, if you ask me.
Now that Veronica's cleared the Pi Sigs (much to the chagrin of the rape victims and feminist population at Hearst), the guy behind Claire in the photo is her only suspect. She hopes that maybe Claire will be able to identify the guy, so she waits for her outside her class. Wow. Last week she knew which dorm Nancy lived in, and now she knows Claire's class schedule? Does anyone else suspect that Veronica's been using Facebook for investigative purposes? Anyhow, Claire exits the classroom and Veronica asks her if they could talk for a minute. Claire immediately recognizes Veronica as the girl that cleared the Pi Sigs, and asks her why she's even bothering. Veronica explains that crimes against women are sort of her hobby, and that one of her friends (Friend? When did Parker become her friend? As Veronica once did for Wallace, I now question her definition of the word. Ask Weevil.) was also raped. She shows Claire the envelope she has in her hands and says that she has an ATM photo of her from the night she was raped. Claire hesitates but agrees to look at the photo. After a few moments, she apologizes and admits that she has no idea who the guy is. Veronica scrutinizes the photo again and notices that his shirt has some sort of logo on it, but neither she nor Claire can make it out.
Veronica heads to Mars Investigations later and scans the ATM photo (using quite a nifty scanner, I might add). Once it's brought up on her computer screen, she enlarges the logo and sharpens the text above the insignia so that it more clearly reads 'Camp Waterloo.' A quick browser search reveals that Camp Waterloo is a residential summer camp in West Virginia for boys and girls ages seven to sixteen. You probably don't get many Camp Waterloo alumni (much less Asian ones) from West Virginia moving all the way out to Southern California for college, so it shouldn't be too hard to track the guy down. Veronica dials the number listed on the camp's website and adopts her best sugar an' sunshine West Virginian accent. Veronica explains to the woman on the phone that she's organizing a reunion (Hee, Veronica's stealing from Keith's bag o' tricks! He used that same story on Kendall/Priscilla's father in Nevermind the Buttocks.) for Waterloo alumni, so she needs a roster of campers from the last five years. Names, addresses, phone numbers. Thank you very much.
A week later (they haven't got the best records keeper over at Camp Waterloo, huh?), Veronica receives an email with the alumni list. She narrows it down -- rather conveniently, the guy in the photo is the only Asian male Waterloo alumni in Southern California -- and takes Backup and Logan to confront him at his house. What a team! And you know that Veronica brings Logan along not because she needs him there, but because she wants to spend time with him. She feels comfortable sharing the details of the case with him. Aww.
Veronica knocks on the door and waits. She turns to Logan and jokingly tells him to look tough, to which he deadpans, "Always." (They snark so lovingly.) The door opens and there's someone decidedly not Asian on the other side. Veronica asks for Wang Yi, and his housemate says that he's in class. She shows him the ATM photo of Claire and says that Wang raped her. He replies that that's unlikely, since Claire is Wang's girlfriend. Oh, really?
So did Claire lie about being raped? Shave her own head? If Wang's friend is telling the truth, then it really looks like she did. The 'why' is simple enough. The Lampoon article shows the photo with the "blonde in the middle" (Claire) comment, the feminists overreact, and then Claire is conveniently raped a few days later? The Lilith women had to prove that the male organizations on campus should be shut down. But what I'm wondering is: How did she (I'm going to take a wild guess that Nish and Fern were also in on the plan) expect to get away with it? Why go to a convenience store (where there are probably cameras) with your boyfriend, act wasted, stand with him in front of an ATM (also looking wasted, also where there are cameras), and then claim that he raped you? Why go out in public at all? And was Claire's plan to keep her boyfriend a secret from Veronica? From the police? From bitter Pi Sigs? Why wouldn't she cover her bases and tell Wang's housemate to keep quiet about their relationship?
Clarification, please?
"Johnny Cash" (Busted)
Scene: Busted be the keyword as the rent-a-cops are busted; as little brat with the bubble gum's necklace ownership is busted; as Wallace's cheating ways are busted. Sing it, Johnny, SING IT!
LoVe Lines
Logan: (With accent.) What happened?
Veronica: (With relief and a bit of desperation) Where were you?
Logan: (Speaking normally.) I was in class, like we talked about. Less gambling, more learning? It was right after you said "jump" and I asked "how high?"
Veronica: (Voice shaking with anger and a lingering fear.) Two guys pulled guns, held up the casino. They took the necklace Lilly gave me.
Logan: (Pulling Veronica into his arms.) C'mere.
Lamb: (Entering the casino.) Well, well, what do we have here? An illegal gambling establishment? Underage drinking? (Looking at Logan and Veronica.) Public displays of affection? (Shuddering in faux disgust.)
Logan: (Sarcastically.) Well, with Scotland Yard on the case, we're sure to have that (Kissing the top of Veronica's head.) necklace back in no time.
Veronica: Yeah, well, I don't think I'm gonna need their help. Pretty sure I know who did it.
Veronca: (To her "muscle.") Look tough.
Logan: (Deadpan.) Always.
Quotable Quotes
Veronica: Crimes against women? It's a hobby.
Tim Foyle: Veronica, this was an oral presentation, not 'show and tell.'
Veronica: Dr. Landry said we were allowed audio/visual aids. (Referring to Weevil.) He's both. Audio ...
Weevil: Yo!
Veronica: And visual. (Weevil gestures to himself, somewhat theatrically. The class laughs.)
Tim: (Unamused.) Fine. I'll let it slide.
Weevil: That's a nice necklace. It's Lilly's, right?
Veronica: Been thinking about her a lot lately.
Weevil: Any big Halloween plans?
Veronica: Oh, you know, the usual. Slappin' on my sexy nurse duds and rollin' tweeners for their chocolate. (Seriously.) I'm meeting the boyfriend at the Venetian after he gets out of his night class.
Weevil: The Benetian?
Veronica: It's Room 332, Benice Hall. Some guy runs a casino out of his room.
Weevil: That's right. You're a card shark.
Veronica: It's not for me. I agreed to do something he likes -- gambling, in exchange for something I like -- dressing up and passing out candy to Trick-or-Treaters.
Veronica: (Brushing off Weevil's shoulder.) You might want to consider switching shampoos.
Weevil: It's dry wall dust, okay?
Weevil: Hey, word to the wise: You got a boyfriend? Use the short leash.
Veronica: As hard as this may be to believe, the women of Hearst aren't close to the top of my worries about Logan.
Weevil: Wait, wait, wait. What? You're dating Logan again? (Angrily.) After the way he treated Lilly?
Veronica: This is news? Man, the prison grapevine blows.
Veronica: (Calling to Keith, who is in his office.) Hey, dad! Back from Shangri-La ... Hey, look out your window and check out the Porsche. It's four inches into the fire zone. Let's call the city and get it clamped. You know, just for funsies. You get the lawn chairs, I'll put some popcorn in the microwave.
Keith: (Calling from inside the office.) Veronica!
Veronica: Seriously, you blow a hundred grand on a car and I guess you think you can just park wherever you want. I wonder if a sense of entitlement came standard.
Dean O'Dell: Veronica, have you met my wife?
Veronica: No ... Has your wife met the hot chick?
Keith: Veronica, why don't you go --
Veronica: Matriculate myself?
Veronica: As long as I'm in supportive girlfriend mode, someone point out the sucker table. Baby needs a new pair of ...
Lamb: It's like Sodom and Gomorrah in here. (To deputy.) Barker, start collectin' IDs from everyone in the room.
Veronica: Uh, we had our wallets stolen.
Mason: You need to chill!
Wallace: I do? Thanks. Good to know.
Mason: Wasn't it En Vogue who taught us all to free our minds, as the rest would follow?
Veronica: (When Weevil finds her sitting in his apartment.) Hope you don't mind, one of the cockroaches let me in.
Veronica: Let me spell it out. I tell you about a working on-campus casino. Six hours later it happens to be held up by a guy your size wearing a mask who happens to be covered in a thin film of dry-wall dust and the stench of Drakkar cologne.
Weevil: My cologne stinks? So ... all this play I've been getting is from pure sex appeal?
Keith: You remember the job?
Veronica: Pretend to be a receptionist. I just wish I had some life experience to draw from.
Keith: Cliff, are you ready?
Cliff: (As Mr. Announcer Guy.) Race fans, hot rodders, the monster trucks are coming to Neptune, Neptune, Neptune!
Keith: That's great Cliff, but just remember --
Cliff: Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!
Keith: (To Cliff, as part of the audition ruse.) So Mickey, you booked that Olive Garden gig?
Cliff: (Crossing his fingers) Waiting to here.
Cliff: (In his best announcers voice.) Some restrictions may apply. No video, flash photography or other recording devices allowed without the express written permission of the Monster Truck Association of America. Please drink responsibility.
Steve: Be careful. Dont forget -- you're asking me a favor.
Dean O'Dell: A favor? Yes, please, Steve, do us a favor and see if you can act like an actual human being for three seconds out of your otherwise completely worthless life. You're going to do this. I don't care if I have to break you in half and suck the marrow out of your bones myself! You're going to do this for your son.
Steve: He's not my son, he's your son. (Points at the Dean's wife.) She made that perfectly clear.
Weevil: (Spots Logan talking to some co-ed and heads over to confront him.) Hey, Joe College!
Logan: Jose Lunchpail! The living, breathing, embodiment of the American dream. Punch any clocks lately?
Weevil: Are you lining up your next girlfriend? (Siren chirps, Lamb pulls up and addresses Weevil.)
Lamb: Im guessing this Lowrider's yours? (Cut to Sacks searching Weevils car.)
Weevil: Any reason why everyone suspects me for a crime I don't even know anything about?
Sacks: Got 'em. (Pulls some of the stolen goods out of the backseat.) They match the robbery description.
Lamb: Yikes. (Holds up his cuffs.) Hey, what d'ya say we do your Miranda Rights in harmony this time? Ill take lead. You take tenor. (He cuffs Weevil.)
Logan: Is it still called dj vu when something happens more than twice, or is that something different? I'll have to look that up. (Lamb puts Weevil in the back of the squad car.) Ask for cell B; it has the best light.
Lamb: (Addresses Logan over the radio.) Hey, good looking, we'll be back to pick you up later.
Lamb: (Approaches Veronica who's sitting at the Sheriffs station.) Sacks tells me you're here to see Weevil. Planning on helping him beat another rap?
Veronica: Actually, I'm here to get my necklace back.
Lamb: I don't understand. You actually believe that the bad guy did it? (Breaks out with the Robot.) Does not compute. Does not compute. (People in the background are amazed and start asking for a camera phone.)
Veronica: You must have been fun in the 80's.
Veronica: (Walks up to Weevils cell.) Be it ever so humble.
Weevil: Yeah. I'm thinking of some curtains over here, maybe a Koi pond in the corner.
Veronica: Where's my necklace?
Weevil: I don't have it. It was a frame job, V! Look, a pre-paid pizza was delivered to my apartment. I didn't order it. C'mon, what's a workin' man gonna do in that situation?
Veronica: When I look into this -- and I will look into this -- I'm gonna find out you didn't order that pizza?
Weevil: Or, you could just save yourself the trouble and take my word for it. (They both laugh.) Okay.
Veronica: That was good. Well done. (Weevil salutes her.)
Danny: (Awestruck.) You're Veronica Mars.
Veronica: And you're (Reading his nametag.) Danny.
Danny: Rossow. Yeah, I am. Cool. You went to my school last year. I go to Neptune High.
Veronica: Lucky you.
Danny: Remember when those bikers taped that guy up to the flagpole and you just walked up there and cut him down?
Veronica: (Smiling.) Yeah. Listen --
Danny: Remember when you stopped those guys from blowing up the school?
Veronica: No one was gonna blow up the school. So what I was going to a--
Danny: On the last day of school I really wanted you to sign my yearbook --
Veronica: Danny? I'm working on a case now.
Danny: That ... is so awesome.
Veronica Mars Voiceover: Hello, square one. Nice to see you again.
Veronica: Any idea how this gum got from your mouth to that chair?
Bratty Little Girl: I thought this was supposed to be a good school. Shouldn't you be, like, smart? (She walks away.)
Cliff: So, speaking of down and dirty, you wouldn't believe the divorce case I've got. Lady stole from her husband. Repeatedly. Stole from his children. Had his dog put to sleep -- and let the record show the dog was quite surprised by this decision. The woman slept with everyone.
Keith: And let me guess. She's your client. (They both start laughing.)
Cliff: Excuse me, officers, but if I dont bring up the law then this won't be considered a billable hour. Do you plan on charging my client? (Lamb and Detective Sanchez exchange glances.) Great. If you'd like to talk with him further, call my office, I'll set an appointment. My card. (Holds it out, but they don't take it.)
Lamb: I know your number. It's all over the bus benches: "Call Cliff. And get off."
Cliff: Plus it's a radio jingle. (Singing.) Call 5-5-5-1-2 -- well, you know the rest.
Dean O'Dell: I just got off the phone with my wife. She took Jason to Rosarito. She won't tell me which hospital, but they're moving forward. Mindy's brother is helping her. I'm gonna lose them both, Keith -- my stepson, my wife, all because of that selfish son-of-a-bitch.
Keith: I'll track them down.
Dean O'Dell: I'm going with you. You're going to need to trace their call right?
Keith: Probably, yeah.
Dean O'Dell: How do you plan on keeping her on the line? I can say half a sentence and get her to yell at me for three hours.
Veronica: Someone held up an on-campus casino using a couple of prop guns
Jenny: We're the theater department. We don't do guns.
Orgon: We do Moliere. You want a poor man's Tarantino, that would be the film department. If you see them, tell them we just loved their little opening night present.
Veronica: Which is?
Jenny: The stage is covered in Pam.
Veronica: Who's Pam?
Orgon: Pam is a cooking spray. We can't walk out there without falling on our asses. We had the temerity to schedule our opening night on the same weekend as their short film festival.
Veronica: Maybe this is their way of saying "break a leg." (The students turn their heads and glare at Veronica. She exits with a flourish.) Thank you! Good night! I'll be here all week, try the veal. And scene.
Keith: Call her again.
Dean O'Dell: It's not gonna work. Mindy's not gonna pick up the phone. And I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that you can't trace a call if the person on the other end won't pick up the phone.
Veronica: (To Logan.) Find us seats. I'm gonna get us some popcorn and grill me some film geeks.
Veronica: (With accent.) You think I missed anything?
Harrison: Well, one thing: Proof.
Veronca: Not quite true. (Pulling out a bag with wigs and prop guns.) Look what I have?
Harrison: Prints? The witnesses said the hold-up men wore gloves?
Veronica: Yeah, but you wouldn't believe how much hair is inside these masks. It's kinda gross actually. It's like a sack 'o DNA.
Harrison: I'll need a day to get your necklace back.
Veronica: Yeah, that's not gonna do it. (The sounds of sirens in the distance grows.)
Harrison: What did you do?
Veronica: Pulling out a wire from her top and speaking in the same accent as before into the piece.) Say hello to my little friend.
O'Dell: Keith, please, I'm beggin' you, for God's sake ... just hear me out.
Keith: Been hearing you out since Mexico. I'm done, Cyrus. This game is over.
O'Dell: It's not a game. You need me to get on my knees, I'll get on my knees. You stop that operation, that's it, my son is dead. He's nine year's old. You go up there, he dies.
Keith: If I stay down here, I'm partly responsible for another dead man. The only way you and your wife get away with this is if Batando dies.
O'Dell: We're not gonna let Batando die; that's not the plan, I swear.
Keith: Then you, your wife and all your wife's family members who helped are going to jail for a very long time.
O'Dell: And Jason will live. Small price to pay, don't you think? What would you do if it were Veronica?
Lamb: Oh, look, someone tipped off the local news. That's my cue. (Pausing before heading to the lights, camera, action.) You see how well this works when you play by the rules, Veronica?
Batando: You tell my ex-wife I own her now. No more talk of alimony; no more child support. We're beyond even.
Keith: It's going to be very clear in the documents you sign.
Batando: (Gesturing to his new/used Porsche.)Nice ride, huh?
Keith: Think of it as a father's day gift.
(P)Resident Evil ... (Referenced by the episode title.)
Resident Evil is a successful horror franchise that began as a video game, but now includes a series of feature films, comic books, novelizations, and action figures. Created by Shinji Mikami and developed by Capcom, the first Resident Evil game was based on elements from Sweet Home, a 1989 game released only in Japan. The game was originally announced as Biohazard, but was renamed shortly before release. Known for its graphic gore and violence, the game plots take place in or around Raccoon City and involve battles with zombies and other creatures who are the unfortunate result of top secret experiments performed by the Umbrella Corporation. Genetically modified viruses can be such a pain! Some of the games in the series include Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and Resident Evil Code: Veronica. (Hee!) More than thirty million games have been sold. For more information, see the official Resident Evil website.
Two feature films based on the video game series have been released at this time, with a third and fourth on the way. Resident Evil (2002), starring Milla Jovavich, Eric Mabius, Michelle Rodriguez and James Purefoy was written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and grossed just over $100 million worldwide. Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), starring Jovovich, Sienna Guillory and Oded Fehr was also written by Anderson, but was directed by Alexander Witt. This sequel took in a worldwide gross of almost $130 million.
Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) ... (Referenced by Veronica during her class presentation.)
Pacific Coast Highway refers to sections of California's Route 1, beginning at San Juan Capistrano, south of Los Angeles, and ending where Route 1 merges with Highway 1 at Leggett, in Northern California. Route 1 is one of the longest (644 miles) and most scenic routes in California, providing breathtaking views of a large part of the Pacific Coast. It travels past dozens of historical landmarks and through such cities as San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Ford F-250 ... (Referenced by Weevil's story that he tells Veronica's class.)
The Ford F-250 pickup truck is a part of the F-Series, Ford Motor Company's line of full-size pickup trucks. The F-Series has been rolling out trucks since 1948, and the most popular model, the F-150, has been the best-selling truck in the United States for nearly thirty years (not including combined sales of GM pickup trucks). The F-Series is currently in its eleventh generation.
The F-250 and F-350 Super Duty 3/4-ton trucks were introduced in 1999. Big in dimension, they are available with V-10 engines and 4x4 drive, and have roomy, comfortable interiors and large capacity for towing and commercial use. Instead of the more aerodynamic look of the F-150, the F-250 features a more angular profile, with a raised hood and lowered fenders. The 2007 Ford F-250 Super Duty comes in Regular Cab, SuperCab and Crew Cab body styles. The SuperCab models have small rear-opening doors and the Crew Cab models have full-size swing-out doors. The Regular Cab styles are long-bed, while the SuperCab and Crew Cab models are available in short- or long-bed. There are three trim levels, XL, XLT, and Lariat. Engine options include 5.4-liter gasolin V8, 6.8-liter gasoline V10 and 6.0-liter diesel V8 (known as Power Stroke). The Super Duty is characterized by its refined ride, handling and braking characteristics. A fully redesigned F-250 Super Duty is set to roll out as the 2008 model.
2007 Ford F-250 Super Duty
Tweeners ... (Referenced by Veronica as she jokes to Weevil about stealing candy from trick-or-treaters.)
'Tween' became a pop-culture reference during the late 20th early 21st century to describe children in the pre-teen and teenage years, usually between the ages of 8 and 12. Some sources reference the 'tween' years as the period between childhood and adulthood and is used to describe any person under the age of 30. To add further confusion, some educators and parents use 'tween' or 'tweenie' to describe children who are in the transition between toddlerhood and childhood.
Trick-or-Treaters ... (Referenced by Veronica as she tells Weevil she likes to dress up and pass out candy.)
Trick-or-treating, also known as guising, is an activity children take part in on Halloween, in which they dress up in costume and go from house to house asking for candy with the question, "Trick or treat?" The custom is popular in the United States, Ireland, Canada, and more recently in Australia. Today, it has become a social obligation for people who live in neighborhoods with children to purchase candy to give out to the trick-or-treaters. The custom is also practiced in parts of Europe, though in the United Kingdom the police have threatened to prosecute parents who allow their children to participate in it.
Trick-or-treating is believed to be a derivative of the ancient practice of 'souling' which dates back to the Middle Ages. 'Souling' involved similar door-to-door collections, though it was performed by poor folk who would receive food in return for offering prayers for the dead on All Souls Day. The modern form of trick-or-treating gained popularity in the United States in the 1930's.
Shangri-La ... (Referenced by Veronica telling Keith she's back from there, as she arrives at office.)
A fictional place described in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by British author James Hilton, Shangri-La is a mystical, harmonious valley at the western end of the Kunlun Mountains. The term has become synonymous with any earthly paradise in general. However, for some in particular, it is a mythical Himalayan utopia, where all inhabitants are happy and at peace, completely cut off from the outside world. Shangri-La is based on the concept of Shambhala - a mystical city in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
Sometimes used as an analogy for a life-long quest, something that has long been obsessively sought, Shangri-La is similar to other metaphors of perfection, true happiness, or Utopian ideals which include the Garden of Eden, El Dorado, The Holy Grail, and The Fountain of Youth. Simply put, it is representative of a perfect earthly paradise that exists, but will forever be hidden from humanity.
Porsche ... (Referenced by Veronica to Keith about car outside office.)
The Porsche is a German sports car, with the first one having been built in 1938 with the same components used in the Volkswagen Beetle, also engineered by Ferdinand Porsche. Porsche is a world-renowned brand, named the most beautiful automobile brand in a survey by Luxury Institute and the 2006 J.D. Power award for highest initial quality. The company claims to be the most profitable automobile company in the world.
Popular models include the Boxter roadster (the likely model driven by Mindy O'Dell), the 911, the Cayman, the Carrera ST supercar, and the Cayenne, Porsches mid-size SUV. Porsche's main competitors are Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lamborghini, Audi, Jaguar and Maserati.
A 1997 Porsche Boxter, a model similar to the one used in this episode.
Clockwork Orange ... (Referenced by Mercer's costume.)
Mercer Hayes' Halloween costume is that of Alex DeLarge, the main character in Stanley Kubrick's classic 1971 film A Clockwork Orange. Based on the novel by Anthony Burgess, the film takes place in future Britain and tells the story of DeLarge, played by Malcolm McDowell. DeLarge is a a charismatic delinquent who enjoys classical music, rape, and random acts of violence. He is the leader of a small gang of juveniles, called the "droogs." During an attempted robbery, Alex is set up by his gang and arrested, and then sentenced to fourteen years in prison after the robbery victim dies.
After only two years in prison, he is offered parole provided he undergoes an experimental aversion therapy developed by the government. The therapy makes him incapable of violence (including self-defense) and touching a naked woman, but also of enjoying Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. After he is rejected by his parents, Alex wanders the city revisiting the scenes of his crimes, soon encountering two members of his gang and some of his victims, who in turn victimize him. He is accepted into the home of a writer whose wife he had raped and beaten, but when his identity is uncovered, the writer drugs him and tortures him with a distorted version of Beethoven's Ninth.
After trying to commit suicide by jumping out of a window, he is taken to the hospital to recover, and appears to be back to his former self. The Minister of the Interior visits him there and apologizes for the treatment program, promising him a government position if he agrees to support the ruling party. The film ends with Alex's voiceover explaining that he was cured but anticipating a return to his former violence and a surreal fantasy of having sex with a woman in the snow surrounded by applauding Victorian ladies and gentleman and accompanied by Beethoven's Ninth.
Kubrick's direction was characterized by the film's fantasy quality, with the use of fish-eye lenses as well as both fast and slow motion. Originally rated X in the U.S. upon its release, Kubrick cut thirty seconds for a re-release in 1973, which was rated R. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, and is considered by many to be one of the greatest films ever made. It is number twenty-one on AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Years list and number forty-six on AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies. Alex DeLarge is also placed at number twelve in the villain section of AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains.
Malcolm McDowell as Alex DeLarge in A Clockwork Orange;
Ryan Devlin as Mercer in costume
Jack and Meg White / The White Stripes ... (Referenced by Veronica's and Logan's costumes.)
Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, The White Stripes are minimalist rock duo. That minimilism is rather appropriate as the group is composed of only two members, Jack White (guitar, piano, lead vocals, songwriting) and Meg White (durms, percussion, vocals). For whatever purpose, the Whites claimed to be siblings, but a marriage license ppoves that the two were once married (they are now divorced). The White Stripes rose to prominence as part of the garage rock revival.
Their eponymous debut album was released in 1999 to glowing reviews with a sound that highlights their raw low fidelity and simplicity of composition and arrangement inspired by a mix of punk rock, blues and country music. The band gained more raves with the release of their second album De Stijl in 2000 -- the title is based on the Dutch art movement of the same name which inspired the album and said style was featured on the cover. It was in 2001, after signing with a major label, that The White Stripes enjoyed their first great success with the release of the album White Blood Cells. The stripped-down, gararge rock sound drew critical kudos in the United Kingdom and then the United States. Their subsequent albums include Elephant (2003) and Get Behind Me Satan (2005), their most recent release.
Clearly, this promotional shot below is where Logan and Veronica (unfortunately) got their costume inspiration.
Point Break ... (Referenced by the robbery technique used by the thieves.)
Starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, Point Break is a 1991 film directed by Kathryn Bigelow. The title refers to the surfing term "point break." Swayze plays Bodhi, the charismatic leader of a gang of surfers and bank robbers who indulge in their life of crime in order to support their life of surf and dive. They also believe that the robberies are a rebellion of sorts against a social system that "kills the human spirit." Uhm, okay. Reeves' character is an FBI agent and former college football quarterback named, wait for it ... Johnny Utah, who goes undercover to infiltrate the gang. After a while he finds himself increasingly attracted to their daredevil lifestyle. Bodhi and Johnny Utah develop a friendship that, alas, is doomed from the beginning. Too bad Bodhi doesn't know that what with him not knowing that Johnny Utah (what a name!) is a Fed and our surfer/robber/Zen master won't learn that little bit o' info until later in the film.
The bank robbers are known as the Ex-Presidents, because they hide their faces behind masks of former US presidents. How original.
The masks are from left to right: Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter,
Ronald Reagan and Lyndon B. Johnson
By the end of the film, Johnny Utah is so enmeshed in this life, he doesn't arrest Bodhi, but instead lets him seek his own death surfing the giant waves of Bells Beach, Australia in the midst of a raging storm. How ... deep.
Apparently, the film geeks of Hearst aren't the first ones with the idea to rip off the movie (or play homage, as the case may be). The Ex-Presidents robberies were referenced in several foreign and US films. In the movie called Domino (2005 ) a group of thieves dressed as The First Ladies. An episode of Family Guy ("Ready Willing and Disabled") shows a man in a Jimmy Carter mask stealing a jar of money as two other characters, one a police officer, trying to recall which movie it was from. In the film Fun with Dick and Jane (2005), the title characters commit a robbery wearing masks of Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Foreign film buffs aren't missing out on the Point Break plot point either. The French film Brice de Nice sees a surfer basing his life on the film and tries to rob a bank wearing a mask of the French President, Jacques Chirac. In the Asian film, Fulltime Killer, when one of the main characters wears a Clinton Mask in a video store, a girl comments on it and the movie Point Break. Finally, the Italian movie, Tre uomini e una gamba, features the three lead characters trying to steal a wooden leg wearing masks of the Italian ex-presidents Sandro Pertini, Francesco Cossiga and Oscar Luigi Scalfaro.
Ah, the power of Johnny Utah. Woah!
Jimmy Carter ... (Referenced by one of the thief's costume.)
Born October 1, 1924, James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. was the 39th President of the United States (1977-1981). Before becoming President, Carter served as the Governor of Georgia (1971-75). He won the Democratic nomination in 1976 as a dark horse candidate and went on to defeat incumbent Gerald Ford in that year's election.
Carter was born in the small town of Plains, Georgia and holds the distinction of being the first president born in a hospital. The oldest of four children, he grew up Archery, GA and is descended from a family that had resided in Georgia for several generations. His great-grandfather, Private L.B. Walker Carter served as a soldier during the Civil War in the Confederate Army. A gifted student, Carter was also a high school basketball and football star. He was greatly influenced by Julia Coleman; one of his high school teachers handicapped by polio, and even mentioned her in his inaugural address.
After attending both Georgia Southwestern College and Georgia Institute of Technology Carter received a Bachelor's degree from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946, finishing 59th out of 820 students in his Academy class. He did some post-graduate work studying nuclear physics and reactor technology at Union College until his father's death at which time he resigned his commission. Carter never was able to command a nuclear submarine since the first of the fleet was launched a little over a year after his discharge from the navy.
During his presidency, Carter enacted strong environmental legislation through major initiatives which included the consolidation of numerous governmental agencies into the newly formed Department of Energy. He deregulated the trucking, airline, rail, finance, communications and oil industries, strengthened the social security system, and appointed record numbers of women and minorities to high-level government and judicial posts. Foreign affair initiatives included the Camp David Accords, the Panama Canal Treaties, the negotiation of the SALT II Treaty, and the creation of full diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. During his term in office he globally championed human rights and made them the central focus of his administration's foreign policy, which led in part to the Iranian Hostage Crisis . After 444 days, the hostages were released the day Carter left office.
After leaving office in 1981, Carter assumed the role of elder statesman and international mediator, using is status as former president to further many of his personal causes. In 1982, along with his wife Rosalynn Carter, he founded the Carter Center, a forum for issues relating to democracy and human rights. He's traveled the globe to help monitor elections, conduct peace negotiations, and help establish relief efforts. He's also continued his decades long hands-on involvement with Habitat for Humanity. Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his "efforts to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development."
Tricky Dick / Richard Nixon ... (Referenced by the other thief's costume.)
Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th President of the United States (1969-74), received the moniker "Tricky Dick" for his early reputation of deviousness in the political arena. Before becoming president he served as Vice President under Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-61), and lost his first bid for the Oval Office in 1960 to John F. Kennedy.
Born in Yorba Linda, CA, Nixon was raised as an evangelical Quaker. He graduated first in his class at Whittier High School and turned down a full-tuition scholarship to Harvard, choosing instead to attend Whittier College. A local Quaker school, it was there that he founded the fraternity, the Orthogonian Society. A fearsome debater, he was soon elected student body president. Graduating second in his class in 1934, he went on to receive a full scholarship from Duke University School of Law and graduated third in his class.
Nixon served as a reserve officer in the Navy during World War II. During this time he was known as "Nick" and for his skill at poker. It was here that he banked a large enough sum to help finance his first campaign for Congress. Elected to the House of Representatives in 1946, his first major breakthrough came in his two terms in Congress, where his unrelenting investigation on the House Un-American Activities Committee broke the impasse of the Alger Hiss spy case in 1948.
During his presidency, Nixon visited China and established dtente with the USSR. Although he increased U.S. military involvement in Southeast Asia during this time, he was also credited with the eventual withdrawal of U.S. troops. When the Watergate scandal broke in 1974, faced with Congress' recommended three articles of impeachment because of his involvement, Nixon became the first president to ever resign from office (August 9, 1974). He was later pardoned by President Gerald Ford and re-emerged some years later as a commentator on foreign policy. Richard Nixon died at the age of 81 on April 22, 1994.
Blackjack ... (Referenced by "Jimmy Carter" threatening dealer.)
Blackjack, or Twenty-one, is a popular card game in casinos. The object of the game is to have cards that sum up to 21 without going over. The game originated in French casinos in the 1700's and was initially unpopular when it was brought to the United States. Casinos offered a 10:1 payout for a hand with an ace and a black Jack (club or spade), thus the origin of the name "Blackjack."
The face cards (King, Jack, and Queen) count for 10, and the aces can either be 1 or 11. The player with the greatest hand, as long as it doesn't go over 21, wins the hand. If the player and the dealer get 21, it's called a "push" and neither wins the hand. A hand over 21 is called a "bust." The dealer will play his hand after the rest of the players have finished. A player's options for their hand are to hit (take another card), to stand (take no more cards), to double down (to double the wager and stand after one additional card), to split, or to surrender.
Scarface / "Say goodnight to the bad guy" / "Say hello to my little friend." ... (Referenced by the robbers as they leave the casino; Referenced by Veronica when she reveals the wire to the security guard)
Scarface is a 1983 film written by Oliver Stone, starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana, a fictional Cuban hitman who comes to America and becomes embroiled in drug-running gang life. Loosely following the 1932 film by the same name (which loosely followed the life of crimelord Al Capone), Montana was eventually arrested on charges of tax evasion. A group of Bolivian drug dealers with connections to a CIA officer offer to help Montana with his legal troubles in exchange for his assistance in the assassination of a Latin-American journalist. Montana is mulling their proposal in a fancy restaurant with his partner Manny and girlfriend Elvira (played by Michelle Pfeiffer), and in his drunken state he snaps at Elvira about her drug addiction and blames her for them not being able to have a child. Elvira screams back at Montana and storms out of the restaurant. Before storming out after her, Montana screams to the enthralled patrons to "say goodnight to the bad guy!"
Later, when Montana and the Bolivian drug dealers' assassin go after the journalist, Montana stops the assassination after the journalist's wife and children join him in the car. The Bolivians swear revenge on Montana and he goes back to his home to get high and wait for them. He kills Manny after catching him with his sister, his sister tries to kill Montana, the assassins kill his sister, and Montana loses it for real this time. He arms himself with an M16 with an under-mounted M203 grenade launcher and walks out into the thick of it, shouting "Say 'Hello' to my little friend!" Montana is riddled with bullets but keeps fighting, taking several of the Bolivians down with him.
Sodom and Gomorrah ... (Referenced by Lamb describing the casino.)
The biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by God for their sin, according to Genesis 18. Their names mean "burnt" and "a ruined heap" respectively in Hebrew, and have since become synonymous with impenitent sin.
As the story is told, God orders Abraham out of the cities, saying that he will destroy them with fire and brimstone. Abraham pleads with God to spare the cities, and God agrees on the condition that Abraham find fifty righteous men. Abraham tries and fails. God, being a merciful God, lowers the number, and Abraham tries and fails again. Oh, humanity! Eventually Abraham leaves and God sends two angels to order Abrahams nephew Lot out of the city as well. When the two angels come to Lot, the men of the city surround his home, ordering him to send the angels out so they can rape them. Lot offers his two virginal daughters to the men instead, but they refuse. The angels drive Lot and his family out of the city, ordering them to leave and not look back. Lot's wife, Edith, turns to look on the cities' destruction and immediately turns into a pillar of salt.
Scotland Yard ... (Referenced by Logan to Veronica about Lamb's arrival.)
New Scotland Yard, often referred to simply as Scotland Yard or The Yard, is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service, responsible for policing Greater London (although not the City of London itself). New Scotland Yard occupies a 20-story office block along Broadway and Victoria Street in Westminster, about 450 meters away from the Houses of Parliament. The famous rotating sign, which is often seen on television and in films, is outside the main entrance on Broadway.
In 1829, when Sir Robert Peel was Home Secretary, the first Metropolitan Police Act was passed and the Metropolitan Police Force was established in London. The name derives from the headquarters' original location on Great Scotland Yard, a street off Whitehall. The exact origins of this name are unknown, though a popular explanation is that it was the former site of the diplomatic mission of the Kingdom of Scotland, prior to the Union of England and Scotland. By the 17th century, the street had become the site of a number of government buildings.
The Commissioner, who heads the Metropolitan Police, has traditionally answered directly to the Home Secretary. This dates back to the formation of the Metropolitan Police and reflects its difference from other police forces and its national and international responsibilities. The Metropolitan Police Service performs national functions, such as those in relation to the protection of royalty and countering terrorism in Great Britain. In addition to these two, the MPS has a number of other capital city, and national responsibilities such as the protection of certain members and ex-members of the government and the diplomatic community and assisting with enquiries concerning British interests at home and abroad. These responsibilities make the Metropolitan Police Service unique among UK police forces.
Scotland Yard has become internationally famous as a symbol of policing and detectives from Scotland Yard feature in many works of crime fiction. They were frequent allies and sometimes antagonists of Sherlock Holmes in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous stories. Many novelists have adopted fictional Scotland Yard detectives as the heroes or heroines of their stories. Commander Adam Dalgliesh, created by P. D. James, and Inspector Richard Jury, created by Martha Grimes, are notable recent examples.
Proving that the British government does, in fact, have a sense of humor, Scotland Yard's crime database is called Home Office Large Major Enquiry System or HOLMES - after legendary fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. In addition, the training program is called "Elementary". Love it!
En Vogue / "Free Your Mind" ... (Referenced by Wallace's friend when trying to loosen Wallace up.)
En Vogue is an American female R&B vocal quartet assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy, formerly of the disco group Club Nouveau. Since forming in 1988, En Vogue has sold over eighteen million albums and singles worldwide. They have worked with the fashion industries top make-up artists and stylists in addition to avant garde directors and photographers. Among those directors are Mark Romanek, Matthew Rolston and Tarsem Singh. En Vogue has worked exclusively with world renowned choreographers Frank Gatson Jr., La Velle Smith and Travis Payne. They have won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven VMAs. The group was named the second most successful girl group of the 1990's and the eighteenth most successful act overall of the 1990's according to Billboard magazine.
The group has had a revolving cast of singers filling the four roles. The original members were Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones, Dawn Robinson and Terry Ellis. This original line-up performed together until 1997. During this time they released three multi-platinum albums and one six-track EP. They had numerous top-ten hit singles on both the Pop and R&B charts including: "Hold On", "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)", "Givin' Him Something He Can Feel", and "Free Your Mind" -- the track referenced by Mason.
Robinson left the group for a solo career in 1997, and later joined the group Lucy Pearl in 2000. The other members of En Vogue went on to record EV3. In 2001, Amanda Cole joined the band as a 4th member. Soon after that Maxine Jones left the group to spend more time with her daughter. At the end of 2002, En Vogue released their first holiday album The Gift Of Christmas. Soon after, Amanda Cole left the band to start her solo career. In September 2003 the band started their small European tour and Maxine Jones rejoined the band to fill the place of Cindy Herron who was on maternity leave. En Vogue soon gained another new member, former MMC child star Rhona Bennett. After Herron's break, she and Jones changed places again. The new trio released Soul Flower in early 2004. En Vogue will continue on with members Maxine Jones, Cindy Herron, Terry Ellis and Rhona Bennett and will release a new album later this year.
"Free Your Mind," a rock-influenced R&B anthem of individuality and tolerance, was the second single from En Vogue's highly successful second album Funky Divas.
"Free Your Mind" was arguably the group's most successful single. The lyrics are:
Back Stage West ... (Referenced by Keith to O'Dell about stuff found in wife's ex's apartment.)
Published by Vnu Business Publications, Back Stage West is a magazine for performing artists in theatre, film and television, with a weekly circulation of about 24,000 readers. It contains reviews, industry news, casting notices, career advice and editorials, with an emphasis on the Los Angeles scene.
The publication is available on newsstands or through subscription ($89/year) and is one of three Back Stage services available. Back Stage East is centered around the industry in New York and BackStage.com is the online service which, in addition to encapsulating the print editions' contents, includes daily updates, casting notices from all around the country, and other articles that are not reported in the print editions.
Drakkar cologne ... (Referenced by Veronica to Weevil about the thief's cologne.)
Drakkar colognes are the product of French fashion designer Guy Laroche. He is sometimes credited with the creation of a 'real-life fashion,' one of the first to offer a collection of separates. In his own words: "A garment has to look completely natural. It must follow the body and let it live. Otherwise, it's empty, it's virtually dead." A philosophy, I am certain, Weevil appreciates.
Drakkar Dynamik Cologne was launched by the Design House Of Guy Laroche in 1999, Drakkar Dynamik is classified as a refreshing, greens fragrance, a masculine scent that blends fresh greens.
The better known one, however, is Drakkar Noir, launched in 1982. It's classified as a flowery fragrance. This scent is also considered masculine and possesses a blend of: lavender, citrus, spicy berries and sandalwood.
Leaving aside the obvious contradiction between the terms 'flowery' and 'masculine,' somehow I can't see Weevil wearing anything that's classified as 'flowery' at all. However, I wouldn't bet the house on it. One of the sales write-ups describes it thus: This one's a universally acknowledged good-looking classic. Sleek and refined it's guaranteed never to offend, shock or start a vicious rumor! In other words, an aromatically subtle scent that will be appreciated by anyone with a sense of smell.
Hee, I'm guessing, Veronica's sense of smell is faulty!
The name 'Drakkar,' most likely, comes from the Longships that were primarily used by the Scandinavian Vikings and the Saxons to raid coastal and inland settlements during the European Middle Ages, as well as for long distance trade and commerce, and for exploratory voyages to Iceland, Greenland, and beyond.
Monster Truck ... (Referenced by Cliff's pretend rehearsal.)
A monster truck is a modified pick-up truck built with large wheels and suspension. The trucks are usually designed with axles from heavy-duty military trucks or school buses and a supercharged engine. Monster trucks are used recreationally, like a four wheel drive dune-buggy, and for entertainment. A monster truck rally has man-made barriers and an arena full of junk cars for the trucks to crush under their huge tires. Ooh, fun!
The rallies have become a part of pop culture, earning a spotlight in the movies Ace Venture: When Nature Calls, The Beverly Hillbillies, Herbie: Fully Loaded. It was also the scene of House and Cameron's first "date" on the Fox television show, House. The 2001 Steven Spielberg film Artificial Intelligence featured a monster-truck parody with a "Flesh Fair" where giant cars and machines are used to destroy robotic life forms. The scene in AI draws a parallel between monster truck rallies and the Roman gladiators or public executions; that they all feed a base human desire to see things destroyed.
The advertising of monster truck events has also become a part of pop culture. Cliff's voice-over is an homage to a series of radio commercials from the 1980's by Larry "Supermouth" Huffman, which featured blaring rock music and heavy use of reverb. Each spot began with "Sunday!! Sunday!! Sunday!!" and ended with the exclamation, "BE THERE!"
Olive Garden / "When you're here, you're family." ... (Referenced by Keith asking Cliff if he booked the gig.)
The Olive Garden is an American restaurant chain owned, but not franchised, by Darden Restaurants, Inc. Founded in Orlando, Florida in 1982, the chain now includes 582 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada. In 1999, the Olive Garden partnered with Sergio and Daniela Zingarelli to open the Culinary Institute of Tuscany in Italy, where chefs and general managers are sent for training.
The restaurant presents a casual, family atmosphere and specializes in a mixture of traditional Italian and Italian-American dishes. Menu items include spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, chicken marsala, specialty pizzas, wines and a bottomless bowl of tasty breadsticks. In keeping with the restaurants' atmosphere, the company's advertising slogan is "When you're here, you're family."
Joe College ... (Referenced by Weevil to Logan in greeting.)
This phrase is a play on 'average Joe' as it applies to your garden-variety college boy. Notable columnist William Safire traced the progression of the moniker in one of his columns:
I'm guessing Weevil's remark was referencing the general moniker rather than the book, confirmed further by Logan's retort of 'Jose Lunchpail!'
Lowrider ... (Referenced by Lamb to Weevil about his car.)
A lowrider is a car or truck with a modified, often hydraulic, suspension system that causes it to ride as low to the ground as possible. Lowriders are usually classic cars, and are typically flashy, show-quality custom vehicles with custom paintjobs, often including flames or other hand-painted graphics. Other typical features of lowriders are small, gold or chrome spoke wheels, neon or LED lights, tinted windows, fins or spoilers, and sometimes other engine, exhaust and performance modifications.
The interiors of lowriders also often have custom features, such as leather or velvet fabric, woodgrain panels, chrome or gold accents, enhanced audio systems, etc. The custom hydraulic systems of many lowriders allow the driver to alter the height of the vehicle as desired (often characterized by dipping/raising of the corners or front or rear of the vehicle, or even bouncing one end completely off the ground).
Originally unique to the Chicano culture, lowriders are now common to the general urban youth culture, and today can be found in many diverse cultures and with a number of different car makes and models. Lowrider clubs often cruise popular strips, especially during the summer, and lowriders can frequently be found at car shows or other events. During the 1990's, Lowriders became prominent in the hip hop culture, with the 1964 Chevy Impala ragtop considered the most desirbale lowrider. The lowrider culture has even inspired lowrider bicycles and motorcycles.
1964 Chevy Impala lowrider owned by Juan Flores of
Corpus Christi, Texas
Miranda Rights ... (Referenced by Lamb to Weevil right before he arrests him.)
In the United States, police officers are required to give a "Miranda warning" to any suspect they have taken into custody prior to any interrogation related to the commission of a crime. Suspects may be arrested without the warning and asked their name, address and date of birth, but any questions that could relate to a crime can not be asked until the warning has been given. The purpose of the warning is to protect the suspect's Fifth Amendment "right to silence" in order to avoid coercive self-incrimination. Confessions are inadmissible as evidence unless the suspect has been given and waived their "Miranda rights." This has been mandated since the U.S. Supreme Court case of Miranda v. Arizona in 1966 and was re-affirmed as recent as the year 2000.
In 1963, Ernesto Miranda was arrested for kidnapping and rape. Without being advised of his Constitutional "right to silence" or his right to have an attorney present for questioning, Miranda confessed to both crimes and was convicted without any evidence or testimony being presented. Three years later, the United States Supreme Court overturned the conviction, ruling that Miranda was coerced into his confession without fully understanding his rights. A new trial resulted in his conviction, but this time it was based on testimony from witnesses and other relevant evidence.
The Supreme Court provided guidelines without specifying the exact wording that should be used and each jurisdiction has its own regulations, but the typical warning is:
In a twisted bit of irony, Ernesto Miranda was eventually murdered and his killer was read his "Miranda rights."
Mr. Microphone / "Hey, good looking. We'll be back to pick you up later." ... (Referenced by Lamb to Logan after he arrests Weevil.)
Before karaoke bars and machines rose in popularity, there was Mr. Microphone. This wildly popular toy was brought to us by Ron Popeil, the legendary inventor and pitchman of television-advertised mail-order products. Mr. Microphone was first manufactured and sold by the Ronco Company in 1978 for a retail price of $19.95. The gadget was a low power FM modulator encased in a cordless plastic microphone. Used in conjunction with a nearby radio, Mr. Microphone turned children and adults alike into rock stars -- well, in their own minds, anyway.
In the television commercial, various people young and old were shown enjoying the "perfect Christmas gift" as a party livener, a professional entertainer's rehearsal aid and, most memorably, as a cheesy pickup tool. The latter use was demonstrated as a car full of people (including Popeil's daughter and her boyfriend) are shown driving down the street as a curly-haired guy uses Mr. Microphone to utter the often-mimicked pickup line "Hey, good looking. We'll be back to pick you up later!" Years later, even Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy) was using the line as he rode by some pretty girls in Shrek 2.
1979's "Hey, good looking" as pickup line; Lamb's promise to
"pick up" good-looking Logan.
To hear just that line, clicky-click.
The Robot ... (Referenced by Lamb performs it in front of Veronica.)
Sometimes referred to as the mannequin, the robot is an illusionary dance style that is combined with elements of popping, and is meant to simulate an actual dancing, er - robot. Bending the joints at the elbows in straight and unnatural ways, all movements begin and end with a small jerk or pop, to give the audience the impression that a motor is starting and stopping or that the performers' joints are supposed to be on hinges. The dancer may bend at the waist, but since their posture is to remain stiff at all times they are unable to roll or hunch their back.
Made popular by Michael Jackson, he devised a routine for the Jackson 5's 1974 single "Dancing Machine," and first performed the dance on an episode of Soul Train. Often times confused with popping and liquid dancing, the robot refers only to the technique of simulating a humanoid robot or living mannequin, which is one of many techniques used in both those styles.
"Be it ever so humble" ... (Referenced by Veronica to Weevil about his jail cell.)
A popular lyric taken from a classic hymn, "Home, Sweet Home," popular in 19th century America. The song trumpets the values of a good home, and would traditionally be used upon the return of someone who had been away from home for a long time. The song is somewhat ironically used in western-style weddings in Japan, where the concept of "returning to the nest" (rather than branching out into a new home/family) is kind of lost in translation. The lyrics:
Koi are ornamental domesticated varieties of the common carp Cyprinus carpio, originated from China and widely spread in Japan. They are very closely related to goldfish, and in fact the style of breeding and ornamentation has become very similar, probably through the efforts of Japanese breeders to emulate goldfish, but they are not goldfish. Koi and tattoos of Koi are traditionally considered lucky. They have many different colors. Some of the major colors are: white, black, red, yellow, blue, and cream.
A koi pond is a specific type of fish pond and is different from most water gardens because koi limit the amount of plant life available to be grown. Simply put: Koi eat some plants. A koi pond should also be larger because koi get quite large. Below is a drawing by Ricky Mintilla of a Japanese koi pond.
(Orville) Redenbacher ... (Referenced by Wallace's friend bringing the popcorn, movie and babes.)
Orville Redenbacher was an American botanist and businessman responsible for creating one of the worlds most popular brands of popcorn. Born in Brazil, Indiana, he attended Purdue University, joining Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity and graduating with a degree in agronomy. He spent most of his life as a farmer and worker in the agriculture industry, serving as Vigo County Farm Bureau Extension Agent in Terre Haute, Indiana and at Princeton Farms in Princeton, Indiana.
Although his original business focus was fertilizer, in his spare time Redenbacher indulged in an obsession he'd had since he was a child with developing the perfect popcorn. He bought the George F. Chester and Son dent seed corn plant in 1951 and tried tens of thousands of hybrid strands of popcorn before achieving success. He founded the Redbow Popcorn Company in Valparaiso in 1970 and in 1976 sold the company to Hunt-Wesson Foods, which was, in turn, bought by the agribusiness giant ConAgra.
Despite having sold the company, Redenbacher continued to promote his popcorn, appearing in numerous television commercials, later with his grandson, always wearing his trademark bowtie. His wholesome image and folksy name confused many consumers, some even writing the company to ask if Mr. Redenbacher was a real person, and not an actor. He responded to this by appearing on various talk shows, professing his identity.
2005 marked the 40th Anniversary of Orville Redenbacher's popcorn, still the #1 selling brand in America. To celebrate the man behind the popcorn, ConAgra developed a special website that highlights some of the classic Orville Redenbacher television commercials. One of his most famous and recognizable commercials states, "My gourmet popping corn pops up lighter and fluffier than ordinary popping corn. Eats better, too."
The Hills Have Eyes ... (Referenced by Wallace's friend bringing the popcorn, movie and babes.)
One of horror master Wes Craven's earliest films, The Hills Have Eyes was both written and directed by Craven and released in 1977. Over the years, the film has developed a cult following among hardcore horror fans.
The plot of the film centers around an all-American family, the Carters, traveling on vacation to California. Bob, Ethel, their three children, son-in-law and baby granddaughter find themselves stranded in the desert when their camper breaks down. Unfortunately for them, it's a really lousy neighborhood crawling with a clan of mountain-dwelling cannibals, who go by such names as Pluto, Jupiter, Mercury and (ahem) Mars. Robbery, murder, kidnapping and rape follow. As the film's tagline said, "The lucky ones died first." Brutal in its violence, the film was originally given an 'X' rating, but Craven cut it down to an eventual 'R' rating.
The film is reported to have been "inspired" by the exploits of Sawney Beane, his wife and their fourteen children, who tortured and ate several travelers they captured in the highlands of Scotland's East Lothian County in the early 1400's, before they were themselves caught and executed.
A sequel, The Hills Have Eyes Part II was released in 1985. In 2006, a remake directed by Alexandre Aja (and reportedly endorsed by Craven) hit theaters, starring, among others, Ted Levine, Kathleen Quinlan, Emilie de Ravin and Billy Drago. The remake earned over $69 million at the worldwide box office and a sequel is due in 2007.
LAPD ... (Referenced by Lamb introducing Detective Sanchez to Keith.)
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) -- click here for the official website -- is the police department of the City of Los Angeles, California. With over nine thousand officers and a staff of three thousand civilians, the precint covers an area of four hundred and seventy-three square miles with a population of nearly four million people. The LAPD is the third largest law enforcement agency in the United States (trailing behind the New York Police Department and Chicago Police Department). The LAPD has had a rich history, including occasional incidents of brutality and corruption (Rodney King anyone?). The agency is famous world wide and has been heavily fictionalized in numerous movies and television shows.
Throughout its modern history, the department has suffered from chronic underfunding and understaffing. In comparison to most large cities, The LAPD has historically had one of the lowest ratios of police personnel to population served and thus the current chief, William J. Bratton, has made enlarging the force one of his top priorities. (Bratton has been quoted as saying, "You give me 4000 more officers and I'll give you the safest city in the world.") One attempt, begun in 2005, is showing action-packed mini-movies online and at movie theaters to promote recruiting. The movies feature real LAPD officers and what they do.
Adrian Monk ... (Referenced by Det. Sanchez to Keith about his alias.)
Adrian Monk is the title character of the USA Network original series Monk. Monk, brilliantly portrayed by Tony Shalhoub, was once a rising star with the San Francisco Police Department, legendary for using unconventional methods and out-of-the-box thinking to solve some of the department's most baffling cases. But after the tragic (and still unsolved) murder of his wife, a devastated Monk became obsessive-compulsive.
Now plagued by various phobias, almost everything causes him angst: Germs, heights, crowds -- even milk. His condition eventually cost him his position on the force, and continuously poses unique challenges as he goes about his daily life. He is in therapy for his condition, but signs of progress in overcoming his psychological disorder are spotty at best. Now working as a private consultant, Monk continues to investigate various cases using his vast intelligence and unconventional approaches with the help of his personal assistant Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard), his friend and former boss Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine), and Stottlemeyers boy-Friday, Lt. Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford).
L to R: Gray-Stanford, Shalhoub, Howard and Levine.
Since it's debut on July 12, 2002, Monk has been nominated for ten Emmy awards, three SAG awards, five Golden Globe Awards and four Edgar awards. The series has won a total of six Emmy's, including three for Tony Shalhoub as "outstanding lead actor in a comedy series."
Keith's nod to Monk is also notable because Enrico Colantoni and Tony Shalhoub are great friends. In fact, Enrico appeared as a guest star in the 2004 episode "Mr. Monk and the Employee of the Month."
Mexico ... (Referenced by O'Dell to Keith about his wife and stepson's whereabouts.)
Mexico 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.
Rosarito ... (Referenced by O'Dell to Keith about his wife and stepson's whereabouts.)
Playas de Rosarito is a city in the Mexican state of Baja California and seat of the municipality of the same name. The official name is Playas de Rosarito. It is located approximately 35 minutes south of the U.S. border in Tijuana. It is a popular destination for college students and young people in general from the United States for Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend. It boasts miles of beaches, hotels, and dance clubs.
Molire ... (Referenced by the theater guy to Veronica.)
Jean-Baptiste Moliere was born in Paris on January 15, 1622. His father tended the furniture and upholstery of the king, but Moliere decided at the age of twenty-one to devote his life to the theater. He began writing plays and started his own drama troupe, often playing the lead role. Although he faced an uphill climb and numerous obstacles, his dramatic troupe eventually became the most respected troupe in Paris earning the title "Troupe of the King."
Molire suffered a hemorrhage on February 17, 1673, while playing the role of the hypochondriac Argan in The Imaginary Invalid. He left behind a body of work which not only changed the face of French classical comedy, but has gone on to influence the work of other dramatists the world over. The greatest of his plays include The School for Husbands (1661), The School for Wives (1662), The Misanthrope (1666), The Doctor in Spite of Himself (1666), Tartuffe (1664, 1667, 1669), The Miser (1668) and The Imaginary Invalid (1673).
Tarantino ... (Referenced by the theater guy to Veronica.)
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (born March 27, 1963) is the American Dream come true, director-style. He is an American film director, actor, and Oscar-winning screenwriter who rapidly rose to fame in the early 1990's as a latter-day auteur whose use of nonlinear storylines, memorable dialogue, and violence brought new life to familiar American film archetypes. Tarantino is also well-known for his public persona as a motor-mouthed, geeky hipster with an encyclopedic knowledge of both popular and art-house cinema.
The director-writer worked in a video store through most of his formative years while studying acting before concentrating on screenplay writing. His first sale was for True Romance, the Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette 1993 flick, followed by Natural Born Killers (He claims that director Oliver Stone changed the script so much that Tarantino has disowned the script and claims no credit.) The success of True Romance brought him to the attention of producer Lawrence Bender who encouraged Tarantino to keep at it. The end result was Reservoir Dogs, which Tarantino also directed, making his debut. When it premiered at the prestigious independent film festival at Sundance, it was picked up by Miramax and became a minor hit for the company. Despite offers to pen upcoming Hollywood scripts, Tarantino instead retreated to Amsterdam and wrote his follow-up. This became Pulp Fiction, released in 1994. The film not only restarted (for the twenty-seventh time) John Travolta's career, but it also became THE hit of the year, garnering not only bundles of critical praise (landing in the top spot as the best film of year among critics), but garnered impressive box office for an independent as well as the piece de resistance -- an Academy Award nomination for best picture/best director of the year. Tarantino and his film didn't win, but his reputation was made. So electric and innovative was Tarantino's splashy, flashy directorial style and quick, wham-bam patter, pop-culture-referenced and profanity-laden dialogue that copycats emerged left and right and Quentin became the IT man in Hollywood.
Enjoying all the town had to offer, Tarantino dated beautiful women (Oscar winner Mira Sorvino his most notable squeeze), directed television episodes of his favorite shows, wrote and starred in friend and fellow innovative director Roberto Rodriguez's From Dusk 'Till Dawn with George Clooney to mixed reviews. In fact, it was his "acting" career that has been the one negative plaguing Tarantino. Although wildly acclaimed as a director, he really wants to be an actor. However, he's no Jason Dohring. Hell, he's no Richard Grieco and despite a collection of small roles in various films and TV shows that the director gets because of his fame, he is universally panned for his efforts. He may want to act, but the world just wants him to direct. And so he does ... but not as often as people would like.
His follow-up to Pulp Fiction finally came three years later, Jackie Brown, and while not a complete bomb, it had its critics -- and in concert with the reception of From Dusk 'Till Dawn -- it had quite a few wondering if Tarantino was, in fact, a one-trick pony. And then came Kill Bill, Vol.1 in the Fall of 2003. A critical and box office success that put Tarantino back on top and even if the sequel, Kill Bill, Vol 2. (released the following Spring) wasn't as wonderful as the original, Tarantino had still made it clear that he had the talent and plenty of it to spare. Pulp Fiction was no fluke.
Tarantino was also one of four directors directing a segment of the Miramax film Four Rooms and working again with Rodriguez, he directed a particularly interesting scene in the 2005 extravaganza Sin City featuring Clive Owens and a dead-talking-head Benicio Del Toro. I highly recommend the latter ... although it is a tad on the extremely, over-the-top violent side.
Pam Cooking Spray ... (Referenced by Jenny to Veronica about the stage.)
Pam, the number one brand of cooking spray in America, is a spray form of various types of oils, combined with lecithin, an emulsifier, and a propellant such as food-grade alcohol or propane. Cooking spray is applied to frying pans and other cookware to prevent food from sticking. Traditionally, cooks used butter, shortening, or oils poured or rubbed on cookware. Cooking spray was invented as a lower fat alternative to these methods. Most cooking sprays have fewer calories and less fat per serving than an application of these other lubricants, because they are applied in a much thinner layer.
Unfortunately for the theater crew, less fat doesnt mean less slippery. I imagine walking across that stage would be akin to slipping and sliding over freshly glossed ice.
"Break a Leg" ... (Referenced by Veronica to the theater folks.)
"Break a leg" is a well-known theatrical saying which means "good luck." It is offered to actors before they go out onto the stage. Theres a prevalent theatrical superstition against literally wishing good luck.
There doesnt seem to be an agreement on where this phrase was derived from originally. There are, however, several -- and colorful -- suggestions. One theory seems to indicate that the phrase originates from the Fords Theater assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth (perhaps a decent actor but clearly a better shot) in 1865, who, after the murder, jumped onto the stage and broke his leg in the process. However, since the first recorded usage of the phrase doesnt appear until the 1930's, I (and most reasonable people) find it difficult to connect a violent incident of death - no matter how theatrical - with any kind of good luck.
The Dictionary of Catch Phrases (yes, folks, there is such a thing) offers a connection to a lovely German phrase Hals und Beinbruch -- an invitation to break your neck and bones. Ah, the Germans! Always a fount of fun! The phrase, apparently, is used by pilots and is akin to the English "happy landings!" (Right, because nothing says "happy landing" like broken neck and bones). The phrase dates back to the early 20th century, but theres no clear connection between that and the American theater community. Except, of course, the lovely wish for the broken extremities. A "Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English" (yes, folks, apparently, there is such a thing, too), gives a (thankfully) antiquated meaning: Apparently, in around 1670's, "to break a leg" used to mean "to give birth to a bastard child." And while we all see a clear connection to Aaron Echolls here, it still doesnt explain how the phrase found its way to the theater.
There are many other suggestions. For starters there is a legend that the phrase originated in the early theatrical history to wish an actor the breaking of the leg simply meant to wish him prolonged applause, during which he would have to bend his knee in deep bow. This dates back to the Shakespearean times. Another suggest that, in the age of early vaudeville, when the theater owners would hire more actors than they could use in one performance (so if someone was so bad, they could be pulled off stage and replaced), and paid only those who actually made it on stage, the wish "break a leg" referred to the physical legs of actors lined up to get on stage. It meant that the performer would actually get his turn and gets paid. Rather convoluted idea, if you ask me, but hey, thats entertainment!
Yet another links the saying to the legend of Sprites, who liked to mess with people by listening to their wishes and making the opposite happen. Kind of like reverse psychology only meaner. So people tried tricking the Sprites into granting their wishes by stating something to the contrary. Huh. The more reasonable theory offers an idea that understudies used to wish it to the lead actors all the time in hopes that they really do break something and resign the part. (Say it with Logan and me: Theres no people, like show people!) It was said so often, it became bad luck not to say it.
There is speculation that it used to be "break a legend," meaning "give such a great performance, that it upstages those great ones that came before you." I am guessing the minimalist movement is responsible for the shortening of the phrase. In Greek times people did not applaud the performers, they stomped their legs. Stomp long enough for something spectacular, and you break a limb. Clearly, going to a theater was a dangerous venture in ancient Greece. The less violent Elizabethan version says that people used to stomp their chairs in appreciation. Admittedly, breaking a leg on a chair is far more appealing, but it is still doubtful this is the origin of the contemporary saying.
Ultimately, as fun as they are, these are all just speculations. The first recorded use of the phrase is as recent as 1957, and it is a title of a show. Of course it utilizes the phrase already in existence, and theres enough anecdotal evidence of that, but nothing explaining its real origin. Wherever the saying comes from, few people take it as far or as literally as spraying an actual slippery agent onto a stage. These film geeks with their Pam Cooking Spray fetish clearly need go get themselves as copy of that "Dictionary of Catch Phrases."
"Life imitates Art" / Oscar Wilde ... (Referenced by Logan to Veronica about the film playing.)
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde born on October 16, 1854 and died November 30 1900 of meningitis, brought on by a recurrent ear infection. He was an Irish playwright, poet, and author of essays and novels, famous in his own time. Known for his barbed and clever wit, he was one of the most successful playwrights of late Victorian London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. Although married, with two children, Wilde was arrested for "gross indeceny" -- a euphemism for homosexual acts -- and the ensuing two triasl brought about his downfall and led to his imprisonment in 1895. His wife left him, changed her name and upon his release two years later, Wilde was never able to recapture his writer's passion before succumbing to death at the age of forty-six.
Among his famous works include, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), An Ideal Husband (1895) and, of course, 1889's The Decay of Lying. It was in this novel, that Wilde argued that life imitates art and that art's sole purpose is to elicit pleasure in man. He believed that art existed for its own sake, in its own realm, divorced from the influences of history and society. Wilde argued that while life and nature might provide the raw materials for art, they should never be the sole focus of art. Rather, art is supposed to create something that is above and beyond both life and nature. Wilde believed that because human perception is inevitably subjective, life will come to imitate art since art can change one's subjective outlook. In The Decay of Lying, Cyril asks of Vivian:
It is believed that the first humans settled in the San Diego area some 20,000 years ago, along the coast, and 12,000 years ago in the desert area. However, it was in 1542 that Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sailed from Mexico into the Bay and claimed the area for Spain, naming it San Miguel. At the time, there were 20-30 thousand of the Kumeyaay tribe living there. In 1602, explorer Sebastian Vizcaino arrived on his ship, San Diego, and named the area for the Spanish Catholic saint, San Diego de Alcal. Then, in 1769, the first of a chain of twenty-one missions along the California coast was founded by Father Junipero Serra and the California Governor Gaspar de Portola. It was built on Presidio Hill and named Mission San Diego de Alcal. The first colonists arrived in 1774, and San Diego came under Mexican rule in 1821 when Mexico won its independence from Spain. Following that, in 1848, a treaty ending the war between the U.S. and Mexico set the official international border and declared San Diego an American city. Two years later, San Diego County was created and the City of San Diego was incorporated.
Today, with a population of around 1.25 million, San Diego is the second largest city in California and the seventh largest in the nation. According to the San Diego city website, more than 96 percent of the residents are employed, with a median family income of almost $40,000. The top industries are manufacturing, defense, tourism, and agriculture, with an additional focus on biotechnology/biosciences, electronics manufacturing, software, telecommunications, financial and business services, and defense and space manufacturing.
Located only seventeen miles from the Mexican border, with seventy miles of coastline and an overall land area of 342.4 square miles, San Diego is also home to many popular tourist attractions, such as Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Wild Animal Park, Legoland California, and the Del Mar Thoroughbred Races. Professional sports teams include the San Diego Chargers (football), the Padres (baseball), and the Gulls (hockey). In addition to ten community colleges located throughout the county, the city is also home to San Diego State, the largest California State University campus, and the University of California, San Diego.
Girl Scouts / Thin Mints ... (Referenced by Campus security guy to Veronica regarding her act.)
Girl Scouts of the USA is a youth association, best known for their annual entrepreneurial cookie selling, featuring popular selections such as Thin Mints, Caramel De Lites, Tagalongs and Do-si-dos. Founded in 1912 by Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low in Savannah, Georgia, Girl Scouts was formed based on the "scouting" ideas of Brit Robert Baden-Powell. Daisy believed that all girls should have the opportunity to develop physically, mentally and socially, and strove to bring girls out of home environments and into society through community service, physical activity and educational opportunities.
Today, Girl Scouts of the USA is the largest female youth organization, blossoming from its early ranks of eighteen, to a membership of approximately 3.5 million girls, ages 5-17, and nearly one million adult members. There are five age levels in Girl Scouting, Daisy, Brownie, Junior, Cadette and Senior. Girls Scouts of USA defines its goal as helping its members achieve their full potential through development of strong values, life skills and decision-making, self-acceptance and self-worth, and compassionate and respectful relating to others.
Thin Mints are the most enduring and universally familiar Girl Scout cookie sold. These round, mint-flavored cookies covered with dark chocolate perennially sell the most boxes of any cookie (and not surprisingly, because DAYUM, are they yum!). Never changing their name, Thin Mints come in a dark green box and this variety of cookie accounts for 25% of Girl Scout cookie sales, making them the most popular type. Again, not surprising because YUM!
His second choice of Lemon Coolers are not as popular. A reduced-fat cookie, these round, yellow, lemon-flavored cookies are an option geared toward dieting and diabetic customers. His final pick are the Classic Shortbread cookies or Trefoils. These shortbread cookies are shaped like the Girl Scout Trefoil design.
Rolexes ... (Referenced by Lamb when he tells Veronica what they found in the guard's house.)
Rolex is a brand of elite wristwatches and other accessories renowned for quality and exclusivity. The watches can range in price from a few thousand dollars to more than one hundred thousand dollars, and have become status symbols for the rich and famous.
The company, which was founded in 1905 by the German Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis, is credited with several innovative features common to modern watches; they developed the first self-winding watch, the first waterproof watch case, the first wristwatch with the date in the dial, and dual time zones. Rolex is the first watch making company to earn the chronometer certification (tested and certified to meet certain precision standards, given by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute).
- In addition to the mention of Lilly, this episode included three references to season one stories: Weevil's comment about Veronica being a "card shark" (An Echolls Family Christmas) and Danny's memories of the time Veronica cut Wallace down from the flagpole (the Pilot) and when she "stopped those guys from blowing up the school" (Weapons of Class Destruction).
- The Intro to Criminology class certainly doesn't look or sound happy that T.A. Tim's taking charge for the day. Guess Veronica's not the only student who's not a fan.
- Harrison, the thief in the Carter mask, can be seen sitting at a table gambling before his partner begins the robbery.
- Veronica and Logan were indeed dressed as Meg and Jack White of the The White Stripes. (May they both burn those costumes, or at least the wigs, after this Halloween.)
- When Logan and Veronica enter the student film festival, Logan cheerfully briefly pats someone on the back.
- Continuing with the Halloween theme of this episode: One of the stores located near Mars Investigations is named Lestat's, which presumably is a reference to the famed vampire from the Anne Rice novels.
- The expressions on Cliff's face during his fake voiceover work, especially when he says "Neptune, Neptune, Neptune!" and "Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!" Watch that bit ten times in a row, it's sure to put you in a good mood. And the whole thing is especially hilarious given the Daran Norris' extensive experience doing voiceovers.
- Mindy O'Dell's hairstyle and red lipstick is reminiscent of 1940's screen siren Veronica Lake, who rose to fame with several prominent roles in the film noir genre.
- Awwww, Wallace has a piggy bank on his desk. How cute! Maybe he should have used the money he's saved to hire a tutor, instead of cheating on his exam. Just a thought.
- When Veronica's reading her email from Danny at the public computer outside the Hearst College Police Department, she gets up to leave without logging out of her account or even closing the email. Sloppy, sloppy.
- The bratty little girl is staring at Veronica the whole time she's there -- obviously waiting to see her reaction to getting "gummed."
- Aww, Keith and Cliff have lunch together. They're lunch buddies!
- Looks like Wallace is growing a 'stache.
- At the beginning of the confrontation between Veronica and Weevil about the necklace (after the commercial), you can hear loud arguing coming from a neighboring apartment followed by a bang and then silence. Neither Weevil nor Veronica so much as flinch.
- Throughout the episode, Veronica repeatedly fingers the area around her neck from which Lilly's necklace is missing.
- As Lamb is doing the Robot, someone off-camera calls out, "Hey, Sheriff's doing the Robot ... Get my camera phone." Hee!
- Jennifer T. Kretchmer, director John Kretchmer's daughter, appears in this episode. She plays Jenny, the theater student in charge of the props department. Apparently Jennifer is also a 5th generation opera singer and has been involved in theater at Berkeley. So a fitting role for her.
- As the student film fades into commercial, the Nixon robber says "Don't forget to vote." Considering Election Day is next Tuesday, a bit of a subliminal message, perhaps?
- Logan pointing towards Veronica when the film student was hitting him up for an investment, just as Veronica is verbally telling the guy to talk to her. Hee. Teamwork.
- The IP address that Veronica tracked to the Hearst College public computer is 156.1.240.45. An internet search shows this as a server address belonging to the San Francisco Unified School District, muscles.sfusd.edu.
- There is an email from "Wallace Fennell" with the subject "snickerdoodle me :( " Aww, poor Wallace.
- The appearance of "One Week Later" on our screen is the third time the show has used such a mechanism to indicate a passage of time. The other two instances were both in season 1: the DVD extended version of the Pilot ("20 hours earlier") and in The Girl Next Door ("One week earlier").
- Veronica's necklace, featured in this episode, was given as a prize in the Veronica Mars MySpace "Operation: Five K" contest.
- "Call Cliff and get off." Hee! Heeeeee! Ahem. The most blatant double entendre line in quite a long time, it's a wonder this made it past the censors. They certainly weren't talking about the law. Who heard that line and didn't immediately go to the naughty place? We're willing to bet that if Cliff was to change professions in the future -- with the amount of fangirls whod have him on speed dial -- he'd give Miss Sabrina a run for her money. With that sexy voice on the other end of the line, Cliff would have women out of their underwear faster than a half dozen Panty Dropper shots those Pi Sig boys use.
- Doesn't Veronica think it's just a wee bit risky to be mouthing off to armed robbers?
- Why would Logan and Veronica decide to dress up as an ex-husband and ex-wife? Isn't that bad relationship JuJu or something?
- Why did Veronica decide to enlist Sheriff Lamb's help in busting the rent-a-cop considering they aren't exactly BFF? Furthermore, considering Lamb's history of repeatedly ignoring any information Veronica presents to him, why did he choose in this instance to believe her?
- Why did Claire lie about not recognizing the guy in the photo? Was she protecting her boyfriend from suspicion? Was she planning on confronting him herself?
- Was Claire's rape a part of the string of campus rapes by the same perpetrator, or was it a separate act made to look similar? Was Claire raped at all, or was it some kind of the Lilith House conspiracy to get the frat brothers, as some people are suggesting?
- Has Veronica shared the ATM photo with any authority figures yet, and if not, then how did the fraternity get cleared?
- Do camps in the U.S. just randomly give out their alumni lists to anyone who'd call and ask pretending to be a former camper? With home addresses and phone numbers? Wouldn't the person in charge at least ask for the full name, address, and the year of attendance from the caller, before e-mailing this somewhat personal information?
- Why isn't there more of a media outcry about the rapes? They showed up fast enough for the robbery arrests, so why not the much more prominent and ongoing crimes? I realize Lamb summoned them to once again grandstand and bask in the limelight, but wouldn't he be at least a little bit weary of the other questions the media might ask him while at it? He should be, and they must, but it didn't seem like he was sweating it.
- Why does the criminology TA, Tim Foyle, continuously look behind him at the audience during Veronica's presentation when Weevil is telling his story? Is it simply an acting quirk or is it meant to exhibit his displeasure that the students are actually enjoying Veronica's presentation?
- What was that piece of paper Weevil was holding when he showed up to Veronica's class? Why did he bring it there? Was it a note from Veronica reminding him to show up or was it something else?
- I know it's been answered in an interview by Rob Thomas, but not on the show itself: What does Weevil think Logan did to Lilly exactly, and how come Veronica didn't ask/refute it? Also, how come this was just left hanging there, without being further addressed by anyone?
- In the same conversation Veronica mentions that Hearst women aren't even close to the top of the list of her worries about Logan. She has a list? Just what exactly is on it, and what would be at the top?
- Isn't Veronica curious about Weevil's rather cryptic comment regarding Logan's treatment of Lilly?
- Why did Veronica bring Backup with her when she confronted Weevil at his apartment? Does she actually believe Weevil poses a physical threat to her?
- Why wasn't Veronica immediately suspicious that someone was setting up Weevil once she learned that a credit card was used to order pizza? Presumably, Weevil and a buddy just made out with at least $10,000 in cash (which is what Mercer claimed was in the security box), not to mention, a lot of people's wallets. Surely, if he was the culprit, he was smart enough to use some of his share of the loot to pay for pizza and not give himself away with a stolen credit card? And surely Veronica would have known as much.
- Shouldn't Veronica check to make sure her dad isn't with a client before ranting and raving about socioeconomic injustice and how she's going to stick it to "the man?"
- Was O'Dell the dean last year when Chip allegedly slept with the dean's wife? And was that even true or just a frat boy's attempt at appearing a stud?
- Was Keith aware of the Dean and Mrs. O'Dell's plans to convince her ex-husband of donating his bone marrow or did he truly believe that it was all about a father-son reunion?
- If Keith was able to con the building manager into letting him enter and examine Steve's apartment, why couldn't he have arranged the 'family reunion' in there? Why the whole elaborate set up at the Mars Investigations with Cliff and Veronica playing parts? Not that I'm complaining, because there are few things funnier than Cliff doing a Monster Truck commercial, but still.
- If impersonating a county employee is a crime (as the LAPD detective pointed out), how come Lamb isn't serving time? He's been impersonating a Sheriff for years now!
- Can you really just bring in a kidnapped and unwilling donor and have the procedure performed? Aren't there papers to sign? By both parties?
- Don't alimony payments usually end once the former spouse remarries? If that's the case, why does Steve keep bringing it up like it's an ongoing issue with Mindy?
- Sure, Steve got a nice car as part of his deal with the O'Dells, but what about ongoing expenses? A Porsche isn't exactly a cheaply maintained or insured automobile. Did they also give him money as part of their deal?
- Wallace majoring in Mechanical Engineering? Seriously? This is the guy whose only interest in physics was passing the class so he didnt lose his Heart scholarship. And now he wants to be a Mechanical Engineer? Since when does Wallace dream to be a mechanical engineer?
- And, if it is, indeed, his dream, why then is THIS the class he is failing?
- Is Wallace's basketball teammate, Mason, just really friendly or does he have more nefarious intentions hidden behind his constant desire to lure Wallace away from his studying?
- Wouldn't Wallace have considered that completing the Mechanical Engineering test before anyone else looked incredibly suspicious, especially after failing the first test and the re-test? Seriously, if you're going to cheat, at least have the decency to cheat well.
- Was Lamb actually being sort of nice to Veronica for once during this episode? Has the world turned upside down and everyone has failed to mention it to me?
- So, are Logan's money problems a thing of the past now? I thought the money being taken out was legit, therefore, Logan IS short plenty o' moolah he thought he had. To quote Lamb, "does not compute."
- Once more with feeling: Where in the name of all that's holy is the Hearst Administration? Why aren't they doing more to protect the students? Seriously, Rent-a-Cops that rob? No wonder Hearst seems to have upstaged the River Styx as the hotbed of Neptune criminal activity. Between the gambling, the drinking, the pot growing, the 'Welcome Wagon' thefts, armed robberies and rapes, is anyone sleeping well in their dorms?
- In A Trip to the Dentist, Weevil accused Logan of assaulting Lilly. Originally Rob Thomas planned that it would be revealed in flashbacks that it was Duncan causing the bruises on Lilly when he had seizures. Alas, due to time constraints that issue was never cleared up and we now have an assault accusation that's never been contradicted. In this episode, Weevil's accusation is once again repeated and once again there is no defense on Logan's behalf.
- Claire's rape is not as clear-cut as the previous attacks. The modus operandi is different and hmm, Claire does know the Asian guy who was a mystery last week (and this). Hmm.
- So, this is the wife of the Dean that Chip was banging as referenced in episode 16 of season two, The Rapes of Graff.
duchessjms (Jayne): Social Science; Detention
genova (Cara): Extra Credit; Literature
holly96 (Holly): Yearbook; Literature; Social Science; Homeroom
Iloveyoubearymuch (Kathryn): Literature; Homeroom; Philosophy
JaneDtwo: Social Science; Philosophy
JenniferH: Report Card; Drama Club; Chemistry; Band Class; Literature; Social Science; Homeroom; Philosophy; Principles of Democracy
Pixigal (Gerrie): Drama Club; Social Science
PolarTruckin (Belinda): Extra Curricular Activities
sawmg (Shannon): Social Science
SeluciaV (Alli): Journalism; Social Science
Tar Frimmer (Joanne): Study Hall; Literature; Homeroom; Philosophy
Original Air Date: October 31, 2006
Written by: Jonathan Moskin & David Mulei
Directed by: Nick Marck
Staff Grade: A
Membership Grade: B (41.7% - 103 votes)
Despite some problems (the main being the boredom of Wallace's story, the slight being the lack of follow-up to Weevil's baseless accusation against Logan), this is a very strong episode, and a wonderful callback to much of season one. Veronica is sooooooo Veronica, flaws, foibles and all. She is the "unlikeable" Veronica that we LOVE!, not the unlikeable pod-Veronica we saw most of S2 and the first couple of episodes this season. In fact, all of the regulars -- minus Wallace, whose non-sidekick-story once again blows and is so very OOC -- are on target and a delight to watch. The mystery of the week is interesting and since it engaged Veronica, we viewers are engaged as well. Even Keith's case meshes nicely because it includes characters we're aware of and ties into Veronica's matriculation. An excellent start from the new writers indeed, who also make the wise decision of bringing Cliff(!) back to our screens. Bravo.
Credited Cast Non-Appearance
Ryan Hansen - Dick Casablancas
Julie Gonzalo - Parker Lee
Chris Lowell - Stosh "Piz" Piznarski
Tina Majorino - Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie
Recurring Guest Stars (Previous Episode Appearances)
Ed Begley Jr. - Cyrus O'Dell
Ryan Devlin - Mercer Hayes
Brandon Hillock - Deputy Sacks
James Jordan - Tim Foyle
Krista Kalmus - Claire Nordhouse
Daran Norris - Cliff McCormack
Guest Stars
Richard Grieco - Steven Batando
Angelo Middione - Deputy Barker
Jaime Ray Newman - Mindy O'Dell
Ryan Pinkston - Danny Rossow
Robert Ri'chard - Mason
Rachel Rogers - Bratty little girl
Adam Rose - Max
Blake Sheilds - Harrison
Michael B. Silver - Professor Winkler
Who's Who in Neptune
Steven Batando - Mindy O'Dell's ex-husband, and the father of her son, Jason. Currently making a living doing voiceover work.
Deputy Barker - Deputy in the Balboa County sheriff's department. Responded with Sheriff Lamb to the casino robbery.
Mindy O'Dell - Cyrus O'Dell's wife. Previously married to Steven Batando, with whom she has a son, Jason.
Danny Rossow - Works at the pizza shop. Also a Veronica Mars fanboy.
Mason - Wallace's friend and (presumably) teammate. Majoring in physical education.
Bratty little girl - Bratty little girl who mouthed off to Veronica and planted gum on the computer chair. Harrison's daughter.
Max - "Tutor" who Mason recommended to Wallace. Sells class test and answers.
Harrison - Campus security officer. Along with his partner held up the casino. Also father of bratty little girl.
Professor Winkler - Wallace's mechanical engineering professor.
Hey! It's That Guy/Girl
Richard Grieco (Steven Batando) - Joining the long line of 1980's throwbacks to appear on Veronica Mars (see: Harry Hamlin and Steve Gutenberg, for example). Following a stint on One Life to Live, Richard Grieco got his break when he landed the role of Detective Dennis Booker on 21 Jump Street. After one season, his character was spun off to Booker, which lasted only one season. Following his two stints as Dennis Booker, Grieco went on to appear in a number of films and made-for-television movies, among them Mobsters as Bugsy Siegal and A Night at the Roxbury as himself.
Ryan Pinkston (Danny Rossow) - Ryan Pinkston a cast member on Season 1 of Ashton Kutcher's hidden-camera MTV show, Punk'd. Despite only being fifteen, Pinkston was regularly featured in his own segment, in which he would pretend to interview celebrities on the red carpet for a kids' show, only to make fun of them instead. Following his stint on Punk'd, Pinkston was a guest on a number of talk shows before starring as Patton Chase on the short-live Fox sitcom Quintuplets.
Robert Ri'chard (Mason) - Robert Ri'chard began acting at the age of thirteen, soon winning the 1997 Daytime Emmy award for Outstanding Actor in a Children's Special for the made-for-television movie In His Father's Shoes. He went on to star with Usher in Light It Up and guest star on a number of TV shows. In 2005 he played the son of Samuel L. Jackson's character in Coach Carter and then Paris Hilton's character's boyfriend (something he has in common with Jason Dohring) in House of Wax. Ri'chard was also a regular during all five seasons of the UPN sitcom One on One, playing the good friend and later boyfriend of Kyla Pratt's character (something he has in common with Percy Daggs III -- see The Wrath of Con).
This episode was a beautiful example of an ensemble working in perfect harmony. Nothing grated, nothing detracted from the twisty, layered noir atmosphere of the episode. In particular:
Highlights
Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) - Brimming with steely determinism, Bell gave us a Veronica who is at a certain level of peace, but is still peering at the world through wary eyes -- directed towards friend and enemy alike. Her scenes with Francis Capra were especially effective and showed how thin that line between friend and enemy is in Veronica's world. One final tip of the hat for her wordless scene with the brat. It was lovely to see the "unlikeable" Veronica (reminiscent of season one) that we all love so.
Daran Norris (Cliff McCormack) - We must give notable attention to the welcome return of Daran Norris as our beloved Cliff (Call Cliff! Get off! - hee, hee, hee. Best slogan ever!). With impeccable comic timing and his warm presence, Norris eased back into the world of Veronica Mars with delicious savoir faire. Ah, Cliff, you were missed!
Michael Muhney (Sheriff Don Lamb) - Muhney showed us Lamb at his snarky, asshole best, delighting viewers while delighting in the sheer asshatted-ness of Lamb. Whee!
Francis Capra (Weevil) - Although, there was a negative to Capra's performance, the actor still delivered enough to warrant inclusion here. His scenes with Bell, Muhney and Jason Dohring (Logan) showed us all sides of Weevil and it was a smooth slide into Weevil's ambiguous, dangerous vibe.
Sidenote: Whatever the reason that Francis Capra has gained weight and is suffering from an outbreak of acne, he still managed to hit the right acting notes with his voice levels and facial expressions this week. Unfortunately this week his performance is hindered by his appearance and some of his scenes were lacking due to this. I found the flirting with the coed scene and his line that he was getting a lot of play unbelievable. I mention this because while appearance isn't key to a performance, at times it does factor into the role you are playing. I am not buying Weevil as sexy this year and it hurts the credibility of the scenes.
Lowlights
James Jordan (Tim Foyle) - Jordan gained a small following due to his performance as the tormented Lucky last season. Unfortunately, that talent and charisma is not working with this role. There is an unbelievability to the portrayal; I keep waiting for him to rip off his wig and start waving a gun about. In particular, he overemphasized certain words in his dialogue that gave his scene with Veronica some off-kilter vibrations.
Jamie Ray Newman (Mindy O'Dell) - A little too snooty and overly done in the admittedly stock role of trophy wife/concerned mother, Newman overplayed the role. Oy, can't we bring back Kendall? I mean Buffy died lots of times. We just need Willow, a deer and a some jar she found on the internet.
Scene One: Re: The Girlfriend Department -- Lilly Sucks; Veronica Rules
It's not a Logan/Veronica scene, but since the relationship is being discussed, I'm addressing it here. This scene between Weevil and Veronica offered us a mighty YAY! in the LoVe department and big ole boo! in the LoVe/Logan/WTF? department. We'll let Negative Nellie out to play first. Once again, Weevil inferred that Logan was a bad, bad boyfriend to Lilly ... and Veronica just let it slide. HEL-LO!!! LILLY cheated on Logan with Weevil (!), with Aaron, Logan's father (!!), with Lord knows how many other guys (!!!). LILLY dumped Logan time and time again, broke his heart and then blithely picked up the pieces when she got bored with whomever she cheated on Logan with that time. Logan worshipped Lilly. How? What? HUH!? is LOGAN the bad guy here?
You'd think that Weevil might, oh, have a clue that Lilly perhaps lied about Logan being such the loser since she (a) was the one cheating on him with Weevil, (b) went back to Logan and then accused Weevil of stalking her and (c) slept with Logan's father. Sigh, I guess it's too much to ask for the show to EVER acknowledge the idiocy of this. Or, you know, at least have VERONICA acknowledge it ... at least with regards to Logan. Would it have killed her to protest even a little bit? Say something, anything that would indicate Weevil didn't know diddly-squat about of what he was speaking? Seriously! No, she just glossed it over with a quip about gossip. Bad call, Veronica -- no, wait, I'm loving Veronica again (yay!), so she gets off (not by Cliff, silly! Eww!). Bad call, writers, BAD CALL!
And what makes this even worse, is that this isn't the first time. Weevil referenced Logan hurting Lilly in A Trip to the Dentist and that plot point was dropped as well. Sure, it's been answered by Rob Thomas in an interview:
- In a story line that we had worked out, we were going to see Duncan strike Lilly in one of his violent episodes. Lilly had bruises. Weevil assumed that it was Logan who had hit her. Unfortunately, the story line was abandoned for time. I'm glad you asked. At the end of the day, I don't want people thinking that Logan hit Lilly. I did, however, want Weevil to believe it.
As for the YAY! column -- once again we are seeing the continuing motif of Veronica truly TRYING to be a good, supportive girlfriend. Clearly she realizes that this is not something that she does naturally, so she's doing her damndest (as promised) to act unnaturally for her beau. So yay for Veronica. If they break up again, regardless of the circumstances -- his fuck-ups, her issues -- one can't say that she didn't at least try. So yay!
Scene Two: Truth and Consequences
Excuse me while I go a little in-depth here and expand beyond the mere horizons of this scene which offer just a few LoVe nuggets. The first being Veronica's clear and utter relief when she saw Logan show up and Logan's comfort of her in return, as well as his mature ignorance of Lamb's petty jibing. Okay, I don't want to leave that first one just lying there; I believe it deserves a little more commentary. I truly loved seeing how that moment when Logan arrived played out. Veronica was clearly pissed and depressed and just a little shaken when she saw Logan. She straightened and a look of such relief and almost longing (as if he needed to be there, his arms around her right then at that very second to make things better) on her face was lovely to behold, if only because it was once against a sign of how very much, yes, Veronica DOES love Logan, damnit! And because of all of the misery we were handed last season, I still am very much in the frame of mind to savor every such moment.
As for the deeper analysis ... it all revolves around this line:
- Logan: Remember how after you said 'jump' and I asked 'how high?'
Logan doesn't trust Veronica. As much as she doesn't trust him -- and we know she doesn't, he doesn't trust her ... with his heart. For Veronica, it's about the things he could/would do to himself, to others around him, stupid mistakes he could make that would lead to him hurting her. With Logan, it's about how Veronica can hurt him and it's much more direct and immediate. She could just break his heart all over again ... so easily by not trusting him, not loving him. She's done it twice, three times if you count the Alterna-prom. Three times he's completely laid himself out there for her, put his heart on the line for her to do with what she will. Sometimes the band-aid was ripped off quickly and other times slowly, but still, she ripped it off and left him with a gaping wound: His heart in tatters. I think that we are finally seeing the consequences of that now.
Many were frustrated with the Hannah arc last season, but many also understood (including myself) that the story it presented had a purpose. That purpose was to show Logan that there are consequences to every action and when those actions are harmful, people get hurt. They get hurt even when those committing the action don't truly mean to hurt someone, or even when the "ends justifies the means." People get hurt, sometimes innocent people, and there are always consequences. We saw a Logan in the first half of last season not acknowledging -- let alone dealing -- with any of the consequences of Lilly's actions, his father's, Veronica's and his own. He just bottled it up and went along his blithe, snarky way ... and people got hurt. Veronica got hurt. Duncan got hurt. Hannah got hurt. Weevil and Felix and Molly got hurt. Not all his fault, no, but consequences happened and some of the fallout was his fault. Yet, he'd never owned up to it, never had dealt with it. So seeing what he had done, out of a selfish (and certainly self-justifiable) need, to someone who truly was innocent, was perhaps the first real step in opening Logan's eyes. And then there was the night on the roof. Seeing what happened with Beaver, all of the wrong done to him that he just bottled up and then unleashed on innocents, including Veronica, seems to have finally (FINALLY!) firmly woke him up to the consequences of actions and how very much they hurt, not just others, but himself as well.
And so here we are, he and Veronica are together once more and truly making a go at it, but he knows that she doesn't trust him and he doesn't trust her with his heart. He doesn't trust that if he messes up again, she won't walk away, breaking his heart yet one more time. And because he doesn't trust her, he's walking on eggshells, doing his damndest to not only NOT screw up so badly that he sends her running, but also walking on the eggshells of his heart. He's holding himself back because he knows now, he gets it. If he screws up, the consequences are that he'll get hurt ... again. Those are the consequences. And he feels, perhaps thinks that he knows, that if he puts his heart all out on the line again for her, knowing her, she'll leave him again no matter what he does. And the consequences of that are that this time he may be broken beyond repair. Those are the potential consequences and Logan Echolls finally understands their power.
Scene Three: Non-Compartmentalization
Not much here except the joy of seeing Logan "helping" Veronica on a case. And how joyful is it? Pretty durn joyful for this viewer. And it's even sort of a semi-date, too. Woohoo!! Movies, popcorn, grilling film geeks ... okay, mayhap that last part is not quite the routine date, but Veronica including Logan in her sleuthing? Better than just a date, that's Veronica including Logan in her life! Yay, for the lack of compartmentalizing!
- We've had Logan at work -- check!
- Logan with family -- check!
- Logan helpin' with the mystery of the week -- check!
- Logan with the friends -- uhm, not check, but we'll let that pass since Veronica's spent about five seconds with Mac and two with Wallace.
Scene Four: Teamwork
Ah, but the boy on the side is clearly what he wanted to be here. I've got to give kudos to Jason Dohring here. He had one line which consisted of one word: "No," and yet he was so a significant part of this scene. Wonderful job by him and also bravo to the new writers for acknowledging (FINALLY!) that he is the son of Aaron Echolls, a famous actor and would thus get some attention, especially from a film student. I loved how Veronica was practically blas about the guy's attitude towards Logan and just continued on with her questioning which was, of course, aided by Logan (without words) requesting the same. Teamwork, albeit silent on Logan's part. After all, for this gig, he was more than happy to just be the boy on the side.
Scene Five: A Boy, a Girl and a Dog
Really, this is just a different verse of the same song. Yay, Veronica included Logan in the sleuthing. Yay!! Lack of compartmentalizing is such a lovely thing. And of course, this scene featured Veronica and Logan ... walking Backup.
That made me so happy. I just, sigh, I just got such a happy smile and squeeed with joy because Logan and Veronica were walking Backup. So being a couple, so like being a family. Awww. And I really, really mean it.
The Trail of the Necklace
Veronica's in her Intro to Criminology class staring holes into her watch. I think. She's pretty much ignoring Lucky -- I mean TIM -- who is explaining to the class that Dr. Landry has been called to testify as an expert witness in some high profile case. Unfortunately for Veronica and co., that means that Tim will be running the class today while they continue with their oral presentations.
Tim calls on Veronica -- his new rival for Dr. Landry's affections -- to take the podium and give her presentation. She must be waiting for someone or something to arrive, because she hesitates, glancing at her watch and the door. Tim exhibits unholy glee in response to Veronicas apparent lack of preparedness. But wait! The door opens and Weevil arrives. Veronica breathes a quick sigh of relief because now shes ready to begin her presentation. Tim pouts like a whiny baby, but takes a seat and gives her the floor.
Weevil stands at the front of the class with Veronica as she gives her dissertation on The Life and Times of Eli Navarro. Tim immediately interrupts Veronica to snipe that she's supposed to be giving an oral presentation, not show and tell. I guess this means it isn't "take your favorite felon to class day." Veronica reminds Tim that Dr. Landry told them that they could use audio/visual aids. And Weevil is both an audio (hear his manly "Yo!") AND a visual (see his masculine, tattoo covered physique!) aide.
The class twitters with amusement while Tim (I hope) takes a moment to reflect upon the depth of his stupidity. Tim says he'll "let it slide" -- code for "you're right but there's no way in hell I'm admitting it." Veronica's nod in response conveys the perfect note of sarcastic acknowledgment. She concludes her introduction by explaining that her presentation will focus on the socio-economic conditions that lead teens and preteens into a life of crime.
Time passes and things in Intro to Criminology seem to be going smashingly well. The class is engaged and entertained as Weevil shares comical anecdotes about his life of crime as the leader of the PCHer's. He's both funny and honest and is clearly connecting with his audience -- much to Tim's annoyance. A cute girl at the back of the class asks Weevil if he thinks he'll ever really be able to leave gang life behind. Weevil sincerely says that he's really trying (and, Awwww for that!) but he does miss it: He misses having money in his pocket and he misses the thrill. I also suspect he misses the sense of family and of community he had in the gang, but I suspect that this revelation might be just a bit too touchy-feely for Weevil. Veronica is nearly glowing with pride over the success of her presentation and of Weevil's willingness to discuss his life to openly.
As the duo exit class, Weevil comments on Veronica's pretty necklace -- he recognizes it as one of Lilly's. Veronica fingers the pendant wistfully and comments that Lilly has been on her mind lately. The two share a moment of silence over their dearly departed friend.
Weevil tries to lighten the mood by asking Veronica about her Halloween plans. She snarks that she's got the usual on tap -- donning her sexy nurse's uniform and then rolling tweeners for their candy. Sweet. Then she relents and tells Weevil that she's planning to meet the boyfriend at the Benetian (Mercer's illegal dorm room casino) for some quality couples time over the poker table. Weevil laughs and assumes that Veronica's going to practice her card sharp skills on the unsuspecting student body. She grins, but tells him that the evening is actually a compromise: they'll gamble for part of the evening (one of his things) and then don costumes and hand out candy to the wee trick or treaters (one of her things). Aren't they so mature?
On that note, Veronica warns Weevil that she won't buy his custodian's uniform as a costume so he better not show up on her doorstep lookin' for goodies. Brushing his shoulder off, she also comments that he might want to consider a new shampoo. Nice Veronica. He doesn't need Head 'n Shoulders, he's simply covered in dry wall dust (which, correct me if I'm wrong, bears zero resemblance to dandruff) from the Student Union renovations.
Spotting the hot girl from class across the quad, Weevil cautions Veronica that she ought to use the short leash on her boyfriend. (Weevil, I beg you -- stop giving Veronica ideas.) Veronica tells Weevil that, shocking though it may seem, the hotties of Hearst aren't even close to the top of her list of worries about Logan. You know what Veronica? I hope by all that is holy you remember you said that. I'm marking your words -- and if any future behavior on your part makes that statement a lie, I'm gonna form those words into a dense ball of aggression and chuck them at your head.
Veronica's declaration catches Weevil completely off guard -- he had no idea that she was dating Logan again. Weevil seems to be harboring some serious misconceptions about Logan because he comments with utter incredulity that he can't believe she's dating him again "after what he did to Lilly." I assume he isn't referring to the way Logan played doormat to Lilly and her indiscretions with, oh, HIM. Not to mention Logan's father. And god only knows who else. Veronica jokes about the lousy state of the prison grapevine but doesn't address Weevils concerns. Weevil is not amused, and walks away shaking his head.
Side note: I can't for the life of me figure out why Veronica has such a hard time answering such simple questions these days! Is this a strictly a Logan-related mental block?!? Veronica, pay attention. When someone asks, "Do you have a boyfriend?" You reply, "Yes. His name is Logan." You can also improvise by adding some sort of descriptive comment about his greatness as a human being and a boyfriend to your response. When someone asks, "After what he did to Lilly?" You say, "Logan never did anything to Lilly but love her. She betrayed him on more occasions than I have fingers and toes -- including a liaison with Logan's abusive father." You may also feel free to scold the person who questions you about their utter inability to recognize Lilly's faults. Actually, you might want to work on that too. But, hey, now you know. And you know what they say ... knowing is half the battle. I expect to see you employ these simple tools the next time someone hits you with a Logan question. Got it? Good.
Later that night, Veronica (posing as Meg White of The White Stripes) arrives at Mercer's to meet up with Logan. It seems she's beaten her honey to the Venetian and since she's got some time to kill and could use a little extra scratch, she starts hunting for the "sucker" table. (A lovely nod to Veronica's poker prowess in An Echolls Family Christmas.) Before she can get the lay of the land, there is a commotion across the room. Two guys making like Patrick Swayze in Point Break (not to be confused with the Aaron Echoll's classic Breaking Point), dressed in suits and presidential masks, declare that they are bad men here to hold up the joint.
President Carter appears to be both ringleader and mouthpiece for this crime syndicate, and he orders all the partygoers to put all of their valuables -- watches, jewelry, wallets, etc. -- into Tricky Dick's trick or treat bag. (I guess he is a crook after all.) Carter seems to be confusing his movie motifs because although the look says Point Break the accent and delivery say Scarface. Tricky Dick remains silent. While Nixon makes the rounds collecting the goods from Mercer's guests, Jimmy gets the casino's cashbox and combination from Mercer.
Veronica parts with her wallet and watch without protest, but draws the line at Lilly's necklace. She even smacks Dick when he tries to get forceful and snatch it from her. President Carter jumps into the fray and he's pulling no punches. He grabs Veronica by the throat and slams her into the wall. He wraps his fingers in the chain and yanks hard, breaking the clasp and pulling it from her neck. As he releases Veronica and she slumps against the wall, she declares that he's gonna be sorry he did that. I'd almost feel sorry for the guy -- he clearly has no idea who he's up against -- if he werent, you know, an evildoer.
Shortly thereafter two Hearst rent-a-cops arrive on the scene, start gathering witness statements, and try to puzzle out what happened. Not surprisingly, most of the victims have little to no confidence in these two security guys. The first security guard, a large blonde guy, tries to gather the witness statements and keep the crowd calm while his partner, an Asian gent with a thick accent, questions Mercer. During the course of the interview we learn that Mercer's been told to shut down his operation more than once ... not that he particularly cares.
Logan arrives moments later posing as Jack White (of the White Stripes) to Veronica's Meg, sporting what may be the ugliest wig ever seen. *Shudders* (Seriously -- nothing that ugly should ever be permitted to tarnish the beauty that is Logan. For the love of god, someone put that thing on the bonfire with all the argyle garments. Please.) Anyway, Veronica tells Logan about the stick-up and is clearly anguished about the loss of Lilly's necklace. As Logan pulls her close to offer her the comfort of his big, strong, sexy guns, Lamb arrives on the scene spewing his standard mix of stupidity and vitriol.
He starts by making unsympathetic comments to the room full of victims about illegal gambling and underage drinking -- implying, of course, that everyone there deserved to be robbed at gunpoint by two clowns in masks. Then, for good measure, he snarks on Logan and Veronica for their PDA. Without actually giving any thought to the order before opening his mouth, he instructs one of the deputies to start collecting ID's. That is until Veronica points out that they all just had their wallets stolen. The "dumbass" is implied.
As blondie security guy starts to relay the details of the crime, Lamb cuts him off. "Good work JV, Varsitys taking the field now." Which, okay, I'll grant you is pretty freaking funny. However, I cant help but think that Captain Lamb and the Neptune Squad are gonna end up scoring more than a few points in the wrong end zone ... if you know what I mean. Logan quips that with "Scotland Yard" on the case, they are sure to get their things back in record time. Even if it were true, it wouldn't matter at this point because Veronicas got on her 'resolve' face now, boys. She tells Logan that she doesn't need any help because she knows who did it. Based on Veronica's penchant for haphazardly jumping to all the wrong conclusions, I can only assume that this wont end well.
Weevil arrives home at night after a hard day at work. As he goes to put his key in the door, the loud bark of what sounds like a very large dog comes loud and clear through his apparently unlocked door. Last time I checked, Weevil didn't own a dog -- and judging by the look on his face, he still doesn't. He grabs a large wrench out of his tool box and storms the door, flipping on the light to confront the uninvited guest. But Weevil's not being burgled. In retrospect he may wish he had been.
There on his couch sits one very angry Veronica Mars, with Backup in tow. I'm not sure exactly which one of them was barking, but it's clear that Veronica's the one who looks more inclined to attack. Veronica demands to know where Lilly's necklace is. Weevil takes a deep breath and makes a few cracks about the other goodies his adoring female public has left behind, before admitting that he has no idea what she's talking about. Veronica is already worked up and has clearly decided that she knows exactly who is behind the casino robbery. Remember what I said about jumping to all the wrong conclusions? Its more like she's leaping with abandon.
Veronica tells Weevil that she thinks it is too convenient that not six hours after she tells him about an illegal casino on campus, a guy the same size and build as Weevil who is wearing a mask and is covered in plaster dust and Drakkar Noir holds the place up and steals her necklace. She figures that based on his comments to her class about missing his life of crime paired with his comments to her about Lilly's necklace, he has to be the guilty party.
Weevil is pissed and genuinely insulted that she thinks he could really do that to her after all they've been through. She responds that after all that they've been through, how could she not think it? Waaaaaay harsh Veronica. Your trust issues are out of frakkin control, girlfriend. Weevil is clearly hurt and tells Backup that although he's welcome to hang out and have a beer, his girl's gotta go. Veronica clings to her righteous indignation and storms out the door. Weevil comments to her retreating form that it's no wonder she doesn't have more friends. Word to yo motha on that one, Weevs. I can only hope that Veronica's gonna be choking on her words here in the not too distant future.
Logan and Weevil run into each other in the school parking lot. Rather than tipping their proverbial hats and going their separate ways, neither can resist the opportunity to get a little snarking in. But before Joe College and Jose Lunchpail can do more than exchange their opening volleys, Lamb arrives on the scene to search Weevil's car. Weevil is completely frustrated by everyone's determination to accuse him of a crime he doesn't even know anything about! But contrary to his protests, Sachs finds some of the goods from the robbery stashed in the backseat of Weevil's lowrider.
As Lamb goes to arrest him, he quips that perhaps this time they can do his Miranda rights in harmony -- Lamb on lead vocals and Weevil on tenor? (Hee!) While Weevil's being cuffed Logan wonders aloud if something happens more than twice if it still qualifies as dj vu. Lamb puts Weevil in the backseat, and Logan suggests that Weevil ask for Cell B when he gets to prison ... it has the best light. As Lamb puts the car in gear, he picks up his CB and calls out, "Hey good lookin,' we'll be back to get you later!" Well, you got half of it right Lamb: Logan is extremely good lookin'. It's okay, you can say it. We know.
Hearing of Weevils arrest, Veronica pays a visit to the Sheriff's Department. When she informs Lamb that she's not there to prove the bad guy innocent, merely to pick up her necklace, he's not just surprised, he's downright baffled. He nearly has a mental meltdown which he expresses through the beauty of dance, The Robot. Veronica doesnt have any real interest in Lamb's show (unlike his deputies that are scrambling for a camera phone to immortalize this moment) but she is interested in finding out if he was tipped off about the stuff in Weevil's car. It wasn't a tip, but rather Weevil's use of one of the stolen credit cards to order himself a pizza for delivery. That's not too obvious or anything. Nothing about that story says "frame up" to me at all. I have to wonder if Veronica's even conscious at this point because she doesn't seem to find any of this suspiciously convenient.
Lamb allows her in to pay a visit to Weevil in his cell. They banter about decorating options to make the cell more like home for a minute before Veronica asks him again about Lilly's necklace. Second verse, same as the first Veronica. Read my lips: He. Doesnt. Know. Weevil tells her that he's being framed (and I'm sorry but DUH!). He didn't order the pizza, but he did enjoy a few slices when it mysteriously arrived at his apartment. Hey, it was free food and he wasn't looking a gift horse in the mouth.
Something must be penetrating because I do see a glimmer in Veronica's eyes. She wants Weevil to tell her that when she looks into the pizza thing, she's going to find out he didn't order it, right? Weevil says that she could just try believing him. After an awkward pause they share a chuckle over the ridiculousness of that statement because we all know that if Jesus himself came down from on high and told Veronica Mars that the sky was blue, she'd still look up just to check. As far as Veronica is concerned, no one is entitled to any benefit of any doubt. Ever.
Veronica pays a visit to Mamma Mia's pizza to track down the source of the mystery pizza order. The kid at the counter, Danny, recognizes Veronica from her glory days at Neptune High and is totally star struck. All Veronica wants to do is get the info on the order, but Danny's too caught up in reliving all of Veronica's greatest sleuthing moments to notice. Veronica finally gets a word in edgewise and tells Danny that she really doesn't have time for a trip down memory lane because she's working on a case. Danny is in awe ... she is so awesome. Veronica manages to reign him in by asking for his help.
She wonders if they have any way to track incoming orders -- you know, caller ID or the like? Danny says that they do and gives her a rundown of how the system works. She asks him to pull up the order delivered to Weevil's apartment so that she can check the phone number. As luck would have it, the order wasn't placed by phone -- it was an online order. The only way to find out where the online order originated is to have the manager request the info from their internet service provider. Unfortunately, the manager isn't in. Veronica turns on the charm and wonders if there is any way they can make it like his manager is there. Danny gulps in a way that perfectly conveys that he's willing to do whatever Veronica desires. And I meant that exactly the way I typed it.
Veronica follows Danny back to the office where he calls the internet company and does a fierce imitation of his boss. I don't even know the guy and yet I can picture him perfectly. I've got to give the kid props, he's good! Even Veronica's impressed by his chutzpa. He comes through like a champ and forwards the info to Veronica.
It seems that the IP address belongs to a public computer on the Hearst campus only forty feet from where Weevil's been arse deep in drywall. Veronica decides he still in the mix, but is clearly no longer as emphatically certain as she once was that he was the criminal mastermind behind this robbery -- partly because so many people have access to this terminal. As she grabs her bag and stands up she realizes she's got purple chewing gum stuck to her ass. Hey Veronica? That's KARMA. I hope you are paying attention.
Veronica surveys the crowd and spots the guilty party sitting outside the door to the university's security office. But the culprit isn't a student -- at least not at Hearst. She's a bratty kid about seven years old who seems to relish the torture her gum inflicts upon others. In fact, when Veronica calls her out for putting her gum on the chair, this little girl has the audacity to suggest that perhaps Veronica wouldn't have gum on her ass if she were, you know, smarter. Or more observant. You know, I generally love kids, but I'd like to give this one a boot to the head.
Weevil calls on Veronica to pay him a visit later that afternoon because he's got some info on the crime to share. Apparently one of his buddies on the janitorial staff found the masks and guns in the dumpster behind Venice Hall. He didn't turn them in to the cops because he wasn't sure if it would help Weevil or hurt him. Veronica's already thinking ahead and plans to get the stuff so she can track the ownership of the guns. There's only one little itsy-bitsy problem with her plan: The guns aren't real, they're props.
So where does one go on a college campus to locate gun props? Why, the theater department, of course. Veronica winds her way through the theater and approaches a group of students standing in the wings on stage left. Everyone in the group is dressed in period garb and they are all staring intently at the stage floor in front of them. Veronica wonders if they can point her in the direction of the props department. Handily enough, the prop mistress is one of the theater students, but Veronica's out of luck because they don't do guns. They do Moliere -- hence the garb. If Veronica wants guns, they suggest she check with the film department. And if she's headed that way, they'd love for her to pass along their thanks for the opening night present: A stage completely covered in Pam cooking spray. I have to admit, that's ... diabolically brilliant.
On that recommendation, Veronica (with boyfriend in tow) pays a visit to the film department's short film festival. Veronica's strategy is to go get popcorn and grill film geeks while Logan gets seats. However, that doesnt prove to be necessary as Logan points out the eerie "life imitates art" moment happening on screen: Two guys wearing Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon Masks are holding up a convenience store. I'm going out on a limb when I speculate that this isn't a coincidence.
Once the festival ends, Veronica corners the director. She tells him that a robbery recently occurred using the mask and gun props from his movie and wonders if he knows anything about it. Before she can get an answer out of him, film boy is distracted by Logan, Logan's money, and all of his Hollywood ties. The kid immediately launches into an investment inquiry, but Logan shuts him right down and gestures that he really ought to be paying attention to Veronica before she gets angry. The director acquiesces and tells Veronica that the equipment truck with all of their stuff, including those props, was stolen a week ago. The theft was reported and miraculously, the on-campus police actually recovered the truck. All the equipment was accounted for except for the guns and the masks. Veronica makes her "a ha" face. I'm guessing this means she's figured something out that I haven't yet.
The next day Veronica pays a visit to the blonde security guard she met the night of the robbery with Backup in tow. She stands on his porch and talks to him through the wrought iron bars of his front door and tells him she wants her necklace back. He chuckles, but pretends not to know what she's talking about. Veronica, naturally, isn't deterred. She tells him that she doesn't care about the rest of the money and stuff he and his partner stole, she just wants her necklace because it has sentimental value ... but no dice. Which was really unwise on his part.
Veronica explains how she put all the pieces together. See, the guard and his partner knew about the casino, because they'd been trying to shut it down for months. They arranged it so that his partner, Sasaki, wouldn't speak at all during the heist so that his accent wouldn't give them away. They got the idea to pin it on Weevil after reading his file as a new hire. The custodian on parole seemed like the perfect patsy, particularly since he too would be covered in drywall dust from the construction going on right outside the security office. And they got the idea for the heist when they recovered the equipment van for the film department.
Veronica wonders if she missed anything. The guard, mistakenly believing himself to be safe, tells her that the one thing she's missing is proof. Or is she??? Veronica pulls out a clear plastic bag containing the masks from the robbery. Even though the robbers wore gloves during the hold-up, the masks are just chock full of stray hairs and skin cells. She's basically holding a bag o' DNA. She asks one last time for her necklace and offers to trade it for the bag of proof. The guard takes a deep breath and tells her he'll need a day to get her necklace back.
Unfortunately, that's not really gonna work for Veronica ... and it isn't going to work for the guard either because those sirens in the distance represent her end game. Veronica shows off the wire she's been concealing in her cleavage during their little conversation, proving once again that she is smarter than the average (bear) college student. And can you believe it? She actually worked WITH Lamb to crack a case! I expect hell to freeze over at any moment.
After searching the house Lamb informs her that although they've recovered a lot of the stolen goods -- they (finally) have the right bad guys in custody -- they haven't found her necklace. Lamb speculates that maybe the other guy has it as his place and tells her they have squad cars on the way over to check it out. Then he takes off so that he can mug for the news crews and newspaper reporters. Veronica morosely heads back to her car to go home empty handed.
Just as she gets behind the wheel a school bus pulls up in front of the security guard's house. As the bus pulls away from the curb, Veronica sees the bratty little girl of the hideous ass hindering chewing gum talking to the cuffed guard. One can assume that this gal is daddy's little princess. Boy, the genes in this family do tell, don't they? Before Veronica can pull away, the girl strides over to her car spouting a tirade at her heedless of the fact that Veronica's got her window up. That is, until Veronica spots her necklace sitting prettily against the little girl's t-shirt. Veronica lowers the window, reaches out, rips the necklace right off the girl's neck, and then raises the window again without pausing. She puts the car in gear and pulls out into the street, heedless of the little girl's incessant bitching and whining in her wake.
So Weevil's innocent, the bad guys are going to jail, the snotty little beeatch got hers, and Veronica got her precious necklace back. But at what cost, I ask you? I can't imagine that her friendship with Weevil will ever be the same again. If there's any hope of these two reconciling, Veronica's going to need to choke down a rather large helping of crow.
The Case of the Sleazy Ex
Veronica arrives at Mars Investigations bagging on the illegally parked Porsche out front, completely oblivious to the fact that her dad is in his office with a client. A rich client who happens to own said Porsche. To add insult to injury, the Porsche-owning client is none other than Dean O'Dell (and his trophy wife). After an embarrassing episode of open mouth-insert foot, the Dean introduces his wife to Veronica while simultaneously putting Veronica cleanly in her place. I must say Dean: Well done. Keith suggests that his daughter go matriculate so he can get down to business. He asks Mrs. O'Dell to tell him all about her ex hubby.
When we next see the Dean and his missus, Keith is escorting them out of the office while assuring them he'll get right on the case. No sooner has the door shut behind them than Veronica's snapping about how O'Dell is the Dean most frequently burned in effigy. Rather than laugh at his daughter's wit, Keith tells Veronica to take it easy on the Dean. It seems that his stepson is dying -- and before he goes gently into that good night, the boy's dying wish is to meet his birth father. Sniff. Poor kid! Thank the lord Keith Mars is on the case.
The following day Keith calls the Dean to let him know that he's tracked down the deadbeat ex. The good news is he's living close by in sunny SoCal. The Dean is understandably skeptical that Keith has found this guy so quickly, but that's only because he doesn't know the genius of Keith Mars firsthand. Keith tells him that he found the guy through a string of exes, and took a tour of the guy's apartment where he found a slew of Backstage West mags with auditions circled. It seems that Mrs. O'Dells ex has been scratching out a living as a voiceover actor, and Keith's got a pretty good plan in mind on how to get him in a room with the Dean and Mrs. O'Dell.
Veronica arrives at the Mars Investigations offices just in time to help Keith out with his plan to trap the elusive Mr. Batando in a room with his ex and her hubby the Dean. Cliff is on hand to play one of the faux actors auditioning for a voiceover part (along with Keith) and Veronica will play the receptionist. One can assume she'll be going method on this one. Cliff amuses everyone by demonstrating the breadth of his talents as an announcer for monster trucks, which he tells us will be coming to Neptune this Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! Heeeee!
A few minutes later Richard Greico -- aka Steve Batando -- arrives looking like twenty miles of bad road. He checks in with Veronica who takes his resume and headshot (and, um, why do you need head shots as a VOICE actor?) before grabbing a seat on the couch next to Keith. Veronica calls "Mickey" (Cliff) in for his audition, but Mickey -- ever the perfectionist -- is still 'dialing it in.' He offers to let Steve go in his place.
Steve takes a deep breath and heads into the "casting room" a.k.a. Keith's office. As the door closes behind him, the Dean spins around in Keith's office chair and Mindy steps out from the shadows. As soon as he sees his ex, Steve realizes he's been duped and he has no interest in staying to talk about alimony or anything else. Mindy tells him that she needs to talk to him, but not about money. It's really important and she couldn't think of any other way to get him to agree to speak with her. (Honey, not to split hairs, but it doesn't look like he's agreeing now either). Keith enters the room and tells Steve to just stay for a minute and listen.
Mindy tells Steve that their son, Jason, has bone cancer and is dying. To have any chance of surviving, he needs a bone marrow transplant and Steve is their last hope. They used the DNA information from the paternity test to confirm that Steve is a match and Mindy begs him to donate his bone marrow to his dying boy -- to really act like Jason's father for once. Steve does look somewhat upset by this announcement, but it seems he's too bitter about the fact that Mindy left him for a richer dude and took his son from him to really care. He'd rather be a petty jackass than save his son's life.
And seriously -- how freaking callous and heartless do you have to be to deny a dying child your bone marrow? And not just any child, your own flesh and blood?!? Yeah Steve, clearly your hurt feelings and injured pride are more important than saving the kid's life, you jackass. If someone wants to suggest shooting this bastard and stealing his bone marrow before hiding the body in a hotel ice machine, I'm all for it.
Steve tries to tell Mindy that he's not interested in doing this "favor" for her, but the Dean's not interested in his whiny bullshit. He tells Steve that he's going to be a human being for three seconds and save his son's life, even if the Dean has to personally break him in half and take the marrow out by force. (Okay, that plan works too) Steve stands and tells the O'Dell's that Jason isn't his son, he's the Dean's. They've both seen to that and so he's audi.
Miserable, selfish prick. Grrrrrrrr.
Keith and Cliff are sharing tawdry work tales over lunch in the Mars Investigations offices when they are interrupted by a visit from Lamb and Detective Sanchez of the L.A.P.D. Detective Sanchez brandishes a business card and asks Keith if it belongs to him. Keith confirms that it does, which Sanchez points out is strange since the card identifies him as Adrian Monk, a Los Angeles County building inspector. (Seriously Keith -- that's freaking genius, my man!) It seems that the super that Keith gave that card to told Sanchez that Keith ordered him to let him into Steve Batando's apartment. Keith gives his best "who, me?" face and counters that he never ordered, merely asked politely. Keith is clearly amused by his own cleverness, and with good reason.
Except no one else (well, except maybe Cliff) thinks this is funny because it seems that Mr. Batando has been missing for fifty-two hours and Keith is now the lead suspect. Lamb and Sanchez try to question Keith, but lucky for him he's got his very own lawyer right there, chomping on a sandwich and looking out for his rights. Cliff interrupts and wonders if they are planning to arrest Keith. As it seems they are not, Cliff hands Sanchez his card and instructs him to call if he decides he's got any more questions. Lamb doesn't need the card of course, because the benches at the station are all covered with his stickers -- "Call Cliff and Get Off." Hee hee hee!!!! Sanchez warns Keith that they'll be watching him. Keith mock shivers in mock fear.
After Lamb and Sanchez depart, Keith heads into his office and makes a few calls. He learns that Jason O'Dell was discharged from the hospital the day before. Now Keith is worried that the O'Dell's have kidnapped Batando and are planning to take his bone marrow by force. Cliff cautions that these things rarely end well for the unwilling donor seeing as how it is much better for everyone if they just die and disappear once they've served their purpose. Keith decides he's going to track down the O'Dells and Cliff agrees to loan him his research guy to aide in the search.
I guess he didn't need to search very hard because the next time we see Keith, he's storming the Dean's office and he's madder than hell. The Dean tells Keith that he's just gotten off the phone with his wife. In an act of motherly desperation, it seems that she's taken Jason to some hospital in Rosarita, Mexico and is planning to move forward with the surgery. Apparently Mindy's got her brother helping her, but that doesn't make the Dean feel any better. He's afraid that now he's going to lose both his stepson and his wife and all because that bastard Batando had to be a selfish prick. Keith takes a deep breath and tells the Dean he'll find them. The Dean grabs his bag and tells Keith that hes coming with him -- Keith's going to need to track Mindy's phone and he's Keith's best bet for keeping her on the line.
Later, Keith and the Dean are wandering around a hospital in what I assume is Rosarita, Mexico, searching for Mindy and Jason. Keith wants the Dean to call Mindy again, but he emphatically tells Keith that it won't work because Mindy's not going to answer the phone. At that moment, Keith's phone rings. Cliff's on the line and it seems he has some updated information. Keith listens intently for several minutes and his expression darkens with each passing moment.
He hangs up the phone and rounds on the Dean. Cliff has discovered that the Dean and his wife have Jason stashed at Sister's of Mercy in San Diego where Mindy's uncle is an oncologist. The Dean refuses to apologize for leading Keith on this merry chase, because he did what he had to do to protect his son. Keith's incredulous over the lengths they are willing to go to. He has to figure that they managed to bring Steve into the hospital unconscious. The Dean confirms, but tells Keith that Steve didnt really leave them any choice -- they couldn't let Jason die.
As they arrive at Sister's of Mercy, the Dean is still pleading for Keith's understanding. He begs him not to burst into the OR and interrupt the surgery because that will surely lead to Jason's death. It isn't that Keith is unsympathetic, but since Steve is not participating in this surgery of his own free will, Keith has to speak up or risk being an accessory to god only knows what crimes. The Dean assures Keith that they have no intention to harm or kill Butanda, they just did what they had to do to save their son's life. Sensing Keith's inner struggle with the shades of moral gray, the Dean plays his trump card and asks Keith what he would do if it were Veronica in this situation. Keith sighs in defeat because the man has just discovered his Achilles heel.
The surgery is a success and Jason lives. One week later, Keith comes into Lamb's office and brings a visitor ... Steve Batando. Steve tells Lamb that he's really sorry to have caused all this fuss. He just went "camping" for a week and didn't tell anybody. Or take any of his stuff. Or take his cell phone. He comments that it would be funny if it weren't so ... Lamb goes with ridiculous, but I'd go with unbelieveable. Regardless, Steve's home, he's alive and he's not pressing any charges. Mainly because Mindy gave him her Porsche and signed away any rights to child support or alimony.
Oh, well. In this case, I suppose all's well that ends well.
- Wallace is sitting in class as a T.A. passes out papers to students who, judging by the moans and groans being heard, aren't finding little gold stars or smiley faces on their graded tests. This is also pretty obvious since the professor's current lecture is describing the results of their retest as "disheartening" and an "indictment of the U.S. public school system." Which ouch. Wallace doesn't seem all that worried, though. That is, until he gets a look at his own test score. Considering how quickly his face falls, he didn't get a smiley face either. Nervously, Wallace approaches the T.A. after class and admits that he may be in over his head. He'd like to drop the class, but the T.A. gives him the unfortunate news that the deadline for adding or dropping a class was up last week. Where are H.G. Wells or Sam Beckett when you need to do a little time traveling, anyway?
Later, Wallace sits in his room, studying, but seems to be growing more and more frustrated by the material. His mood isn't helped at all by the guy who's now standing in his doorway, mockingly asking Wallace if he's posing for a brochure touting academic excellence. Wallace explains to this new 'friend' that he's currently failing his mechanical engineering class, which is a major problem for him because he's never failed anything and he's always wanted to be a mechanical engineer. (Ah, yes. Remember all those times Wallace went on and on about his dreams of being a mechanical engineer? Er, never mind.) The new guy offers Wallace the sage advice that he needs to "chill" and to learn from the philosophical teachings of En Vogue -- free your mind and the rest will follow. Meaning, the best way to solve Wallace's current academic problems is to go out and party. (Uh oh. Wallace could really use a Jiminy Cricket of his own right about now because this guy isn't going to cut it.)
Another night, another frustrating session of studying for Wallace interrupted. This time by a knock on his door, which, to his credit, he attempts to ignore. When the person on the other side doesn't take the hint, Wallace gets up to answer it. It's his new friend again, but this time he brings popcorn, a horror movie and two female hotties calling out "Surprise!" This gets a laugh out of Wallace, but he does try to do the responsible thing and tells his friend and the girls he met last night, Chloe and Jessica, that he needs to study. The girls tell him to put that off for later, so they can have fun now. Wallace's repeated attempts to bow out get halted by his friend, who offers him the phone number of a "tutor" who got him through his difficult kinesiology class last year. Wallace smiles and relents, letting them in for their instant party.
Wallace goes to see the "tutor" in his dorm room. The guy's name is Max, according to the board on his door. And apparently he doesn't like public messages left for him because the board says quite clearly, "Do not write here." When Max answers the knock on his door, Wallace starts to explain why he's there, but only gets as far as mentioning his "teammate" before Max cuts him off and gets to business by asking him to name the instructor and class. That would be Winkler and Engineering. Max invites him in and digs into a cabinet for the appropriate file. It seems that Professor Winkler has used the same exam for three years now. Max goes on to describe the file as a "study guide" and not an exam. (Suuuure, dude.) And the purchase price is $100. If Wallace wants the answers, too, it'll be another $100. Wallace smiles and repeats that it's just a study guide, right? Max looks at him like he's an idiot and repeats that it's $200 for the set. Pulling out his wallet, Wallace tells him to keep the answers, he just wants the guide.
With his shiny new "study guide" open before him, Wallace sits at his desk, scribbling in his notebook, growing increasingly frustrated with the work he's doing. Finally, he tosses his pen down in frustration and goes to knock on Max's door once again. When the door opens, Wallace simply holds up another $100, which by the look on his face comes as no surprise to Max.
Some days later, Winkler's engineering class is busy taking their exam. Wallace finishes early and walks to the professor's desk to turn it in, to the surprised looks of his classmates and Winkler. (Sigh. Fennel. Dude. You were trying to get caught, right? Because otherwise, just stupid, stupid, stupid move.) Wallace exits and the professor begins looking through his test -- his smile changing to a look of concern.
Later, to the tune of "Busted" by Johnny Cash, Wallace opens his door to find Winkler's T.A. standing there with a solemn look on his face and a note in his hand. The next thing we see, Wallace and the T.A. are entering the classroom. The T.A. stands back as Wallace goes to his professor's desk to face the music. Busted, indeed.
- Mars Investigations is across the street from San Diego Hair Cuts and is located above Completely Video, Nickelodeon Records, and Kiko Fantastico's School of Dancing.
- Veronica and Keith eat take-out from the restaurants Shangri-La and Paco's Tacos.
- Weevil stole his first bicycle when he was six, has been in and out of juvenile detention (for a combined total of more than seven hundred days) since he was thirteen and took charge of the PCH Bike Club at the age of sixteen.
- Weevil lives in an apartment at 1172 Navasota.
- Weevil wears Drakkar cologne.
- Weevil still drives the car he bought with the money he stole in Ain't No Magic Mountain High Enough.
- Veronica's Intro to Criminology class has been studying fingerprint identification, as exhibited by the posters in the front of the class.
- Dr. Landry is currently acting as an expert witness in the State vs. Wolpert case.
- According to Veronica, Dean O'Dell is the college dean most frequently burned in effigy.
- Mindy O'Dell was once married to Steve Batando. She has a brother, a nine year old son named Jason and an uncle who works as an oncologist at Sisters of Mercy Hospital in San Diego.
-
- Steve Batando is a voiceover actor. He has a girlfriend now, but has more than one ex-wife.
- Mercer's room, aka The Benetian dorm casino, is in Bennis Hall, Room 332.
- Jenny works in the Props Department of the Hearst College Theater.
- The 8mm short film being shown at the film festival is called The Italian Submarine.
- One of Hearst College's IP addresses is: 156.1.240.45.
- Mr. Wolfcastle is the manager of a local pizzeria named Mama Mia Pizza. They accept internet orders.
- Local news is reported on KSVU channel 9.
- Veronica's PlanetZowie web search for Camp Waterloo turns up the following links:
- Camp Waterloo -- Summer Camp -- West Virginia
Camp Waterloo, situated in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia, provides campers of all ages the opportunity to experience nature in conjunction with self-esteem building
www.campwaterloo.com - L. Menendez Correctional Camp Facility at Waterloo
This report, made available June 2002, covers the recent performance audit of the Correctional Camp at Waterloo. The audit was conducted with all administration
- Traditional Residential Summer Camp in West Virginia for boys and girls ages 7-16 -- 1 and 2 week sessions.
7113 Mt. Bursa Road, Pineville, West Virginia 24859 (304) 555-0128
- Veronica has 234 e-mails in her Hearst inbox when she reads Danny's e-mail:
- From: danny_oblique@cyberbolt.com
Subject: Your request, madame
Your IP address is 156.1.240.45
Hope this works!
- Wallace Fennel: snickerdoodleme? :D
- Keith Mars: Paco's Tacos run for dinner? My treat.
- hxbzzy@planetzowie-mail.com: Invest Now! Stock XXYK Is BOO
- eJection, Inc.: You've Not Been Invited! Just a
- Cindy Mackenzie: Re: Fwd: Truth in Conspiracy Theory
- ?@pryingeyez.com: Account Password Successfully
- So, remember the ATM photo of Claire from last week?
Veronica. Logan. Clue. An appropriate cap, if you ask me.
Now that Veronica's cleared the Pi Sigs (much to the chagrin of the rape victims and feminist population at Hearst), the guy behind Claire in the photo is her only suspect. She hopes that maybe Claire will be able to identify the guy, so she waits for her outside her class. Wow. Last week she knew which dorm Nancy lived in, and now she knows Claire's class schedule? Does anyone else suspect that Veronica's been using Facebook for investigative purposes? Anyhow, Claire exits the classroom and Veronica asks her if they could talk for a minute. Claire immediately recognizes Veronica as the girl that cleared the Pi Sigs, and asks her why she's even bothering. Veronica explains that crimes against women are sort of her hobby, and that one of her friends (Friend? When did Parker become her friend? As Veronica once did for Wallace, I now question her definition of the word. Ask Weevil.) was also raped. She shows Claire the envelope she has in her hands and says that she has an ATM photo of her from the night she was raped. Claire hesitates but agrees to look at the photo. After a few moments, she apologizes and admits that she has no idea who the guy is. Veronica scrutinizes the photo again and notices that his shirt has some sort of logo on it, but neither she nor Claire can make it out.
Veronica heads to Mars Investigations later and scans the ATM photo (using quite a nifty scanner, I might add). Once it's brought up on her computer screen, she enlarges the logo and sharpens the text above the insignia so that it more clearly reads 'Camp Waterloo.' A quick browser search reveals that Camp Waterloo is a residential summer camp in West Virginia for boys and girls ages seven to sixteen. You probably don't get many Camp Waterloo alumni (much less Asian ones) from West Virginia moving all the way out to Southern California for college, so it shouldn't be too hard to track the guy down. Veronica dials the number listed on the camp's website and adopts her best sugar an' sunshine West Virginian accent. Veronica explains to the woman on the phone that she's organizing a reunion (Hee, Veronica's stealing from Keith's bag o' tricks! He used that same story on Kendall/Priscilla's father in Nevermind the Buttocks.) for Waterloo alumni, so she needs a roster of campers from the last five years. Names, addresses, phone numbers. Thank you very much.
A week later (they haven't got the best records keeper over at Camp Waterloo, huh?), Veronica receives an email with the alumni list. She narrows it down -- rather conveniently, the guy in the photo is the only Asian male Waterloo alumni in Southern California -- and takes Backup and Logan to confront him at his house. What a team! And you know that Veronica brings Logan along not because she needs him there, but because she wants to spend time with him. She feels comfortable sharing the details of the case with him. Aww.
Veronica knocks on the door and waits. She turns to Logan and jokingly tells him to look tough, to which he deadpans, "Always." (They snark so lovingly.) The door opens and there's someone decidedly not Asian on the other side. Veronica asks for Wang Yi, and his housemate says that he's in class. She shows him the ATM photo of Claire and says that Wang raped her. He replies that that's unlikely, since Claire is Wang's girlfriend. Oh, really?
So did Claire lie about being raped? Shave her own head? If Wang's friend is telling the truth, then it really looks like she did. The 'why' is simple enough. The Lampoon article shows the photo with the "blonde in the middle" (Claire) comment, the feminists overreact, and then Claire is conveniently raped a few days later? The Lilith women had to prove that the male organizations on campus should be shut down. But what I'm wondering is: How did she (I'm going to take a wild guess that Nish and Fern were also in on the plan) expect to get away with it? Why go to a convenience store (where there are probably cameras) with your boyfriend, act wasted, stand with him in front of an ATM (also looking wasted, also where there are cameras), and then claim that he raped you? Why go out in public at all? And was Claire's plan to keep her boyfriend a secret from Veronica? From the police? From bitter Pi Sigs? Why wouldn't she cover her bases and tell Wang's housemate to keep quiet about their relationship?
Clarification, please?
"Johnny Cash" (Busted)
Scene: Busted be the keyword as the rent-a-cops are busted; as little brat with the bubble gum's necklace ownership is busted; as Wallace's cheating ways are busted. Sing it, Johnny, SING IT!
LoVe Lines
Logan: (With accent.) What happened?
Veronica: (With relief and a bit of desperation) Where were you?
Logan: (Speaking normally.) I was in class, like we talked about. Less gambling, more learning? It was right after you said "jump" and I asked "how high?"
Veronica: (Voice shaking with anger and a lingering fear.) Two guys pulled guns, held up the casino. They took the necklace Lilly gave me.
Logan: (Pulling Veronica into his arms.) C'mere.
Lamb: (Entering the casino.) Well, well, what do we have here? An illegal gambling establishment? Underage drinking? (Looking at Logan and Veronica.) Public displays of affection? (Shuddering in faux disgust.)
Logan: (Sarcastically.) Well, with Scotland Yard on the case, we're sure to have that (Kissing the top of Veronica's head.) necklace back in no time.
Veronica: Yeah, well, I don't think I'm gonna need their help. Pretty sure I know who did it.
Veronca: (To her "muscle.") Look tough.
Logan: (Deadpan.) Always.
Quotable Quotes
Veronica: Crimes against women? It's a hobby.
Tim Foyle: Veronica, this was an oral presentation, not 'show and tell.'
Veronica: Dr. Landry said we were allowed audio/visual aids. (Referring to Weevil.) He's both. Audio ...
Weevil: Yo!
Veronica: And visual. (Weevil gestures to himself, somewhat theatrically. The class laughs.)
Tim: (Unamused.) Fine. I'll let it slide.
Weevil: That's a nice necklace. It's Lilly's, right?
Veronica: Been thinking about her a lot lately.
Weevil: Any big Halloween plans?
Veronica: Oh, you know, the usual. Slappin' on my sexy nurse duds and rollin' tweeners for their chocolate. (Seriously.) I'm meeting the boyfriend at the Venetian after he gets out of his night class.
Weevil: The Benetian?
Veronica: It's Room 332, Benice Hall. Some guy runs a casino out of his room.
Weevil: That's right. You're a card shark.
Veronica: It's not for me. I agreed to do something he likes -- gambling, in exchange for something I like -- dressing up and passing out candy to Trick-or-Treaters.
Veronica: (Brushing off Weevil's shoulder.) You might want to consider switching shampoos.
Weevil: It's dry wall dust, okay?
Weevil: Hey, word to the wise: You got a boyfriend? Use the short leash.
Veronica: As hard as this may be to believe, the women of Hearst aren't close to the top of my worries about Logan.
Weevil: Wait, wait, wait. What? You're dating Logan again? (Angrily.) After the way he treated Lilly?
Veronica: This is news? Man, the prison grapevine blows.
Veronica: (Calling to Keith, who is in his office.) Hey, dad! Back from Shangri-La ... Hey, look out your window and check out the Porsche. It's four inches into the fire zone. Let's call the city and get it clamped. You know, just for funsies. You get the lawn chairs, I'll put some popcorn in the microwave.
Keith: (Calling from inside the office.) Veronica!
Veronica: Seriously, you blow a hundred grand on a car and I guess you think you can just park wherever you want. I wonder if a sense of entitlement came standard.
Dean O'Dell: Veronica, have you met my wife?
Veronica: No ... Has your wife met the hot chick?
Keith: Veronica, why don't you go --
Veronica: Matriculate myself?
Veronica: As long as I'm in supportive girlfriend mode, someone point out the sucker table. Baby needs a new pair of ...
Lamb: It's like Sodom and Gomorrah in here. (To deputy.) Barker, start collectin' IDs from everyone in the room.
Veronica: Uh, we had our wallets stolen.
Mason: You need to chill!
Wallace: I do? Thanks. Good to know.
Mason: Wasn't it En Vogue who taught us all to free our minds, as the rest would follow?
Veronica: (When Weevil finds her sitting in his apartment.) Hope you don't mind, one of the cockroaches let me in.
Veronica: Let me spell it out. I tell you about a working on-campus casino. Six hours later it happens to be held up by a guy your size wearing a mask who happens to be covered in a thin film of dry-wall dust and the stench of Drakkar cologne.
Weevil: My cologne stinks? So ... all this play I've been getting is from pure sex appeal?
Keith: You remember the job?
Veronica: Pretend to be a receptionist. I just wish I had some life experience to draw from.
Keith: Cliff, are you ready?
Cliff: (As Mr. Announcer Guy.) Race fans, hot rodders, the monster trucks are coming to Neptune, Neptune, Neptune!
Keith: That's great Cliff, but just remember --
Cliff: Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!
Keith: (To Cliff, as part of the audition ruse.) So Mickey, you booked that Olive Garden gig?
Cliff: (Crossing his fingers) Waiting to here.
Cliff: (In his best announcers voice.) Some restrictions may apply. No video, flash photography or other recording devices allowed without the express written permission of the Monster Truck Association of America. Please drink responsibility.
Steve: Be careful. Dont forget -- you're asking me a favor.
Dean O'Dell: A favor? Yes, please, Steve, do us a favor and see if you can act like an actual human being for three seconds out of your otherwise completely worthless life. You're going to do this. I don't care if I have to break you in half and suck the marrow out of your bones myself! You're going to do this for your son.
Steve: He's not my son, he's your son. (Points at the Dean's wife.) She made that perfectly clear.
Weevil: (Spots Logan talking to some co-ed and heads over to confront him.) Hey, Joe College!
Logan: Jose Lunchpail! The living, breathing, embodiment of the American dream. Punch any clocks lately?
Weevil: Are you lining up your next girlfriend? (Siren chirps, Lamb pulls up and addresses Weevil.)
Lamb: Im guessing this Lowrider's yours? (Cut to Sacks searching Weevils car.)
Weevil: Any reason why everyone suspects me for a crime I don't even know anything about?
Sacks: Got 'em. (Pulls some of the stolen goods out of the backseat.) They match the robbery description.
Lamb: Yikes. (Holds up his cuffs.) Hey, what d'ya say we do your Miranda Rights in harmony this time? Ill take lead. You take tenor. (He cuffs Weevil.)
Logan: Is it still called dj vu when something happens more than twice, or is that something different? I'll have to look that up. (Lamb puts Weevil in the back of the squad car.) Ask for cell B; it has the best light.
Lamb: (Addresses Logan over the radio.) Hey, good looking, we'll be back to pick you up later.
Lamb: (Approaches Veronica who's sitting at the Sheriffs station.) Sacks tells me you're here to see Weevil. Planning on helping him beat another rap?
Veronica: Actually, I'm here to get my necklace back.
Lamb: I don't understand. You actually believe that the bad guy did it? (Breaks out with the Robot.) Does not compute. Does not compute. (People in the background are amazed and start asking for a camera phone.)
Veronica: You must have been fun in the 80's.
Veronica: (Walks up to Weevils cell.) Be it ever so humble.
Weevil: Yeah. I'm thinking of some curtains over here, maybe a Koi pond in the corner.
Veronica: Where's my necklace?
Weevil: I don't have it. It was a frame job, V! Look, a pre-paid pizza was delivered to my apartment. I didn't order it. C'mon, what's a workin' man gonna do in that situation?
Veronica: When I look into this -- and I will look into this -- I'm gonna find out you didn't order that pizza?
Weevil: Or, you could just save yourself the trouble and take my word for it. (They both laugh.) Okay.
Veronica: That was good. Well done. (Weevil salutes her.)
Danny: (Awestruck.) You're Veronica Mars.
Veronica: And you're (Reading his nametag.) Danny.
Danny: Rossow. Yeah, I am. Cool. You went to my school last year. I go to Neptune High.
Veronica: Lucky you.
Danny: Remember when those bikers taped that guy up to the flagpole and you just walked up there and cut him down?
Veronica: (Smiling.) Yeah. Listen --
Danny: Remember when you stopped those guys from blowing up the school?
Veronica: No one was gonna blow up the school. So what I was going to a--
Danny: On the last day of school I really wanted you to sign my yearbook --
Veronica: Danny? I'm working on a case now.
Danny: That ... is so awesome.
Veronica Mars Voiceover: Hello, square one. Nice to see you again.
Veronica: Any idea how this gum got from your mouth to that chair?
Bratty Little Girl: I thought this was supposed to be a good school. Shouldn't you be, like, smart? (She walks away.)
Cliff: So, speaking of down and dirty, you wouldn't believe the divorce case I've got. Lady stole from her husband. Repeatedly. Stole from his children. Had his dog put to sleep -- and let the record show the dog was quite surprised by this decision. The woman slept with everyone.
Keith: And let me guess. She's your client. (They both start laughing.)
Cliff: Excuse me, officers, but if I dont bring up the law then this won't be considered a billable hour. Do you plan on charging my client? (Lamb and Detective Sanchez exchange glances.) Great. If you'd like to talk with him further, call my office, I'll set an appointment. My card. (Holds it out, but they don't take it.)
Lamb: I know your number. It's all over the bus benches: "Call Cliff. And get off."
Cliff: Plus it's a radio jingle. (Singing.) Call 5-5-5-1-2 -- well, you know the rest.
Dean O'Dell: I just got off the phone with my wife. She took Jason to Rosarito. She won't tell me which hospital, but they're moving forward. Mindy's brother is helping her. I'm gonna lose them both, Keith -- my stepson, my wife, all because of that selfish son-of-a-bitch.
Keith: I'll track them down.
Dean O'Dell: I'm going with you. You're going to need to trace their call right?
Keith: Probably, yeah.
Dean O'Dell: How do you plan on keeping her on the line? I can say half a sentence and get her to yell at me for three hours.
Veronica: Someone held up an on-campus casino using a couple of prop guns
Jenny: We're the theater department. We don't do guns.
Orgon: We do Moliere. You want a poor man's Tarantino, that would be the film department. If you see them, tell them we just loved their little opening night present.
Veronica: Which is?
Jenny: The stage is covered in Pam.
Veronica: Who's Pam?
Orgon: Pam is a cooking spray. We can't walk out there without falling on our asses. We had the temerity to schedule our opening night on the same weekend as their short film festival.
Veronica: Maybe this is their way of saying "break a leg." (The students turn their heads and glare at Veronica. She exits with a flourish.) Thank you! Good night! I'll be here all week, try the veal. And scene.
Keith: Call her again.
Dean O'Dell: It's not gonna work. Mindy's not gonna pick up the phone. And I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that you can't trace a call if the person on the other end won't pick up the phone.
Veronica: (To Logan.) Find us seats. I'm gonna get us some popcorn and grill me some film geeks.
Veronica: (With accent.) You think I missed anything?
Harrison: Well, one thing: Proof.
Veronca: Not quite true. (Pulling out a bag with wigs and prop guns.) Look what I have?
Harrison: Prints? The witnesses said the hold-up men wore gloves?
Veronica: Yeah, but you wouldn't believe how much hair is inside these masks. It's kinda gross actually. It's like a sack 'o DNA.
Harrison: I'll need a day to get your necklace back.
Veronica: Yeah, that's not gonna do it. (The sounds of sirens in the distance grows.)
Harrison: What did you do?
Veronica: Pulling out a wire from her top and speaking in the same accent as before into the piece.) Say hello to my little friend.
O'Dell: Keith, please, I'm beggin' you, for God's sake ... just hear me out.
Keith: Been hearing you out since Mexico. I'm done, Cyrus. This game is over.
O'Dell: It's not a game. You need me to get on my knees, I'll get on my knees. You stop that operation, that's it, my son is dead. He's nine year's old. You go up there, he dies.
Keith: If I stay down here, I'm partly responsible for another dead man. The only way you and your wife get away with this is if Batando dies.
O'Dell: We're not gonna let Batando die; that's not the plan, I swear.
Keith: Then you, your wife and all your wife's family members who helped are going to jail for a very long time.
O'Dell: And Jason will live. Small price to pay, don't you think? What would you do if it were Veronica?
Lamb: Oh, look, someone tipped off the local news. That's my cue. (Pausing before heading to the lights, camera, action.) You see how well this works when you play by the rules, Veronica?
Batando: You tell my ex-wife I own her now. No more talk of alimony; no more child support. We're beyond even.
Keith: It's going to be very clear in the documents you sign.
Batando: (Gesturing to his new/used Porsche.)Nice ride, huh?
Keith: Think of it as a father's day gift.
(P)Resident Evil ... (Referenced by the episode title.)
Resident Evil is a successful horror franchise that began as a video game, but now includes a series of feature films, comic books, novelizations, and action figures. Created by Shinji Mikami and developed by Capcom, the first Resident Evil game was based on elements from Sweet Home, a 1989 game released only in Japan. The game was originally announced as Biohazard, but was renamed shortly before release. Known for its graphic gore and violence, the game plots take place in or around Raccoon City and involve battles with zombies and other creatures who are the unfortunate result of top secret experiments performed by the Umbrella Corporation. Genetically modified viruses can be such a pain! Some of the games in the series include Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and Resident Evil Code: Veronica. (Hee!) More than thirty million games have been sold. For more information, see the official Resident Evil website.
Two feature films based on the video game series have been released at this time, with a third and fourth on the way. Resident Evil (2002), starring Milla Jovavich, Eric Mabius, Michelle Rodriguez and James Purefoy was written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and grossed just over $100 million worldwide. Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), starring Jovovich, Sienna Guillory and Oded Fehr was also written by Anderson, but was directed by Alexander Witt. This sequel took in a worldwide gross of almost $130 million.
Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) ... (Referenced by Veronica during her class presentation.)
Pacific Coast Highway refers to sections of California's Route 1, beginning at San Juan Capistrano, south of Los Angeles, and ending where Route 1 merges with Highway 1 at Leggett, in Northern California. Route 1 is one of the longest (644 miles) and most scenic routes in California, providing breathtaking views of a large part of the Pacific Coast. It travels past dozens of historical landmarks and through such cities as San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Ford F-250 ... (Referenced by Weevil's story that he tells Veronica's class.)
The Ford F-250 pickup truck is a part of the F-Series, Ford Motor Company's line of full-size pickup trucks. The F-Series has been rolling out trucks since 1948, and the most popular model, the F-150, has been the best-selling truck in the United States for nearly thirty years (not including combined sales of GM pickup trucks). The F-Series is currently in its eleventh generation.
The F-250 and F-350 Super Duty 3/4-ton trucks were introduced in 1999. Big in dimension, they are available with V-10 engines and 4x4 drive, and have roomy, comfortable interiors and large capacity for towing and commercial use. Instead of the more aerodynamic look of the F-150, the F-250 features a more angular profile, with a raised hood and lowered fenders. The 2007 Ford F-250 Super Duty comes in Regular Cab, SuperCab and Crew Cab body styles. The SuperCab models have small rear-opening doors and the Crew Cab models have full-size swing-out doors. The Regular Cab styles are long-bed, while the SuperCab and Crew Cab models are available in short- or long-bed. There are three trim levels, XL, XLT, and Lariat. Engine options include 5.4-liter gasolin V8, 6.8-liter gasoline V10 and 6.0-liter diesel V8 (known as Power Stroke). The Super Duty is characterized by its refined ride, handling and braking characteristics. A fully redesigned F-250 Super Duty is set to roll out as the 2008 model.
2007 Ford F-250 Super Duty
Tweeners ... (Referenced by Veronica as she jokes to Weevil about stealing candy from trick-or-treaters.)
'Tween' became a pop-culture reference during the late 20th early 21st century to describe children in the pre-teen and teenage years, usually between the ages of 8 and 12. Some sources reference the 'tween' years as the period between childhood and adulthood and is used to describe any person under the age of 30. To add further confusion, some educators and parents use 'tween' or 'tweenie' to describe children who are in the transition between toddlerhood and childhood.
Trick-or-Treaters ... (Referenced by Veronica as she tells Weevil she likes to dress up and pass out candy.)
Trick-or-treating, also known as guising, is an activity children take part in on Halloween, in which they dress up in costume and go from house to house asking for candy with the question, "Trick or treat?" The custom is popular in the United States, Ireland, Canada, and more recently in Australia. Today, it has become a social obligation for people who live in neighborhoods with children to purchase candy to give out to the trick-or-treaters. The custom is also practiced in parts of Europe, though in the United Kingdom the police have threatened to prosecute parents who allow their children to participate in it.
Trick-or-treating is believed to be a derivative of the ancient practice of 'souling' which dates back to the Middle Ages. 'Souling' involved similar door-to-door collections, though it was performed by poor folk who would receive food in return for offering prayers for the dead on All Souls Day. The modern form of trick-or-treating gained popularity in the United States in the 1930's.
Shangri-La ... (Referenced by Veronica telling Keith she's back from there, as she arrives at office.)
A fictional place described in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by British author James Hilton, Shangri-La is a mystical, harmonious valley at the western end of the Kunlun Mountains. The term has become synonymous with any earthly paradise in general. However, for some in particular, it is a mythical Himalayan utopia, where all inhabitants are happy and at peace, completely cut off from the outside world. Shangri-La is based on the concept of Shambhala - a mystical city in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
Sometimes used as an analogy for a life-long quest, something that has long been obsessively sought, Shangri-La is similar to other metaphors of perfection, true happiness, or Utopian ideals which include the Garden of Eden, El Dorado, The Holy Grail, and The Fountain of Youth. Simply put, it is representative of a perfect earthly paradise that exists, but will forever be hidden from humanity.
Porsche ... (Referenced by Veronica to Keith about car outside office.)
The Porsche is a German sports car, with the first one having been built in 1938 with the same components used in the Volkswagen Beetle, also engineered by Ferdinand Porsche. Porsche is a world-renowned brand, named the most beautiful automobile brand in a survey by Luxury Institute and the 2006 J.D. Power award for highest initial quality. The company claims to be the most profitable automobile company in the world.
Popular models include the Boxter roadster (the likely model driven by Mindy O'Dell), the 911, the Cayman, the Carrera ST supercar, and the Cayenne, Porsches mid-size SUV. Porsche's main competitors are Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lamborghini, Audi, Jaguar and Maserati.
A 1997 Porsche Boxter, a model similar to the one used in this episode.
Clockwork Orange ... (Referenced by Mercer's costume.)
Mercer Hayes' Halloween costume is that of Alex DeLarge, the main character in Stanley Kubrick's classic 1971 film A Clockwork Orange. Based on the novel by Anthony Burgess, the film takes place in future Britain and tells the story of DeLarge, played by Malcolm McDowell. DeLarge is a a charismatic delinquent who enjoys classical music, rape, and random acts of violence. He is the leader of a small gang of juveniles, called the "droogs." During an attempted robbery, Alex is set up by his gang and arrested, and then sentenced to fourteen years in prison after the robbery victim dies.
After only two years in prison, he is offered parole provided he undergoes an experimental aversion therapy developed by the government. The therapy makes him incapable of violence (including self-defense) and touching a naked woman, but also of enjoying Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. After he is rejected by his parents, Alex wanders the city revisiting the scenes of his crimes, soon encountering two members of his gang and some of his victims, who in turn victimize him. He is accepted into the home of a writer whose wife he had raped and beaten, but when his identity is uncovered, the writer drugs him and tortures him with a distorted version of Beethoven's Ninth.
After trying to commit suicide by jumping out of a window, he is taken to the hospital to recover, and appears to be back to his former self. The Minister of the Interior visits him there and apologizes for the treatment program, promising him a government position if he agrees to support the ruling party. The film ends with Alex's voiceover explaining that he was cured but anticipating a return to his former violence and a surreal fantasy of having sex with a woman in the snow surrounded by applauding Victorian ladies and gentleman and accompanied by Beethoven's Ninth.
Kubrick's direction was characterized by the film's fantasy quality, with the use of fish-eye lenses as well as both fast and slow motion. Originally rated X in the U.S. upon its release, Kubrick cut thirty seconds for a re-release in 1973, which was rated R. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, and is considered by many to be one of the greatest films ever made. It is number twenty-one on AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Years list and number forty-six on AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies. Alex DeLarge is also placed at number twelve in the villain section of AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains.
Malcolm McDowell as Alex DeLarge in A Clockwork Orange;
Ryan Devlin as Mercer in costume
Jack and Meg White / The White Stripes ... (Referenced by Veronica's and Logan's costumes.)
Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, The White Stripes are minimalist rock duo. That minimilism is rather appropriate as the group is composed of only two members, Jack White (guitar, piano, lead vocals, songwriting) and Meg White (durms, percussion, vocals). For whatever purpose, the Whites claimed to be siblings, but a marriage license ppoves that the two were once married (they are now divorced). The White Stripes rose to prominence as part of the garage rock revival.
Their eponymous debut album was released in 1999 to glowing reviews with a sound that highlights their raw low fidelity and simplicity of composition and arrangement inspired by a mix of punk rock, blues and country music. The band gained more raves with the release of their second album De Stijl in 2000 -- the title is based on the Dutch art movement of the same name which inspired the album and said style was featured on the cover. It was in 2001, after signing with a major label, that The White Stripes enjoyed their first great success with the release of the album White Blood Cells. The stripped-down, gararge rock sound drew critical kudos in the United Kingdom and then the United States. Their subsequent albums include Elephant (2003) and Get Behind Me Satan (2005), their most recent release.
Clearly, this promotional shot below is where Logan and Veronica (unfortunately) got their costume inspiration.
Point Break ... (Referenced by the robbery technique used by the thieves.)
Starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, Point Break is a 1991 film directed by Kathryn Bigelow. The title refers to the surfing term "point break." Swayze plays Bodhi, the charismatic leader of a gang of surfers and bank robbers who indulge in their life of crime in order to support their life of surf and dive. They also believe that the robberies are a rebellion of sorts against a social system that "kills the human spirit." Uhm, okay. Reeves' character is an FBI agent and former college football quarterback named, wait for it ... Johnny Utah, who goes undercover to infiltrate the gang. After a while he finds himself increasingly attracted to their daredevil lifestyle. Bodhi and Johnny Utah develop a friendship that, alas, is doomed from the beginning. Too bad Bodhi doesn't know that what with him not knowing that Johnny Utah (what a name!) is a Fed and our surfer/robber/Zen master won't learn that little bit o' info until later in the film.
The bank robbers are known as the Ex-Presidents, because they hide their faces behind masks of former US presidents. How original.
The masks are from left to right: Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter,
Ronald Reagan and Lyndon B. Johnson
By the end of the film, Johnny Utah is so enmeshed in this life, he doesn't arrest Bodhi, but instead lets him seek his own death surfing the giant waves of Bells Beach, Australia in the midst of a raging storm. How ... deep.
Apparently, the film geeks of Hearst aren't the first ones with the idea to rip off the movie (or play homage, as the case may be). The Ex-Presidents robberies were referenced in several foreign and US films. In the movie called Domino (2005 ) a group of thieves dressed as The First Ladies. An episode of Family Guy ("Ready Willing and Disabled") shows a man in a Jimmy Carter mask stealing a jar of money as two other characters, one a police officer, trying to recall which movie it was from. In the film Fun with Dick and Jane (2005), the title characters commit a robbery wearing masks of Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Foreign film buffs aren't missing out on the Point Break plot point either. The French film Brice de Nice sees a surfer basing his life on the film and tries to rob a bank wearing a mask of the French President, Jacques Chirac. In the Asian film, Fulltime Killer, when one of the main characters wears a Clinton Mask in a video store, a girl comments on it and the movie Point Break. Finally, the Italian movie, Tre uomini e una gamba, features the three lead characters trying to steal a wooden leg wearing masks of the Italian ex-presidents Sandro Pertini, Francesco Cossiga and Oscar Luigi Scalfaro.
Ah, the power of Johnny Utah. Woah!
Jimmy Carter ... (Referenced by one of the thief's costume.)
Born October 1, 1924, James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. was the 39th President of the United States (1977-1981). Before becoming President, Carter served as the Governor of Georgia (1971-75). He won the Democratic nomination in 1976 as a dark horse candidate and went on to defeat incumbent Gerald Ford in that year's election.
Carter was born in the small town of Plains, Georgia and holds the distinction of being the first president born in a hospital. The oldest of four children, he grew up Archery, GA and is descended from a family that had resided in Georgia for several generations. His great-grandfather, Private L.B. Walker Carter served as a soldier during the Civil War in the Confederate Army. A gifted student, Carter was also a high school basketball and football star. He was greatly influenced by Julia Coleman; one of his high school teachers handicapped by polio, and even mentioned her in his inaugural address.
After attending both Georgia Southwestern College and Georgia Institute of Technology Carter received a Bachelor's degree from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946, finishing 59th out of 820 students in his Academy class. He did some post-graduate work studying nuclear physics and reactor technology at Union College until his father's death at which time he resigned his commission. Carter never was able to command a nuclear submarine since the first of the fleet was launched a little over a year after his discharge from the navy.
During his presidency, Carter enacted strong environmental legislation through major initiatives which included the consolidation of numerous governmental agencies into the newly formed Department of Energy. He deregulated the trucking, airline, rail, finance, communications and oil industries, strengthened the social security system, and appointed record numbers of women and minorities to high-level government and judicial posts. Foreign affair initiatives included the Camp David Accords, the Panama Canal Treaties, the negotiation of the SALT II Treaty, and the creation of full diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. During his term in office he globally championed human rights and made them the central focus of his administration's foreign policy, which led in part to the Iranian Hostage Crisis . After 444 days, the hostages were released the day Carter left office.
After leaving office in 1981, Carter assumed the role of elder statesman and international mediator, using is status as former president to further many of his personal causes. In 1982, along with his wife Rosalynn Carter, he founded the Carter Center, a forum for issues relating to democracy and human rights. He's traveled the globe to help monitor elections, conduct peace negotiations, and help establish relief efforts. He's also continued his decades long hands-on involvement with Habitat for Humanity. Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his "efforts to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development."
Tricky Dick / Richard Nixon ... (Referenced by the other thief's costume.)
Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th President of the United States (1969-74), received the moniker "Tricky Dick" for his early reputation of deviousness in the political arena. Before becoming president he served as Vice President under Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-61), and lost his first bid for the Oval Office in 1960 to John F. Kennedy.
Born in Yorba Linda, CA, Nixon was raised as an evangelical Quaker. He graduated first in his class at Whittier High School and turned down a full-tuition scholarship to Harvard, choosing instead to attend Whittier College. A local Quaker school, it was there that he founded the fraternity, the Orthogonian Society. A fearsome debater, he was soon elected student body president. Graduating second in his class in 1934, he went on to receive a full scholarship from Duke University School of Law and graduated third in his class.
Nixon served as a reserve officer in the Navy during World War II. During this time he was known as "Nick" and for his skill at poker. It was here that he banked a large enough sum to help finance his first campaign for Congress. Elected to the House of Representatives in 1946, his first major breakthrough came in his two terms in Congress, where his unrelenting investigation on the House Un-American Activities Committee broke the impasse of the Alger Hiss spy case in 1948.
During his presidency, Nixon visited China and established dtente with the USSR. Although he increased U.S. military involvement in Southeast Asia during this time, he was also credited with the eventual withdrawal of U.S. troops. When the Watergate scandal broke in 1974, faced with Congress' recommended three articles of impeachment because of his involvement, Nixon became the first president to ever resign from office (August 9, 1974). He was later pardoned by President Gerald Ford and re-emerged some years later as a commentator on foreign policy. Richard Nixon died at the age of 81 on April 22, 1994.
Blackjack ... (Referenced by "Jimmy Carter" threatening dealer.)
Blackjack, or Twenty-one, is a popular card game in casinos. The object of the game is to have cards that sum up to 21 without going over. The game originated in French casinos in the 1700's and was initially unpopular when it was brought to the United States. Casinos offered a 10:1 payout for a hand with an ace and a black Jack (club or spade), thus the origin of the name "Blackjack."
The face cards (King, Jack, and Queen) count for 10, and the aces can either be 1 or 11. The player with the greatest hand, as long as it doesn't go over 21, wins the hand. If the player and the dealer get 21, it's called a "push" and neither wins the hand. A hand over 21 is called a "bust." The dealer will play his hand after the rest of the players have finished. A player's options for their hand are to hit (take another card), to stand (take no more cards), to double down (to double the wager and stand after one additional card), to split, or to surrender.
Scarface / "Say goodnight to the bad guy" / "Say hello to my little friend." ... (Referenced by the robbers as they leave the casino; Referenced by Veronica when she reveals the wire to the security guard)
Scarface is a 1983 film written by Oliver Stone, starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana, a fictional Cuban hitman who comes to America and becomes embroiled in drug-running gang life. Loosely following the 1932 film by the same name (which loosely followed the life of crimelord Al Capone), Montana was eventually arrested on charges of tax evasion. A group of Bolivian drug dealers with connections to a CIA officer offer to help Montana with his legal troubles in exchange for his assistance in the assassination of a Latin-American journalist. Montana is mulling their proposal in a fancy restaurant with his partner Manny and girlfriend Elvira (played by Michelle Pfeiffer), and in his drunken state he snaps at Elvira about her drug addiction and blames her for them not being able to have a child. Elvira screams back at Montana and storms out of the restaurant. Before storming out after her, Montana screams to the enthralled patrons to "say goodnight to the bad guy!"
Later, when Montana and the Bolivian drug dealers' assassin go after the journalist, Montana stops the assassination after the journalist's wife and children join him in the car. The Bolivians swear revenge on Montana and he goes back to his home to get high and wait for them. He kills Manny after catching him with his sister, his sister tries to kill Montana, the assassins kill his sister, and Montana loses it for real this time. He arms himself with an M16 with an under-mounted M203 grenade launcher and walks out into the thick of it, shouting "Say 'Hello' to my little friend!" Montana is riddled with bullets but keeps fighting, taking several of the Bolivians down with him.
Sodom and Gomorrah ... (Referenced by Lamb describing the casino.)
The biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by God for their sin, according to Genesis 18. Their names mean "burnt" and "a ruined heap" respectively in Hebrew, and have since become synonymous with impenitent sin.
As the story is told, God orders Abraham out of the cities, saying that he will destroy them with fire and brimstone. Abraham pleads with God to spare the cities, and God agrees on the condition that Abraham find fifty righteous men. Abraham tries and fails. God, being a merciful God, lowers the number, and Abraham tries and fails again. Oh, humanity! Eventually Abraham leaves and God sends two angels to order Abrahams nephew Lot out of the city as well. When the two angels come to Lot, the men of the city surround his home, ordering him to send the angels out so they can rape them. Lot offers his two virginal daughters to the men instead, but they refuse. The angels drive Lot and his family out of the city, ordering them to leave and not look back. Lot's wife, Edith, turns to look on the cities' destruction and immediately turns into a pillar of salt.
Scotland Yard ... (Referenced by Logan to Veronica about Lamb's arrival.)
New Scotland Yard, often referred to simply as Scotland Yard or The Yard, is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service, responsible for policing Greater London (although not the City of London itself). New Scotland Yard occupies a 20-story office block along Broadway and Victoria Street in Westminster, about 450 meters away from the Houses of Parliament. The famous rotating sign, which is often seen on television and in films, is outside the main entrance on Broadway.
In 1829, when Sir Robert Peel was Home Secretary, the first Metropolitan Police Act was passed and the Metropolitan Police Force was established in London. The name derives from the headquarters' original location on Great Scotland Yard, a street off Whitehall. The exact origins of this name are unknown, though a popular explanation is that it was the former site of the diplomatic mission of the Kingdom of Scotland, prior to the Union of England and Scotland. By the 17th century, the street had become the site of a number of government buildings.
The Commissioner, who heads the Metropolitan Police, has traditionally answered directly to the Home Secretary. This dates back to the formation of the Metropolitan Police and reflects its difference from other police forces and its national and international responsibilities. The Metropolitan Police Service performs national functions, such as those in relation to the protection of royalty and countering terrorism in Great Britain. In addition to these two, the MPS has a number of other capital city, and national responsibilities such as the protection of certain members and ex-members of the government and the diplomatic community and assisting with enquiries concerning British interests at home and abroad. These responsibilities make the Metropolitan Police Service unique among UK police forces.
Scotland Yard has become internationally famous as a symbol of policing and detectives from Scotland Yard feature in many works of crime fiction. They were frequent allies and sometimes antagonists of Sherlock Holmes in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous stories. Many novelists have adopted fictional Scotland Yard detectives as the heroes or heroines of their stories. Commander Adam Dalgliesh, created by P. D. James, and Inspector Richard Jury, created by Martha Grimes, are notable recent examples.
Proving that the British government does, in fact, have a sense of humor, Scotland Yard's crime database is called Home Office Large Major Enquiry System or HOLMES - after legendary fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. In addition, the training program is called "Elementary". Love it!
En Vogue / "Free Your Mind" ... (Referenced by Wallace's friend when trying to loosen Wallace up.)
En Vogue is an American female R&B vocal quartet assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy, formerly of the disco group Club Nouveau. Since forming in 1988, En Vogue has sold over eighteen million albums and singles worldwide. They have worked with the fashion industries top make-up artists and stylists in addition to avant garde directors and photographers. Among those directors are Mark Romanek, Matthew Rolston and Tarsem Singh. En Vogue has worked exclusively with world renowned choreographers Frank Gatson Jr., La Velle Smith and Travis Payne. They have won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven VMAs. The group was named the second most successful girl group of the 1990's and the eighteenth most successful act overall of the 1990's according to Billboard magazine.
The group has had a revolving cast of singers filling the four roles. The original members were Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones, Dawn Robinson and Terry Ellis. This original line-up performed together until 1997. During this time they released three multi-platinum albums and one six-track EP. They had numerous top-ten hit singles on both the Pop and R&B charts including: "Hold On", "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)", "Givin' Him Something He Can Feel", and "Free Your Mind" -- the track referenced by Mason.
Robinson left the group for a solo career in 1997, and later joined the group Lucy Pearl in 2000. The other members of En Vogue went on to record EV3. In 2001, Amanda Cole joined the band as a 4th member. Soon after that Maxine Jones left the group to spend more time with her daughter. At the end of 2002, En Vogue released their first holiday album The Gift Of Christmas. Soon after, Amanda Cole left the band to start her solo career. In September 2003 the band started their small European tour and Maxine Jones rejoined the band to fill the place of Cindy Herron who was on maternity leave. En Vogue soon gained another new member, former MMC child star Rhona Bennett. After Herron's break, she and Jones changed places again. The new trio released Soul Flower in early 2004. En Vogue will continue on with members Maxine Jones, Cindy Herron, Terry Ellis and Rhona Bennett and will release a new album later this year.
"Free Your Mind," a rock-influenced R&B anthem of individuality and tolerance, was the second single from En Vogue's highly successful second album Funky Divas.
"Free Your Mind" was arguably the group's most successful single. The lyrics are:
- I wear tight clothing and high heel shoes
It doesn't mean that I'm a prostitute
I like rap music wear hip-hop clothes
That doesn't mean that I'm sellin' dope
Oh my forgive me for having straight hair
It doesn't mean there's another blood in my heirs
I might date another race or color
It doesn't mean I don't like my strong black brothers
Why oh why must it be this way?
Before you can read me you've got to learn how to see me (I said)
Free your mind and the rest will follow
Be colorblind, don't be so shallow
Free your mind and the rest will follow
Be colorblind, don't be so shallow
So I'm a sista, buy things with cash
That really doesn't mean that all my credit's bad
So why dispute me and waste my time
Because you think that the price is high for me
I can't look without being watched, no
You rang my buy before I made up my mind
Oh now attitude - why even bother?
I can't change your mind you can't change my color
Why oh why must it be this way?
Before you can read me youve got to learn how to see me (I said)
Free your mind and the rest will follow
Be colorblind, don't be so shallow
Free your mind and the rest will follow
Be colorblind, don't be so shallow
Back Stage West ... (Referenced by Keith to O'Dell about stuff found in wife's ex's apartment.)
Published by Vnu Business Publications, Back Stage West is a magazine for performing artists in theatre, film and television, with a weekly circulation of about 24,000 readers. It contains reviews, industry news, casting notices, career advice and editorials, with an emphasis on the Los Angeles scene.
The publication is available on newsstands or through subscription ($89/year) and is one of three Back Stage services available. Back Stage East is centered around the industry in New York and BackStage.com is the online service which, in addition to encapsulating the print editions' contents, includes daily updates, casting notices from all around the country, and other articles that are not reported in the print editions.
Drakkar cologne ... (Referenced by Veronica to Weevil about the thief's cologne.)
Drakkar colognes are the product of French fashion designer Guy Laroche. He is sometimes credited with the creation of a 'real-life fashion,' one of the first to offer a collection of separates. In his own words: "A garment has to look completely natural. It must follow the body and let it live. Otherwise, it's empty, it's virtually dead." A philosophy, I am certain, Weevil appreciates.
Drakkar Dynamik Cologne was launched by the Design House Of Guy Laroche in 1999, Drakkar Dynamik is classified as a refreshing, greens fragrance, a masculine scent that blends fresh greens.
The better known one, however, is Drakkar Noir, launched in 1982. It's classified as a flowery fragrance. This scent is also considered masculine and possesses a blend of: lavender, citrus, spicy berries and sandalwood.
Leaving aside the obvious contradiction between the terms 'flowery' and 'masculine,' somehow I can't see Weevil wearing anything that's classified as 'flowery' at all. However, I wouldn't bet the house on it. One of the sales write-ups describes it thus: This one's a universally acknowledged good-looking classic. Sleek and refined it's guaranteed never to offend, shock or start a vicious rumor! In other words, an aromatically subtle scent that will be appreciated by anyone with a sense of smell.
Hee, I'm guessing, Veronica's sense of smell is faulty!
The name 'Drakkar,' most likely, comes from the Longships that were primarily used by the Scandinavian Vikings and the Saxons to raid coastal and inland settlements during the European Middle Ages, as well as for long distance trade and commerce, and for exploratory voyages to Iceland, Greenland, and beyond.
Monster Truck ... (Referenced by Cliff's pretend rehearsal.)
A monster truck is a modified pick-up truck built with large wheels and suspension. The trucks are usually designed with axles from heavy-duty military trucks or school buses and a supercharged engine. Monster trucks are used recreationally, like a four wheel drive dune-buggy, and for entertainment. A monster truck rally has man-made barriers and an arena full of junk cars for the trucks to crush under their huge tires. Ooh, fun!
The rallies have become a part of pop culture, earning a spotlight in the movies Ace Venture: When Nature Calls, The Beverly Hillbillies, Herbie: Fully Loaded. It was also the scene of House and Cameron's first "date" on the Fox television show, House. The 2001 Steven Spielberg film Artificial Intelligence featured a monster-truck parody with a "Flesh Fair" where giant cars and machines are used to destroy robotic life forms. The scene in AI draws a parallel between monster truck rallies and the Roman gladiators or public executions; that they all feed a base human desire to see things destroyed.
The advertising of monster truck events has also become a part of pop culture. Cliff's voice-over is an homage to a series of radio commercials from the 1980's by Larry "Supermouth" Huffman, which featured blaring rock music and heavy use of reverb. Each spot began with "Sunday!! Sunday!! Sunday!!" and ended with the exclamation, "BE THERE!"
Olive Garden / "When you're here, you're family." ... (Referenced by Keith asking Cliff if he booked the gig.)
The Olive Garden is an American restaurant chain owned, but not franchised, by Darden Restaurants, Inc. Founded in Orlando, Florida in 1982, the chain now includes 582 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada. In 1999, the Olive Garden partnered with Sergio and Daniela Zingarelli to open the Culinary Institute of Tuscany in Italy, where chefs and general managers are sent for training.
The restaurant presents a casual, family atmosphere and specializes in a mixture of traditional Italian and Italian-American dishes. Menu items include spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, chicken marsala, specialty pizzas, wines and a bottomless bowl of tasty breadsticks. In keeping with the restaurants' atmosphere, the company's advertising slogan is "When you're here, you're family."
Joe College ... (Referenced by Weevil to Logan in greeting.)
This phrase is a play on 'average Joe' as it applies to your garden-variety college boy. Notable columnist William Safire traced the progression of the moniker in one of his columns:
- Only the Devil has more aliases than the average person ... He signs checks John Doe (on a joint account with Jane Doe); the editor William Allen White in 1937 called him John Q. Public . . .. His first name soon changed to Joseph. The average Joe appeared as Joe Blow (1867), Joe Doakes (1926), Joe College (1932), GI Joe (1943) and, in Britain, Joe Bloggs (1969). Though Joe Zilch (1925, probably a play on zero) and Joe Schmo (1950, rhyming with hometown Kokomo) are derisive, Joe Cool (1949) gets respect. This assumption that Joe is average seems outdated because Joseph is a given name declining in vogue; if current averageness were the criterion, we might expect the average Michael or Brian Six-Pack.
I'm guessing Weevil's remark was referencing the general moniker rather than the book, confirmed further by Logan's retort of 'Jose Lunchpail!'
Lowrider ... (Referenced by Lamb to Weevil about his car.)
A lowrider is a car or truck with a modified, often hydraulic, suspension system that causes it to ride as low to the ground as possible. Lowriders are usually classic cars, and are typically flashy, show-quality custom vehicles with custom paintjobs, often including flames or other hand-painted graphics. Other typical features of lowriders are small, gold or chrome spoke wheels, neon or LED lights, tinted windows, fins or spoilers, and sometimes other engine, exhaust and performance modifications.
The interiors of lowriders also often have custom features, such as leather or velvet fabric, woodgrain panels, chrome or gold accents, enhanced audio systems, etc. The custom hydraulic systems of many lowriders allow the driver to alter the height of the vehicle as desired (often characterized by dipping/raising of the corners or front or rear of the vehicle, or even bouncing one end completely off the ground).
Originally unique to the Chicano culture, lowriders are now common to the general urban youth culture, and today can be found in many diverse cultures and with a number of different car makes and models. Lowrider clubs often cruise popular strips, especially during the summer, and lowriders can frequently be found at car shows or other events. During the 1990's, Lowriders became prominent in the hip hop culture, with the 1964 Chevy Impala ragtop considered the most desirbale lowrider. The lowrider culture has even inspired lowrider bicycles and motorcycles.
1964 Chevy Impala lowrider owned by Juan Flores of
Corpus Christi, Texas
Miranda Rights ... (Referenced by Lamb to Weevil right before he arrests him.)
In the United States, police officers are required to give a "Miranda warning" to any suspect they have taken into custody prior to any interrogation related to the commission of a crime. Suspects may be arrested without the warning and asked their name, address and date of birth, but any questions that could relate to a crime can not be asked until the warning has been given. The purpose of the warning is to protect the suspect's Fifth Amendment "right to silence" in order to avoid coercive self-incrimination. Confessions are inadmissible as evidence unless the suspect has been given and waived their "Miranda rights." This has been mandated since the U.S. Supreme Court case of Miranda v. Arizona in 1966 and was re-affirmed as recent as the year 2000.
In 1963, Ernesto Miranda was arrested for kidnapping and rape. Without being advised of his Constitutional "right to silence" or his right to have an attorney present for questioning, Miranda confessed to both crimes and was convicted without any evidence or testimony being presented. Three years later, the United States Supreme Court overturned the conviction, ruling that Miranda was coerced into his confession without fully understanding his rights. A new trial resulted in his conviction, but this time it was based on testimony from witnesses and other relevant evidence.
The Supreme Court provided guidelines without specifying the exact wording that should be used and each jurisdiction has its own regulations, but the typical warning is:
- You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense.
- Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?
In a twisted bit of irony, Ernesto Miranda was eventually murdered and his killer was read his "Miranda rights."
Mr. Microphone / "Hey, good looking. We'll be back to pick you up later." ... (Referenced by Lamb to Logan after he arrests Weevil.)
Before karaoke bars and machines rose in popularity, there was Mr. Microphone. This wildly popular toy was brought to us by Ron Popeil, the legendary inventor and pitchman of television-advertised mail-order products. Mr. Microphone was first manufactured and sold by the Ronco Company in 1978 for a retail price of $19.95. The gadget was a low power FM modulator encased in a cordless plastic microphone. Used in conjunction with a nearby radio, Mr. Microphone turned children and adults alike into rock stars -- well, in their own minds, anyway.
In the television commercial, various people young and old were shown enjoying the "perfect Christmas gift" as a party livener, a professional entertainer's rehearsal aid and, most memorably, as a cheesy pickup tool. The latter use was demonstrated as a car full of people (including Popeil's daughter and her boyfriend) are shown driving down the street as a curly-haired guy uses Mr. Microphone to utter the often-mimicked pickup line "Hey, good looking. We'll be back to pick you up later!" Years later, even Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy) was using the line as he rode by some pretty girls in Shrek 2.
"pick up" good-looking Logan.
To hear just that line, clicky-click.
The Robot ... (Referenced by Lamb performs it in front of Veronica.)
Sometimes referred to as the mannequin, the robot is an illusionary dance style that is combined with elements of popping, and is meant to simulate an actual dancing, er - robot. Bending the joints at the elbows in straight and unnatural ways, all movements begin and end with a small jerk or pop, to give the audience the impression that a motor is starting and stopping or that the performers' joints are supposed to be on hinges. The dancer may bend at the waist, but since their posture is to remain stiff at all times they are unable to roll or hunch their back.
Made popular by Michael Jackson, he devised a routine for the Jackson 5's 1974 single "Dancing Machine," and first performed the dance on an episode of Soul Train. Often times confused with popping and liquid dancing, the robot refers only to the technique of simulating a humanoid robot or living mannequin, which is one of many techniques used in both those styles.
"Be it ever so humble" ... (Referenced by Veronica to Weevil about his jail cell.)
A popular lyric taken from a classic hymn, "Home, Sweet Home," popular in 19th century America. The song trumpets the values of a good home, and would traditionally be used upon the return of someone who had been away from home for a long time. The song is somewhat ironically used in western-style weddings in Japan, where the concept of "returning to the nest" (rather than branching out into a new home/family) is kind of lost in translation. The lyrics:
- 'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home;
A charm from the sky seems to hallow us there,
Which, seek through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere.
Home, home, sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!
How sweet 'tis to sit 'neath a fond father's smile,
And the caress of a mother to soothe and beguile!
Let others delight 'mid new pleasure to roam,
But give me, oh, give me, the pleasures of home,
Home, home, sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!
To thee I'll return, overburdened with care;
The heart's dearest solace will smile on me there;
No more from that cottage again will I roam;
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.
Home, home, sweet, sweet home
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!
Koi are ornamental domesticated varieties of the common carp Cyprinus carpio, originated from China and widely spread in Japan. They are very closely related to goldfish, and in fact the style of breeding and ornamentation has become very similar, probably through the efforts of Japanese breeders to emulate goldfish, but they are not goldfish. Koi and tattoos of Koi are traditionally considered lucky. They have many different colors. Some of the major colors are: white, black, red, yellow, blue, and cream.
A koi pond is a specific type of fish pond and is different from most water gardens because koi limit the amount of plant life available to be grown. Simply put: Koi eat some plants. A koi pond should also be larger because koi get quite large. Below is a drawing by Ricky Mintilla of a Japanese koi pond.
(Orville) Redenbacher ... (Referenced by Wallace's friend bringing the popcorn, movie and babes.)
Orville Redenbacher was an American botanist and businessman responsible for creating one of the worlds most popular brands of popcorn. Born in Brazil, Indiana, he attended Purdue University, joining Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity and graduating with a degree in agronomy. He spent most of his life as a farmer and worker in the agriculture industry, serving as Vigo County Farm Bureau Extension Agent in Terre Haute, Indiana and at Princeton Farms in Princeton, Indiana.
Although his original business focus was fertilizer, in his spare time Redenbacher indulged in an obsession he'd had since he was a child with developing the perfect popcorn. He bought the George F. Chester and Son dent seed corn plant in 1951 and tried tens of thousands of hybrid strands of popcorn before achieving success. He founded the Redbow Popcorn Company in Valparaiso in 1970 and in 1976 sold the company to Hunt-Wesson Foods, which was, in turn, bought by the agribusiness giant ConAgra.
Despite having sold the company, Redenbacher continued to promote his popcorn, appearing in numerous television commercials, later with his grandson, always wearing his trademark bowtie. His wholesome image and folksy name confused many consumers, some even writing the company to ask if Mr. Redenbacher was a real person, and not an actor. He responded to this by appearing on various talk shows, professing his identity.
2005 marked the 40th Anniversary of Orville Redenbacher's popcorn, still the #1 selling brand in America. To celebrate the man behind the popcorn, ConAgra developed a special website that highlights some of the classic Orville Redenbacher television commercials. One of his most famous and recognizable commercials states, "My gourmet popping corn pops up lighter and fluffier than ordinary popping corn. Eats better, too."
The Hills Have Eyes ... (Referenced by Wallace's friend bringing the popcorn, movie and babes.)
One of horror master Wes Craven's earliest films, The Hills Have Eyes was both written and directed by Craven and released in 1977. Over the years, the film has developed a cult following among hardcore horror fans.
The plot of the film centers around an all-American family, the Carters, traveling on vacation to California. Bob, Ethel, their three children, son-in-law and baby granddaughter find themselves stranded in the desert when their camper breaks down. Unfortunately for them, it's a really lousy neighborhood crawling with a clan of mountain-dwelling cannibals, who go by such names as Pluto, Jupiter, Mercury and (ahem) Mars. Robbery, murder, kidnapping and rape follow. As the film's tagline said, "The lucky ones died first." Brutal in its violence, the film was originally given an 'X' rating, but Craven cut it down to an eventual 'R' rating.
The film is reported to have been "inspired" by the exploits of Sawney Beane, his wife and their fourteen children, who tortured and ate several travelers they captured in the highlands of Scotland's East Lothian County in the early 1400's, before they were themselves caught and executed.
A sequel, The Hills Have Eyes Part II was released in 1985. In 2006, a remake directed by Alexandre Aja (and reportedly endorsed by Craven) hit theaters, starring, among others, Ted Levine, Kathleen Quinlan, Emilie de Ravin and Billy Drago. The remake earned over $69 million at the worldwide box office and a sequel is due in 2007.
LAPD ... (Referenced by Lamb introducing Detective Sanchez to Keith.)
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) -- click here for the official website -- is the police department of the City of Los Angeles, California. With over nine thousand officers and a staff of three thousand civilians, the precint covers an area of four hundred and seventy-three square miles with a population of nearly four million people. The LAPD is the third largest law enforcement agency in the United States (trailing behind the New York Police Department and Chicago Police Department). The LAPD has had a rich history, including occasional incidents of brutality and corruption (Rodney King anyone?). The agency is famous world wide and has been heavily fictionalized in numerous movies and television shows.
Throughout its modern history, the department has suffered from chronic underfunding and understaffing. In comparison to most large cities, The LAPD has historically had one of the lowest ratios of police personnel to population served and thus the current chief, William J. Bratton, has made enlarging the force one of his top priorities. (Bratton has been quoted as saying, "You give me 4000 more officers and I'll give you the safest city in the world.") One attempt, begun in 2005, is showing action-packed mini-movies online and at movie theaters to promote recruiting. The movies feature real LAPD officers and what they do.
Adrian Monk ... (Referenced by Det. Sanchez to Keith about his alias.)
Adrian Monk is the title character of the USA Network original series Monk. Monk, brilliantly portrayed by Tony Shalhoub, was once a rising star with the San Francisco Police Department, legendary for using unconventional methods and out-of-the-box thinking to solve some of the department's most baffling cases. But after the tragic (and still unsolved) murder of his wife, a devastated Monk became obsessive-compulsive.
Now plagued by various phobias, almost everything causes him angst: Germs, heights, crowds -- even milk. His condition eventually cost him his position on the force, and continuously poses unique challenges as he goes about his daily life. He is in therapy for his condition, but signs of progress in overcoming his psychological disorder are spotty at best. Now working as a private consultant, Monk continues to investigate various cases using his vast intelligence and unconventional approaches with the help of his personal assistant Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard), his friend and former boss Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine), and Stottlemeyers boy-Friday, Lt. Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford).
L to R: Gray-Stanford, Shalhoub, Howard and Levine.
Since it's debut on July 12, 2002, Monk has been nominated for ten Emmy awards, three SAG awards, five Golden Globe Awards and four Edgar awards. The series has won a total of six Emmy's, including three for Tony Shalhoub as "outstanding lead actor in a comedy series."
Keith's nod to Monk is also notable because Enrico Colantoni and Tony Shalhoub are great friends. In fact, Enrico appeared as a guest star in the 2004 episode "Mr. Monk and the Employee of the Month."
Mexico ... (Referenced by O'Dell to Keith about his wife and stepson's whereabouts.)
Mexico 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.
Rosarito ... (Referenced by O'Dell to Keith about his wife and stepson's whereabouts.)
Playas de Rosarito is a city in the Mexican state of Baja California and seat of the municipality of the same name. The official name is Playas de Rosarito. It is located approximately 35 minutes south of the U.S. border in Tijuana. It is a popular destination for college students and young people in general from the United States for Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend. It boasts miles of beaches, hotels, and dance clubs.
Molire ... (Referenced by the theater guy to Veronica.)
Jean-Baptiste Moliere was born in Paris on January 15, 1622. His father tended the furniture and upholstery of the king, but Moliere decided at the age of twenty-one to devote his life to the theater. He began writing plays and started his own drama troupe, often playing the lead role. Although he faced an uphill climb and numerous obstacles, his dramatic troupe eventually became the most respected troupe in Paris earning the title "Troupe of the King."
Molire suffered a hemorrhage on February 17, 1673, while playing the role of the hypochondriac Argan in The Imaginary Invalid. He left behind a body of work which not only changed the face of French classical comedy, but has gone on to influence the work of other dramatists the world over. The greatest of his plays include The School for Husbands (1661), The School for Wives (1662), The Misanthrope (1666), The Doctor in Spite of Himself (1666), Tartuffe (1664, 1667, 1669), The Miser (1668) and The Imaginary Invalid (1673).
Tarantino ... (Referenced by the theater guy to Veronica.)
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (born March 27, 1963) is the American Dream come true, director-style. He is an American film director, actor, and Oscar-winning screenwriter who rapidly rose to fame in the early 1990's as a latter-day auteur whose use of nonlinear storylines, memorable dialogue, and violence brought new life to familiar American film archetypes. Tarantino is also well-known for his public persona as a motor-mouthed, geeky hipster with an encyclopedic knowledge of both popular and art-house cinema.
The director-writer worked in a video store through most of his formative years while studying acting before concentrating on screenplay writing. His first sale was for True Romance, the Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette 1993 flick, followed by Natural Born Killers (He claims that director Oliver Stone changed the script so much that Tarantino has disowned the script and claims no credit.) The success of True Romance brought him to the attention of producer Lawrence Bender who encouraged Tarantino to keep at it. The end result was Reservoir Dogs, which Tarantino also directed, making his debut. When it premiered at the prestigious independent film festival at Sundance, it was picked up by Miramax and became a minor hit for the company. Despite offers to pen upcoming Hollywood scripts, Tarantino instead retreated to Amsterdam and wrote his follow-up. This became Pulp Fiction, released in 1994. The film not only restarted (for the twenty-seventh time) John Travolta's career, but it also became THE hit of the year, garnering not only bundles of critical praise (landing in the top spot as the best film of year among critics), but garnered impressive box office for an independent as well as the piece de resistance -- an Academy Award nomination for best picture/best director of the year. Tarantino and his film didn't win, but his reputation was made. So electric and innovative was Tarantino's splashy, flashy directorial style and quick, wham-bam patter, pop-culture-referenced and profanity-laden dialogue that copycats emerged left and right and Quentin became the IT man in Hollywood.
Enjoying all the town had to offer, Tarantino dated beautiful women (Oscar winner Mira Sorvino his most notable squeeze), directed television episodes of his favorite shows, wrote and starred in friend and fellow innovative director Roberto Rodriguez's From Dusk 'Till Dawn with George Clooney to mixed reviews. In fact, it was his "acting" career that has been the one negative plaguing Tarantino. Although wildly acclaimed as a director, he really wants to be an actor. However, he's no Jason Dohring. Hell, he's no Richard Grieco and despite a collection of small roles in various films and TV shows that the director gets because of his fame, he is universally panned for his efforts. He may want to act, but the world just wants him to direct. And so he does ... but not as often as people would like.
His follow-up to Pulp Fiction finally came three years later, Jackie Brown, and while not a complete bomb, it had its critics -- and in concert with the reception of From Dusk 'Till Dawn -- it had quite a few wondering if Tarantino was, in fact, a one-trick pony. And then came Kill Bill, Vol.1 in the Fall of 2003. A critical and box office success that put Tarantino back on top and even if the sequel, Kill Bill, Vol 2. (released the following Spring) wasn't as wonderful as the original, Tarantino had still made it clear that he had the talent and plenty of it to spare. Pulp Fiction was no fluke.
Tarantino was also one of four directors directing a segment of the Miramax film Four Rooms and working again with Rodriguez, he directed a particularly interesting scene in the 2005 extravaganza Sin City featuring Clive Owens and a dead-talking-head Benicio Del Toro. I highly recommend the latter ... although it is a tad on the extremely, over-the-top violent side.
Pam Cooking Spray ... (Referenced by Jenny to Veronica about the stage.)
Pam, the number one brand of cooking spray in America, is a spray form of various types of oils, combined with lecithin, an emulsifier, and a propellant such as food-grade alcohol or propane. Cooking spray is applied to frying pans and other cookware to prevent food from sticking. Traditionally, cooks used butter, shortening, or oils poured or rubbed on cookware. Cooking spray was invented as a lower fat alternative to these methods. Most cooking sprays have fewer calories and less fat per serving than an application of these other lubricants, because they are applied in a much thinner layer.
Unfortunately for the theater crew, less fat doesnt mean less slippery. I imagine walking across that stage would be akin to slipping and sliding over freshly glossed ice.
"Break a Leg" ... (Referenced by Veronica to the theater folks.)
"Break a leg" is a well-known theatrical saying which means "good luck." It is offered to actors before they go out onto the stage. Theres a prevalent theatrical superstition against literally wishing good luck.
There doesnt seem to be an agreement on where this phrase was derived from originally. There are, however, several -- and colorful -- suggestions. One theory seems to indicate that the phrase originates from the Fords Theater assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth (perhaps a decent actor but clearly a better shot) in 1865, who, after the murder, jumped onto the stage and broke his leg in the process. However, since the first recorded usage of the phrase doesnt appear until the 1930's, I (and most reasonable people) find it difficult to connect a violent incident of death - no matter how theatrical - with any kind of good luck.
The Dictionary of Catch Phrases (yes, folks, there is such a thing) offers a connection to a lovely German phrase Hals und Beinbruch -- an invitation to break your neck and bones. Ah, the Germans! Always a fount of fun! The phrase, apparently, is used by pilots and is akin to the English "happy landings!" (Right, because nothing says "happy landing" like broken neck and bones). The phrase dates back to the early 20th century, but theres no clear connection between that and the American theater community. Except, of course, the lovely wish for the broken extremities. A "Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English" (yes, folks, apparently, there is such a thing, too), gives a (thankfully) antiquated meaning: Apparently, in around 1670's, "to break a leg" used to mean "to give birth to a bastard child." And while we all see a clear connection to Aaron Echolls here, it still doesnt explain how the phrase found its way to the theater.
There are many other suggestions. For starters there is a legend that the phrase originated in the early theatrical history to wish an actor the breaking of the leg simply meant to wish him prolonged applause, during which he would have to bend his knee in deep bow. This dates back to the Shakespearean times. Another suggest that, in the age of early vaudeville, when the theater owners would hire more actors than they could use in one performance (so if someone was so bad, they could be pulled off stage and replaced), and paid only those who actually made it on stage, the wish "break a leg" referred to the physical legs of actors lined up to get on stage. It meant that the performer would actually get his turn and gets paid. Rather convoluted idea, if you ask me, but hey, thats entertainment!
Yet another links the saying to the legend of Sprites, who liked to mess with people by listening to their wishes and making the opposite happen. Kind of like reverse psychology only meaner. So people tried tricking the Sprites into granting their wishes by stating something to the contrary. Huh. The more reasonable theory offers an idea that understudies used to wish it to the lead actors all the time in hopes that they really do break something and resign the part. (Say it with Logan and me: Theres no people, like show people!) It was said so often, it became bad luck not to say it.
There is speculation that it used to be "break a legend," meaning "give such a great performance, that it upstages those great ones that came before you." I am guessing the minimalist movement is responsible for the shortening of the phrase. In Greek times people did not applaud the performers, they stomped their legs. Stomp long enough for something spectacular, and you break a limb. Clearly, going to a theater was a dangerous venture in ancient Greece. The less violent Elizabethan version says that people used to stomp their chairs in appreciation. Admittedly, breaking a leg on a chair is far more appealing, but it is still doubtful this is the origin of the contemporary saying.
Ultimately, as fun as they are, these are all just speculations. The first recorded use of the phrase is as recent as 1957, and it is a title of a show. Of course it utilizes the phrase already in existence, and theres enough anecdotal evidence of that, but nothing explaining its real origin. Wherever the saying comes from, few people take it as far or as literally as spraying an actual slippery agent onto a stage. These film geeks with their Pam Cooking Spray fetish clearly need go get themselves as copy of that "Dictionary of Catch Phrases."
"Life imitates Art" / Oscar Wilde ... (Referenced by Logan to Veronica about the film playing.)
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde born on October 16, 1854 and died November 30 1900 of meningitis, brought on by a recurrent ear infection. He was an Irish playwright, poet, and author of essays and novels, famous in his own time. Known for his barbed and clever wit, he was one of the most successful playwrights of late Victorian London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. Although married, with two children, Wilde was arrested for "gross indeceny" -- a euphemism for homosexual acts -- and the ensuing two triasl brought about his downfall and led to his imprisonment in 1895. His wife left him, changed her name and upon his release two years later, Wilde was never able to recapture his writer's passion before succumbing to death at the age of forty-six.
Among his famous works include, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), An Ideal Husband (1895) and, of course, 1889's The Decay of Lying. It was in this novel, that Wilde argued that life imitates art and that art's sole purpose is to elicit pleasure in man. He believed that art existed for its own sake, in its own realm, divorced from the influences of history and society. Wilde argued that while life and nature might provide the raw materials for art, they should never be the sole focus of art. Rather, art is supposed to create something that is above and beyond both life and nature. Wilde believed that because human perception is inevitably subjective, life will come to imitate art since art can change one's subjective outlook. In The Decay of Lying, Cyril asks of Vivian:
- What do you mean by saying that life, "poor, probable, uninteresting human life," will try to reproduce the marvels of art? I can quite understand your objection to art being treated as a mirror. You think it would reduce genius to the position of a cracked Iookingglass. But you don't mean to say that you seriously believe that Life imitates Art, that Life in fact is the mirror, and Art the reality?
[Vivian's response:] Certainly I do. Paradox though it may seem--and paradoxes are always dangerous things --it is none the less true that Life imitates art far more than Art imitates life. We have all seen in our own day in England how a certain curious and fascinating type of beauty, invented and emphasised by two imaginative painters, has so influenced Life .... And it has always been so. A great artist invents a type, and Life tries to copy it, to reproduce it in a popular form, like an enterprising publisher. Neither Holbein nor Vandyck found in England what they have given us. They brought their types with them, and Life, with her keen imitative faculty, set herself to supply the master with models. The Greeks, with their quick artistic instinct, understood this .... They knew that Life gains from Art not merely spirituality, depth of thought and feeling, soulturmoil or soulpeace, but that she can form herself on the very lines and colours of art .... Hence came their objection to realism.
It is believed that the first humans settled in the San Diego area some 20,000 years ago, along the coast, and 12,000 years ago in the desert area. However, it was in 1542 that Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sailed from Mexico into the Bay and claimed the area for Spain, naming it San Miguel. At the time, there were 20-30 thousand of the Kumeyaay tribe living there. In 1602, explorer Sebastian Vizcaino arrived on his ship, San Diego, and named the area for the Spanish Catholic saint, San Diego de Alcal. Then, in 1769, the first of a chain of twenty-one missions along the California coast was founded by Father Junipero Serra and the California Governor Gaspar de Portola. It was built on Presidio Hill and named Mission San Diego de Alcal. The first colonists arrived in 1774, and San Diego came under Mexican rule in 1821 when Mexico won its independence from Spain. Following that, in 1848, a treaty ending the war between the U.S. and Mexico set the official international border and declared San Diego an American city. Two years later, San Diego County was created and the City of San Diego was incorporated.
Today, with a population of around 1.25 million, San Diego is the second largest city in California and the seventh largest in the nation. According to the San Diego city website, more than 96 percent of the residents are employed, with a median family income of almost $40,000. The top industries are manufacturing, defense, tourism, and agriculture, with an additional focus on biotechnology/biosciences, electronics manufacturing, software, telecommunications, financial and business services, and defense and space manufacturing.
Located only seventeen miles from the Mexican border, with seventy miles of coastline and an overall land area of 342.4 square miles, San Diego is also home to many popular tourist attractions, such as Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Wild Animal Park, Legoland California, and the Del Mar Thoroughbred Races. Professional sports teams include the San Diego Chargers (football), the Padres (baseball), and the Gulls (hockey). In addition to ten community colleges located throughout the county, the city is also home to San Diego State, the largest California State University campus, and the University of California, San Diego.
Girl Scouts / Thin Mints ... (Referenced by Campus security guy to Veronica regarding her act.)
Girl Scouts of the USA is a youth association, best known for their annual entrepreneurial cookie selling, featuring popular selections such as Thin Mints, Caramel De Lites, Tagalongs and Do-si-dos. Founded in 1912 by Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low in Savannah, Georgia, Girl Scouts was formed based on the "scouting" ideas of Brit Robert Baden-Powell. Daisy believed that all girls should have the opportunity to develop physically, mentally and socially, and strove to bring girls out of home environments and into society through community service, physical activity and educational opportunities.
Today, Girl Scouts of the USA is the largest female youth organization, blossoming from its early ranks of eighteen, to a membership of approximately 3.5 million girls, ages 5-17, and nearly one million adult members. There are five age levels in Girl Scouting, Daisy, Brownie, Junior, Cadette and Senior. Girls Scouts of USA defines its goal as helping its members achieve their full potential through development of strong values, life skills and decision-making, self-acceptance and self-worth, and compassionate and respectful relating to others.
Thin Mints are the most enduring and universally familiar Girl Scout cookie sold. These round, mint-flavored cookies covered with dark chocolate perennially sell the most boxes of any cookie (and not surprisingly, because DAYUM, are they yum!). Never changing their name, Thin Mints come in a dark green box and this variety of cookie accounts for 25% of Girl Scout cookie sales, making them the most popular type. Again, not surprising because YUM!
His second choice of Lemon Coolers are not as popular. A reduced-fat cookie, these round, yellow, lemon-flavored cookies are an option geared toward dieting and diabetic customers. His final pick are the Classic Shortbread cookies or Trefoils. These shortbread cookies are shaped like the Girl Scout Trefoil design.
Rolexes ... (Referenced by Lamb when he tells Veronica what they found in the guard's house.)
Rolex is a brand of elite wristwatches and other accessories renowned for quality and exclusivity. The watches can range in price from a few thousand dollars to more than one hundred thousand dollars, and have become status symbols for the rich and famous.
The company, which was founded in 1905 by the German Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis, is credited with several innovative features common to modern watches; they developed the first self-winding watch, the first waterproof watch case, the first wristwatch with the date in the dial, and dual time zones. Rolex is the first watch making company to earn the chronometer certification (tested and certified to meet certain precision standards, given by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute).
- In addition to the mention of Lilly, this episode included three references to season one stories: Weevil's comment about Veronica being a "card shark" (An Echolls Family Christmas) and Danny's memories of the time Veronica cut Wallace down from the flagpole (the Pilot) and when she "stopped those guys from blowing up the school" (Weapons of Class Destruction).
- The Intro to Criminology class certainly doesn't look or sound happy that T.A. Tim's taking charge for the day. Guess Veronica's not the only student who's not a fan.
- Harrison, the thief in the Carter mask, can be seen sitting at a table gambling before his partner begins the robbery.
- Veronica and Logan were indeed dressed as Meg and Jack White of the The White Stripes. (May they both burn those costumes, or at least the wigs, after this Halloween.)
- When Logan and Veronica enter the student film festival, Logan cheerfully briefly pats someone on the back.
- Continuing with the Halloween theme of this episode: One of the stores located near Mars Investigations is named Lestat's, which presumably is a reference to the famed vampire from the Anne Rice novels.
- The expressions on Cliff's face during his fake voiceover work, especially when he says "Neptune, Neptune, Neptune!" and "Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!" Watch that bit ten times in a row, it's sure to put you in a good mood. And the whole thing is especially hilarious given the Daran Norris' extensive experience doing voiceovers.
- Mindy O'Dell's hairstyle and red lipstick is reminiscent of 1940's screen siren Veronica Lake, who rose to fame with several prominent roles in the film noir genre.
- Awwww, Wallace has a piggy bank on his desk. How cute! Maybe he should have used the money he's saved to hire a tutor, instead of cheating on his exam. Just a thought.
- When Veronica's reading her email from Danny at the public computer outside the Hearst College Police Department, she gets up to leave without logging out of her account or even closing the email. Sloppy, sloppy.
- The bratty little girl is staring at Veronica the whole time she's there -- obviously waiting to see her reaction to getting "gummed."
- Aww, Keith and Cliff have lunch together. They're lunch buddies!
- Looks like Wallace is growing a 'stache.
- At the beginning of the confrontation between Veronica and Weevil about the necklace (after the commercial), you can hear loud arguing coming from a neighboring apartment followed by a bang and then silence. Neither Weevil nor Veronica so much as flinch.
- Throughout the episode, Veronica repeatedly fingers the area around her neck from which Lilly's necklace is missing.
- As Lamb is doing the Robot, someone off-camera calls out, "Hey, Sheriff's doing the Robot ... Get my camera phone." Hee!
- Jennifer T. Kretchmer, director John Kretchmer's daughter, appears in this episode. She plays Jenny, the theater student in charge of the props department. Apparently Jennifer is also a 5th generation opera singer and has been involved in theater at Berkeley. So a fitting role for her.
- As the student film fades into commercial, the Nixon robber says "Don't forget to vote." Considering Election Day is next Tuesday, a bit of a subliminal message, perhaps?
- Logan pointing towards Veronica when the film student was hitting him up for an investment, just as Veronica is verbally telling the guy to talk to her. Hee. Teamwork.
- The IP address that Veronica tracked to the Hearst College public computer is 156.1.240.45. An internet search shows this as a server address belonging to the San Francisco Unified School District, muscles.sfusd.edu.
- There is an email from "Wallace Fennell" with the subject "snickerdoodle me :( " Aww, poor Wallace.
- The appearance of "One Week Later" on our screen is the third time the show has used such a mechanism to indicate a passage of time. The other two instances were both in season 1: the DVD extended version of the Pilot ("20 hours earlier") and in The Girl Next Door ("One week earlier").
- Veronica's necklace, featured in this episode, was given as a prize in the Veronica Mars MySpace "Operation: Five K" contest.
- "Call Cliff and get off." Hee! Heeeeee! Ahem. The most blatant double entendre line in quite a long time, it's a wonder this made it past the censors. They certainly weren't talking about the law. Who heard that line and didn't immediately go to the naughty place? We're willing to bet that if Cliff was to change professions in the future -- with the amount of fangirls whod have him on speed dial -- he'd give Miss Sabrina a run for her money. With that sexy voice on the other end of the line, Cliff would have women out of their underwear faster than a half dozen Panty Dropper shots those Pi Sig boys use.
- Doesn't Veronica think it's just a wee bit risky to be mouthing off to armed robbers?
- Why would Logan and Veronica decide to dress up as an ex-husband and ex-wife? Isn't that bad relationship JuJu or something?
- Why did Veronica decide to enlist Sheriff Lamb's help in busting the rent-a-cop considering they aren't exactly BFF? Furthermore, considering Lamb's history of repeatedly ignoring any information Veronica presents to him, why did he choose in this instance to believe her?
- Why did Claire lie about not recognizing the guy in the photo? Was she protecting her boyfriend from suspicion? Was she planning on confronting him herself?
- Was Claire's rape a part of the string of campus rapes by the same perpetrator, or was it a separate act made to look similar? Was Claire raped at all, or was it some kind of the Lilith House conspiracy to get the frat brothers, as some people are suggesting?
- Has Veronica shared the ATM photo with any authority figures yet, and if not, then how did the fraternity get cleared?
- Do camps in the U.S. just randomly give out their alumni lists to anyone who'd call and ask pretending to be a former camper? With home addresses and phone numbers? Wouldn't the person in charge at least ask for the full name, address, and the year of attendance from the caller, before e-mailing this somewhat personal information?
- Why isn't there more of a media outcry about the rapes? They showed up fast enough for the robbery arrests, so why not the much more prominent and ongoing crimes? I realize Lamb summoned them to once again grandstand and bask in the limelight, but wouldn't he be at least a little bit weary of the other questions the media might ask him while at it? He should be, and they must, but it didn't seem like he was sweating it.
- Why does the criminology TA, Tim Foyle, continuously look behind him at the audience during Veronica's presentation when Weevil is telling his story? Is it simply an acting quirk or is it meant to exhibit his displeasure that the students are actually enjoying Veronica's presentation?
- What was that piece of paper Weevil was holding when he showed up to Veronica's class? Why did he bring it there? Was it a note from Veronica reminding him to show up or was it something else?
- I know it's been answered in an interview by Rob Thomas, but not on the show itself: What does Weevil think Logan did to Lilly exactly, and how come Veronica didn't ask/refute it? Also, how come this was just left hanging there, without being further addressed by anyone?
- In the same conversation Veronica mentions that Hearst women aren't even close to the top of the list of her worries about Logan. She has a list? Just what exactly is on it, and what would be at the top?
- Isn't Veronica curious about Weevil's rather cryptic comment regarding Logan's treatment of Lilly?
- Why did Veronica bring Backup with her when she confronted Weevil at his apartment? Does she actually believe Weevil poses a physical threat to her?
- Why wasn't Veronica immediately suspicious that someone was setting up Weevil once she learned that a credit card was used to order pizza? Presumably, Weevil and a buddy just made out with at least $10,000 in cash (which is what Mercer claimed was in the security box), not to mention, a lot of people's wallets. Surely, if he was the culprit, he was smart enough to use some of his share of the loot to pay for pizza and not give himself away with a stolen credit card? And surely Veronica would have known as much.
- Shouldn't Veronica check to make sure her dad isn't with a client before ranting and raving about socioeconomic injustice and how she's going to stick it to "the man?"
- Was O'Dell the dean last year when Chip allegedly slept with the dean's wife? And was that even true or just a frat boy's attempt at appearing a stud?
- Was Keith aware of the Dean and Mrs. O'Dell's plans to convince her ex-husband of donating his bone marrow or did he truly believe that it was all about a father-son reunion?
- If Keith was able to con the building manager into letting him enter and examine Steve's apartment, why couldn't he have arranged the 'family reunion' in there? Why the whole elaborate set up at the Mars Investigations with Cliff and Veronica playing parts? Not that I'm complaining, because there are few things funnier than Cliff doing a Monster Truck commercial, but still.
- If impersonating a county employee is a crime (as the LAPD detective pointed out), how come Lamb isn't serving time? He's been impersonating a Sheriff for years now!
- Can you really just bring in a kidnapped and unwilling donor and have the procedure performed? Aren't there papers to sign? By both parties?
- Don't alimony payments usually end once the former spouse remarries? If that's the case, why does Steve keep bringing it up like it's an ongoing issue with Mindy?
- Sure, Steve got a nice car as part of his deal with the O'Dells, but what about ongoing expenses? A Porsche isn't exactly a cheaply maintained or insured automobile. Did they also give him money as part of their deal?
- Wallace majoring in Mechanical Engineering? Seriously? This is the guy whose only interest in physics was passing the class so he didnt lose his Heart scholarship. And now he wants to be a Mechanical Engineer? Since when does Wallace dream to be a mechanical engineer?
- And, if it is, indeed, his dream, why then is THIS the class he is failing?
- Is Wallace's basketball teammate, Mason, just really friendly or does he have more nefarious intentions hidden behind his constant desire to lure Wallace away from his studying?
- Wouldn't Wallace have considered that completing the Mechanical Engineering test before anyone else looked incredibly suspicious, especially after failing the first test and the re-test? Seriously, if you're going to cheat, at least have the decency to cheat well.
- Was Lamb actually being sort of nice to Veronica for once during this episode? Has the world turned upside down and everyone has failed to mention it to me?
- So, are Logan's money problems a thing of the past now? I thought the money being taken out was legit, therefore, Logan IS short plenty o' moolah he thought he had. To quote Lamb, "does not compute."
- Once more with feeling: Where in the name of all that's holy is the Hearst Administration? Why aren't they doing more to protect the students? Seriously, Rent-a-Cops that rob? No wonder Hearst seems to have upstaged the River Styx as the hotbed of Neptune criminal activity. Between the gambling, the drinking, the pot growing, the 'Welcome Wagon' thefts, armed robberies and rapes, is anyone sleeping well in their dorms?
- In A Trip to the Dentist, Weevil accused Logan of assaulting Lilly. Originally Rob Thomas planned that it would be revealed in flashbacks that it was Duncan causing the bruises on Lilly when he had seizures. Alas, due to time constraints that issue was never cleared up and we now have an assault accusation that's never been contradicted. In this episode, Weevil's accusation is once again repeated and once again there is no defense on Logan's behalf.
- Claire's rape is not as clear-cut as the previous attacks. The modus operandi is different and hmm, Claire does know the Asian guy who was a mystery last week (and this). Hmm.
- So, this is the wife of the Dean that Chip was banging as referenced in episode 16 of season two, The Rapes of Graff.
duchessjms (Jayne): Social Science; Detention
genova (Cara): Extra Credit; Literature
holly96 (Holly): Yearbook; Literature; Social Science; Homeroom
Iloveyoubearymuch (Kathryn): Literature; Homeroom; Philosophy
JaneDtwo: Social Science; Philosophy
JenniferH: Report Card; Drama Club; Chemistry; Band Class; Literature; Social Science; Homeroom; Philosophy; Principles of Democracy
Pixigal (Gerrie): Drama Club; Social Science
PolarTruckin (Belinda): Extra Curricular Activities
sawmg (Shannon): Social Science
SeluciaV (Alli): Journalism; Social Science
Tar Frimmer (Joanne): Study Hall; Literature; Homeroom; Philosophy
" Aww, poor Wallace.
