Episode #03.01: Welcome Wagon
Original Air Date: October 03, 2006
Written by: Rob Thomas
Directed by: John Kretchmer
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)
Detention (While the Censors Were Out to Lunch ...) (None)
Philosophy (Unanswered Questions)
Principles of Democracy (Hindsight is 20/20) (None)
Extra Curricular Activities (Beyond the Broadcast)
Role Call (Written/Compiled By ...)
Staff Grade: B
Membership Grade: B (55% - 94 votes)
A new season begins and while Welcome Wagon isn't the knock 'em out of the park excellence of the Pilot, it definitely hits the spot much better than the season two premiere. Introducing new characters with smooth transition, while explaining the placement of current characters as well as give potential new viewers a rundown on what's going on in Neptune, Rob Thomas and co. have a lot to do. They don't quite succeed -- Wallace is pretty much left out in the cold and one would be hard-pressed to call him Veronica's BFF over Mac, the Logan/Veronica relationship is about as white-washed as possible -- but then, they don't fail either.
We do get a good feel for one of the new characters (too good a feel considering he came across as the secondary lead in terms of airtime and interaction with the lead), all of the characters have some great moments and all of the relationships we love (but for, sniff sniff, Wallace and Veronica) have some 'and that's why we love 'em' moments. Unfortunately, two of the credited cast don't show up at all (Francis Capra and Michael Muhney), but their lack isn't glaring and doesn't hinder the action. As already stated Wallace is barely used and Logan isn't all that material either.
Still, there was a lot to accomplish and Thomas put his eggs in as many baskets as he could, in what priority he felt was important to re-introducing the show. All in all it wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either ... it was just good. And good ain't bad.
Starring
Kristen Bell Veronica Mars
Jason Dohring Logan Echolls
Enrico Colantoni Keith Mars
Percy Daggs III Wallace Fennel
Ryan Hansen - Dick Casablancas
Season One Appearances
Julie Gonzalo - Parker Lee
Chris Lowell Stosh "Piz" Piznarski
Tina Majorino - Cindy 'Mac' Mackenzie
(Season One Appearances)
(Season Two Appearances)
Michael Muhney - Sheriff Don Lamb *
(Season One Appearances)
(Season Two Appearances)
Francis Capra Eli 'Weevil' Navarro *
* Credited cast not appearing in this episode.
Recurring Guest Stars (Previous Episode Appearances)
Charisma Carpenter - Kendall Casablancas
- Season Two Appearances
Brandon Hillock - Deputy Sacks
- Season One Appearances
- Season Two Appearances
Ken Marino - Vinnie Van Lowe
- Season One Appearances
- Season Two Appearances
Guest Stars
Jesse Fremont Allis - Rat Boy
Jason Beghe - Cormac Fitzpatrick
Patrick Fabian - Professor Hank Landry
Cher Ferreyra - Fern
Josh Harto - Donald Fagan
James Jordan - Tim Foyle
Andrew McClain - Moe Slater
Tanya Michelle - Nancy Cooper
Who's Who in Neptune
Stosh "Piz" Piznarski - Wallace's new roommate, goes by the nickname "Piz." From Beaverton, outside of Portland, Oregon. Plays the guitar and lacrosse. The character is named after Mark Piznarski, who directed the Pilot and Credit Where Credit's Due.
Parker Lee - Mac's free-spirited, outgoing roommate. From Denver, Colorado.
Professor Hank Landry - Veronica's criminology professor at Hearst. Also teaches an upper-level profiling course and has written a book on the subject.
Tim Foyle - Prof. Landry's T.A., previously held the record for solving the class's introductory mystery. Runs the mentoring program.
Moe - Wallace's and Piz's R.A. Loves classical music, tea, and Battlestar Galactica.
Cormac Fitzpatrick - Brother of Liam Fitzpatrick, just released from prison. Had a relationship with Kendall Casablancas.
Donald Fagan - Student who put Piz's guitar up for sale on Craigslist, also a student mentor.
Rat Boy - Teenager with a wicked Boston accent who, along with two of his friends, approaches Veronica at the club.
Fern - Female student who kneed Dick after he crashed the Take Back the Night rally.
Nancy Cooper - Student and rape survivor who was leading the Take Back the Night rally.
Hey! It's That Guy/Girl
Patrick Fabian (Professor Landry) - Probably best known for his role as Professor Jeremiah Lasky on Saved by the Bell: The College Years, on which his character had a fling with Kelly Kapowski. More recently he was a recurring character on Joan of Arcadia, playing the jerk of a vice-principal, Gavin Price. Patrick has also had guest roles on many other television shows over the years, including Everwood, Friends, 24 and more. You can find clips of most of his work at his Official Website.
James Jordan (Tim Foyle) - If he looks familiar, it's probably because you've seen him before. On the same show. Yes, James Jordan played Lucky in three episodes last year (season two appearances).
Opening Night at Hearst
To me the premiere of a new season of Veronica Mars closely parallels opening night of a new show. All the breathless anticipation pervading the backstage. The nervousness as you wait for the reviews, the endless rehashing of what happens onstage in "after the show" parties. And as the curtain rose for Welcome Wagon, I opened my program, noted the cast, and hoped for that sense of magic that pervades every successful production. Was it there? Did we get it?
Acting wise it was a bit of a mixed bag. Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring delivered their usual good acting jobs with touches of greatness. Bell was full of sass and snark as she plunged into the college life. Dohrings performance, although overlaid by an undertone of sadness which hinted at dark times ahead, was overall sincere, sweet, and earnest. Both actors shone in the key scene, speaking volumes with their eyes and body language. However the acting bouquets in Welcome Wagon go to a pair of supporting players who delivered stand out performances that left strong impressions on the viewer and excitement for the future.
Unfortunately, we weren't given the opportunity to see Enrico Colantoni shine beyond his first two scenes with Ken Marino's wonderful Vinnie Van Lowe, and then his daddy-daughter scene with Veronica. The rest of his story was, by far, the weakest part of the episode and failed to highlight Colantoni in any way.
Tina Majorino delivered every line with a hint of hurt and bitterness that left no doubt that last seasons arc had strongly affected her. And in a commanding performance that showed unexpected depth for his character Dick, Ryan Hansen dazzled. Whether he was dancing in his speedos, angrily dissing Mac or drunkenly hitting on collegiates, Hansen was a one man show. His broken breakdown with Dohring at the end of the episode was heartwrenching. Well done.
And the new kids on the block? How did they do? Julie Gonzalo was terrific as perky, enthusiastic Parker and nailed her agonized breakdown in the final moments. Chris Lowell did okay, although he went in and out of character and struggled to find his rhythm and pacing in his first meeting with Wallace. However, he did manage to convey an impression of a naive, infatuated Freshman clearly playing the underdog romantic rival role and serving as the voice of exposition. A special shoutout to both Lowell and Percy Daggs III for a superb job during the hacky sack/sunbathing scene.
So a nice opening episode, but like many theatrical opening nights, there were some technical problems and the characters havent quite settled into their roles yet. Hopefully, things will only improve.
As I did for the premiere of season two, I'm writing up an overview since real time has passed between seasons. Obviously, I'm happy that Logan and Veronica are a couple. What I'm not particularly thrilled with is the fact that not only was so much about the reality of these two having a relationship glossed over, but this episode appeared to do its damndest to excise the chemistry of Jason Dohring and Kristen Bell. Logan and Veronicas relationship was presented as an average high-school romance continuing on through college and that is sooooo not Logan and Veronica. At all. In any way, shape or form.
Furthermore, Rob Thomas introduced a new character whose main purpose was to provide the point of a clearly-set-up triangle ... and Thomas put him in Duncan's clothes no less. Sheesh. As a way of presenting Logan/Veronica to potential new viewers, well, Welcome Wagon didn't hit it. Without knowing their history I'm not sure how any new viewer would be pulled in by the moments that did matter to their current fans. In addition, the largest part of the episode was spent on building up a relationship between Veronica and new guy (while working on the mystery of the week) who was cast in yearning, adoring puppy-dog mode.
Because of how quickly Logan and Veronica were rushed into a relationship in the finale last season with about zero actual build-up to reconciliation, we weren't given the opportunity to see them move forward together. The fact that the working out the grooves of their relationship -- including heading into a sexual arena -- was completely glossed over here as well doesn't leave me hopeful that Thomas will do all that much better by LoVe fans in season three than he did last season. I'd like to be proven wrong. I really and truly would.
I'm not holding my breath.
In the following write-up, you'll clearly see that I'm analyzing this as a fan of the pairing. I'm looking at their scenes, their interaction through those eyes and not through the vision of a potential new viewer because, frankly, if I were to do that, I would cry. The new guy was not presented as an obstacle in Logan and Veronica's relationship. Logan was presented as an obstacle in a potential relationship between Veronica and the new guy. Sigh. With that said, I'm going to ignore the depth of those scenes and what it means or doesn't mean for Logan and Veronica and instead focus on just the LoVe scenes, those moments both great and not so great ... and ignore the story around them.
Scene One: Butch Mars and the Echolls Kid
An observation was made that this first scene likely started out with Logan sitting on the bench alone with Veronica coming up and mirroring his position before launching into her Clint Eastwood impression. That is certainly possible. Take note of the little quirk of a smile that lifts Logan's lips once she speaks, a smile that played as if in acknowledgement of her arrival. I'm going with that as how it was intended because, really, it doesn't make much sense otherwise. They're sitting there, exactly alike, and Veronica randomly starts quoting The Outlaw Josey Wales in a very bad Clint Eastwood impersonation? Yeah, doesn't fly. So if we take it that Logan was sitting by his lonesome and his girlfriend -- excuse me ...
SQUEE!!!!
Ahem. So if we take it that Logan was sitting by his lonesome and his girlfriend came up, copied his position and quoted one of his celluloid heroes (I think we can presume this by the fact that he encouraged the Eastwood marathon), their first twenty seconds of their first scene of the season is awesomely adorable. My only complaint is that I wish that the director, John Kretchmer, had made it clear that Logan was alone, had given us a shot of him sitting there by himself, moved in on a close-up ... and then had Veronica ask, "You a bounty hunter, boy?" before pulling back to show her sitting exactly like him. I think if the scene had opened like that much of the commentary that there was awkwardness to the scene wouldn't have come up. Because they were cute, extremely cute. Still, even that explanation doesn't quite take away all of the awkwardness which on first glance I was willing to blame solely on direction and acting, but on rewatch, I don't think that it was the actors at all. I do believe that both Bell and Dohring did a great job with what they were given via script and direction.
The direction I've already discussed, but the script by Rob Thomas had problems as well. Logan calling his girlfriend butch in the introduction of the two as a couple? Not cool. Logan calling himself stupid in response to how he handles their relationship in the first introduction of the two as a couple? Again, so not cool. And, oy vey, that moment where the two went from walking to Logan suddenly stopping and talking about Beaver was just too abrupt and felt like something was cut, some transition was sitting alone and forgotten in the editing room. Like the direction, the dialogue in this scene wasn't natural at all, which left the excellence of our actors. And I do believe that both Bell and Dohring did with it what they could (thus the cuteness and goodness that WAS there). Frankly, I give them all of the credit for anything positive in this scene because Kretchmer and Thomas? Didn't do them or LoVe justice.
But enough of the negative, let's talk about the cute and the good that was there ... because it was indeed there. Veronica copying him, quoting lines from a (doubtless) favorite movie to him, Logan acknowledging that she so totally wears the pants in the relationship with an adorable scrunch to his face, Veronica taking it all in stride because she knows she wears the pants. And then that lean-to-kiss. *Sigh* I know that some were bothered by the distance, I get that and I can appreciate that, but I loved how it played out. I saw it as they were sitting far apart because of Veronica's little act to get Logan to smile (more on that later), were about to stand up and neither wanted to wait the few seconds it would take to stand up and so kissed before rising. It was cute. I liked. A Lot.
Another thing I liked was something that came to light during the rest of the scene. Logan is not in the happiest place ever (but really, have we ever seen him there? Sigh, poor, woobie Logan!). There is a weight of sadness that is hanging over him because of what happened with Beaver (I so refuse to give him the dignity of using his real name and I'm a tad annoyed that Veronica did so; that little psycho raped her, killed a busload of people, humiliated Mac and took obscene pleasure in torturing Veronica physically, mentally and emotionally on that roof), what is happening with Dick, his truly orphaned status (not that there is any mention of that). Bottom-line, dude is not a very happy camper right now despite having the girl. And so after their discussion about Beaver and Dick and knowing he's sad, if we go back to the first twenty seconds, that sorrow is obvious in those moments as well. What also is obvious is that Veronica was deliberately trying (and succeeding) in making her boyfriend -- excuse me ...
SQUEE!!!!
Ahem. What also is obvious is that Veronica was deliberately trying (and succeeding) in making her boyfriend smile, giving him a light, happy moment. Seeing Veronica actually do something so specifically for Logan, something that would have required her to think of something to do to make him smile shows a lovely commitment to him that we've never been given the opportunity to witness. Or I could be starting on LoVe Fanwanking 101 early this season. Take your pick.
As for the rest of the scene, not much there blatantly in terms of LoVe or their relationship. However, we do have the fact that Veronica is talking to Logan about stuff that's important to him (i.e., his BFF Dick) and she is listening to him, providing an outlet. Yet another sign that she does have an investment in this relationship ... yet another thing we never saw from Veronica in regards to Logan before. And that's good. The little peck wherein they more kissed air than each other's lips not as good, but, hey, we got the cute bench-kissage earlier. I won't grumble ... too much. Especially because as Logan walked away, Veronica looked after him in concern. Not down, not away from him, but her eyes following him so that the emotion on her face was for Logan and not because of Logan. Another show of investment.
Suffice it to say that for the first LoVe scene back from the break and introducing them as a full-fledged couple to old and new viewers alike, it wasn't great, it could have been a lot better, but it wasn't bad and it had some adorable moments, two kisses, Veronica showing investment in the relationship and a Logan face scrunch.
It'll do, Rob. It'll do.
Scene Two: Post-Coitus, Spooning and Forwarded Calls
While I would love for my write-up for this scene to be all giddy, giddy, happy, happy, joy, joy, alas it is not. Yes, yes, Logan and Veronica are having sex. Yay. But, but, we were left with only our imagination, and, yes, while our imagination can provide a helluva lot more than can television (especially of the R-rated -- and beyond -- variety), we should still get something, anything. Like in the final scene of Not Pictured, we weren't given all of the pieces of the story ... the fun parts. First we didn't actually see them get back together in season two, and now we are denied the events, discussion or spontaneity leading up to their first time having sex. Is it voyeuristic? Damn straight -- but hello, this is a television show, that's kinda the point. We like to watch.
Viewers deal with all of the angst, all of the downs so that we can enjoy the fluff, the ups and yet Rob Thomas seems determined to deny us that half of the equation. Yeah, yeah, it's great that they're at a point where they are having sex, but what about the fact that she found out she was raped by Beaveras well as Duncan? Were there no consequences of that? None? And disregarding storyline potential, what about the big build-up? The moments that fandom wait for, including and especially, the first time? He felt it necessary to give viewers this moment with Duncan and Veronica, whom so many were not rooting for, but yet felt it unnecessary to forgo that scenario with Logan and Veronica, the couple that the vast majority of his audience wants to see together? What made him possibly think this was a good idea? How could he have even entertained it, let alone actually do it?! And furthermore, once he made that ludicrous decision, why not at least give viewers something to squee about? At least make the scene where we find out they're having sex a good, hot, sexy, sweaty, dirty, combustible one. Does he do that in script? No. Does director John Kretchmer try and add a little heat with direction? No. And this makes me very, very peeved with Thomas and Kretchmer. These two both did their damndest to excise the chemistry out of the Logan/Veronica scenes. (Yes, it wasn't just in this, but in their first scene as well.)
Remember how most HATED the Pieta shot in Normal is the Watchword because of the awkwardness and that only after the switched places of Logan and Veronica appeared in Not Pictured did people love it? That would be John Kretchmer's direction. In fact, going back to my review of the Logan/Veronica moments for Normal is the Watchword (written by Thomas/directed by Kretchmer) I wrote this about the X-Terra makeout/machine-gun-rampage scene:
Number one was the fact that Jason Dohring was not wearing a shirt. That? Always a good thing. The second reason was much less shallow. When Veronica threatened that she was going to spoon Logan's brains out, it worked on a couple of levels. First of all, it was cute and showed a spark of the girl that she was before all of the madness happened which brought to my mind the fact that we know that Logan had a small crush on that girl (ala The Wrath of Con truth or dare flashback). That somewhat girly-girl innocence of Veronica paired with the bad-ass detective miss of a threatening spooning was a lovely contradiction. In addition, it brought back a quick flash to Logan's snarky line in the hallway scene from Driver Ed.
Finally, the fact that Logan and Veronica are having sex would be reason number three. Logan. Veronica. Having sex. Yay.
Now remember above when I mentioned this write-up would include the good and the bad? Well, above was the (mostly) bad ... all the rest is good. Admittedly, I appear to be the only person on the planet who found good with one particular aspect coming up very soon. But before we get to that, let's glory in Logan's unabashedly happy smile a bit longer after Veronica makes her spooning comment. That boy just looks so, so in love. *Sigh* Which brings us to that particular voice-over that upset just about every viewer but me mostly because it told just about every viewer but me that while the boy is so, so in love, the girl is ... not so much.
That is the gist of what most people got from Veronica's voiceover:
Nothing prior to this voiceover indicated that Logan and Veronica had a long-term relationship of any kind. They could have met just that summer and only begun dating in the past couple of months for all earlier scenes had explained. This was Thomas's way, albeit a very clunky way, of letting viewers know these two have been together a long time, throughout high school. This isn't a recent summer fling. No, it doesn't even remotely offer a glimpse into the complexity of their relationship, but I think (hope) that's going to come. The point was to say that there is a depth to this relationship; the inference from Veronica's line from people who don't know the history of the show would be that this guy has been HER guy for a long time which infers not some casual relationship. And I think that that alone was the motivation for the line.
There is nothing there that I can see that says I want to dump my boyfriend from high school now that I'm in college. I read it as Veronica saying that while she used to make fun of girls who did that, hello! look at HER boyfriend and now, she totally gets EXACTLY why "those idiots" do that. I know, I know, I am so in the minority in this, but I just can't read the line any other way. I didn't read it as her questioning moving onto college with Logan, but understanding WHY anyone would move onto college with their boyfriend if their boyfriend is anything like Logan.
Just me still? Okay, moving on.
We then got to the best part of this scene: The phone call from Keith. Yes. The best part of the first 'Logan and Veronica are having sex' scene is a phone call from her father. Go figure. It was just too cute and filled with the schmoopy goodness that we love in LoVe scenes. Veronica running out to stop him, Logan answering just as he realizes he shouldn't. His quick and breezy response to her explanation -- "We need to work on our communication" -- which may or may not hint at future problems, was just too cute as he handed her the phone. And then the bestest part of the best part was Logan almost curling around her, not quite kissing her shoulders, making his presence very known as she's lying to her father about exactly where she is and what she and Logan are doing. It was just so cute, so sweet and his smile was so happy and they were so adorable and it was the first, complete, unadulterated this is WHY we love LoVe moment in the whole episode. It was just ... aaaahhh!! Love.
Scene Three: Simply Nice is Simply Wonderful
Because I know so many loved this scene unabashedly (and, honestly, so did I for the very most part), I'm going to take a page from my analysis for the final scene in Not Pictured and offer readers the opportunity to just skip the sole negative aspect of Logan and Veronica's final scene. Simply click here and you will be transported past the Negative Nellie that demanded she come out to play for at least a little bit.
If you've been reading my chemistry section regularly you know that I generally like to end on happy notes (if they can be found). In order to do that, I begin with the not-so-happy that struck me while watching any LoVe scenes and try and get those out of the way first. In this case, it's fairly easy because there was a heckuva lot to just love, love, love about this scene and very little to, well, not. So, let's just get that out of the way and before I start I want to note that while every chemistry update is entirely subjective, this one may be considered more subjective than most because it has to do with an acting choice. Read on.
As wonderful as this last scene featuring Logan and Veronica is, there is one thing that mars (heehee) its splendor. And that thing can be attributed to a single factor. Surprisingly (in light of the rest of the episode) it's not the script by Rob Thomas -- which actually calls for some of the sweetest Love interaction we've seen yet, or direction by John Kretchmer. The fault can be laid at one person's feet. And that person would be Kristen Bell. As stated above, the script called for a sweetness tinged with a vulnerability that clearly showed the strong feelings that both Logan and Veronica have for one another. Jason Dohring played that perfectly. Was there any doubt in any viewer's mind that Logan remains head over heels for Veronica? Of course not. Yes, yes, he had the dialogue that pretty much said as much. That's Logan; he uses his words to wound and to woo (both to devastating effect). Of course he would have the words. However, it was more than the words; it was how he said them, his body language, the way he looked at her ... his smile, his eyes shining with love. Everything about him and from him radiated love for this girl.
With Veronica it's a different story. All Bell had to play with (as is usually the case) was her body language because Veronica doesn't use sweet words when it comes to heartfelt emotion. Instead, she employs gentle sarcasm or doesn't say a word. No, her feelings are revealed through her body language, the play of emotions upon her face, in her eyes. Throughout the series' run (especially in the first season), Bell has been a master at this, saying more nonverbally than many an actor could with a page-long monologue. In this scene, in the moment when Logan opened up yet again, Veronica gave a swift smile and then ... ducked her head. Her hair fell forward, covering her face and we couldn't see her expression, any play of emotion.
I'll play Devil's advocate to myself for a moment. Perhaps the intention was to show that Veronica was uncomfortable with Logan's devotion to her. That is certainly the impression that many viewers received from Bell's acting choice. However, taking in her dialogue, the reaction to the key, the hand-holding, kissing, as well as Logan's "What, no quip?" comment which read not as a hurt query, but rather affectionate teasing, it's difficult to see how the intention was that Veronica didn't feel the same as Logan. Except it came across that way because Kristen Bell chose to play it that way by denying us the beauty of her expressive face.
Sigh.
Hey, at least it was merely a few moments in an otherwise wonderfully scripted, directed and acted scene. Yes, I'll reiterate on the acting because Dohring was spot-on in his portrayal of an adoring Logan as detailed earlier and everything before and after the quipless moment showed Bell just as on target. And this takes us to the good parts. Woohoo!
One of the things that the LoVe fandom wanted to see was Logan and Veronica just being a couple. Yes, the big moments are nice (or, ahem, would be if we actually got them beyond the first kiss), but seeing them just interact as boyfriend and girlfriend is something that we figured would be pretty durn squeeworthy. This scene showed in excellent form that we were right. Squeeworthy indeed!
From the opening shot of them just casually sitting in public eating lunch together, having a conversation that didn't involve anything more heartbreaking than Logan skipping a few classes, it was nice. And sometimes simply nice is simply wonderful. That was the case here. We witnessed a comfort level that we've never gotten the opportunity to see before (and that was missing for some reason in the first scene). They were just two college kids, hanging out, choosing to be in one another's company because they wanted to be. Plainly put, we were seeing Logan and Veronica as a couple ... in public ... not in flashback ... relatively happy with the place the other had in their life. It was nice ... really nice.
And then, and then, and then SQUEEE!!! Logan gave her his bonus birthday gift and it was just so sweet and schmoopy and totally Logan. Veronica's over-the-top response ("A bow? A bow?! You got me a bow!") fading into silence as she took in the actuality of the gift was lovely. Logan may be the only person on the planet who is able to reduce Veronica to quipless ... but not for long. But ah, ah, ah, even when she tried to teasingly snark her way out of emotionally revealing herself by suggesting there are other girls in Logan's life (ah, Veronica!), Logan's gentle reprimand clearly explained that they were having a moment and to just let it ride *sigh* as he reached over and took her hand. Caressing her fingers, looking into her eyes, placing a kiss on her knuckles, declaring her sole status as his girl, the 'not for long' even went bye-bye as Veronica was truly rendered quipless. Why? I choose to believe it's because she lurves him ... she's just incapable of articulating that emotion. Yet.
What followed then should have broken the moment, but actually didn't because of the Logan/Veronica response to the situation. Of course, I'm talking about Dick's arrival and subsequent beat-down by big, angry dude upon whose girlfriend Dick was working his mojo. Logan's one-word request for Veronica's bag and her calm hand-over showed a couple who understands one another, who can communicate and who can work well together. Awesome.
And then Piz showed up (blecch!) trying to be all cute and adorable and instead looking like a complete dorkwad. The good news is that Veronica seemed barely aware of him and even, dare I say it? (why, yes, I shall) annoyed as if by a pesky fly. Then when Logan walked up, without a moment's hesitation, she turned to her man, completely focusing on him, his words and tilting her head up for the kiss she knew was coming. *Sigh*
What about Logan's "nice shirt" comment though? Was there any deeper meaning behind that? I do think there was; in fact, I think that was one of several issues that was brought up throughout this episode that Logan and Veronica may or may not be facing in the coming episodes. We had:
So what does it mean? Hopefully, nothing. However, I do think it was there as a sign of Logan's continued (and certainly reasonable) fear that Veronica will leave him again (as she did in his mind the first time) for the "good" guy. It also was a subtle way of informing the audience (*sob*) that Piz is potentially a long-term problem ... one that will be around and a constant thorn ala Duncan. But if we're going to compare to Duncan, let us compare the good in this scenario. While it's obviously a different situation, everything in this episode DID scream that Piz is the new Donut and by that account, there was a great difference in Veronica's reaction to Logan coming up for a kiss while she was talking to the other guy.
In Normal is the Watchword, Veronica was all a'googly-eyed, practically mooning over Duncan and clearly uncomfortable when Logan showed up. She also appeared self-conscious when her boyfriend kissed her in front of him. Here, Piz was barely a blip on her radar even when he was talking to her and once Logan showed up, all of her attention was upon him and the kiss they shared was honest and oblivious to anything else.
So cherish the good, do your best to ignore the bad because while there were definitely problems with the introduction of Logan and Veronica's relationship to newbies, as long-time fans, the good definitely outweighed the bad. (And hopefully newbies will stick around and be given the opportunity in future episodes to see the allure of LoVe.) We were shown a Veronica invested in the relationship, concerned about Logan, sexually happy with Logan, Logan once more in a place where he feels fully comfortable in sharing his feelings with her (without getting wasted), and a comfort level between the two that we never even saw approached before. Compared to what we have gotten, lord knows that's something. That is something.
Our favorite BFF, Mr. Wallace "Air" Fennell, is lounging in his brand spanking new dorm room, whiling away the hours by launching three point shots at his mini basketball hoop from the comfort of his stylish yet affordable bean-bag chair. The door opens and a young man sporting a questionable hairstyle stumbles in with an armload of gear. Wallace welcomes his new roomie, Stosh, to their humble abode. Stosh returns the greeting and asks to be called Piz instead. Neither of those names sound like actual real people names to me -- but in the spirit of new beginnings, I'm just gonna go with it.
Piz deposits his stuff in his half of the super-sized dorm room for two. Okay, and I know it's really early, but side note: Is it me or is that the single largest dorm room you've ever seen? Most of the dorm rooms I've seen and been in have been barely wide enough for two twin beds with a nightstand of some persuasion between them. Dorm rooms are generally the kind of rooms where your desk ends up in your closet because the mini fridge takes up too much room at the foot of your bed, not this palace of open spaces and high ceilings. Wish I'd gone to Hearst. Damn. Anyhoo ...
Piz remarks that there must be some mistake because he was very clear on his roommate request form that he wouldn't room with anyone (vague gestures) ... you know. Just as I think I'm going to have to lay the smack down on Piz (which, you know, sounds like Pez, which makes me wonder if his head hinges back at a 90 degree angle and his neck spits out fruity candy, which would be kind of cool if you think about it. Wait, where was I? Oh right, I was going to smack Piz) for being a narrow-minded racist when he pulls out his sense of humor and comments that he specifically stated that he couldn't room with anyone better looking than him. (Which, to me, seems like a pointless request because really, how many incoming freshman dudes won't be better looking than him?) Too bad Piz, 'cause Wallace is "fairest of them all." At least when Logan's not around. Then all bets are off.
Wallace wants to make sure it's cool with Piz that he already chose a side of the room and Piz assures him that it is fine. Piz wants to make sure it's cool that he rarely wears clothes indoors. I echo Wallace's emphatic "thats not cool at all," but without the friendly note of amusement. Chuckles all around (except from me) and Wallace offers to help his new roomie bring in the car-full of boxes containing all his worldly possessions.
The boys head back outside where Piz points out his beloved P.O.S. When they pop open the hatchback they quickly realize that they have a major problem because the car is suspiciously empty and Piz is now seriously lacking in the worldly possessions department. It seems that while he was inside making small talk and getting to know his handsome new roommate, Piz was ripped off. Wallace tells him not to worry because he knows someone (and I think we all know who he means) who will get his stuff back. Count on it.
Back inside the dorm room, Piz is pacing while Wallace tries to assure him that his friend Veronica has got mad P.I. skillz -- and isn't a cartoon -- and will surely get his stuff back. Piz is skeptical of a gal their age that can successfully solve crimes and thinks he'll just leave it in the capable hands of the local police. We'll give him a break on that because we know he doesn't know any better yet. Piz manages to hold on to his resolve to let the police handle his theft for about two minutes until he opens the door and beholds the hotness that is Veronica.
Veronica steps around a stuttering Piz and enters the room to greet her BFF and exchange witty banter about posters with beer and half naked ladies and porn collections before getting down to business. Veronica gets the quick 411 on the situation and tells Piz that she'll give him the "friend of a friend" discount -- if she finds his stuff her fee is $500 payable by cash, cashier's check, or a pre-agreed upon exchange of goods and or services. Judging by the look on Piz's face it is pretty obvious to me that he'd love to service Veronica's goods, but wisely offers guitar lessons instead. Veronica passes on that idea, but does say that the work will be free if she doesn't find his gear.
The trio head outside to examine the scene of the crime. Piz explains to Veronica that when he arrived a chubby blonde girl with a clipboard from the Hearst "Welcome Wagon" committee greeted him, checked his name off the list and told him where he could find his dorm. Veronica confirms that Piz is missing his clothes, computer and guitar. Piz gets all twitchy because apparently the guitar in question is not just any old guitar. No sir, it is the "holy grail" of guitars: A 1967 Gretsch Astro Jet. While listening with one ear, Veronica cracks that his full-service thieves not only took all his stuff, but took the time to dirty up his vehicle as well.
She examines the door and window and determines that there aren't any signs of forced entry which is somewhat suspicious - that is until Piz tells her that he left the car unlocked. Because the Welcome Wagon girl was watching it! Veronica is clearly as baffled by Piz's apparent stupidity as I am and wonders where he thought he was going to college Brigadoon?!? Piz, in his best 'aw, gee, shucks' manner, tells her that it's mainly because he grew up in a small town OUTSIDE OF PORTLAND (where I'm sure there is no crime, like, ever) where there was a minivan in every driveway and a chicken in every pot. Yadda, yadda, yadda Piz. It sounds like there was also an idiot on every corner, and your corner's missing you right about now.
As they circle the car Wallace cracks that college graffiti is so much classier and high-brow than high school graffiti as he points out the creative way some humorous soul has written "unwashed" with artsy arrows in the dirt on Piz's car. The trio then head back into the dorm to talk to the boy's new R.A., a natty guy named Moe who watches Battlestar Galactica, drinks oolong tea, and has given up cursing in favor of using the word "frak." After commiserating on how much it frakkin' sucks that Piz got robbed he tells the crew that Hearst doesn't have a Welcome Wagon committee, which sucks, but explains a lot. The upside here though is that Veronica now has a lead.
Veronica drags Piz to the Neptune Sheriff's Department and works her feminine wiles on Sacks for all she's worth in an effort to get some additional info on the robbery. Sacks is wary, but seeing as how Lamb isn't glowering over his shoulder, he is powerless to resist the infamous head-tilt. (She really ought to think about getting that move patented.) Sacks tells her that four other students were victims of the Welcome Wagon heist in the same time period and reluctantly gives her their info - Veronica assures Sacks that in return, shell give him the bust and everyone will be a winner.
Veronica trails around campus getting details from the other vics including one of the freshman and the lone junior, a cute blonde girl. All met the same chubby girl from the faux committee and had their stuff ripped off the day they arrived at Hearst. The freshman vics make sense because they are young and too new to know better, but Veronica's clearly a little skeptical of the junior. When Veronica tries to push her on the subject, blondie gets cranky and realizes she doesn't know why the hell she's talking to Veronica anyway and slams the door in her face.
Honestly, Im amazed at how often that doesn't happen on this show.
Veronica, now having spoken to all the victims without having gained a whole lot of new information heads back out, presumably to go home or maybe go back and talk to the boys. On her way across campus she stops short when she spots a flyer on one of the announcement boards for a concert that evening featuring two bands: "The Perturbed" and "The Unwashed." The latter band's logo is written in exactly the same manner as the commentary on Piz's car. And Veronica has another lead.
After picking up Mac and Mac's bubbly, tagalong roommate Parker, she meets Wallace and Piz at the show that night to see if they can chase down any additional leads. The group grabs a table and chills while listening to the band - except for Parker who parties down in the pit. Once the band finishes their set and leaves the stage, Veronica takes her cue to implement the next phase of her plan. Veronica takes the stage, makes nice with the crowd and then tells everyone of Piz's misfortune. She goes on to say that since they think someone at the show might have seen something, her 'friend' is offering a $100 reward. She points out their table in the back and invites anyone with info to stop by.
In short order, the crew is approached by three young kids who tell Veronica that they saw Piz's car being emptied on campus the day before. Apparently they were there scoping out hot chicks sunbathing on one of the lawns and happened to see the crime in progress. Wallace and Piz, in typical horny boy fashion are less interested in details on the theft than they are on details regarding the location of these bikini-clad and sometimes topless coeds.
Veronica tries to steer the conversation back to the, you know, CRIME and see if these underage Boston delinquents can give her any more info. The leader of this little trio of misfit children tells Veronica that they saw these two black guys pull up next to Piz's car in what looked like a moving van and start loading stuff from the car into the van. All they can tell Veronica about the guys is that they were black. And the van was white. With no windows. Maybe.
Clearly Veronica doesn't find this info worthy of a reward and shoes the munchkins off. But at the last moment, the one kid turns back and tells her that he also remembers a girl there, a blonde chick. He thought she was chubby until she took off her sweatshirt before getting into the van. Underneath the sweats the girl had a slammin' body (and I can only assume that she was wicked hot) so he guessed she was wearing a fat suit or something. The plot, as they say, is definitely thickening.
The next day, Piz waits for Veronica on a bench trying his best to fix his hair and work on looking nonchalant and cool. As I'm sure you can guess, he fails miserably. Veronica arrives and hands Piz a bag full of clothes from a friend who can't use them anymore. She comments that they look to be about the same size.
Imagine that! A new guy, who is sweet and soft-spoken and somewhat lacking in common sense and he just happens to be the same size as a certain ex-boyfriend so that TPTB can dress him in Duncan's clothes?!? Maybe they should give him Duncan's shoes too and change his name and then the transformation will be complete and Rob Thomas can have his perfect little Donut back. I'm sure that will thrill him to no end even if it makes me want to chew glass or something equally unpleasant.
Yeah, I'm bitter. So sue me.
So Veronica gives Piz step one in his full body Donut transformation and then tells him that she thinks she found his guitar. Apparently the holy grail popped up on Craigslist the night before and the seller is just off campus.
They arrive at the guy's house and he tells them that he wasn't really looking for a guitar but stumbled across it at the flea market the day before. Some girl was selling it and it was clear to him that she didnt know what she had. Apparently these little beauties go for several thousand dollars but the girl at the flea market was selling it for $500. The guy opens the lid and Piz gets all excited because it appears that they have, in fact, found his stolen guitar.
The seller, a guy we learn is named Donald Fagan, is confused and a bit disbelieving so Piz tells the guy that if he looks in the pick tray he'll find two millimeter picks from Guitar Town in Portland. Donald flips open the lid to the pick tray and sure enough, there are Piz's picks, just as he said. Veronica asks the seller to describe the girl who sold him the guitar. Apparently she was young, blonde and had a pretty smokin' bod. Piz smacks Veronica in the arm like "See? What did I tell you?" which makes absolutely no sense in the context of this scene, but I suppose that is Piz for ya. An excess of enthusiasm utterly lacking in brainpower.
Veronica voiceovers that Donald, although unhappy with the situation, agreed to sell Piz back his guitar for the $500 he paid for it at the flea market. Veronica has apparently decided though that the only truly fair thing would be to have the thief pay the $500. She takes a trip over to one of the dorms and pays a quick visit to the suspiciously cute blonde junior who was also a victim of the Welcome Wagon scheme. Veronica clearly thinks she's their thief, but I suspect it is too early in the show for her to be anything but a red herring. Blondie opens the door just long enough for Veronica to snap a quick photo and run.
Veronica goes over to the guys' room to share the photo only to discover that they have gone, ahem, "bird watching." She finds them on the south quad lawn strewn with those bikini clad coeds failing miserably at looking like they are playing hacky sack instead of ogling boobs. Veronica shows Piz the photo of the junior gal but he's having a hard time focusing on the picture when there are all those BOOBS around! She manages to get his attention just long enough to confirm that the suspicious junior is not the Welcome Wagon girl. She then decides to leave them to their being gross while she goes off to chase leads, and, you know, work on the case. By herself. Without help.
Veronica heads back to seller Donald's house to see if he recognizes the sketchy junior, but he can only give her an 80% certainty rating that she's the same girl from the flea market. After that swing and a miss, Veronica spots Dr. Landry's profiling book sitting on the table and the two have a brief chat about Landry's classes and the mentoring program. Donald encourages Veronica to participate and says that he found it very rewarding.
Veronica then jumps topics in a rather random fashion and asks about a snapshot Donald has lying around. She tells him she's trying to settle a debate she's having with her dad about architecture and then immediately asks for a glass of water. Despite how random these jumps in conversation seem I'm going to trust that there is a method to Veronica's madness.
That afternoon after her criminology class, Veronica approaches Tim about the mentoring program. He takes her to his office and offers her a selection of delinquents to choose from. Veronica seems a little offended that she's only offered her choice of girls to mentor, but I suspect she's got ulterior motives here so it probably isn't all that important. Plus, seeing how Veronica breaks rules and laws on an almost constant basis I can't imagine what her advice to these girls would be other than "if you are going to do crime, make sure it is for a good reason" or "just don't get caught." At that moment, Mac appears in the doorway and tells Tim that Dr. Landry is looking for him. By the devilish grin the two girls exchange, it is clear that Mac's just fulfilled her role as the diversion.
As soon as Tim leaves the room, Veronica starts rummaging through Tim's filing cabinet looking at the files for the other kids in the mentoring program. I'm sure you'll be surprised to know that one of the files Veronica stumbles across belongs to the leader of the pack of munchkin delinquents.
That evening after dinner Piz meets up with Veronica in the food court in just enough time to watch Logan save Dick from a severe (albeit deserved) beating. And he's wearing that ass-ugly argyle monstrosity that Donut favored. Jesus! Will we never be free of that thing??? He makes some quip about being a lover not a fighter and I'm all "whatever" because Logan? He's both. Anyway, Logan arrives, sarcastically compliments Piz on the ass-ugly shirt and gets a kiss from his loving girlfriend before heading off to save Dick. Piz tries not to cry as it dawns on him that Veronica has a boyfriend who is WAY prettier than him, but oh well. Sucks to be you dude.
Before Piz can have a total hissy, Veronica pulls out the photo that she snagged from Donald's apartment of him standing on the observation deck of the space needle with a cute, chubby blonde girl and shows it to Piz. Unsurprisingly, it appears that Veronica has finally found the Welcome Wagon girl and solved the mystery. The next morning, she and Piz pay a visit to the Sheriff's Department and, as promised, give Sacks the goods on Donald and the three hoodlums he mentors.
Later that day, Piz and Veronica sit outside Donald's house in a couple of lawn chairs, shooting the breeze waiting for the Deputy Sacks show to start. They chat good-naturedly about Veronica's talents as a PI before Piz shoves his big fat foot all the way down his throat by saying that he thinks the reason Veronica does what she does is because of what Wallace told him about Lilly's murder - something he has no business getting into with a girl he barely knows. Veronica clearly agrees with me and is none too thrilled with Wallace for sharing this info with the new kid. But, like the pro she is, Veronica manages to deflect and avoid before it can get too personal.
A commotion across the street draws their attention and we see Sacks leading Donald around to his garage. Donald is protesting mightily and getting all sorts of righteously indignant about the accusations one can assume Sacks has leveled against him. Veronica tells Piz that this part is the reason she does what she does: The sweet, sweet justice. As soon as Donald spots Veronica and Piz across the street, all the wind seems to go out of his sails and it's pretty obvious that he knows the jig is up.
As the garage door rises, we see mountains and mountains of stuff - furniture, clothes, golf clubs, electronics - that we can only guess belong to the poor victims of the Welcome Wagon scheme. Piz is thrilled because he might actually get his stuff back. Veronica is thrilled because she might actually get paid. To quote Veronica, "Boom goes the dynamite" - and everyone's a winner.
- The season begins with a view of the cloudy sky over Neptune and a pass over a banner inviting students to Take Back the Night Against Violence Towards Women. One would hope these weren't harbingers of very bad things to come, but then this is Neptune, after all. Or the Hearst University campus, to be more specific. Freshman Veronica is walking across campus on the way to her first class of her first day and, she hopes, to her fresh start. She just needs to avoid pissing anyone off this time, she warns herself. (Best of luck! Now, where's the line to place bets on how successful that attempt will be?)
Welcome to Introduction to Criminology. Veronica's first class is taught by Dr. Hank Landry, a rather attractive man with a killer smile that's convinced at least one female classmate of Veronica's that she'd rather staple herself to the classroom floor than skip his class. Veronica responds with something of purr, which I think speaks for itself. Landry goes on to plug the Criminology Department's mentoring program which is designed to keep "at risk" Neptune kids out of a lifetime of crime. The program's philosophy is that prevention of crimes through intervention is better than being forced to solve the crimes later. (Hey, now! Don't get all crazy there. That's what our show's about!) If anyone would like to volunteer, his T.A.Lucky Timothy Foyle is the guy to see.
Moving on to the course's semester reading list, Landry is asked by Stapled-to-the-Floor Girl if his book will be included. (Maybe she wants an autograph.) Alas, it will not be, since profiling is an upper level course. Wanting to start his class off with a bit of an icebreaker, Landry tells them they're going to play a game: Murder on the Riverboat Queen. Tim will be handing envelopes to the passengers and witnesses. Those without an envelope will be the Pinkerton detectives. Veronica does not receive an envelope, so it looks like she'll be a detective. Oh, yay! Something new to play! The current class record is sixteen minutes, held by T.A. Tim, who proudly bows with a flourish. Landry starts the clock and tells the Pinkertons they may begin questioning the passengers. As the other students start moving around the room to question each other, Veronica watches them for a bit, then looks at her laptop and starts typing away.
A few minutes later -- six, to be precise -- Tim notices Veronica is sitting alone, reading a photography magazine to keep herself occupied while the others finish the assignment. He walks up to her and clears his throat. She notices and when he doesn't do anything but stare, she politely asks him, "Yes?" Tim explains that Dr. Landry expects everyone to participate and then condescendingly tells her she might be in the wrong class. Perhaps she would feel more at home in elementary education where he thinks reading magazines and making little collages out of them is a part of the curriculum. She gives that a humorless chuckle as she turns back to her magazine and tells him she knows whodunit. Skeptical, Tim calls Landry over to the girl who hasn't moved from her seat yet claims to have the answer. Intrigued, Landry asks her to introduce herself and after she does, queries, "So, Veronica Mars, who are you going to send to prison for his natural born days?" (Dude, they usually don't make it that far. Unfortunately.) She claims that it was the not-so-blind fiddle player, Rutherford Stiles. The two men exchange glances, then Landry congratulates her, seemingly amused and impressed. T.A. Tim? Not so much.
Landry tells the class they can stop because they have a winner and new record holder. So, he asks, how did Veronica figure it out? She explains that Murder on the Riverboat Queen was a game put out in the late 1980's by WigWam toys. Fans set up message boards to discuss the details of the game and she took the kind of douchebaggy route of avoiding the spoiler alerts. Tim, reluctant to give up his record to this girl, argues that since the mystery takes place in the 1890's, she can't use the internet. Veronica asks her professor if that was a rule. Still looking amused, he agrees that it was not a rule. Unable to let this go, Tim seizes on the fact that there were two possible answers, so obviously she just took a 50/50 shot at it. Nope. Veronica explains that the other killer was Countess McGee and when Landry asked her for the answer, he phrased his question so that it was clear the killer was a male. The class murmurs, impressed. And now it's Veronica's turn with the condescending T.A. The one thing she can't figure out is what he did for the extra ten minutes of the time he spent earning his record. The class laughs; Tim grimaces an annoyed smile and walks away. Welcome to Hearst, Veronica.
- Later that same day, Logan is on campus, sitting on a bench, glancing around a bit, but not really focused on anything. Then, a sultry Clint Eastwood voice breaks him out of his reverie. "You a bounty hunter, boy?" A smile slowly appears in the corner of his mouth, as he recognizes the voice is not really Clint, but his beautiful girlfriend, who we see is now sitting on the bench beside him, completely mirroring his posture -- elbows on the back of the bench, legs spread apart in the manliest of poses. Logan smiles, admitting that he really shouldnt have pushed for an Eastwood marathon because now he's ruined her. He didn't think it was possible to make her more butch. Stupid, stupid Logan. (His words, not mine!) Then he gives her the most adorable (Really!) scrunched-up smile and asks her if she wants to feel like a man and walk him to class. Leaning towards him, Veronica holds her hand out and offers to carry his books, too. (Bonus!) He hands it to her and kisses her before they get up and start walking.
As they walk and talk, Logan mentions that he saw his BFF Dick on campus. Veronica's surprised because she thought that he was with his dad in the Caymans. Apparently, he's back in Neptune now because Logan spoke briefly with him. Or actually Logan shouted "Dick," Dick flipped him off and, well, that's it. Veronica wonders how on earth Dick got admitted to Hearst, what with it being such a struggle to get Logan in. It seems that the former Mrs. Casablancas is currently married to Arnold Schwarzenegger's business manager and goodness knows what wonders a call from the Governator can work. Logan stops walking and turns serious as Veronica listens. Dick's a mess, according to people who've seen him. Cassidy's suicide off Logan's roof has done a number on his formerly uncomplicated friend. Noting the tone in his voice, Veronica tries to reassure him that Cassidy's death was not his fault. Logan morosely tells her that nothing is ever his fault. (Man, sad sarcasm is just sad.) He takes his book back, gives her a kiss and walks away as she stares after him, clearly concerned.
Veronica returns home and sorts through the day's mail. She comes across something of interest -- an envelope sent from the Sutcliffe Hotel in New York, New York. When Keith arrives later, Veronica calls him into her room. She's looking at something on her laptop that's making her smile. Keith kneels beside her as she tells him that a hotel maid found the flashcard containing their vacation photos. "Hot dog!" Keith exclaims. After some witty generation gap repartee, Veronica starts showing him their Kodak memories. First up are the single-handed self-portraits of Veronica that came about because her 'negligent' father was three days late for their trip. Keith buries his head in shame, but Veronica pats his arm encouragingly as he begins to make an appearance in the photos taken in front of Spamalot!, the Empire State Buil- No, Keith corrects her. It was the Chrysler Building. Veronica disagrees (she's wrong, by the way) and he suggests she defer to his age and experience. She suggests senility comes with age, too. All in all, it's a typical friendly debate in the Mars residence.
Keith asks her how her first day went. Well, she's exhaaaausted from the one class she had all day; hell, no, she didn't make any friends; and it's still to be determined if any enemies were gained. After Veronica awwws over a photo of Keith stuffing his face with cupcakes, Keith reminds her he'll be gone a few days tracking down a bail jumper. (Sheesh. Do these two ever really know where the other one is?) And, per Keith, Backup will be in charge and is under strict boyfriend-mauling orders should Logan be there past midnight. At this declaration, Backup sits up and barks to, er, back up Keith on this.
Naturally, that night, Backup's authority has already been disregarded as our sweaty (and naked) couple lay back in Logan's bed at the Neptune Grand. Logan's catching his breath still and Veronica's got a dazed look on her face, her vocabulary skills reduced to a simple "Woof!" Logan laughs, but Veronica thinks he should seriously consider joining a professional league in "that." ("That?" Exactly what is "that?"Dirty Inquiring minds want to know, damnit!) Fortunately, Logan's wise enough to not skip the college experience. Veronica laughs and warns him to stay put because he's going to get this brains spooned out whether he likes it or not. (In other words, cuddling may not be the best part, but, like the college experience, it shouldn't be skipped.) First, though, our girl needs some water. (Hey, "that" can dehydrate a girl!) He smiles as he watches her climb out of bed.
In the bathroom, Veronica (now wearing one of Logan's T-shirts) pours herself a glass of water and internally mocks herself for ever laughing at people who took their high school romances to college with them. Veronica's startled out of her thoughts by the sound of Logan's phone ringing. Logan looks at the clock and sees it's 12:15 am. Who would be calling this time of the night? He turns on the light and answers it just as Veronica runs into the room, in an attempt to stop him. Too late. He whispers to her that it's her dad. Rut-roh. She whispers back that she'd forwarded their calls to Logan's. He suggests they work on their communication as she sits on the bed and takes the phone from him. As Logan sits up behind her and distracts her with his touch, Veronica says hello to her father and assures him that Logan is heading home as they speak. On the other end of the line, Keith sits behind the wheel of a car, in self-imposed denial as he tells Veronica to give Logan his regards as she shakes his hand goodnight. He loves her and he'll be sure to call again unexpectedly. Heh.
In the campus cafeteria, Veronica and Logan are sharing a meal and some table talk. She's heard from Wallace that he and Logan share a Sociology class. Logan feigns innocence and says he hasn't seen Wallace there. Hmm, she thinks perhaps that's because he hasn't gone to class. Logan agrees it's a possibility. Then changes the subject by setting a big, red, shiny bow on the table before her -- a bonus birthday prezzie! Amused, she plays it as though the bow were the actual gift, until he insists that Ms. Smarty Pants open it. She flips the bow over and stuck to the bottom is a Neptune Grand key card. She wasn't expecting this -- it's his room key. 24/7 access to Logan's suite. Ever the one to avoid the serious moments, Veronica tries to joke about how all the other girls will have to skedaddle if she drops by unexpectedly. Logan reminds her that she knows there's no one else because he wants only her. Touched by his words, she's rendered quipless. (No small feat, this!) He takes her hands in his and kisses them, staring into her eyes. She looks down, blushing and, I have to say, melting just a bit. "No quips?" he asks with a smile.
Unfortunately, our couple's tender moment is interrupted as Veronica brings it to Logan's attention that "town drunk" Dick is making his way across the food court. Dick sits down at a girl's table and introduces himself to Dee Dee. He proceeds to make a total ass out of himself as he mentions he's been kicked out of campus housing and suggests he and Dee Dee move in together. She warns him to walk away, but he continues to make a fool out of himself until her brawny boyfriend tosses him out of the chair and onto the ground. Seeing what's about to happen to his BFF, Logan lets go of Veronica's hands and asks for her bag. Without a word, she hands it to him. The angry boyfriend keeps punching Dick every time he tries to get up off the floor, then yanks him up so he can punch him again, but {bzzzzzz!!} gets interrupted by Logan and more to the point, Veronica's trusty Mr. Taser. The cafeteria occupants watch with fascination, but Dick ungratefully asks if Logan wants a hug or something and then storms off.
Veronica is watching all of this, when Piz (wearing Donut's infamous argyle sweater) walks up behind her and queries if college girls like that kind of action because, for the record, he's a lover, not a fighter. Veronica just looks confused as to why he would say such a weird thing to her, then Logan joins her and she turns to him, Piz totally forgotten. Logan tells Veronica he's going to try to catch up with Dick and talk to him. Veronica nods her understanding and kisses her boyfriend. Logan becomes aware of Piz's presence as he's leaning down for the kiss, while Piz just looks uncomfortable. Awkward. When the kiss finally ends, Logan tosses a "nice shirt" snark at Piz, then leaves.
A couple of nights later, a T-shirt and boxers-clad Logan stands out on his suite's balcony, brushing his teeth and staring out at the city. He hears a knock on his door, so he walks inside, tosses his toothbrush on the couch (Ewww!) and answers the door. And no, it's not his fluffer or a buffalo burger. It's Dick, looking very much the worse for wear, with his hair seriously frakked up and a desperate look on his face. Dick tells Logan that he has nowhere else to go. Hurting for his friend, Logan tells him he can stay there and steps aside to let him in. Dick, in his first display of real emotion since the series began, starts to cry. Logan walks out into the hall to him and puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I messed up bad." Dick confesses to his best pal. Logan assures Dick things will be okay and then hugs him as he breaks down.
- Veronica takes Intro to Criminology on Tuesdays.
- Veronica now drives a silver Saturn Vue hybrid, license plate #6BLA504. (A moment of silence, please, for the ol' LeBaron, who survived late night stakeouts, nasty graffiti-writing 09ers, flat tires of unnatural causes, speedy getaways from secret society high school boys, a head-on collision with a tree, and Logan's tire iron. We shall miss you, even if Veronica doesn't miss the frequent trips to Weevil's uncle for repairs.)
- Logan and Wallace are in the same Sociology class.
- Wallace and Piz live in Bennis Hall. Their R.A. is an oolong tea-drinking Battlestar Galactica fan named Moe.
- Piz is from Beaverton, Oregon and he drives a green Chevrolet Aveo.
- Hearst University's dorm wings are same-sex.
- Hearst has no official sexual-conduct code.
- Hearst's dean is Dean O'Dell.
- The rally banner says:
- The ad for the band gig says:
- The season opens on Veronica passing under a sign advertising 'Take Back the Night,' a campus rally for students against violence towards women. Veronica discovers the rally taking place the next day, and curiously makes her way over to the front of the crowd. A female student, whose hair has recently been shaved off, asks the crowd how many women have to be raped before the Hearst administration does something about it. Same-sex dorm wings aren't enough.
She says the university needs an official sexual conduct code, and the fraternity houses need to be shut down. Hmm, Veronica would know a thing or two about that. Thanks to her, the Pi Sigs are spending this semester on academic probation for scoring female students based on looks and then rewarding themselves if they, well, score. Classy fellows. But as disgusting as they are, to Veronica's knowledge, none of the Pi Sigs was responsible for raping a student named Stacy last semester (in The Rapes of Graff).
Veronica notices that Mac is attending the rally; though, much like herself, Mac isn't cheering and clapping with the rest of the students, but quietly listening. Veronica comes over and manages to get a smile out of her, though. "Women. Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch." Mac: "Why can't they just look pretty and get their MRS degrees?" Veronica turns serious and asks Mac how she's doing re: Cassidy's suicide. Mac seems to think that she'll never be able to be in a relationship again. And it doesn't help that her roommate is a "one woman red light district."
Suddenly some guys from the crowd start blaring music from a boombox and a guy wearing nothing but a ski-mask and a speedo cartwheels onto the platform. And look, he's brought with him a life-sized blow-up doll wearing ... wait, doesn't that maid's outfit look familiar? That's right, the mystery man is none other than Dick Casablancas, who gave Kendall that very same outfit last season as a joke. Except it's not so funny this time, Dick. At least I don't think so and neither do all those women surrounding you. A bunch of female students proceed to pin him to the ground and kick him, well, where his namesake is.
Veronica later meets Mac's roommate, Parker, who already loves Mac like a little Bichon Frise you could carry around in your purse. Parker likes clothes, Top Model, the troubled, soulful guys (like ... Colin Farrell?), and, most of all, partying. She's a hard one to contain, that's for sure, but she's adorable and sweet, and hello, she likes Mac!
Parker apparently knows Dick, too, because he shows up at her and Mac's dorm one night, drunk and in the mood for some play. Parker's out partying with the Unwashed, so Mac answers the door after she's finally had enough of Dick's knocking and drunken ramblings. But Mac's not the only one Dick's woken up. A few girls come out of their dorms; one of them yells at him for being on the women's floor and demands to see his school ID, which he doesn't have. Looks like his little prank at the rally cost him his right to on-campus housing. Although, he should still have a student ID. Maybe he just doesn't want to show it and receive strike number two. I'm still held up by how frakking pathetic the security is at Hearst. Dick really shouldn't have been able to get in the dorm building, much less that particular floor, without ID proving that he lived there OR having someone that did live there let him in. But I digress.
Later that week, Veronica finds Mac sitting outside her dorm room. They're supposed to be going to a midnight showing of a movie, but Mac left their tickets in the room and Parker's in there with a guy. Veronica reluctantly takes Mac's key and opens the door. Inside, all the lights are off and the radio is turned on to Club Flush on KRFF, which is the Hearst radio station. Veronica hears the moaning sounds of what she assumes to be consensual sex, grabs the tickets and gets out of there as fast as possible.
They later return and Veronica decides she should crash at Mac's because she's a little drunk from all the Irish coffees. Mac peeks her head in the room and concludes that it's "dude free" so she grabs the couch near Mac's bed. Sometime during the night, both of them are jolted awake by Parker's sobs. She's looking at herself in the mirror, all her hair shaved off. She's completely devastated. Veronica and Mac just sit there, stunned.
And welcome to Red-herringville, Dick. (Ask your BFF, Logan, about it -- he was Mayor for awhile.) You can bet your bottom-dollar that Dick's going to be a suspect in the rape, even though he wouldn't have been around on campus before now to commit any of the other rapes.
- Keith is playing with his gun at Mars Investigations, getting things ready for his "bail-jumper tracking" when who shows up, but Mr. Private Eyes himself, Vinnie Van Lowe. Hoping to score a hook-up with Keith concerning a new client, Keith tells Vinnie to skedaddle, which Vinnie agrees to do. But first, he checks out Keith's latest detective gear which includes a snazzy new bag. Ooh, nice. Put that down, Vinnie!
Meanwhile, there's a new Fitzpatrick in the mix: Cormac, who was mentioned last season in Nevermind the Buttocks as having been Kendall's partner in crime. These two were in it for the long haul. Keith even suspected that Kendall did time for Cormac. The two have been exchanging e-mails since he's been incarcerated at San Quentin. But now he's out, and guess who's picking him up? Daddy Mars, who definitely told his daughter he'd be gone a few days tracking a bail jumper. Tsk tsk, Keith. But I suppose all this has to do with Kendall needing his help at the end of last season.
So, Keith and Cormac hit the road and Cormac begins thanking Keith for making Kendall disappear. No, not like that. Keith managed to get her a new passport, a new house (to which I assume they're heading), a new ATM card, etc. Apparently Liam Fitzpatrick, Cormac's younger brother, is after Kendall and will be after him, too, once he finds out that Cormac is out of jail. Keith says that Liam wants a cut of Kendall's fortune (the eight million from Phoenix Land Trust), but Cormac corrects him; the quarrel wasn't over whether or not Liam would take a cut of the money, it was over how much he would get. He was greedy. No kidding; he's a Fitzpatrick.
Cormac says he just wants to spend the rest of his days lying on some beach with Kendall, while Liam ends up getting stabbed in some penitentiary. He then asks Keith how much money Kendall had with her when she got out of town. "Millions, right?" he asks hopefully. Uh, is that question setting off warning bells for anyone else? Keith says that he saw the money but didn't count it. Cormac looks impressed. "Kendall's always been a good judge of character," he says. "She knows who she can trust and who she can't."
Keith and Cormac eventually get to Kendall's place, despite his car breaking down and having to be towed. Kendall spots the car outside and comes running out. Cormac turns to Keith and says, "You ever have a woman who loved you so much she'd do time for you?" So Kendall was covering his ass when she spent those six months in prison for wire fraud. Interesting. Cormac then gets out of the car and lifts her up and happily spins them around.
Kendall's become surprisingly domestic (and romantic). Inside the house, she's on Cormac's lap, feeding him cake. She tells Keith that they've decided to move to some beach, and that reminds Keith that he has Cormac's travel documents in the car. He heads outside, hesitating briefly in the chill. Shaking off the need to run back inside for his jacket, he hurries to his car, blowing on his hands for warmth. As he's going through his bag he finds ... one of Vinnie's wired pens! Oh, Vinnie so did not just trick Keith ... But it turns out that when Vinnie stopped by Mars Investigations the other day, he wasn't really asking for help with an embezzlement case. He was there to plant the pen in Keith's bag.
Keith, realizing that Vinnie must be working for Liam, and that he could have tracked them there by now, goes to grab his gun from the glove compartment ... but the holster's empty! Ah, ah, Keith, that's what you get for falling asleep on the job. Literally. Letting a conman wait for the tow truck while you snooze? Really, Keith, you're losing your touch. Not good. He bolts for the house and makes it inside just seconds too late. Cormac shoots Kendall -- she isn't actually shown on screen, but it's assumed that he's killed her -- and then he turns to Keith and shoots at him. Keith stumbles out of the house and manages to make it behind a large rock. Cormac follows, though he's not worried about finding Keith now. He says it's an awfully cold night; he'll just pick up his carcass in the morning. Now that sounds more like a Fitzpatrick. To add insult to injury, his final words before he heads back inside are "Guess Kendall wasn't that great a judge of character, after all."
"Rump Shaker" (Wreckx-N-Effect)
Scene: Cartwheeling, gyrating and embracing European culture via England's Union Jack and the French mode of uniform, Dick dances his way into the hearts of Hearst. Or, you know, not.
"Buttons" (The Pussycat Dolls)
Scene: Perky Parker is adjusting smoothly to college life and her supercute! roomie, Mac, when Veronica shows up for an impromptu wardrobe change.
"Socks and Shoes" (Four Fifty One)
Scene: Veronica, Mac, Parker and their "muscle" take in the live performance with varying degrees of appreciation ... in the groove (Parker) to bored silly (Wallace).
LoVe Lines
Veronica: (Huskily, doing her best Clint Eastwood impersonation) You a bounty hunter, boy?
Logan: (Smirking.) I really shouldn't have pushed for the Clint Eastwood marathon. Now I've ruined you! I didn't think it was possible to make you more butch. Stupid, stupid Logan! (Sighing.) Well, wanna feel like a man, walk me to class?
Veronica: Carry your books?
Logan: Why not? (They smooch.)
Logan: Guess who I saw on campus today.
Veronica: Some girl going wild? As I understand it, it happens all the time in college. I'm on the verge of it right now.
Logan: No, Dick. My BFF.
Veronica: I thought he was crashing with his dad in the Caymans.
Logan: Nah, he's back.
Veronica: You guys talk?
Logan: Yeah, but, it was brief: shouted his name, flipped me off - the bonds of friendship.
Veronica: (Basking in the afterglow next to Logan.) Whoof! You should seriously consider going pro in that.
Logan: What, and miss the college experience?
Veronica: (Laughing and leaning toward Logan.) Don't go anywhere. You're gonna get your brains spooned out whether you like it or not. (Leaving bed.) But first, must ... have ... water.
Veronica Mars Voiceover: (While standing in front of the mirror.) Okay, Veronica. Aren't you the girl who laughed at those idiots who tried to take their high school romances with them to college?
Veronica: (Running back into bedroom as phone rings.) Logan, no!
Logan: (Answering phone.) Yeah. (Putting phone down and whispering.) It's your dad.
Veronica: I forwarded our calls.
Logan: We need to work on communication. (Handing phone to Veronica.) Yeah.
Veronica: (Taking phone, she sits on bed next to Logan.) Hi, dad. (As Logan leans behind her, putting his arm around her waist) Nope, he's heading home right now as a matter of fact.
Logan: Here. A bonus birthday gift.
Veronica: You bought me a bow? A bow?! How did you guess?!
Logan: Open it, smarty pants.
Veronica: (Turns bow over.) Your room key?
Logan: Mm hmm.
Veronica: What if I drop in unexpectedly? The other girls'll have to pfft.
Logan: Stop it. You know there's no one else. I only want you. (Takes her hands and kisses one.) You oughta know that by now. (Pauses.) What, no quip?
Logan: (To Veronica.) Your bag?
Quotable Quotes
Veronica Mars Voiceover: Here it is, first day of college. Whaddaya say, Veronica? New school, fresh start -- how about you try not to piss anyone off this time around?
Dr. Landry: Welcome to college where it's okay to skip class - just not mine.
Coed: (Leaning in close to Veronica, whispering.) Skip class? I'm gonna staple myself to the floor. (Veronica purrs in agreement.)
Dr. Landry: All right everybody, you can stop. We have a winner and a new record holder - six minutes. So how'd you figure it out?
Veronica: "Murder on the Riverboat Queen" was a murder mystery in a box game made by Wigwam Toys in the late eighties. Fans of the game set up message boards online that gave away details. I just ignored all the spoiler alerts, which I know is kind of douchebaggy but ...
Tim: The game is set in the 1890's. You can't use the internet.
Veronica: (Looking at Dr. Landry.) Was that a rule?
Dr. Landry: (Pleased.) It wasn't a rule.
Tim: And there are two possible killers in the box. I mean, you just took a 50/50 stab, didn't you?
Veronica: Sorry, no. The other killer is Countess McGee. Dr. Landry just asked me who I was going to send away for the rest of his natural born days. That kind of sold me on blind Rutherford. (With faux confusion.) There is only one thing I can't figure out though: what did you do for the extra ten minutes?
Keith: Vinnie. What brings you to the good part of the wrong side of the tracks?
Vinnie: Dollar signs, mi amigo. The all mighty buck. I got a case that requires a little double detective duty. Lucky Pierre owns a jewelry store and suspects that he's got an embezzler. Whaddaya say, huh? (Putting out his fist for Keith to tap.) 'Wonder Twin powers activate!'
Keith: Can't Vinnie. Got my own case and it's taking me out of town.
Vinnie: (Looking at Keith's gun gear scattered across his desk.) A hit? I understand there's good money in that. How does one break in? Is there a union of some kind? Put in a good word for me, would ya?
Keith: Hot dog!
Veronica: (Skeptical.) Hot dog?
Keith: It's an expression of excitement and enthusiasm. Joe and Frank Hardy and I used to say 'hot dog' all the time while we were waiting for the carhop to bring us our malteds at the drive-in.
Veronica: (With mock confusion.) Drive in?
Keith: I hate you.
Veronica: You love me.
Keith: Yeah, but it's all instinct.
Keith: Veronica, there are a few things in life to which you will have to defer to my age and experience and that, sweet child of mine, is the Chrysler Building.
Veronica: Hmm. Senility. That comes with age too, right?
Keith: Uh, can't remember.
Keith: How was your first day? How does it feel being a college student?
Veronica: (Faux stretching.) It's exhausting. I had one whole class today.
Keith: Make any friends?
Veronica: (Emphatically.) Lord no.
Keith: Enemies?
Veronica: Eh -
Keith: Yeah, well, it is a day that ends in a "y".
Veronica: I'll hold down the fort.
Keith: Yeah, I'm afraid I put Backup in charge while I'm away. And he's been instructed to maul your boyfriend if he's here past midnight.
Veronica: Backup's in charge? What about the bitch he's been seeing?
Piz: I'm sorry, there must be some mistake. On my roommate request form I specifically said I didn't want a roommate who was ... you know ...
Wallace: What?
Piz: Better looking than me. I made it very clear.
Wallace: Sorry, man. Fairest of them all right here.
Wallace: Took this side, hope that's cool.
Piz: Yeah, no sweat. I rarely wear clothes indoors. I hope that's cool.
Piz: This girl? She's, uh, she's our age and she's a detective? Is she also a cartoon?
Wallace: She doesn't carry a magnifying glass or anything. Her dad's a PI. Used to be Sheriff. She's picked up a few things.
Piz: Look, I appreciate the thought, man, but I think I'll just let the local police handle it.
Wallace: Yeah, good luck with that ...
Veronica: And you call yourself college men. Where are the posters with beer and half-naked ladies?
Wallace: Oh, it's behind the case of porn and my shot glass collection.
Wallace: (Referring to Piz.) Wait. I haven't even decided if he's cool yet.
Veronica: Well, act now. Time is running out on this special offer.
Veronica: (Inspecting Piz's car door.) It doesn't look like they jimmied their way in.
Piz: It wasn't locked.
Veronica: (Turning around to look at him in disbelief.) College campus. All your worldly possessions. Where are you from, Brigadoon?
Wallace: This is how you know you've gone from high school to college. The graffiti goes highbrow. Wash me was so 2005.
Moe, the R.A: All your stuff? Frak. That blows.
Veronica: Qu'est-ce que c'est? 'Frak'?
Moe: No Battlestar Galactica fans in the mix, I see? 'Frak' is the profanity of the future. I'm trying not to swear.
Veronica: That's very enlightened of you, Moe. So, what the frak is with this Hearst Welcome Wagon Committee?
Veronica: (Standing behind Mac.) Women. Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch.
Mac: (Smiling.) Why can't they just look pretty and get their MRS degrees?
Mac: (Deadpans while watching the mysterious speedo-clad guy dance suggestively.) It's like we never left Neptune High.
Veronica: (Moments later, after Dick's ski-mask is removed.) It's exactly like we never left Neptune High.
Keith: Alright, honey. Give Logan my regards as you're shaking his hand goodnight, and I'll be sure to call unexpectedly again. Love you, too.
Piz: A Saturn for a Mars.
Veronica: In Neptune! Yeah, the planets really aligned for this one. Now, move Uranus, the Mercury's rising.
Veronica: You mind giving me a list of the other victims?
Sacks: (Nervously glancing at Lamb's closed office door.) I don't know, Veronica.
Veronica: I track down the bad guys, call you, you make the bust. You know what that makes everyone, Sacks? A winner.
Veronica: Is Mac around?
Parker: Oh my God, are you one of Mac's friends? (Off Veronica's nod.) Well come on in, sister! Mac's friends are my friends.
Parker: So. I just love Mac. Like, love her, like I wish she was a little Bichon Frise I could carry in my purse. I mean, how great is she?
Veronica: She's pretty great.
Parker: (Crossing the room and changing her shirt.) I was a little weirdly disappointed, because I had this idea that I'd get this like gangster street chick, or some death metal girl, and we'd be like all odd couple. But with me and Mac it was just ... Whoosh! Instant sisterhood. Total mesh, total blend.
Veronica: (Looking at poster of Colin Farrell.) Ohh, yours or Mac's?
Parker: Colin? Oh, he's all mine. He should really love me, don't you think?
Veronica: Depends, have you had your shots?
Parker: Oh. Look at his eyes. He's just so ... soulful, and like troubled and deep. You just know he'd kick ass in the backseat.
Parker: Hey roomie!
Mac: Hey.
Veronica: (Turning to Mac as she enters.) Wanna go see a band play?
Mac: More than anything in the world.
Parker: Oh my god, Im so totally in! Just give me a sec to change. (Starting to undress.)
Mac: (As the girls walk up to the club and spot Wallace.) Hey, I know that guy.
Veronica: Our muscle. (Shrugging.) Short notice.
Parker: Your boyfriends?
Mac: No. (Veronica shaking her head.)
Veronica: (After the introductions.) So gang, are we ready to rock? (Making the sign for 'I love you' with both hands.)
Mac: No.
Wallace: Not particularly.
Veronica: (Peppy.) That's the spirit!
Parker: Woo-hoo!
Veronica: (The Unwashed finishes their set.) That's my cue. (Heading to the stage.)
Piz: What's she doing?
Wallace: (Shrugging.) Mmm-mmm.
Mac: (She and Veronica watching Parker flirt.) Look at her. She's like boynip.
Kid #1: We saw you get ripped off.
Veronica: You're twelve. What were you doing up at Hearst?
Kid #2: Checking out the college girls laying out. Some of 'em go topless.
Wallace: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up right there, son. Tell us exactly where this sunbathing goes on.
Kid #2: South quad. Where that statue is.
Veronica: What are you saying you saw?
Piz: Is it the Randolph Hearst statue, or the amorphous blobby thing?
Veronica: (Exasperatedly.) Breasts? Or the Holy Grail guitar?
Dick: (Knocking on Mac and Parker's dorm room door off screen.) C'mon, Parker. Why you wanna be like that, girl? It's the right time of the night. It's the right time of the night ... for makin' love.
Mac: (Opening the door, surprising Dick.) Parker's out somewhere with the Unwashed. I'll tell her that the needs-hosed-down dropped by. (Going to close the door.)
Dick: My little brother never cared about you, ya know? You were just his beard.
R.A.: (Off screen.) Hey, you! What's your name? You're not supposed to be here!
Dick: (Turns to the R.A.) Isn't this the boys' floor? Oh, gosh, I am so lost! I'm just a dumb freshman who wandered onto the wrong floor. Wow. Campus is so confusing. Thanks for your understanding. I'm just gonna show myself out. (Turning around, he starts to leave.)
R.A.: Let me see your school I.D.
Dick: (Turning back.) We're supposed to have I.D.'s? See, I don't know anything. College has got me plumb flustered. (Making a hokey snap motion and leaves.) Good night, ladies.
Veronica: (As Wallace and Piz ogle girls and 'play' hacky sack.) You guys are pathetic.
Wallace: It's a white man's sport.
Veronica: Right, because I was talking about the hacky sack.
Veronica: Okay. You two have fun being gross. I'll just continue trying to find your stuff on my own. With no help.
Piz: That's why you make the big money.
Veronica: Wait. Just because I'm a girl, that means I have to mentor a girl?
Tim Foyle: Yes.
Veronica: That's just in case they get their period or something, right?
Dick: Hi. My name's Dick. What's yours?
Dee Dee: Dee Dee.
Dick: How long have we known each other, Dee Dee?
Dee Dee: Eight seconds.
Dick: So, where is this going, Dee Dee? Is this thing we feel real? Or are we just in it for the torso butter?
Dee Dee: You should really walk away.
Dick: You'd like that, wouldn't you? I'll admit, the kid looks good walking away. It's all me, too. Ass like Marky Mark and the entire Funky Bunch.
Dick: (To Logan.) What, you want a hug or somethin'?
Piz: I might actually get my stuff back.
Veronica: I might actually get paid.
Veronica: (Seeing Mac sitting outside her dorm room.) I figured out the knocking thing. You could have waited in your room.
Mac: Parker's in there with some guy.
Veronica: Well, let's head out. The midnight movie waits for no man.
Mac: Our tickets are in there, stuck in the mirror (Her voice suddenly becoming peppy.) above her suggestion box and tip jar!
Veronica: Well, frak.
Keith: That's excellent cake, Kendall.
Kendall: Well, I'll tell Sara Lee you approve.
Cormac: Awfully cold night, Keith. I'll come and pick up your carcass in the morning. Guess Kendall wasn't that great a judge of character, after all.
Dick: (Teary-eyed.) I don't have anywhere else to go.
Logan: Hey, it's all right. I mean, you could stay here.
Dick: (Letting out a short gasp and crying; Logan puts his arm on Dick's shoulder.) I messed up bad.
Logan: It's gonna be okay. (Pulling Dick in for a hug.)
Mac: You worked in a coffee shop. (Tugging at a slightly drunk and uncoordinated Veronica.) How can you not know that an Irish coffee has whiskey in it?
Veronica: (Her voice very high.) At Java the Hut, it meant a latte with a little shot of Irish Cream syrup.
Mac: That explains the first one you ordered.
Veronica: They were magically delicious. And they served me. Booyah! (High-fiving Mac.)
Mac: (Laughing.) Yeah, booyah! You probably shouldn't drive home.
Veronica: I'm fiiine. (Pausing, then laughing.) Okay, maybe not.
Welcome Wagon (Referenced by the episode title and used as a cover for the campus thieves.)
A marketing company located in Plainview, New York, Welcome Wagon has been greeting new homeowners since 1928. Founded by Thomas Briggs, in Memphis, Tennessee, Welcome Wagon's source of inspiration were the early Conestoga wagons who provided food and drink to travelers heading west. Briggs hired "hostesses" to deliver baskets filled with gifts and coupons from local businesses to new homeowners. While there, the hostess would fill them in on local activities and businesses. Eventually, a cross-country network was established.
In 1962, Irv Siegal started "Getting to Know You," a similar "welcome" service that sent out neighborhood business directories to new residents. Over the years, Getting to Know You became the nation's largest welcoming program. The two services joined forces in 1998 under the Welcome Wagon name. Home visits stopped at this time and the Welcome Wagon gift book now greets almost two million new residents in their mail each year. More than seventy-five million households have received gifts from these two businesses.
In 2001, Welcome Wagon became a part of Homestore (now Move), an online network for real estate/moving-related matters.
Murder Mystery In a Box ... (Referenced by Veronica as the game played in her Intro to Criminology class.)
In the late 1980's and early 1990's there was a very popular trend among adults to throw "Murder Mystery" theme parties where each guest would be assigned a role in a mini murder mystery play. The object of the evening was for the partygoers to discover "whodunit." Several toy companies capitalized on this trend and released these party games in a pre-packaged box that contained invitations, scripts and sometimes small props. Two of the most popular brands at the time were "Host a Murder" and "Murder A'la Carte." The problem with these games is that they were generally designed for no more than six to eight players and had only two or three possible outcomes.
These days the trend has evolved and most murder mystery games are offered as a downloadable file from online gaming sites such as "Murder-Mystery-Game.com" or "murdermysteryparty.com." These games allow you to choose games for groups of differing sizes (some as large as 100 people), from a variety of topics and scenarios, with detailed scripts and character information plus game support. You'd think that perhaps the prof would have chosen to go with one of the newer online games that would easily accommodate every member of the class and wouldn't have afforded the same "cheat" info online that Veronica so sneakily accessed to win the game.
Pinkertons ... (Referenced by Professor Landry when detailing the rules of the game.)
Historian Frank Morn writes: "By the mid-1850s a few businessmen saw the need for greater control over their employees; their solution was to sponsor a private detective system. In February 1855, Allan Pinkerton, after consulting with six midwestern railroads, created such an agency in Chicago." Allan Pinkerton (1819-1884) was the world's first private detective. Emigrating to Chicago from Glasgow, Scotland, he discovered a gang of counterfeiters and assisted in their capture. He became deputy sheriff of Kane County, then later Cook County. He resigned from the police to form the North-Western Police Agency with attorney Edward Rucker in Chicago, Illinois ... later known as the Pinkerton Agency.
Pinkerton had become famous when he foiled a plot to assassinate President-Elect Abraham Lincoln. (Too bad he wasn't around on April 14, 1965 taking in a play.) At Lincoln's request, Pinkerton began the U.S. Secret Service and served as its head. Through the use of a double agent, Pinkerton's secret service defeated a Confederate plot to free the eight thousand prisoners of war at the South Side's Camp Douglas.
Pinkerton agents were hired to track western outlaws Jesse James, the Reno brothers, and the Wild Bunch (including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid). They also performed services ranging from security guards to private military contracting work. During its height, the Pinkerton Detective Agency employed more agents than the standing army of the United States of America, causing the state of Ohio to outlaw the agency due to fears it could be hired out as a private army or militia. The Pinkertons were also used as guards in coal, iron and lumber disputes in Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania, as well as the railroad strikes of 1877. The earliest record of the agency's involvement in such a dispute dates from 1866, when it provided guard service during a coal miners' strike in Bradwood, Illinois. Thereafter, Pinkertons were used as guards in coal, iron and lumber disputes in Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania, as well as in the railroad strikes of 1877. The business thrived and Pinkerton established several regional offices.
The most notorious example was the Homestead Strike of 1892, when Pinkerton agents killed several people while enforcing the strikebreaking measures of Henry Clay Frick, acting on behalf of Andrew Carnegie, who was abroad. During the Homestead Strike, the arrival, on July 6, 1892, of a force of three hundred Pinkerton detectives from New York and Chicago resulted in a fight in which about eleven men were killed, and to restore order two brigades of the state militia were called out.
The Pinkerton logo, the All-Seeing Eye -- an eye embellished with the words "We Never Sleep" -- inspired the phrase "Private Eye."
A separate agency, The William J. Burns Detective Agency, was founded circa 1910. In July 2003, Securitas AB acquired the United States companies of Pinkerton and Burns to make it Securitas Security Services USA, Inc., one of the largest security companies in the world.
"You a bounty hunter?" / Outlaw Josey Wales ... (Referenced by Veronica and Logan while on the bench.)
A line from the 1976 western Outlaw Josey Wales, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, the line is misquoted by Veronica. The actual exchange is:
Still seeking revenge, Josey heads to Texas for a chance at a new life, along the way attracting several traveling companions, even though he would rather be left to himself. His unlikely compatriots include an elderly Yankee woman and her granddaughter -- both of whom were rescued from a band of comancheros -- a young Indian woman, and an elderly Indian man. In the climactic final showdown with the Redlegs, Josey and the rest of the group find themselves holed up in an abandoned farmhouse that had been fortified to withstand Indian attacks. While the majority of the Redlegs are gunned down or start to flee, Josey goes after the leader and ends up killing the man with his own cavalry sword.
Clint Eastwood ... (Referenced by Logan when he was joking with Veronica about their recent Eastwood marathon.)
Born May 31, 1930, Clinton Eastwood Jr., is regarded as one of the greatest American movie stars of all time. An actor, producer, composer, and Academy Award winning director, Eastwood has starred in over forty movies and as of 2006 has directed thirty. The only child of a working-class family during the Great Depression, Eastwood spent much of the 1930's moving around California, an experience that would later color some of his films.
During the Korean War, he was drafted into the military in 1951 and sent to Fort Ord on the Monterey Bay, CA for basic training. Before being sent to Korea he was on his way back from a trip home to Seattle to visit his parents, when the Navy torpedo bomber he was on developed engine trouble, was forced to make a water landing off the coast of San Francisco, and Eastwood had to swim over a mile to shore. It was because of this that instead of heading to Korea he was assigned as a swim instructor at Fort Ord. Discharged in 1953 he moved to Southern California to attend Los Angeles City College and studied drama and business administration under the G.I. Bill.
Eastwood began his career as a day player in mostly B-films, but received his first big break in 1959 with a part on the long running television series, Rawhide, as Rowdy Yates and became a household name across the country. International fame came when he was cast as the lead role of the mysterious man with no name in Sergio Leone's trilogy of Spaghetti Westerns, A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966). With these roles, Eastwood redefined the traditional image of the American cowboy/gunslinger. One of Eastwood's most memorable non- cowboy roles was that of loose cannon cop, "Dirty" Harry Callahan, and even prompted President Reagan to lift his famous "Make my day" line in one of his speeches.
Girls Gone Wild ... (Referenced when Veronica tells Logan she's on the verge of it like a lot of college girls.)
Girls Gone Wild is a series of videos depicting young women removing their clothing (and engaging in lesbian sexual intercourse) for the camera, usually in exchange for a t-shirt. The videos have themes: Sexy Sorority Girls, Spring Break Girls, et al. The videos are sold online as well as via late night TV infomercials and are a multi-million dollar boom, making the "creator" of the brand, Joe Francis, a multi-millionaire sleaze artist.
Cayman Islands ... (Referenced by Veronica as to Dick's locations during the summer.)
The Cayman Islands are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom located in the western Caribbean Sea. It is known as one of the largest tax havens in the world (which would explain why Big Dick has made it his new home).
The Cayman Islands are comprised of the islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman. The three islands are situated about 480 miles south of Miami, 150 miles south of Cuba, and 180 miles northwest of Jamaica. Grand Cayman is by far the largest, with an area of 76 square miles. Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are located about 90 miles east of Grand Cayman and have areas of 14 square miles and 10 square miles respectively.
Because The Cayman Islands is widely recognised to be one of the leading offshore financial centers, the islands' financial services industry encompasses banking, mutual funds, captive insurance, vessel registration, companies and partnerships, trusts, structured finance and the Cayman Islands Stock Exchange. As of December 2005, just over 70,000 companies were incorporated on The Cayman Islands including 430 banking and trust companies, 720 captive insurance firms and more than 7,000 funds.
As of April 2006 the latest population estimate of The Cayman Islands is 57,800, representing a mix of more than one hundred nationalities. For those of you keeping count, that means that there are just over 1.2 companies incorporated in The Cayman Islands for every person that actually lives there. Big industry, no taxes, mucho dinero and white sand beaches? It's amazing that the population isn't larger. Heck, I'm ready to move there right now! Maybe Big Dick's in the market for a new wife....
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ... (Referenced by Logan when talking to Veronica about Dick getting into Hearst.)
Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in Graz, Austria on July 30, 1947. He began his career as a bodybuilder, winning a number of competitions and getting his first taste of politics by being appointed to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. The Austrian he-man had always wanted to act, though. His breakthrough film was Conan the Barbarian (1982), but he's probably best known for his roles in The Terminator (1984), Predator (1987), Total Recall (1990) and Kindergarten Cop (1990).
Schwarzenegger, a registered Republican, was elected the governor of California on October 7, 2003 in a recall election, which removed Democrat Gray Davis from office. If not reelected in the 2006 gubernatorial election, his term will end on January 8, 2007. Schwarzenegger is married to Maria Shriver, a former journalist for NBC as well as a Democrat and member of America's political royalty, the Kennedys. The couple have four children.
Greg Louganis ... (Referenced by Logan when talking about Beaver's end with Veronica.)
Born Gregory Efthimios Louganis on November 29, 1960 in El Cajon, California, Louganis was an Olympic diver. In 1976 at the age of 16 he competed in his first Olympic games in Montreal, where he won the silver medal in 10 meter platform. He won his first World title in that event two years later. In 1978 he began attending the University of Miami on a diving scholarship, and later transferred to the University of California, Irvine, where he later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. He was favored to win gold in two events in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, but the American boycott of the games prevented him from competing.
Louganis went on to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in both the 10 meter platform and the 3 meter springboard in 1984 in Los Angeles and in 1988 in Seoul, in between which he won two World titles in 1986. He is best remembered for an accident in Seoul when he hit his head on the diving board during one of his jumps in the springboard event. The injury did not prevent him from continuing to compete and winning the gold.
Following his Olympic career Louganis made news in 1994 when he announced that he was gay. He also revealed in his 1995 biography that he was HIV positive, an announcement that caused much controversy considering his 1988 diving accident, which had resulted in light bleeding. However, there had never been any medical danger to anyone else using the pool following his dive. After his biography was released, he was unfortunately dropped by all of his sponsors with the exception of Speedo, who back him to this day. A 1997 made-for-tv movie starring Mario Lopez chronicled Louganis' life.
View an Olympic highlight video as well as a short clip of his medal winning dives in Seoul at the International Olympic Committee website, here.
"Wonder Twin powers activate!" / Wonder Twins Comic ... (Referenced by Vinnie to Keith at Mars Investigations.)
The Wonder Twins are a pair of teenage alien superheroes (somewhat reminiscent of Vulcans from Star Trek) who were sidekicks to the Super Friends in the Hanna-Barbera animated television series of the same name. The pair, Zan and Jayna, are siblings from the planet Exxor who were being informally trained by the superheroes. Unlike their predecessors, Wendy Harris and Marvin White, this pair was able to participate in combat with abilities of their own. Their powers were activated when the twins made physical contact together with the spoken command, "Wonder Twin powers, Activate!"
So the logical question is (when thinking of Keith and Vinnie) who would be Zan and who would be Jayna? Zan could transform into any kind of water and Jayna could transform into any type of animal. In my estimation, that clearly makes Jayna the more skilled and flexible of the two of them - she's the bigger asset in a fight or dangerous situation. So if you look at it that way, Keith would be Jayna. However, I hesitate to make the comparison that Keith is girly. So if we then look at it as who is the stronger more manly twin, we'd probably go with Zan. Which would make Keith Zan. However if we put Gleek into the equation, it changes everything.
Gleek was the twins' pet Space Monkey who had a useful prehensile tail and whose body could act as a conduit for the twins to activate their powers should they be out of reach. Gleek also served as a courier when the twins needed to travel: Jayna would typically transform into a large eagle, and Zan would transform into water, "jumping" into a bucket which Gleek conveniently would be holding.
And now it is all clear to me Keith is Jayna (without the feminine connotation), Veronica is Gleek and Vinnie well, Vinnie's the water in the bucket.
New York ... (Referenced as to where Veronica and Keith went on their holiday.)
Officially the City of New York, New York City (also known by the initials NYC) is the highest populated city in the United States and the most densely populated major city in North America. Located in the state of New York, it has a population of over eight million in a 321 square mile radius. Overwhelmingly considered to be one of the worlds major global cities, NYC is a center for international finance, fashion, entertainment, and culture with an exceptional array of museums, galleries, media outlets, performance venues, international corporations and financial markets. NYC is also the home to the United Nations headquarters.
New York City proper is made up of five boroughs: Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island, and Manhattan. Each borough is home to at least a million people and each would be considered as some of the nation's largest cities if considered separate of the others.
Since the 1970's the city has commonly been referred to by the nickname "The Big Apple" due to a promotional campaign by the New York Convention and Visitor's Bureau, although the true origins of this alternate toponym are less clear. The city has attracted a large number of immigrants, with over a third of its population born outside of the United States. NYC also attracts people from all over the U.S. because of its culture, energy, cosmopolitan feel and economic opportunities. Currently NYC has the lowest crime rate among the nations 25 largest cities.
Hot Dog! ... (Referenced by Keith to Veronica when looking at their New York photos.)
As a term, "hot dog" first came into use in an old joke involving a dog's "pants" (the verb "pant" substituted for the noun). The following was widely reprinted in newspapers, from at least 1870: "Whats the difference between a chilly man and a hot dog? One wears a great coat, and the other pants." The October 18, 1894 University of Michigan humor magazine The Wrinkle contained this on the cover page: "Two Greeks a 'hot dog' freshman sought. The Clothes they found, their favors bought." "Hot dog" meant a stylish dresser, someone who was sharply attired. A popular phrase was "puttin' on the dog."
When this became an expression of surprise is unclear, but was often used as such in the 1940's through the early 1960's.
Hardy Boys (Joe and Frank) ... (Referenced by Keith to Veronica when she makes him feel old.)
The Hardy Boys is a long running mystery series featuring Frank and Joe Hardy that originated in 1927 and continues to the present day. Frank and Joe are the sons of Fenton Hardy, an internationally famous detective and they often solve cases of their own at home or abroad. Frank is eighteen, good at analyzing clues and figuring out which are the logical steps to take in order to solve a case. Joe, a year younger, is Frank's almost complete opposite. He dashes into all kinds of situations without worrying too much about consequences, and refuses to admit that anything is impossible. Joe is full of enthusiasm and good humor, and can always be counted on to lighten up a tense situation with a witty remark. The series always features a supporting cast of characters including best friend Chet Morton, detective Oscar Smuff, and police chief Collig.
Although Franklin W. Dixon is listed as the author, there is no Franklin W. Dixon, and there never was. Dixon is a pen name used by a group of writers called the Stratemeyer Syndicate, which was founded in the early 1900's by a man named Edward Stratemeyer. The Syndicate was also responsible for many other successful juvenile series, including Nancy Drew, Tom Swift, and The Bobbsey Twins.
So if Veronica is Frank Hardy, what roles do the rest of the cast play? Fenton = Keith, Smuff = Vinnie Van Lowe, Collig = Lamb, but who is Joe? Logan, Wallace or Mac?
Drive-In ... (Referenced by Keith when he and Veronica banter about his out-dated vocabulary.)
What? They don't have Sonics in Neptune? I call BS on this one -- stop picking on Keith, Veronica. But I guess I'll play along. A drive-in is a place where people can drive up and be serviced without getting out of the car. The modern incarnation of the drive-in is the "drive-through," which are prevalent in fast food chains, banks, and even some chapels in Las Vegas that offer marriage services to couples on the move.
Drive-In theaters are not as common as they were in the 1950's, but can still be found in most states in America. A drive-in theater is a place where people sit in their parked cars to watch a film on a large screen. Some drive-ins have stations to park cars equipped with speakers that you attach to your car window and others just use loud speakers for the film's audio track.
Sonic Drive-In and A&W are American fast-food chains that retain the 1950's drive-in diner atmosphere, complete with roller skating carhops. They are different from a regular drive-through, in that you park your car at one of several stations, place your order through a speaker, your food is delivered to your vehicle, and you can sit in your car while you eat without worrying about a line of cars behind you.
Monty Python's Spamalot! ... (Referenced by Veronica when discussing the New York trip.)
Monty Python's Spamalot is a comedic musical "lovingly ripped off from" the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). Like the film, it is a highly irreverent parody of Arthurian Legend, but it differs from the film in many other ways, especially its parodies of Broadway theatre. Eric Idle, a member of the Monty Python team, wrote the musical's book and lyrics, and collaborated with John Du Prez on the music. Running since March 17, 2005, it was directed by Mike Nichols, and won the Tony Award for Best Musical of the 20042005 season. Grey's Anatomy fans might be surprised to know that Sara Ramirez (Callie) played The Lady in the Lake in the original run, earning herself the Tony for Featured Actress in a Musical.
Empire State Building ... (Referenced by Veronica when discussing the New York trip.)
The Empire State Building is a 102-story contemporary Art Deco style skyscraper in New York City, declared by the American Society of Civil Engineers to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Designed by Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, it was built between 1930 and 1931.
The building belongs to the World Federation of Great Towers. It was the first building to have more than one hundred floors. It remained the tallest skyscraper in the world for a record forty-one years (and the world's tallest man-made structure for twenty-three years) until the construction of the World Trade Center, and shortly afterwards the Sears Tower. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the Empire State Building regained the title of tallest building in New York City, and the second tallest building in the United States. The building weighs approximately 330,000 metric tons, has 6,500 windows, 73 elevators and 1,860 steps to the top floor.
And sorry Veronica, as the Empire State Building is located at 350 Fifth Avenue it is definitely not the building in your photograph. This point goes to Keith.
Chrysler Building ... (Referenced by Keith discussing the New York trip.)
The Chrysler building is a 1,046-foot high skyscraper in New York City built by William Van Alen between 1928 and 1930 in the Art Deco style. The building is located on the east side of Manhattan at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue.
Originally built for the Chrysler Corporation, the building is presently co-owned by TMW Real Estate (75%) and Tishman Speyer Properties (25%). The Chrysler Building was the first structure in the world to surpass the 1,000 foot threshold. Despite being overtaken by the Empire State Building as the tallest building in the world in 1931, the Chrysler Building is still the tallest brick building in the world.
And for what it's worth, Keith's wisdom prevails: the photo of Keith and Veronica does appear to have been taken in front of the Chrysler Building which is located at 405 Lexington Avenue.
"Sweet Child o'(f) Mine" ... (Referenced by Keith to Veronica as he disagrees with her about the picture.)
"Sweet Child O' Mine" is a song written and performed by the band Guns N' Roses. It is purported to be about Erin Everly the then-girlfriend and future wife of lead singer Axl Rose. The song was released on the band's debut album, Appetite for Destruction, on August 10, 1987.
It was the band's first number-one single, spending three weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 during the summer of 1988. "Sweet Child O' Mine" is #37 on the list of "100 Greatest Guitar Solos" from Guitar World magazine, #3 on Blender's 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born, and #196 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The opening guitar riff was also voted the greatest of all-time by readers of Total Guitar magazine. The D-flat based riff was later revealed to have been played as a joke in a jam session by Guns N' Roses' lead guitarist, Slash. He and drummer Steven Adler were warming up when Slash made faces at Steven while playing a "circus" melody. Adler asked him to play it again, when Izzy Stradlin added the chords and Axl started singing the poem he had written. And a rock classic was born.
Lyrics for "Sweet Child O' Mine"
"You mess with the bull, you get the horns." ... (Referenced by Veronica when she talks to Keith about her first day at Hearst.)
This is an old expression made popular by its use in the classic films Scarface and The Breakfast Club. In The Breakfast Club, the principal flashes the "Hook 'em Horns" hand gesture as he says the line. The gesture, traditionally called the corna (Italian for horns), is made by stretching the index and pinky finger while holding the middle and ring fingers down with your thumb. The gesture itself dates back to Ancient Greece, and has several different meanings.
Similar to its use in The Breakfast Club, Veronicas gesture here is just a reference to UT's Longhorns, or more generically, to the horns of a bull.
The line likely traces its origins back to the Mexican tradition of bullfighting. The gesture is sometimes used to represent Satan's horns, which put a lot of mothers in a tizzy when the gesture was first inducted into the Rock and Roll scene.
I think that's "I love you" and your thumb's supposed
to be ... oh, never mind. A for effort, Veronica.
In some cultures the gesture has superstitious connotations and is used to ward off the Evil Eye. (Example: Black cat crosses one's path, seeing a hearse, seeing nuns, or other situations associated with bad luck.) The gesture is then used as an equivalent to knocking on wood, to conjure supernatural protection from the object you're pointing at. Historically, this gesture was used to point out people suspected of being witches.
Ahem.
Magnolia Bakery (Referenced by Veronica as she looks at a picture of Keith gorging on cupcakes outside the bakery.)
The popular Magnolia Bakery is located in the West Village part of Manhattan, New York. The shop was opened in 1996 by owners Jennifer Appel and Allysa Torey and has become a favorite sweet treat stop for locals and tourists alike. With business hours lasting until 11:30pm (Sunday - Thursday) or 12:30am (Friday - Saturday), the bakery is also an attraction for the bar crowd. Lines typically can be found well outside the door after 10:00pm on the weekends.
Desserts range from banana pudding to cherries jubilee and mini cheesecakes. However, the hottest item is their award-winning cupcakes, which received CitySearch.com's 2001 Audience Award for best dessert in New York City. These special treats come in two flavors: golden sponge or chocolate cake. Each cupcake is topped with a sweet buttercream frosting and sprinkles. A self-service area is located inside so that customers can box up their own cupcakes. However, due to their popularity, cupcake purchases are limited. (Sorry, Keith!) About 20,000 cupcakes are sold each week.
In 1999, Appel and Torey released The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook: Old-Fashioned Recipes from New York's Sweetest Bakery, which includes recipes for a variety of cakes, cookies, pies and cheesecakes, as well as baking tips. Jennifer Appel left Magnolia Bakery in 2000 to open the Buttercup Bake Shop.
"Hold down the fort" ... (Referenced by Veronica when Keith tells her he's going out of town on a case.)
This is an expression that means to assume responsibility in the absence of a superior, or to "maintain a superior position." The phrase was originally used in the military; a subordinate would be charged with protecting the fort while a higher ranking officer was away.
"The fairest of them all" / Snow White ... (Referenced by Wallace when he and Piz first meet.)
A 1937 Walt Disney animated film based on a Brothers Grimm tale of the same name. Beautiful Snow White finds herself the target of her vain and very proud stepmother's jealousy. The evil Queen routinely inquires of her magic wall mirror, "Who is the fairest of them all," only to be informed one day, that her beauty is far surpassed by that of her stepdaughter. The Evil Queen, determined to be considered the fairest in the land -- a decree bestowed only by her often harangued mirror -- schemes to rid the kingdom of Snow White.
A woodsman hired by the Queen to kill Snow White helps to fake her death and run away. Snow White hides in the forest with the assistance and shelter of woodland creatures and seven dwarfs, but falls prey to the Queen in disguise and consumes a poisoned apple. The Prince, who has fallen in love with Snow White, happens upon the beauty in her dwarf-made glass coffin and awakens her from the wicked Queen's coma-inducing spell with "love's first kiss."
1967 Gretsch Astrojet ... (Referenced by Piz when telling Veronica about his guitar.)
This really IS the holy grail of guitars. Information on this little-known guitar gem is scarce and myth-like which leads one to believe that they are rare and valuable. However, many of the ratings I found for this guitar in terms of value and saleability as a vintage collectible were surprisingly low. So to each his own, I suppose. Piz seemed pretty attached to it so it must be ... no, wait, scrap that. This is the same kid who left his doors unlocked at college so maybe it is a piece of crap. Ah, who knows. On to the history!
Gretsch musical instrument production began in 1883 when Friedrich Gretsch, a German immigrant, set up a shop in Brooklyn for the manufacture of banjos, tambourines and drums. Gretsch dabbled in electric guitars prior to 1955, producing a limited number of Hawaiian lap steels and the Electromatic arch-tops, among other models, but around 1954 the Golden Age of Gretsch guitars began. In quick succession the Electromatic evolved into the Country Club, the Jet solidbodies were introduced and two of Gretsch's best-loved models, the 6120 Chet Atkins model and the White Falcon hit the market.
The short-lived Astro Jet line (Serial #6126) was launched in 1965 and lasted only three years. The 1967 model is significant because it was one of the last guitars made by the company before it was sold to Baldwin Pianos in that same year. The specs on the original 1965 model are: Double cutaway asymmetrical body with pointed horns and beveled body edges, two Super tron pickups, three knobs, three switches, rollter bridge, Burns straight arm vibrato, thumbprint fingerboard inlays, four tuners on bass side of peghead and two tuners on treble side, red top finish and black back and sides.
Close enough to the original, we hope.
Here's a 1966 Gretsch Astro Jet.
Maybe if you are a guitar lover that will all mean something very profound to you. To me, it might as well be in Swahili.
Holy Grail ... (Referenced by Piz when telling Veronica about his guitar.)
In Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to possess miraculous powers. The quest for the Holy Grail also makes up an important segment of the Arthurian cycle, appearing first in works by Chrtien de Troyes. The legend may combine Christian lore with a Celtic myth of a cauldron endowed with special powers. The pursuit of the Holy Grail is centuries old and can be found interwoven into many stories and legends from the past 1,000 years - far too many to recount here.
This complex legend is the basis of the use of the term "holy grail" in a modern context. This or that "holy grail" is seen as the distant, all-but-unobtainable ultimate goal for a person, organization, or field to achieve. If Piz's only goal in life was to find and obtain that guitar and he managed to complete it before he reached college he's either: 1) an over-achiever of astronomical proportions; or 2) he really needs to set some new, higher goals for himself.
I'm going with door number two.
Brigadoon ... (Referenced by Veronica to Piz when he says he didn't lock his car.)
Originally Brigadoon was a 1947 Lerner and Loewe Broadway musical. It was turned into a movie in 1955 by MGM starring Gene Kelly, Van Johnson and Cyd Charisse. Vincent Minnelli, Judy Garland's husband and Liza Minnelli's father, directed the movie. The musical tells the story of two American hunters who stumble upon a small town while they are lost in the highlands of Scotland. They find out that the reason why the town is not on any map is that the townsfolk only awaken for one day out of every hundred years. One of the Americans falls in love with a girl from the town, but since the world has changed so much she won't leave Brigadoon. Will true love win in the end? You will have to see the movie.
Portland ... (Referenced when discussing where Piz is from.)
The largest city in the state of Oregon, Portland is home to approximately two million people in the surrounding metropolitan area and is the twenty-fourth largest state in the U.S. Located in the county seat of Multnomah County, it borders the Willamette River directly south of its meeting with the Columbia River. Portland is also the third largest city in the Pacific Northwest after Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC. With a climate ideal for the cultivation of roses, Portland is known as "Rose City" or "The City of Roses" with a multitude of rose gardens, including the International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park. The Portland Rose Festival is the city's major annual festival.
Willamette River boat and Portland Roses.
It also has a variety of other nicknames which include "Stumptown" (land was cleared for development through logging), "Bridgetown" (because of its many bridges), "Puddletown" (courtesy of the rainy weather), "River City" (its proximity to the Willamette and Columbia), and the obvious "P-town."
Located in the northern end of Oregon's most populated region, the Willamette Valley, Portland has a total area of 145.4 sq. miles, 11.1 sq. miles of which (7.6%) is water, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The city also lies on top of an extinct Plio-Pleistocene volcanic field, the Boring Lava Field. It includes around thirty-two cinder cones and small shield volcanoes within thirteen miles of Kelly Butte, approximately four miles east of downtown Portland.
Portland has a climate that is temperate and seasonal; it averages between 4045 inches of rainfall a year, with an average of one hundred and fifty-five days a year of measurable precipitation. Even though it's in the Marine West Coast climate zone, Portland exhibits many characteristics of a Mediterranean climate, with mild wet winters and warm, dry summers.
Originally a spot known as "the clearing," at the time of incorporation on February 8, 1851, Portland was home to around eight hundred people, a log cabin hotel, a steam sawmill, and the Weekly Oregonian, a local newspaper. Because of its access to both the Pacific Ocean and the Tualatin Valley, Portland had an advantage over nearby ports and remained the major port in the Pacific N.W. for most of the 19th century, until Seattles deepwater harbor was connected to the rest of the mainland by rail in the 1890's.
Beaverton, Oregon ... (Referenced when discussing where Piz is from.)
Located seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley, Beaverton encompasses 18.6 square miles and is home to around 84, 000 people. Oregon's fifth largest city, Beaverton is the largest incorporated city in Washington County. According to Oregon Geographic Names, Beaverton was so named because of the settlement's close proximity to a large body of water that was the result of beaver dams.
A "family friendly" city, Beaverton has a vast amount of "Green Space" with over one hundred parks over one thousand acres, with a park located within half a mile of every home. The city includes thirty miles of hiking trails and twenty-five miles of bike paths. With forty-six schools from grades K-12, the city is nationally acclaimed for students' high SAT scores, and has formed strong partnerships with local businesses. A few highly regarded private schools along with some of the region's best state and private universities and community colleges are located within thirty miles of Beaverton.
Home to the SummerFest (formerly 'The Taste of Beaverton') the July festival began forty-six years ago and has grown into an annual Beaverton tradition that includes the SummerFest Parade, national and local music groups, food, a wine pavilion, family friendly activities, and a craft market.
"Salt of the earth people" ... (Referenced when discussing where Piz is from.)
The saying "salt of the earth" actually comes from the Christian bible in Matthews 5:13 (NIV) to describe followers of Jesus. In present day though, the saying is applied to people who are hard-working and honest. So, in other words ... clearly not many residents of Neptune, California.
"Chicken in every pot." / Herbert Hoover ... (Referenced when discussing where Piz is from.)
He wasn't just promising chicken. During the Presidential campaign of 1928, Herbert Hoover promised the American public: "A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage" in a circular published by the Republican Party. This promise was never realized though; after a landslide victory over his opponent, seven months after Hoover took the oath of office, came the stockmarket crash on October 29, 1929, a.k.a. Black Tuesday. This brought about the Great Depression, the most severe economic crisis in U.S. history, and the public eventually lost confidence in Hoover. He was voted out in 1932 when Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected (in the first of four terms).
Frak / Battlestar Galactica ... (Referenced by Piz's R.A., Mo, when Veronica questions him.)
'Frak' is basically the 'fuck' of the future, used in every way and instance that we humans of today would use the F-bomb. Or so says Ronald D. Moore, executive producer of the updated Battlestar Galactica. Based on the television series of the same name that ran 1978-1979, the new millennia's version of the sci-fic classic has a grittier, more realistic feel than not only the original, but any other science-fiction television show has ever.
The brief premise is that years in the future in a distant part of the universe there exists a civilization of humans who live on planets known as the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, the main planet being Caprica. The Colonies are in an uneasy armistice with a cybernetic race known as the Cylons, but with the unwitting help of a genius scientist with quite questionable morals named Gaius Baltar (James Callis), the Cylons -- who now can easily pass as humans -- launch a sudden, coordinated, and unprovoked attack on the Colonies, laying waste to the planets and devastating their populations.
The last few thousands of the human survivors flee into space aboard any spacecraft they can reach. Of all the Colonial Fleet, the Battlestar Galactica appears to be the only military ship that survived the attack. Under the leadership of the now-president of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, former Secretary of Education, Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) -- out giving a speech on one of the planets, thus not on Caprica when the attack came, she is the highest living member of the government -- and famed military leader Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos), the Battlestar Galactica and her crew take up the task of leading the ragtag fleet of survivors into space in search of a fabled refuge known as Earth, which has taken on the proportions of the Arthurian myth.
Other than the down and dirty take on the universe, the biggest difference in the new version of BSG is the sex change of Starbuck. In the original, Dirk Benedict played Starbuck, while Richard Hatch played Apollo and together, they were the heroes of the series and best friends. In today's BSG, British-born Jamie Bamber plays Lee "Apollo" Adama, while Katee Sackhoff plays Kara "Starbuck" Thrace. While this change infuriated fans of the original, Sackhoff's marvelous portrayal and the characterization have made her Starbuck one of the most popular characters ... just as Benedict did with his incarnation of Starbuck.
L to R: Michael Hogan (Col. Paul Tigh), McDonnell (Roslin), Olmos (Adama), Bamber (Apollo),
Callis (Baltar), Sackhoff (Starbuck), (TOP) Tahmoh Penikett (Karl C. 'Helo' Agathon),
(BOTTOM) Tricia Helfer (Number Six) and Grace Park (Sharon "Boomer" Valerii).
Oolong Tea (Referenced by Moe, the R.A., as he offers some to Veronica and Piz.)
A traditional type of Chinese tea, the most famous and expensive of which is made in the Fjin province. "Oolong" is Chinese for "black dragon." Legends explaining the origin of the name include tales of men distracted by various creatures (a black snake or a deer) while drying or picking tea leaves. The time spent away from their task resulted in oxidized tea leaves and a new type of tea.
The oolong tea leaves have a black thread-like appearance when dried. The tea is brewed strong and bitter, but has a faintly sweet, sometimes melony, aftertaste and flowery aroma. Typically, the tea is processed by: Wilting (sun or air dried), yaoqing (leaf edges are bruised), rouquing (leaves are tumbled), shaquing (dried over heat and then stirred), cooling, drying, grading and then packaging. The Fjin government has an official Oolong Tea website explaining the world of oolong tea, including potential health benefits.
'Take Back the Night' Feminist Rallies ... (Referenced by the 'Take back the Night' rally at Hearst.)
'Take Back the Night' rallies and marches are organized events intended to bring community awareness to rape and other violent crimes committed against women. These events originated in Europe in the 1970's. The first march was organized in Belgium by the women attending the International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women. The first march in the United States was held in San Francisco in 1977 by Women Against Violence in Pornography and Media (WAVPM). Thousands of women marched through San Francisco's red-light district protesting the subordinate portrayal of women in pornography.
Today, 'Take Back the Night' rallies take place anywhere from small college campuses to major metropolitan areas; some events are even organized internationally. An event usually begins with a rally, then a candlelit march at night to show that women should not have to fear walking through the streets alone at night. 'Take Back the Night' can refer to violence against men and children, as well, but the term generally holds a connotation of being a feminist movement. In fact, men are often symbolically excluded from participating in events.
"M.R.S." Degree ... (Referenced by Mac to Veronica at the rally.)
Getting an "Mrs. Degree" is a common and clever euphemism for a girl going to college for the sole purpose of finding a husband. Although the term is used pretty much across the board for college-aged girls, the term is more often applied to girls who choose to attend so-called "Bible" (or religious) colleges, which are frequently nicknamed "bridal" colleges.
"How's tricks, kid?" ... (Referenced by Veronica when greeting Mac at the rally.)
"How's tricks" is a popular Irish greeting similar to the American greetings "What's up?" or "How's it going?" There are several schools of thought on the origin of the term/phrase. One of the most likely explanations has the use of the word 'tricks' in this context deriving from either the nautical 'trick' or the card game 'trick.' Conventional wisdom leans towards the nautical sense of the word meaning 'a turn of duty.'
The other school of thought traces the root of the word to its Latin origin, the verb tricari or tricae, meaning 'trifles or toys.' From at least the mid-16th century we have trick referring to 'a trinket, bauble, knick-knack.' Farmer's A Dictionary of Slang, published in 1890, lists as current "Western American" slang a sense of trick meaning 'belongings, things, baggage.' For a phrase that is equivalent to "How's things?," it's not too far-fetched to think that it may have been influenced by this use of the word.
The use of the phrase was also very popular in the States in the '40's and '50's, mainly in reference to gambling practices where a 'trick' is a round of cards or a roll of the dice. It was generally considered a vulgar greeting and was predominantly used by the card sharps, dice men and gangsters of that era. As Veronica Mars is a noir show, I would guess that this part of the phrase's history was one of the main reasons Rob Thomas included it in his script. It's precisely the kind of thing you can see someone like Philip Marlowe asking one of his acquaintances.
Other similar greetings coined by our Irish friends include "Howya?," "How'sa goin'?," "How's she cutting?" -- and my personal favorite, "What's the craic?"
Red Light District ... (Referenced as Mac's description of Parker.)
"Rooooxannne....you don't have to put on the red light. Those days are oh-va, you don't have to sell your body to the night!" It's sad how much I miss The Police.
A red-light district is a neighborhood where prostitution businesses flourish, so named for the practice of placing a red light in the window to indicate to customers the nature of the business. Some say the origin of the red light comes from the red lanterns carried by railway workers, which were left outside brothels when the workers entered, so that they could be quickly located for any needed train movement.
If you wanna accurately apply this to a VM character (Mac, I'm lookin' at you!), based on the events that occurred at the end of the episode, looks like Kendall's 'red light' was put out for good.
Union Jack flag ... (Referenced by Dick's speedo motif.)
The Union Flag (commonly known as the Union Jack) is the national flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Historically, the flag has been used throughout the former British Empire. It still retains an official or semi-official status in many Commonwealth Realms. The current design (which is used as the national Flag of the United Kingdom) dates from the Union of Ireland and Great Britain in 1801.
Shiv ... (Referenced by Cormac when he tells Keith the probable fate awaiting his brother Liam.)
A shiv is a slang term for a knife, or a makeshift knife-like weapon. They're usually made and used by inmates in prisons, out of any number of everyday items like a shard of glass with cloth wrapped around one end, a razorblade stuck in the end of a toothbrush, a sharpened spoon, or the like. A similar term is a "shank," which is a shiv made out of the metal shanks that used to be part of prison-issue boots. More information and photographs of various shivs can be found at this website. Was Cormac just too greedy to share the money with Kendall, or does he plan on using it to save Liam from certain death by ... spoons and hairbrushes?
Go Pro / College Experience ... (Referenced by Veronica and Logan sweaty ... in bed ... after sex.)
Some viewers may have interpreted Veronica's line that Logan should "go pro in that" to be implying that he should become a male prostitute to charge for his sexual skills. However, based on Logan's follow up line about enjoying the "college experience" and the following explanation about how the phrases are typically used in the world of sports, I think we can safely say that was not Veronica's intention nor should we take it that way.
Many high-profile college athletes in basketball and football decide to leave school early to enter the NBA or NFL drafts, respectively. Leading up to the entry deadlines for the professional drafts, there is typically much speculation around the sports world and especially among sports journalists about which athletes will be or should be "going pro." Some of these athletes will even hold press conferences to announce their decisions. The main reasons why an athlete might decide to leave school early are the money that he could earn by being drafted by a professional team, and, related to that, to avoid a possible injury in school that would prevent him from being drafted in the future were he to play another year in school.
An athlete might choose to stay in school because he has determined that he is not good enough to be drafted as high as he would like (or at all), and another year in school would increase his chances of a higher draft slot (which usually means more money). However, instead of admitting that they're not good enough to get drafted high, many will say that they have decided to finish school in order to graduate or to enjoy the college experience (hence Logan's response).
The "college experience" line was especially typical of high school seniors who decided to play in college instead of going straight to the pros (the NFL and now the NBA have age limits that make high school students ineligible for the drafts, although the MLB draft still accepts high school seniors). "Mass Exodus" by SI.com columnist John Walters uses both "go pro" and "going pro." In "Pro Baseball or Not?," football and baseball prospect Brent Brewer says, "I dont want to miss out on the college experience but if I want to play baseball down the road then going right into the minors right away is a possibility. Its probably going to come down to where Im drafted. I might go pro if Im ... drafted in the first two rounds.
Saturn ... (Referenced by Veronica and Piz's talk about her new car.)
Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun, named after the Roman god of the same name, whose Greek equivalent is Cronus, the father of Zeus. The planet is a gas giant, most recognized for its rings, which are composed primarily of ice particles and other debris and dust. It is the second largest planet, broaching a little over ninety-five times the mass of Earth. Saturn has a large number of moons, but they are for the most part indecipherable from the chunks of ice that make up the rings. The most notable of Saturn's moons is Titan.
Saturn the automobile, is a division of the American auto manufacturer General Motors. Production began in 1990, and the cars are marketed in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Both the name and the company logo are based on the planet. The Saturn dealership is well known for its company-wide "no haggle" sales policy, and retailers are encouraged to sell the cars at list price. Customer satisfaction with dealer service is one of the highest of any car brand in the US.
Veronica's new car, the Saturn Vue, is a compact SUV that is listed for less than $23,000.
Mars ... (Referenced by Veronica and Piz's talk about her new car.)
Mars is the fourth planet from the sun. It is named after the Roman god of war and is also called the "Red Planet" because of its reddish appearance. Mars is thought to be the only other planet in our solar system to potentially harbor liquid water and life. The highest mountain in the solar system, Olympus Mons, is found on the surface, along with the largest canyon, and polar ice caps. Mars has two moons called Phobos and Deimos, which are named after the sons of the Roman god Mars.
The reddish appearance of Mars' surface is caused by iron oxide (rust) and the planet has one-tenth the mass of Earth.
Neptune ... (Referenced by Veronica and Piz's talk about her new car.)
Neptune is the eighth and outermost (Sorry, Pluto) planet in our solar system. It is named after the Roman god of the sea. Neptune's atmosphere is composed of hydrogen and helium, with traces of methane which give the planet a vivid blue appearance. The planet is seventeen times the mass of Earth, and it has thirteen known moons, the largest of which is called Triton (heehee, see episode 1.12, Clash of the Tritons).
The planet is almost never visible from Earth. The next dates it is expected to be visible are April 11, 2009, July 17, 2009, and then, for the last time for the next 165 years, on February 7, 2010.
Uranus ... (Referenced by Veronica and Piz's talk about her new car.)
Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun and is named after the Greek god of the sky. William Herschel, who is credited with the planet's discovery, originally named the planet Georgium Sidus (George's Star) in honor of King George III, but the name was not recognized outside of Britain. After a series of alternative names were proposed, Johann Bode (a German astronomer known for his reformulation and popularization of the Titius-Bode law as well as his works to determine the orbit of Uranus) decided on Uranus -- an unfortunate decision which made the planet the butt of juvenile jokes about two hundred years later.
The planet is primarily gas and ice, with an atmosphere made up of hydrogen, helium, methane, and acetylene, and is about 14.5 times the size of Earth. It has twenty-seven known moons, the names of which are taken from the works of Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.
Mercury ... (Referenced by Veronica and Piz's talk about her new car.)
Mercury, the planet closest to the sun, is named after the Roman god of the same name who delivered messages between the deities. It is about half the size of Earth and has a surface similar to our moon. Sunlight on Mercury's surface is 6.5 times as intense as it is on the Earth's surface.
Mercury is also the name of an element, sometimes referred to as quicksilver, which is used in thermometers and barometers. It is a heavy, silvery metal that remains in liquid state at or near room temperature. The element is extremely sensitive to temperature and will expand and contract as the air around it heats up or cools down, making it a useful measure of temperature. Veronica's expression ("the mercury' rising"), also the name of a 1988 film starring Bruce Willis, just meant that it was getting hot outside.
Podcast ... (Referenced by the Junior taken in by the Welcome Wagon that Veronica interviews.)
Podcasting is a means of having rich media, such as audio and video files, automatically delivered to iPods and other portable media devices by way of subscribing to a podcasters feeds. Some think of podcasting as Internet TiVo, because you can save audio and video content and replay it at anytime. Podcasting has become so popular since its 2000 coinage that large companies now make use of it. However, it has always been a way for individuals to record and upload their own files for other Internet users to listen to or watch.
So how does podcasting work? Podcasters upload an audio file to a web server, usually in mp3 format. Then, they publish an RSS file (also known as a news or webfeed) that contains a name, description and URL of the audio file. RSS files are XML, or Extensible Markup Language, based. When multimedia files are sent from a server to a client, the client pulls down the XML files containing the URLs of the media files so that they may be accessed by others. The software clients use is known as an aggregator, or podcast receiver.
I-pod ... (Referenced by the Junior taken in by the Welcome Wagon that Veronica interviews.)
The iPod is a brand of handy-dandy portable media players designed and marketed by Apple Computer. The full-sized model stores media on an internal hard drive, while the smaller iPod nano and iPod shuffle use flash memory. Like many digital audio players, iPods can also serve as external data storage devices. Apple chose to focus its development on the iPod's simple user interface and its ease of use, rather than on technical capability.
As of 2006, the hip lineup consists of the 5th generation iPod that plays videos; the smaller, second generation iPod nano; and the display-less iPod shuffle. These models were updated in 2006.
Bichon Fris (Referenced by Parker to Veronica regarding Mac's cuteness.)
Translated as "curly lap dog" in French, the Bichon Fris is a popular breed of dog with white curly fur, dark eyes, black nose and lips and dropped ears thick with fur. They are roughly the size of a large housecat, standing nine to twelve inches tall and weighing between seven and eighteen pounds. Their fur requires careful, regular grooming to prevent matting, but since they don't shed, they are popular with people suffering from allergies. Their life expectancy is an average of twelve to fourteen years. Described as inquisitive, intelligent, friendly and energetic, the Bichons are also good lap dogs who make great family pets.
The Bichon Fris's origins can be traced back to the Mediterranean. Originally called Bichon Tenerife, they lived life as the lap dogs of French royalty. Until the Revolution, that is, when they were tossed out on the street and demoted to the role of circus dog. Today, in Norway, farmers are using the surprisingly hardy dogs for rounding up sheep.
The Odd Couple ... (Referenced by Parker to Veronica about her potential roommate worries.)
The Odd Couple is the story of two friends who try sharing an apartment, even though their ideas of housekeeping and lifestyles are as different as night and day. One is fanatically neat and one is extremely sloppy and although conflicts abound, they form a close long-lasting friendship. The Odd Couple movie was produced in 1968, starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. The television show, featuring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman, ran from 1970-1975. The Odd Couple has also been produced on Broadway.
Odd Couples certainly abound in Veronica Mars. From Parker and Mac to Piz and Wallace to Logan and Dick. Will there be kooky comedy? Long-lasting friendship? And is Veronica playing Murray the cop? (Hee -- note to self. Must stop casting citizens of Neptune in other roles.)
[America's Next] Top Model ... (Referenced by Parker to Veronica about how she and Mac spend Wednesday nights.)
America's Next Top Model is one of the increasingly numerous shows produced and featuring Tyra Banks. According to its official website it "gives real people an opportunity to prove that they can make it in the high-stress, high-stakes world of supermodeling. The series follows a group of young women of various backgrounds, shapes and sizes, who live together and vie for a modeling contract."
When both Top Model and our very own Veronica Mars aired on the now-defunct UPN network, in a bit of cross-show network promotion, three models from the series appeared on VM. Naima Mora played Miss Dumas in Normal is the Watchword, Kim Stolz was Stacy, the rental car clerk, in Rat Saw God and Furonda Brasfield played Beverly, Woody's secretary, in Plan B.
From left to right; Mora, Stolz, Brasfield
Colin Farrell ... (Referenced by poster belonging to Parker.)
Colin James Farrell was born in Castleknow, Dunlin on May 31, 1976. He attended Castleknow College where he played goalkeeper on the soccer team. He later attended The Gaiety School of Acting, dropping out when he was cast as "Danny Byrne" on Ballykissangel, a BBC television drama (1998-1999).
Noted performances include Tigerland (2000), Hart's War (2002), The Recruit (2003), Phonebooth (2003), Alexander (2004), and The New World (2005). Producers of the film A Home at the End of the World decided to cut Farrell's nude scene after early reviews suggested that it might distract the audience from the actual content of the film. The scene was later leaked to the internet. Aww, he and Lilly have something in common.
Farrell has a reputation of heavy drinking, chain smoking, and habitual use of profanity, but is described as a sweet, hard-working young man by people who know and work with him. In July 2005, his ex-girlfriend and Playboy Playmate Nicole Narian went public with a sex tape the two had made when they were a couple. Farrell was notably upset and attempted to get the tape back, but Narian refused to grant full ownership of the tape. Farrell took legal action against ICG (Internet Commerce Group) and Narian. And then, to really get back at her, he smashed her head in with an ashtray.
I may have made that last part up.
Farrell and Narian were able to reach a private settlement and the trial date for Farrell's lawsuit against ICG is set for July 21, 2006. See, Aaron? This is how people deal with their sex tape scandals in polite society. Colin Farrell is Class with a capital K. I think he and Lilly could have had a lot of fun together. You know, if she wasn't dead and stuff. Oh, and also fictional.
Munchkins ... (Referenced by Veronica to the three kids providing info at the club.)
Munchkins are the natives of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. They first appeared in the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which they are described as being somewhat short of stature, and wear only blue.
The following excerpt describes their first appearance:
As a result of the popularity of the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, the term "munchkin" has entered the English language as a reference to small children, dwarfs, or anything of diminutive stature.
Right Time of the Night (Referenced by Dick as he attempts to 'serenade' Parker, but wakes up Mac instead.)
This 1977 single by Jennifer Warnes was released by Arista Records on her self-named debut album. "Right Time of the Night" reached #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Singles and Easy Listening charts, as well as becoming a top 40 hit on the Country charts. Written by Pete McCann, the song has also been performed on albums released by Reba McEntire and John Travolta.
Lyrics:
A beard is generally a person whose sole purpose is to divert suspicion or attention from another. These days the term is generally used as gay slang for a female companion used to hide a gay man's sexuality by appearing in public as if she and the gay man were a heterosexual couple. To do this with a heterosexual woman without letting her know you are gay is generally considered poor form. (Jack McPhee, I'm talkin' to YOU.)
Poor Mac. Although I hope I'm wrong, it appears that she may have been Cassidy's beard in more ways than one. Was she there only to distract everyone from his involvement in the bus crash? Or did he also use her to distract his friends from his confusion over his sexual orientation? I'm not sure which version of the term Dick was using in his comment to Mac, but either way it was way harsh dude. WAY harsh.
Craigslist ... (Referenced by Veronica to Piz while discussing his case on the bench.)
Craigslist is a free online network of local classified ads and forums for finding jobs, housing, goods and services, community events, etc. Craig Newmark started the San Francisco Bay Area craigslist in 1999, and since then craigslists have been created for cities in all fifty states, and over fifty countries. Though craigslist is a for-profit service, it strives to maintain a non-corporate environment (hence why the site has kept its .org domain extension).
Hacky Sack ... (Referenced as Wallace and Piz play it as they 'bird watch.')
The object of Hacky Sack is to keep the aptly named footbag off the ground using only your feet. Good, flat shoes are key. The activity becomes more difficult once more players are added. There are several "kicks" that you can use to keep the footbag in the air. The Inside Kick is best for when the footbag is falling in front of you; just kick it with the inside of your shoe. For when the footbag is falling to your left or right, use the Outside Kick by raising the appropriate foot and kicking it with the outer side of your shoe.
Huntsville ... (Referenced by Cormac to Keith as he talks about his past.)
Huntsville Prison is the oldest prison in the state of Texas and houses the death chamber. The prison is located on 815 12th Street in Huntsville. Unlike other facilities in other states, death row is not located at the main prison. However death row for male inmates was located here for nearly forty years until 1965 when it was relocated to the nearby Ellis Unit. Escapes from the Ellis Unit led the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to relocate death row in 1999 to the Polunsky Unit, where it currently remains. The female death row is located at the Mountain View unit in Gatesville, Texas.
The Huntsville Unit is also known as the 'Walls Unit' for its large brick walls around the prison. The prison itself serves as a pre-release facility that all persons incarcerated must go to before they are released.
Texas ... (Referenced by Cormac to Keith as he talks about his past.)
Texas is a state in the South and Southwest regions of the United States. It joined the United States in 1845 as the 28th state, after nearly ten years as the Republic of Texas, an independent country. The state name derives from a word in a Caddoan language of the Hasinai, tysha (or tejas, as the Spaniards spelled it), meaning "those who are friends," friends or allies. Spanish explorers mistakenly applied the word to the people and their location.
With an area of 268,581 square miles (695,622 km) and a population of 22.5 million, Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous 48 states in area. (Alaska is the largest U.S. state in area and California is the most populous.) Texas has historically had a "larger than life" reputation, especially in cowboy films.
Other information on the state of Texas: The state flower is the bluebonnet, the state motto is "friendship," it is often referenced as "The Lone Star State" and the state bird is the mockingbird. A fun fact relating to Veronica Mars is that show creator, Rob Thomas, grew up in Texas. Also, before he created Veronica Mars, he was a high school teacher and journalism advisor for a high school in Texas.
Iraq ... (Referenced by Cormac to Keith as he talks about his past.)
The Republic of Iraq is a Middle Eastern country in southwestern Asia encompassing most of Mesopotamia as well as the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range and the eastern part of the Syrian Desert. It shares borders with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to the south, Jordan to the west, Syria to the northwest, Turkey to the north, and Iran (Persia) to the east. Baghdad is the nation's capital. There are several suggestions for the origin of the name of Iraq; one dates back to the Sumerian city of Uruk (or Erech). Another suggestion is that Iraq comes from the Aramaic language, meaning "the land along the banks of the rivers."
Iraq was first widely introduced into the casual discussion in the United States during The Gulf War (often referred to as "Desert Storm") in 1991. Since then, the U.S. has been in and out of various battles and skirmishes with leaders and factions of religion in the country. Today, the United States (as led by the Bush Administration) is at war with Iraq with over 2,000 U.S. soldiers having already lost their lives. As to why we are at war with Iraq -- you'll have to check with our President -- his reasons vary depending on how much truthful information has made its way to the public.
Operation Desert Storm ... (Referenced by Cormac when he tells Keith he served in it.)
Operation Desert Storm is one of several names for the conflict that occurred in 1990 and 1991 between Iraq and a coalition force of approximately 20 nations led by the U.S. and mandated by the U.N. in order to liberate Kuwait. Other names for this conflict included The Gulf War, The Persian Gulf War, or the First Gulf War.
The war began with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990, following Iraqi contentions that Kuwait was illegally slant-drilling petroleum across Iraq's border. The invasion was met with immediate economic sanctions by the U.N. against Iraq. Hostilities commenced in January 1991, resulting in a decisive victory for the coalition forces, which drove Iraqi forces out of Kuwait with minimal coalition deaths. The main battles were aerial and ground combat within Iraq, Kuwait, and bordering areas of Saudi Arabia. The war did not expand outside the immediate Iraq/Kuwait/Saudi border region, although Iraq fired missiles on Israeli cities.
Space Needle ... (Referenced by Veronica as she talks with her suspect at his house.)
The Space Needle is a landmark and symbol of Seattle, Washington. Found on the grounds of the Seattle Center, the tower was built for the 1962 World's Fair from a design by Victor Steinbrueck (then the tallest building west of the Mississippi River). It is 602 feet (60 stories) tall, 138 feet wide at its widest point, and weighs 9,550 tons. It was designed to withstand wind gusts of up to 150 mph and earthquakes of up to 9.5 magnitude, and has 25 lightning rods.
Left: Nighttime view of the Space Needle with
Downtown Seattle in the background. Right: View of
Downtown Seattle and Mount Rainier from the Space Needle.
During the fair the Space Needle's elevators carried 20,000 people a day to the top of the tower, seeing 2.3 million visitors in all during the Fair's run. The tower is now privately owned and features an observation deck (at 520 feet), the SkyCity restaurant (which rotates at a rate of 360 degrees every forty-seven minutes), and a gift shop.
The view from the top includes the Downtown Seattle skyline, the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier, and Elliott Bay and surrounding islands. The tower's elevators travel ten miles per hour and take forty-three seconds to reach the top. On December 31, 1999, the Legacy Light, or Skybeam, was unveiled, which shines skyward (at eighty-five million candle power) from the top of the Space Needle to honor national holidays and other special occasions.
Seattle ... (Referenced by Veronica as she talks with her suspect at his house.)
Seattle, Washington, founded in the 1850s and named after Chief Seattle (a leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish Native American tribes; he was a prominent figure among his people who became a Roman Catholic convert and pursued a path of accommodation to white settlers), is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.
Its official nickname is the Emerald City because of the lush evergreen trees in the surrounding area; it is also referred to as the Rainy City, the Gateway to Alaska, Queen City, and Jet City, due to the local influence of Boeing. Seattle residents are known as Seattleites. The city is known as the birthplace of grunge music, and it has a reputation for heavy coffee consumption (Starbucks is a locally founded coffee company).
Seattle's climate is mild, with the temperature moderated by the sea and protected from winds and storms by the mountains. Despite being partially in the rain shadow for the Olympic Mountains, the city of Seattle has a reputation for raining frequently. In actuality, the "rainy city" receives an unremarkable 38 inches of precipitation a year, less than most major Eastern Seaboard cities, such as New York City which averages 47.3 inches. Seattle's worldwide reputation for rain derives from the fact that it is cloudy an average of 226 days per year (versus 132 in New York City) and that most of its precipitation falls as drizzle or light rain. In other words, while it rains regularly, it usually doesn't rain very hard.
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch ... (Referenced by Dick when talking to Dee Dee in the Hearst cafeteria.)
Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch was a hip-hop group led by Mark Wahlberg. At the time, Marky was best known as the younger brother of New Kids On The Block bad boy Donnie Wahlberg. The members of "The Funky Bunch" (who, as I recall, were rarely seen -- and also not that funky) included Scott "Scottie Gee" Ross, Hector "the bootie inspector" Barros (I only wish I was kidding about that one), Duffy "Duffle" Culligan, Terry "DJ-T" Yancey and Anthony "Ashley Ace" Thomas.
Marky Mark became popular in the 1990's based on the success of the catchy (but oh-so-cheesy) track "Good Vibration." (C'mon, c'mon! Feel it, feel it!) And showing off his rock hard bod to the MTV crowd certainly didn't hurt. Dick's comparison makes sense because by all accounts, Marky did have quite a nice ass - he was chosen by Calvin Klein to drop his pants for a series of black and white billboard ads featuring Kate Moss, shot by none other than Herb Ritz.
Wahlberg solo CK ad and with Moss.
I don't know, Dick. You're pretty hot, but Marky (with or without the Funky Bunch) left some impressively tight, well-worn pants to fill.
"I'm a lover, not a fighter" ... (Referenced by Piz to Veronica in the Hearst cafeteria after the Dick/Angry Boyfriend/Logan contretemps.)
This is a song performed by the Kinks, an English rock group popular in the 1960s. Their first big single was "You Really Got Me," released on their 1964 self-titled album. "I'm a Lover, Not a Fighter" is also on this album, and here's a portion of their lyrics. Well I met a pretty girl, as pretty as can be
I thought she was my baby till she introduced to me
A great big tall fella, about six foot tall
I shivered and I shook, couldn't do any more
'Cause I'm a lover not a fighter
Yes, I'm a lover not a fighter
Yes, I'm a lover not a fighter
And I'm really built for speed
Built for speed
Built for speed
Whoa yeah
Well I can roar like a lion, I can sting like a bee
But some times I think, baby, I've got rabbit blood in me Hmmm ... speedy rabbits, huh Piz? Shes with Logan, kid. Fewer quickies, more longies.
Oliver Twist / Fagin ... (Referenced by Veronica when she tells Sacks about Fagan as the ringleader of boy thieves.)
Novel written by Charles Dickens (1812-1870) in 1839. Oliver Twist is an orphan in 1830's England whose mother died after he was born, and before she could tell anyone who she was. After spending several years in a workhouse where he was apprenticed to an undertaker before running away to London, Oliver falls in with a gang of pickpockets.
The leader of the young ruffians who comprise the gang is an old Jew named Fagin who provides an atmosphere that resembles the closest thing these kids have to a family. He uses their desperation to manipulate them into robbing and bringing him the profits -- of which the children get an extremely small cut. One of their wealthy targets turns out to be Oliver's grandfather.
The book was made into a musical, Oliver! which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1968. In the film version, Fagin was softened to a lovable, eccentric scamp and was so well-played by Ron Moody that all subsequent performances of the role in almost every venture based on Oliver Twist follows Moody's lead in the recreation of the role.
"Boom goes the dynamite!" ... (Referenced by Veronica to Piz after Fagan is caught.)
The phrase "boom goes the dynamite" was coined by Ball State freshman Brian Collins while preparing to compete in a Mario cards tournament, in which catchphrases were often used to mess with other competitors. Collins later agreed to fill-in as a sports anchor on a student-run TV newscast. His turn on camera, which you can watch here, went horribly wrong, and a frustrated (and no doubt humiliated) Collins resorted to using his original catchphrase during an Indiana Pacers highlight: "Later he gets the rebound, passes it to the man, shoots it ... and boom goes the dynamite."
He later told CBS' Hannah Storm, "I decided at least I'm going to have a little fun with this. I figured not too many people would see it. And I just threw it out there." He thought that would be the end of it, but the embarrassing clip soon hit the Web, where it spread like wildfire, rocketing his "boom goes the dynamite" catchphrase into pop culture prominence. It found its way not only all over the Internet, but also onto other sportscasts. Collins soon found himself making media appearances, including The Late Show with David Letterman and CBS' The Early Show.
Sara Lee ... (Referenced by Kendall's as her cake brand.)
According to the official Sara Lee website, Sara Lee Corporation is a global consumer products company with food, beverage, and household and body care businesses. With powerful brands, such as Ambi Pur, Ball Park, Douwe Egberts, Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean, Kiwi, Sanex, Senseo and its namesake, Sara Lee, the company has leading positions in numerous categories in the more than 180 markets in which it competes.
Based in Illinois, Sara Lee is also the brand name of a number of frozen and packaged foods, often known for the long-running slogan "Nobody doesn't like Sara Lee." This slogan has been in place since 1968.
The company traces its lineage to 1939, when Nathan Cummings acquired C.D. Kenny Company, a wholesale distributor of sugar, coffee and tea in Baltimore, and created Consolidated Foods Corporation. In 1956 the company bought a company known as "Kitchens of Sara Lee," which became one of the company's best-known brand names. In 1985 management adopted the brand name as the name of the corporation as a whole.
As of 2004, Sara Lee Corporation has operations in fifty-eight countries; sells food, clothing and household products in nearly two hundred nations; and has 150,000 employees worldwide.
Irish Coffee ... (Referenced by Veronica who is drunk courtesy of them.)
Irish coffee was invented in Foynes, a port town in the south-west of Ireland. In the 1930's and 1940's, many passenger flying boats arrived in Foynes after an eighteen hour flight from the United States. Joseph Sheridan, the chef at the terminal restaurant, developed the warm beverage for passengers that were cold and exhausted from the long journey. Irish coffee was introduced the United States in 1952 when Sheridan visited the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco, California.
"Magically delicious." ... (Referenced by Veronica who is drunk on Irish Coffee.)
One of General Mills most popular cereal brands, Lucky Charms features a cheery leprechaun as its mascot with the tagline, "Magically delicious." The yumm-ilicious frosted oats features varied color marshmallow bits. The first boxes of Lucky Charms contained them in the shapes of pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, and green clovers. The lineup changed in 1975 with the introduction of blue diamonds; purple horseshoes followed in 1984, joined by red balloons in 1989, balloons with stars in them in 1991, rainbows in 1992, pots of gold in 1994, and leprechaun hats in 1996.
Booyah ... (Referenced by Veronica to Mac about getting served alcohol.)
"Booyah!" is an exclamation used to show defiance or triumph in the face of adversity, usually in an athletic endeavor. The phrase is best known for its use by Stuart Scott of ESPN. Scott has been with ESPN since 1993 and is one of the most recognizable and popular SportsCenter anchors. "Booyah!" is his most famous catch phrase, along with "as cool as the other side of the pillow" and "call him butter, 'cause he was on a roll!" Sample usage: "The Boston Red Sox trailed the New York Yankees until 'Big Papi' David Ortiz stepped to the plate, and Booyah!, Big Papi was off the hook!"
- New credits and Jason Dohring is second! Woohoo!
- Speaking of the credits, if you look carefully and utilize your pause button, you'll see that the vertical slices that appear throughout the entire credits are actually slivers of the long shot of Logan and Veronica that appears near the end. Squee!
- Not only is the opening credits sequence different, but the font used for all of the guest star and closing credits has changed, too.
- Glory be, Veronica wore mostly, absolutely adorable outfits throughout the episode. Yes!
- There was no 'previously on' segment before the show. Presumably to avoid scaring away potential new viewers.
- Veronica is reading a photography magazine while in class. This is a nice clue to potential new viewers about her photography-loving ways in the first two seasons.
- Veronica raising her eyebrows as if "gotcha" at Foyle after Professor Landry and Foyle exchanged looks of 'she got it.'
- The show's first act began immediately following the opening credits, which is unusual since there is normally a commercial break at that time.
- Logan gives just the slightest quirk of a smile after Veronica (badly) impersonates Clint Eastwood. Hee.
- Veronica and Logan are sitting in the exact same position on the bench. Double hee.
- When Veronica and Logan kiss the first time, he makes an adorable kissing/smacking sound. It's cute.
- Vinnie continues his grand leaning entrances to the Mars Investigations offices.
- Keith looks totally adorable in the picture of him with Veronica at the Chrysler Building.
- Nice continuity and visual clues with the dorm room door message boards. When Veronica first arrives at Wallace's room, the board is already up, but with only Wallace's name on it. Later, when Veronica finds the 'bird watching' note, you can see that not only has Piz's name been added to the right side, but a little picture of a basketball has been drawn under Wallace's name. On the girls' side of things, Parker has her own board, bordered in pink, with little kisses, flowers and hearts all over it. And it says "Parker (heart)s you! (And there's a "what the frak" note, too!) Mac's name is written in black marker on a piece of masking tape stuck to the door.
- Wallace's dorm room decorations (before Piz arrives) include a no smoking sign, a bean bag and a door poster quoting the inventor of Fennel's sport of choice, basketball: "Be strong in body, clean in mind, lofty in ideals." - Dr. James Naismith
- Go Ryan! You can see Dick doing a cartwheel with the blow-up doll when he first appears in the background.
- After Veronica tells Logan not to go anywhere because she's going to spoon his brains out, Logan just has the happiest smile on his face as he watches her get up.
- How romantic ... there are candles on both sides of the bed.
- Hee! The dry way Keith told Veronica "as you're shaking Logan's hand goodnight." Double hee.
- The look on Veronica's face and smooth walkback as she caught the unwashed label on the bulletin board. Just a cool 'Veronica is awesome' moment.
- The headline at the club describing the musical entertainment that night: The Unwashed and The Perturbed. The Perturbed? Good one.
- Mac's "hey, I know that guy" when she sees Wallace outside the club. Hee! Followed by Veronica's quick explanation (as to why he and Piz were "our muscle") ... "Short notice." Double hee.
- The complete yet varied reaction of "what are you kidding?" from both Veronica and Mac about when Parker asked if Wallace and Piz were their "boyfriends." Mac's quick and decisive "no" and Veronica's headshake and smile like "as if."
- Parker's "woohoo" after Veronica said "that's so the spirit!" -- Parker (Julie Gonzalo) is so cute.
- Veronica looks like she has a splendiferous display of tattoos up and down and all over both arms in the club scene. I'm assuming this is a shirt ... an ugly, ugly shirt.
- Even Piz realizes his hair needs a-fixin'. In the scene where he's sitting on the bench waiting for Veronica, he nervously messes with his hair. In the end, it only makes it worse. (Yeah, I didn't think it was possible, either, but there it is.)
- Veronica's new car has the same license plate (#6BLA504) as the LeBaron.
- Sacks' look back at Lamb's office door, when Veronica asks for his help. New viewers may not have realized who Sacks was looking out for, but the rest of us sure did.
- As Dick is playing his "dumb" act (I know, Dick playing at being dumb?) outside Mac and Parker's dorm room, when he stops the longest before leaving, the poster on the wall next to him reads "Surf Club." How apropo.
- There was some hacky sack silliness going on, first Piz kicks it and hits Wallace's chest without him even noticing. Then Wallace kicks it to Piz and has the nerve to give the "what's up with that" gesture when Piz isn't paying attention. Hee!
- When Mac is playing sidekick to Veronica in getting Foyle out of his office, he asks who she is and Mac just ignores him quite smoothly. Ooh, Wallace, you gots you some competition in the role of sidekick!
- The campus food court has a Juice It Up! Yum! You can see part of the sign behind Veronica and then Piz when he shows up. A video tour of this and other new college sets built for the third season can be found at the official Veronica Mars MySpace page here.
- Yet again, Logan can't keep both his feet on the ground. When the food court scene first begins, you can see that Logan's left leg is bent, with his foot on the chair instead of the floor.
- Aww, Logan and Veronica are drinking the same type of beverage (Fizzy Lizzy).
- First Logan referenced the Jennifer Warnes / Bill Medley song "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" in Plan B and now his BFF Dick is quoting another Jennifer Warnes song, "Right Time of the Night." They're music BFFs, too!
- Squee! Logan and Veronica are holding hands just about the entire time Dick is hitting on Dee Dee.
- After Logan tasered the dude who knocked Dick down some, you could hear someone in the background say something about a "stun gun."
- Product placement alert! Veronica and Piz are drinking Ty Nant Natural Mineral Water, as they sit back and watch the bad guy get served some justice.
- Awesome new spectator sport Veronica's started. Bad guy being arrested? Just pull up some lawn chairs and beverages and enjoy. (But where's the popcorn, V?)
- In a brief bit of foreshadowing, when Keith leaves the cabin, he hesitates due to the cold, but decides to not go back in for his jacket. Bad call, Keith. Bad call.
- I love Keith, but damn, that was some REALLY dorky running there to and from the cabin.
- There was no toothpaste on the toothbrush and Logan just casually threw the toothbrush on the couch. So, weird and ... eww!
- Logan in boxers, rrowr!
- Boy, the Neptune Grand suite is MUCH bigger now and it has a balcony and a fireplace! (Still wish they'd just spent the moolah on a new set. Seriously, that suite has got to have some of the worst mojo in the world!)
- Dick and Logan share a soulful hug when Dick turns to Logan because he has no one else. Yes, yes, it was (supposedly) in friendship and Dick is a mess, but come on ... it's Logan ... and Dick! Logan and DICK!!!
- Regarding James Jordan (Lucky/Tim Foyle) -- If Rob Thomas found it so necessary to reuse the same actor, would it have pained him that much to get a wig for the guy that did not look as glaringly fake as Tim Foyle's did?
- How is it that any resident of Neptune, especially a Criminology professor, isn't familiar with the one and only Veronica Mars -- a girl involved in two of the most high profile crimes in Neptune history?
- What other classes is Veronica taking besides Criminology?
- Why did Veronica offer to walk Logan to class (carrying his books) and then ... not walk him to class, but instead they just walked for about, oh, two minutes worth of dialogue? Nevermind, that answers the question.
- Why does Liam Fitzpatrick think he's entitled to a portion of Kendall's money? For that matter, why do Kendall and Cormac think that Liam is entitled to a percentage?
- Since this is clearly not the first time that Logan and Veronica have "consummated" their relationship, when did the blessed event occur?
- Does Mac know that Beaver raped Veronica? And perhaps even more importantly, does Keith now know the truth?
- How is Logan coping with Aaron's demise? Did he inherit the entire Echolls' fortune, or is he splitting it with Trina?
- Can someone just walk up on stage and become an emcee whenever they want in clubs across America?
- Why did Wallace and Piz tack the "Gone Bird Watching" sign to their board instead of just writing it there?
- Is Dick being set up as a red herring rapist for the audience? We saw him outside Parker's door, establishing that he knew her. Plus, he told Logan "I messed up bad."
- Hmm, if the hotel key was a bonus birthday gift, what was the actual birthday gift?
- Why would Vinnie put a bug in the bag in a pen that has his agency written on it? Yes, he's not as sharp as Keith is, but come on, that's a bit much.
- Is Kendall really dead? After all, not only did we not see her shot, we didn't hear her cry out, her body falling or anything.
- If Kendall is indeed dead, why do so many deaths on Veronica Mars occur off-camera?
- If Kendall isn't really dead, is the plan to set up Keith for her murder while throwing Liam off the scent? And if so, is it just Cormac's idea or is Kendall in on it? (The Keith/Kendall shipper in me sure hopes not!)
- Why would Logan wish to remain in a hotel where his father was murdered and his friend committed suicide? And doesnt Veronica feel a wee bit icky having sex with Logan in the same hotel room she hooked up with the Donut?
- I get that Dick is a mess, but what exactly did he do to make his hair look like THAT?!?
- Did the rapist take note of Veronica's voice when she entered the room? If so, will he recognize it and her later?
- This is the second time that Logan has pointed out that Veronica is the 'man' of the relationship. The first being in I Am God, when he snarked about her being "too much man" for him.
- Nice continuity of Dick's sexual fantasies (and yes, I just felt a little ill writing that). He got Kendall a French maid uniform in season two, and the blow up doll he's upchucking the boogie with is also wearing a French maid uniform.
- This is Wallace's third involvement with a hacky sack scene. First, in Drinking the Kool-Aid, he notices Veronica watching Casey play and he calls it "the final arena of unquestioned white domination." Next, in Driver Ed, he interrogates the hacky sack players while trying to find Jackie's hit and run driver. And now in this episode he's playing his own lackluster game of the "white man's sport."
- Veronica handed yet another bust to Sacks. Although, sadly, this time without the use of duct tape. (See Arturo in Versatile Toppings.)
- Ah, the tracker/bug-disguised-as-pen trick is used once again. First, Vinnie caught Veronica's attempt to bug him with a Mars Investigations pen in Kanes & Abel's. (Of course, she meant for him to catch on.) Then, in Donut Run, Veronica catches Vinnie dropping a Sugar's Cabaret Invitational Long Ball Championship pen in her bag. Poor duped Keith. In his defense, Veronica and Vinnie knew the other was up to something, so they were already on their guard.
- Director John Kretchmer directed this episode and the following, My Big Fat Greek Rush Week at the same time.
- Logan's line "Dick, my BFF" was originally worded as "My BFF Dick," but the network's new Standards & Practices department sent Rob Thomas a note saying it needed to be cut because of "what the audience could interpret that to mean." This is per Rob Thomas at the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con veronica Mars panel.
- New regular Stosh 'Piz' Piznarski is named after the director of the Pilot, Mark Piznarski.
duchessjms (Jayne): Literature; Social Science
genova (Cara): Extra Credit; Literature; Social Science
holly96 (Holly): Yearbook; Literature; Social Science; Homeroom
Iloveyoubearymuch (Kathryn): Philosophy; Homeroom
JenniferH: Report Card; Drama Club; Chemistry; Band Class (Scene Description); Social Science; Homeroom; Pep Squad Practice; Philosophy; Principles of Democracy; Extra Curricular Activities
Pixigal (Gerrie): Drama Class; Social Science
PolarTruckin (Belinda) Band Class (Song Identifier)
sawmg (Shannon): Social Science
SeluciaV (Alli) Journalism; Literature, Social Science
Tar Frimmer (Joanne) Study Hall; Band Class (Song Identifier); Literature; Social Science; Homeroom; Philosophy; Extra Curricular Activities
Original Air Date: October 03, 2006
Written by: Rob Thomas
Directed by: John Kretchmer
Staff Grade: B
Membership Grade: B (55% - 94 votes)
A new season begins and while Welcome Wagon isn't the knock 'em out of the park excellence of the Pilot, it definitely hits the spot much better than the season two premiere. Introducing new characters with smooth transition, while explaining the placement of current characters as well as give potential new viewers a rundown on what's going on in Neptune, Rob Thomas and co. have a lot to do. They don't quite succeed -- Wallace is pretty much left out in the cold and one would be hard-pressed to call him Veronica's BFF over Mac, the Logan/Veronica relationship is about as white-washed as possible -- but then, they don't fail either.
We do get a good feel for one of the new characters (too good a feel considering he came across as the secondary lead in terms of airtime and interaction with the lead), all of the characters have some great moments and all of the relationships we love (but for, sniff sniff, Wallace and Veronica) have some 'and that's why we love 'em' moments. Unfortunately, two of the credited cast don't show up at all (Francis Capra and Michael Muhney), but their lack isn't glaring and doesn't hinder the action. As already stated Wallace is barely used and Logan isn't all that material either.
Still, there was a lot to accomplish and Thomas put his eggs in as many baskets as he could, in what priority he felt was important to re-introducing the show. All in all it wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either ... it was just good. And good ain't bad.
Starring
Kristen Bell Veronica Mars
Jason Dohring Logan Echolls
Enrico Colantoni Keith Mars
Percy Daggs III Wallace Fennel
Ryan Hansen - Dick Casablancas
Julie Gonzalo - Parker Lee
Chris Lowell Stosh "Piz" Piznarski
Tina Majorino - Cindy 'Mac' Mackenzie
Michael Muhney - Sheriff Don Lamb *
Francis Capra Eli 'Weevil' Navarro *
* Credited cast not appearing in this episode.
Recurring Guest Stars (Previous Episode Appearances)
Charisma Carpenter - Kendall Casablancas
Brandon Hillock - Deputy Sacks
Ken Marino - Vinnie Van Lowe
Guest Stars
Jesse Fremont Allis - Rat Boy
Jason Beghe - Cormac Fitzpatrick
Patrick Fabian - Professor Hank Landry
Cher Ferreyra - Fern
Josh Harto - Donald Fagan
James Jordan - Tim Foyle
Andrew McClain - Moe Slater
Tanya Michelle - Nancy Cooper
Who's Who in Neptune
Stosh "Piz" Piznarski - Wallace's new roommate, goes by the nickname "Piz." From Beaverton, outside of Portland, Oregon. Plays the guitar and lacrosse. The character is named after Mark Piznarski, who directed the Pilot and Credit Where Credit's Due.
Parker Lee - Mac's free-spirited, outgoing roommate. From Denver, Colorado.
Professor Hank Landry - Veronica's criminology professor at Hearst. Also teaches an upper-level profiling course and has written a book on the subject.
Tim Foyle - Prof. Landry's T.A., previously held the record for solving the class's introductory mystery. Runs the mentoring program.
Moe - Wallace's and Piz's R.A. Loves classical music, tea, and Battlestar Galactica.
Cormac Fitzpatrick - Brother of Liam Fitzpatrick, just released from prison. Had a relationship with Kendall Casablancas.
Donald Fagan - Student who put Piz's guitar up for sale on Craigslist, also a student mentor.
Rat Boy - Teenager with a wicked Boston accent who, along with two of his friends, approaches Veronica at the club.
Fern - Female student who kneed Dick after he crashed the Take Back the Night rally.
Nancy Cooper - Student and rape survivor who was leading the Take Back the Night rally.
Hey! It's That Guy/Girl
Patrick Fabian (Professor Landry) - Probably best known for his role as Professor Jeremiah Lasky on Saved by the Bell: The College Years, on which his character had a fling with Kelly Kapowski. More recently he was a recurring character on Joan of Arcadia, playing the jerk of a vice-principal, Gavin Price. Patrick has also had guest roles on many other television shows over the years, including Everwood, Friends, 24 and more. You can find clips of most of his work at his Official Website.
James Jordan (Tim Foyle) - If he looks familiar, it's probably because you've seen him before. On the same show. Yes, James Jordan played Lucky in three episodes last year (season two appearances).
Opening Night at Hearst
To me the premiere of a new season of Veronica Mars closely parallels opening night of a new show. All the breathless anticipation pervading the backstage. The nervousness as you wait for the reviews, the endless rehashing of what happens onstage in "after the show" parties. And as the curtain rose for Welcome Wagon, I opened my program, noted the cast, and hoped for that sense of magic that pervades every successful production. Was it there? Did we get it?
Acting wise it was a bit of a mixed bag. Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring delivered their usual good acting jobs with touches of greatness. Bell was full of sass and snark as she plunged into the college life. Dohrings performance, although overlaid by an undertone of sadness which hinted at dark times ahead, was overall sincere, sweet, and earnest. Both actors shone in the key scene, speaking volumes with their eyes and body language. However the acting bouquets in Welcome Wagon go to a pair of supporting players who delivered stand out performances that left strong impressions on the viewer and excitement for the future.
Unfortunately, we weren't given the opportunity to see Enrico Colantoni shine beyond his first two scenes with Ken Marino's wonderful Vinnie Van Lowe, and then his daddy-daughter scene with Veronica. The rest of his story was, by far, the weakest part of the episode and failed to highlight Colantoni in any way.
Tina Majorino delivered every line with a hint of hurt and bitterness that left no doubt that last seasons arc had strongly affected her. And in a commanding performance that showed unexpected depth for his character Dick, Ryan Hansen dazzled. Whether he was dancing in his speedos, angrily dissing Mac or drunkenly hitting on collegiates, Hansen was a one man show. His broken breakdown with Dohring at the end of the episode was heartwrenching. Well done.
And the new kids on the block? How did they do? Julie Gonzalo was terrific as perky, enthusiastic Parker and nailed her agonized breakdown in the final moments. Chris Lowell did okay, although he went in and out of character and struggled to find his rhythm and pacing in his first meeting with Wallace. However, he did manage to convey an impression of a naive, infatuated Freshman clearly playing the underdog romantic rival role and serving as the voice of exposition. A special shoutout to both Lowell and Percy Daggs III for a superb job during the hacky sack/sunbathing scene.
So a nice opening episode, but like many theatrical opening nights, there were some technical problems and the characters havent quite settled into their roles yet. Hopefully, things will only improve.
As I did for the premiere of season two, I'm writing up an overview since real time has passed between seasons. Obviously, I'm happy that Logan and Veronica are a couple. What I'm not particularly thrilled with is the fact that not only was so much about the reality of these two having a relationship glossed over, but this episode appeared to do its damndest to excise the chemistry of Jason Dohring and Kristen Bell. Logan and Veronicas relationship was presented as an average high-school romance continuing on through college and that is sooooo not Logan and Veronica. At all. In any way, shape or form.
Furthermore, Rob Thomas introduced a new character whose main purpose was to provide the point of a clearly-set-up triangle ... and Thomas put him in Duncan's clothes no less. Sheesh. As a way of presenting Logan/Veronica to potential new viewers, well, Welcome Wagon didn't hit it. Without knowing their history I'm not sure how any new viewer would be pulled in by the moments that did matter to their current fans. In addition, the largest part of the episode was spent on building up a relationship between Veronica and new guy (while working on the mystery of the week) who was cast in yearning, adoring puppy-dog mode.
Because of how quickly Logan and Veronica were rushed into a relationship in the finale last season with about zero actual build-up to reconciliation, we weren't given the opportunity to see them move forward together. The fact that the working out the grooves of their relationship -- including heading into a sexual arena -- was completely glossed over here as well doesn't leave me hopeful that Thomas will do all that much better by LoVe fans in season three than he did last season. I'd like to be proven wrong. I really and truly would.
I'm not holding my breath.
In the following write-up, you'll clearly see that I'm analyzing this as a fan of the pairing. I'm looking at their scenes, their interaction through those eyes and not through the vision of a potential new viewer because, frankly, if I were to do that, I would cry. The new guy was not presented as an obstacle in Logan and Veronica's relationship. Logan was presented as an obstacle in a potential relationship between Veronica and the new guy. Sigh. With that said, I'm going to ignore the depth of those scenes and what it means or doesn't mean for Logan and Veronica and instead focus on just the LoVe scenes, those moments both great and not so great ... and ignore the story around them.
Scene One: Butch Mars and the Echolls Kid
An observation was made that this first scene likely started out with Logan sitting on the bench alone with Veronica coming up and mirroring his position before launching into her Clint Eastwood impression. That is certainly possible. Take note of the little quirk of a smile that lifts Logan's lips once she speaks, a smile that played as if in acknowledgement of her arrival. I'm going with that as how it was intended because, really, it doesn't make much sense otherwise. They're sitting there, exactly alike, and Veronica randomly starts quoting The Outlaw Josey Wales in a very bad Clint Eastwood impersonation? Yeah, doesn't fly. So if we take it that Logan was sitting by his lonesome and his girlfriend -- excuse me ...
Ahem. So if we take it that Logan was sitting by his lonesome and his girlfriend came up, copied his position and quoted one of his celluloid heroes (I think we can presume this by the fact that he encouraged the Eastwood marathon), their first twenty seconds of their first scene of the season is awesomely adorable. My only complaint is that I wish that the director, John Kretchmer, had made it clear that Logan was alone, had given us a shot of him sitting there by himself, moved in on a close-up ... and then had Veronica ask, "You a bounty hunter, boy?" before pulling back to show her sitting exactly like him. I think if the scene had opened like that much of the commentary that there was awkwardness to the scene wouldn't have come up. Because they were cute, extremely cute. Still, even that explanation doesn't quite take away all of the awkwardness which on first glance I was willing to blame solely on direction and acting, but on rewatch, I don't think that it was the actors at all. I do believe that both Bell and Dohring did a great job with what they were given via script and direction.
The direction I've already discussed, but the script by Rob Thomas had problems as well. Logan calling his girlfriend butch in the introduction of the two as a couple? Not cool. Logan calling himself stupid in response to how he handles their relationship in the first introduction of the two as a couple? Again, so not cool. And, oy vey, that moment where the two went from walking to Logan suddenly stopping and talking about Beaver was just too abrupt and felt like something was cut, some transition was sitting alone and forgotten in the editing room. Like the direction, the dialogue in this scene wasn't natural at all, which left the excellence of our actors. And I do believe that both Bell and Dohring did with it what they could (thus the cuteness and goodness that WAS there). Frankly, I give them all of the credit for anything positive in this scene because Kretchmer and Thomas? Didn't do them or LoVe justice.
But enough of the negative, let's talk about the cute and the good that was there ... because it was indeed there. Veronica copying him, quoting lines from a (doubtless) favorite movie to him, Logan acknowledging that she so totally wears the pants in the relationship with an adorable scrunch to his face, Veronica taking it all in stride because she knows she wears the pants. And then that lean-to-kiss. *Sigh* I know that some were bothered by the distance, I get that and I can appreciate that, but I loved how it played out. I saw it as they were sitting far apart because of Veronica's little act to get Logan to smile (more on that later), were about to stand up and neither wanted to wait the few seconds it would take to stand up and so kissed before rising. It was cute. I liked. A Lot.
Another thing I liked was something that came to light during the rest of the scene. Logan is not in the happiest place ever (but really, have we ever seen him there? Sigh, poor, woobie Logan!). There is a weight of sadness that is hanging over him because of what happened with Beaver (I so refuse to give him the dignity of using his real name and I'm a tad annoyed that Veronica did so; that little psycho raped her, killed a busload of people, humiliated Mac and took obscene pleasure in torturing Veronica physically, mentally and emotionally on that roof), what is happening with Dick, his truly orphaned status (not that there is any mention of that). Bottom-line, dude is not a very happy camper right now despite having the girl. And so after their discussion about Beaver and Dick and knowing he's sad, if we go back to the first twenty seconds, that sorrow is obvious in those moments as well. What also is obvious is that Veronica was deliberately trying (and succeeding) in making her boyfriend -- excuse me ...
Ahem. What also is obvious is that Veronica was deliberately trying (and succeeding) in making her boyfriend smile, giving him a light, happy moment. Seeing Veronica actually do something so specifically for Logan, something that would have required her to think of something to do to make him smile shows a lovely commitment to him that we've never been given the opportunity to witness. Or I could be starting on LoVe Fanwanking 101 early this season. Take your pick.
As for the rest of the scene, not much there blatantly in terms of LoVe or their relationship. However, we do have the fact that Veronica is talking to Logan about stuff that's important to him (i.e., his BFF Dick) and she is listening to him, providing an outlet. Yet another sign that she does have an investment in this relationship ... yet another thing we never saw from Veronica in regards to Logan before. And that's good. The little peck wherein they more kissed air than each other's lips not as good, but, hey, we got the cute bench-kissage earlier. I won't grumble ... too much. Especially because as Logan walked away, Veronica looked after him in concern. Not down, not away from him, but her eyes following him so that the emotion on her face was for Logan and not because of Logan. Another show of investment.
Suffice it to say that for the first LoVe scene back from the break and introducing them as a full-fledged couple to old and new viewers alike, it wasn't great, it could have been a lot better, but it wasn't bad and it had some adorable moments, two kisses, Veronica showing investment in the relationship and a Logan face scrunch.
It'll do, Rob. It'll do.
Scene Two: Post-Coitus, Spooning and Forwarded Calls
While I would love for my write-up for this scene to be all giddy, giddy, happy, happy, joy, joy, alas it is not. Yes, yes, Logan and Veronica are having sex. Yay. But, but, we were left with only our imagination, and, yes, while our imagination can provide a helluva lot more than can television (especially of the R-rated -- and beyond -- variety), we should still get something, anything. Like in the final scene of Not Pictured, we weren't given all of the pieces of the story ... the fun parts. First we didn't actually see them get back together in season two, and now we are denied the events, discussion or spontaneity leading up to their first time having sex. Is it voyeuristic? Damn straight -- but hello, this is a television show, that's kinda the point. We like to watch.
Viewers deal with all of the angst, all of the downs so that we can enjoy the fluff, the ups and yet Rob Thomas seems determined to deny us that half of the equation. Yeah, yeah, it's great that they're at a point where they are having sex, but what about the fact that she found out she was raped by Beaver
Remember how most HATED the Pieta shot in Normal is the Watchword because of the awkwardness and that only after the switched places of Logan and Veronica appeared in Not Pictured did people love it? That would be John Kretchmer's direction. In fact, going back to my review of the Logan/Veronica moments for Normal is the Watchword (written by Thomas/directed by Kretchmer) I wrote this about the X-Terra makeout/machine-gun-rampage scene:
Quote:And whaddya know? The same thing happened here ... IN A SCENE WHERE THEY ARE NAKED IN BED NO LESS!!!! For whatever reason, Thomas and Kretchmer both chose to not only not sell the chemistry these two have, but to extinguish it. Maybe the point in Normal is the Watchword was to contrast the Dohring/Bell chemistry with the Bell/Dunn lack as little as possible. Perhaps that's the same case here: Downplay the Dohring/Bell chemistry so that viewers, especially new viewers, take note of any potential Bell/Chris Lowell chemistry. Why that would be a priority, I have no clue other than my old standby that Thomas wants viewers to ship Veronica with someone other than Logan. Sigh. Who knows? All I know is that Thomas and Kretchmer succeeded swimmingly in the 'downplay the chemistry' department. Oh, hell, maybe we can add Kristen Bell's name to the list with Veronica barely touching Logan and wanting to get out of that bed ASAP. Bell has made it crystal-clear that she is against the pairing of Logan and Veronica, and perhaps those feelings crept into the portrayal of the Logan/Veronica scenes. Sigh. For whatever reason, the highly-touted sweaty bed scene was pretty much a bust. There were three reasons, however, that it wasn't a complete bust.
We actually have a similar scene from season one to compare this one to. In Meet John Smith, Veronica had a making-out-in-a-car fantasy, and it was about 20,000 times hotter in terms of direction, execution and action (definitely, not in terms of chemistry with the guy). I mean, really, that scene was S-T-E-A-M-Y in the execution. This one, in comparison, is just sad. In this scene, the sexual heat and steam were barely non-existent. Maybe the show was just going for romance, but the steam should have been there as well, I think.
Now, of course, I'm not saying that it's because Jason Dohring and Kristen Bell are incapable of generating that heat (I mean, we saw plenty evidence of their heat-generating abilities with one another onscreen last season), but the direction of this scene did its damndest to deny them that capability. Their lips were fused together for, oh, about three seconds upon lying down and two seconds later both were kissing the side of the other's mouth, and then we got motorcycles revving and then the gunfire. There was no necking, there was no making-out, there was no French-kissing, there was no open-mouth kissing. Damnit!
It was about as asexual as a scene like that could possibly be. I don't know, maybe the idea was that if they actually played fair with their chemistry, it would contrast too sharply with Bell and Teddy Dunn's lack. I don't know. I just know that the execution of the sexual element of this scene actually seemed to be done in such a way as to dampen the sexual heat between these two as much as possible. Double sigh. And double damnit!
Number one was the fact that Jason Dohring was not wearing a shirt. That? Always a good thing. The second reason was much less shallow. When Veronica threatened that she was going to spoon Logan's brains out, it worked on a couple of levels. First of all, it was cute and showed a spark of the girl that she was before all of the madness happened which brought to my mind the fact that we know that Logan had a small crush on that girl (ala The Wrath of Con truth or dare flashback). That somewhat girly-girl innocence of Veronica paired with the bad-ass detective miss of a threatening spooning was a lovely contradiction. In addition, it brought back a quick flash to Logan's snarky line in the hallway scene from Driver Ed.
- Logan: FYI, if the cuddling is the best part, he didn't do it right.
Finally, the fact that Logan and Veronica are having sex would be reason number three. Logan. Veronica. Having sex. Yay.
Now remember above when I mentioned this write-up would include the good and the bad? Well, above was the (mostly) bad ... all the rest is good. Admittedly, I appear to be the only person on the planet who found good with one particular aspect coming up very soon. But before we get to that, let's glory in Logan's unabashedly happy smile a bit longer after Veronica makes her spooning comment. That boy just looks so, so in love. *Sigh* Which brings us to that particular voice-over that upset just about every viewer but me mostly because it told just about every viewer but me that while the boy is so, so in love, the girl is ... not so much.
That is the gist of what most people got from Veronica's voiceover:
- Veronica Mars Voiceover: Okay, Veronica, aren't you the girl who laughed at those idiots who tried to take their high school romances to college with them?
Nothing prior to this voiceover indicated that Logan and Veronica had a long-term relationship of any kind. They could have met just that summer and only begun dating in the past couple of months for all earlier scenes had explained. This was Thomas's way, albeit a very clunky way, of letting viewers know these two have been together a long time, throughout high school. This isn't a recent summer fling. No, it doesn't even remotely offer a glimpse into the complexity of their relationship, but I think (hope) that's going to come. The point was to say that there is a depth to this relationship; the inference from Veronica's line from people who don't know the history of the show would be that this guy has been HER guy for a long time which infers not some casual relationship. And I think that that alone was the motivation for the line.
There is nothing there that I can see that says I want to dump my boyfriend from high school now that I'm in college. I read it as Veronica saying that while she used to make fun of girls who did that, hello! look at HER boyfriend and now, she totally gets EXACTLY why "those idiots" do that. I know, I know, I am so in the minority in this, but I just can't read the line any other way. I didn't read it as her questioning moving onto college with Logan, but understanding WHY anyone would move onto college with their boyfriend if their boyfriend is anything like Logan.
Just me still? Okay, moving on.
We then got to the best part of this scene: The phone call from Keith. Yes. The best part of the first 'Logan and Veronica are having sex' scene is a phone call from her father. Go figure. It was just too cute and filled with the schmoopy goodness that we love in LoVe scenes. Veronica running out to stop him, Logan answering just as he realizes he shouldn't. His quick and breezy response to her explanation -- "We need to work on our communication" -- which may or may not hint at future problems, was just too cute as he handed her the phone. And then the bestest part of the best part was Logan almost curling around her, not quite kissing her shoulders, making his presence very known as she's lying to her father about exactly where she is and what she and Logan are doing. It was just so cute, so sweet and his smile was so happy and they were so adorable and it was the first, complete, unadulterated this is WHY we love LoVe moment in the whole episode. It was just ... aaaahhh!! Love.
Scene Three: Simply Nice is Simply Wonderful
Because I know so many loved this scene unabashedly (and, honestly, so did I for the very most part), I'm going to take a page from my analysis for the final scene in Not Pictured and offer readers the opportunity to just skip the sole negative aspect of Logan and Veronica's final scene. Simply click here and you will be transported past the Negative Nellie that demanded she come out to play for at least a little bit.
If you've been reading my chemistry section regularly you know that I generally like to end on happy notes (if they can be found). In order to do that, I begin with the not-so-happy that struck me while watching any LoVe scenes and try and get those out of the way first. In this case, it's fairly easy because there was a heckuva lot to just love, love, love about this scene and very little to, well, not. So, let's just get that out of the way and before I start I want to note that while every chemistry update is entirely subjective, this one may be considered more subjective than most because it has to do with an acting choice. Read on.
As wonderful as this last scene featuring Logan and Veronica is, there is one thing that mars (heehee) its splendor. And that thing can be attributed to a single factor. Surprisingly (in light of the rest of the episode) it's not the script by Rob Thomas -- which actually calls for some of the sweetest Love interaction we've seen yet, or direction by John Kretchmer. The fault can be laid at one person's feet. And that person would be Kristen Bell. As stated above, the script called for a sweetness tinged with a vulnerability that clearly showed the strong feelings that both Logan and Veronica have for one another. Jason Dohring played that perfectly. Was there any doubt in any viewer's mind that Logan remains head over heels for Veronica? Of course not. Yes, yes, he had the dialogue that pretty much said as much. That's Logan; he uses his words to wound and to woo (both to devastating effect). Of course he would have the words. However, it was more than the words; it was how he said them, his body language, the way he looked at her ... his smile, his eyes shining with love. Everything about him and from him radiated love for this girl.
With Veronica it's a different story. All Bell had to play with (as is usually the case) was her body language because Veronica doesn't use sweet words when it comes to heartfelt emotion. Instead, she employs gentle sarcasm or doesn't say a word. No, her feelings are revealed through her body language, the play of emotions upon her face, in her eyes. Throughout the series' run (especially in the first season), Bell has been a master at this, saying more nonverbally than many an actor could with a page-long monologue. In this scene, in the moment when Logan opened up yet again, Veronica gave a swift smile and then ... ducked her head. Her hair fell forward, covering her face and we couldn't see her expression, any play of emotion.
I'll play Devil's advocate to myself for a moment. Perhaps the intention was to show that Veronica was uncomfortable with Logan's devotion to her. That is certainly the impression that many viewers received from Bell's acting choice. However, taking in her dialogue, the reaction to the key, the hand-holding, kissing, as well as Logan's "What, no quip?" comment which read not as a hurt query, but rather affectionate teasing, it's difficult to see how the intention was that Veronica didn't feel the same as Logan. Except it came across that way because Kristen Bell chose to play it that way by denying us the beauty of her expressive face.
Sigh.
Hey, at least it was merely a few moments in an otherwise wonderfully scripted, directed and acted scene. Yes, I'll reiterate on the acting because Dohring was spot-on in his portrayal of an adoring Logan as detailed earlier and everything before and after the quipless moment showed Bell just as on target. And this takes us to the good parts. Woohoo!
One of the things that the LoVe fandom wanted to see was Logan and Veronica just being a couple. Yes, the big moments are nice (or, ahem, would be if we actually got them beyond the first kiss), but seeing them just interact as boyfriend and girlfriend is something that we figured would be pretty durn squeeworthy. This scene showed in excellent form that we were right. Squeeworthy indeed!
From the opening shot of them just casually sitting in public eating lunch together, having a conversation that didn't involve anything more heartbreaking than Logan skipping a few classes, it was nice. And sometimes simply nice is simply wonderful. That was the case here. We witnessed a comfort level that we've never gotten the opportunity to see before (and that was missing for some reason in the first scene). They were just two college kids, hanging out, choosing to be in one another's company because they wanted to be. Plainly put, we were seeing Logan and Veronica as a couple ... in public ... not in flashback ... relatively happy with the place the other had in their life. It was nice ... really nice.
And then, and then, and then SQUEEE!!! Logan gave her his bonus birthday gift and it was just so sweet and schmoopy and totally Logan. Veronica's over-the-top response ("A bow? A bow?! You got me a bow!") fading into silence as she took in the actuality of the gift was lovely. Logan may be the only person on the planet who is able to reduce Veronica to quipless ... but not for long. But ah, ah, ah, even when she tried to teasingly snark her way out of emotionally revealing herself by suggesting there are other girls in Logan's life (ah, Veronica!), Logan's gentle reprimand clearly explained that they were having a moment and to just let it ride *sigh* as he reached over and took her hand. Caressing her fingers, looking into her eyes, placing a kiss on her knuckles, declaring her sole status as his girl, the 'not for long' even went bye-bye as Veronica was truly rendered quipless. Why? I choose to believe it's because she lurves him ... she's just incapable of articulating that emotion. Yet.
What followed then should have broken the moment, but actually didn't because of the Logan/Veronica response to the situation. Of course, I'm talking about Dick's arrival and subsequent beat-down by big, angry dude upon whose girlfriend Dick was working his mojo. Logan's one-word request for Veronica's bag and her calm hand-over showed a couple who understands one another, who can communicate and who can work well together. Awesome.
And then Piz showed up (blecch!) trying to be all cute and adorable and instead looking like a complete dorkwad. The good news is that Veronica seemed barely aware of him and even, dare I say it? (why, yes, I shall) annoyed as if by a pesky fly. Then when Logan walked up, without a moment's hesitation, she turned to her man, completely focusing on him, his words and tilting her head up for the kiss she knew was coming. *Sigh*
What about Logan's "nice shirt" comment though? Was there any deeper meaning behind that? I do think there was; in fact, I think that was one of several issues that was brought up throughout this episode that Logan and Veronica may or may not be facing in the coming episodes. We had:
- - awkwardness
- distance
- Logan's sorrow
- Veronica questioning her relationship with Logan (for everyone but me)
- lack of communication
- potential cheating (see Logan and physical)
- Veronica's inability to reciprocate Logan's articulated feelings
So what does it mean? Hopefully, nothing. However, I do think it was there as a sign of Logan's continued (and certainly reasonable) fear that Veronica will leave him again (as she did in his mind the first time) for the "good" guy. It also was a subtle way of informing the audience (*sob*) that Piz is potentially a long-term problem ... one that will be around and a constant thorn ala Duncan. But if we're going to compare to Duncan, let us compare the good in this scenario. While it's obviously a different situation, everything in this episode DID scream that Piz is the new Donut and by that account, there was a great difference in Veronica's reaction to Logan coming up for a kiss while she was talking to the other guy.
In Normal is the Watchword, Veronica was all a'googly-eyed, practically mooning over Duncan and clearly uncomfortable when Logan showed up. She also appeared self-conscious when her boyfriend kissed her in front of him. Here, Piz was barely a blip on her radar even when he was talking to her and once Logan showed up, all of her attention was upon him and the kiss they shared was honest and oblivious to anything else.
So cherish the good, do your best to ignore the bad because while there were definitely problems with the introduction of Logan and Veronica's relationship to newbies, as long-time fans, the good definitely outweighed the bad. (And hopefully newbies will stick around and be given the opportunity in future episodes to see the allure of LoVe.) We were shown a Veronica invested in the relationship, concerned about Logan, sexually happy with Logan, Logan once more in a place where he feels fully comfortable in sharing his feelings with her (without getting wasted), and a comfort level between the two that we never even saw approached before. Compared to what we have gotten, lord knows that's something. That is something.
Our favorite BFF, Mr. Wallace "Air" Fennell, is lounging in his brand spanking new dorm room, whiling away the hours by launching three point shots at his mini basketball hoop from the comfort of his stylish yet affordable bean-bag chair. The door opens and a young man sporting a questionable hairstyle stumbles in with an armload of gear. Wallace welcomes his new roomie, Stosh, to their humble abode. Stosh returns the greeting and asks to be called Piz instead. Neither of those names sound like actual real people names to me -- but in the spirit of new beginnings, I'm just gonna go with it.
Piz deposits his stuff in his half of the super-sized dorm room for two. Okay, and I know it's really early, but side note: Is it me or is that the single largest dorm room you've ever seen? Most of the dorm rooms I've seen and been in have been barely wide enough for two twin beds with a nightstand of some persuasion between them. Dorm rooms are generally the kind of rooms where your desk ends up in your closet because the mini fridge takes up too much room at the foot of your bed, not this palace of open spaces and high ceilings. Wish I'd gone to Hearst. Damn. Anyhoo ...
Piz remarks that there must be some mistake because he was very clear on his roommate request form that he wouldn't room with anyone (vague gestures) ... you know. Just as I think I'm going to have to lay the smack down on Piz (which, you know, sounds like Pez, which makes me wonder if his head hinges back at a 90 degree angle and his neck spits out fruity candy, which would be kind of cool if you think about it. Wait, where was I? Oh right, I was going to smack Piz) for being a narrow-minded racist when he pulls out his sense of humor and comments that he specifically stated that he couldn't room with anyone better looking than him. (Which, to me, seems like a pointless request because really, how many incoming freshman dudes won't be better looking than him?) Too bad Piz, 'cause Wallace is "fairest of them all." At least when Logan's not around. Then all bets are off.
Wallace wants to make sure it's cool with Piz that he already chose a side of the room and Piz assures him that it is fine. Piz wants to make sure it's cool that he rarely wears clothes indoors. I echo Wallace's emphatic "thats not cool at all," but without the friendly note of amusement. Chuckles all around (except from me) and Wallace offers to help his new roomie bring in the car-full of boxes containing all his worldly possessions.
The boys head back outside where Piz points out his beloved P.O.S. When they pop open the hatchback they quickly realize that they have a major problem because the car is suspiciously empty and Piz is now seriously lacking in the worldly possessions department. It seems that while he was inside making small talk and getting to know his handsome new roommate, Piz was ripped off. Wallace tells him not to worry because he knows someone (and I think we all know who he means) who will get his stuff back. Count on it.
Back inside the dorm room, Piz is pacing while Wallace tries to assure him that his friend Veronica has got mad P.I. skillz -- and isn't a cartoon -- and will surely get his stuff back. Piz is skeptical of a gal their age that can successfully solve crimes and thinks he'll just leave it in the capable hands of the local police. We'll give him a break on that because we know he doesn't know any better yet. Piz manages to hold on to his resolve to let the police handle his theft for about two minutes until he opens the door and beholds the hotness that is Veronica.
Veronica steps around a stuttering Piz and enters the room to greet her BFF and exchange witty banter about posters with beer and half naked ladies and porn collections before getting down to business. Veronica gets the quick 411 on the situation and tells Piz that she'll give him the "friend of a friend" discount -- if she finds his stuff her fee is $500 payable by cash, cashier's check, or a pre-agreed upon exchange of goods and or services. Judging by the look on Piz's face it is pretty obvious to me that he'd love to service Veronica's goods, but wisely offers guitar lessons instead. Veronica passes on that idea, but does say that the work will be free if she doesn't find his gear.
The trio head outside to examine the scene of the crime. Piz explains to Veronica that when he arrived a chubby blonde girl with a clipboard from the Hearst "Welcome Wagon" committee greeted him, checked his name off the list and told him where he could find his dorm. Veronica confirms that Piz is missing his clothes, computer and guitar. Piz gets all twitchy because apparently the guitar in question is not just any old guitar. No sir, it is the "holy grail" of guitars: A 1967 Gretsch Astro Jet. While listening with one ear, Veronica cracks that his full-service thieves not only took all his stuff, but took the time to dirty up his vehicle as well.
She examines the door and window and determines that there aren't any signs of forced entry which is somewhat suspicious - that is until Piz tells her that he left the car unlocked. Because the Welcome Wagon girl was watching it! Veronica is clearly as baffled by Piz's apparent stupidity as I am and wonders where he thought he was going to college Brigadoon?!? Piz, in his best 'aw, gee, shucks' manner, tells her that it's mainly because he grew up in a small town OUTSIDE OF PORTLAND (where I'm sure there is no crime, like, ever) where there was a minivan in every driveway and a chicken in every pot. Yadda, yadda, yadda Piz. It sounds like there was also an idiot on every corner, and your corner's missing you right about now.
As they circle the car Wallace cracks that college graffiti is so much classier and high-brow than high school graffiti as he points out the creative way some humorous soul has written "unwashed" with artsy arrows in the dirt on Piz's car. The trio then head back into the dorm to talk to the boy's new R.A., a natty guy named Moe who watches Battlestar Galactica, drinks oolong tea, and has given up cursing in favor of using the word "frak." After commiserating on how much it frakkin' sucks that Piz got robbed he tells the crew that Hearst doesn't have a Welcome Wagon committee, which sucks, but explains a lot. The upside here though is that Veronica now has a lead.
Veronica drags Piz to the Neptune Sheriff's Department and works her feminine wiles on Sacks for all she's worth in an effort to get some additional info on the robbery. Sacks is wary, but seeing as how Lamb isn't glowering over his shoulder, he is powerless to resist the infamous head-tilt. (She really ought to think about getting that move patented.) Sacks tells her that four other students were victims of the Welcome Wagon heist in the same time period and reluctantly gives her their info - Veronica assures Sacks that in return, shell give him the bust and everyone will be a winner.
Veronica trails around campus getting details from the other vics including one of the freshman and the lone junior, a cute blonde girl. All met the same chubby girl from the faux committee and had their stuff ripped off the day they arrived at Hearst. The freshman vics make sense because they are young and too new to know better, but Veronica's clearly a little skeptical of the junior. When Veronica tries to push her on the subject, blondie gets cranky and realizes she doesn't know why the hell she's talking to Veronica anyway and slams the door in her face.
Honestly, Im amazed at how often that doesn't happen on this show.
Veronica, now having spoken to all the victims without having gained a whole lot of new information heads back out, presumably to go home or maybe go back and talk to the boys. On her way across campus she stops short when she spots a flyer on one of the announcement boards for a concert that evening featuring two bands: "The Perturbed" and "The Unwashed." The latter band's logo is written in exactly the same manner as the commentary on Piz's car. And Veronica has another lead.
After picking up Mac and Mac's bubbly, tagalong roommate Parker, she meets Wallace and Piz at the show that night to see if they can chase down any additional leads. The group grabs a table and chills while listening to the band - except for Parker who parties down in the pit. Once the band finishes their set and leaves the stage, Veronica takes her cue to implement the next phase of her plan. Veronica takes the stage, makes nice with the crowd and then tells everyone of Piz's misfortune. She goes on to say that since they think someone at the show might have seen something, her 'friend' is offering a $100 reward. She points out their table in the back and invites anyone with info to stop by.
In short order, the crew is approached by three young kids who tell Veronica that they saw Piz's car being emptied on campus the day before. Apparently they were there scoping out hot chicks sunbathing on one of the lawns and happened to see the crime in progress. Wallace and Piz, in typical horny boy fashion are less interested in details on the theft than they are on details regarding the location of these bikini-clad and sometimes topless coeds.
Veronica tries to steer the conversation back to the, you know, CRIME and see if these underage Boston delinquents can give her any more info. The leader of this little trio of misfit children tells Veronica that they saw these two black guys pull up next to Piz's car in what looked like a moving van and start loading stuff from the car into the van. All they can tell Veronica about the guys is that they were black. And the van was white. With no windows. Maybe.
Clearly Veronica doesn't find this info worthy of a reward and shoes the munchkins off. But at the last moment, the one kid turns back and tells her that he also remembers a girl there, a blonde chick. He thought she was chubby until she took off her sweatshirt before getting into the van. Underneath the sweats the girl had a slammin' body (and I can only assume that she was wicked hot) so he guessed she was wearing a fat suit or something. The plot, as they say, is definitely thickening.
The next day, Piz waits for Veronica on a bench trying his best to fix his hair and work on looking nonchalant and cool. As I'm sure you can guess, he fails miserably. Veronica arrives and hands Piz a bag full of clothes from a friend who can't use them anymore. She comments that they look to be about the same size.
Imagine that! A new guy, who is sweet and soft-spoken and somewhat lacking in common sense and he just happens to be the same size as a certain ex-boyfriend so that TPTB can dress him in Duncan's clothes?!? Maybe they should give him Duncan's shoes too and change his name and then the transformation will be complete and Rob Thomas can have his perfect little Donut back. I'm sure that will thrill him to no end even if it makes me want to chew glass or something equally unpleasant.
Yeah, I'm bitter. So sue me.
So Veronica gives Piz step one in his full body Donut transformation and then tells him that she thinks she found his guitar. Apparently the holy grail popped up on Craigslist the night before and the seller is just off campus.
They arrive at the guy's house and he tells them that he wasn't really looking for a guitar but stumbled across it at the flea market the day before. Some girl was selling it and it was clear to him that she didnt know what she had. Apparently these little beauties go for several thousand dollars but the girl at the flea market was selling it for $500. The guy opens the lid and Piz gets all excited because it appears that they have, in fact, found his stolen guitar.
The seller, a guy we learn is named Donald Fagan, is confused and a bit disbelieving so Piz tells the guy that if he looks in the pick tray he'll find two millimeter picks from Guitar Town in Portland. Donald flips open the lid to the pick tray and sure enough, there are Piz's picks, just as he said. Veronica asks the seller to describe the girl who sold him the guitar. Apparently she was young, blonde and had a pretty smokin' bod. Piz smacks Veronica in the arm like "See? What did I tell you?" which makes absolutely no sense in the context of this scene, but I suppose that is Piz for ya. An excess of enthusiasm utterly lacking in brainpower.
Veronica voiceovers that Donald, although unhappy with the situation, agreed to sell Piz back his guitar for the $500 he paid for it at the flea market. Veronica has apparently decided though that the only truly fair thing would be to have the thief pay the $500. She takes a trip over to one of the dorms and pays a quick visit to the suspiciously cute blonde junior who was also a victim of the Welcome Wagon scheme. Veronica clearly thinks she's their thief, but I suspect it is too early in the show for her to be anything but a red herring. Blondie opens the door just long enough for Veronica to snap a quick photo and run.
Veronica goes over to the guys' room to share the photo only to discover that they have gone, ahem, "bird watching." She finds them on the south quad lawn strewn with those bikini clad coeds failing miserably at looking like they are playing hacky sack instead of ogling boobs. Veronica shows Piz the photo of the junior gal but he's having a hard time focusing on the picture when there are all those BOOBS around! She manages to get his attention just long enough to confirm that the suspicious junior is not the Welcome Wagon girl. She then decides to leave them to their being gross while she goes off to chase leads, and, you know, work on the case. By herself. Without help.
Veronica heads back to seller Donald's house to see if he recognizes the sketchy junior, but he can only give her an 80% certainty rating that she's the same girl from the flea market. After that swing and a miss, Veronica spots Dr. Landry's profiling book sitting on the table and the two have a brief chat about Landry's classes and the mentoring program. Donald encourages Veronica to participate and says that he found it very rewarding.
Veronica then jumps topics in a rather random fashion and asks about a snapshot Donald has lying around. She tells him she's trying to settle a debate she's having with her dad about architecture and then immediately asks for a glass of water. Despite how random these jumps in conversation seem I'm going to trust that there is a method to Veronica's madness.
That afternoon after her criminology class, Veronica approaches Tim about the mentoring program. He takes her to his office and offers her a selection of delinquents to choose from. Veronica seems a little offended that she's only offered her choice of girls to mentor, but I suspect she's got ulterior motives here so it probably isn't all that important. Plus, seeing how Veronica breaks rules and laws on an almost constant basis I can't imagine what her advice to these girls would be other than "if you are going to do crime, make sure it is for a good reason" or "just don't get caught." At that moment, Mac appears in the doorway and tells Tim that Dr. Landry is looking for him. By the devilish grin the two girls exchange, it is clear that Mac's just fulfilled her role as the diversion.
As soon as Tim leaves the room, Veronica starts rummaging through Tim's filing cabinet looking at the files for the other kids in the mentoring program. I'm sure you'll be surprised to know that one of the files Veronica stumbles across belongs to the leader of the pack of munchkin delinquents.
That evening after dinner Piz meets up with Veronica in the food court in just enough time to watch Logan save Dick from a severe (albeit deserved) beating. And he's wearing that ass-ugly argyle monstrosity that Donut favored. Jesus! Will we never be free of that thing??? He makes some quip about being a lover not a fighter and I'm all "whatever" because Logan? He's both. Anyway, Logan arrives, sarcastically compliments Piz on the ass-ugly shirt and gets a kiss from his loving girlfriend before heading off to save Dick. Piz tries not to cry as it dawns on him that Veronica has a boyfriend who is WAY prettier than him, but oh well. Sucks to be you dude.
Before Piz can have a total hissy, Veronica pulls out the photo that she snagged from Donald's apartment of him standing on the observation deck of the space needle with a cute, chubby blonde girl and shows it to Piz. Unsurprisingly, it appears that Veronica has finally found the Welcome Wagon girl and solved the mystery. The next morning, she and Piz pay a visit to the Sheriff's Department and, as promised, give Sacks the goods on Donald and the three hoodlums he mentors.
Later that day, Piz and Veronica sit outside Donald's house in a couple of lawn chairs, shooting the breeze waiting for the Deputy Sacks show to start. They chat good-naturedly about Veronica's talents as a PI before Piz shoves his big fat foot all the way down his throat by saying that he thinks the reason Veronica does what she does is because of what Wallace told him about Lilly's murder - something he has no business getting into with a girl he barely knows. Veronica clearly agrees with me and is none too thrilled with Wallace for sharing this info with the new kid. But, like the pro she is, Veronica manages to deflect and avoid before it can get too personal.
A commotion across the street draws their attention and we see Sacks leading Donald around to his garage. Donald is protesting mightily and getting all sorts of righteously indignant about the accusations one can assume Sacks has leveled against him. Veronica tells Piz that this part is the reason she does what she does: The sweet, sweet justice. As soon as Donald spots Veronica and Piz across the street, all the wind seems to go out of his sails and it's pretty obvious that he knows the jig is up.
As the garage door rises, we see mountains and mountains of stuff - furniture, clothes, golf clubs, electronics - that we can only guess belong to the poor victims of the Welcome Wagon scheme. Piz is thrilled because he might actually get his stuff back. Veronica is thrilled because she might actually get paid. To quote Veronica, "Boom goes the dynamite" - and everyone's a winner.
- The season begins with a view of the cloudy sky over Neptune and a pass over a banner inviting students to Take Back the Night Against Violence Towards Women. One would hope these weren't harbingers of very bad things to come, but then this is Neptune, after all. Or the Hearst University campus, to be more specific. Freshman Veronica is walking across campus on the way to her first class of her first day and, she hopes, to her fresh start. She just needs to avoid pissing anyone off this time, she warns herself. (Best of luck! Now, where's the line to place bets on how successful that attempt will be?)
Welcome to Introduction to Criminology. Veronica's first class is taught by Dr. Hank Landry, a rather attractive man with a killer smile that's convinced at least one female classmate of Veronica's that she'd rather staple herself to the classroom floor than skip his class. Veronica responds with something of purr, which I think speaks for itself. Landry goes on to plug the Criminology Department's mentoring program which is designed to keep "at risk" Neptune kids out of a lifetime of crime. The program's philosophy is that prevention of crimes through intervention is better than being forced to solve the crimes later. (Hey, now! Don't get all crazy there. That's what our show's about!) If anyone would like to volunteer, his T.A.
Moving on to the course's semester reading list, Landry is asked by Stapled-to-the-Floor Girl if his book will be included. (Maybe she wants an autograph.) Alas, it will not be, since profiling is an upper level course. Wanting to start his class off with a bit of an icebreaker, Landry tells them they're going to play a game: Murder on the Riverboat Queen. Tim will be handing envelopes to the passengers and witnesses. Those without an envelope will be the Pinkerton detectives. Veronica does not receive an envelope, so it looks like she'll be a detective. Oh, yay! Something new to play! The current class record is sixteen minutes, held by T.A. Tim, who proudly bows with a flourish. Landry starts the clock and tells the Pinkertons they may begin questioning the passengers. As the other students start moving around the room to question each other, Veronica watches them for a bit, then looks at her laptop and starts typing away.
A few minutes later -- six, to be precise -- Tim notices Veronica is sitting alone, reading a photography magazine to keep herself occupied while the others finish the assignment. He walks up to her and clears his throat. She notices and when he doesn't do anything but stare, she politely asks him, "Yes?" Tim explains that Dr. Landry expects everyone to participate and then condescendingly tells her she might be in the wrong class. Perhaps she would feel more at home in elementary education where he thinks reading magazines and making little collages out of them is a part of the curriculum. She gives that a humorless chuckle as she turns back to her magazine and tells him she knows whodunit. Skeptical, Tim calls Landry over to the girl who hasn't moved from her seat yet claims to have the answer. Intrigued, Landry asks her to introduce herself and after she does, queries, "So, Veronica Mars, who are you going to send to prison for his natural born days?" (Dude, they usually don't make it that far. Unfortunately.) She claims that it was the not-so-blind fiddle player, Rutherford Stiles. The two men exchange glances, then Landry congratulates her, seemingly amused and impressed. T.A. Tim? Not so much.
Landry tells the class they can stop because they have a winner and new record holder. So, he asks, how did Veronica figure it out? She explains that Murder on the Riverboat Queen was a game put out in the late 1980's by WigWam toys. Fans set up message boards to discuss the details of the game and she took the kind of douchebaggy route of avoiding the spoiler alerts. Tim, reluctant to give up his record to this girl, argues that since the mystery takes place in the 1890's, she can't use the internet. Veronica asks her professor if that was a rule. Still looking amused, he agrees that it was not a rule. Unable to let this go, Tim seizes on the fact that there were two possible answers, so obviously she just took a 50/50 shot at it. Nope. Veronica explains that the other killer was Countess McGee and when Landry asked her for the answer, he phrased his question so that it was clear the killer was a male. The class murmurs, impressed. And now it's Veronica's turn with the condescending T.A. The one thing she can't figure out is what he did for the extra ten minutes of the time he spent earning his record. The class laughs; Tim grimaces an annoyed smile and walks away. Welcome to Hearst, Veronica.
- Later that same day, Logan is on campus, sitting on a bench, glancing around a bit, but not really focused on anything. Then, a sultry Clint Eastwood voice breaks him out of his reverie. "You a bounty hunter, boy?" A smile slowly appears in the corner of his mouth, as he recognizes the voice is not really Clint, but his beautiful girlfriend, who we see is now sitting on the bench beside him, completely mirroring his posture -- elbows on the back of the bench, legs spread apart in the manliest of poses. Logan smiles, admitting that he really shouldnt have pushed for an Eastwood marathon because now he's ruined her. He didn't think it was possible to make her more butch. Stupid, stupid Logan. (His words, not mine!) Then he gives her the most adorable (Really!) scrunched-up smile and asks her if she wants to feel like a man and walk him to class. Leaning towards him, Veronica holds her hand out and offers to carry his books, too. (Bonus!) He hands it to her and kisses her before they get up and start walking.
As they walk and talk, Logan mentions that he saw his BFF Dick on campus. Veronica's surprised because she thought that he was with his dad in the Caymans. Apparently, he's back in Neptune now because Logan spoke briefly with him. Or actually Logan shouted "Dick," Dick flipped him off and, well, that's it. Veronica wonders how on earth Dick got admitted to Hearst, what with it being such a struggle to get Logan in. It seems that the former Mrs. Casablancas is currently married to Arnold Schwarzenegger's business manager and goodness knows what wonders a call from the Governator can work. Logan stops walking and turns serious as Veronica listens. Dick's a mess, according to people who've seen him. Cassidy's suicide off Logan's roof has done a number on his formerly uncomplicated friend. Noting the tone in his voice, Veronica tries to reassure him that Cassidy's death was not his fault. Logan morosely tells her that nothing is ever his fault. (Man, sad sarcasm is just sad.) He takes his book back, gives her a kiss and walks away as she stares after him, clearly concerned.
Veronica returns home and sorts through the day's mail. She comes across something of interest -- an envelope sent from the Sutcliffe Hotel in New York, New York. When Keith arrives later, Veronica calls him into her room. She's looking at something on her laptop that's making her smile. Keith kneels beside her as she tells him that a hotel maid found the flashcard containing their vacation photos. "Hot dog!" Keith exclaims. After some witty generation gap repartee, Veronica starts showing him their Kodak memories. First up are the single-handed self-portraits of Veronica that came about because her 'negligent' father was three days late for their trip. Keith buries his head in shame, but Veronica pats his arm encouragingly as he begins to make an appearance in the photos taken in front of Spamalot!, the Empire State Buil- No, Keith corrects her. It was the Chrysler Building. Veronica disagrees (she's wrong, by the way) and he suggests she defer to his age and experience. She suggests senility comes with age, too. All in all, it's a typical friendly debate in the Mars residence.
Keith asks her how her first day went. Well, she's exhaaaausted from the one class she had all day; hell, no, she didn't make any friends; and it's still to be determined if any enemies were gained. After Veronica awwws over a photo of Keith stuffing his face with cupcakes, Keith reminds her he'll be gone a few days tracking down a bail jumper. (Sheesh. Do these two ever really know where the other one is?) And, per Keith, Backup will be in charge and is under strict boyfriend-mauling orders should Logan be there past midnight. At this declaration, Backup sits up and barks to, er, back up Keith on this.
Naturally, that night, Backup's authority has already been disregarded as our sweaty (and naked) couple lay back in Logan's bed at the Neptune Grand. Logan's catching his breath still and Veronica's got a dazed look on her face, her vocabulary skills reduced to a simple "Woof!" Logan laughs, but Veronica thinks he should seriously consider joining a professional league in "that." ("That?" Exactly what is "that?"
In the bathroom, Veronica (now wearing one of Logan's T-shirts) pours herself a glass of water and internally mocks herself for ever laughing at people who took their high school romances to college with them. Veronica's startled out of her thoughts by the sound of Logan's phone ringing. Logan looks at the clock and sees it's 12:15 am. Who would be calling this time of the night? He turns on the light and answers it just as Veronica runs into the room, in an attempt to stop him. Too late. He whispers to her that it's her dad. Rut-roh. She whispers back that she'd forwarded their calls to Logan's. He suggests they work on their communication as she sits on the bed and takes the phone from him. As Logan sits up behind her and distracts her with his touch, Veronica says hello to her father and assures him that Logan is heading home as they speak. On the other end of the line, Keith sits behind the wheel of a car, in self-imposed denial as he tells Veronica to give Logan his regards as she shakes his hand goodnight. He loves her and he'll be sure to call again unexpectedly. Heh.
In the campus cafeteria, Veronica and Logan are sharing a meal and some table talk. She's heard from Wallace that he and Logan share a Sociology class. Logan feigns innocence and says he hasn't seen Wallace there. Hmm, she thinks perhaps that's because he hasn't gone to class. Logan agrees it's a possibility. Then changes the subject by setting a big, red, shiny bow on the table before her -- a bonus birthday prezzie! Amused, she plays it as though the bow were the actual gift, until he insists that Ms. Smarty Pants open it. She flips the bow over and stuck to the bottom is a Neptune Grand key card. She wasn't expecting this -- it's his room key. 24/7 access to Logan's suite. Ever the one to avoid the serious moments, Veronica tries to joke about how all the other girls will have to skedaddle if she drops by unexpectedly. Logan reminds her that she knows there's no one else because he wants only her. Touched by his words, she's rendered quipless. (No small feat, this!) He takes her hands in his and kisses them, staring into her eyes. She looks down, blushing and, I have to say, melting just a bit. "No quips?" he asks with a smile.
Unfortunately, our couple's tender moment is interrupted as Veronica brings it to Logan's attention that "town drunk" Dick is making his way across the food court. Dick sits down at a girl's table and introduces himself to Dee Dee. He proceeds to make a total ass out of himself as he mentions he's been kicked out of campus housing and suggests he and Dee Dee move in together. She warns him to walk away, but he continues to make a fool out of himself until her brawny boyfriend tosses him out of the chair and onto the ground. Seeing what's about to happen to his BFF, Logan lets go of Veronica's hands and asks for her bag. Without a word, she hands it to him. The angry boyfriend keeps punching Dick every time he tries to get up off the floor, then yanks him up so he can punch him again, but {bzzzzzz!!} gets interrupted by Logan and more to the point, Veronica's trusty Mr. Taser. The cafeteria occupants watch with fascination, but Dick ungratefully asks if Logan wants a hug or something and then storms off.
Veronica is watching all of this, when Piz (wearing Donut's infamous argyle sweater) walks up behind her and queries if college girls like that kind of action because, for the record, he's a lover, not a fighter. Veronica just looks confused as to why he would say such a weird thing to her, then Logan joins her and she turns to him, Piz totally forgotten. Logan tells Veronica he's going to try to catch up with Dick and talk to him. Veronica nods her understanding and kisses her boyfriend. Logan becomes aware of Piz's presence as he's leaning down for the kiss, while Piz just looks uncomfortable. Awkward. When the kiss finally ends, Logan tosses a "nice shirt" snark at Piz, then leaves.
A couple of nights later, a T-shirt and boxers-clad Logan stands out on his suite's balcony, brushing his teeth and staring out at the city. He hears a knock on his door, so he walks inside, tosses his toothbrush on the couch (Ewww!) and answers the door. And no, it's not his fluffer or a buffalo burger. It's Dick, looking very much the worse for wear, with his hair seriously frakked up and a desperate look on his face. Dick tells Logan that he has nowhere else to go. Hurting for his friend, Logan tells him he can stay there and steps aside to let him in. Dick, in his first display of real emotion since the series began, starts to cry. Logan walks out into the hall to him and puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I messed up bad." Dick confesses to his best pal. Logan assures Dick things will be okay and then hugs him as he breaks down.
- Veronica takes Intro to Criminology on Tuesdays.
- Veronica now drives a silver Saturn Vue hybrid, license plate #6BLA504. (A moment of silence, please, for the ol' LeBaron, who survived late night stakeouts, nasty graffiti-writing 09ers, flat tires of unnatural causes, speedy getaways from secret society high school boys, a head-on collision with a tree, and Logan's tire iron. We shall miss you, even if Veronica doesn't miss the frequent trips to Weevil's uncle for repairs.)
- Logan and Wallace are in the same Sociology class.
- Wallace and Piz live in Bennis Hall. Their R.A. is an oolong tea-drinking Battlestar Galactica fan named Moe.
- Piz is from Beaverton, Oregon and he drives a green Chevrolet Aveo.
- Hearst University's dorm wings are same-sex.
- Hearst has no official sexual-conduct code.
- Hearst's dean is Dean O'Dell.
- The rally banner says:
- Take Back the Night Against Violence Towards Women
4pm at Johnson Lawn
All are welcome to attend -- Let's Stand United!
- The ad for the band gig says:
- Winston's presents The Unwashed with Perturbed.
The punk tradition continues.
8:30pm no cover
- The season opens on Veronica passing under a sign advertising 'Take Back the Night,' a campus rally for students against violence towards women. Veronica discovers the rally taking place the next day, and curiously makes her way over to the front of the crowd. A female student, whose hair has recently been shaved off, asks the crowd how many women have to be raped before the Hearst administration does something about it. Same-sex dorm wings aren't enough.
She says the university needs an official sexual conduct code, and the fraternity houses need to be shut down. Hmm, Veronica would know a thing or two about that. Thanks to her, the Pi Sigs are spending this semester on academic probation for scoring female students based on looks and then rewarding themselves if they, well, score. Classy fellows. But as disgusting as they are, to Veronica's knowledge, none of the Pi Sigs was responsible for raping a student named Stacy last semester (in The Rapes of Graff).
Veronica notices that Mac is attending the rally; though, much like herself, Mac isn't cheering and clapping with the rest of the students, but quietly listening. Veronica comes over and manages to get a smile out of her, though. "Women. Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch." Mac: "Why can't they just look pretty and get their MRS degrees?" Veronica turns serious and asks Mac how she's doing re: Cassidy's suicide. Mac seems to think that she'll never be able to be in a relationship again. And it doesn't help that her roommate is a "one woman red light district."
Suddenly some guys from the crowd start blaring music from a boombox and a guy wearing nothing but a ski-mask and a speedo cartwheels onto the platform. And look, he's brought with him a life-sized blow-up doll wearing ... wait, doesn't that maid's outfit look familiar? That's right, the mystery man is none other than Dick Casablancas, who gave Kendall that very same outfit last season as a joke. Except it's not so funny this time, Dick. At least I don't think so and neither do all those women surrounding you. A bunch of female students proceed to pin him to the ground and kick him, well, where his namesake is.
Veronica later meets Mac's roommate, Parker, who already loves Mac like a little Bichon Frise you could carry around in your purse. Parker likes clothes, Top Model, the troubled, soulful guys (like ... Colin Farrell?), and, most of all, partying. She's a hard one to contain, that's for sure, but she's adorable and sweet, and hello, she likes Mac!
Parker apparently knows Dick, too, because he shows up at her and Mac's dorm one night, drunk and in the mood for some play. Parker's out partying with the Unwashed, so Mac answers the door after she's finally had enough of Dick's knocking and drunken ramblings. But Mac's not the only one Dick's woken up. A few girls come out of their dorms; one of them yells at him for being on the women's floor and demands to see his school ID, which he doesn't have. Looks like his little prank at the rally cost him his right to on-campus housing. Although, he should still have a student ID. Maybe he just doesn't want to show it and receive strike number two. I'm still held up by how frakking pathetic the security is at Hearst. Dick really shouldn't have been able to get in the dorm building, much less that particular floor, without ID proving that he lived there OR having someone that did live there let him in. But I digress.
Later that week, Veronica finds Mac sitting outside her dorm room. They're supposed to be going to a midnight showing of a movie, but Mac left their tickets in the room and Parker's in there with a guy. Veronica reluctantly takes Mac's key and opens the door. Inside, all the lights are off and the radio is turned on to Club Flush on KRFF, which is the Hearst radio station. Veronica hears the moaning sounds of what she assumes to be consensual sex, grabs the tickets and gets out of there as fast as possible.
They later return and Veronica decides she should crash at Mac's because she's a little drunk from all the Irish coffees. Mac peeks her head in the room and concludes that it's "dude free" so she grabs the couch near Mac's bed. Sometime during the night, both of them are jolted awake by Parker's sobs. She's looking at herself in the mirror, all her hair shaved off. She's completely devastated. Veronica and Mac just sit there, stunned.
And welcome to Red-herringville, Dick. (Ask your BFF, Logan, about it -- he was Mayor for awhile.) You can bet your bottom-dollar that Dick's going to be a suspect in the rape, even though he wouldn't have been around on campus before now to commit any of the other rapes.
- Keith is playing with his gun at Mars Investigations, getting things ready for his "bail-jumper tracking" when who shows up, but Mr. Private Eyes himself, Vinnie Van Lowe. Hoping to score a hook-up with Keith concerning a new client, Keith tells Vinnie to skedaddle, which Vinnie agrees to do. But first, he checks out Keith's latest detective gear which includes a snazzy new bag. Ooh, nice. Put that down, Vinnie!
Meanwhile, there's a new Fitzpatrick in the mix: Cormac, who was mentioned last season in Nevermind the Buttocks as having been Kendall's partner in crime. These two were in it for the long haul. Keith even suspected that Kendall did time for Cormac. The two have been exchanging e-mails since he's been incarcerated at San Quentin. But now he's out, and guess who's picking him up? Daddy Mars, who definitely told his daughter he'd be gone a few days tracking a bail jumper. Tsk tsk, Keith. But I suppose all this has to do with Kendall needing his help at the end of last season.
So, Keith and Cormac hit the road and Cormac begins thanking Keith for making Kendall disappear. No, not like that. Keith managed to get her a new passport, a new house (to which I assume they're heading), a new ATM card, etc. Apparently Liam Fitzpatrick, Cormac's younger brother, is after Kendall and will be after him, too, once he finds out that Cormac is out of jail. Keith says that Liam wants a cut of Kendall's fortune (the eight million from Phoenix Land Trust), but Cormac corrects him; the quarrel wasn't over whether or not Liam would take a cut of the money, it was over how much he would get. He was greedy. No kidding; he's a Fitzpatrick.
Cormac says he just wants to spend the rest of his days lying on some beach with Kendall, while Liam ends up getting stabbed in some penitentiary. He then asks Keith how much money Kendall had with her when she got out of town. "Millions, right?" he asks hopefully. Uh, is that question setting off warning bells for anyone else? Keith says that he saw the money but didn't count it. Cormac looks impressed. "Kendall's always been a good judge of character," he says. "She knows who she can trust and who she can't."
Keith and Cormac eventually get to Kendall's place, despite his car breaking down and having to be towed. Kendall spots the car outside and comes running out. Cormac turns to Keith and says, "You ever have a woman who loved you so much she'd do time for you?" So Kendall was covering his ass when she spent those six months in prison for wire fraud. Interesting. Cormac then gets out of the car and lifts her up and happily spins them around.
Kendall's become surprisingly domestic (and romantic). Inside the house, she's on Cormac's lap, feeding him cake. She tells Keith that they've decided to move to some beach, and that reminds Keith that he has Cormac's travel documents in the car. He heads outside, hesitating briefly in the chill. Shaking off the need to run back inside for his jacket, he hurries to his car, blowing on his hands for warmth. As he's going through his bag he finds ... one of Vinnie's wired pens! Oh, Vinnie so did not just trick Keith ... But it turns out that when Vinnie stopped by Mars Investigations the other day, he wasn't really asking for help with an embezzlement case. He was there to plant the pen in Keith's bag.
Keith, realizing that Vinnie must be working for Liam, and that he could have tracked them there by now, goes to grab his gun from the glove compartment ... but the holster's empty! Ah, ah, Keith, that's what you get for falling asleep on the job. Literally. Letting a conman wait for the tow truck while you snooze? Really, Keith, you're losing your touch. Not good. He bolts for the house and makes it inside just seconds too late. Cormac shoots Kendall -- she isn't actually shown on screen, but it's assumed that he's killed her -- and then he turns to Keith and shoots at him. Keith stumbles out of the house and manages to make it behind a large rock. Cormac follows, though he's not worried about finding Keith now. He says it's an awfully cold night; he'll just pick up his carcass in the morning. Now that sounds more like a Fitzpatrick. To add insult to injury, his final words before he heads back inside are "Guess Kendall wasn't that great a judge of character, after all."
"Rump Shaker" (Wreckx-N-Effect)
Scene: Cartwheeling, gyrating and embracing European culture via England's Union Jack and the French mode of uniform, Dick dances his way into the hearts of Hearst. Or, you know, not.
"Buttons" (The Pussycat Dolls)
Scene: Perky Parker is adjusting smoothly to college life and her supercute! roomie, Mac, when Veronica shows up for an impromptu wardrobe change.
"Socks and Shoes" (Four Fifty One)
Scene: Veronica, Mac, Parker and their "muscle" take in the live performance with varying degrees of appreciation ... in the groove (Parker) to bored silly (Wallace).
LoVe Lines
Veronica: (Huskily, doing her best Clint Eastwood impersonation) You a bounty hunter, boy?
Logan: (Smirking.) I really shouldn't have pushed for the Clint Eastwood marathon. Now I've ruined you! I didn't think it was possible to make you more butch. Stupid, stupid Logan! (Sighing.) Well, wanna feel like a man, walk me to class?
Veronica: Carry your books?
Logan: Why not? (They smooch.)
Logan: Guess who I saw on campus today.
Veronica: Some girl going wild? As I understand it, it happens all the time in college. I'm on the verge of it right now.
Logan: No, Dick. My BFF.
Veronica: I thought he was crashing with his dad in the Caymans.
Logan: Nah, he's back.
Veronica: You guys talk?
Logan: Yeah, but, it was brief: shouted his name, flipped me off - the bonds of friendship.
Veronica: (Basking in the afterglow next to Logan.) Whoof! You should seriously consider going pro in that.
Logan: What, and miss the college experience?
Veronica: (Laughing and leaning toward Logan.) Don't go anywhere. You're gonna get your brains spooned out whether you like it or not. (Leaving bed.) But first, must ... have ... water.
Veronica Mars Voiceover: (While standing in front of the mirror.) Okay, Veronica. Aren't you the girl who laughed at those idiots who tried to take their high school romances with them to college?
Veronica: (Running back into bedroom as phone rings.) Logan, no!
Logan: (Answering phone.) Yeah. (Putting phone down and whispering.) It's your dad.
Veronica: I forwarded our calls.
Logan: We need to work on communication. (Handing phone to Veronica.) Yeah.
Veronica: (Taking phone, she sits on bed next to Logan.) Hi, dad. (As Logan leans behind her, putting his arm around her waist) Nope, he's heading home right now as a matter of fact.
Logan: Here. A bonus birthday gift.
Veronica: You bought me a bow? A bow?! How did you guess?!
Logan: Open it, smarty pants.
Veronica: (Turns bow over.) Your room key?
Logan: Mm hmm.
Veronica: What if I drop in unexpectedly? The other girls'll have to pfft.
Logan: Stop it. You know there's no one else. I only want you. (Takes her hands and kisses one.) You oughta know that by now. (Pauses.) What, no quip?
Logan: (To Veronica.) Your bag?
Quotable Quotes
Veronica Mars Voiceover: Here it is, first day of college. Whaddaya say, Veronica? New school, fresh start -- how about you try not to piss anyone off this time around?
Dr. Landry: Welcome to college where it's okay to skip class - just not mine.
Coed: (Leaning in close to Veronica, whispering.) Skip class? I'm gonna staple myself to the floor. (Veronica purrs in agreement.)
Dr. Landry: All right everybody, you can stop. We have a winner and a new record holder - six minutes. So how'd you figure it out?
Veronica: "Murder on the Riverboat Queen" was a murder mystery in a box game made by Wigwam Toys in the late eighties. Fans of the game set up message boards online that gave away details. I just ignored all the spoiler alerts, which I know is kind of douchebaggy but ...
Tim: The game is set in the 1890's. You can't use the internet.
Veronica: (Looking at Dr. Landry.) Was that a rule?
Dr. Landry: (Pleased.) It wasn't a rule.
Tim: And there are two possible killers in the box. I mean, you just took a 50/50 stab, didn't you?
Veronica: Sorry, no. The other killer is Countess McGee. Dr. Landry just asked me who I was going to send away for the rest of his natural born days. That kind of sold me on blind Rutherford. (With faux confusion.) There is only one thing I can't figure out though: what did you do for the extra ten minutes?
Keith: Vinnie. What brings you to the good part of the wrong side of the tracks?
Vinnie: Dollar signs, mi amigo. The all mighty buck. I got a case that requires a little double detective duty. Lucky Pierre owns a jewelry store and suspects that he's got an embezzler. Whaddaya say, huh? (Putting out his fist for Keith to tap.) 'Wonder Twin powers activate!'
Keith: Can't Vinnie. Got my own case and it's taking me out of town.
Vinnie: (Looking at Keith's gun gear scattered across his desk.) A hit? I understand there's good money in that. How does one break in? Is there a union of some kind? Put in a good word for me, would ya?
Keith: Hot dog!
Veronica: (Skeptical.) Hot dog?
Keith: It's an expression of excitement and enthusiasm. Joe and Frank Hardy and I used to say 'hot dog' all the time while we were waiting for the carhop to bring us our malteds at the drive-in.
Veronica: (With mock confusion.) Drive in?
Keith: I hate you.
Veronica: You love me.
Keith: Yeah, but it's all instinct.
Keith: Veronica, there are a few things in life to which you will have to defer to my age and experience and that, sweet child of mine, is the Chrysler Building.
Veronica: Hmm. Senility. That comes with age too, right?
Keith: Uh, can't remember.
Keith: How was your first day? How does it feel being a college student?
Veronica: (Faux stretching.) It's exhausting. I had one whole class today.
Keith: Make any friends?
Veronica: (Emphatically.) Lord no.
Keith: Enemies?
Veronica: Eh -
Keith: Yeah, well, it is a day that ends in a "y".
Veronica: I'll hold down the fort.
Keith: Yeah, I'm afraid I put Backup in charge while I'm away. And he's been instructed to maul your boyfriend if he's here past midnight.
Veronica: Backup's in charge? What about the bitch he's been seeing?
Piz: I'm sorry, there must be some mistake. On my roommate request form I specifically said I didn't want a roommate who was ... you know ...
Wallace: What?
Piz: Better looking than me. I made it very clear.
Wallace: Sorry, man. Fairest of them all right here.
Wallace: Took this side, hope that's cool.
Piz: Yeah, no sweat. I rarely wear clothes indoors. I hope that's cool.
Piz: This girl? She's, uh, she's our age and she's a detective? Is she also a cartoon?
Wallace: She doesn't carry a magnifying glass or anything. Her dad's a PI. Used to be Sheriff. She's picked up a few things.
Piz: Look, I appreciate the thought, man, but I think I'll just let the local police handle it.
Wallace: Yeah, good luck with that ...
Veronica: And you call yourself college men. Where are the posters with beer and half-naked ladies?
Wallace: Oh, it's behind the case of porn and my shot glass collection.
Wallace: (Referring to Piz.) Wait. I haven't even decided if he's cool yet.
Veronica: Well, act now. Time is running out on this special offer.
Veronica: (Inspecting Piz's car door.) It doesn't look like they jimmied their way in.
Piz: It wasn't locked.
Veronica: (Turning around to look at him in disbelief.) College campus. All your worldly possessions. Where are you from, Brigadoon?
Wallace: This is how you know you've gone from high school to college. The graffiti goes highbrow. Wash me was so 2005.
Moe, the R.A: All your stuff? Frak. That blows.
Veronica: Qu'est-ce que c'est? 'Frak'?
Moe: No Battlestar Galactica fans in the mix, I see? 'Frak' is the profanity of the future. I'm trying not to swear.
Veronica: That's very enlightened of you, Moe. So, what the frak is with this Hearst Welcome Wagon Committee?
Veronica: (Standing behind Mac.) Women. Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch.
Mac: (Smiling.) Why can't they just look pretty and get their MRS degrees?
Mac: (Deadpans while watching the mysterious speedo-clad guy dance suggestively.) It's like we never left Neptune High.
Veronica: (Moments later, after Dick's ski-mask is removed.) It's exactly like we never left Neptune High.
Keith: Alright, honey. Give Logan my regards as you're shaking his hand goodnight, and I'll be sure to call unexpectedly again. Love you, too.
Piz: A Saturn for a Mars.
Veronica: In Neptune! Yeah, the planets really aligned for this one. Now, move Uranus, the Mercury's rising.
Veronica: You mind giving me a list of the other victims?
Sacks: (Nervously glancing at Lamb's closed office door.) I don't know, Veronica.
Veronica: I track down the bad guys, call you, you make the bust. You know what that makes everyone, Sacks? A winner.
Veronica: Is Mac around?
Parker: Oh my God, are you one of Mac's friends? (Off Veronica's nod.) Well come on in, sister! Mac's friends are my friends.
Parker: So. I just love Mac. Like, love her, like I wish she was a little Bichon Frise I could carry in my purse. I mean, how great is she?
Veronica: She's pretty great.
Parker: (Crossing the room and changing her shirt.) I was a little weirdly disappointed, because I had this idea that I'd get this like gangster street chick, or some death metal girl, and we'd be like all odd couple. But with me and Mac it was just ... Whoosh! Instant sisterhood. Total mesh, total blend.
Veronica: (Looking at poster of Colin Farrell.) Ohh, yours or Mac's?
Parker: Colin? Oh, he's all mine. He should really love me, don't you think?
Veronica: Depends, have you had your shots?
Parker: Oh. Look at his eyes. He's just so ... soulful, and like troubled and deep. You just know he'd kick ass in the backseat.
Parker: Hey roomie!
Mac: Hey.
Veronica: (Turning to Mac as she enters.) Wanna go see a band play?
Mac: More than anything in the world.
Parker: Oh my god, Im so totally in! Just give me a sec to change. (Starting to undress.)
Mac: (As the girls walk up to the club and spot Wallace.) Hey, I know that guy.
Veronica: Our muscle. (Shrugging.) Short notice.
Parker: Your boyfriends?
Mac: No. (Veronica shaking her head.)
Veronica: (After the introductions.) So gang, are we ready to rock? (Making the sign for 'I love you' with both hands.)
Mac: No.
Wallace: Not particularly.
Veronica: (Peppy.) That's the spirit!
Parker: Woo-hoo!
Veronica: (The Unwashed finishes their set.) That's my cue. (Heading to the stage.)
Piz: What's she doing?
Wallace: (Shrugging.) Mmm-mmm.
Mac: (She and Veronica watching Parker flirt.) Look at her. She's like boynip.
Kid #1: We saw you get ripped off.
Veronica: You're twelve. What were you doing up at Hearst?
Kid #2: Checking out the college girls laying out. Some of 'em go topless.
Wallace: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up right there, son. Tell us exactly where this sunbathing goes on.
Kid #2: South quad. Where that statue is.
Veronica: What are you saying you saw?
Piz: Is it the Randolph Hearst statue, or the amorphous blobby thing?
Veronica: (Exasperatedly.) Breasts? Or the Holy Grail guitar?
Dick: (Knocking on Mac and Parker's dorm room door off screen.) C'mon, Parker. Why you wanna be like that, girl? It's the right time of the night. It's the right time of the night ... for makin' love.
Mac: (Opening the door, surprising Dick.) Parker's out somewhere with the Unwashed. I'll tell her that the needs-hosed-down dropped by. (Going to close the door.)
Dick: My little brother never cared about you, ya know? You were just his beard.
R.A.: (Off screen.) Hey, you! What's your name? You're not supposed to be here!
Dick: (Turns to the R.A.) Isn't this the boys' floor? Oh, gosh, I am so lost! I'm just a dumb freshman who wandered onto the wrong floor. Wow. Campus is so confusing. Thanks for your understanding. I'm just gonna show myself out. (Turning around, he starts to leave.)
R.A.: Let me see your school I.D.
Dick: (Turning back.) We're supposed to have I.D.'s? See, I don't know anything. College has got me plumb flustered. (Making a hokey snap motion and leaves.) Good night, ladies.
Veronica: (As Wallace and Piz ogle girls and 'play' hacky sack.) You guys are pathetic.
Wallace: It's a white man's sport.
Veronica: Right, because I was talking about the hacky sack.
Veronica: Okay. You two have fun being gross. I'll just continue trying to find your stuff on my own. With no help.
Piz: That's why you make the big money.
Veronica: Wait. Just because I'm a girl, that means I have to mentor a girl?
Tim Foyle: Yes.
Veronica: That's just in case they get their period or something, right?
Dick: Hi. My name's Dick. What's yours?
Dee Dee: Dee Dee.
Dick: How long have we known each other, Dee Dee?
Dee Dee: Eight seconds.
Dick: So, where is this going, Dee Dee? Is this thing we feel real? Or are we just in it for the torso butter?
Dee Dee: You should really walk away.
Dick: You'd like that, wouldn't you? I'll admit, the kid looks good walking away. It's all me, too. Ass like Marky Mark and the entire Funky Bunch.
Dick: (To Logan.) What, you want a hug or somethin'?
Piz: I might actually get my stuff back.
Veronica: I might actually get paid.
Veronica: (Seeing Mac sitting outside her dorm room.) I figured out the knocking thing. You could have waited in your room.
Mac: Parker's in there with some guy.
Veronica: Well, let's head out. The midnight movie waits for no man.
Mac: Our tickets are in there, stuck in the mirror (Her voice suddenly becoming peppy.) above her suggestion box and tip jar!
Veronica: Well, frak.
Keith: That's excellent cake, Kendall.
Kendall: Well, I'll tell Sara Lee you approve.
Cormac: Awfully cold night, Keith. I'll come and pick up your carcass in the morning. Guess Kendall wasn't that great a judge of character, after all.
Dick: (Teary-eyed.) I don't have anywhere else to go.
Logan: Hey, it's all right. I mean, you could stay here.
Dick: (Letting out a short gasp and crying; Logan puts his arm on Dick's shoulder.) I messed up bad.
Logan: It's gonna be okay. (Pulling Dick in for a hug.)
Mac: You worked in a coffee shop. (Tugging at a slightly drunk and uncoordinated Veronica.) How can you not know that an Irish coffee has whiskey in it?
Veronica: (Her voice very high.) At Java the Hut, it meant a latte with a little shot of Irish Cream syrup.
Mac: That explains the first one you ordered.
Veronica: They were magically delicious. And they served me. Booyah! (High-fiving Mac.)
Mac: (Laughing.) Yeah, booyah! You probably shouldn't drive home.
Veronica: I'm fiiine. (Pausing, then laughing.) Okay, maybe not.
Welcome Wagon (Referenced by the episode title and used as a cover for the campus thieves.)
A marketing company located in Plainview, New York, Welcome Wagon has been greeting new homeowners since 1928. Founded by Thomas Briggs, in Memphis, Tennessee, Welcome Wagon's source of inspiration were the early Conestoga wagons who provided food and drink to travelers heading west. Briggs hired "hostesses" to deliver baskets filled with gifts and coupons from local businesses to new homeowners. While there, the hostess would fill them in on local activities and businesses. Eventually, a cross-country network was established.
In 1962, Irv Siegal started "Getting to Know You," a similar "welcome" service that sent out neighborhood business directories to new residents. Over the years, Getting to Know You became the nation's largest welcoming program. The two services joined forces in 1998 under the Welcome Wagon name. Home visits stopped at this time and the Welcome Wagon gift book now greets almost two million new residents in their mail each year. More than seventy-five million households have received gifts from these two businesses.
In 2001, Welcome Wagon became a part of Homestore (now Move), an online network for real estate/moving-related matters.
Murder Mystery In a Box ... (Referenced by Veronica as the game played in her Intro to Criminology class.)
In the late 1980's and early 1990's there was a very popular trend among adults to throw "Murder Mystery" theme parties where each guest would be assigned a role in a mini murder mystery play. The object of the evening was for the partygoers to discover "whodunit." Several toy companies capitalized on this trend and released these party games in a pre-packaged box that contained invitations, scripts and sometimes small props. Two of the most popular brands at the time were "Host a Murder" and "Murder A'la Carte." The problem with these games is that they were generally designed for no more than six to eight players and had only two or three possible outcomes.
These days the trend has evolved and most murder mystery games are offered as a downloadable file from online gaming sites such as "Murder-Mystery-Game.com" or "murdermysteryparty.com." These games allow you to choose games for groups of differing sizes (some as large as 100 people), from a variety of topics and scenarios, with detailed scripts and character information plus game support. You'd think that perhaps the prof would have chosen to go with one of the newer online games that would easily accommodate every member of the class and wouldn't have afforded the same "cheat" info online that Veronica so sneakily accessed to win the game.
Pinkertons ... (Referenced by Professor Landry when detailing the rules of the game.)
Historian Frank Morn writes: "By the mid-1850s a few businessmen saw the need for greater control over their employees; their solution was to sponsor a private detective system. In February 1855, Allan Pinkerton, after consulting with six midwestern railroads, created such an agency in Chicago." Allan Pinkerton (1819-1884) was the world's first private detective. Emigrating to Chicago from Glasgow, Scotland, he discovered a gang of counterfeiters and assisted in their capture. He became deputy sheriff of Kane County, then later Cook County. He resigned from the police to form the North-Western Police Agency with attorney Edward Rucker in Chicago, Illinois ... later known as the Pinkerton Agency.
Pinkerton had become famous when he foiled a plot to assassinate President-Elect Abraham Lincoln. (Too bad he wasn't around on April 14, 1965 taking in a play.) At Lincoln's request, Pinkerton began the U.S. Secret Service and served as its head. Through the use of a double agent, Pinkerton's secret service defeated a Confederate plot to free the eight thousand prisoners of war at the South Side's Camp Douglas.
Pinkerton agents were hired to track western outlaws Jesse James, the Reno brothers, and the Wild Bunch (including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid). They also performed services ranging from security guards to private military contracting work. During its height, the Pinkerton Detective Agency employed more agents than the standing army of the United States of America, causing the state of Ohio to outlaw the agency due to fears it could be hired out as a private army or militia. The Pinkertons were also used as guards in coal, iron and lumber disputes in Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania, as well as the railroad strikes of 1877. The earliest record of the agency's involvement in such a dispute dates from 1866, when it provided guard service during a coal miners' strike in Bradwood, Illinois. Thereafter, Pinkertons were used as guards in coal, iron and lumber disputes in Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania, as well as in the railroad strikes of 1877. The business thrived and Pinkerton established several regional offices.
The most notorious example was the Homestead Strike of 1892, when Pinkerton agents killed several people while enforcing the strikebreaking measures of Henry Clay Frick, acting on behalf of Andrew Carnegie, who was abroad. During the Homestead Strike, the arrival, on July 6, 1892, of a force of three hundred Pinkerton detectives from New York and Chicago resulted in a fight in which about eleven men were killed, and to restore order two brigades of the state militia were called out.
The Pinkerton logo, the All-Seeing Eye -- an eye embellished with the words "We Never Sleep" -- inspired the phrase "Private Eye."
A separate agency, The William J. Burns Detective Agency, was founded circa 1910. In July 2003, Securitas AB acquired the United States companies of Pinkerton and Burns to make it Securitas Security Services USA, Inc., one of the largest security companies in the world.
"You a bounty hunter?" / Outlaw Josey Wales ... (Referenced by Veronica and Logan while on the bench.)
A line from the 1976 western Outlaw Josey Wales, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, the line is misquoted by Veronica. The actual exchange is:
- Bounty hunter #1: You're wanted, Wales.
Josey Wales: Reckon I'm right popular. You a bounty hunter?
Bounty hunter #1: A man's got to do something for a living these days.
Josey Wales: Dyin' ain't much of a living, boy.
Still seeking revenge, Josey heads to Texas for a chance at a new life, along the way attracting several traveling companions, even though he would rather be left to himself. His unlikely compatriots include an elderly Yankee woman and her granddaughter -- both of whom were rescued from a band of comancheros -- a young Indian woman, and an elderly Indian man. In the climactic final showdown with the Redlegs, Josey and the rest of the group find themselves holed up in an abandoned farmhouse that had been fortified to withstand Indian attacks. While the majority of the Redlegs are gunned down or start to flee, Josey goes after the leader and ends up killing the man with his own cavalry sword.
Clint Eastwood ... (Referenced by Logan when he was joking with Veronica about their recent Eastwood marathon.)
Born May 31, 1930, Clinton Eastwood Jr., is regarded as one of the greatest American movie stars of all time. An actor, producer, composer, and Academy Award winning director, Eastwood has starred in over forty movies and as of 2006 has directed thirty. The only child of a working-class family during the Great Depression, Eastwood spent much of the 1930's moving around California, an experience that would later color some of his films.
During the Korean War, he was drafted into the military in 1951 and sent to Fort Ord on the Monterey Bay, CA for basic training. Before being sent to Korea he was on his way back from a trip home to Seattle to visit his parents, when the Navy torpedo bomber he was on developed engine trouble, was forced to make a water landing off the coast of San Francisco, and Eastwood had to swim over a mile to shore. It was because of this that instead of heading to Korea he was assigned as a swim instructor at Fort Ord. Discharged in 1953 he moved to Southern California to attend Los Angeles City College and studied drama and business administration under the G.I. Bill.
Eastwood began his career as a day player in mostly B-films, but received his first big break in 1959 with a part on the long running television series, Rawhide, as Rowdy Yates and became a household name across the country. International fame came when he was cast as the lead role of the mysterious man with no name in Sergio Leone's trilogy of Spaghetti Westerns, A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966). With these roles, Eastwood redefined the traditional image of the American cowboy/gunslinger. One of Eastwood's most memorable non- cowboy roles was that of loose cannon cop, "Dirty" Harry Callahan, and even prompted President Reagan to lift his famous "Make my day" line in one of his speeches.
Girls Gone Wild ... (Referenced when Veronica tells Logan she's on the verge of it like a lot of college girls.)
Girls Gone Wild is a series of videos depicting young women removing their clothing (and engaging in lesbian sexual intercourse) for the camera, usually in exchange for a t-shirt. The videos have themes: Sexy Sorority Girls, Spring Break Girls, et al. The videos are sold online as well as via late night TV infomercials and are a multi-million dollar boom, making the "creator" of the brand, Joe Francis, a multi-millionaire sleaze artist.
Cayman Islands ... (Referenced by Veronica as to Dick's locations during the summer.)
The Cayman Islands are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom located in the western Caribbean Sea. It is known as one of the largest tax havens in the world (which would explain why Big Dick has made it his new home).
The Cayman Islands are comprised of the islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman. The three islands are situated about 480 miles south of Miami, 150 miles south of Cuba, and 180 miles northwest of Jamaica. Grand Cayman is by far the largest, with an area of 76 square miles. Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are located about 90 miles east of Grand Cayman and have areas of 14 square miles and 10 square miles respectively.
Because The Cayman Islands is widely recognised to be one of the leading offshore financial centers, the islands' financial services industry encompasses banking, mutual funds, captive insurance, vessel registration, companies and partnerships, trusts, structured finance and the Cayman Islands Stock Exchange. As of December 2005, just over 70,000 companies were incorporated on The Cayman Islands including 430 banking and trust companies, 720 captive insurance firms and more than 7,000 funds.
As of April 2006 the latest population estimate of The Cayman Islands is 57,800, representing a mix of more than one hundred nationalities. For those of you keeping count, that means that there are just over 1.2 companies incorporated in The Cayman Islands for every person that actually lives there. Big industry, no taxes, mucho dinero and white sand beaches? It's amazing that the population isn't larger. Heck, I'm ready to move there right now! Maybe Big Dick's in the market for a new wife....
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ... (Referenced by Logan when talking to Veronica about Dick getting into Hearst.)
Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in Graz, Austria on July 30, 1947. He began his career as a bodybuilder, winning a number of competitions and getting his first taste of politics by being appointed to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. The Austrian he-man had always wanted to act, though. His breakthrough film was Conan the Barbarian (1982), but he's probably best known for his roles in The Terminator (1984), Predator (1987), Total Recall (1990) and Kindergarten Cop (1990).
Schwarzenegger, a registered Republican, was elected the governor of California on October 7, 2003 in a recall election, which removed Democrat Gray Davis from office. If not reelected in the 2006 gubernatorial election, his term will end on January 8, 2007. Schwarzenegger is married to Maria Shriver, a former journalist for NBC as well as a Democrat and member of America's political royalty, the Kennedys. The couple have four children.
Greg Louganis ... (Referenced by Logan when talking about Beaver's end with Veronica.)
Born Gregory Efthimios Louganis on November 29, 1960 in El Cajon, California, Louganis was an Olympic diver. In 1976 at the age of 16 he competed in his first Olympic games in Montreal, where he won the silver medal in 10 meter platform. He won his first World title in that event two years later. In 1978 he began attending the University of Miami on a diving scholarship, and later transferred to the University of California, Irvine, where he later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. He was favored to win gold in two events in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, but the American boycott of the games prevented him from competing.
Louganis went on to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in both the 10 meter platform and the 3 meter springboard in 1984 in Los Angeles and in 1988 in Seoul, in between which he won two World titles in 1986. He is best remembered for an accident in Seoul when he hit his head on the diving board during one of his jumps in the springboard event. The injury did not prevent him from continuing to compete and winning the gold.
Following his Olympic career Louganis made news in 1994 when he announced that he was gay. He also revealed in his 1995 biography that he was HIV positive, an announcement that caused much controversy considering his 1988 diving accident, which had resulted in light bleeding. However, there had never been any medical danger to anyone else using the pool following his dive. After his biography was released, he was unfortunately dropped by all of his sponsors with the exception of Speedo, who back him to this day. A 1997 made-for-tv movie starring Mario Lopez chronicled Louganis' life.
View an Olympic highlight video as well as a short clip of his medal winning dives in Seoul at the International Olympic Committee website, here.
"Wonder Twin powers activate!" / Wonder Twins Comic ... (Referenced by Vinnie to Keith at Mars Investigations.)
The Wonder Twins are a pair of teenage alien superheroes (somewhat reminiscent of Vulcans from Star Trek) who were sidekicks to the Super Friends in the Hanna-Barbera animated television series of the same name. The pair, Zan and Jayna, are siblings from the planet Exxor who were being informally trained by the superheroes. Unlike their predecessors, Wendy Harris and Marvin White, this pair was able to participate in combat with abilities of their own. Their powers were activated when the twins made physical contact together with the spoken command, "Wonder Twin powers, Activate!"
So the logical question is (when thinking of Keith and Vinnie) who would be Zan and who would be Jayna? Zan could transform into any kind of water and Jayna could transform into any type of animal. In my estimation, that clearly makes Jayna the more skilled and flexible of the two of them - she's the bigger asset in a fight or dangerous situation. So if you look at it that way, Keith would be Jayna. However, I hesitate to make the comparison that Keith is girly. So if we then look at it as who is the stronger more manly twin, we'd probably go with Zan. Which would make Keith Zan. However if we put Gleek into the equation, it changes everything.
Gleek was the twins' pet Space Monkey who had a useful prehensile tail and whose body could act as a conduit for the twins to activate their powers should they be out of reach. Gleek also served as a courier when the twins needed to travel: Jayna would typically transform into a large eagle, and Zan would transform into water, "jumping" into a bucket which Gleek conveniently would be holding.
And now it is all clear to me Keith is Jayna (without the feminine connotation), Veronica is Gleek and Vinnie well, Vinnie's the water in the bucket.
New York ... (Referenced as to where Veronica and Keith went on their holiday.)
Officially the City of New York, New York City (also known by the initials NYC) is the highest populated city in the United States and the most densely populated major city in North America. Located in the state of New York, it has a population of over eight million in a 321 square mile radius. Overwhelmingly considered to be one of the worlds major global cities, NYC is a center for international finance, fashion, entertainment, and culture with an exceptional array of museums, galleries, media outlets, performance venues, international corporations and financial markets. NYC is also the home to the United Nations headquarters.
New York City proper is made up of five boroughs: Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island, and Manhattan. Each borough is home to at least a million people and each would be considered as some of the nation's largest cities if considered separate of the others.
Since the 1970's the city has commonly been referred to by the nickname "The Big Apple" due to a promotional campaign by the New York Convention and Visitor's Bureau, although the true origins of this alternate toponym are less clear. The city has attracted a large number of immigrants, with over a third of its population born outside of the United States. NYC also attracts people from all over the U.S. because of its culture, energy, cosmopolitan feel and economic opportunities. Currently NYC has the lowest crime rate among the nations 25 largest cities.
Hot Dog! ... (Referenced by Keith to Veronica when looking at their New York photos.)
As a term, "hot dog" first came into use in an old joke involving a dog's "pants" (the verb "pant" substituted for the noun). The following was widely reprinted in newspapers, from at least 1870: "Whats the difference between a chilly man and a hot dog? One wears a great coat, and the other pants." The October 18, 1894 University of Michigan humor magazine The Wrinkle contained this on the cover page: "Two Greeks a 'hot dog' freshman sought. The Clothes they found, their favors bought." "Hot dog" meant a stylish dresser, someone who was sharply attired. A popular phrase was "puttin' on the dog."
When this became an expression of surprise is unclear, but was often used as such in the 1940's through the early 1960's.
Hardy Boys (Joe and Frank) ... (Referenced by Keith to Veronica when she makes him feel old.)
The Hardy Boys is a long running mystery series featuring Frank and Joe Hardy that originated in 1927 and continues to the present day. Frank and Joe are the sons of Fenton Hardy, an internationally famous detective and they often solve cases of their own at home or abroad. Frank is eighteen, good at analyzing clues and figuring out which are the logical steps to take in order to solve a case. Joe, a year younger, is Frank's almost complete opposite. He dashes into all kinds of situations without worrying too much about consequences, and refuses to admit that anything is impossible. Joe is full of enthusiasm and good humor, and can always be counted on to lighten up a tense situation with a witty remark. The series always features a supporting cast of characters including best friend Chet Morton, detective Oscar Smuff, and police chief Collig.
Although Franklin W. Dixon is listed as the author, there is no Franklin W. Dixon, and there never was. Dixon is a pen name used by a group of writers called the Stratemeyer Syndicate, which was founded in the early 1900's by a man named Edward Stratemeyer. The Syndicate was also responsible for many other successful juvenile series, including Nancy Drew, Tom Swift, and The Bobbsey Twins.
So if Veronica is Frank Hardy, what roles do the rest of the cast play? Fenton = Keith, Smuff = Vinnie Van Lowe, Collig = Lamb, but who is Joe? Logan, Wallace or Mac?
Drive-In ... (Referenced by Keith when he and Veronica banter about his out-dated vocabulary.)
What? They don't have Sonics in Neptune? I call BS on this one -- stop picking on Keith, Veronica. But I guess I'll play along. A drive-in is a place where people can drive up and be serviced without getting out of the car. The modern incarnation of the drive-in is the "drive-through," which are prevalent in fast food chains, banks, and even some chapels in Las Vegas that offer marriage services to couples on the move.
Drive-In theaters are not as common as they were in the 1950's, but can still be found in most states in America. A drive-in theater is a place where people sit in their parked cars to watch a film on a large screen. Some drive-ins have stations to park cars equipped with speakers that you attach to your car window and others just use loud speakers for the film's audio track.
Sonic Drive-In and A&W are American fast-food chains that retain the 1950's drive-in diner atmosphere, complete with roller skating carhops. They are different from a regular drive-through, in that you park your car at one of several stations, place your order through a speaker, your food is delivered to your vehicle, and you can sit in your car while you eat without worrying about a line of cars behind you.
Monty Python's Spamalot! ... (Referenced by Veronica when discussing the New York trip.)
Monty Python's Spamalot is a comedic musical "lovingly ripped off from" the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). Like the film, it is a highly irreverent parody of Arthurian Legend, but it differs from the film in many other ways, especially its parodies of Broadway theatre. Eric Idle, a member of the Monty Python team, wrote the musical's book and lyrics, and collaborated with John Du Prez on the music. Running since March 17, 2005, it was directed by Mike Nichols, and won the Tony Award for Best Musical of the 20042005 season. Grey's Anatomy fans might be surprised to know that Sara Ramirez (Callie) played The Lady in the Lake in the original run, earning herself the Tony for Featured Actress in a Musical.
Empire State Building ... (Referenced by Veronica when discussing the New York trip.)
The Empire State Building is a 102-story contemporary Art Deco style skyscraper in New York City, declared by the American Society of Civil Engineers to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Designed by Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, it was built between 1930 and 1931.
The building belongs to the World Federation of Great Towers. It was the first building to have more than one hundred floors. It remained the tallest skyscraper in the world for a record forty-one years (and the world's tallest man-made structure for twenty-three years) until the construction of the World Trade Center, and shortly afterwards the Sears Tower. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the Empire State Building regained the title of tallest building in New York City, and the second tallest building in the United States. The building weighs approximately 330,000 metric tons, has 6,500 windows, 73 elevators and 1,860 steps to the top floor.
And sorry Veronica, as the Empire State Building is located at 350 Fifth Avenue it is definitely not the building in your photograph. This point goes to Keith.
Chrysler Building ... (Referenced by Keith discussing the New York trip.)
The Chrysler building is a 1,046-foot high skyscraper in New York City built by William Van Alen between 1928 and 1930 in the Art Deco style. The building is located on the east side of Manhattan at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue.
Originally built for the Chrysler Corporation, the building is presently co-owned by TMW Real Estate (75%) and Tishman Speyer Properties (25%). The Chrysler Building was the first structure in the world to surpass the 1,000 foot threshold. Despite being overtaken by the Empire State Building as the tallest building in the world in 1931, the Chrysler Building is still the tallest brick building in the world.
And for what it's worth, Keith's wisdom prevails: the photo of Keith and Veronica does appear to have been taken in front of the Chrysler Building which is located at 405 Lexington Avenue.
"Sweet Child o'(f) Mine" ... (Referenced by Keith to Veronica as he disagrees with her about the picture.)
"Sweet Child O' Mine" is a song written and performed by the band Guns N' Roses. It is purported to be about Erin Everly the then-girlfriend and future wife of lead singer Axl Rose. The song was released on the band's debut album, Appetite for Destruction, on August 10, 1987.
It was the band's first number-one single, spending three weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 during the summer of 1988. "Sweet Child O' Mine" is #37 on the list of "100 Greatest Guitar Solos" from Guitar World magazine, #3 on Blender's 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born, and #196 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The opening guitar riff was also voted the greatest of all-time by readers of Total Guitar magazine. The D-flat based riff was later revealed to have been played as a joke in a jam session by Guns N' Roses' lead guitarist, Slash. He and drummer Steven Adler were warming up when Slash made faces at Steven while playing a "circus" melody. Adler asked him to play it again, when Izzy Stradlin added the chords and Axl started singing the poem he had written. And a rock classic was born.
Lyrics for "Sweet Child O' Mine"
- She's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything
Was as fresh as the bright blue sky
Now and then when I see her face
She takes me away to that special place
And if I'd stare too long
I'd probably break down and cry
Sweet child o' mine
Sweet love of mine
She's got eyes of the bluest skies
As if they thought of rain
I hate to look into those eyes
And see an ounce of pain
Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place
Where as a child I'd hide
And pray for the thunder
And the rain
To quietly pass me by
Sweet child o' mine
Sweet love of mine
Where do we go
Where do we go now
Where do we go
Sweet child o' mine
"You mess with the bull, you get the horns." ... (Referenced by Veronica when she talks to Keith about her first day at Hearst.)
This is an old expression made popular by its use in the classic films Scarface and The Breakfast Club. In The Breakfast Club, the principal flashes the "Hook 'em Horns" hand gesture as he says the line. The gesture, traditionally called the corna (Italian for horns), is made by stretching the index and pinky finger while holding the middle and ring fingers down with your thumb. The gesture itself dates back to Ancient Greece, and has several different meanings.
Similar to its use in The Breakfast Club, Veronicas gesture here is just a reference to UT's Longhorns, or more generically, to the horns of a bull.
The line likely traces its origins back to the Mexican tradition of bullfighting. The gesture is sometimes used to represent Satan's horns, which put a lot of mothers in a tizzy when the gesture was first inducted into the Rock and Roll scene.
I think that's "I love you" and your thumb's supposed
to be ... oh, never mind. A for effort, Veronica.
In some cultures the gesture has superstitious connotations and is used to ward off the Evil Eye. (Example: Black cat crosses one's path, seeing a hearse, seeing nuns, or other situations associated with bad luck.) The gesture is then used as an equivalent to knocking on wood, to conjure supernatural protection from the object you're pointing at. Historically, this gesture was used to point out people suspected of being witches.
Ahem.
Magnolia Bakery (Referenced by Veronica as she looks at a picture of Keith gorging on cupcakes outside the bakery.)
The popular Magnolia Bakery is located in the West Village part of Manhattan, New York. The shop was opened in 1996 by owners Jennifer Appel and Allysa Torey and has become a favorite sweet treat stop for locals and tourists alike. With business hours lasting until 11:30pm (Sunday - Thursday) or 12:30am (Friday - Saturday), the bakery is also an attraction for the bar crowd. Lines typically can be found well outside the door after 10:00pm on the weekends.
Desserts range from banana pudding to cherries jubilee and mini cheesecakes. However, the hottest item is their award-winning cupcakes, which received CitySearch.com's 2001 Audience Award for best dessert in New York City. These special treats come in two flavors: golden sponge or chocolate cake. Each cupcake is topped with a sweet buttercream frosting and sprinkles. A self-service area is located inside so that customers can box up their own cupcakes. However, due to their popularity, cupcake purchases are limited. (Sorry, Keith!) About 20,000 cupcakes are sold each week.
In 1999, Appel and Torey released The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook: Old-Fashioned Recipes from New York's Sweetest Bakery, which includes recipes for a variety of cakes, cookies, pies and cheesecakes, as well as baking tips. Jennifer Appel left Magnolia Bakery in 2000 to open the Buttercup Bake Shop.
"Hold down the fort" ... (Referenced by Veronica when Keith tells her he's going out of town on a case.)
This is an expression that means to assume responsibility in the absence of a superior, or to "maintain a superior position." The phrase was originally used in the military; a subordinate would be charged with protecting the fort while a higher ranking officer was away.
"The fairest of them all" / Snow White ... (Referenced by Wallace when he and Piz first meet.)
A 1937 Walt Disney animated film based on a Brothers Grimm tale of the same name. Beautiful Snow White finds herself the target of her vain and very proud stepmother's jealousy. The evil Queen routinely inquires of her magic wall mirror, "Who is the fairest of them all," only to be informed one day, that her beauty is far surpassed by that of her stepdaughter. The Evil Queen, determined to be considered the fairest in the land -- a decree bestowed only by her often harangued mirror -- schemes to rid the kingdom of Snow White.
A woodsman hired by the Queen to kill Snow White helps to fake her death and run away. Snow White hides in the forest with the assistance and shelter of woodland creatures and seven dwarfs, but falls prey to the Queen in disguise and consumes a poisoned apple. The Prince, who has fallen in love with Snow White, happens upon the beauty in her dwarf-made glass coffin and awakens her from the wicked Queen's coma-inducing spell with "love's first kiss."
1967 Gretsch Astrojet ... (Referenced by Piz when telling Veronica about his guitar.)
This really IS the holy grail of guitars. Information on this little-known guitar gem is scarce and myth-like which leads one to believe that they are rare and valuable. However, many of the ratings I found for this guitar in terms of value and saleability as a vintage collectible were surprisingly low. So to each his own, I suppose. Piz seemed pretty attached to it so it must be ... no, wait, scrap that. This is the same kid who left his doors unlocked at college so maybe it is a piece of crap. Ah, who knows. On to the history!
Gretsch musical instrument production began in 1883 when Friedrich Gretsch, a German immigrant, set up a shop in Brooklyn for the manufacture of banjos, tambourines and drums. Gretsch dabbled in electric guitars prior to 1955, producing a limited number of Hawaiian lap steels and the Electromatic arch-tops, among other models, but around 1954 the Golden Age of Gretsch guitars began. In quick succession the Electromatic evolved into the Country Club, the Jet solidbodies were introduced and two of Gretsch's best-loved models, the 6120 Chet Atkins model and the White Falcon hit the market.
The short-lived Astro Jet line (Serial #6126) was launched in 1965 and lasted only three years. The 1967 model is significant because it was one of the last guitars made by the company before it was sold to Baldwin Pianos in that same year. The specs on the original 1965 model are: Double cutaway asymmetrical body with pointed horns and beveled body edges, two Super tron pickups, three knobs, three switches, rollter bridge, Burns straight arm vibrato, thumbprint fingerboard inlays, four tuners on bass side of peghead and two tuners on treble side, red top finish and black back and sides.
Close enough to the original, we hope.
Here's a 1966 Gretsch Astro Jet.
Maybe if you are a guitar lover that will all mean something very profound to you. To me, it might as well be in Swahili.
Holy Grail ... (Referenced by Piz when telling Veronica about his guitar.)
In Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to possess miraculous powers. The quest for the Holy Grail also makes up an important segment of the Arthurian cycle, appearing first in works by Chrtien de Troyes. The legend may combine Christian lore with a Celtic myth of a cauldron endowed with special powers. The pursuit of the Holy Grail is centuries old and can be found interwoven into many stories and legends from the past 1,000 years - far too many to recount here.
This complex legend is the basis of the use of the term "holy grail" in a modern context. This or that "holy grail" is seen as the distant, all-but-unobtainable ultimate goal for a person, organization, or field to achieve. If Piz's only goal in life was to find and obtain that guitar and he managed to complete it before he reached college he's either: 1) an over-achiever of astronomical proportions; or 2) he really needs to set some new, higher goals for himself.
I'm going with door number two.
Brigadoon ... (Referenced by Veronica to Piz when he says he didn't lock his car.)
Originally Brigadoon was a 1947 Lerner and Loewe Broadway musical. It was turned into a movie in 1955 by MGM starring Gene Kelly, Van Johnson and Cyd Charisse. Vincent Minnelli, Judy Garland's husband and Liza Minnelli's father, directed the movie. The musical tells the story of two American hunters who stumble upon a small town while they are lost in the highlands of Scotland. They find out that the reason why the town is not on any map is that the townsfolk only awaken for one day out of every hundred years. One of the Americans falls in love with a girl from the town, but since the world has changed so much she won't leave Brigadoon. Will true love win in the end? You will have to see the movie.
Portland ... (Referenced when discussing where Piz is from.)
The largest city in the state of Oregon, Portland is home to approximately two million people in the surrounding metropolitan area and is the twenty-fourth largest state in the U.S. Located in the county seat of Multnomah County, it borders the Willamette River directly south of its meeting with the Columbia River. Portland is also the third largest city in the Pacific Northwest after Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC. With a climate ideal for the cultivation of roses, Portland is known as "Rose City" or "The City of Roses" with a multitude of rose gardens, including the International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park. The Portland Rose Festival is the city's major annual festival.
Willamette River boat and Portland Roses.
It also has a variety of other nicknames which include "Stumptown" (land was cleared for development through logging), "Bridgetown" (because of its many bridges), "Puddletown" (courtesy of the rainy weather), "River City" (its proximity to the Willamette and Columbia), and the obvious "P-town."
Located in the northern end of Oregon's most populated region, the Willamette Valley, Portland has a total area of 145.4 sq. miles, 11.1 sq. miles of which (7.6%) is water, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The city also lies on top of an extinct Plio-Pleistocene volcanic field, the Boring Lava Field. It includes around thirty-two cinder cones and small shield volcanoes within thirteen miles of Kelly Butte, approximately four miles east of downtown Portland.
Portland has a climate that is temperate and seasonal; it averages between 4045 inches of rainfall a year, with an average of one hundred and fifty-five days a year of measurable precipitation. Even though it's in the Marine West Coast climate zone, Portland exhibits many characteristics of a Mediterranean climate, with mild wet winters and warm, dry summers.
Originally a spot known as "the clearing," at the time of incorporation on February 8, 1851, Portland was home to around eight hundred people, a log cabin hotel, a steam sawmill, and the Weekly Oregonian, a local newspaper. Because of its access to both the Pacific Ocean and the Tualatin Valley, Portland had an advantage over nearby ports and remained the major port in the Pacific N.W. for most of the 19th century, until Seattles deepwater harbor was connected to the rest of the mainland by rail in the 1890's.
Beaverton, Oregon ... (Referenced when discussing where Piz is from.)
Located seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley, Beaverton encompasses 18.6 square miles and is home to around 84, 000 people. Oregon's fifth largest city, Beaverton is the largest incorporated city in Washington County. According to Oregon Geographic Names, Beaverton was so named because of the settlement's close proximity to a large body of water that was the result of beaver dams.
A "family friendly" city, Beaverton has a vast amount of "Green Space" with over one hundred parks over one thousand acres, with a park located within half a mile of every home. The city includes thirty miles of hiking trails and twenty-five miles of bike paths. With forty-six schools from grades K-12, the city is nationally acclaimed for students' high SAT scores, and has formed strong partnerships with local businesses. A few highly regarded private schools along with some of the region's best state and private universities and community colleges are located within thirty miles of Beaverton.
Home to the SummerFest (formerly 'The Taste of Beaverton') the July festival began forty-six years ago and has grown into an annual Beaverton tradition that includes the SummerFest Parade, national and local music groups, food, a wine pavilion, family friendly activities, and a craft market.
"Salt of the earth people" ... (Referenced when discussing where Piz is from.)
The saying "salt of the earth" actually comes from the Christian bible in Matthews 5:13 (NIV) to describe followers of Jesus. In present day though, the saying is applied to people who are hard-working and honest. So, in other words ... clearly not many residents of Neptune, California.
"Chicken in every pot." / Herbert Hoover ... (Referenced when discussing where Piz is from.)
He wasn't just promising chicken. During the Presidential campaign of 1928, Herbert Hoover promised the American public: "A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage" in a circular published by the Republican Party. This promise was never realized though; after a landslide victory over his opponent, seven months after Hoover took the oath of office, came the stockmarket crash on October 29, 1929, a.k.a. Black Tuesday. This brought about the Great Depression, the most severe economic crisis in U.S. history, and the public eventually lost confidence in Hoover. He was voted out in 1932 when Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected (in the first of four terms).
Frak / Battlestar Galactica ... (Referenced by Piz's R.A., Mo, when Veronica questions him.)
'Frak' is basically the 'fuck' of the future, used in every way and instance that we humans of today would use the F-bomb. Or so says Ronald D. Moore, executive producer of the updated Battlestar Galactica. Based on the television series of the same name that ran 1978-1979, the new millennia's version of the sci-fic classic has a grittier, more realistic feel than not only the original, but any other science-fiction television show has ever.
The brief premise is that years in the future in a distant part of the universe there exists a civilization of humans who live on planets known as the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, the main planet being Caprica. The Colonies are in an uneasy armistice with a cybernetic race known as the Cylons, but with the unwitting help of a genius scientist with quite questionable morals named Gaius Baltar (James Callis), the Cylons -- who now can easily pass as humans -- launch a sudden, coordinated, and unprovoked attack on the Colonies, laying waste to the planets and devastating their populations.
The last few thousands of the human survivors flee into space aboard any spacecraft they can reach. Of all the Colonial Fleet, the Battlestar Galactica appears to be the only military ship that survived the attack. Under the leadership of the now-president of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, former Secretary of Education, Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) -- out giving a speech on one of the planets, thus not on Caprica when the attack came, she is the highest living member of the government -- and famed military leader Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos), the Battlestar Galactica and her crew take up the task of leading the ragtag fleet of survivors into space in search of a fabled refuge known as Earth, which has taken on the proportions of the Arthurian myth.
Other than the down and dirty take on the universe, the biggest difference in the new version of BSG is the sex change of Starbuck. In the original, Dirk Benedict played Starbuck, while Richard Hatch played Apollo and together, they were the heroes of the series and best friends. In today's BSG, British-born Jamie Bamber plays Lee "Apollo" Adama, while Katee Sackhoff plays Kara "Starbuck" Thrace. While this change infuriated fans of the original, Sackhoff's marvelous portrayal and the characterization have made her Starbuck one of the most popular characters ... just as Benedict did with his incarnation of Starbuck.
L to R: Michael Hogan (Col. Paul Tigh), McDonnell (Roslin), Olmos (Adama), Bamber (Apollo),
Callis (Baltar), Sackhoff (Starbuck), (TOP) Tahmoh Penikett (Karl C. 'Helo' Agathon),
(BOTTOM) Tricia Helfer (Number Six) and Grace Park (Sharon "Boomer" Valerii).
Oolong Tea (Referenced by Moe, the R.A., as he offers some to Veronica and Piz.)
A traditional type of Chinese tea, the most famous and expensive of which is made in the Fjin province. "Oolong" is Chinese for "black dragon." Legends explaining the origin of the name include tales of men distracted by various creatures (a black snake or a deer) while drying or picking tea leaves. The time spent away from their task resulted in oxidized tea leaves and a new type of tea.
The oolong tea leaves have a black thread-like appearance when dried. The tea is brewed strong and bitter, but has a faintly sweet, sometimes melony, aftertaste and flowery aroma. Typically, the tea is processed by: Wilting (sun or air dried), yaoqing (leaf edges are bruised), rouquing (leaves are tumbled), shaquing (dried over heat and then stirred), cooling, drying, grading and then packaging. The Fjin government has an official Oolong Tea website explaining the world of oolong tea, including potential health benefits.
'Take Back the Night' Feminist Rallies ... (Referenced by the 'Take back the Night' rally at Hearst.)
'Take Back the Night' rallies and marches are organized events intended to bring community awareness to rape and other violent crimes committed against women. These events originated in Europe in the 1970's. The first march was organized in Belgium by the women attending the International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women. The first march in the United States was held in San Francisco in 1977 by Women Against Violence in Pornography and Media (WAVPM). Thousands of women marched through San Francisco's red-light district protesting the subordinate portrayal of women in pornography.
Today, 'Take Back the Night' rallies take place anywhere from small college campuses to major metropolitan areas; some events are even organized internationally. An event usually begins with a rally, then a candlelit march at night to show that women should not have to fear walking through the streets alone at night. 'Take Back the Night' can refer to violence against men and children, as well, but the term generally holds a connotation of being a feminist movement. In fact, men are often symbolically excluded from participating in events.
"M.R.S." Degree ... (Referenced by Mac to Veronica at the rally.)
Getting an "Mrs. Degree" is a common and clever euphemism for a girl going to college for the sole purpose of finding a husband. Although the term is used pretty much across the board for college-aged girls, the term is more often applied to girls who choose to attend so-called "Bible" (or religious) colleges, which are frequently nicknamed "bridal" colleges.
"How's tricks, kid?" ... (Referenced by Veronica when greeting Mac at the rally.)
"How's tricks" is a popular Irish greeting similar to the American greetings "What's up?" or "How's it going?" There are several schools of thought on the origin of the term/phrase. One of the most likely explanations has the use of the word 'tricks' in this context deriving from either the nautical 'trick' or the card game 'trick.' Conventional wisdom leans towards the nautical sense of the word meaning 'a turn of duty.'
The other school of thought traces the root of the word to its Latin origin, the verb tricari or tricae, meaning 'trifles or toys.' From at least the mid-16th century we have trick referring to 'a trinket, bauble, knick-knack.' Farmer's A Dictionary of Slang, published in 1890, lists as current "Western American" slang a sense of trick meaning 'belongings, things, baggage.' For a phrase that is equivalent to "How's things?," it's not too far-fetched to think that it may have been influenced by this use of the word.
The use of the phrase was also very popular in the States in the '40's and '50's, mainly in reference to gambling practices where a 'trick' is a round of cards or a roll of the dice. It was generally considered a vulgar greeting and was predominantly used by the card sharps, dice men and gangsters of that era. As Veronica Mars is a noir show, I would guess that this part of the phrase's history was one of the main reasons Rob Thomas included it in his script. It's precisely the kind of thing you can see someone like Philip Marlowe asking one of his acquaintances.
Other similar greetings coined by our Irish friends include "Howya?," "How'sa goin'?," "How's she cutting?" -- and my personal favorite, "What's the craic?"
Red Light District ... (Referenced as Mac's description of Parker.)
"Rooooxannne....you don't have to put on the red light. Those days are oh-va, you don't have to sell your body to the night!" It's sad how much I miss The Police.
A red-light district is a neighborhood where prostitution businesses flourish, so named for the practice of placing a red light in the window to indicate to customers the nature of the business. Some say the origin of the red light comes from the red lanterns carried by railway workers, which were left outside brothels when the workers entered, so that they could be quickly located for any needed train movement.
If you wanna accurately apply this to a VM character (Mac, I'm lookin' at you!), based on the events that occurred at the end of the episode, looks like Kendall's 'red light' was put out for good.
Union Jack flag ... (Referenced by Dick's speedo motif.)
The Union Flag (commonly known as the Union Jack) is the national flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Historically, the flag has been used throughout the former British Empire. It still retains an official or semi-official status in many Commonwealth Realms. The current design (which is used as the national Flag of the United Kingdom) dates from the Union of Ireland and Great Britain in 1801.
Shiv ... (Referenced by Cormac when he tells Keith the probable fate awaiting his brother Liam.)
A shiv is a slang term for a knife, or a makeshift knife-like weapon. They're usually made and used by inmates in prisons, out of any number of everyday items like a shard of glass with cloth wrapped around one end, a razorblade stuck in the end of a toothbrush, a sharpened spoon, or the like. A similar term is a "shank," which is a shiv made out of the metal shanks that used to be part of prison-issue boots. More information and photographs of various shivs can be found at this website. Was Cormac just too greedy to share the money with Kendall, or does he plan on using it to save Liam from certain death by ... spoons and hairbrushes?
Go Pro / College Experience ... (Referenced by Veronica and Logan sweaty ... in bed ... after sex.)
Some viewers may have interpreted Veronica's line that Logan should "go pro in that" to be implying that he should become a male prostitute to charge for his sexual skills. However, based on Logan's follow up line about enjoying the "college experience" and the following explanation about how the phrases are typically used in the world of sports, I think we can safely say that was not Veronica's intention nor should we take it that way.
Many high-profile college athletes in basketball and football decide to leave school early to enter the NBA or NFL drafts, respectively. Leading up to the entry deadlines for the professional drafts, there is typically much speculation around the sports world and especially among sports journalists about which athletes will be or should be "going pro." Some of these athletes will even hold press conferences to announce their decisions. The main reasons why an athlete might decide to leave school early are the money that he could earn by being drafted by a professional team, and, related to that, to avoid a possible injury in school that would prevent him from being drafted in the future were he to play another year in school.
An athlete might choose to stay in school because he has determined that he is not good enough to be drafted as high as he would like (or at all), and another year in school would increase his chances of a higher draft slot (which usually means more money). However, instead of admitting that they're not good enough to get drafted high, many will say that they have decided to finish school in order to graduate or to enjoy the college experience (hence Logan's response).
The "college experience" line was especially typical of high school seniors who decided to play in college instead of going straight to the pros (the NFL and now the NBA have age limits that make high school students ineligible for the drafts, although the MLB draft still accepts high school seniors). "Mass Exodus" by SI.com columnist John Walters uses both "go pro" and "going pro." In "Pro Baseball or Not?," football and baseball prospect Brent Brewer says, "I dont want to miss out on the college experience but if I want to play baseball down the road then going right into the minors right away is a possibility. Its probably going to come down to where Im drafted. I might go pro if Im ... drafted in the first two rounds.
Saturn ... (Referenced by Veronica and Piz's talk about her new car.)
Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun, named after the Roman god of the same name, whose Greek equivalent is Cronus, the father of Zeus. The planet is a gas giant, most recognized for its rings, which are composed primarily of ice particles and other debris and dust. It is the second largest planet, broaching a little over ninety-five times the mass of Earth. Saturn has a large number of moons, but they are for the most part indecipherable from the chunks of ice that make up the rings. The most notable of Saturn's moons is Titan.
Saturn the automobile, is a division of the American auto manufacturer General Motors. Production began in 1990, and the cars are marketed in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Both the name and the company logo are based on the planet. The Saturn dealership is well known for its company-wide "no haggle" sales policy, and retailers are encouraged to sell the cars at list price. Customer satisfaction with dealer service is one of the highest of any car brand in the US.
Veronica's new car, the Saturn Vue, is a compact SUV that is listed for less than $23,000.
Mars ... (Referenced by Veronica and Piz's talk about her new car.)
Mars is the fourth planet from the sun. It is named after the Roman god of war and is also called the "Red Planet" because of its reddish appearance. Mars is thought to be the only other planet in our solar system to potentially harbor liquid water and life. The highest mountain in the solar system, Olympus Mons, is found on the surface, along with the largest canyon, and polar ice caps. Mars has two moons called Phobos and Deimos, which are named after the sons of the Roman god Mars.
The reddish appearance of Mars' surface is caused by iron oxide (rust) and the planet has one-tenth the mass of Earth.
Neptune ... (Referenced by Veronica and Piz's talk about her new car.)
Neptune is the eighth and outermost (Sorry, Pluto) planet in our solar system. It is named after the Roman god of the sea. Neptune's atmosphere is composed of hydrogen and helium, with traces of methane which give the planet a vivid blue appearance. The planet is seventeen times the mass of Earth, and it has thirteen known moons, the largest of which is called Triton (heehee, see episode 1.12, Clash of the Tritons).
The planet is almost never visible from Earth. The next dates it is expected to be visible are April 11, 2009, July 17, 2009, and then, for the last time for the next 165 years, on February 7, 2010.
Uranus ... (Referenced by Veronica and Piz's talk about her new car.)
Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun and is named after the Greek god of the sky. William Herschel, who is credited with the planet's discovery, originally named the planet Georgium Sidus (George's Star) in honor of King George III, but the name was not recognized outside of Britain. After a series of alternative names were proposed, Johann Bode (a German astronomer known for his reformulation and popularization of the Titius-Bode law as well as his works to determine the orbit of Uranus) decided on Uranus -- an unfortunate decision which made the planet the butt of juvenile jokes about two hundred years later.
The planet is primarily gas and ice, with an atmosphere made up of hydrogen, helium, methane, and acetylene, and is about 14.5 times the size of Earth. It has twenty-seven known moons, the names of which are taken from the works of Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.
Mercury ... (Referenced by Veronica and Piz's talk about her new car.)
Mercury, the planet closest to the sun, is named after the Roman god of the same name who delivered messages between the deities. It is about half the size of Earth and has a surface similar to our moon. Sunlight on Mercury's surface is 6.5 times as intense as it is on the Earth's surface.
Mercury is also the name of an element, sometimes referred to as quicksilver, which is used in thermometers and barometers. It is a heavy, silvery metal that remains in liquid state at or near room temperature. The element is extremely sensitive to temperature and will expand and contract as the air around it heats up or cools down, making it a useful measure of temperature. Veronica's expression ("the mercury' rising"), also the name of a 1988 film starring Bruce Willis, just meant that it was getting hot outside.
Podcast ... (Referenced by the Junior taken in by the Welcome Wagon that Veronica interviews.)
Podcasting is a means of having rich media, such as audio and video files, automatically delivered to iPods and other portable media devices by way of subscribing to a podcasters feeds. Some think of podcasting as Internet TiVo, because you can save audio and video content and replay it at anytime. Podcasting has become so popular since its 2000 coinage that large companies now make use of it. However, it has always been a way for individuals to record and upload their own files for other Internet users to listen to or watch.
So how does podcasting work? Podcasters upload an audio file to a web server, usually in mp3 format. Then, they publish an RSS file (also known as a news or webfeed) that contains a name, description and URL of the audio file. RSS files are XML, or Extensible Markup Language, based. When multimedia files are sent from a server to a client, the client pulls down the XML files containing the URLs of the media files so that they may be accessed by others. The software clients use is known as an aggregator, or podcast receiver.
I-pod ... (Referenced by the Junior taken in by the Welcome Wagon that Veronica interviews.)
The iPod is a brand of handy-dandy portable media players designed and marketed by Apple Computer. The full-sized model stores media on an internal hard drive, while the smaller iPod nano and iPod shuffle use flash memory. Like many digital audio players, iPods can also serve as external data storage devices. Apple chose to focus its development on the iPod's simple user interface and its ease of use, rather than on technical capability.
As of 2006, the hip lineup consists of the 5th generation iPod that plays videos; the smaller, second generation iPod nano; and the display-less iPod shuffle. These models were updated in 2006.
Bichon Fris (Referenced by Parker to Veronica regarding Mac's cuteness.)
Translated as "curly lap dog" in French, the Bichon Fris is a popular breed of dog with white curly fur, dark eyes, black nose and lips and dropped ears thick with fur. They are roughly the size of a large housecat, standing nine to twelve inches tall and weighing between seven and eighteen pounds. Their fur requires careful, regular grooming to prevent matting, but since they don't shed, they are popular with people suffering from allergies. Their life expectancy is an average of twelve to fourteen years. Described as inquisitive, intelligent, friendly and energetic, the Bichons are also good lap dogs who make great family pets.
The Bichon Fris's origins can be traced back to the Mediterranean. Originally called Bichon Tenerife, they lived life as the lap dogs of French royalty. Until the Revolution, that is, when they were tossed out on the street and demoted to the role of circus dog. Today, in Norway, farmers are using the surprisingly hardy dogs for rounding up sheep.
The Odd Couple ... (Referenced by Parker to Veronica about her potential roommate worries.)
The Odd Couple is the story of two friends who try sharing an apartment, even though their ideas of housekeeping and lifestyles are as different as night and day. One is fanatically neat and one is extremely sloppy and although conflicts abound, they form a close long-lasting friendship. The Odd Couple movie was produced in 1968, starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. The television show, featuring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman, ran from 1970-1975. The Odd Couple has also been produced on Broadway.
Odd Couples certainly abound in Veronica Mars. From Parker and Mac to Piz and Wallace to Logan and Dick. Will there be kooky comedy? Long-lasting friendship? And is Veronica playing Murray the cop? (Hee -- note to self. Must stop casting citizens of Neptune in other roles.)
[America's Next] Top Model ... (Referenced by Parker to Veronica about how she and Mac spend Wednesday nights.)
America's Next Top Model is one of the increasingly numerous shows produced and featuring Tyra Banks. According to its official website it "gives real people an opportunity to prove that they can make it in the high-stress, high-stakes world of supermodeling. The series follows a group of young women of various backgrounds, shapes and sizes, who live together and vie for a modeling contract."
When both Top Model and our very own Veronica Mars aired on the now-defunct UPN network, in a bit of cross-show network promotion, three models from the series appeared on VM. Naima Mora played Miss Dumas in Normal is the Watchword, Kim Stolz was Stacy, the rental car clerk, in Rat Saw God and Furonda Brasfield played Beverly, Woody's secretary, in Plan B.
From left to right; Mora, Stolz, Brasfield
Colin Farrell ... (Referenced by poster belonging to Parker.)
Colin James Farrell was born in Castleknow, Dunlin on May 31, 1976. He attended Castleknow College where he played goalkeeper on the soccer team. He later attended The Gaiety School of Acting, dropping out when he was cast as "Danny Byrne" on Ballykissangel, a BBC television drama (1998-1999).
Noted performances include Tigerland (2000), Hart's War (2002), The Recruit (2003), Phonebooth (2003), Alexander (2004), and The New World (2005). Producers of the film A Home at the End of the World decided to cut Farrell's nude scene after early reviews suggested that it might distract the audience from the actual content of the film. The scene was later leaked to the internet. Aww, he and Lilly have something in common.
Farrell has a reputation of heavy drinking, chain smoking, and habitual use of profanity, but is described as a sweet, hard-working young man by people who know and work with him. In July 2005, his ex-girlfriend and Playboy Playmate Nicole Narian went public with a sex tape the two had made when they were a couple. Farrell was notably upset and attempted to get the tape back, but Narian refused to grant full ownership of the tape. Farrell took legal action against ICG (Internet Commerce Group) and Narian. And then, to really get back at her, he smashed her head in with an ashtray.
I may have made that last part up.
Farrell and Narian were able to reach a private settlement and the trial date for Farrell's lawsuit against ICG is set for July 21, 2006. See, Aaron? This is how people deal with their sex tape scandals in polite society. Colin Farrell is Class with a capital K. I think he and Lilly could have had a lot of fun together. You know, if she wasn't dead and stuff. Oh, and also fictional.
Munchkins ... (Referenced by Veronica to the three kids providing info at the club.)
Munchkins are the natives of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. They first appeared in the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which they are described as being somewhat short of stature, and wear only blue.
The following excerpt describes their first appearance:
- "... she noticed coming toward her a group of the queerest people she had ever seen. They were not as big as the grown folk she had always been used to; but neither were they very small. In fact, they seemed about as tall as Dorothy, who was a well-grown child for her age, although they were, so far as looks go, many years older.
As a result of the popularity of the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, the term "munchkin" has entered the English language as a reference to small children, dwarfs, or anything of diminutive stature.
Right Time of the Night (Referenced by Dick as he attempts to 'serenade' Parker, but wakes up Mac instead.)
This 1977 single by Jennifer Warnes was released by Arista Records on her self-named debut album. "Right Time of the Night" reached #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Singles and Easy Listening charts, as well as becoming a top 40 hit on the Country charts. Written by Pete McCann, the song has also been performed on albums released by Reba McEntire and John Travolta.
Lyrics:
- Sun goes down on a silky day
Quarter moon walkin' thru the Milky Way
When it's me and you baby
We could think of somethin' to do
'Cause it's the right time of the night
Oh, the stars are winkin' above
Honey, it's the right time of the night
For makin' love
We'll go drinkin' in some heavy bar
I'll take you night ridin' in my Chevy car
When it's me and you baby
We could think of somethin' to do
'Cause it's the right time of the night
Oh, the stars are winkin' above
Honey, it's the right time of the night
For makin' love
I got you and you got me
Tell you, that's the way my momma
Always said it should be
I'll be sweet and you'll be kind
We'll be bad, if you don't mind
It's the right time of the night
Oh, the stars are winkin' above
Honey, it's the right time of the night
For makin' love
A beard is generally a person whose sole purpose is to divert suspicion or attention from another. These days the term is generally used as gay slang for a female companion used to hide a gay man's sexuality by appearing in public as if she and the gay man were a heterosexual couple. To do this with a heterosexual woman without letting her know you are gay is generally considered poor form. (Jack McPhee, I'm talkin' to YOU.)
Poor Mac. Although I hope I'm wrong, it appears that she may have been Cassidy's beard in more ways than one. Was she there only to distract everyone from his involvement in the bus crash? Or did he also use her to distract his friends from his confusion over his sexual orientation? I'm not sure which version of the term Dick was using in his comment to Mac, but either way it was way harsh dude. WAY harsh.
Craigslist ... (Referenced by Veronica to Piz while discussing his case on the bench.)
Craigslist is a free online network of local classified ads and forums for finding jobs, housing, goods and services, community events, etc. Craig Newmark started the San Francisco Bay Area craigslist in 1999, and since then craigslists have been created for cities in all fifty states, and over fifty countries. Though craigslist is a for-profit service, it strives to maintain a non-corporate environment (hence why the site has kept its .org domain extension).
Hacky Sack ... (Referenced as Wallace and Piz play it as they 'bird watch.')
The object of Hacky Sack is to keep the aptly named footbag off the ground using only your feet. Good, flat shoes are key. The activity becomes more difficult once more players are added. There are several "kicks" that you can use to keep the footbag in the air. The Inside Kick is best for when the footbag is falling in front of you; just kick it with the inside of your shoe. For when the footbag is falling to your left or right, use the Outside Kick by raising the appropriate foot and kicking it with the outer side of your shoe.
Huntsville ... (Referenced by Cormac to Keith as he talks about his past.)
Huntsville Prison is the oldest prison in the state of Texas and houses the death chamber. The prison is located on 815 12th Street in Huntsville. Unlike other facilities in other states, death row is not located at the main prison. However death row for male inmates was located here for nearly forty years until 1965 when it was relocated to the nearby Ellis Unit. Escapes from the Ellis Unit led the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to relocate death row in 1999 to the Polunsky Unit, where it currently remains. The female death row is located at the Mountain View unit in Gatesville, Texas.
The Huntsville Unit is also known as the 'Walls Unit' for its large brick walls around the prison. The prison itself serves as a pre-release facility that all persons incarcerated must go to before they are released.
Texas ... (Referenced by Cormac to Keith as he talks about his past.)
Texas is a state in the South and Southwest regions of the United States. It joined the United States in 1845 as the 28th state, after nearly ten years as the Republic of Texas, an independent country. The state name derives from a word in a Caddoan language of the Hasinai, tysha (or tejas, as the Spaniards spelled it), meaning "those who are friends," friends or allies. Spanish explorers mistakenly applied the word to the people and their location.
With an area of 268,581 square miles (695,622 km) and a population of 22.5 million, Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous 48 states in area. (Alaska is the largest U.S. state in area and California is the most populous.) Texas has historically had a "larger than life" reputation, especially in cowboy films.
Other information on the state of Texas: The state flower is the bluebonnet, the state motto is "friendship," it is often referenced as "The Lone Star State" and the state bird is the mockingbird. A fun fact relating to Veronica Mars is that show creator, Rob Thomas, grew up in Texas. Also, before he created Veronica Mars, he was a high school teacher and journalism advisor for a high school in Texas.
Iraq ... (Referenced by Cormac to Keith as he talks about his past.)
The Republic of Iraq is a Middle Eastern country in southwestern Asia encompassing most of Mesopotamia as well as the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range and the eastern part of the Syrian Desert. It shares borders with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to the south, Jordan to the west, Syria to the northwest, Turkey to the north, and Iran (Persia) to the east. Baghdad is the nation's capital. There are several suggestions for the origin of the name of Iraq; one dates back to the Sumerian city of Uruk (or Erech). Another suggestion is that Iraq comes from the Aramaic language, meaning "the land along the banks of the rivers."
Iraq was first widely introduced into the casual discussion in the United States during The Gulf War (often referred to as "Desert Storm") in 1991. Since then, the U.S. has been in and out of various battles and skirmishes with leaders and factions of religion in the country. Today, the United States (as led by the Bush Administration) is at war with Iraq with over 2,000 U.S. soldiers having already lost their lives. As to why we are at war with Iraq -- you'll have to check with our President -- his reasons vary depending on how much truthful information has made its way to the public.
Operation Desert Storm ... (Referenced by Cormac when he tells Keith he served in it.)
Operation Desert Storm is one of several names for the conflict that occurred in 1990 and 1991 between Iraq and a coalition force of approximately 20 nations led by the U.S. and mandated by the U.N. in order to liberate Kuwait. Other names for this conflict included The Gulf War, The Persian Gulf War, or the First Gulf War.
The war began with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990, following Iraqi contentions that Kuwait was illegally slant-drilling petroleum across Iraq's border. The invasion was met with immediate economic sanctions by the U.N. against Iraq. Hostilities commenced in January 1991, resulting in a decisive victory for the coalition forces, which drove Iraqi forces out of Kuwait with minimal coalition deaths. The main battles were aerial and ground combat within Iraq, Kuwait, and bordering areas of Saudi Arabia. The war did not expand outside the immediate Iraq/Kuwait/Saudi border region, although Iraq fired missiles on Israeli cities.
Space Needle ... (Referenced by Veronica as she talks with her suspect at his house.)
The Space Needle is a landmark and symbol of Seattle, Washington. Found on the grounds of the Seattle Center, the tower was built for the 1962 World's Fair from a design by Victor Steinbrueck (then the tallest building west of the Mississippi River). It is 602 feet (60 stories) tall, 138 feet wide at its widest point, and weighs 9,550 tons. It was designed to withstand wind gusts of up to 150 mph and earthquakes of up to 9.5 magnitude, and has 25 lightning rods.
Left: Nighttime view of the Space Needle with
Downtown Seattle in the background. Right: View of
Downtown Seattle and Mount Rainier from the Space Needle.
During the fair the Space Needle's elevators carried 20,000 people a day to the top of the tower, seeing 2.3 million visitors in all during the Fair's run. The tower is now privately owned and features an observation deck (at 520 feet), the SkyCity restaurant (which rotates at a rate of 360 degrees every forty-seven minutes), and a gift shop.
The view from the top includes the Downtown Seattle skyline, the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier, and Elliott Bay and surrounding islands. The tower's elevators travel ten miles per hour and take forty-three seconds to reach the top. On December 31, 1999, the Legacy Light, or Skybeam, was unveiled, which shines skyward (at eighty-five million candle power) from the top of the Space Needle to honor national holidays and other special occasions.
Seattle ... (Referenced by Veronica as she talks with her suspect at his house.)
Seattle, Washington, founded in the 1850s and named after Chief Seattle (a leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish Native American tribes; he was a prominent figure among his people who became a Roman Catholic convert and pursued a path of accommodation to white settlers), is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.
Its official nickname is the Emerald City because of the lush evergreen trees in the surrounding area; it is also referred to as the Rainy City, the Gateway to Alaska, Queen City, and Jet City, due to the local influence of Boeing. Seattle residents are known as Seattleites. The city is known as the birthplace of grunge music, and it has a reputation for heavy coffee consumption (Starbucks is a locally founded coffee company).
Seattle's climate is mild, with the temperature moderated by the sea and protected from winds and storms by the mountains. Despite being partially in the rain shadow for the Olympic Mountains, the city of Seattle has a reputation for raining frequently. In actuality, the "rainy city" receives an unremarkable 38 inches of precipitation a year, less than most major Eastern Seaboard cities, such as New York City which averages 47.3 inches. Seattle's worldwide reputation for rain derives from the fact that it is cloudy an average of 226 days per year (versus 132 in New York City) and that most of its precipitation falls as drizzle or light rain. In other words, while it rains regularly, it usually doesn't rain very hard.
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch ... (Referenced by Dick when talking to Dee Dee in the Hearst cafeteria.)
Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch was a hip-hop group led by Mark Wahlberg. At the time, Marky was best known as the younger brother of New Kids On The Block bad boy Donnie Wahlberg. The members of "The Funky Bunch" (who, as I recall, were rarely seen -- and also not that funky) included Scott "Scottie Gee" Ross, Hector "the bootie inspector" Barros (I only wish I was kidding about that one), Duffy "Duffle" Culligan, Terry "DJ-T" Yancey and Anthony "Ashley Ace" Thomas.
Marky Mark became popular in the 1990's based on the success of the catchy (but oh-so-cheesy) track "Good Vibration." (C'mon, c'mon! Feel it, feel it!) And showing off his rock hard bod to the MTV crowd certainly didn't hurt. Dick's comparison makes sense because by all accounts, Marky did have quite a nice ass - he was chosen by Calvin Klein to drop his pants for a series of black and white billboard ads featuring Kate Moss, shot by none other than Herb Ritz.
Wahlberg solo CK ad and with Moss.
I don't know, Dick. You're pretty hot, but Marky (with or without the Funky Bunch) left some impressively tight, well-worn pants to fill.
"I'm a lover, not a fighter" ... (Referenced by Piz to Veronica in the Hearst cafeteria after the Dick/Angry Boyfriend/Logan contretemps.)
This is a song performed by the Kinks, an English rock group popular in the 1960s. Their first big single was "You Really Got Me," released on their 1964 self-titled album. "I'm a Lover, Not a Fighter" is also on this album, and here's a portion of their lyrics. Well I met a pretty girl, as pretty as can be
I thought she was my baby till she introduced to me
A great big tall fella, about six foot tall
I shivered and I shook, couldn't do any more
'Cause I'm a lover not a fighter
Yes, I'm a lover not a fighter
Yes, I'm a lover not a fighter
And I'm really built for speed
Built for speed
Built for speed
Whoa yeah
Well I can roar like a lion, I can sting like a bee
But some times I think, baby, I've got rabbit blood in me Hmmm ... speedy rabbits, huh Piz? Shes with Logan, kid. Fewer quickies, more longies.
Oliver Twist / Fagin ... (Referenced by Veronica when she tells Sacks about Fagan as the ringleader of boy thieves.)
Novel written by Charles Dickens (1812-1870) in 1839. Oliver Twist is an orphan in 1830's England whose mother died after he was born, and before she could tell anyone who she was. After spending several years in a workhouse where he was apprenticed to an undertaker before running away to London, Oliver falls in with a gang of pickpockets.
The leader of the young ruffians who comprise the gang is an old Jew named Fagin who provides an atmosphere that resembles the closest thing these kids have to a family. He uses their desperation to manipulate them into robbing and bringing him the profits -- of which the children get an extremely small cut. One of their wealthy targets turns out to be Oliver's grandfather.
The book was made into a musical, Oliver! which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1968. In the film version, Fagin was softened to a lovable, eccentric scamp and was so well-played by Ron Moody that all subsequent performances of the role in almost every venture based on Oliver Twist follows Moody's lead in the recreation of the role.
"Boom goes the dynamite!" ... (Referenced by Veronica to Piz after Fagan is caught.)
The phrase "boom goes the dynamite" was coined by Ball State freshman Brian Collins while preparing to compete in a Mario cards tournament, in which catchphrases were often used to mess with other competitors. Collins later agreed to fill-in as a sports anchor on a student-run TV newscast. His turn on camera, which you can watch here, went horribly wrong, and a frustrated (and no doubt humiliated) Collins resorted to using his original catchphrase during an Indiana Pacers highlight: "Later he gets the rebound, passes it to the man, shoots it ... and boom goes the dynamite."
He later told CBS' Hannah Storm, "I decided at least I'm going to have a little fun with this. I figured not too many people would see it. And I just threw it out there." He thought that would be the end of it, but the embarrassing clip soon hit the Web, where it spread like wildfire, rocketing his "boom goes the dynamite" catchphrase into pop culture prominence. It found its way not only all over the Internet, but also onto other sportscasts. Collins soon found himself making media appearances, including The Late Show with David Letterman and CBS' The Early Show.
Sara Lee ... (Referenced by Kendall's as her cake brand.)
According to the official Sara Lee website, Sara Lee Corporation is a global consumer products company with food, beverage, and household and body care businesses. With powerful brands, such as Ambi Pur, Ball Park, Douwe Egberts, Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean, Kiwi, Sanex, Senseo and its namesake, Sara Lee, the company has leading positions in numerous categories in the more than 180 markets in which it competes.
Based in Illinois, Sara Lee is also the brand name of a number of frozen and packaged foods, often known for the long-running slogan "Nobody doesn't like Sara Lee." This slogan has been in place since 1968.
The company traces its lineage to 1939, when Nathan Cummings acquired C.D. Kenny Company, a wholesale distributor of sugar, coffee and tea in Baltimore, and created Consolidated Foods Corporation. In 1956 the company bought a company known as "Kitchens of Sara Lee," which became one of the company's best-known brand names. In 1985 management adopted the brand name as the name of the corporation as a whole.
As of 2004, Sara Lee Corporation has operations in fifty-eight countries; sells food, clothing and household products in nearly two hundred nations; and has 150,000 employees worldwide.
Irish Coffee ... (Referenced by Veronica who is drunk courtesy of them.)
- Mac: How can you not know that an Irish coffee has whiskey in it?
Veronica: At Java the Hut, it meant a latte with a little shot of Irish Cream syrup.
Irish coffee was invented in Foynes, a port town in the south-west of Ireland. In the 1930's and 1940's, many passenger flying boats arrived in Foynes after an eighteen hour flight from the United States. Joseph Sheridan, the chef at the terminal restaurant, developed the warm beverage for passengers that were cold and exhausted from the long journey. Irish coffee was introduced the United States in 1952 when Sheridan visited the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco, California.
"Magically delicious." ... (Referenced by Veronica who is drunk on Irish Coffee.)
One of General Mills most popular cereal brands, Lucky Charms features a cheery leprechaun as its mascot with the tagline, "Magically delicious." The yumm-ilicious frosted oats features varied color marshmallow bits. The first boxes of Lucky Charms contained them in the shapes of pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, and green clovers. The lineup changed in 1975 with the introduction of blue diamonds; purple horseshoes followed in 1984, joined by red balloons in 1989, balloons with stars in them in 1991, rainbows in 1992, pots of gold in 1994, and leprechaun hats in 1996.
Booyah ... (Referenced by Veronica to Mac about getting served alcohol.)
"Booyah!" is an exclamation used to show defiance or triumph in the face of adversity, usually in an athletic endeavor. The phrase is best known for its use by Stuart Scott of ESPN. Scott has been with ESPN since 1993 and is one of the most recognizable and popular SportsCenter anchors. "Booyah!" is his most famous catch phrase, along with "as cool as the other side of the pillow" and "call him butter, 'cause he was on a roll!" Sample usage: "The Boston Red Sox trailed the New York Yankees until 'Big Papi' David Ortiz stepped to the plate, and Booyah!, Big Papi was off the hook!"
- New credits and Jason Dohring is second! Woohoo!
- Speaking of the credits, if you look carefully and utilize your pause button, you'll see that the vertical slices that appear throughout the entire credits are actually slivers of the long shot of Logan and Veronica that appears near the end. Squee!
- Not only is the opening credits sequence different, but the font used for all of the guest star and closing credits has changed, too.
- Glory be, Veronica wore mostly, absolutely adorable outfits throughout the episode. Yes!
- There was no 'previously on' segment before the show. Presumably to avoid scaring away potential new viewers.
- Veronica is reading a photography magazine while in class. This is a nice clue to potential new viewers about her photography-loving ways in the first two seasons.
- Veronica raising her eyebrows as if "gotcha" at Foyle after Professor Landry and Foyle exchanged looks of 'she got it.'
- The show's first act began immediately following the opening credits, which is unusual since there is normally a commercial break at that time.
- Logan gives just the slightest quirk of a smile after Veronica (badly) impersonates Clint Eastwood. Hee.
- Veronica and Logan are sitting in the exact same position on the bench. Double hee.
- When Veronica and Logan kiss the first time, he makes an adorable kissing/smacking sound. It's cute.
- Vinnie continues his grand leaning entrances to the Mars Investigations offices.
- Keith looks totally adorable in the picture of him with Veronica at the Chrysler Building.
- Nice continuity and visual clues with the dorm room door message boards. When Veronica first arrives at Wallace's room, the board is already up, but with only Wallace's name on it. Later, when Veronica finds the 'bird watching' note, you can see that not only has Piz's name been added to the right side, but a little picture of a basketball has been drawn under Wallace's name. On the girls' side of things, Parker has her own board, bordered in pink, with little kisses, flowers and hearts all over it. And it says "Parker (heart)s you! (And there's a "what the frak" note, too!) Mac's name is written in black marker on a piece of masking tape stuck to the door.
- Wallace's dorm room decorations (before Piz arrives) include a no smoking sign, a bean bag and a door poster quoting the inventor of Fennel's sport of choice, basketball: "Be strong in body, clean in mind, lofty in ideals." - Dr. James Naismith
- Go Ryan! You can see Dick doing a cartwheel with the blow-up doll when he first appears in the background.
- After Veronica tells Logan not to go anywhere because she's going to spoon his brains out, Logan just has the happiest smile on his face as he watches her get up.
- How romantic ... there are candles on both sides of the bed.
- Hee! The dry way Keith told Veronica "as you're shaking Logan's hand goodnight." Double hee.
- The look on Veronica's face and smooth walkback as she caught the unwashed label on the bulletin board. Just a cool 'Veronica is awesome' moment.
- The headline at the club describing the musical entertainment that night: The Unwashed and The Perturbed. The Perturbed? Good one.
- Mac's "hey, I know that guy" when she sees Wallace outside the club. Hee! Followed by Veronica's quick explanation (as to why he and Piz were "our muscle") ... "Short notice." Double hee.
- The complete yet varied reaction of "what are you kidding?" from both Veronica and Mac about when Parker asked if Wallace and Piz were their "boyfriends." Mac's quick and decisive "no" and Veronica's headshake and smile like "as if."
- Parker's "woohoo" after Veronica said "that's so the spirit!" -- Parker (Julie Gonzalo) is so cute.
- Veronica looks like she has a splendiferous display of tattoos up and down and all over both arms in the club scene. I'm assuming this is a shirt ... an ugly, ugly shirt.
- Even Piz realizes his hair needs a-fixin'. In the scene where he's sitting on the bench waiting for Veronica, he nervously messes with his hair. In the end, it only makes it worse. (Yeah, I didn't think it was possible, either, but there it is.)
- Veronica's new car has the same license plate (#6BLA504) as the LeBaron.
- Sacks' look back at Lamb's office door, when Veronica asks for his help. New viewers may not have realized who Sacks was looking out for, but the rest of us sure did.
- As Dick is playing his "dumb" act (I know, Dick playing at being dumb?) outside Mac and Parker's dorm room, when he stops the longest before leaving, the poster on the wall next to him reads "Surf Club." How apropo.
- There was some hacky sack silliness going on, first Piz kicks it and hits Wallace's chest without him even noticing. Then Wallace kicks it to Piz and has the nerve to give the "what's up with that" gesture when Piz isn't paying attention. Hee!
- When Mac is playing sidekick to Veronica in getting Foyle out of his office, he asks who she is and Mac just ignores him quite smoothly. Ooh, Wallace, you gots you some competition in the role of sidekick!
- The campus food court has a Juice It Up! Yum! You can see part of the sign behind Veronica and then Piz when he shows up. A video tour of this and other new college sets built for the third season can be found at the official Veronica Mars MySpace page here.
- Yet again, Logan can't keep both his feet on the ground. When the food court scene first begins, you can see that Logan's left leg is bent, with his foot on the chair instead of the floor.
- Aww, Logan and Veronica are drinking the same type of beverage (Fizzy Lizzy).
- First Logan referenced the Jennifer Warnes / Bill Medley song "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" in Plan B and now his BFF Dick is quoting another Jennifer Warnes song, "Right Time of the Night." They're music BFFs, too!
- Squee! Logan and Veronica are holding hands just about the entire time Dick is hitting on Dee Dee.
- After Logan tasered the dude who knocked Dick down some, you could hear someone in the background say something about a "stun gun."
- Product placement alert! Veronica and Piz are drinking Ty Nant Natural Mineral Water, as they sit back and watch the bad guy get served some justice.
- Awesome new spectator sport Veronica's started. Bad guy being arrested? Just pull up some lawn chairs and beverages and enjoy. (But where's the popcorn, V?)
- In a brief bit of foreshadowing, when Keith leaves the cabin, he hesitates due to the cold, but decides to not go back in for his jacket. Bad call, Keith. Bad call.
- I love Keith, but damn, that was some REALLY dorky running there to and from the cabin.
- There was no toothpaste on the toothbrush and Logan just casually threw the toothbrush on the couch. So, weird and ... eww!
- Logan in boxers, rrowr!
- Boy, the Neptune Grand suite is MUCH bigger now and it has a balcony and a fireplace! (Still wish they'd just spent the moolah on a new set. Seriously, that suite has got to have some of the worst mojo in the world!)
- Dick and Logan share a soulful hug when Dick turns to Logan because he has no one else. Yes, yes, it was (supposedly) in friendship and Dick is a mess, but come on ... it's Logan ... and Dick! Logan and DICK!!!
- Regarding James Jordan (Lucky/Tim Foyle) -- If Rob Thomas found it so necessary to reuse the same actor, would it have pained him that much to get a wig for the guy that did not look as glaringly fake as Tim Foyle's did?
- How is it that any resident of Neptune, especially a Criminology professor, isn't familiar with the one and only Veronica Mars -- a girl involved in two of the most high profile crimes in Neptune history?
- What other classes is Veronica taking besides Criminology?
- Why did Veronica offer to walk Logan to class (carrying his books) and then ... not walk him to class, but instead they just walked for about, oh, two minutes worth of dialogue? Nevermind, that answers the question.
- Why does Liam Fitzpatrick think he's entitled to a portion of Kendall's money? For that matter, why do Kendall and Cormac think that Liam is entitled to a percentage?
- Since this is clearly not the first time that Logan and Veronica have "consummated" their relationship, when did the blessed event occur?
- Does Mac know that Beaver raped Veronica? And perhaps even more importantly, does Keith now know the truth?
- How is Logan coping with Aaron's demise? Did he inherit the entire Echolls' fortune, or is he splitting it with Trina?
- Can someone just walk up on stage and become an emcee whenever they want in clubs across America?
- Why did Wallace and Piz tack the "Gone Bird Watching" sign to their board instead of just writing it there?
- Is Dick being set up as a red herring rapist for the audience? We saw him outside Parker's door, establishing that he knew her. Plus, he told Logan "I messed up bad."
- Hmm, if the hotel key was a bonus birthday gift, what was the actual birthday gift?
- Why would Vinnie put a bug in the bag in a pen that has his agency written on it? Yes, he's not as sharp as Keith is, but come on, that's a bit much.
- Is Kendall really dead? After all, not only did we not see her shot, we didn't hear her cry out, her body falling or anything.
- If Kendall is indeed dead, why do so many deaths on Veronica Mars occur off-camera?
- If Kendall isn't really dead, is the plan to set up Keith for her murder while throwing Liam off the scent? And if so, is it just Cormac's idea or is Kendall in on it? (The Keith/Kendall shipper in me sure hopes not!)
- Why would Logan wish to remain in a hotel where his father was murdered and his friend committed suicide? And doesnt Veronica feel a wee bit icky having sex with Logan in the same hotel room she hooked up with the Donut?
- I get that Dick is a mess, but what exactly did he do to make his hair look like THAT?!?
- Did the rapist take note of Veronica's voice when she entered the room? If so, will he recognize it and her later?
- This is the second time that Logan has pointed out that Veronica is the 'man' of the relationship. The first being in I Am God, when he snarked about her being "too much man" for him.
- Nice continuity of Dick's sexual fantasies (and yes, I just felt a little ill writing that). He got Kendall a French maid uniform in season two, and the blow up doll he's upchucking the boogie with is also wearing a French maid uniform.
- This is Wallace's third involvement with a hacky sack scene. First, in Drinking the Kool-Aid, he notices Veronica watching Casey play and he calls it "the final arena of unquestioned white domination." Next, in Driver Ed, he interrogates the hacky sack players while trying to find Jackie's hit and run driver. And now in this episode he's playing his own lackluster game of the "white man's sport."
- Veronica handed yet another bust to Sacks. Although, sadly, this time without the use of duct tape. (See Arturo in Versatile Toppings.)
- Ah, the tracker/bug-disguised-as-pen trick is used once again. First, Vinnie caught Veronica's attempt to bug him with a Mars Investigations pen in Kanes & Abel's. (Of course, she meant for him to catch on.) Then, in Donut Run, Veronica catches Vinnie dropping a Sugar's Cabaret Invitational Long Ball Championship pen in her bag. Poor duped Keith. In his defense, Veronica and Vinnie knew the other was up to something, so they were already on their guard.
- Director John Kretchmer directed this episode and the following, My Big Fat Greek Rush Week at the same time.
- Logan's line "Dick, my BFF" was originally worded as "My BFF Dick," but the network's new Standards & Practices department sent Rob Thomas a note saying it needed to be cut because of "what the audience could interpret that to mean." This is per Rob Thomas at the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con veronica Mars panel.
- New regular Stosh 'Piz' Piznarski is named after the director of the Pilot, Mark Piznarski.
duchessjms (Jayne): Literature; Social Science
genova (Cara): Extra Credit; Literature; Social Science
holly96 (Holly): Yearbook; Literature; Social Science; Homeroom
Iloveyoubearymuch (Kathryn): Philosophy; Homeroom
JenniferH: Report Card; Drama Club; Chemistry; Band Class (Scene Description); Social Science; Homeroom; Pep Squad Practice; Philosophy; Principles of Democracy; Extra Curricular Activities
Pixigal (Gerrie): Drama Class; Social Science
PolarTruckin (Belinda) Band Class (Song Identifier)
sawmg (Shannon): Social Science
SeluciaV (Alli) Journalism; Literature, Social Science
Tar Frimmer (Joanne) Study Hall; Band Class (Song Identifier); Literature; Social Science; Homeroom; Philosophy; Extra Curricular Activities
Well I shall have a very happy lunch hour read now!
Yes, I am 5 today, why do you ask?
