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Veronica Mars: Leave It to Beaver

Lilly: "Don't forget about me, Veronica."

This episode was amazing. One strong scene after another. And the end was outright shocking.

There were three scenes that actually brought me to tears. One was that scene with Veronica on the beach where Logan was crying. Another was the pool scene at the end when the ghost of Lilly said goodbye to Veronica. The strongest, though, was Keith telling Veronica that he was her biological father. (Not telling her immediately was a great red herring; I really thought it would be bad news.) That scene was intensely moving; I was literally dripping tears.

The final sequence with Veronica, Keith and Aaron Echolls was a nail-biter, immediate, scary, and exceptionally well done. I was certain Veronica would survive, being as it's her show and all, but I was terrified for Keith. I kept thinking they'd established that he was Veronica's biological father just in time to kill him off and devastate us.


Another strong scene was Duncan and Veronica reconnecting in a big way as they discovered together who killed Lilly. Duncan thought that he'd killed one sister and had sex with the other, and he was off the hook with both in the space of a minute. (Of course, I still don't think he's right for Veronica.)

Okay, I must confess. I'm terrible with mysteries and I never know whodunit, but I guessed several episodes ago that it was Aaron Echolls. And that was for basically one reason, and one reason only: he was the character I disliked the most, so I wanted it to be him. (With me, it's all about the emotion. Forget the facts, ma'am.) Dan, who is better at the whodunits than I am, was seriously worried that it would be Logan. But I never believed it was, even when Logan's alibi fell apart.

My heart bleeds for Logan, and I think he really loves Veronica. Or he did. He certainly trusted her. And she betrayed him. (The scene where he called her from the sheriff's office was so painful.) And this season ender left us with a serious cliffhanger. What happened to Logan? Did Weevil kill him? Seriously hurt him? Weevil thinks Logan killed Lilly; I'm certain he won't stop at duct-taping Logan to a flagpole. And if Logan is still alive, how will he take the revelation that his father killed his girlfriend?

Finally, who came to Veronica's door at three in the morning? I want it to be Logan. But it was probably Duncan.

Bits and pieces:

— No credit sequence in this one. Too much show.

— Gold acting stars for pretty much everyone in this episode, but especially Kristen Bell, Enrico Colantoni, Jason Dohring, Teddy Dunn, and Harry Hamlin.

— Aaron killed Lilly. Did he also kill Lynn?

— The Kanes came out well here. At least they're Democrats. :) Jake's fury at Aaron was amazing. Arrested for obstructing justice, Jake said he'd get back at Aaron and everyone Aaron loved. This is an added burden that Logan doesn't need.

— Lianne took off with Veronica's college money a second time. Fry in hell, Lianne. I loved that Veronica made the ultimate sacrifice for Keith by throwing Lianne out and calling Alicia. Veronica also signed away her "rights" to the Kane fortune without a moment's hesitation. Now, that's love.

— Cliff's puzzlement over the Kane's request that Veronica sign away her rights was a hoot.

— Even Backup Mars got to be heroic, keeping Aaron from escaping in Keith's car.

— Can you imagine the trial of Aaron Echolls? Possibly very messy. Very OJ.

— Super detective Veronica got into her darkened car and didn't look in the back seat. Okay, she was upset, but still.

— The fact that we may never see Lilly again is sad. Couldn't they pull a Deadwood? Bring the actress back as another character?

— The title "Leave it to Beaver" evokes old television shows where nothing bad ever really happened. And Beaver, or Cassidy (better), was the catalyst that helped break this case because he went to Veronica.

Quotes:

Logan: "I keep thinking things can't get worse, you know?" Later, he said, "I have this feeling that things are going to get really bad." They did, too.

Cliff: "Please tell me there's another Kane family in town. Maybe Boris and Gilda Kane?"

Wallace: "My blonde-pulling-me-into-the-girls-room fantasy? Ruined."

Duncan: "So, anyone read the paper today? Garfield. I mean, will he ever learn? Oh yeah, and there was this other thing. I guess Abel Koontz didn't kill Lilly. Let's open the floor for discussion on that."

Veronica: "You're not trying to burn a hole through paper using only the power of your stare?"

Keith: "You think that charm of yours is learned behavior? That's genetics, baby!"

Logan: "How many episodes of NYPD Blue did you have to watch to get the finger tapping down?" Joking is how Logan defends himself. And entertainment references.

Veronica: "I bet on you and I lost. I've been doing that my whole life. And I'm through."

This was as good as it could possibly be. Five out of four stars,

Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

8 comments:

  1. Amazing, indeed. The fight scene was extremely well-done and the acting was superb. The scene of Veronica dreaming of Lily is beautiful.
    I loved this episode, really but it just didn´t blow me away.

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  2. I didn't like Keith asking Veronica to sign away her rights to the Kane fortune before telling her he was her father. It seemed like he was testing her love for him. Lianne is pretty much the worst mother ever.

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  3. Great review of a great episode. What I love about watching a show after the fact is that I get to go straight to the next season. Wondering who was at the door would have killed me but I did like that they wrapped up most loose ends before they finished the episode. I hate cliff hangers. It isn't the cliff hanger that brings me back to a show, it's the great stories and great acting so I appreciate a show that finishes up a season with only a few questions. This show certainly has its share of crappy parents. I'm kind of glad that Jake Kane turned out to be one of the good ones. I'm even glad it wasn't Celeste.

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  4. I've read and watched so many mysteries that I'm pretty good at figuring out whodunnit. I missed this one entirely, but through no fault of the writing. The clues were all there -- the unrestrained violence, the affairs with young girls, the atonement. Absolutely brilliant.

    I spent this episode either holding my breath or crying -- sometimes both. The emotional impact of what was happening was undeniable and so strong. I agree that the actors and the writing staff deserve all kinds of gold stars for this one.

    Thanks to all of you who have been raving about this show almost as long as I have been aware of this site. It really is that good. And, OK sunbunny, you were right -- I have to watch the beginning of season two right now!

    Billie -- fantastic reviews, especially writing them after you knew the denouement. Not a trace of a spoiler anywhere to be found. As always, reading your reviews only enhances the experience. Thanks.

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  5. Loved reading your comments, Chris. VM is pretty special. It wasn't that hard not to spoil because I knew almost immediately I had to review this show, and I was making notes after every episode. :)

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  6. Now this is what a season finale should be! As all of the pieces fell into place one by one - both clues and character moments - this episode blew me away. Having watched it years ago, I remembered a lot about how everything was going to unfold. But I was still on the edge of my seat throughout. The feeling of peril was so real - and every bit of it was earned. Great show.

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  7. I'm gonna miss the show's instrumental/background music which I'm assuming is all original material and a nightmare to track down. Not that I really want to listen to them on their own, but they did a great job of perking me up whenever they played during an exposition/relay scene and whatnot. Nice subtle 'intrigue' tunes. I hope future seasons keep it.

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