Mars, Snickers, Three Musketeers
Despite what I might say here, I did like this episode.
Coach Barry Death: I liked that we were lead to suspect almost everyone in this case. Josh always exuded an air of creepy intensity, Mason never became likeable (poor boy with the taped lips, ouchies), Mother Barry hardly showed grief over losing her husband because she'd written him off as a cheater, and then there was Doctor-married-to-Navy-officer. Nice touch on keeping a military connection there though. So the suicide deal gave the Coach a somewhat noble death and he left the championship ring to Josh as a parting memento. What Josh said last episode about being the best of friends and worst of enemies... it boils down to them being deeply connected at heart. They had such a strong bond and love for each other. Unfortunately, Coach Barry didn't expect Josh to know him so well and that's where things got screwed for the Barry family. The way they wrapped this mystery with Josh fleeing the country came off stupidly though. I mean, with Josh being suspected of murder, how will the insurance company pay the full/double amount they so needed? Doesn't that just ruin Coach Barry's master plan? I had to shake my head at the writers for the lame exit.
Dean O'Dell Death: My brain bits are scattered on the ground from all the information we found out in this episode. I cannot even begin to synthesize all the clues and hints that have been given to us. But one thing's for sure, it's frickin' exciting. Color me sold with this mystery. Mindy is so shady, Hank is so cocky and all the clues are pointing to them. It just doesn't make sense for Mindy to pursue the "perfect murder" route that Veronica had conveniently illustrated. She said it herself, suicide leaves the widow with zilch moolah. So if she had concocted this this plan with someone else, then it had to clearly come off as a murder that effectively cleared her name and her partner's. However, that just isn't happening. Perhaps Cyrus had threatened a devastating divorce and that would leave her financially crippled. On that note, hunting him down and offing him sounds like a highly plausible idea. But that's too easy and cliche. One thing that rubs me the wrong way is how Hank is so flippant about Cyrus' death. I get that there's no place for remorse. BTW are Mindy and Hank still together? Or have they broken up?
There really has to be a third party element here aside from the ever confident Dr. Landry and seductive Black Widow. Which leads us to the begrudging TA Tim. It's possible that Mindy has seduced Tim once upon a time as well. In a show of desperation, he did say to Bonnie how he got some action on the side. Plus, he's Hank's eyes and ears. In other words, Hank's gofer boy. His resentment towards Hank has been established. The case of Mindy's scorned loverboy is also highly possible. With the suicide rule screwing Mindy moneywise, having recreated the perfect murder makes...uh perfect sense. Vendetta is pushing strong in the forefront, don't you think? How can we not peg Tim as the bid bad in this mystery?
Despite the fraa-akne (my invention) problem Francis Capra has going on, the Weevil involvement in this plotline has been really entertaining. Francis Capra really gives off an old soul vibe that effectively fits this show and locks in the noirness and seperates it from being any ordinary teen show.
Lamb Death: OMGollygosh, Lamb quickly dying in the line of duty?!?? And Keith assuming the sheriff's position quicker than Flash could zip his fly?!?? I cannot believe the writers would take him out in such a crude manner. That death came out of nowhere. That was plain harsh and my heart now bleeds for Muhney. That's really it, I feel sadder for losing Muhney than losing Lamb.
I'm on the camp of not wanting to see Keith as a Sheriff. Even with his constant eye on justice and his moral compass being more on the dot than a herd of hundred Lambs combined, he's definitely not the same person he was years ago. I don't know it feels trite and unrewarded. And his uniform is so ill-fitting.
Speaking of Neptune's crime fighting folks, what's his face playing Sacks, he was so awesome in this episode. When he shot Grieco, he showed such vulnerability that impressed me greatly. We've always known him as Lamb's amateur lackey and a convenient secondary character who just pushes scenes along. But in that scene, I felt his fear in firing his first shot at a man. He looked rattled, scared shitless and in that moment, it brought Sacks to life and out of some cartoonish dimension.
Whoa, I can't stop typing. And if you're still sticking around to read this much and more, much love to ya! You automatically win in my book.
Now I have to get into the painful parts. If you decide to forsake the gripes I'm about to unleash, I won't take it against you. Not at all. That Valentine's Scavenger Hunt jig fucking blew. It hampered on the mysteries that were running hot in this episode. The tremendous amount of cutesy cuteness made me want to gag. Julie Gonzalo's take on Parker here upset me. And the contrast of this easy teen fun against the serious, hard and grimy Neptune turned me off many times. I did not like how all the teen scenes were blasting with different soundtracks. It was like a 24/7 music video or OTH snippet in a our noirish show.
More than anything, it made me resent the presence of Parker and even Piz who was timingly absent. The thing I've always loved about VM was its heavy usage of slightly off-beat characters and how most of the actors aren't your typical crushy eyecandy material. Jason Dohring, Francis Capra, Darran Norris, just to name a few, really define their characters and make them unique in the VMverse. They portray characters that you just cannot imagine existing in another TV universe. But the characters of Parker or Piz (and its respective portrayors) are so easily replacable and unoriginal. You can effortlessly pluck them out and put them in another teen show. There's nothing that makes them distinctly VM characters. And this brings me to point out how it's a fucking travesty that they have been given so much more attention than our longtime favorites. To this day, I cannot believe how they have turned Wallace into a walk-on character. Wallace was an irreplacable part in Veronica's life and was my favorite character in S1. But with the amount of work they've allotted him this season, I almost wish they'd just taken him out in S2. It boils me on the inside that we were bombarded with so much of the new cliched teenyboppers, when they have neglected to utilize their much talented oldtimers. And now they write off Muhney. A man who's been so committed to this show and its fans. God.
Love lost, Love found: So Logan and Parker is on or at least on the rise. I'm all for Logan finally leading a life that doesn't tie him down to Veronica alone. Their relationship was clearly not functioning. It's easy breezy for Logan to fall for a charming pretty girl like that. No shocker there. What kind of idiot won't fall for someone like that. And I guess everyone is tired of constantly worrying about Veronica, so who gives a hoot about what kind of effects it has on this damaged young girl's soul, right? It kind of offends me is how Parker (or Julie rather) is fast to latch on to Logan. She starts off casually flirting with him from the moment she opened her door. That was weird. Also, why is Bronson ugly and unappealing now? Mac and Bronson were cute at first, but now I'm so tired of it already. And the sex scene. Yawn. Typical teen romance bores me to death. Thank you RT & Co. for the lovely display of cheese.[/rambly thoughts]
I'm not going to get into Veronica today. I'll save that for another time when I don't feel like projecting too much of myself into her.
I did like this episode. But it brought out so much ugly feelings I had quelled on the inside.
BTW, I'll be jetting out of town this weekend. I owe
maka2000 a long response, but I've been swamped and I suck. But I promise to get back to you soon. Off to read other posts now!