The Beaver, It Done Been Left to Him
I do not recall an episode of television that fucking intense before. I'm still trying to catch my breath, and I may be shaking an infinitesimal amount. Kristen Bell said the episode was like a mini-action movie, and I love it when a television episode is a mini-anything (hence my love for "Spiral," another mini-action movie, and "The Price," a mini-horror movie).
I got to watch the finale with someone from TWoP, tophatter2, so that was cool. He brought snickerdoodles, the official food of Veronica Mars.
The first thing that struck me was the weird camera angles in the newspaper office. Close-up but at an angle. Not usual for the show. Not sure I liked them. And it was weird to have the end of the last episode feel all angsty about Lianne's return, but now they're a happy family cooking dinner to "La Bamba." I was totally suspicious of that clear liquid Lianne was drinking.
I hope we get more of Beaver next season. I love how he's like this wannabe 09er born into the clique but without the actual 09erness.
Looks like everyone was right about the Kanes thinking Duncan did it, which is good, because that makes a whole lot of sense. Except whoa, Duncan was eating Lilly's braaaaaaaiiiins.
Cliff was awesome. "Certainly there is another Kane family in Neptune. Boris and Gilda Kane, perhaps?" And damn, Keith. Ballsy move, breaking the story.
And suddenly Logan's airtight alibi is gone, so clearly he must be the murderer. Clearly. Come on, Veronica. When you jump to conclusions, you make an...ass...out of...wait.
Still, I loved Weevil's reaction. Loved him going to Logan about to beat his ass just as he got arrested. I loved Logan's interrogation, and the fact that he called Veronica, and Lamb mocked him for it. Oh! And loved that they used Garbage's "Bad Boyfriend," especially cause someone made a Veronica/Logan vid to that song.
Celeste is such a manipulative bitch.
Okay, and guys, one of the best scenes in the entire series, you have to agree: Veronica signs the contract. She signs it away without a second thought. She doesn't care. She shredded the results. Keith is her father, and she doesn't want to hear any different. No amount of money will make her accept Jake Kane as her father. She just signs it. That is how much she loves Keith. And then Keith fakes me the fuck out with his "Do you know what you just did?" And I was all, "No no no no no no." But then he says, "Absolutely nothing." And the entire world starts crying. I'm tearing up right now, but I was cheering like hell then. Thank God. I hardly cared about the incest business, that wasn't my concern, I just really wanted Keith to be her father. I know it would make some sort of nature vs. nurture statement if he wasn't, but I want that bond to be blood. That charm is genetic, dammit. vonnielake is happy, I know.
When we found out Logan was in town the day of Lilly's murder, I knew he had something to hide, but I guess he...didn't? He just didn't want to be a suspect? And dude, to think that all this time, Beaver and Dick probably thought Logan killed Lilly. I thought he might have had some sort of indirect role, though.
And then there's this letter Logan writes that's supposed to exonerate him. Where could this letter be? Oh, I don't know, what about LILLY'S SECRET PEN? Or, oh, the vent thing. What about the pen? Okay, maybe the letter is too big to fit in the pen? BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PEN? I said at that point that if the pen didn't play some important role, I'd punch Rob. So, Rob Thomas, if I ever meet you, I have to punch you, just like I have to punch Drew Goddard for "The Girl in Question." Don't worry, it'll be a Veronica-type punch to the shoulder. But you're not allowed to pull that "Hot Dogs" cliffhanger unless that pen was actually important. Otherwise, it's cheap suspense tactics, and you're better than that. Or maybe you're not. OH SNAP.
The Logan/Veronica ship sinks like whoa.
Veronica goes Alias again, and although the wig is kind of crazy, the glasses are cute. That's right, take a swig of that wat-BOOZE. I love how this show plays important moments like that as if they're nothing. There was no close-up on the bottle of water as she reached to get it from the fridge. Hell, there was no close-up on the bottle when Lianne was drinking it in the teaser. Veronica was just getting a drink of water before she left, like any normal girl would. And bam. She knows. And it hits her, and she's already crying when she calls the rehab center. Another great scene.
Okay, Veronica dropping the tray was hilarious. I don't know if that was planned or not, but it was great. Very stealthy, my dear.
The vents weren't screwed all the way in. Did someone already look there? Why didn't they find the tapes? And now I remember that the camera showed a closet fiend who must have been Aaron, who had been interrupted in his search for the tapes. Anyway, isn't it fun to have Duncan be all animated?
The first Lilly tape was very interesting. Loved how she discovered the cameras just like Veronica had.
The second Lilly tape is where the episode lost me. Not lost me lost me, but lost me in that it couldn't be superultraperfect, despite what everyone on TWoP would be saying. Because when I heard that people were actually speculating that Lilly had had an affair with Aaron, I thought it was ridiculous. I thought it was totally out-of-character for Lilly. And maybe even Aaron. It just made no sense to me. And then to see it made canon was just...well. I guess Lilly liked her sex. But really, I thought she was better than that. Sleeping with her boyfriend's dad? This isn't The O.C. Then again, Aaron was a movie star. Everyone likes sleeping with movie stars. And that's the sort of thing you can brag about to your best friend.
And then we had Veronica play the entire scenario in her head, and because it had the different film-speed, I didn't want to trust it immediately. I thought, there's still room for her to be wrong. But damn, that scenario went on forever. Would Rob really spend that long on a fakeout? Could it be that easy? Why were people speccing the affair so long ago? Were there spoilers, or did I miss some clues, or do people just have sick minds? It's not that I think Rob made it up at the last minute, but it didn't feel like we should have suspected it. And Aaron was becoming really interesting! I didn't want him to be the killer.
And then the episode turned into a horror movie, which was kind of awesome in its own way, once I gave in to what was happening. The rearview mirror reveal? Aaaah! Creeptastic. And Veronica crashing the car? Damn, girl.
During that commercial break-so many commercials! why must there be commercials?!-I came up with an awesome idea: Lynn! Some people had specced Lynn, and now there was a motive! And how awesome would it be if Lynn showed up? It would rule.
Random house in the woods! Maybe Lynn's hiding out! Maybe it's Wiedman's house! Maybe it's Amelia DeLongpre! Throw away the tapes like a smart girl! The car door is open! Knock on the door! Aaron punches her in the face! Walkie-talkies! Refrigerator! Aaron is totally a psycho! Which, fun, but, again, it loses that interesting character development he's had recently. I was still hoping maybe he just wanted the tapes...because...I don't know, they could ruin his reputation more than it'd already been ruined? I wanted another surprise. Regardless of how unsatisfied I was with the outcome, though, this entire sequence was kicking ass and taking names. Fast-paced, creepy, suspenseful. Major props.
Logan's voicemail message. Nice touch of continuity. And oh, he's going to jump, fun! And Weevil's gang is going to push him off!
Poor Veronica. It's cool when they show us that despite her hard-boiled detective skillz, she's still just a girl, and scared out of her fucking mind. Damn.
Keith is the fucking man. Great fight, and holy shit, Aaron lights the fire. And Keith saves Veronica at the cost of catching fire himself. Don't die, Keith. Don't you fucking die. More great scenes. Like I said, all these scenes were fucking great, even if I wasn't intellectually pleased.
And Aaron gets hit with a truck. Nice. Oh, but before that: Backup fucking rules!
And then things happen that you don't even think of. Because all this time, Jake Kane really did think Duncan killed Lilly by accident. He had made peace with that. And suddenly he discovers that this big shot movie star killed his fucking daughter, and he goes apeshit. But then he's arrested for obstruction of justice, oops. Yeah, you forgot that you broke the law, didn't you, buddy. And thus, Keith is vindicated. Oh, Lamb was great in this episode too.
Hit the road, Lianne, you dirty booze hound. And holy shit, you fucking bitch, you took their fucking money?
Aw, Alicia.
Veronica says goodbye to Lilly. Which, aww. We'll miss you, Lilly, you big whoreslut (tm fishinginthemud).
And...what? That's not a cliffhanger! You can't do that! I'm not even going to speculate on who it is (I just assumed it was Logan since everyone loves Logan so much), but I hope it's Wallace. Because I love Wallace, and so does Veronica. They are BFF.
So, final thoughts? I was not one hundred percent satisfied, like I thought I'd be, which is unfortunate. To me, it felt like the Lilly/Aaron affair came out of nowhere, and Aaron's violent tendencies made him perhaps too obvious a suspect (although one previous opposition to his being the killer, namely that we didn't like him so there was no surprise or pain, was at least removed since then, since I think many of us were beginning to really like his character and wanted him to stick around next season). And I thought the killer was supposed to be someone we met in the pilot, not just mentioned. And I expected one final twist at the end. And I thought there were a couple loose ends. And I didn't like that Aaron went completely psycho, totally into the black without any of those shades of grey we love in this show.
That being said, I still think it was a kickass episode. Fast-paced, intriguing, engrossing, exciting, suspenseful. That was one hell of a ride, Rob Thomas. I can't wait to see what you give us next season.
(And if you never bring up the secret pen again, I will punch you.)
I got to watch the finale with someone from TWoP, tophatter2, so that was cool. He brought snickerdoodles, the official food of Veronica Mars.
The first thing that struck me was the weird camera angles in the newspaper office. Close-up but at an angle. Not usual for the show. Not sure I liked them. And it was weird to have the end of the last episode feel all angsty about Lianne's return, but now they're a happy family cooking dinner to "La Bamba." I was totally suspicious of that clear liquid Lianne was drinking.
I hope we get more of Beaver next season. I love how he's like this wannabe 09er born into the clique but without the actual 09erness.
Looks like everyone was right about the Kanes thinking Duncan did it, which is good, because that makes a whole lot of sense. Except whoa, Duncan was eating Lilly's braaaaaaaiiiins.
Cliff was awesome. "Certainly there is another Kane family in Neptune. Boris and Gilda Kane, perhaps?" And damn, Keith. Ballsy move, breaking the story.
And suddenly Logan's airtight alibi is gone, so clearly he must be the murderer. Clearly. Come on, Veronica. When you jump to conclusions, you make an...ass...out of...wait.
Still, I loved Weevil's reaction. Loved him going to Logan about to beat his ass just as he got arrested. I loved Logan's interrogation, and the fact that he called Veronica, and Lamb mocked him for it. Oh! And loved that they used Garbage's "Bad Boyfriend," especially cause someone made a Veronica/Logan vid to that song.
Celeste is such a manipulative bitch.
Okay, and guys, one of the best scenes in the entire series, you have to agree: Veronica signs the contract. She signs it away without a second thought. She doesn't care. She shredded the results. Keith is her father, and she doesn't want to hear any different. No amount of money will make her accept Jake Kane as her father. She just signs it. That is how much she loves Keith. And then Keith fakes me the fuck out with his "Do you know what you just did?" And I was all, "No no no no no no." But then he says, "Absolutely nothing." And the entire world starts crying. I'm tearing up right now, but I was cheering like hell then. Thank God. I hardly cared about the incest business, that wasn't my concern, I just really wanted Keith to be her father. I know it would make some sort of nature vs. nurture statement if he wasn't, but I want that bond to be blood. That charm is genetic, dammit. vonnielake is happy, I know.
When we found out Logan was in town the day of Lilly's murder, I knew he had something to hide, but I guess he...didn't? He just didn't want to be a suspect? And dude, to think that all this time, Beaver and Dick probably thought Logan killed Lilly. I thought he might have had some sort of indirect role, though.
And then there's this letter Logan writes that's supposed to exonerate him. Where could this letter be? Oh, I don't know, what about LILLY'S SECRET PEN? Or, oh, the vent thing. What about the pen? Okay, maybe the letter is too big to fit in the pen? BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PEN? I said at that point that if the pen didn't play some important role, I'd punch Rob. So, Rob Thomas, if I ever meet you, I have to punch you, just like I have to punch Drew Goddard for "The Girl in Question." Don't worry, it'll be a Veronica-type punch to the shoulder. But you're not allowed to pull that "Hot Dogs" cliffhanger unless that pen was actually important. Otherwise, it's cheap suspense tactics, and you're better than that. Or maybe you're not. OH SNAP.
The Logan/Veronica ship sinks like whoa.
Veronica goes Alias again, and although the wig is kind of crazy, the glasses are cute. That's right, take a swig of that wat-BOOZE. I love how this show plays important moments like that as if they're nothing. There was no close-up on the bottle of water as she reached to get it from the fridge. Hell, there was no close-up on the bottle when Lianne was drinking it in the teaser. Veronica was just getting a drink of water before she left, like any normal girl would. And bam. She knows. And it hits her, and she's already crying when she calls the rehab center. Another great scene.
Okay, Veronica dropping the tray was hilarious. I don't know if that was planned or not, but it was great. Very stealthy, my dear.
The vents weren't screwed all the way in. Did someone already look there? Why didn't they find the tapes? And now I remember that the camera showed a closet fiend who must have been Aaron, who had been interrupted in his search for the tapes. Anyway, isn't it fun to have Duncan be all animated?
The first Lilly tape was very interesting. Loved how she discovered the cameras just like Veronica had.
The second Lilly tape is where the episode lost me. Not lost me lost me, but lost me in that it couldn't be superultraperfect, despite what everyone on TWoP would be saying. Because when I heard that people were actually speculating that Lilly had had an affair with Aaron, I thought it was ridiculous. I thought it was totally out-of-character for Lilly. And maybe even Aaron. It just made no sense to me. And then to see it made canon was just...well. I guess Lilly liked her sex. But really, I thought she was better than that. Sleeping with her boyfriend's dad? This isn't The O.C. Then again, Aaron was a movie star. Everyone likes sleeping with movie stars. And that's the sort of thing you can brag about to your best friend.
And then we had Veronica play the entire scenario in her head, and because it had the different film-speed, I didn't want to trust it immediately. I thought, there's still room for her to be wrong. But damn, that scenario went on forever. Would Rob really spend that long on a fakeout? Could it be that easy? Why were people speccing the affair so long ago? Were there spoilers, or did I miss some clues, or do people just have sick minds? It's not that I think Rob made it up at the last minute, but it didn't feel like we should have suspected it. And Aaron was becoming really interesting! I didn't want him to be the killer.
And then the episode turned into a horror movie, which was kind of awesome in its own way, once I gave in to what was happening. The rearview mirror reveal? Aaaah! Creeptastic. And Veronica crashing the car? Damn, girl.
During that commercial break-so many commercials! why must there be commercials?!-I came up with an awesome idea: Lynn! Some people had specced Lynn, and now there was a motive! And how awesome would it be if Lynn showed up? It would rule.
Random house in the woods! Maybe Lynn's hiding out! Maybe it's Wiedman's house! Maybe it's Amelia DeLongpre! Throw away the tapes like a smart girl! The car door is open! Knock on the door! Aaron punches her in the face! Walkie-talkies! Refrigerator! Aaron is totally a psycho! Which, fun, but, again, it loses that interesting character development he's had recently. I was still hoping maybe he just wanted the tapes...because...I don't know, they could ruin his reputation more than it'd already been ruined? I wanted another surprise. Regardless of how unsatisfied I was with the outcome, though, this entire sequence was kicking ass and taking names. Fast-paced, creepy, suspenseful. Major props.
Logan's voicemail message. Nice touch of continuity. And oh, he's going to jump, fun! And Weevil's gang is going to push him off!
Poor Veronica. It's cool when they show us that despite her hard-boiled detective skillz, she's still just a girl, and scared out of her fucking mind. Damn.
Keith is the fucking man. Great fight, and holy shit, Aaron lights the fire. And Keith saves Veronica at the cost of catching fire himself. Don't die, Keith. Don't you fucking die. More great scenes. Like I said, all these scenes were fucking great, even if I wasn't intellectually pleased.
And Aaron gets hit with a truck. Nice. Oh, but before that: Backup fucking rules!
And then things happen that you don't even think of. Because all this time, Jake Kane really did think Duncan killed Lilly by accident. He had made peace with that. And suddenly he discovers that this big shot movie star killed his fucking daughter, and he goes apeshit. But then he's arrested for obstruction of justice, oops. Yeah, you forgot that you broke the law, didn't you, buddy. And thus, Keith is vindicated. Oh, Lamb was great in this episode too.
Hit the road, Lianne, you dirty booze hound. And holy shit, you fucking bitch, you took their fucking money?
Aw, Alicia.
Veronica says goodbye to Lilly. Which, aww. We'll miss you, Lilly, you big whoreslut (tm fishinginthemud).
And...what? That's not a cliffhanger! You can't do that! I'm not even going to speculate on who it is (I just assumed it was Logan since everyone loves Logan so much), but I hope it's Wallace. Because I love Wallace, and so does Veronica. They are BFF.
So, final thoughts? I was not one hundred percent satisfied, like I thought I'd be, which is unfortunate. To me, it felt like the Lilly/Aaron affair came out of nowhere, and Aaron's violent tendencies made him perhaps too obvious a suspect (although one previous opposition to his being the killer, namely that we didn't like him so there was no surprise or pain, was at least removed since then, since I think many of us were beginning to really like his character and wanted him to stick around next season). And I thought the killer was supposed to be someone we met in the pilot, not just mentioned. And I expected one final twist at the end. And I thought there were a couple loose ends. And I didn't like that Aaron went completely psycho, totally into the black without any of those shades of grey we love in this show.
That being said, I still think it was a kickass episode. Fast-paced, intriguing, engrossing, exciting, suspenseful. That was one hell of a ride, Rob Thomas. I can't wait to see what you give us next season.
(And if you never bring up the secret pen again, I will punch you.)