VM 2.2: Driver Ed
Wow. Yet again, Veronica Mars continues to surprise me. This show doesn't pull any punches. Here are my thoughts on VM episode 2.2 "Driver Ed." Again with the punny episode title. I love this show.
Let's start with the mystery of the week (MOTW). I really liked that the MOTW was directly related to the season-long mystery, even though this is only the second episode of the season. Veronica was asked to solve one small piece of the puzzle (Did Ed commit suicide?), but the answer leads her to question even further what happened with the bus, and why. This made the MOTW seem more important than usual and it didn't feel as if Veronica was off on some "detour" that kept her from pursuing the important questions.
The resolution of the mystery also made perfect sense and was satisfying. Some people apparently missed the comments from Duane the convenience store clerk. (Kevin Smith? A convenience store clerk? Hee. Great cameo.) Duane said on television that Ed had bought a "few things" and then was on his way out of the store when he turned around suddenly and came back to buy the St. Christopher medal. Veronica saw that the pay phone was near the door and this is how she deduced that the reason Ed bought the medal was to get change to make a phone call. That made complete sense to me, especially in light of the "suicide" note that didn't seem like much of a suicide note.
The cliffhanger ending was also great. What the heck could it mean that Veronica's name was written on that dude's hand? I have no idea, but color me intrigued. Surely it's related to the bus "accident," because nothing happens accidentally in Neptune.
Another highlight of the episode was the appearance of Sheriff Lamb. Oh, Lamb, how I missed you. As usual, he was his incompetent dickish self, but he was a welcome sight. His reaction at finding out that Veronica was in the interrogation room was hilarious. I almost wanted Veronica to fill out a job application for real, just because it would be so funny to see her needling Lamb on a daily basis around the Sheriff's Department. We need Lamb around as an adversary for Veronica and for Keith, and I'm looking forward to the election with Keith and Lamb running against each other. Snarkiness should ensue.
I'm also really liking Beaver. Poor Beaver gets no love. I'm enjoying the entire dynamic of the Casablancas family, actually, and it was great to finally meet Daddy Casablancas aka Big Dick. I must say, he's much more attractive than I would have guessed and something tells me that Kendall is not sleeping with Logan out of any dissatisfaction with Big Dick. (I'm betting he more than lives up to his nickname.) My guess is that Kendall has far more sinister ulterior motives for trysting with our boy Logan. It's not simply that he's cute and she's bored. Big Dick doesn't seem that boring to me.
That scene at the shooting range, though . . . well, I didn't even know what to make of that. Was Big Dick hinting to Logan that he was onto him? I don't think so. Something tells me that Big Dick would be more direct. But considering how screwed up the entire situation is with Logan right now, adding guns to the equation spells major trouble. This is not going to end well. Only psycho chicks want to go to Casa de Killer. What a pal, that Dick.
Speaking of Logan and violence . . . it's only the second episode, but already Weevil is missing. I hope that isn't a trend. I really like the Weevil vs. Logan class warfare dynamic and want to see more of it. But Logan getting friendly with guns doesn't bode well for Weevil (or Logan either, for that matter). I can't wait to see where they are going with this storyline, but it's going to be intense. This season is shaping up to be a lot more violent than last year. I expect more deaths and bloodshed.
The jury is still out on Jackie. I did like that Wallace was able to solve her little "mystery" about who hit her car (our boy Wallace has learned a thing or two!), but so far I'm not liking her so much. She's definitely a bitch of the highest order, but if Wallace likes her, I can't begrudge him a little action when everyone else seems to be getting some . . . which leads me to the other major development in this episode . . .
Okay, so Veronica got it on with Duncan. Yeccch. I'm not surprised that she decided to sleep with Duncan (voluntarily and consciously this time), but I was completely surprised that they went there so quickly in the season. I definitely thought she was going to sleep with Duncan at some point (and I wanted her to - stay with me for a minute here), but given how long she held out when she was with Logan, it did seem mighty quick. True, she and Duncan had a long history together before, and from everything we saw, it seemed like they were pretty close to doing it the first time around until that pesky sibling problem reared its ugly head. But I'm still a little dissatisfied at how quickly and casually this "new" relationship with Duncan has been developed.
Last season, the development of Veronica's relationship with Logan occurred so naturally and gradually over the course of the entire season and we were allowed to see (or at least some of us were) a developing friendship and attraction over time. Even though the kiss in "Weapons of Class Destruction" seemed to come out of nowhere to many people, we were shown that they had put their past hostility behind them and we were given hints, however subtle, that their relationship had changed and deepened. With Duncan, all we got was a 10-second music-video montage in the season two premiere, and bam, Veronica jumped into his arms and they were back together. Then we get a couple of short scenes of them in this episode and bam, she slept with him.
I do understand that the bus incident was traumatic for Veronica in part because it was a "near death" experience for her -- if she hadn't seen Weevil at the gas station, she'd almost certainly be dead. On top of that trauma, Veronica hears the driver's girlfriend express regret that she never really got to be with the man she loved and then he was gone. So Veronica had her "epiphany" that life is short. Given everything that's happened to her in the past couple of years, she should know that already. But I get the motivation, I really do. Life is short, seize the day, yadda yadda yadda.
Having said that, I do like how Veronica's decision to sleep with Duncan was handled: there was no "very special episode" for Veronica Mars. There was no big build-up: should I, shouldn't I. She made the decision, she was ready, she did it. Teenagers have sex. End of story. Then again, maybe not . . . because things are never that easy on Veronica Mars.
Unlike other "teen" shows, which would have made such a big deal about Veronica's decision to sleep with Duncan, and would have made it into this whole "true love" scenario with rose petals strewn about, it didn't quite happen that way for our oh-so-happy couple. For one thing, there was all that screaming and moaning from next door. Hee. Even Duncan joked that maybe they did it wrong. Hee again. Then, to top it all off, we find out that it was Logan and Kendall in the next room. Awkward! The message was delivered, in a not-so-subtle fashion, that sex with Logan is quite a different experience from sex with Duncan. Hee again. And that message was not lost on Veronica. Even though Logan still had to get a dig in at Duncan, because, well, he's Logan. If the cuddling was the best part, he didn't do it right. Hee. (Then again, not so hee, because Logan's glance at the door sure looked like hurt to me.)
As painful as the scene in the hallway was, I loved it because it tells us that things are far from over for Veronica and Logan. Last year, their antagonism towards each other definitely had an undercurrent of something resembling attraction, but now the sexual tension is more than just a subtle hint. We know they still have strong feelings for each other and the hallway scene made it pretty obvious. Okay, sure, it was a pretty big coincidence that Logan was in the room right next door to Duncan's suite, but the smoking heat of the encounter in the hallway made me overlook the implausibility of the situation. When Veronica actually called the room, I had to laugh. Oh, Veronica, why do you care so much about who is in that room? She cares all right. She's trying so hard to get back to the "normal" life she had with Duncan before Lilly was killed, and she's trying especially hard to pretend that she's over Logan, but it's not that easy. What did she think she was going to say to the person on the phone? I don't think she had any idea, but she made that call on impulse because she just had to know what was going on with Logan.
So as surprised as I was that Veronica slept with Duncan so quickly (and that had to sting for Logan -- geez, what's a guy gotta do?), I'm glad it happened because I do think it's necessary for Veronica to completely throw herself into the relationship with Duncan so she can feel like she really made the effort to be "normal," whatever that means. I'm still on the Logan love train, though, and I'm not getting off any time soon. Logan has a lot of growing up to do, and the boy has more issues than National Geographic. But even as they're both boffing other people, it's clear that Veronica and Logan still have feelings for each other that aren't going away any time soon. Just like it's clear to Veronica that sleeping with Duncan doesn't make those feelings for Logan go away.
If and when Veronica and Logan do make their way back together (like I said, I'm not getting off the Logan love train any time soon), her relationship with Duncan has to be totally a thing of the past and that couldn't happen fully until she slept with Duncan. Plus, there has to be a lot of pain on both sides first, and RT&co. know how to bring the pain in a big way. I don't think we've even started with the pain yet. Logan and Veronica would never work as a couple at any time if she remains "virginal" while he's whoring it up with half of Neptune. So I'm okay with it . . . for now. And so long as I'm not forced to see too many sex scenes of Veronica and Duncan. (Although watching her call him "Logan" in the heat of passion would be kind of funny. Hee.)
Edited to add: I forgot the worst part about this episode: Veronica's sweatshirt and cutoff ensemble. WTF? I thought for a minute we were doing another '80s party or something, because that outfit was straight outta Flashdance. What happened to Veronica's cute outfits from last year? Sex with Duncan must have done something to her fashion sense.
Episode Grade: A-
I liked this episode better than the premiere because it felt tighter and more focused and the MOTW was developed so much better. The resolution made complete sense and it obviously has a direct link to the season-long mystery of what the hell happened on that bus, and more importantly why. The cliffhanger ending was quite a surprise and a nice touch. I can't wait to see where this story is going next week . . . and the promo makes me think it's going to be a good one. :)
Let's start with the mystery of the week (MOTW). I really liked that the MOTW was directly related to the season-long mystery, even though this is only the second episode of the season. Veronica was asked to solve one small piece of the puzzle (Did Ed commit suicide?), but the answer leads her to question even further what happened with the bus, and why. This made the MOTW seem more important than usual and it didn't feel as if Veronica was off on some "detour" that kept her from pursuing the important questions.
The resolution of the mystery also made perfect sense and was satisfying. Some people apparently missed the comments from Duane the convenience store clerk. (Kevin Smith? A convenience store clerk? Hee. Great cameo.) Duane said on television that Ed had bought a "few things" and then was on his way out of the store when he turned around suddenly and came back to buy the St. Christopher medal. Veronica saw that the pay phone was near the door and this is how she deduced that the reason Ed bought the medal was to get change to make a phone call. That made complete sense to me, especially in light of the "suicide" note that didn't seem like much of a suicide note.
The cliffhanger ending was also great. What the heck could it mean that Veronica's name was written on that dude's hand? I have no idea, but color me intrigued. Surely it's related to the bus "accident," because nothing happens accidentally in Neptune.
Another highlight of the episode was the appearance of Sheriff Lamb. Oh, Lamb, how I missed you. As usual, he was his incompetent dickish self, but he was a welcome sight. His reaction at finding out that Veronica was in the interrogation room was hilarious. I almost wanted Veronica to fill out a job application for real, just because it would be so funny to see her needling Lamb on a daily basis around the Sheriff's Department. We need Lamb around as an adversary for Veronica and for Keith, and I'm looking forward to the election with Keith and Lamb running against each other. Snarkiness should ensue.
I'm also really liking Beaver. Poor Beaver gets no love. I'm enjoying the entire dynamic of the Casablancas family, actually, and it was great to finally meet Daddy Casablancas aka Big Dick. I must say, he's much more attractive than I would have guessed and something tells me that Kendall is not sleeping with Logan out of any dissatisfaction with Big Dick. (I'm betting he more than lives up to his nickname.) My guess is that Kendall has far more sinister ulterior motives for trysting with our boy Logan. It's not simply that he's cute and she's bored. Big Dick doesn't seem that boring to me.
That scene at the shooting range, though . . . well, I didn't even know what to make of that. Was Big Dick hinting to Logan that he was onto him? I don't think so. Something tells me that Big Dick would be more direct. But considering how screwed up the entire situation is with Logan right now, adding guns to the equation spells major trouble. This is not going to end well. Only psycho chicks want to go to Casa de Killer. What a pal, that Dick.
Speaking of Logan and violence . . . it's only the second episode, but already Weevil is missing. I hope that isn't a trend. I really like the Weevil vs. Logan class warfare dynamic and want to see more of it. But Logan getting friendly with guns doesn't bode well for Weevil (or Logan either, for that matter). I can't wait to see where they are going with this storyline, but it's going to be intense. This season is shaping up to be a lot more violent than last year. I expect more deaths and bloodshed.
The jury is still out on Jackie. I did like that Wallace was able to solve her little "mystery" about who hit her car (our boy Wallace has learned a thing or two!), but so far I'm not liking her so much. She's definitely a bitch of the highest order, but if Wallace likes her, I can't begrudge him a little action when everyone else seems to be getting some . . . which leads me to the other major development in this episode . . .
Okay, so Veronica got it on with Duncan. Yeccch. I'm not surprised that she decided to sleep with Duncan (voluntarily and consciously this time), but I was completely surprised that they went there so quickly in the season. I definitely thought she was going to sleep with Duncan at some point (and I wanted her to - stay with me for a minute here), but given how long she held out when she was with Logan, it did seem mighty quick. True, she and Duncan had a long history together before, and from everything we saw, it seemed like they were pretty close to doing it the first time around until that pesky sibling problem reared its ugly head. But I'm still a little dissatisfied at how quickly and casually this "new" relationship with Duncan has been developed.
Last season, the development of Veronica's relationship with Logan occurred so naturally and gradually over the course of the entire season and we were allowed to see (or at least some of us were) a developing friendship and attraction over time. Even though the kiss in "Weapons of Class Destruction" seemed to come out of nowhere to many people, we were shown that they had put their past hostility behind them and we were given hints, however subtle, that their relationship had changed and deepened. With Duncan, all we got was a 10-second music-video montage in the season two premiere, and bam, Veronica jumped into his arms and they were back together. Then we get a couple of short scenes of them in this episode and bam, she slept with him.
I do understand that the bus incident was traumatic for Veronica in part because it was a "near death" experience for her -- if she hadn't seen Weevil at the gas station, she'd almost certainly be dead. On top of that trauma, Veronica hears the driver's girlfriend express regret that she never really got to be with the man she loved and then he was gone. So Veronica had her "epiphany" that life is short. Given everything that's happened to her in the past couple of years, she should know that already. But I get the motivation, I really do. Life is short, seize the day, yadda yadda yadda.
Having said that, I do like how Veronica's decision to sleep with Duncan was handled: there was no "very special episode" for Veronica Mars. There was no big build-up: should I, shouldn't I. She made the decision, she was ready, she did it. Teenagers have sex. End of story. Then again, maybe not . . . because things are never that easy on Veronica Mars.
Unlike other "teen" shows, which would have made such a big deal about Veronica's decision to sleep with Duncan, and would have made it into this whole "true love" scenario with rose petals strewn about, it didn't quite happen that way for our oh-so-happy couple. For one thing, there was all that screaming and moaning from next door. Hee. Even Duncan joked that maybe they did it wrong. Hee again. Then, to top it all off, we find out that it was Logan and Kendall in the next room. Awkward! The message was delivered, in a not-so-subtle fashion, that sex with Logan is quite a different experience from sex with Duncan. Hee again. And that message was not lost on Veronica. Even though Logan still had to get a dig in at Duncan, because, well, he's Logan. If the cuddling was the best part, he didn't do it right. Hee. (Then again, not so hee, because Logan's glance at the door sure looked like hurt to me.)
As painful as the scene in the hallway was, I loved it because it tells us that things are far from over for Veronica and Logan. Last year, their antagonism towards each other definitely had an undercurrent of something resembling attraction, but now the sexual tension is more than just a subtle hint. We know they still have strong feelings for each other and the hallway scene made it pretty obvious. Okay, sure, it was a pretty big coincidence that Logan was in the room right next door to Duncan's suite, but the smoking heat of the encounter in the hallway made me overlook the implausibility of the situation. When Veronica actually called the room, I had to laugh. Oh, Veronica, why do you care so much about who is in that room? She cares all right. She's trying so hard to get back to the "normal" life she had with Duncan before Lilly was killed, and she's trying especially hard to pretend that she's over Logan, but it's not that easy. What did she think she was going to say to the person on the phone? I don't think she had any idea, but she made that call on impulse because she just had to know what was going on with Logan.
So as surprised as I was that Veronica slept with Duncan so quickly (and that had to sting for Logan -- geez, what's a guy gotta do?), I'm glad it happened because I do think it's necessary for Veronica to completely throw herself into the relationship with Duncan so she can feel like she really made the effort to be "normal," whatever that means. I'm still on the Logan love train, though, and I'm not getting off any time soon. Logan has a lot of growing up to do, and the boy has more issues than National Geographic. But even as they're both boffing other people, it's clear that Veronica and Logan still have feelings for each other that aren't going away any time soon. Just like it's clear to Veronica that sleeping with Duncan doesn't make those feelings for Logan go away.
If and when Veronica and Logan do make their way back together (like I said, I'm not getting off the Logan love train any time soon), her relationship with Duncan has to be totally a thing of the past and that couldn't happen fully until she slept with Duncan. Plus, there has to be a lot of pain on both sides first, and RT&co. know how to bring the pain in a big way. I don't think we've even started with the pain yet. Logan and Veronica would never work as a couple at any time if she remains "virginal" while he's whoring it up with half of Neptune. So I'm okay with it . . . for now. And so long as I'm not forced to see too many sex scenes of Veronica and Duncan. (Although watching her call him "Logan" in the heat of passion would be kind of funny. Hee.)
Edited to add: I forgot the worst part about this episode: Veronica's sweatshirt and cutoff ensemble. WTF? I thought for a minute we were doing another '80s party or something, because that outfit was straight outta Flashdance. What happened to Veronica's cute outfits from last year? Sex with Duncan must have done something to her fashion sense.
Episode Grade: A-
I liked this episode better than the premiere because it felt tighter and more focused and the MOTW was developed so much better. The resolution made complete sense and it obviously has a direct link to the season-long mystery of what the hell happened on that bus, and more importantly why. The cliffhanger ending was quite a surprise and a nice touch. I can't wait to see where this story is going next week . . . and the promo makes me think it's going to be a good one. :)
posted by Magnolia at
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