In the seventeenth episode of the second season of Veronica Mars, Weevil asks for help in proving Thumper’s guilt, while EVERYTHING ELSE IS CHAOS AND SADNESS. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Veronica Mars.
Holy shit, I loved this episode, and what the writers pull off here is incredible. Every single plot was compelling and thrilling and HOW IS THIS SHOW REAL. Let’s talk about the various storylines that unfolded in “Plan B.”
Cassidy/Mac
I’m okay saying that I don’t know what’s happening with Cassidy because I feel like that’s the point of what we see here. What’s so fulfilling about the developments between Cassidy and Mac is that the show frankly deals with sexual desire in a way that…shit, you just don’t see this on television! When Mac asks for Veronica’s help, the show respects her sexual agency, and at no point are we made to think that Mac is a bad person for desiring more physicality from her relationship with Cassidy. And even Veronica recognizes what a strange situation this is! She’s aware how strange it is that a boy is uninterested in a sexual relationship, but it’s also nice that Mac isn’t being pressured.
However, there’s clearly something going on with Cassidy, and I cannot figure out what it is. He’s defensive towards Mac when she tries to talk about him, which is understandable! It’s not an easy conversation to have. But he refuses to admit anything. He gives Mac nothing to go on, and then he’s furious that she discussed this with Veronica, and then he’s walking away and WOW, THAT FELL APART SO QUICKLY. What the hell???
Wallace / Jane / Jackie
I love the subtle idea of the title referencing this plotline. It’s entirely possible to see Jane as Wallace’s Plan B, since he’s still struggling over his feelings for Jackie. This whole story, though, is rooted in the misogynist trap that Jackie is stuck in. That’s not to say that Jackie hasn’t had issues with ego or arrogance, but what we’ve seen of her in the last few episodes has conveyed her growth as a person and a character. After her father’s ongoing drama and the threat of losing another parent, she’s tired of being a spoiled rich girl. So she makes the effort to change how she’s perceived through her behavior. She turns a moment of bullying against Charlie into a genuinely good moment for him. (Whoa, the actor who played Charlie was young Locke on LOST!) She turns Wallace down when he kisses her because she doesn’t want to be a part of Jane’s pain. But it goes further than that. Even after Wallace wins Jane back and then admits that he was the aggressor, not Jackie, she still loses. And that’s the trap I’m referring to: Jackie can’t win if she denies Wallace or if she accepts him. Notice how none of this falls back onto Wallace, even though he’s the person responsible for what happened. It’s Jackie who’s perceived to be the homewrecker.
UGH IT HURTS SO MUCH.
Woody Goodman / Logan / Keith
HOLY GODS, THIS IS ALL SO AWKWARD. I’m glad that my suspicions of Goodman are being validated because THERE IS SOMETHING DEEPLY WRONG WITH THAT MAN. He is too happy. He is hiding something. Logan’s time with Goodman was awkward by its very nature because Goodman didn’t expect the recently exonerated Logan to be his Assistant Deputy Commissioner. BUT WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT WEIGHTLIFTING SCENE? You are too friendly, Goodman, and I really wouldn’t be surprised if he was hiding his sexuality because why are you touching Logan like that? Nope. NOPE.
And I think that’s what we’re dealing with in the CREEPY STALKER VIDEO. Y’all, Keith just knows Goodman is lying to him. Shit, what happened back in November? WHO IS TRYING TO FRIGHTEN GOODMAN? How is this show still giving us more mysteries? And what is Logan going to do with that stolen stamp bearing Woody’s signature?
You are too much, Veronica Mars. But let’s just get to the real shit.
Weevil / Veronica
I admit that I wish that these two characters interacted more, and this episode proved to me that Francis Capra is goddamn compelling as an actor. We saw more depth here to Weevil than we’ve seen in a long time. He finally decides that he can’t wait any longer to determine if Thumper killed Felix, so he gets Veronica to help him. By piquing her curiosity, of course, which is ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOMENTS EVER. That little dance of frustration she does is HILARIOUS.
And then EVERYTHING HURTS FOREVER. Weevil is both obsessed and angry, and it’s a bad combination for him. Without Veronica’s help, I think he would have simply relied on his own Plan B without any restraint whatsoever. I mean, look back on his confrontation with Molly Fitzpatrick. He was barely holding himself back for the most part, and his outburst about his love for Felix… good god, how does this show do this to me over and over again. And what we witness here – the disinterest of an entire community to solve the murder of a poor person of color – is barely fiction at all. I’ve seen it play out myself over and over again, and you need not look far into United States history to see examples of that. People of color and poor folks are vilified for the wretched system they find themselves victims of, and so it is easy for people in Neptune to say that Felix’s murder doesn’t matter anymore. Logan does it. So does Lamb. Because who actually cares about someone who ran with the wrong crowd? It’s so simple for these people to criminalize Felix and strip him of his humanity.
And it’s why Weevil ultimately discards Veronica’s guidance. After Lamb rejects their direction, he takes matters into his own hands, and IT’S ONE OF THE MOST DISTURBING THINGS IN THE ENTIRE RUN OF THIS SHOW. Oh my god, Weevil manipulated the Fitzpatricks into killing their operative, and LOGAN HAS NO IDEA THAT HE INADVERTENTLY PUSHED THE TRIGGER ON THUMPER’S DEATH.
THIS IS SO UPSETTING. OH MY GOD, IS WEEVIL IN THE FITZPATRICKS’ CHURCH IN THE END???? WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING
WHY
OH MY GOD THIS IS SO MESSED UP.
The video commission for “Plan B” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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