In the fifteenth episode of the third season of Veronica Mars, Dean O’Dell’s killer is found. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Veronica Mars.
INCREDIBLE. SIMPLY INCREDIBLE.
- I’m simply in awe of what I’ve just seen because of how inherently complex it was and how much it respects the characterization we’d seen over the course of this season. Even just going over the episode again, I can see how many scenes are re-contextualized by the twist at the end. Jesus, there were clues for Tim’s guilt the whole time.
- So let’s just start at the beginning. I suppose that the answer to the O’Dell case proves to us that Landry’s interest in Veronica was genuine the whole time. He wasn’t trying to keep her away from investigating him because he knew he was innocent.
- Which means that if you re-watch Keith’s interrogation of Mindy, you can see her brain clicking into place. She knows that she didn’t kill her husband, and so she turns on Landry in a heartbeat. She confesses to O’Dell’s confrontation (FINALLY) at the Neptune Grand, and we discover at least part of the reason he came: to threaten to end Landry’s career. Later, from Landry, we’ll learn that O’Dell also threatened to divorce Mindy. God, the most fucked up thing about this? Tim saw that both parties had perfect motivations for killing Dean O’Dell.
- God, even Landry’s interrogation scene feels so different! Y’all, HE WAS TELLING THE TRUTH. He believed what he was saying, and that look on his face was of him recognizing that he’d been set up, and he’d been set up good.
- AND THEN TIM IS ALLOWED IN TO VISIT LANDRY
- LANDRY ASKS HIM TO FIND A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK
- holy shit TIM INVENTED THE NEEDLE.
- Well, as far as I can tell, Landry was telling the truth about his alibi, but since Tim knew that they’d never find the woman, he took the opportunity to further frame Landry.
- Holy shit, Tim was good. SO GOOD. I mean, clearly not the best, since Veronica is the one who bests him in the end, but good god, how much of his behavior was an act? I do think that for the most part, we saw the real Tim. He was eager for Landry’s approval, and his actions in this season were clearly a hint that he’d come to despise Landry for blocking a job opportunity. We just never knew why aside from Tim finding out about Landry’s affair with Mindy. But even that was a clue! Look at the complicated goose chase that Tim set up for Veronica. HE CLEARLY WAS CAPABLE OF PULLING ALL OF THIS OFF.
- And I had this whole thing prepared in my head about how brilliantly this episode paired up Veronica and Tim. It works so well (until the end) because it represents street experience colliding with academia. So much of the humor in “Papa’s Cabin” is rooted in the fact that while Tim is smart and understands theory well, he can’t talk to people. He can’t do undercover duty. He can’t think on his feet. He has to plan things out way in advance. WHICH IS TERRIBLY IRONIC SINCE HE SAYS THAT WHEN CRIMINALS HAVE TO IMPROVISE, THEY GET SLOPPY. WHICH HE DOES OH MY GOD.
- It’s also so surreal to see Keith in that uniform, to see him in Lamb’s old office, and to see the Balboa County Sheriff’s Department actually get shit done. It’s weird! I love it, but it’ll take some time to get used to.
- I also admit that the thought of Logan and Parker together felt very, very strange. It’s not that they don’t have chemistry! However, I could see how the very idea of it upset nearly everyone who came into contact with it. Wallace tries to talk to Veronica about it, but she’s aloof the entire time. When Parker herself tries to see if it’s okay that she dates Logan, Veronica quickly leaves, avoiding the subject. That being said, I found it unbearably sweet that Logan finally cornered her to ask if it was okay for him to date Parker. It was kind, and it was necessary. He clearly took his cues from Parker, though, since it was her discomfort with the whole thing that inspired Logan to get the go-ahead from Veronica.
- Anyway, I can’t believe how many points I wanted to make were utterly destroyed by the ending. I had all this stuff ready about Tim being disappointed by Landry’s phone call to Pepperdine, but TIM WAS THE ONE WHO BUGGED LANDRY’S PHONE. He already knew about it! He planted all the evidence at Batando’s apartment, too.
- And what the hell happened between Landry and Mindy? I mean, we know some of it. But both of those characters were convinced the other one was guilty. So when Landry took the yacht, did they argue immediately? Did Mindy fear for her life in Landry’s presence? Oh my god, THIS IS SO MESSED UP.
- Whatever happened, I imagine that Mindy’s murder took place not long after Landry climbed onboard. At this point, I really thought that this episode wasn’t going to give us a well-defined answer about the exact order of events on the night that Dean O’Dell died. I believed that Mindy had done it, and that Landry had freaked out about a lot of things (her betrayal, the set-up, the impending destruction of his career and reputation) and killed her because of it. Tim, during his lecture, kept saying that Mindy and Landry had “colluded” together, but that didn’t make sense. Landry’s anger and regret seemed too real.
- Y’all, that lecture sequence is FUCKING INCREDIBLE. I love that it initially works as a fascinating way to provide exposition; as Tim recounts the facts of the case, we get a sense for how confusing and twisted it all was. But as soon as Veronica raised her hand that first time, it took on a terrifying tone, and I LOVE IT. I love that the entire accusation sequence takes place so publicly, especially because the actor playing Tim was so good at playing… well, a nervous rat. That’s what he turns into as Veronica hones in on the real truth: He killed Dean O’Dell in order to frame Professor Landry out of revenge.
- Unreal. This was breathtaking to experience, y’all!
- AND SOMEHOW, THERE ARE FIVE MORE EPISODES???? This mystery was solved in EVEN LESS TIME THAN THE LAST ONE. Does that mean I’m going to get a third one???
- BLESS THIS SHOW.
The video for “Papa’s Cabin” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
– If you would like to support this website and keep Mark Does Stuff running, I’ve put up a detailed post explaining how you can!
– Please check out the MarkDoesStuff.com. All Mark Watches videos for past shows/season are now archived there!
– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next three Double Features will be: Baccano!, The Middleman, and Band of Brothers.
– I will be at quite a few conventions and will be hosting events throughout the US, Canada, and Europe in 2014, so check my Tour Dates / Appearances page often to see if I’m coming to your city!
– Inspired by last year’s impromptu event in London, I am taking Mark in the Park on the road! You can see all currently planned dates and pitch your own city here.
