In the eighteenth episode of the third season of Veronica Mars, Veronica helps to possibly reunite a long lost father and son, but worries it might be a set-up. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Veronica Mars.
LET’S DO IT.
- Like the previous episode, I enjoyed “I Know What You’ll Do Next Summer,” and I also think it feels weird at the end of the season. There’s more introduced here that can carry over into the final two episodes (WHYYYYYY. LET THIS NEVER END), but I’m definitely surprised that the third season changed the pattern of having a season-long mystery.
- I still like this season a lot despite some of my issues, and this episode feels… happy! Sunny! Hopeful for the future!
- (Except that one thing.)
- (That one thing has ruined me.)
- (I ASKED FOR IT REPEATEDLY AND THEN GOT IT AND I MAY REGRET WHAT I HAVE DONE.)
- (It’s as if I have the world’s worst superpower: my wishes for fictional narratives are granted in the most heartbreaking way possible.)
- Jerry Sacks! I didn’t even realize that I’d never heard his first name before.
- Anyway, Veronica takes her private eye exam in this episode, and y’all, I love the image of her in that room, the sole woman in the place, as she confidently fills out her exam. It’s beautiful.
- So much of this episode addresses the future, too, and not just in terms of Veronica’s test. Piz gets two competing internship offers, one of which will keep him close to Veronica and one that will give him a better experience. Veronica discovers that the FBI internship she applied for at Professor Landry’s persistence has resulted in an offer to spend 12 weeks in Virginia. Keith has to cope with the possible interference of Vinnie and the Fitzpatricks in the upcoming election. Wallace decides to spend the summer volunteering in Africa, while Logan, Dick, and Parker all start off with set plans and THEN THEY UNRAVEL. TERRIBLY SO.
- Oh god, I just want to devote this whole review to Dick Casablancas, but I promise I’ll talk about other things.
- Like how weird it is that Cliff and Keith are technically working against one another now. It’s weird. But I’m glad that the show is acknowledging that Keith’s life isn’t going to be perfect now that he’s finally back to being Sheriff. He held a certain reputation and had a certain set of friends as a private investigator, and that had to change once he accepted the job to be head of the law enforcement in Neptune.
- I ALSO FORGOT HOW MUCH I DON’T LIKE PARKER’S PARENTS. Oh my god, stop criticizing your daughter so much.
- So, I really do love that so much of this story focuses on Apollo, and even in the end, this story is about how he used Veronica in order to verify who was trustworthy in his life. It’s not often that someone tricks Veronica, but hey, it happened! His story is put at the center of this episode, and his monologues (expertly done by Nelsan Ellis, ONE OF MY FAVORITE HUMANS IN THE UNIVERSE) aren’t played for humor or invalidated by the story. DESPITE THAT THEY ALMOST WERE AT ONE POINT. Oh god, I’m so glad that he wasn’t faking his book, because OH NO. UNFORTUNATE IMPLICATIONS EVERYWHERE.
- And like Take Back the Night, Invisible Children is a real organization! (Well, obviously, given the short PSA at the end.) It’s… an interesting charity. I know a lot of people who have volunteered with them, and while I can’t claim to know enough about them to provide any sort of advice about them, I would urge people to research any charity that claims to help people in Africa. I mean, that whole Stop Kony debacle in 2012 was a mess of white savior nonsense, so please be careful when you’re considering supporting organizations that make claims like Invisible Children does.
- All that said, I’m pleased that Kizza ended up being genuine. This show can be remarkably cynical about humanity (WHICH I ADORE), so it’s always nice when a story ends so positively without the sarcasm or the grimness. Kizza really was Apollo’s father, and their reunion got me all misty-eyed, as did Kizza’s monologue about coming to America to survive but finding loneliness instead. Y’all, I really wish that there’d been more devoted to that single line because it’s such a common experience for immigrants in the States.
- So, let’s talk about Parker and Logan! It’s not hard to see that these two are struggling to maintain a relationship with one another. Logan is still in love with Veronica. I’m certain of it! I don’t think he’s ready to pursue a relationship with someone else. He definitely cares about Parker, too, and he tries to make up for messing up their summer. But what does he hope to get out of this relationship with Parker? Does he want to make her happy? Or is he just trying to distract himself?
- I liked that Parker went to Veronica for help because I really want them to stay friends until the end. THEY’RE SO CLOSE. ONLY TWO EPISODES.
- Mac has a great story in this episode, too, and it fits perfectly in the theme of examining the future. SO, CLEARLY I WAS WRONG ABOUT MAC AND MAX. After breaking up with Bronson, Mac falls straight into Max’s life, which is… interesting. Max has never been more successful running his cheating business, and so he’s prepared to simply flunk out of college. It’s understandably disturbing for Mac, not necessarily because of the moral implications, but because she finds herself slacking off in the wake of her newfound love for Max. While Max seemed fairly certain he could maintain his business for a few years, I loved that this episode made sure to respect that Mac had her own life, her own dreams, and needed to keep her own identity separate from Max. Sure, the Sex and Nap Den of Pizza sounds great, but Mac has so much going for her.
- Y’all, the Fitzpatricks. Let me repeat myself again and again and again: I love that this show does not forget who resides in Neptune. I love seeing old faces. I LOVE THE REALISTIC CASTING. As I said before, it’s fascinating to watch how Keith’s life is changing now that he’s Sheriff again. That’s especially the case now that he’s up against Vinnie Van Lowe. Who’s surprised that Vinnie is using underhanded techniques to win the election? NO ONE SHOULD BE. But using the Fitzpatricks to stage a crime wave in houses that have a security system from a company where Vinnie used to consult? Even I have to admit that this is pretty brilliant.
- So how the hell is Keith going to stop this??? He’s not going to tell Liam where Kendall’s money went, so he’ll have to find a way to publicly prove that Vinnie was behind the robberies. You were the town’s best PI, Keith! DO IT.
- Anyway, let’s just talk about the biggest reveal in this episode. I was absolutely shocked by seeing Dick Casablancas, Sr in this episode because THERE WASN’T A SINGLE HINT TO HIS RE-APPEARANCE IN THE SERIES. I was also surprised by how quickly I remember that I hated him. Thankfully, Dick, Jr. tears into him immediately and viciously, and it’s without a doubt Ryan Hansen’s finest set of scenes in the whole series. It’s so terrifying to watch Dick, Jr’s world unravel in a matter of seconds, but that’s precisely what happens here. This reminded me of Aaron Echolls’s return last season, since both he and Dick Sr. thought that they could return to their son’s life after hurting them so terribly and expect forgiveness and love. But Dick, Jr. has absolutely no interest in this. Y’all, oh my god. He blames himself for Cassidy’s death. Look, I’m glad that the show didn’t ignore the fact that Dick, Sr. MISSED HIS OWN SON’S FUNERAL BECAUSE HE IS SO TERRIBLE. But Dick, Jr. doesn’t escape blame either, since he blames himself for the horrific treatment of Cassidy over the years.
- I know that my weird super power will probably make this true, but I would like to see more. I still don’t know why Dick showed up at Logan’s door in this season’s premiere, but I wonder if it’s related to the outburst we saw here. It’s clear that Dick has been masking his pain with his outrageous behavior, but what is he going to do now that his father’s going to be in his life for the rest of the summer?
The video for “I Know What You’ll Do Next Summer” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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