In the twentieth episode of the second season of Veronica Mars, why don’t you drive the knife deeper into my heart? THANKS. If you’re intrigued, then it’s time for Mark to watch Veronica Mars.
Damn it.
- While I’m still bemused as to why it’s been brought up here, I gotta say that I’m very, very impressed with how casually the show deals with the fact that Veronica got an STD. It’s addressed in a way to convey how disturbing the news is for Veronica, but then we learn that there’s a simple treatment for chlamydia, and that she’ll be fine. I think this is a great way to de-stigmatize by showing that it’s common, that symptoms don’t always present, and that regular check-ups, while they may be scary, are the best way to catch these sort of things. I have no problem admitting to y’all that my first boyfriend, who was a serial cheater, gave me an STD that I found out I had after he dumped me, and it was comforting to have already learned that it was treatable and that my life wasn’t over. Also, he’s an awful person regardless of giving me an STD; that was only one of the unfortunate side effects of knowing him, and the wonderful doctor I saw at the clinic I went to helped me feel a lot better about having contracted it.
- I’m thinking that it’s not actually a major plot point because I don’t really see how it can play a part in a larger narrative, except that perhaps Duncan slept with someone else.
- Speaking of the topic, Woody Goodman is the worst. GODS, I DON’T LIKE HIM. I DON’T LIKE THAT HE’S SO SLIMY AND PRESENTS A PERFECT PUBLIC FACE TO THE REST OF NEPTUNE. And I especially hate that he so quickly backstabbed Keith in order to make himself look better. So, I’m clearly meant to be deeply, deeply suspicious of Woody at this point, but I cannot put the pieces together. Most of “Look Who’s Stalking” follows Gia’s experience with a potential stalker, but clearly, it’s Woody who is the real target. What the fuck did he do? Given that he tried to cover up his adultery at the beginning of this episode, it’s clear that he’s probably been hiding something huge this whole time. Does he have multiple mistresses? Is it something else? I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO GUESS AT THIS POINT.
- Whatever it is, Woody knows it’s serious enough to warrant a protective detail for Gia, which initially brings Veronica to LEO. LEO! Damn this show and its amazing callbacks/cameos. NEPTUNE SEEMS SO BELIEVABLE. Anyway, awkward reunion aside, Leo doesn’t provide much information on why Woody wants a security firm following Gia. Of course, this is all complicated further when Gia finds another eerie and creep-filled video taken of her at her brother’s soccer game. Shit, y’all, I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THE OTHER VIDEO. Why do this? To let Woody know that someone can get to his family? I assume they’re threats of some sort, but I cannot for the life of me figure out why this is happening. Ugh, I can already hear all the cackling from y’all. Damn it! It’s frustrating to suspect that the answer is sitting in front of me and I just can’t see it.
- And while we’re talking about not being able to figure shit out, THE BUS CRASH. GOD. I don’t get it it, and as the pieces are coming together, I’m still lost. I seriously don’t think Terrence did it, but it’s not like he’s all that sympathetic of a person to the citizens of Neptune. Given that his corruption is now out in the open at the end of the episode, it’s going to be extremely hard for him to prove his innocence. He’s already guilty in the eyes of the public!
- I think the opposite is happening with Aaron Echolls, though, and I am TERRIFIED that all the little hints that he’s orchestrating his innocence from inside jail are going to come true. His cellmate paid the escort to steal Cliff’s briefcase???? DAMN IT, IF AARON ECHOLLS GETS OFF, I AM GOING TO BE FURIOUS.
- (Seriously, there’s so much going on in this episode. I haven’t even gotten to Logan, Wallace, Jackie, or Mac! Which is actually one of the things that I’ll always love about this show. Veronica Mars is so highly serialized that plots spill into various episodes, and while there may be a core story in a specific episode, the writers don’t forget to have stories develop gradually over time.)
- Like the election for Balboa County Sheriff, the election for the incorporation happens almost in the background, and I kind of love how it’s resolved so fleetingly. Given what else is going on in the main characters’ lives, it’s almost a moot point. Though it does mean we’re stuck with Lamb for the time being. Actually, Keith is the one stuck with Lamb, but we’ll get to that in a bit.
- So, the Alterna-Prom. A neat idea, and I love that the show doesn’t forget to point out that it’s yet another example of how the rich kids in Neptune can get away with breaking the rules, ruining things for the poorer students, while they don’t have to face the repercussions of their actions since they have the money to get around it. But I also love that it comes to represent this incredible night for Jackie and Wallace, who decide to truly enjoy what little time they have left together. Yeah, it’s a little hard to watch because I know Jackie has to leave by the end of this season, and Wallace is just so. damn. happy. Hell, Jackie is happy, too, though that’s also due to the fact that her father’s legal troubles have allowed her to finally bond with him. Her scenes with Terrence in the hospital are touching and meaningful, and, like her moments with Wallace, they’re tainted by the inevitable. She’s leaving, and given the further complications in Terrence’s life, he might be leaving, too.
- Jesus, I just want to hug Jackie. 🙁
- So yeah, I’m really pleased that Jackie is able to have a good time here, especially since I’m concerned that it’s all going to end soon for her. I’m also a big fan of the way that the show portrays teenage sexuality here in a way that doesn’t shame Wallace or Jackie for choosing to finally have sex.
- Butters really is weird. Like… that is the weirdest way to convey a compliment ever, man. I got the sense that Mac came to understand him a bit more than she used to, but that doesn’t mean she actually likes him.
- And then there’s Logan and Veronica. My god, the romantic tension in “Look Who’s Stalking” between these two is way too much. Prom signifies the beginning of the end for a lot of high school seniors, and I remember the distinct sensation after I went to my own that things were coming to a close. My teachers started transitioning for final exams and the seniors started mentally checking out. So it makes sense to me that Logan (and later, Veronica) would begin to think about what that transition would mean for him. He’s made no claims to a secondary education, and really, with as much money as he has, why does he even need to go to college? Veronica got into Stanford, and that means she’ll probably leave town by the end of the summer. I imagine it was hard for Logan not to think about the previous summer.
- I personally don’t think that Logan was lying about what he told Veronica at the Alterna-Prom. (I don’t care if I’m repeating myself here, but y’all need to watch that whole exchange but only pay attention to Kristen Bell’s face acting. IT’S FUCKING INCREDIBLE. That woman conveyed so much confusion and longing and doubt and pain WITHOUT SAYING A GODDAMN WORD. Ugh, put her up there with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Lucy Liu and Gillian Anderson in terms of FACE ACTING. We shouldn’t be allowed on the same planet as these women, I swear.) Of course, that’s not the issue here, and Veronica’s heartbreak comes from the fact that he forgot what he had said to her. It’s made all the worse by the fact that Logan slept with Kendall AGAIN, and that she just poured out her feelings to him and it’s just messy. It’s messy, and it hurts so bad to watch, y’all.
- LOGAN. STEP UP YOUR GAME. YOU ARE SO WEAK HERE.
- So, let’s get back to the main plot. Y’all, I literally commented on the “random” appearance of Lucky MERE SECONDS BEFORE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT HE WAS ACTUALLY THERE FOR A REASON THAT WAS NOT RANDOM. Oh my god, oh my god. This means Lucky’s mention earlier wasn’t a red herring. HE IS HERE FOR A REASON.
- Unfortunately, after sitting through a deeply terrifying scene where he’s endlessly creepy to Gia and Veronica, he doesn’t reveal a single reason for why he took those videos of the Goodman family.
- SO KEITH HANDCUFFS HIMSELF TO LUCKY AND THEN TOSSES THE KEY DOWN THE DRAIN IN FRONT OF SHERIFF LAMB.
- Keith gives absolutely no fucks, oh my god. I love him so much.
- BUT THEN HE DOESN’T LEARN ANYTHING EITHER. There are more hints that Woody Goodman is not who he portrays himself to be. BUT NOPE. LAMB RUINS IT. Well, unknowingly this time, but still. STILL. What the hell does Lucky know?
- WHY THE FLYING FUCK DID MEG’S FATHER BAIL LUCKY OUT?
- I DON’T GET IT AT ALL. I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW THAT MEG KNEW LUCKY EXISTED.
- This is going to ruin me, I just know it.
The video commission for “Look Who’s Talking” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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