clemmyb

This two-episode arc is probably my least-favorite of the third season, mostly because I'm so completely uninvested in the mystery. But, this little subplot with Logan and the little girl? Priceless. When she dedicates the song on the radio and Veronica hears Nick Lachey singing? When they're all in the elevator together and the girl is freaking out? Amazing. Really well done little moments.

This is kind of what I was trying to allude to in the previous episode's post, but you're spot on here. I've never been able to reconcile what it is about Madison that makes her so much worse than Dick, but I have to believe part of it is a double-standard? I'm generalizing here, but there are girls who will always come down harsher on other girls than on the dudes who are also complicit. There's also the argument that Dick is so completely stupid that he's harmless whereas Madison is sort of poisonous? I'm not sure. Something about Madison's face and voice always makes me go a little ragey, so I'm not exactly unbiased, either. ANYWAY, the episode at hand! I've always found the mystery in this one to be a particular brand of awful, because it's so horrifying that anyone could do that to another person, let alone their supposed best friend. But yes, it is full of holes. Also, the religious pamphlet place? Gives me the creeps every time.

This is one of those episodes I feel conflicted about, because I actually really like Max and feel for his character. However, I feel like Wendy was miscast, which makes it harder to understand the attraction there. That being said, I thought that the end of the episode was realistically depressing. We all want to think that we can overlook someone's past, but many of us can't. Max wanted to be cool with Wendy's past as a call girl, but he couldn't actually surmount his lingering feelings of doubt. I don't know. It worked for me. Here's the thing about the Madison bomb: Madison is the worst, and I understand how betrayed Veronica would be by it, but it still feels like a complete overreaction and a plot point to break up Veronica and Logan more permanently. I mean, they aren't working as a couple. They just aren't. I love them together, but they definitely need space apart. This was a way to get them there. I feel like I'm rambling.

The time-jump definitely helps speed things along, and I really like this episode's mystery. The monkey is adorable, and I really like the addition of Bronson. Plus, the Around the World party scene always makes me laugh. Canada.

This is a really tense episode, but there was always something so ridiculous about the Mercer reveal at the end. Especially when he starts talking about why he rapes these girls--I'm not discrediting it, I guess, but something about it didn't sit right with me. And are we to believe that he just got so cocky about being able to pull it off that he got sloppy? Apparently I'm still struggling with this part. And yeah, Logan beating the cop car is amazing, even though it shouldn't be. It says something about the character--and the actor--that something so colossally stupid can also be completely appealing.

I just tore through all the seasons on Amazon, too. Now that I'm all caught up, I'm at a loss waiting for the next new episode.

Yes, it feels like a ratings grab, and that weakens it even further. I have a fierce love for this show, but they had a tendency to make dubious casting choices.

The scene where Logan tells Keith he might want to start is probably the episode's best moment, because this is one that doesn't work for me on any level, mostly due to Hearst's crazy stunt-casting. Apart from the episode's mystery being sort of weirdly convoluted, Hearst is apparently incapable of reading a script without sounding like a robot. Every time she opened her mouth to say a line, I cringed, because it was so stilted and horrible. Awful. Awful. So awful that it distracted me from whatever else I'm supposed to be paying attention to.

Again, this is one that I've always struggled with because I think Veronica is being so colossally unfair to Keith. Both he and Harmony are consenting adults, and it's a case where I feel like it could not be LESS OF VERONICA'S BUSINESS. Ugh. Yes, this is an episode about trust, and about Veronica being proven wrong when she always assumes the worst.

I get tired of how quickly Veronica blames Weevil for things, too. He's been loyal to her over and over again, and yet she still makes these ridiculous accusations about him. Can we seriously talk about how gross Richard Grieco is, for real though? Did they mean to cast the greasiest douche they could find, or did they lose a bet or something? Richard Grieco is the worst. Those eyebrows are so distracting. Also, how over-the-top awful was that little girl? I actually wanted Veronica to smack her in that last scene, but I guess grabbing the necklace off her will have to suffice.

Matt Czuchry has one of those smirky smiles that makes you want to punch him in pretty much everything he's in. Don't get me wrong--I really like Czuchry (I'm currently obsessed with The Good Wife), but don't you just want to wipe the smirk off his face sometimes? At any rate, it was a bit of fun casting here. The Harmony storyline is a big bummer. I don't know that I totally agree with how harshly Veronica comes down on Keith about it, but I don't care for the plot, either.

Well said, both of you.

You are indeed right about that "CW" shout-out. If I remember correctly, the episode aired the same day the CW pickup was announced. KISMET.

I came here to mention Armie Hammer, too, because I don't have much else to say. I will say that the scene where Veronica dresses up like an athlete, hides under the desk, and then has to pretend it's a sorority haze is pretty brilliant. I love how quickly she thinks on her feet. It's silly, but it's my favorite scene in an otherwise completely lackluster episode.

You both make great points about Parker, and they further illustrate my issues with how the whole rape mystery is handled by the show in general. I don't like a lot of things about how they play out the serial rapes, and while I understand that some of what's happening here (particularly in this episode) with regard to Parker's past proclivities is simply mirroring how society treats women who are sexually active, it still makes it hard to understand why Parker gets so upset that people didn't immediately think something was wrong. Whew, sorry for that long sentence. That being said, Parker's reaction is human. Of course she's going to be outraged that someone was in the room when she was being raped and didn't stop it. How could she not be? That kind of emotional response isn't rational, and it shouldn't be.

I've never understood all the Piz hate, and I say that as a true Veronica/Logan fan. I think Chris Lowell is great as Piz, and I definitely think he had to step into a role that was going to be unpopular because he serves as foil to Logan. I think he and Veronica have nice chemistry, and I think he and Wallace make great roommates. There's also some great one-liners in this episode.

I remember watching this one the first time and being absolutely riveted to the screen. I was horrified that Keith was on that plane, and so, so relieved that he wasn't. It's an epic dramatic episode. There's a lot of great stuff here: Logan holding Veronica on the couch the way she held him in the season's premiere; Mac sitting in the hotel room crying, and Veronica finding her; Veronica's moment onstage with the cheering; Cassidy's desperation at the moment he yells "MY NAME IS CASSIDY." I could go on. The dream sequence at the beginning of this episode is still one of my favorite things about the show. I love how they play with the concept of an alternate reality, and even in that one, Veronica and Logan are together (sorry, fangirl here).

Okay, so Dvatlov Pass. I haven't read the book you devoured, but I have read a bit about the incident, mostly because I'm a huge unsolved mysteries fan (I'm speaking about the concept here, and not the eponymous TV show) and it's come up in different places. Have you listened to or read the Skeptoid podcast about the incident? You can read the transcript of the podcast here. I always like to read as much as I can about a mystery and then listen to the Skeptoid podcast, because it keeps me grounded (and often bums me out). I too suffer from the "must read more" syndrome. Whenever I finish reading anything that leaves questions in my mind, I have to seek out other sources. So, what do YOU think happened on that mountain? (I did a little searching but can't find the Disasters book you mentioned. Do you remember anything else about it that might narrow it down?)

The. Scene. This is the thing that filled my shriveled little heart. It's an epic (fitting, yes?) moment between the two of them, and both of them sell it. It helps that they have such amazing chemistry. Also, great background music.

Ugh, when animals die, I get ragey. I already hated the Fitzpatricks, but this sends me way over the edge. I completely understand why she can't tell the client. I respect that. I still hate that the dog is dead. I remember watching this the first time and laughing so hard at Veronica's Cheney reference. Ah, dated jokes.

This is probably one of the weakest episodes of the entire series for me, mostly because I feel like the hallucinations about the bus crash make no sense whatsoever. It feels like they were scrambling to keep viewers up with what is an admittedly convoluted plot with too many characters and red herrings. I hate the hallucination scenes, full stop. That being said, the B-plots (is that the correct term?) in this episode are highly enjoyable. I love seeing Logan and Wallace interact in an almost-positive way, and Keith's investigation of the "generalized anxiety disorder" stuff is great, too.

Yeah, I never completely understood the way Wallace acts in this one. I get that he's a teenager and teenagers do dumb things, but there's something about his behavior at the dance that feels slightly forced. It's inauthentic, but maybe I'm reading too much into it. I love that Jackie takes Charlie to the dance, but there's something that happens there I've never fully understood, probably because it's never really talk about: at the start, Charlie's mom seems thrilled that Jackie has taken him to the dance, but near the end, she walks up to them in full bitch-face and is like, "It's time for Charlie to go home now." She seems really put out about it. Are we to believe that she's been listening to idle gossip about who Jackie is/who her father is, and now she's pissed? Or is it something else?

Troy is back indeed, and I like that he's somewhat redeemed here, but still unable to stay out of trouble. Some people don't even go looking for it. It just finds them. Michael Cera and Alia Shawkat are great Arrested Development shout-outs, and I know that originally, the show planned to bring Cera back in season 3 for a recurring role, but his schedule didn't allow it. And there is definitely some great snark here.

This is definitely a fun, diversionary episode. I love watching Heidi ham it up at the wedding. I also love how wrong Veronica is about every turn of the mystery, but it's not because she's inept. It's just a case where everything that could go wrong does, in the most innocuous way.

Kristin Cavallari! Such a TERRIBLE piece of casting! Talk about bizarre, misguided stunt casting. Did someone lose a bet? Has there ever been a more lifeless line reading in the history of the show? She makes Paris Hilton's cameo look like a stroke of genius. Ugh. Every time Cavallari drones, "Sorry to blow your mind, but I'm a lesbian, Veronica" I visibly cringe and then yell, "ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING!" This episode largely feels like filler while also fleshing out one of the kids who died in the bus crash. I just can't get past how much I hate Kristin Cavallari in this.