(S03E19/S03E20) Well now I'm pissed. As if I wasn't already pissed before this episode aired, they go and end things with a big ol' fizzle. Unfortunately for all of us, Rob Thomas took a gamble that the series would get picked up for a new season, so we're left what feels very, very much like a season ender, not a series ender. And sorry, but a flash-forward reboot retooling can't possibly clear up the loose ends we're left with after this episode.
With that said, even though we all know this was a series ending episode, this was pretty decent for a season ender.
First of all, we finally got Weevil back into the show. What's Francis Capra been doing all this time? Nothing, as far as I know. He was sorely missed, and it's always a treat to see him back into his old 'hood ways. It's been sad to see him basically neutered from his bout in prison, which I guess is a valid message for this show to send -- crime doesn't pay. I do love the Martha Stewart defense he used; I'll have to remember that.
Veronica sure did love whipping her badge out any chance she could. I actually have to wonder if that's at all based in reality. What I mean is, are there really any 19-year-old PI's out there? Is that even remotely a possibility? Still, it was great to see her taking on her own cases in a more official manner, so to speak.
Something that became more obvious as this season went on was how very small Hearst seems. I mean, it seems even smaller than Neptune High in some respects. Veronica is once again humiliated in front of the entire school, and that's where things really do feel so very small. How can such a small school have such an insane computer system? I know, small details.
What I really loved about this episode was how they were able to fit in what felt like a season-long mystery into two hours. Finally we had a case with substance, something that felt bigger than anything Veronica had handled before. Once again the final mystery always seems to be very personal to Veronica, which I guess has always been what's driven her to do so well at her job. The more emotionally involved she is with the case, the more energy she exerts into it.
Random thought: I wasn't sure who to root for during that fight scene, Logan or Piz. I liked seeing them both bloodied up, so it's all good.
When Veronica happened upon the painting of Lily, I at first thought, "is that ... Parker?!" It wasn't that great of a likeness, but then I heard a familiar voice but couldn't place it. Then I saw the face of the man we heard, and I still couldn't place him quite yet. Then I paused the show and it dawned on me just before we saw the (better) painting of Duncan that this was Jake Kane! Now *that* was a great reveal. Honestly, that was a great shout-out to us long-time fans of the show and it just about made up for what was quickly becoming a lacking episode.
The whole issue with The Castle rang familiar to The Tridents Tritons we saw back in Neptune High, which I sorta felt was a cop out. It didn't feel as fresh as it should have, though the information Veronica had in her hands was far more important than what she had on the Tridents.
So, with the way things ended in this episode, we're left with a lot of "what the heck would have happened next" moments that will likely never be answered:
- What would Weevil have done with the ID machine he kept?
- Though it seems pretty obvious, who wins the election for sheriff? And if Vinnie wins, what will Keith do?
- Will Logan have the mob after him now?
- Did Veronica keep that info from Kane's hard drive?
- Not that I care, but would Parker still be around?
- Would Jake Kane make more of an appearance?
- Would Dick actually clean up his ways a bit more the way he seems to be trying ... somewhat?
(See tomorrow for a post I'm doing about the retooled show -- insider info and all that)
Well, even with the series ending in what I consider a sputter for what I think Rob Thomas and crew could have pulled off with a true series ender, it's been a pleasure doing these reviews for you all. I guess Veronica Mars will just have to live on in DVD form. To be honest, though, I think I'll stick with just season one.
Quote of the episode:
Mac: "Hey, anyone else hear there's going to be a Matchbox 20 reunion show?"
Piz: "So? Rob Thomas is a whore."
(Note: Yes, I know it's not the same Rob Thomas, but I'm pretty sure the joke was there.)
The TV Squad Podcast: Vik Sahay of Chuck, Oprah talk, brutal timeslots, and more!
TV Squad Ten: Top Ten ESPN shows from worst to first
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
5-22-2007 @ 11:35PM
Ryan G said...
This was NOT the series finale. The CW said it was the season finale and just because it wasn't announced on the list doesn't mean it was officially canned. They still have till June 15th to announce something.
Reply
5-22-2007 @ 11:40PM
ThatGuy said...
Don't kid yourself. The show is dead. It's not coming back. Deal with it.
I'm glad the show was cancelled, personally. It's been a horrible season overall. However, The Bitch is Back was actually a pretty good episode. It felt very noir, which was a nice change.
But as a series finale, it was terrible. The complete lack of plot resolution is a massive, but expected, disappointment.
There's no excuse for Rob Thomas's carelessness. He made a stupid gamble and lost, and it's the loyal fans of the show who are paying for it.
Reply
5-22-2007 @ 11:40PM
Diana said...
I agree with you that sticking with Season 1 is the best way to go. Veronica Mars at its best was about rape, class warfare, abusive and incest. It was dark, and I loved it because of it.
It was nice to have a mystery that hit close to home for Veronica. Brought out a little bit of the old vengeful Veronica I loved so much in Season 1. I'm not entirely happy with the way it ended but considering this show never had the ratings to make it to a 2nd season, let alone a third, I'm not going to complain. It's sad that the creative team behind the show lost their focus this year and tainted what otherwise can be considered one of the best shows of the past decade.
I blogged my thoughts at: http://www.mediaobsessed.com
Reply
5-22-2007 @ 11:44PM
Haunt said...
I'm torn. On the one hand I'm devastated by all the upheaval and turmoil. On the other hand I'm thrilled by all the upheaval and turmoil.
Despite being pissed off that we FINALLY get some absolutely fantastic episodes of this formerly can't-miss series, just in time for it to be taken away from us, I think this was a pretty frakkin' perfect series end. I love the almost-but-not-quite cliffhanger aspects of it.
And I think Logan got a nearly perfect denouement. His character has always been about self-destructive nobility and impulsive good intentions. Beating the crap out of that asshat Gordry (or whatever his name was) and shrugging off the resultant death threat was pitch perfect Logan.
And may I just draw your attention to the stellar supporting cast? For an entire season it's been damn near impossible to get Wallace, Mac and Weevil more than the briefest of cameos. And yet here, at the end of all things, we finally get an incredibly full, satisfying, bursting at the seems story with ALL of 'em!
Too bad it's the last we'll ever see of them.
Reply
5-22-2007 @ 11:50PM
Tess Capra said...
You thought the *Castle* plot was too familiar? How about the whole "girl humiliated by sex tape on the Internet" storyline, which was the topic of "M.A.D." in Season 1? Or, sadly, "girl humiliated by sex act" since that list includes (at least) Veronica and Mac as well as Carmen. It was interesting to see Veronica once more turned into a pariah, but over her second sex scandal? Not so much.
That said, at least the video served as the jumping-off point for one of the strongest episodes of the season, one that gave everyone good screen time. I lament the plot outcomes we'll never see.
Reply
5-22-2007 @ 11:53PM
mgamark said...
so who taped veronica and piz? did i miss something?
Reply
5-23-2007 @ 12:19AM
rolando said...
Veronica mars is gone. Long live veronica mars. This show was always different because it had nothing to do with lawyers, cops (sort of), or CTU agents. No rather it always felt like “This one is for us.” A rare show that let our inner geek shine and this is why it will be truly missed but never forgotten.
Reply
5-23-2007 @ 12:21AM
Haunt said...
There's a rumor that MyNetwork TV just purchased 'Veronica Mars'. I think the original post (on AICN?) has been pulled, but you can read someone's copy and paste at http://whedonesque.org/viewtopic.php?t=1143...
Reply
5-23-2007 @ 12:41AM
Sarah said...
Such great episodes! This felt like Veronica at her best which we haven't seen much of this season. I was just starting to like Veronica and Piz together. I am so very sad. I hope the CW goes down in flames!!
Reply
5-23-2007 @ 1:15AM
Johari said...
As stand-alone eps and mini arcs, these two eps were the best of the season. But as a series ender, they were ehh.
BTW, Neptune High's society was called the Tritons, not the Tridents. People often confuse the two. Triton was the son of Poseidon and the Trident is his pitchfork-like weapon. Thus, the Tritons were the "sons of Neptune" high, which makes sense for what the society was about and who they were (to be a pledge, you had to have a father/grandfather who was a member).
I was kind of disappointed that when Logan was accusing Piz of taping V and she was trying to defend Piz, that she didn't bring up their own little tryst in Logan's bedroom at the Echolls' mansion at the end of Season 1 and how it was actually Aaron Echolls' who set up the gear to tape him and Lily.
Reply
5-23-2007 @ 1:43AM
Tess Capra said...
Mgamark, Veronica and Piz were caught on cameras set up by the Castle secret society to spy on Wallace. That "connected" Gory guy just sent it around via email because he was a prick.
Reply
5-23-2007 @ 1:44AM
jenn said...
Some of the comments, as the well as the reviewer mentioned how some of it was recycled (i.e. the Castle/Trident), but I think it was a nod to the series as a whole. You have Wallace flying the airplane, like in season 1, Weevil's troublemaking, Mac's computer skills being put to use, Logan the supposed jerk, Keith being disliked (perhaps) by the public, similar to the Lily Kane situation back in season 1 when he accused Jake Kane. We were even reminded of the Kanes (which I knew from the guest credits); and what Veronica went through felt like she was back at Neptune High. This felt like it could be a series finale.
Reply
5-23-2007 @ 2:00AM
BigTed said...
I agree that this show was better when it had the darker, noirish tone of the first season. (It's amazing how serious everyone looks in the opening-credit photos compared to how frivolous much of this season has been.)
As in many of the episodes, Veronica did something headstrong that would have ended up harming her. Why have hundreds of supposedly the most powerful men in the country mad at her? She could have just told the Castle that the guy who was supposed to be helping gather data on Wallace released the surveillance footage of her with Piz, which is what led to her investigating them in the first place. I'm sure they wouldn't have been very happy about it, and they could have done a more efficient job of hurting the mob-connected guy than a few punches from Logan.
But while it was a downer of an ending, it was still a great show. I definitely don't think it should come back in its current incarnation -- the college plot lines are just not that interesting. But the FBI story line would be totally cool.
Reply
5-23-2007 @ 2:13AM
Tess Capra said...
BigTed, since it was established that the Castle was a misogynist fraternity *and* that members had secrets as serious as hit-and-run driving, I think it's safe to assume Gory would have been more likely to get a pat on the back than a slap on the wrist for leaking the not-quite-sex video.
Reply
5-23-2007 @ 2:42AM
BigTed said...
I have to disagree. The Castle prizes secrecy over everything else, and whoever was on that video would have wanted to find out where it came from. And I think if Jake Kane had known that's what put Veronica on their tails, he would have been furious.
Reply
5-23-2007 @ 3:51AM
Eliot said...
Pretty weak for a Veronica Mars season finale. It barely had any connection with the rest of the season. The only connection it had with the previous episodes was the election and even then the previous Kendall callback was much better than any reference in this episode. It's a shame we couldn't get a solid series end. If we do get a new show I'm sure they'll take the time to tie some things up properly.
Reply
5-23-2007 @ 4:09AM
Tess Capra said...
BigTed, do you really think Wallace was singled out to be videotaped? Of course not -- there was footage on all the pledges. Within the Castle, there was no secrecy, and the footage, in part, helped the members decide what questions to ask the pledges during the inquisition as well as how to tell if they were lying.
Reply
5-23-2007 @ 4:41AM
ashley said...
am i the only one who wonders what could have happened with Leo being a deputy again?
Reply
5-23-2007 @ 5:57AM
tv junkie said...
Great send-off episodes! Remind me a lot of the darker high school/UPN episodes. The Lily and Duncan photos was a good idea to squeeze in all the past characters that had to do with the Kane storyline, I honestly thought the title "The Bitch is Back" was going to be a reference to Celeste Kane, but she didn't pop out.
I can't believe the series is over!!! Damn the CW.
Reply
5-23-2007 @ 10:30AM
Caligal said...
I have loved loved all 3 seasons. I never felt like it had a bad season.
But anyways, I thought these 2 episodes were great. There were so many funny parts: I liked the Rob Thomas joke, and I cracked up when V started singing "So you had a bad day."
But this was definitely a season finale and series finale. That's why I am not mad at Rob for the lack of resolution. I am mad at CW--FIRST THEY LEAVE THE WRITERS / ACTORS IN QUESTION MARK LAND SO THAT ROB HAD TO HOPE THEY PICKED IT UP; THEN THEY CANCEL THE BEST DAMN SHOW ON TV!!!!! The CW owes us a season finale. I didn't watch this show for 3 seasons for it all to just end like this.
Dear CW--why would anyone ever watch a new show on your network, if after investing time in it, you leave the viewers hanging?
Sorry but I'm really angry. Anyways back to the "season finale," I was really hoping for a LoVe like moment that happened in last season's finale. I need to have the LoVe thing brought to a conclusion or I will have to go to go to counseling for years!
Reply