Veronica Mars Re-Watch: Season One

I officially completed the Season One Re-Watch by watching the deleted scenes today. I'm assuming these were deleted because of broadcast television time constraints.

Most of the scenes just add a bit of flavoring and don't impact the story. But a few had more than that.

One scene from Wrath of Con shows Veronica returning to the limo after her solo skinny dip. She taps on the window to the driver's section, gets a bottle of champagne and suggests they ditch the dance. This scene answers my gripe about the scene as shown in the original broadcast.

Russkie Business added a few scenes with Catarina and Veronica. In one, Catarina gives Veronica a gold cross that had belonged to her grandmother after Catarina's check bounced. Catarina comes to retrieve the cross. She claims that Tom used her to get close to her father and then betrayed both of them. She talks about getting her heart ripped out, just after Veronica watched Duncan lead Meg into a dance. I liked these scenes; it added layers to Catarina and her motives and reinforced that no one on this show is only good or evil.

On September 14, I wrote my first re-watch post about the first four episodes. I found that didn't work well because I couldn't remember what clues belonged to what episodes. I didn't have a schedule in mind, but figured I would watch and post about one show a week. It didn't work that way.

Yesterday, I wasn't feeling well and after watching and writing about M.A.D., I decided to do the final two episodes of the season. It's a testament to this show that I choose Veronica Mars episodes that I've seen before when I had hundreds of other options (cable, HBO on Demand, Netflix, our collection of DVD's.)

I enjoyed all 22 shows when I originally watched them. Re-watching, all are good, but some are exceptional. A Trip to the Dentist remains my favorite. I don't want to rank all of  the others in order. but I'll add Pilot and  Leave It to Beaver to the top tier. Can't forget An Echolls Family Christmas and Russkie Business (which improved upon re-watch.)

Even the weak episodes had clues to one of the season long mysteries, funny lines or character interactions. Maybe the season would have benefited from one-or-two fewer episodes or ditching one episode in favor of a two-part finale.

Overall, Season One is high quality television. 

Not sure when I'll start, but I will re-watch Season Two.
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Veronica Mars Re-Watch: Season One Episode Twenty-Two

Leave It To Beaver

The story about Abel Koontz' alibi hits the papers. This leads Beaver to tell Veronica that Logan returned to Neptune the day of Lilly's murder to see her. The same newspaper story leads Duncan to confront his parents; Jake tells Duncan that he killed Lilly in a fit. They covered up the crime to give him a future.

The border patrol confirms Beaver's story, and Sheriff Lamb arrives at the Echolls home with a search warrant. Lamb tells his deputies to check the air vents. In A Trip to the Dentist, both Logan and Lilly (in flashback) hid things in the air vents. Other deputies arrest Logan who calls Veronica for help. Sheriff Lamb thinks this is funny since Veronica got him arrested. Logan finds Veronica at the beach and tells her that he knew Lilly was seeing someone else and left her a note on the day of her murder.

Veronica goes undercover as a waitress at the Kanes' party so she can search Lilly's air vents. She doesn't find Logan's letter but finds three tapes. She and Duncan watch the tapes--one shows Lilly and Aaron having sex.

Aaron is at the party, and Duncan agrees to keep an eye on him when Veronica drives home. But a glance in the rear view mirror reveals that Aaron is in the back seat. Veronica crashes the car into the tree and tries to get help. After a few harrowing moments, Keith finds and rescues Veronica and Aaron is arrested. Mysteries solved

Veronica Mars Re-Watch: Season One Episode Twenty-One

A Trip to The Dentist

The episode opens with Keith finding Duncan in Cuba and returning home with him. Celeste balks at paying him the reward. Alicia confronts Keith about Veronica bugging Wiedman's office.
 
Veronica is investigating her rape by questioning Meg, Luke, Madison, Casey, Dick, Beaver, Carrie and ultimately Duncan about Shelley Pomeroy's party. In Rashomon fashion, the different versions of the evening contradict each other. Veronica learns that Dick tried to give his girlfriend Madison a dose of GHB. Carrie tells Veronica she saw Duncan and Veronica in bed. Duncan claims the sex was consensual, but he freaked because he knew Veronica is his sister, and couldn't stop loving her.

Veronica makes up with Logan. Aaron inadvertently outs their relationship when he throws a surprise party for Logan, and Logan and Veronica enter kissing. Madison offers Veronica a glass of punch, but Meg warns her not to drink it. Meg suspects Madison gave her "a trip to the dentist": when Madison doesn't like someone, she spits into her drink. Veronica confronts Madison,who basically tells Veronica to just deal with it.

In the Echolls pool house, Veronica realizes a video camera is positioned over the bed and calls Weevil for a ride home.

In Las Vegas, Keith finally finds a woman he's been searching for for over a year: witness who can serve as Abel Koontz' alibi.

Lianne Mars returns home.

A Trip to the Dentist is my favorite episode of the series.

I love the Veronica Mars version of Rashomon.

I love the return of characters from previous episodes.

I love the nice scene with Veronica and Wallace. Veronica turns to him after her confrontation with Duncan, and even shows him her Lilly Kane case files.

At this point during my original watch, I still didn't guess the killer. But I knew I had only one week to go.

Netflix Movie Night: Lincoln

We got back on track with good Netflix selections with Lincoln. I liked the political maneuvering, and was interested in Lincoln's legal reasoning that drove the political maneuvering. The acting was top-notch.

My quibbles: the opening scenes. The brutality of battle scene was unnecessary--just a variation on the beginning of Saving Private Ryan. I thought the scene of soldiers reciting the Gettysburg address didn't seem realistic. There were so many characters--it was hard to keep them all straight. 

I definitely want to see it again.

Saw some comments on IMDB criticizing everything from the name of the film to its scope. Many found it boring--I guess they needed a chase scene.

Veronica Mars Re-Watch: Season One Episode Twenty

M.A.D.

When Veronica's classmate Carmen tries to break up with her boyfriend Tad, he threatens to send an embarrassing video of her to everyone at school. A video that Carmen doesn't even remember making.

Veronica and Mac create a fake website showing Tad's secret gay love as Carmen's means of mutually assured destruction. Tad sends out his video anyway, but Carmen doesn't retaliate, saying revenge just isn't her thing. Weevil takes his own form of revenge by taping Tad to the school flagpole echoing his treatment of Wallace in Pilot.

Veronica discovers that Carmen's video was taken a year-and-a-half earlier at Shelley Pomeroy's party--the same night Veronica was drugged and raped. She's shocked when Tad tells her he got GHB from Logan.

In other news: The Kanes have offered a $50,000 reward for information on Duncan's disappearance. Keith and Veronica are searching for him with assists from Weevil and Mac. Clarence Wiedman threatens Alicia that her job at Kane software is in jeopardy if she continues to see Keith. He also spills that Wallace had delivered the bugged plant in Betty and Veronica.

Another jam-packed episode with lots of little details that I haven't even mentioned because this post would be about twenty pages long. It's nice to see Cliff again--I love his character. Dick makes an obnoxious reappearance and his brother Beaver is introduced.  I was a little bugged by the idea that M.A.D. could be obtained by claiming Tad is gay. But it made sense based on how he treated a gay student.

Two more episodes left.

A Hike at Lake Mohegan

Today was an almost perfect day for a hike at Lake Mohegan. Sunny and warm (around 70 degrees) with low humidity.

What wasn't perfect: cold water and pollen.

The water was too cold for swimming; Spike swam after his ball a few times before he started shivering. He was fine after he dried off rolling in the grass and walking in the sun.

The pollen bothered me. It seemed that as soon as we were within a block of Lake Mohegan, my airways started to constrict.

But Spike and I were both able to surmount our problems and enjoy a beautiful day. This was our second visit this season but our first hike at Mohegan. It was wonderful to watch a healthy Spike run down paths, scout out scents, swim and play.

We are blessed.

Veronica Mars Re-Watch: Season One Episode Nineteen

Hot Dogs

Veronica helps a classmate Mandy find her missing dog. In the process, she discovers people are dog napping dogs from the 09 zip code for large rewards. Leo helps Veronica bust the racket even after she tells him she can't date him anymore.

The Echolls family dysfunction continues.Trina's producer boyfriend beats her up when she can't pay back a loan. Logan plans to return the favor but Aaron beats him to it (literally) after revealing that his father abused his mother and him. Veronica and Logan kiss again and decide to keep their "relationship" to themselves.

Duncan is still missing and Celeste thinks Veronica knows something.  Weevil is arrested in Lilly's bedroom, retrieving a secret message pen.

After witnessing Celeste confront Veronica, Keith sends off samples for DNA testing.

I enjoy this mystery of the week because...dogs and happy endings. Mandy's reunion with her dog Chester is touching. I also like the developments of Logan and Veronica and Keith and genetic testing. The Weevil break-in is also interesting even though Keith cleared him of suspicion in Lilly's murder.

Only three more episodes in Season One.

Veronica Mars Re-Watch: Season One Episode Eighteen

Weapons of Class Destruction

Veronica is investigating frequent fire drills at Neptune High for the school newspaper and discovers there have been a series of bomb threats. Could new kid Ben or former junior high bully Norris be the culprit?

But things are not what they seem: Ben is an undercover ATF agent investigating Norris because of a troubling website. Ultimately, the bomb threats and website are a hoax--an act of revenge against Norris by a former bullied classmate.

Although I enjoyed the mystery of the week, this episode is memorable for other developments.

Duncan confronts Veronica about her continuing investigation into Lilly's murder; he wonders if she thinks that he killed Lilly, The next day he withdraws $10,000 in cash from the bank and disappears.

Keith is dating Wallace's mother, Alicia/ Neither Veronica nor Wallace are keen on the idea.

Veronica is dating Leo, but she and Logan share a memorable kiss set to this song.

I wish I could be watching the scenes without knowing the end results. The clues revealed over the past few episodes seem to point to Duncan as Lilly's killer. I never really suspected him.

I was stunned by the Veronica--Logan kiss. Jeff was working that night and I remember that I practically sqeed to Spike (who was not impressed.)  The hostility between Veronica and Logan in the the pilot started to ease with The Wrath of Con, and they seemed to be renewing their friendship as Veronica searched for Lynn Echolls. But, I never expected the kiss. I couldn't wait to see what would happen with them next.

Lovely Day

It's the kind of morning that makes you feel good.

Yesterday was overcast, dreary and cold. It barely made it to 50 degrees. Today is sunny and already in the high 50's. Let's hear from Bill Withers.

RIP Richie Havens

I heard the news earlier today when I was driving. I never saw him perform live; haven't heard anything about him in recent years. The news said his biggest hit was Here Comes the Sun. I was expecting Freedom or Handsome Johnny. I also remembered Hole in the Future and Maggie's Farm.

Looking through youtube, I found this.  We'll miss you Richie. RIP.

Clothes Shopping: A Love-Hate Relationship

I used to enjoy clothes shopping. I still like to find a bargain or something that really works for me. But, it keeps getting harder.

Years ago, my sister gave me a color analysis for my birthday. I became a more efficient shopper because I no longer waste time trying on the wrong colors. Unfortunately, I don't always have a good selection. I don't wear black, white, gray or navy--that makes it hard to find a cocktail dress or an interview suit.

Today, I went to the Danbury Fair Mall for the first time in years. I wanted to check out some clothes in person. I did pretty well although I didn't find all that I had hoped. Between promotions and sales, I got two pairs of shoes, three blouses and a pair of pants for $115. Next thing is to find a jacket or blazer and maybe a sweater.

Veronica Mars Re-Watch Season One Episode Seventeen

Kanes and Abel's

Veronica finds Abel Koontz' daughter Amelia and spirits her away minutes before Clarence Wiedman arrives at her dorm room. Veronica tells Amelia that Abel is innocent and wants the proof that he was paid off to confess to Lilly's murder. Later Keith finds Wiedman at his front door and realizes that Veronica is the cause for the visit. Keith and Veronica share information, but Wiedman outsmarts them in the end.

It's mid-terms week at Neptune High. Someone is harassing top student Sabrina Fuller every time she tries to study. The culprit is the father of Sabrina's rival for class valedictorian.

In other developments, Logan attempts to pay Veronica for her work investigating his mother's disappearance, but she rips up the check. Logan also finds Veronica's laptop files of Lilly's murder investigation. Conversations with Logan and Keith make Veronica wonder if Duncan could be Lilly's killer.

I like the continuity of recurring characters and casting: basketball player Caz (from Russkie Business), school board President Mrs. Fuller (from Mars vs. Mars) and Dick Casablancas who made appearances in a few episodes (and will become a series regular.)  This episode also introduces the funny but sleazy local  private eye Vinnie Van Lowe.

Netflix Movie Night: Cloverfield

Cloverfield was our first bad Netflix film in a while. I didn't like anything about it.

It started with a hand-held camera recording a party with a bunch of obnoxious, boring people. Then a Godzilla-like creature attacks and we watch some of the obnoxious, boring people try to escape.

I didn't care.

Film fail.

Sunday Visits

I've been working Sundays for the last month, but was off today. We decided to visit Jeff's parents in Southbury. It's an hour's drive which makes impromptu visits difficult. We usually make it a day, take Spike along and visit the Southbury dog park.

I wanted to do something different that would be more of a hike for us; I consulted our copy of Doggin' Connecticut and decided to visit Kettletown State Park. It's off the same exit of Route 84 as Jeff's parents' place so it was convenient.

Unfortunately, our hike didn't live up to expectations: it was a cold day in the forties, we couldn't find trail maps, another hiker told us that some of the trails were closed. But we did spend about a half hour there which was nice and Spike enjoyed many scents. We also learned that 2013 is the 100th anniversary of the Connecticut state park system.

We spent several hours at Jeff's parents--had a good lunch and a nice visit. We planned to take my mother to dinner. Her place is about midway between ours and Jeff's parents. But when I called her to say we were on our way, she didn't feel up to going out. We will probably see her tomorrow.

On our way home, we decided to stop at Cranbury Park in Norwalk. Our usual dog park is Taylor Farm, but we sometimes go to Cranbury instead. We walked the trails for about 45 minutes.

We picked up some sushi at Little Tokyo, before settling in to watch Game of Thrones and Vikings.

Overall, a good day.

Gee, but it's great to be back home...

Thanks to Paul Simon for the lyric (though I  think he's a Yankees fan.)

The Mets returned to Citi Field last night from the road trip from hell: snow, cold and three postponed games. They were swept by the Rockies, and their record on this road trip was 3-4, bringing their overall record to .500.

Friday was a big game: Mets ace Harvey vs. Washington's Strasberg; Harvey was great; he led the Mets to a 7-1 win. Harvey's record is 4-0 with a .93 ERA.

So far this year, we can expect good results when Harvey and Niese pitch. We can only hope on the other days.

Wheeler, are you ready?

Veronica Mars Re-Watch: Season One Episode Sixteen

Betty and Veronica

The episode opens with Clarence Wiedman walking away from Veronica and her mother Lianne in a Barstow bar. Clips of Veronica's conversation with Lianne are interspersed throughout the rest of the episode, ending with Veronica using her college money to put Lianne in rehab.

Mystery of the week: Neptune High's mascot, Polly the parrot, is missing. Veronica goes undercover as Betty at Pan High, Neptune's rival, to find the culprit. A video surfaces--threatening that Polly will die if Wallace plays in the big basketball game. Sports betting is the motive. Veronica recovers Polly (and Billy, Pan's mascot who was also kidnapped.) Wallace plays and Neptune beats Pan.

Lilly Kane murder developments: Lianne tells Veronica that she was with Jake Kane at the time of Lilly's death. After Leo gives Veronica access to the interrogation tapes of the Kanes, Veronica finds discrepancies between Lianne's story and Celeste Kane's interrogation.

Surmising that it's not coincidence that Wiedman shows up in Barstow, Veronica finds a bug in her room. She repays the favor by having Wallace deliver a bugged plant to Wiedman's assistant and tricks Wiedman to revealing that Abel Koontz has a daughter.  

Miscellaneous points of interest: Meg and Duncan are now dating which leads to some awkward moments in school and in a local restaurant. For all of Veronica's smarts, she's still a high school girl. There's also some great Wallace/Veronica interaction. It sometimes seems that Veronica only uses Wallace to do favors for her, but she cares. Veronica even bakes him snickerdoodles and leaves spirit boxes in his locker. I often think of Wallace as the moral center of the show--at least in Season One--and it's nice to see her appreciate him.

The World Was New, Beneath a Blue Umbrella Sky

This morning as Spike and I circled the block, this lyric from Summer Wind kept repeating in my head. The world just seemed so vivid. The forsythia was a brighter yellow; the sky a purer blue; the birdsong clearer. It was one of the most pleasurable morning walks of the year.

Summer Wind reminds me of my father. I seem to remember it as one of his favorite Frank Sinatra songs, but I'm not sure. I remember him singing Summer Wind. I also remember Martin Prince from The Simpsons singing it. My father sang it more often.

I've been thinking a lot about my father lately.  The 9th was the third anniversary of his death. Jeff remembered the date but thought it was the date my stepfather died. (He died almost a year earlier on the 19th.)

I wasn't focused on the date of his death, but still thinking about him. Mostly, I miss our conversations about music and baseball.

From the Sunday New York Times

We subscribe to the Saturday and Sunday New York Times--the only paper I read on a regular basis. I often find articles or sometimes just tidbits of interest.

This past Sunday, I found two things in the magazine.

One is a word game, Getting to the Point. It's a series of letter pyramids: the first row has four, the second row has three, the third row has two, and the fourth row has one. The first pyramid has all the letters filled in; there are eight routes from the top row to the bottom row reached by words. Two pyramid have four letters filled in; two have two; three have two; two have only one letter. Letter banks are listed under each pyramid. I haven't tried it yet; it looks challenging--very challenging.

The second thing that intrigued me was part of this article: specifically its discussion of a quote from Carl Sandburg, "Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits." (Note: the quote in the article is slightly different and longer; I chose one I read on several websites.)

I go to a writers' retreat almost every year; many of the writers are poets. At first, I was intimidated to write poetry among so many deep poets. I eventually decided that I was just a different kind of poet. After reading this article, I'll call myself a biscuit poet.

Netflix Movie Night: Life of Pi

We watched Life of Pi on Saturday night. Within moments, I noticed that the film was not just beautifully, but lovingly photographed. The CGI scenes were flawless. I believed the zebra, orangutan, hyena and Richard Parker were in the boat with Pi. There was nothing to pull me out of the scenes.

It reminds me of Beasts of the Southern Wild in several ways: beautiful photography, a brave protagonist, a sense of fantasy and magic. I'll be thinking about this film for a long time.

Terror in Boston

My dad was a career IRS man; I will always think of April 15th as Tax Day. I didn't realize that today was the anniversary of Jackie Robinson joining the Brooklyn Dodgers. I forgot that it is also Patriots Day, the day of the Boston Marathon. Now, today's Boston Marathon is another day in a legacy of terror.

The latest news: three dead and about 141 injured. The investigation has only just begun. No person or group is claiming responsibility.

I am sad and numb. The worst is that I feel relief that only three are dead. So much violence and death. Senseless.

Appliance Angst, Procrastination and Analysis Paralysis

We had a new stove installed Friday--it was over a year in the making.

Some background may be in order. Our complex was converted from apartments to condominiums in the mid-1980's. When we bought in 1988, we weren't too concerned with appliance brand or model; we just made sure we had basic appliances in working order: stove, microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator and three air conditioners.

In 2004, we started replacing appliances. I thought the dishwasher would be the first to go--it had to be repaired twice--but it was the stove. We chose a Maytag Gemini double oven in bisque. Big mistake for two reasons: the Maytag Gemini (we later learned) had electrical problems, and we bought bisque--a color that is hard to find now.

Our upper oven broke about a year ago. This was the second time that the upper oven stopped working and the third problem we had with the oven. The first repair was under warranty; I don't remember the cost of the second, but the third would cost about $700. We didn't think that was a good investment since this could be a recurring problem. We went looking at ovens that afternoon; that's when we learned that bisque had gone the way of avocado and gold as appliance colors.

We didn't know what to do: buy one of the few remaining stoves in bisque or select an oven in a new color. If we did get the bisque, we would have the same problem the next time we had to replace an appliance.

Our choice was to make no choice: i.e. procrastinate. Our lower oven still worked, and we could use our toaster oven for broiling. The lower oven died about a week ago; that's when we went shopping. We selected a GE Profile double oven in white. It blends with the colors of our new counter tops (white and beige) and isn't as stark a difference from the other bisque appliances that black or stainless would be.

Our story covers the angst and procrastination in the title of this post. I borrowed analysis paralysis from a review I read of GE ranges before we made our final decision. The originator of that term spent so much time researching appliances that her kitchen remained unfinished for years.

So we now have a full complement of appliances--mismatched but working. We're back in business.

National Pet Day

Reading a post today on Shakesville, I see that it's National Pet Day. 

The website says it's about love. I can't add much to that.

I write about Spike often in my posts. He has become an important part of our lives--more than I ever would have imagined--even though I have always loved dogs.

Spike brings fun and love to our lives. We're lucky to have found him.

Lunch Al Fresco

Yesterday was the most beautiful day of the year--sunny in the 70's. Jeff was working at home and finished his weekly conference call around 11:30. I asked if he could get away for lunch and we headed to Nik's Place.

Nik's is a seasonal roadside stand near the dog park and the beach. It serves great gyros as well as burgers, sandwiches and seafood. It just opened for the season a few weeks ago; this was my first visit of the year. We ate at one of the tables in front of Nik's and then did a loop around the dog park.

A nice interlude--especially now that the temperatures have dropped at least 20 degrees and rain has arrived. What happened to yesterday?

Veronica Mars Re-Watch: Season One Episode Fifteen

Ruskie Business

The opener: A bonding moment with Veronica and Logan; he thanks her for helping find his mother. Duncan jokes about seeing Veronica and Logan talking: did he ask her to the upcoming 80's dance, Total Eclipse of the Heart?  This is too casual a comment from the guy who broke Veronica's heart a year ago. Meg arrives and announces that she has a secret admirer. Over at Mars Investigation, a Russian Internet bride Catarina needs help finding her fiance/soul mate Tom Cruz.

Veronica's hope to get two soul mates back together (a welcome change from the usual divorce work) ends badly. She finds Tom Cruz via his Catahoula leopard dog with assists from Wallace and Deputy Leo. But Tom is not Catarina's fiance; Tom's in the Witness Protection Program to escape the Russian mob. Catarina and her brothers are after him. Keith has Veronica give Catarina a fake address for Tom, and Leo arrests the brothers.

Another hit on Lynn Echoll's credit card leads Veronica and Logan to a LA hotel where a mysterious woman is holed up in a luxury suite. It's not Logan's mother, but his step-sister Trina. His last hope gone, Logan collapses in tears in Veronica's arms.

Veronica's attempts to find Meg's secret admirer have also failed. Meg says she and Veronica should go to the dance together. At the last minute, Veronica discovers that Duncan is Meg's admirer. She leaves the dance as Duncan approaches Meg, quoting the J. Geils Band, "Love stinks."

But, all is not lost.  Meg has invited Deputy Leo as a surprise for Veronica. Their first dance is interrupted by a drunken Logan dressed like the other Tom Cruise from Risky Business.

Next Veronica is interrupted by the latest in a series of hang-ups on her cell phone. This leads her to a bar in Barstow where she finds her mother. Ominously, Clarence Wiedman also appears in the doorway.

This is a jam-packed episode: two mysteries of the week solved; the Lynn Echolls case resolved; Lianne Mars found; more background on the dysfunctional Echolls family; lots of funny one-liners (e.g. "I cannot escape Tom Cruise," as Logan interrupts the dance); lots of 80's music and fashion.

Unfortunately, for those of us who watched the original run of the show, we had to wait four weeks for the next episode.

Holocaust Rememberance Day

The old saying is: time heals all wounds.

But healing doesn't mean forgetting. Many people deny and minimize the Holocaust, even as scholars find more camps and ghettos than they had imagined. The survivors who witnessed and experienced the horrors are dying. Soon, no one with first hand experience will remain.

Several years ago, I attended a weekend seminar at Omega Institute on Schindler's Legacy. A few of the people that Schindler saved shared their stories with us.

We have a duty to remember their stories.

We can never forget.

This. Is. Jeopardy. Part Two

In January, I took the online Jeopardy test. Unfortunately, I didn't get score results. I thought if I had done well, I would have heard back in a week or two. Since I didn't hear anything, I figured that I hadn't done well enough.

But, I was wrong. Today I received an invitation to audition for a spot as contestant. I'll get the specifics after I RSVP, which I quickly did. My date and time is May 21 at 9 AM.

I am psyched about this opportunity.  Now, I have to figure out a study plan.

Veronica Mars Re-Watch: Season One Episode Fourteen

Mars vs. Mars

Has Neptune High's history teacher Mr. Rooks been sexually harassing a student? Keith is hired to investigate him; Veronica volunteers to help her favorite teacher. Spoiler alert: he's guilty with a twist.

Veronica's investigation of the disappearance of Lynn Echolls seems to end when an amateur video shows a body falling into the San Diego Bay. But, the plot thickens when Veronica gets an alert that someone has used one of Lynn's credit cards.

Following up on her eavesdropping from Clash of the Tritons, Veronica
discovers that Duncan is taking medication for Type 4 epilepsy. One symptom: violent fits often accompanied by blackouts. She also finds Abel Koontz' medical file. The episode ends with Veronica visiting Koontz to tell him she knows he's dying.

Another point of interest: Veronica re-connects with Deputy Leo.

Veronica Mars Re-Watch: Season One Episode Thirteen

Lord of the Bling

A rap producer's daughter is missing; the girl Yolanda used to be a friend of Veronica's. That is until Veronica saw Logan and Yolanda kissing at a party. (Was she the one Logan was talking about in the last episode?)

The mystery of the week becomes more of a family than a criminal drama. Yolanda was not kidnapped; she eloped. Her brother used the situation to earn respect from their father.

Meanwhile Logan is having difficulty dealing with his mother's death. They never found her body, so Logan thinks she's still alive. The episode ends with Logan asking Veronica to find his mother.

Overall, Lord of the Bling is a weak episode, even weaker than Drinking the Kool-Aid. At least that episode introduces the voice of Clarence Wiedman and includes Veronica shredding the DNA results. In Lord of the Bling, the flashbacks of Veronica with Yolanda, Lilly and Logan don't add anything to the investigation of Lilly's death.  They show Lilly as petty and jealous, and Veronica as "caving into peer pressure" as she describes it.  The possibility that Lynn Echolls may be alive is the most intriguing part of this episode.

It's Opening Day!

The Mets continued their winning Opening Day ways today--beating the San Diego Padres 11 to 2. The Mets have the best Opening Day record in Major League Baseball: 34 - 18, 34 -10 since 1970. BTW, the Mets lost their first eight openers.

The 11 runs scored today mark the second highest number of Opening Day runs in Mets history.

I don't have high hopes for the season, but so far so good.