OPEN
CASE: VERONICA MARS
By Sue 21-DEC-2004
AN ECHOLL'S FAMILY CHRISTMAS
Season 1 - Episode 10
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I'll start by laying my cards on the table (he, he): I loved this episode.
What's to love? This was one of the best episodes of Veronica Mars thus far. The content was meaty; the plotlines cohesive, fast moving and entertaining; and the style--both visually and verbally--was unsurpassed!
SOTW: "The Mystery of the Missing Money"
(The role of Hercule Poiret is being played tonight by Miss Veronica Mars.) Wasn't that just fun? Kudos to writer Diane Ruggiero for her Agatha Christie-esque mystery story. All of the clues were in plain sight. The viewers had the same information as Veronica. And the scene where she spelled it out all the way down to, "I just wish I could say, the butler did it," was a joy to watch.
Meanwhile, Keith Mars was doing his best Columbo impersonation--marginally better dressed. Mildly interrogating Aaron Echolls; going off and collecting additional information from the caterer and returning to oh-so-innocently confront Aaron with the evidence of his affair(s). Peeling off the layers of Aaron's carefully crafted image. (Aaron really didn't see himself in his comment about the women being needy. He has so carefully built his public persona that he actually believes it himself!) Plugging through the potential stalkers one by one and suddenly inspired into awareness by the pumpkins in the picture of "Wonder Woman." Arriving a bit late, but still in time to (most likely) save Aaron's life.
Flashbacks were used in abundance this week; not to further the backstory on Lilly's murder, but to frame the evidence surrounding the poker game. Quite creative and in keeping with the atmosphere of the mystery.
The Verbal Sparring:
Excuse me now while I indulge myself in quoting repeatedly and liberally from the episode. There was so much verbal sparring between characters I thought I'd stumbled on an episode of the WWF! More kudos to Diane Ruggiero--remember that name.
Attempting to limit myself to (more than) a few of the most excellent exchanges:
Veronica: "You lie down with dogs you're gonna get fleas."
Duncan: "I didn't invite him."
Veronica: "I wasn't talking about Weevil!"
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Weevil: "There you go with that head tilt thing. You think you're all bad ass but when you need something it's all 'hey'."
Veronica: "Just be glad I don't flip my hair--I'd own you."
Weevil: "Could you please, Veronica, protect me from the big bad sweater-vest-wearing rich boys?"
(Is Veronica supposed to be channeling Buffy...or Spike?)
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Nearly all of the dialogue between Logan and Weevil is priceless. Logan has issues and Weevil is a handy target---but not a helpless victim:
Logan to Weevil: "If you're asking me to the prom again..."
Logan: "We don't take food stamps."
Weevil: "You look pretty comfortable with that thing in your mouth." -------------------------------------------------------------- Then there are Logan's exchanges with Veronica: Glancing up as she enters the poolhouse: "Now, this is why I wanted attack dogs. But my mother had to have an alpaca." The way he refers to her (sarcasm dripping) as a friend, and saying, "V as in Virgin." Is this a clue that Logan has no inkling of the date rape? -------------------------------------------------------------- And Logan and Duncan's break up.
Duncan: "When did you get like this? It's like you've been going over to the dark side, bit by bit, so slowly that I didn't notice when you morphed into a full-fledged jackass".
Later their totally non-verbal "making up" exchange is so stereotypically male.
The Visual Imagery: I've saved the best for last. The juxtaposition of conflicting visual images throughout this episode was stunning. Culminating in the final montage of carolers interwoven with Aaron's stabbing the entire episode is replete with warring imagery of style vs. content: "Christmas in Neptune was, is and always will be about the trappings. The lights and the tinsel they use to cover up the sordidness and the corruption."
The writing in this episode was exceptional, but the visual imagery was overwhelming. Of course television is supposed to be a visual medium. But go back and re-watch the episode with the sound off. Exceptional, witty dialogue aside, this episode can stand on its visuals alone. In no particular order, recall the powerful images, and the emotions they evoked, of:
--The Mars' family Christmas tree and intimate father/daughter exchanges contrasted with the lovely but cold version of the Echolls' tree, being decorated by "the help," as Lynn says, "I try to make each Christmas as special as I can."
--The beauty of the Echolls' household broken by the stark ugliness of the cleaver in the pumpkin head.
--The mess Logan has made in the pool house. (An image perhaps of Logan himself, once you get past the surface.)
--Connor in his flak jacket--shirtless--and Veronica's obvious appreciation. (Umm, why exactly was he not wearing a shirt under his flak jacket?)
--The school decked out in (non-religious, of course) "trappings" of the season.
--The limo next to the school bus.
--The image conjured simply by use of the term "in flagrante" vs. Aaron's declaration that he loves his wife and is faithful.
--Veronica asking Duncan for details as he peers through the magnifying glass.
--The agent's wife commenting first on the "fake boobs" of her rival, then immediately praising Aaron's (a 53 year old man) "ass like an 18 year old wrestler."
--Lynn Echolls' legs.
--Lynn Echolls at the pool.
--Duncan's goofy nose against the window while ogling Logan's mother.
--The look on Logan's face followed by the look on Weevil's face. These two have a complex relationship.
--Veronica's "innocent face" when she claims not to know how to play poker. (Flashback to Willow's "resolve face", anyone?)
--Weevil playing "where's Waldo"--aware that he is totally out of place, but observing that beautiful, self-assured, blond, Veronica fits into that world very well--at least on the surface.
--The scene between Jake and Celeste that unnerves Lynn Echolls so completely.
--The overpowering visual images of wealth in the Echolls household: the decorations, the tree, the servants, the food, the formal wear, the costumes, the lights and the tinsel. Which, in the end, serve as no protection from the violence perpetrated on Aaron.
--"Love and joy come to you...and God send you a Happy New Year." Aaron lies bleeding while his stunned (betrayed) wife and stunned (abused) son look on amidst the trappings.
The Mystery of Logan: The excellently done SOTW, the verbal sparring, and the visual imagery--it's all style, trappings if you will. What content does it divulge? There was a previous episode centered on the Echolls family. It was mostly about Aaron and his pre-occupation with image. It gave us some limited insight into Logan as well. But this episode was all about Logan. Logan is a complex character and this episode gives us some insight into what's below his surface image.
For one thing, there is a lot of confusion. In the verbal exchanges between Logan and Weevil, Duncan or Veronica it's clear that he has "issues" and is lashing out at those around him. Using verbal abuse in a reflection of his father's physical abuse. Even best friend Duncan comes in for a share. It's interesting that Logan also spends a lot of energy insulting both Weevil and Veronica. It's his way of connecting with them--sad, ineffectual, but reaching out. Logan is no longer sure who his friends are, or how to connect with them.
There is also quite a bit of repressed rage. Logan's repeated racial slurs directed at Weevil only intensify when Weevil pointedly refuses to respond. Didn't you just want to cheer when Connor finally called Logan on the baiting? These exchanges revealed a lot of the anger Logan is hiding--maybe even from himself. He can't take it out on his parents, he has no way to strike at Lilly's murderer, so he settles for being verbally cruel (is that how Aaron started?) and Weevil is the most obvious target. At least Weevil is not a helpless victim. Why doesn't he react more to Logan's baiting? It's possible that Weevil actually recognizes some of the pain radiating from Logan. The look he gives Logan when the boys are ogling Mrs. Echolls dive into the pool is extremely sympathetic. It's pretty clear Logan can dish it out but not take it.
Then there is the jealousy. Logan wants to believe that Connor is doing drugs because he can't deny the possible truth behind Sean's dig, "[Connor] truly is the son Aaron Echolls never had." As with many an abuse victim, Logan feels he perhaps deserves his father's disdain for somehow failing to live up to the image of "Aaron Echolls' son."
Yup. Logan is a mess--much like the state of the pool house when Veronica comes by to visit. He doesn't know who his friends are; he has no idea how to connect with them. Duncan's "betrayal" shakes him up mightily and all he can do is lash out. Why do I think that Weevil may turn out to be an important lifeline for Logan?
Lilly's Murder Arc: Finally, almost as an afterthought, there is one small but vital scene that is destined to produce future fallout. Veronica impulsively beards Jake in the den. Peppering him with questions about which he is clearly clueless. However, he obviously has his suspicious about Celeste. And what in the world is Keith Mars thinking as he watches Veronica's exchange with Jake. If not for that short pause, perhaps he might have reached Aaron Echolls prior to the stabbing. -------------------------------------------------------------- This is a most excellent quote for the entire episode:
Christmas in Neptune was, is and always will be about the trappings. The lights and the tinsel they use to cover up the sordidness and the corruption. No, Veronica, there is no Santa Claus.
Not just Christmas. Life in Neptune is all about the trappings. The thin veneer of image that can be so violently wiped away in an instant and shown for the farce it really is. Lynn's blind-eye does not protect her. Jake's ignorance will not survive. Aaron's image gives him no protection. Logan's image gives him no peace. The lights and tinsel give Veronica no joy. The episode was a joy to watch, but the ending, once again, quite bleak. Love and joy come to you, Veronica, and God give you a Happy New Year.
Logan: "My only concern is about property values going down if somebody sees you in my house without a leaf-blower or a skimmer."
Weevil: "What if I run into a pack of white boys on some clean, well-lit street? I could be bored to death."
Weevil: (acknowledging the lameness): "Ouch, you got me."
Logan, clearly startled, the best he can come up with is another slur: "You people can hand-roll like nobody's business."
Logan: "I'm a jackass?"
Duncan: "Yeah, and I'm over it".
Logan (defensive): "What are we breaking up now? Do you want your best friend charm back?"
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