OPEN CASE: VERONICA MARS

"Clash of the Tritons"

Since this episode marks the beginning of the second half of the season, I decided to look back over the first eleven episodes for recurring themes. There are several, but one stands head and shoulders above all others: IDENTITY. Veronica Mars is all about identity.

This may not be surprising since it is a "detective show"; every week the detective tries to determine the identity of the criminal, right? Yes, but on Veronica Mars, it's far more complex than that. At the root, neither the viewer nor Veronica herself is entirely sure who she really is. Discovering who one is is truly at the core of most teenagers' lives. Only in Veronica's case it's literal (who is my father) as well as figurative.

Let's review the Story of the Week plotlines from the first 11 episodes:

• Episode One:  We get filled in on the basics of the main characters.  This involves learning about Veronica's previous identity as Duncan's girlfriend, daughter of respected sheriff, etc. and her current identity as wounded, cynical, hard-boiled investigator.
• Episode Two: Weevil's cousin steals the Echolls' identity, at least insofar as their credit card goes.
• Episode Three: Veronica must uncover the identity of Justin's father, an identity which has undergone truly remarkable and life-altering changes.
• Episode Four:  This is the episode about Georgia being duped.  Nobody is who he/she purports to be:  Karl isn't really rich, Veronica isn't really Amber, Keith isn't really a narc, and Grant isn't just a mild-mannered nerd.  Everyone adopts false identities to get something they want.
• Episode Five:  Even the title tells us,  "You Think You Know Somebody..." and, of course, Troy turns out to not really be the guy Veronica was hoping for.
• Episode Six:  Wanda has her own false identity as an undercover narc.
• Episode Seven:  Is about discovering the identity of the baby's father, and the beginning of questions about the identity of Veronica's father.
• Episode Eight:  A false identity is forced on Meg--that of school slut.
• Episode Nine:  Which is the real Josh?  Chilled out, friendly, communal Josh; or too cool to be kind Josh with the big inheritance?  Two identities:  is either one of them the real Josh?  Does Josh even know?
• Episode Ten:  How is one's image tied up with one's identity?  We already know from episode six that Aaron Echolls is all about image.  Now Veronica points out that lights and tinsel are being used to cover up sordid and tarnished identities.  In addition to Aaron there is the butler's son who is living a false identity.  And Weevil raises the point that Veronica seems to fit in with the rich and gorgeous--as if she belongs there.
• Episode Eleven: The "in your face" plot of two babies switched at birth who are now living completely exchanged existences. Are their identities established by their genetics, or the families they now live with? This is a not at all subtle metaphor for Veronica's own situation--should she turn out to be Jake's daughter. This episode ends with Mac making her own choice of who she is in a bit of an uneasy truce between acknowledging her birth mother and yet embracing the trip with her current family.

In my very first review I noted that this show is all about Veronica. It's also all about identity. Certainly it is superficially about Veronica's identity with regard to her birth father. But I think it goes far beyond that. Every week Veronica Mars raises the questions: Who are you? What makes you who you are? Who is living with a false image this week? Is it by choice? Or has the identity been forced on them by those around them? Do you really want to know?

False Identities:  In this week's episode, kicking off the second half of the season, the Story of the Week revolves around false identities in the truly literal sense.  Kids are selling, buying and using fake IDs. Veronica is framed--identified as the criminal who is creating and selling the IDs.  This is a second-degree felony and, raising the stakes even further, are possible additional charges pending the outcome of the student in the coma AND the financially ruinous lawsuit.

What else is fake in this episode?  The ID's are fake.  Veronica is falsely accused.  Rick pretends to be a Triton pledge.  Aaron Echolls' image is once again being tarnished.  What about his concern for his "fragile" wife?  Is that fake?  Certainly Lynn's "love" for her husband, if not fake, is at least severely compromised by her need for revenge.  And, personally, I'm still not convinced that the Weevil/Lilly connection might not be fake, as well as the letters.

Undercover Surveillance:  Hand in glove with the false identities are the running images of people being undercover.  Veronica's suspension turns out to be happily convenient as she sits in her car, under a big blue cover, surreptitiously listening to conversations from the guidance office.  The Tritons hide their true identities by covering themselves with robes and hoods.  And Duncan has the eerie sense that somehow Lilly is still watching him.  Aaron knows he is being spied on and his secrets leaked to the tabloid press.  Veronica's camera, hidden in plain sight in the display case, spies on the locker.  And the seemingly innocent stapler surreptitiously broadcasts private conversations.

Unexpected Consequences:  The fact that one cannot foresee all possible consequences of one's behavior is also an oft-repeated theme on Veronica Mars.  A number of characters in the episode are out for revenge--they intend to cause pain.  However, they do not anticipate the possible fallout inflicted on innocent bystanders. Rick seizes the opportunity to take revenge on the Tritons, Veronica and possibly even his father (for losing his job and yet still belittling his son for not becoming a Triton).  Rick was an unintended victim of his father's criminal activity.  And it wasn't even Veronica who exposed him.  It was Keith who uncovered the crime, but Rick doesn't seem to have a problem with the sins of the father being visited upon the daughter.  His friend Tim is not exactly an "innocent" victim but he is caught in the fallout--let's say an unintended victim at least.  Lynn takes ugly revenge on Aaron and both his image and quite possibly his career suffer.  But unfortunately Logan suffers even more--an innocent victim of the fallout of Lynn's revenge and the hostility between his parents.  Possibly sister Trina suffers as well, although we as yet really know nothing about her. In the end it may be that Lynn also becomes an unintended victim of her own revenge. 

Unexpected consequences come about not just as a result of active revenge.  As we've seen in a number of previous episodes simply pursuing truth can create unintended and unfortunate pain for those caught in the fallout.  Keith's discovery of Rick's father's crime eventually leads to his daughter being falsely accused.  And Aaron's pursuit of the "truth" behind the media coverage results in pain not only for himself and Lynn, but Logan as well.  From the look on Veronica's face as Rick explains his motive, she is just beginning to understand that the pursuit of truth may have unexpected consequences as well.  I doubt that will stop her.  As she tells Ms James, "I know how I'll feel better and it's not by talking about it [her grief].   ... I'll feel better when Lilly's killer is rotting away in jail."  I wonder who around Veronica will suffer unexpected consequences of her determination to discover the truth behind Lilly's murder?  Would knowing deter her from pursing the truth?  I doubt it.

The Importance of Pills:  Another image appearing repeatedly throughout the episode:  pills.  Aaron is taking pills--presumably pain pills or antibiotics related to the stabbing, but that is not clarified.  Lynn is taking pills--most likely some kind of anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication.  The camera deliberately takes close-up shots of the large white bottles both Aaron and Lynn are carrying.  As well, Duncan was taking antidepressants and is still taking medication for some unspecified condition that causes "episodes."  Duncan's memory loss also suggests the possibility that some drug (the same date-rape drug which was used on Veronica?) was used on him during the time frame immediately surrounding Lilly's murder.  I suspect much will be made of all of these medications in future episodes. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Questions that were answered:

Who framed Veronica for the IDs?  Why?

Who was the real seller of the fake IDs?

Who are the Tritons?  How did they figure into the first two questions?

Who leaked the information on Aaron to the press?  Why?

Questions that remain unanswered:

Who killed Lilly Kane?

Why did Abel Koontz confess?

What is Clarence Weidman's role in both of the above?  Does his involvement also signal some involvement on the part of Jake and/or Celeste Kane?

Where is Lianne?  Why did she leave town?  Was she being threatened?  Why?  What does she know?

Who raped Veronica?

Who is Veronica's biological father?

New questions raised:

Is Lynn Echolls dead?  If so, was it an accident, suicide or murder?

If murder, who did it?

What medications is Duncan on?  Why?

What caused Duncan to lose his memory?

What exactly is it that Duncan has forgotten?

What is the truth about Weevil and Lilly?  (unless you believe what he told Ms. James)

Do we think foreshadowing was going on when Logan questioned what was so great about life and/or when he threatened to kill his father?

Where has Ms. Dent gone?

Okay, that last one was just plain silly, but she has disappeared from the opening credits.

Miscellaneous Observations:

"Platitude a day calendar"--that's our cynical Veronica.

Many S'cubies are bothered by Veronica's bugging of the counselor's office as playing a bit too fast and loose with personal privacy.

Loved, loved, loved the Veronica/Wallace interaction.

Also love poor tortured Logan.  He blames Veronica, he blames himself, and he even blames Lilly.  What is Logan going to do when Lynn turns up missing, possibly dead, as a direct result of Aaron's verbal abuse and an indirect result of Keith's investigation.

Not enough Weevil (again).

"Veronica Mars is smarter than me."  hehe

Hooray for continuity:  Logan saluting Veronica during her "walk of shame" as she is arrested.  Didn't she use exactly that same salute when Logan was arrested after she framed him with the drug paraphernalia in his locker?

As part of her research Veronica discovers that the symbol of Triton's conch shell is part of the school logo.  She also reads that "Triton commands the dark waters and all the creatures therein." I do not think that this imagery bodes well for Neptune.

Veronica being offended by the poor quality of the fake IDs was actually predictable, but still amusing.

Security at NHS sucks.  Even though suspended Veronica can come and go as she pleases and break into the display case without observation.  Also the Tritons are able to hold secret rituals in the school after hours.  Not a safe environment by today's standards!

(And--got to say, that stapler was pretty powerful to pick up the chanting from outside the presumably closed door of the guidance office.)

Aaron seems pretty chummy with Keith; I wonder what his relationship with Jake is?  Jake did attend his Christmas party but we haven't actually observed any interactions between them.

Can't say I observed much clashing by the Tritons--I wonder whether the title was mostly a riff on Harry Hamlin's incredibly bad mythological adventure flick "Clash of the Titans"?