But, of course, there is always TV to talk about in my absence:
Charlie Don’t Surf. When Logan (Jason Dohring) is informed that his inheritance is running low, he become suspicious and enlists Veronica’s (Kristen Bell) help to sort through his financial records. Veronica uncovers that large sums of money have been going to a man named Charlie Stone (Matt Czuchry). Meanwhile, Keith is hired by Harmony (Laura San Giacomo) to investigate her cheating husband. Jason Bloom directed the episode written by Diane Ruggiero and Jason Elen.
It’s the clash of Logans!
I didn’t know what SMG was talking about there until ole’ Pretty ‘n’ Privileged showed up. Didn’t buy him as a school teacher _or_ an investigative reporter. (Would Vanity Fair actually buy an article built around a phone tap and “interviews” granted under false pretenses?)
I really liked the convenience store owner guy, but what the hell is up with one minute of Wallace and two weeks of no Mac?
I’d say more, but I think I’m supposed to be figuring out how to transfer to Portland State.
Yeah, I recognized his name from the guest star credit.
I thought this was a good one, though it’s possible I was unduly influenced by my delight at seeing Laura San Giacomo making the transition from a young cutiepie to a gorgeous classic beauty. Wow. I have no idea what she was doing in this episode, but I liked seeing her with Keith. And I liked the bittersweet maturity in how her relationships were handled. A nice switch from Veronica’s world.
Speaking of which: I don’t know what’s up with the Lilith House women, but they’re awfully one-note, and their entire lives seem to revolve around the fratboys. Why aren’t they more interested in finding the identity of the rapist(s)? I hope this doesn’t all turn out to be a politically motivated stunt somehow, though that’s a pretty horrendous idea since at least some of the rapes appear to be real.
Was shocked to realise that I enjoyed Dick Casablancas in this episode. I wouldn’t want him as a friend, but as sheer entertainment, he’s starting to be a fun character to watch. They’re giving him a slightly more amusing way with words, and the actor is making the most of his screentime; even when his lines are idiotic, he delivers them creatively, and does fun things with his body language. I can’t think of how to explain my newfound liking; he’s just sublimely languid. Please forgive me, S&S posters.
In the Clash of the Logans, Veronica Mars Logan definitely wins. Poor Logan. Vanity Fair reporters tap phones now? This is so preposterous that I can only imagine it’s going to come in useful later on in some Charlie-Stone-related mystery.
That other Logan was just bleah. I haven’t watched much GG in recent years but I feel that way every time I see him. Does he suck or is it just me?
For once the “poor Logan” (Echolls, that is) stuff was kind of lost on me, which is odd because in this case it felt pretty justified. I think I’m too busy trying to figure out what’s really going on with him and school and gambling and what have you to be invested in his desperate need for familial connections.
I have to say, I’ve always found Dick to be entertaining in a hateful sort of way. Meghan once described him as (I’m paraphrasing) the funny frat kid who’s still an asshole, and that description has become even more apt. The problem I’m seeing is that he and Logan are beginning to overlap in terms of the way they function on the show; they’re both antisocial rich kids at different points on the might-be-redeemable line. I’m hoping the writers are smart enough to let them diverge in a big way, and soon.
And yes, again, to the feminist coalition on the show being portrayed as hard-lined to the point of ridiculousness. I wonder if their anti-Greek agenda will be made explicit at some point, since they do seem more interested in taking them down than in simple justice.
Dick is refreshing because he doesn’t usually seem tormented by the past, and he doesn’t particularly yearn for redemption, which is quite different from Logan. He lives very much in the moment, and I like that in a show that is pretty much obsessed (by its very nature) with the events of the past. At no point do I want Dick to follow his brother into villainy (i.e., be a “raper”), but he also shouldn’t be best friends with Veronica. And if he occasionally is bothered by his conscience, that shouldn’t make him into less of an asshole, but simply a more well-rounded, realistic, and better-written asshole.
I’m glad GG-Logan turned out not to be Charlie Stone. I’m more interested in the real Charlie Stone, anyways.
I thought this was a very good episode – nice development of all three plotlines, and pretty good use of the show’s running time to develop each one. If it weren’t for the Logan plotline going a little sour towards the end – too rushed on the one hand, and too ‘poor Logan’ on the other – this would be a perfect episode, and I might even upgrade it if the real Charlie turns out to be a recurring character later in the season.
I wonder if our reaction to the Lilith House girls might be tainted by our knowledge that the frat house boys couldn’t be the rapists because they’re too obvious as suspects. To an outsider who only sees them as disgusting neanderthals, it would seem beyond the pale that Veronica could be siding with them. And I like the fact that Veronica is on the outs with Parker – it tracks with the general theme on the show of there being several different shades of wrong versus the Marses’ vastly outnumbered right.
Oh, and one more thing: did I hear Veronica say that Logan gained late admission to Hearst based on good test scores? Does this seem even remotely possible, and do we suppose that the writers are going anywhere with it?