TWoP Veronica Mars 1.8 Like A Virgin: Koontz says he's not interested in any such thing, and reveals that he knows who Veronica is, because he used to see Lianne when she came into the office on lunch hours. He adds that Veronica isn't Keith's daughter, but Jake's: 'Look in a mirror! Are you the product of a schlubby hey don't call Keith schlubby! sheriff, or the King and Queen of the prom?' Look, not to take away from the acting in this scene, because it's top-notch. But the problem is, Lianne and Veronica look nothing alike. And even though that's a pretty major flaw, considering that part of this plot point depends on Koontz recognizing the family resemblance, I could possibly let it go, were it not for the fact that Koontz is pushing the 'You don't look like Keith, so you're not his child' argument. Either resemblances matter, or they don't. I mean, by Koontz's argument, Veronica could be the child of Haaron Echolls and Inga from the sheriff's office. (Aside to Rob Thomas: Is that right? You can tell me!) hee couch baron.
Next time: Veronica joins a cult. Does that mean she meets her fans?

TWoP Veronica Mars 1.9 Drinking The Kool-Aid:
starting w the recaplet Veronica infiltrates the cult, where, poignantly enough, she finds a lot more acceptance than she has in the last year at Neptune High. And in the end, the cult is actually benevolent, which possibly is more than we can say for the parents of the 09er kid. righto. efficient, nice. That story ends in a very satisfyingly ambivalent way. satisfying? at the -2 min mark I was concerned - this is almost over? so, what was I wanting? I guess I wanted V to expose parents as money-grubbing. didn't they say they just found out about the grandma's money going to their son? and then he told V that they'd known a year. I wanted her to tell her dad that. but, ok, maybe it was clear enough to him that they were selfish. and the last 2 minutes did give us the son arriving in his fancy car and walking with a cool kid ('09er style I guess) swagger. and that was - what's the word ~ for something that makes an impact, stays with you, ambiguous in a way that leaves you caught up ~ compelling is not it, impressive is not it, I want to say resonant but I think there's a better word I dunno. maybe: satisfyingly ambivalent.
ps a hour or so later and I've since seen the word haunting (used in twop cmmt about the show in general - on Mssg fr Rob Thomas thread p1 haunting & clever - and that's kind of what I meant though it was not the word I was looking for. maybe there is one, maybe not. haunting, but less so.
Now, in season-arc-land, we pick up right where we left off, as Veronica steels herself to accept the fact that Jake might be her father. I was impressed with this episode, how the paternity issue was put on the table & moved right along. the characters quickly realizing the things that the audience suspects, I like that. and later, she takes out a milk carton showing a missing girl who we recognize from the cult, and right away Veronica looks at and sees. (pleasing bcs I guess seems the typical route would be dramatic irony of her not noticing. and it's much more satisfying to have the characters be as smart as we are put in the position of being.)
Oh, and by the way, Sydney Tamiia Poitier gets the most unceremonious firing ever. huh. dropped from credits? I guess they realized they were not going to use her in any major way?
Hey, remember the first season of Melrose Place, when Amy Locane left after a handful of episodes (and nice career move there, hon why sarcasm? it was *not* good to leave Melrose Place?), and they totally had to do a hatchet job to the opening credits, especially with that long shot of all eight of them together? Well, they changed the credits here, too. Only it's not really like Melrose, in that the new shots are cute ones of Kristen Bell, whom everyone loves, instead of stupid ones of no-talent hack Daphne Zuniga. Anyway, Sydney Tamiia Poitier isn't in the credits anymore, although I hear from the forum posters that we haven't seen the last of her. ?? Well, I was wondering what the producers were paying Poitier for, anyway. And I was referring specifically to all the episodes she hasn't been in, but you could certainly be forgiven for thinking otherwise. heh

Veronica observes the guy get out of his car. It's raining, which means one of two things. Either this is a cheap trick designed to give him an excuse to shield his face from the audience with an umbrella, or Veronica's followed the guy to Oregon. Oh, all right, once in a while it does actually rain in SoCal, but not nearly often enough. I have never, for example, seen an Oscars red carpet pre-show be interrupted by rain. Which is a damn shame, because tell me it wouldn't be awesome to see Joan Rivers melt. so couch baron is not referring to the song? which I may never have heard, but know they used to appreciated effect in the finale of VM: It Never Rains in Southern California. it's a lovely sentence, cadence, seems like I do know it, as if it is a phrase on the street.

Well, a LOT of the posters took issue with that ending. It's not in character for her not to look at the results! She needs to know if Duncan is her brother! She needs to know whom her father is to understand better why her mom left! All valid points. But I think this situation is special. Once she finds out, she can't unlearn what she knows. ok. The knowledge could change her life irrevocably, again, and as tough as she is, maybe she's simply not ready for that. Or maybe she feels that when she's ready, she'll look Keith in the eye and ask him, rather than doing it this way, which is a pretty deep violation of trust, regardless of whatever lies he's told her over the years. Also, from a dramatic standpoint, I think it might be better for the audience to find out when there's even more at stake -- after, perhaps, the whole "who raped Veronica" mystery is solved. What I'm saying is that I didn't have a problem with this ending. I guess I sort of had the objections cbaron read in the forums but this answers to them well. and also addressed by the VMVO saying that "each day" she is more able to deal (or so like that) with question of her paternity. ie, a gesture twd why her impulse was to get the test, but already in a few days, she feels differently enough to shred it.

1-9: "Drinking The Kool-Aid" 2004.11.30 - TWoP Forums:
-It started off swiftly. yep. .. And then so what was up with the parents, and the lying about when they found out about who got the money? And brainwashing their son? What was up with the cult? yeah ok this is satisfying bcs yeah I guess this is why I was unpleased when saw that only 2min to go, I wanted more along these lines.
-And I sort of like the cult stuff. I was expecting there to be more to it, but...whatever.
-And I'd like to see Casey again. yeah but we won't will we..
-Could anyone tell me what happened after Veronica asked Casey how long his parents knew about the moneyThey'd known a year. Veronica never explicitly tells Keith this, but I hope to God she did cause otherwise that's another problem I have with this episode. yeah I did not like that not being explictly followed up on.She finds Rayne on a milk carton and convinces Keith the cultists are happy good people, so he doesn't shut them down. Meanwhile, Casey's parents kidnap him and deprogram him, and he comes back to school with his old Porsche and surly demeanor. hen Veronica shreds the paternity test results because it's symbolic or something.
-From the moment she was playing with the blood I thought it was A: a very clever ruse to get his blood, 2: Very Veronica to get right to it yeah with the DNA, and 3: REALLY soon yeah to have an answer to the paternity question. Meanwhile I felt a little shafted with how barely explained the Casey spiel was "resolved". I still don't quite understand the parents' mindframe, or rather, what they're malicious intent was. I dig the "they lied about when they knew he was the one who'd inherit" but it seemed like something more sinister was intended to be implied, but then it wasnt and I got confused.
-After we heard that the parents had known for a year about the will, I had this crazy idea that they got the kid into the cult on purpose in order to get him... somehow incapacitated, declared insane, or something along those lines to get the money. I'm glad they didn't do that, it would've been silly. But after my crazy idea what did happen seemed anticlimactic.