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1.14 - Mars vs. Mars... or, heel turns for everyone!
And in case you haven't figured it out, Mr. Rooks in this episode also follows the pattern. There are two conclusions I've drawn from this observation, one about the writers and one about Neptune itself.
From my observations, most people only require to be backstabbed once before they stop trusting anyone completely. Veronica herself has been stabbed in the back 3 times in the course of 14 episodes, or, less than a year. That's one hell of an emotional beating and any other high school girl would've been left in an incoherent puddle. However, after being essentially backstabbed by the entire town of Neptune, I suppose being betrayed by boyfriend, good friend, and great teacher is only a lightbulb next to the sun.
She moves because every time, she knows she's going to win. It's almost like a game to her. The big question on my mind: what happens when Veronica runs into a situation where she's not able to get even? Don't tell me it's never going to happen, because if this show manages to last another couple seasons and Rob Thomas had any sense, he'd explore this part of Veronica's psyche.
Don't get me wrong. I like plot twists and surprises as much as the next person, provided the twists make sense in the context of the story. That said, 5½ instances of characters turning face (or rather, to use wrestling terminology, turning heel) in 14 episodes kind of borders on excessive. My theory is that the writers want to keep us guessing at all times and thus far, they've done an admirable job handling the characters. However, character turns need to be used sparingly because it's one plot device that could really add resonance to a story if done at the appropriate time. Use it too often, however, and it becomes predictable, which is death for a story. I'm not necessarily being critical of this episode because I feel that Mr. Rooks's turn made sense in the context of the plot. His past affair with Susan Knight was a piece of the mystery needed to make the episode work (so that Kari had the diary, the cell phone, the descriptions, etc), so his turn from great teacher to great teacher with something to hide was actually necessary to the plot because there would've been no resolution to the story otherwise.
Perhaps it's coming later. There's still 7 episodes left, so we'll see. Other notes - The debut of sexual innuendo on this show: "You got a trophy for a rimjob?" I suppose it was only a matter of time. - This epsiode also features the debut of a line where I winced because it was badly written: "I can feel it with every fiber of my being." - Veronica telling her father that Kari is wrong and she needs to see the diary. I'm sorry, but "every fiber of my being" is one of those lines that only works in print, not out loud. - For an episode titled "Mars vs. Mars," I was expecting more a head-on confrontation between Keith and Veronica. The lack of was a tad disappointing. - Logan, Logan... probably one of the most complex characters on TV today. I hate to say it, but he actually has a little more depth to his character than Veronica does. Final rating: ****. Solid episode, an extra * for the good within-episode continuity, but it lacked the "fun" factor to push it higher. |
A trend that I've been noticing in Veronica Mars is that the writers seem to like flip-floppy villains. We've been getting a slew of "I'm a good guy but in reality, I'm bad:"
1. Veronica always achieves closure
Remember her philosophy, the one she spelled out in "Like a Virgin"? I'm beginning to suspect that "getting even" is a form of closure for Veronica. Ever wonder why Veronica seems to be well adjusted despite being despised by 80% of Neptune? Unlike most people, she could find satisfactory closure to all her problems. Note that when Veronica goes into "get even" mode, she doesn't hesitate because this is an ingrained part of her personality. In this episode, there was no pacing around the room, coaxing herself into getting Mr. Rooks nailed to the wall. There was no weighing of options, no consulting friends, no quiet moment in the corner where she would weep before pulling the trigger. This isn't Veronica's MO.
2. The writers need to change it up
Essentially, I'm not complain about how the turns are handled because honestly, the writers are doing a great job in orchestrating them. However, the sheer number of turns, especially with one-shot characters like Wanda and Mr. Rooks, cheapens the effect. The only plausible reason I could conceive of as to why there have been so many turns is that Rob Thomas wants to get across the point that Veronica isn't able to trust anyone. In order to make this point, however, there needs to be some reflection on the part of Veronica and there needs to be some action taken as a result of the number of times she's been had.