1.4 - The Wrath of Con

Call it a guilty pleasure.

I liked this episode. I'm a geek, so all the "game that makes Quake look like Asteroids," Japanese Schoolgirl Veronica, and spy stuff galore made it an interesting episode.

However, there was one moment that pretty much defined this episode for me: at the very end, Logan and Veronica share a smile with each other, the looks of conspirators having a good time. It's a look I'll cherish until the end of the show because outside this episode, Logan is always going out of his way to snipe at Veronica.

Logan presents an interesting contrast. Based on this episode, I have to believe that he could be a decent, less caustic guy. Heck, he was genuinely happy when Lily was alive, something I can't say about him now. Lily provided him with an anchor in reality, creating a storybook life. Happy Logan was an overall nicer Logan, someone who doesn't take snipes at our favorite title character. It shows when he volunteers to put together Lily's memorial video, the softer, kinder Logan.

Here's the somewhat ironic thing, though. Happy Nice Logan is not Fun Logan. The great part of the entire Logan Echolls character is that he has a slew of one-liners, ready to pull out at any moment and usually at the expense of some poor schmuck. This is the Logan that everyone loves because although he's mean, he's humorous. We're willing to forgive any number of cheap jabs taken at our blonde heroine because he's just so darn entertaining.

I also believe that part of the audience's willingness to let Logan slide is because of this episode. It shows us that Logan can be a decent character, that he's not caustic necessarily because of genetics, that Lily's death hit him harder than anyone would believe.

Other Notes

- Based on this episode, I'm putting in my bid for Celeste as Lily's killer. The entire stoic look during Lily's tribute video seem more than just a disapproval of the supposed inappropriate nature of the video. Somehow, there seemed to be more. I ruled out Jake because the killer would not be that overcome with emotion upon viewing the video (by the way, another Kodak moment there).

- I've read on the forums that the entire main episode premise (the gamers) was a little overblown and I tend to agree. It still doesn't make it any less fun to watch.

- When Japanese Schoolgirl Veronica walked into the gaming club, my first reaction: "oh God, it's Sydney Bristow." Here am I, working my arse off to try and get people to stop comparing this show to other shows and the writers set me back another 20 steps.

Final Rating: ****. 3 for the pretty fun episode arc and another 1 tacked on for the Lily Kane stuff.