And WE’RE BACK! I apologize for the unintentional Veronica Mars hiatus, but life got really busy. In the six or so months that I’ve been absent, I have been thinking about a way to make these still fun but a little less burdensome on me as a reviewer. It was taking me 3-4 hours to write each of those episode recaps, and as much as I enjoyed the sarcasm I was able to impart over the internet, it was a lot to do every single week. So I have decided to reformat the reviews a little bit. The changes are going to go something like this:
- I’m not longer going to tell you the “Previously On.” If you don’t know what’s happening, check out the handy dandy Marshmallow Fridays link at the top of the page and you can read the recaps on the previous episodes!
- The “Play by Play” section is turning into “Highlights.” Much as I hate to admit it, not everything in each episode is actually important to the storyline as a whole. So I’m going to cut things down a little bit.
- All of the other sections are going to remain as they were!
So hi. Welcome back to Marshmallow Fridays. I missed them as much as you did.
Highlights
- The E-String Strangler is back in Neptune. The E-String Strangler was murdering spring breakers in Neptune several years back, and the mayor/Sheriff Lamb concluded that he was the same person as the Oakland Strangler and closed the case. (California, why you got so many stranglers??) Mr. Mars was the foremost authority on the original E-String Strangler cases, so he’s called back to the Sheriff’s Office to help catch the real guy.
- Veronica starts doing background checks on parents of classmates for cash. I mean, honestly, I don’t blame her. The kids are rich and entitled, so why not take their money?
- Mac is back. Initially, Mac suggests teaming up to make a business out of digging up dirt on their classmates’ parents. V declines, and Mac asks V to look into her parents. That’s when V digs up an ugly truth about Mac’s life that her parents didn’t want her to know about.
- V meets Leo. Ahh, Leo D’Amato. Love this guy, love a young Max Greenfield. Don’t love how V uses him in this initial episode.
- V finally was able to get her hands on the Crimestoppers call that pointed the finger at Abel Koontz. This is where she used Leo – to get into the evidence room. But this is a big deal for the Marses and their theory about Jake Kane!
Episode Mystery
There are two parallel storylines happening in this episode – the E-String Strangler story and Mac’s parents’ story.
The E-String Strangler plotline is a lot more about Mr. Mars working alongside Sheriff Lamb and how they have very different styles. We’re definitely supposed to like Mr. Mars better in this episode. However, there are times when Sheriff Lamb steps up to the plate, which I took as a sign that, yes, he’s an idiot, but he’s not the most incompetent sheriff to grace our screens. In the end, it’s Leo and Mr. Mars who figure out who the strangler is and catch him.
Mac’s parents… this is a little more complicated. Veronica uncovers the fact that they received a million dollar settlement from the Neptune Hospital in 1992. It turns out that was because the hospital sent the Mackenzies home with the wrong baby… Mac was switched at birth with none other than Madison Sinclair (who will continue to haunt us throughout this entire series). In the end, Mac doesn’t do anything. Her birth mother and she have a moment, but that’s it. And we never hear about that mystery every again.
Overall Mystery
- Who killed Lilly Kane?
No definitive progress was made in this episode, HOWEVER. Learning that Clarence Wiedman made the call with a modified voice that point the police in the direction of Abel Koontz? That’s something.
- Who raped Veronica?
Nothing, nothing, nothing yet.
- Where is Lianne Mars?
Not even mentioned in this episode, that’s where!
- Who is Veronica’s father?
V brought up again that she had the answers in the palm of her hand and she shredded them in order to stay blissfully ignorant. This will come back though!
What Aged Like a Dairy Product
The fashion? There wasn’t anything super blatant in this episode that didn’t age well. Some illegal things were done (ahem, V sneaking in and STEALING SOMETHING FROM THE EVIDENCE ROOM) and some stupid things were done (AHEM, V not telling her dad she was listening to an older dude’s band practice in a soundproof room while a strangler was loose on the town), but both of those things could happen in modern shows too.
What Aged Like a Fine Wine
Female friendship. I love Mac and V. They’re still at the beginning of their beautiful friendship at this point in the series, but women supporting women is my favorite thing.
Rating
A reminder of the rating system:
- Red = I couldn’t even get through this episode because it was so bad
- Orange = Pushed through, hated everything
- Yellow = Opposite of enjoyable, but had some bright spots
- Green = This was mediocre!
- Blue = A solid episode!
- Purple = Television at it’s finest, 12/10, must watch repeatedly.
Severe lack of Logan in this episode had me sad. But this one started to push the overall plot forward, which was fun to see. And I love V and Mac on my screen. All of this together, plus the complicated and heavy episode mysteries, has me giving Season 1, Episode 11 a BLUE rating. Solidly solid.
I’m back, so get ready to enjoy more marshmallowy recaps.
Snark & Squee 