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matt_zimmerAlso reviews for Doctor Who "A Good Man Goes To War" and the latest episodes of The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, The Looney Tunes Show and MAD.
The Spoilers for Doctor Who behind the cut are major. Do not read unless you have seen the episode.
Doctor Who "A Good Man Goes To War"
Wonderful. I'm not quite sure why everyone was after the Doctor but I suppose that will be explained by the end of the season. Still, a mid-season finale is always tough to take and I'm bummed my current favorite show did it.
Let's talk about the twist. The SECOND Amy named her baby Melody I knew River was her daughter. I had suspected for a little bit earlier in the season when Amy became pregnant but then it was just one crazy theory out of many. I like the twist a lot especially since it doesn't contradict anything.
Speaking of contradictions, I love whenever the series pulls the "does Amy love the Doctor more than Rory?" card. I nearly flipped out when Amy described the father of her baby as being hundreds of years and coming to rescue her and then finally referred to him as "The Centurion". THAT twist completely escaped me and I was like "Oh, yeah!" once I understood it.
I will concede that The Doctor amassing an army was a bit of a disappointment for me. The Stolen Earth did it better because Ten had had so many Companions and allies but I think it was a little bit early in Eleven's run to try to do the same thing. The Stolen Earth gave us Captain Jack, Sarah Jane and Rose Tyler. Here we have a Silurian, the fat blue guy, and a Sontaran wetnurse. They should at least have tried to bring Captain Jack and Sarah Jane in the mix. I'm especially sad about Sarah Jane's absense since Elisabeth Sladen died. Maybe she was too sick to participate?
I like the clue of "Doctor" meaning warrior on that planet. I didn't exactly understand it at first but it paid off. Little touches like that on this show are great.
Best bit was the dying Sontaran saying that he didn't like dying in battle as much as he thought he would. I always wanted a Klingon in Star Trek to say the exact same thing and it was equally awesome hearing it from a Sontaran. I like how they made the Sontaran a good guy just for this episode without changing his motivations or the concept of the character. Great stuff.
I cannot wait for this show to return. Fabulous episode. *****.
The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes "This Hostage Earth"
Ant-Man is really starting to annoy me. I don't think this series thought through the implications of having a pacifist on the team. Rather than someone with strong moral character, Hank just looks wimpy and annoying. Ugh.
Great cliffhanger with Loki. I was wondering when he'd show up again.
Missed Cap last episode so it was good to see him here.
Did they really kill off Gray Gargoyle? Why? That made no sense to me.
Good episode. ****.
The Looney Tunes Show "Casa De Calma"
Funny story but not outstanding. It was enjoyable for what it was. Best bit was Daffy on the high dive. More cartoony stuff like that, please. ****.
Merrie Melodies "Queso Bandito": Hummable Speedy Gonzales song. ****.
Wile E. Coyote And Roadrunner "Sail Fail": This is the first CGI RR toon to use the latin Freeze Frame gag. ***1/2.
Episode Overall: ****.
MAD "Ribbitless / The Clawfice"
Loved the Muppet Show parody (Especially Kermit's dancing tying into an earlier episode) but I fail to see what that spoof had to do with the movie "Limitless". The Office/X-Men parody fared better, if only because they managed to nail each of the Officemates personalities down cold. Gasp! You mean the writers of the parody actually watch the show? Do tell!
Worst part was the "gross / way gross" segment. Disgusting. Pretty good episode otherwise. ***1/2.
Veronica Mars: The Complete Third Season
The third and final year of Veronica Mars was it's worst. Don't get me wrong, it's still a good show, but it was no longer the GREAT show the first two seasons were. I have a feeling this was due more to network interference than bad writing though. The new network CW ordered the producers to make more self contained stories and usually on a serialized show that is the kiss of death. The ONLY serialized show I've ever seen still manage to make watchable standalone episodes is Angel in the fifth season, and despite how awesome that show was it still got canceled at the end of the season.
The rape mystery was another strike against the season too. This was a bummer of a mystery and even though it didn't last all season long it made the show tough to watch at times. The murder of Dean O'Dell plot faired better, but that was an even shorter mystery and it petered out in an unceramoniously lame fashion. The last five episodes of the series didn't even HAVE an overarching mystery and that turned out to be the show's demise.
Best episodes of the year are the fun Wichita Linebacker, the scary Of Vice And Men, the unpredictable There's Got to Be a Morning After Pill, and the thought-provoking I Know What You'll Do Next Summer. Worst episodes are the one that nearly ruined Keith Mars (High Infidelity) and the lame resolution to the O'Dell mystery (Papa's Cabin). Technically Mars, Bars isn't actually a BAD episode but I still hate it for commiting the bone-headed sin of killing off Sheriff Lamb. The show has never done anything stupider and the evil chemistry between him and Veronica was fabulous. It was completely unnecessary too. Season overall: ***1/2. Series Overall: ****1/2.
Welcome Wagon: The weakest of the season openers. I liked Dick's scene with Logan at the end and Veronica solving that mystery game in six minutes was unbearably cool but this season's mystery is a dud. It's too dark a concept and takes any and all pleasure out of watching the series. ***1/2.
My Big Fat Greek Rush Week: I like how this episode put both Veronica and Keith through the wringer. And for such a likeable actor Boy Meets World's Rider Strong plays a convincing butthole. I wanted to slap him throughout. Episode's biggest fault is excusing his deplorable behavior at the end. Not even close to okay. ****.
Wichita Lineback: Love Ed Begley Jr. as Dean O'Dell and I've always enjoyed Weevil. The main mystery wasn't so hot but Veronica winning over the Dean was all kinds of awesome. I'm a little puzzled how Weevil got his murder rap downgraded to assault. He DID kill Felix after all. I also really loathe the college students on this show and how appalling their behavior is. But then, I always loathed the behavior of dumb kids even when I was that age. ****1/2.
Charlie Don't Surf: I don't really like Logan at all but I have to admit he IS so sympathetic because he's always getting so screwed over. Veronica may deserve better but you kind of get why she stuck with him as long as she did. ***1/2.
President Evil: Decent. Best part was the end and Veronica being so unrepentant at getting that bratty girl's father arrested. She just ripped the necklace off her. Perfect. ***1/2.
High Infidelity: Eh. Okay, I guess but not great. Best scene was Veronica in Logan's room and their interplay with that Ratner guy. I love Dean O'Dell so I always hated how his wife was cheating on him. Speaking of cheating, making Keith an adulterer was a bad movie even if it was with fellow "Just Shoot Me" alum Laura San Giacoma. **1/2.
Of Vice and Men: The ending to this was scary. The camera moves in Veronica's drug induced freak-out reminded me of something out of Twin Peaks. Great episode. It also contained the greatest line of the season and possibly the entire series: When Piz asks where he's supposed to sleep after he finds Veronica's friend in his bed, Veronica sexily replies "You play your cards right... the floor." ****1/2.
Lord of the Pi's: I don't know if I'm happy or sad to see Logan and Veronica imploding. No WAY is he good enough for her but she's not exactly acting reasonable. The mystery this episode was pretty cool though. ***1/2.
Spit & Eggs: Sort of a bummer but the resolution is not without it's good points. Logan smashing that cop car to get access to Mercer was a stroke of genius. That's twisted, yet brilliant. Only a rich person could get away with that. Logan and Veronica breaking up was meaningless for me and I'm bummed they killed of the likable Dean O'Dell. A mixed bag. ***.
Show Me the Monkey: That monkey is cute. Like Veronica, I think no guy is good enough for Mac so I wasn't crazy about her subplot. Loved the scene at the end between Keith and Landry. And yes, Piz has it for Veronica. ***1/2.
Poughkeepsie, Tramps and Thieves: The plotline for this episode was ridiculous, as was the outcome. It was sort of sweet on some level but the series has a habit of completely inventing fantasy morals for the sake of unpredictability (see season 1's "Drinking the Kool-Aid"). ***.
There's Got to Be a Morning After Pill: Loved the episode. I found Bonnie's televangelist father being one of those "judged not lest ye be judged / love the sinner" types instead of the fire and brimstone sort, very refreshing. Yet another example of implausibiliy but that was a twist I really enjoyed. I kind of wish Verocica HAD trashed Madison's car but it was in character that she didn't. As Weevil noted, she's gone soft. And how hilarious was it that Weevil charged her $500 to steal the car? Seriously, I think Veronica charging that much to people who are supposed to be her friends is ridiculous and it was good seeing Eli making what is good for the goose good for the gander. ****1/2.
Postgame Mortem: That little girl Logan was babysitting was adorable. Also fun was Dick getting married. The O'Dell murder stuff is starting to heat up too. Loved the cliffhanger of Lamb arresting Verinoca for helping Barry escape. Great stuff. ****.
Mars, Bars: Making Micheal Muhney a regular in season three is the smartest thing the show ever did. Killing off Sheriff Lamb this episode was the absolute dumbest. The good news is that Veronica's scenes behind bars were hysterical. I cannot give the episode anything more than a passing grade however because they killed off Lamb. **1/2.
Papa's Cabin: Least satisfying. Mystery resolution. EVER. Too many balls in the air and fake endings. The only thing I will give them credit for is not making either the Dean's wife or Landry Cyrus O'Dell's killer. Unfortunately, the motive of the real killer was shaky at best and the resolution didn't make a whole lot of sense. **1/2.
Un-American Graffiti: This episode got better as it went along. The mystery was annoyingly preachy but I try to keep in mind this show was geared towards teens and the message might have been needed. I liked Keith firing those four cops and being mad at Veronica for making Piz and Wallace those fake ID's. To be honest, when she did that a few episodes ago that really raised my eyebrows and I'm glad there were consequences for it. Speaking of Veronica and Piz, no, I don't think Piz is good enough for her either but as a fan of unrequited love, the resolution was awesome. I didn't expect that. ***1/2.
Debasement Tapes: Paul Rudd was very funny here. He has a good singing voice. The end of Vinny throwing his hat in the ring for sheriff was awesome. ****.
I Know What You'll Do Next Summer: Powerful episode. The main story was great (as was the PSA at the end) but I also really enjoyed Dick confronting his father about Cassidy's death. I had never suspected Dick blamed himself for Beaver killing himself and all of those people but it makes perfect sense. I knew he felt guilty about him dying though, but I had only thought that was because he treated him so poorly. Dick is a really hard character to like but I completely sympathized with him for once. I also liked Veronica telling Parker that the clueless, selfish Logan is "the way he is". I like how much that realization hit Logan. Honestly, even though Logan didn't ever deserve Veronica, I feel bad for him because she was one of the few people who saw beyond his issues. I don't envy him finding another girl who will ever do that. Vinny was hilarious this episode too. His commercial was priceless. Question: when did Veronica and Piz actually get together and why didn't it happen onscreen? Last episode they were all awkward around each other and at the beginning of this one they were wrapped around each other. Huh. ****1/2.
Weevils Wobble: I was trying SO hard to enjoy this episode but I couldn't. This ep has perhaps the most egregious examples of obvious product placements I've ever seen. And it not just one or two, it's over and over again. The latter part of the season has been annoying on this front but this was over the line. And Logan need to calm the freak down. By the way, the plotline of Weevil getting framed for something by rich snobs has been done to death. It was cool the first dozen times. I was hoping the show would have learned a few new tricks. ***.
The B**** Is Back: Solid season finale, but for an unintended SERIES finale, it wasn't so great. No big cliffhanger or anything but no real resolution either. I understand the producers didn't know if they were coming back or not but I've seen season finales that turned out to be series finales much more satisfying than this (Superman: The Animated Series and Caprica spring immediately to mind). Still, it was great to see Veronica get her vengeance on as no-one does revenge better than her. Love Logan beating up that guy anyways. Sometimes a short fuse is a good thing. I miss this show. ****.
Extras: The best extras EVER for a Veronica Mars set. With the exception of deleted scenes VM has been notably skimpy on extras and they completely went all-out for the last season. They included the "Veronica In The FBI" Promo, a buttload of deleted scenes, webisodes (actually more like video blogs), a gag reel, a look at what would have happened in season four and best of all, video commentaries for individual scenes in different categories. They didn't overdo it, or underdo it. Just right. *****.
Season 4 Presentation: This promo detailing the first twenty minutes of what would have been season four is pretty good but part of me is glad the show didn't return. Part of the appeal of the show is the soap opera and the show missing Logan, Wallace, Weevil, Mac, Dick and ESPECIALLY Keith feels completely wrong. A curiousity, nothing more. ***.
Pitching Season 4: Seeing the presentation reel again during the interviews makes me see how wrong it is. This would have been a disaster. If they weren't even going to resolve the plot threads from season three there was no reason for the series to come back. ***.
Going Undercover with Rob Thomas:
I've never seen commentary done like this. Instead of commenting over the episodes, these are video commentaries over various scenes in different categories. I don't normally review commentaries but these play like featurettes. Overall: ****.
1. Main Titles "Why the Change?": I prefer the old version of the theme song but Thomas makes good points about why they needed a revamp. I had just assumed it was because the show was on a new network. ****.
2. Rob's Directing Experience: I LOVE the scene of Logan smashing the police car and I'm glad they noted how unexpectedly awesome it was. Great stuff. ****1/2.
3. Favorite Guest Star Moments: I like how they noted that Ken Marino plays Vinny Van Lowe on two levels and that for such a cartoonish goofball he also has a cunning and dangerous side. That's what makes him so awesome. ****.
4. Veronica Mars: Mean Girl: I agree with Thomas. Had Veronica been a male all of her "mean" moments this year would have been a non-issue. I'm particularly perplexed at people thinking that her ripping Lily's necklace off that little brat was mean. I think that was awesome and showed that she wasn't going to put up with any garbage this year. Unapologetic and great. ****.
5. The Politics of Veronica Mars: What is with me always agreeing with Rob Thomas on these things? As a liberal none of the things that fans complained about, about the show selling conservative viewpoints, ever occured to me. The show is famous for turning expectations on their heads so I just found the good preacher refreshing rather than a conservative viewpoint. ****1/2.
6. Favorite Veronica/ Logan Moments: I like the scene of Veronica and Logan talking in bed too but they didn't show the best part: after all of that sturm and drang about how the subject was a landmine, Logan admitting that he has never been with a prostitute. ***1/2.
7. Favorite Veronica/ Keith Moments: Favorite scene is easily Veronica calling Keith out on his adultery. Excellent. ****1/2.
8. Do-Overs?: Only two scenes? The second scene was hardly a problem for me although I WILL admit the first scene DID puzzle me when I first saw it. ***.
9. Highlights: They should have included the scene of Veronica suggesting Piz sleep on the floor. Otherwise some great choices. I'm especially glad they included Veronica's dosed nightmare. ****1/2.
Webisode Gallery:
Be forewarned: These are completely mislabeled. They are NOT webisodes but more like Video Blogs. I was actually excited at the thought of seeing new VM stuff I hadn't seen before but it's just people goofing around on-set. The Veronica In The FBI and the Additional Scenes are the last new Veronica stuff we'll probably ever see. Overall: ***1/2.
1. Ryan Hansen Interview: I love that for playing such a shallow character that Hansen is actually an animal lover and brought the Invisible Children project to the producers' attention, who decided it was an important enough issue to center an episode around. ****.
2. Hanging with Hansen - Trailer Tour: Ryan's dog is funny. ***1/2.
3. Veronica Mars Hearst College New Set Tour: Boring. I like that all of the food is made of plastic though. ***.
4. 30 sec. Set Tour: I wish the previous set tour had been like this. This covers everything not in the previous webisode. ****1/2.
5. Kristen Bell/Chris Lowell Interviews with each other: Cute, funny, awkward, silly and embarrassing. Pretty much everything you want in an interview. *****.
Additional Scenes with Introductions by Show Creator Rob Thomas: My favorites are the four part subplot of Mac completely losing her mind and Wallace realizing she's crazy in a Twilight Zone riff and the very last scene between Veronica and Leo. Nice. *****.
Gag reel: Best bit was easily Enrico Colantoni's 8 alternate takes on the "Dean's Suicide" line. That actually belonged more in the deleted scenes than the gag reel but I understand why they put them here. They're frakking hilarious. ****1/2.
DVD Menus: Similar to seasons 1 and 2's menus. Disc 6 is still and mute. ***1/2.
The Spoilers for Doctor Who behind the cut are major. Do not read unless you have seen the episode.
Doctor Who "A Good Man Goes To War"
Wonderful. I'm not quite sure why everyone was after the Doctor but I suppose that will be explained by the end of the season. Still, a mid-season finale is always tough to take and I'm bummed my current favorite show did it.
Let's talk about the twist. The SECOND Amy named her baby Melody I knew River was her daughter. I had suspected for a little bit earlier in the season when Amy became pregnant but then it was just one crazy theory out of many. I like the twist a lot especially since it doesn't contradict anything.
Speaking of contradictions, I love whenever the series pulls the "does Amy love the Doctor more than Rory?" card. I nearly flipped out when Amy described the father of her baby as being hundreds of years and coming to rescue her and then finally referred to him as "The Centurion". THAT twist completely escaped me and I was like "Oh, yeah!" once I understood it.
I will concede that The Doctor amassing an army was a bit of a disappointment for me. The Stolen Earth did it better because Ten had had so many Companions and allies but I think it was a little bit early in Eleven's run to try to do the same thing. The Stolen Earth gave us Captain Jack, Sarah Jane and Rose Tyler. Here we have a Silurian, the fat blue guy, and a Sontaran wetnurse. They should at least have tried to bring Captain Jack and Sarah Jane in the mix. I'm especially sad about Sarah Jane's absense since Elisabeth Sladen died. Maybe she was too sick to participate?
I like the clue of "Doctor" meaning warrior on that planet. I didn't exactly understand it at first but it paid off. Little touches like that on this show are great.
Best bit was the dying Sontaran saying that he didn't like dying in battle as much as he thought he would. I always wanted a Klingon in Star Trek to say the exact same thing and it was equally awesome hearing it from a Sontaran. I like how they made the Sontaran a good guy just for this episode without changing his motivations or the concept of the character. Great stuff.
I cannot wait for this show to return. Fabulous episode. *****.
The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes "This Hostage Earth"
Ant-Man is really starting to annoy me. I don't think this series thought through the implications of having a pacifist on the team. Rather than someone with strong moral character, Hank just looks wimpy and annoying. Ugh.
Great cliffhanger with Loki. I was wondering when he'd show up again.
Missed Cap last episode so it was good to see him here.
Did they really kill off Gray Gargoyle? Why? That made no sense to me.
Good episode. ****.
The Looney Tunes Show "Casa De Calma"
Funny story but not outstanding. It was enjoyable for what it was. Best bit was Daffy on the high dive. More cartoony stuff like that, please. ****.
Merrie Melodies "Queso Bandito": Hummable Speedy Gonzales song. ****.
Wile E. Coyote And Roadrunner "Sail Fail": This is the first CGI RR toon to use the latin Freeze Frame gag. ***1/2.
Episode Overall: ****.
MAD "Ribbitless / The Clawfice"
Loved the Muppet Show parody (Especially Kermit's dancing tying into an earlier episode) but I fail to see what that spoof had to do with the movie "Limitless". The Office/X-Men parody fared better, if only because they managed to nail each of the Officemates personalities down cold. Gasp! You mean the writers of the parody actually watch the show? Do tell!
Worst part was the "gross / way gross" segment. Disgusting. Pretty good episode otherwise. ***1/2.
Veronica Mars: The Complete Third Season
The third and final year of Veronica Mars was it's worst. Don't get me wrong, it's still a good show, but it was no longer the GREAT show the first two seasons were. I have a feeling this was due more to network interference than bad writing though. The new network CW ordered the producers to make more self contained stories and usually on a serialized show that is the kiss of death. The ONLY serialized show I've ever seen still manage to make watchable standalone episodes is Angel in the fifth season, and despite how awesome that show was it still got canceled at the end of the season.
The rape mystery was another strike against the season too. This was a bummer of a mystery and even though it didn't last all season long it made the show tough to watch at times. The murder of Dean O'Dell plot faired better, but that was an even shorter mystery and it petered out in an unceramoniously lame fashion. The last five episodes of the series didn't even HAVE an overarching mystery and that turned out to be the show's demise.
Best episodes of the year are the fun Wichita Linebacker, the scary Of Vice And Men, the unpredictable There's Got to Be a Morning After Pill, and the thought-provoking I Know What You'll Do Next Summer. Worst episodes are the one that nearly ruined Keith Mars (High Infidelity) and the lame resolution to the O'Dell mystery (Papa's Cabin). Technically Mars, Bars isn't actually a BAD episode but I still hate it for commiting the bone-headed sin of killing off Sheriff Lamb. The show has never done anything stupider and the evil chemistry between him and Veronica was fabulous. It was completely unnecessary too. Season overall: ***1/2. Series Overall: ****1/2.
Welcome Wagon: The weakest of the season openers. I liked Dick's scene with Logan at the end and Veronica solving that mystery game in six minutes was unbearably cool but this season's mystery is a dud. It's too dark a concept and takes any and all pleasure out of watching the series. ***1/2.
My Big Fat Greek Rush Week: I like how this episode put both Veronica and Keith through the wringer. And for such a likeable actor Boy Meets World's Rider Strong plays a convincing butthole. I wanted to slap him throughout. Episode's biggest fault is excusing his deplorable behavior at the end. Not even close to okay. ****.
Wichita Lineback: Love Ed Begley Jr. as Dean O'Dell and I've always enjoyed Weevil. The main mystery wasn't so hot but Veronica winning over the Dean was all kinds of awesome. I'm a little puzzled how Weevil got his murder rap downgraded to assault. He DID kill Felix after all. I also really loathe the college students on this show and how appalling their behavior is. But then, I always loathed the behavior of dumb kids even when I was that age. ****1/2.
Charlie Don't Surf: I don't really like Logan at all but I have to admit he IS so sympathetic because he's always getting so screwed over. Veronica may deserve better but you kind of get why she stuck with him as long as she did. ***1/2.
President Evil: Decent. Best part was the end and Veronica being so unrepentant at getting that bratty girl's father arrested. She just ripped the necklace off her. Perfect. ***1/2.
High Infidelity: Eh. Okay, I guess but not great. Best scene was Veronica in Logan's room and their interplay with that Ratner guy. I love Dean O'Dell so I always hated how his wife was cheating on him. Speaking of cheating, making Keith an adulterer was a bad movie even if it was with fellow "Just Shoot Me" alum Laura San Giacoma. **1/2.
Of Vice and Men: The ending to this was scary. The camera moves in Veronica's drug induced freak-out reminded me of something out of Twin Peaks. Great episode. It also contained the greatest line of the season and possibly the entire series: When Piz asks where he's supposed to sleep after he finds Veronica's friend in his bed, Veronica sexily replies "You play your cards right... the floor." ****1/2.
Lord of the Pi's: I don't know if I'm happy or sad to see Logan and Veronica imploding. No WAY is he good enough for her but she's not exactly acting reasonable. The mystery this episode was pretty cool though. ***1/2.
Spit & Eggs: Sort of a bummer but the resolution is not without it's good points. Logan smashing that cop car to get access to Mercer was a stroke of genius. That's twisted, yet brilliant. Only a rich person could get away with that. Logan and Veronica breaking up was meaningless for me and I'm bummed they killed of the likable Dean O'Dell. A mixed bag. ***.
Show Me the Monkey: That monkey is cute. Like Veronica, I think no guy is good enough for Mac so I wasn't crazy about her subplot. Loved the scene at the end between Keith and Landry. And yes, Piz has it for Veronica. ***1/2.
Poughkeepsie, Tramps and Thieves: The plotline for this episode was ridiculous, as was the outcome. It was sort of sweet on some level but the series has a habit of completely inventing fantasy morals for the sake of unpredictability (see season 1's "Drinking the Kool-Aid"). ***.
There's Got to Be a Morning After Pill: Loved the episode. I found Bonnie's televangelist father being one of those "judged not lest ye be judged / love the sinner" types instead of the fire and brimstone sort, very refreshing. Yet another example of implausibiliy but that was a twist I really enjoyed. I kind of wish Verocica HAD trashed Madison's car but it was in character that she didn't. As Weevil noted, she's gone soft. And how hilarious was it that Weevil charged her $500 to steal the car? Seriously, I think Veronica charging that much to people who are supposed to be her friends is ridiculous and it was good seeing Eli making what is good for the goose good for the gander. ****1/2.
Postgame Mortem: That little girl Logan was babysitting was adorable. Also fun was Dick getting married. The O'Dell murder stuff is starting to heat up too. Loved the cliffhanger of Lamb arresting Verinoca for helping Barry escape. Great stuff. ****.
Mars, Bars: Making Micheal Muhney a regular in season three is the smartest thing the show ever did. Killing off Sheriff Lamb this episode was the absolute dumbest. The good news is that Veronica's scenes behind bars were hysterical. I cannot give the episode anything more than a passing grade however because they killed off Lamb. **1/2.
Papa's Cabin: Least satisfying. Mystery resolution. EVER. Too many balls in the air and fake endings. The only thing I will give them credit for is not making either the Dean's wife or Landry Cyrus O'Dell's killer. Unfortunately, the motive of the real killer was shaky at best and the resolution didn't make a whole lot of sense. **1/2.
Un-American Graffiti: This episode got better as it went along. The mystery was annoyingly preachy but I try to keep in mind this show was geared towards teens and the message might have been needed. I liked Keith firing those four cops and being mad at Veronica for making Piz and Wallace those fake ID's. To be honest, when she did that a few episodes ago that really raised my eyebrows and I'm glad there were consequences for it. Speaking of Veronica and Piz, no, I don't think Piz is good enough for her either but as a fan of unrequited love, the resolution was awesome. I didn't expect that. ***1/2.
Debasement Tapes: Paul Rudd was very funny here. He has a good singing voice. The end of Vinny throwing his hat in the ring for sheriff was awesome. ****.
I Know What You'll Do Next Summer: Powerful episode. The main story was great (as was the PSA at the end) but I also really enjoyed Dick confronting his father about Cassidy's death. I had never suspected Dick blamed himself for Beaver killing himself and all of those people but it makes perfect sense. I knew he felt guilty about him dying though, but I had only thought that was because he treated him so poorly. Dick is a really hard character to like but I completely sympathized with him for once. I also liked Veronica telling Parker that the clueless, selfish Logan is "the way he is". I like how much that realization hit Logan. Honestly, even though Logan didn't ever deserve Veronica, I feel bad for him because she was one of the few people who saw beyond his issues. I don't envy him finding another girl who will ever do that. Vinny was hilarious this episode too. His commercial was priceless. Question: when did Veronica and Piz actually get together and why didn't it happen onscreen? Last episode they were all awkward around each other and at the beginning of this one they were wrapped around each other. Huh. ****1/2.
Weevils Wobble: I was trying SO hard to enjoy this episode but I couldn't. This ep has perhaps the most egregious examples of obvious product placements I've ever seen. And it not just one or two, it's over and over again. The latter part of the season has been annoying on this front but this was over the line. And Logan need to calm the freak down. By the way, the plotline of Weevil getting framed for something by rich snobs has been done to death. It was cool the first dozen times. I was hoping the show would have learned a few new tricks. ***.
The B**** Is Back: Solid season finale, but for an unintended SERIES finale, it wasn't so great. No big cliffhanger or anything but no real resolution either. I understand the producers didn't know if they were coming back or not but I've seen season finales that turned out to be series finales much more satisfying than this (Superman: The Animated Series and Caprica spring immediately to mind). Still, it was great to see Veronica get her vengeance on as no-one does revenge better than her. Love Logan beating up that guy anyways. Sometimes a short fuse is a good thing. I miss this show. ****.
Extras: The best extras EVER for a Veronica Mars set. With the exception of deleted scenes VM has been notably skimpy on extras and they completely went all-out for the last season. They included the "Veronica In The FBI" Promo, a buttload of deleted scenes, webisodes (actually more like video blogs), a gag reel, a look at what would have happened in season four and best of all, video commentaries for individual scenes in different categories. They didn't overdo it, or underdo it. Just right. *****.
Season 4 Presentation: This promo detailing the first twenty minutes of what would have been season four is pretty good but part of me is glad the show didn't return. Part of the appeal of the show is the soap opera and the show missing Logan, Wallace, Weevil, Mac, Dick and ESPECIALLY Keith feels completely wrong. A curiousity, nothing more. ***.
Pitching Season 4: Seeing the presentation reel again during the interviews makes me see how wrong it is. This would have been a disaster. If they weren't even going to resolve the plot threads from season three there was no reason for the series to come back. ***.
Going Undercover with Rob Thomas:
I've never seen commentary done like this. Instead of commenting over the episodes, these are video commentaries over various scenes in different categories. I don't normally review commentaries but these play like featurettes. Overall: ****.
1. Main Titles "Why the Change?": I prefer the old version of the theme song but Thomas makes good points about why they needed a revamp. I had just assumed it was because the show was on a new network. ****.
2. Rob's Directing Experience: I LOVE the scene of Logan smashing the police car and I'm glad they noted how unexpectedly awesome it was. Great stuff. ****1/2.
3. Favorite Guest Star Moments: I like how they noted that Ken Marino plays Vinny Van Lowe on two levels and that for such a cartoonish goofball he also has a cunning and dangerous side. That's what makes him so awesome. ****.
4. Veronica Mars: Mean Girl: I agree with Thomas. Had Veronica been a male all of her "mean" moments this year would have been a non-issue. I'm particularly perplexed at people thinking that her ripping Lily's necklace off that little brat was mean. I think that was awesome and showed that she wasn't going to put up with any garbage this year. Unapologetic and great. ****.
5. The Politics of Veronica Mars: What is with me always agreeing with Rob Thomas on these things? As a liberal none of the things that fans complained about, about the show selling conservative viewpoints, ever occured to me. The show is famous for turning expectations on their heads so I just found the good preacher refreshing rather than a conservative viewpoint. ****1/2.
6. Favorite Veronica/ Logan Moments: I like the scene of Veronica and Logan talking in bed too but they didn't show the best part: after all of that sturm and drang about how the subject was a landmine, Logan admitting that he has never been with a prostitute. ***1/2.
7. Favorite Veronica/ Keith Moments: Favorite scene is easily Veronica calling Keith out on his adultery. Excellent. ****1/2.
8. Do-Overs?: Only two scenes? The second scene was hardly a problem for me although I WILL admit the first scene DID puzzle me when I first saw it. ***.
9. Highlights: They should have included the scene of Veronica suggesting Piz sleep on the floor. Otherwise some great choices. I'm especially glad they included Veronica's dosed nightmare. ****1/2.
Webisode Gallery:
Be forewarned: These are completely mislabeled. They are NOT webisodes but more like Video Blogs. I was actually excited at the thought of seeing new VM stuff I hadn't seen before but it's just people goofing around on-set. The Veronica In The FBI and the Additional Scenes are the last new Veronica stuff we'll probably ever see. Overall: ***1/2.
1. Ryan Hansen Interview: I love that for playing such a shallow character that Hansen is actually an animal lover and brought the Invisible Children project to the producers' attention, who decided it was an important enough issue to center an episode around. ****.
2. Hanging with Hansen - Trailer Tour: Ryan's dog is funny. ***1/2.
3. Veronica Mars Hearst College New Set Tour: Boring. I like that all of the food is made of plastic though. ***.
4. 30 sec. Set Tour: I wish the previous set tour had been like this. This covers everything not in the previous webisode. ****1/2.
5. Kristen Bell/Chris Lowell Interviews with each other: Cute, funny, awkward, silly and embarrassing. Pretty much everything you want in an interview. *****.
Additional Scenes with Introductions by Show Creator Rob Thomas: My favorites are the four part subplot of Mac completely losing her mind and Wallace realizing she's crazy in a Twilight Zone riff and the very last scene between Veronica and Leo. Nice. *****.
Gag reel: Best bit was easily Enrico Colantoni's 8 alternate takes on the "Dean's Suicide" line. That actually belonged more in the deleted scenes than the gag reel but I understand why they put them here. They're frakking hilarious. ****1/2.
DVD Menus: Similar to seasons 1 and 2's menus. Disc 6 is still and mute. ***1/2.
