Veronica Mars Re-Watch: Clash of the Tritons and Lord of the Bling (Season 1 Episode 12 and 13)
Lord of the Bling
This episode title is so, so bad. But said Lord of the Bling is played by Anthony Anderson, so that’s kind of fun.
To be frank: I absolutely hate this “case of the week.” It’s one of the cases that turns out isn’t even a case at all; the worst kind, because it’s literally just a waste of both Keith’s and Veronica’s time.
Despite the plentiful enemies that he has made during his climb from the streets to the top, the big reveal is that rap producer Percy “Bone” Hamilton’s (Anthony Anderson) supposedly kidnapped daughter Yolanda is not actually kidnapped. She just ran off to marry the son of Bone’s former lawyer/current nemesis, a man he apparently had crippled via drive-by shooting. (He didn’t actually, but he let everyone believe he did because, basically, “street reasons.”)
Yolanda’s brother, nerdy Bryce, makes it look like a kidnapping to prove to his father that he isn’t “soft.” And Bone gives him that validation in the end.
BRYCE: Look, you can be mad, Dad. But you can’t call me soft.
BONE: No. I guess I can’t.
What. The. hell. He doesn’t even get yelled at! What is the moral here?! This is nonsense.
Anyway, it’s stupid, but the important takeaway from this episode is that Yolanda is important because she used to be Lilly’s and Veronica’s friend. Until she became the chick that Logan cheated on Lilly with, prompting their break-up right before Lilly’s murder.
The show and Veronica both make pretty clear that the cheating wasn’t really Yolanda’s fault at all. Logan put the moves on her and kissed her first. On top of that, Yolanda had spent the afternoon prior to the party listening to Lilly talk about intending to break up with Logan because he can’t handle all the guys who hit on her.
Lilly’s reasoning for breaking up with Logan is, essentially, (to quote the ever-wise Destiny’s Child) that he’s “not ready for this jelly.”
I’ve said it before: I’m not a Lilly fan. But I don’t think you’re supposed to be. I respect the show’s choice to have their central murder victim be a rather stereotypical bitchy mean high school girl. Lilly really is far more interesting in that she was so incredibly flawed.
Meanwhile, Logan slowly unravels throughout the episode, building towards his mother’s funeral.
He hilariously walks around among the mourners, giving them exaggerated, uncomfortable thanks for attending. Even Aaron is (apparently) moved by Logan’s distress; he fires his agent and “quits showbiz” after the agent tries to talk to him about a movie role during Lynn’s funeral. For a minute there, it seems like Aaron is an actual human person with feelings!
Towards the end of the funeral, Logan disappears into his room to play video games. When Duncan comes to find him, Logan gives quite the crazy-eyed speech– culminating in the reveal that he is sure that his mother Lynn is not dead. She just faked it to escape his father.
Again, much like Lynn’s apparent suicide, the whole thing is just completely heartbreaking. Logan is either in mega-denial, or truly thinks his mother abandoned him with his lunatic father. Either option sucks.
Enter: Veronica. Logan showing up at Veronica’s doorstep asking for her help marks the next phase of their relationship. Logan is desperate enough to turn to the girl who he considers the cause of so much pain in his life.
This is where the show kicks into high gear. Get excited, guys, and stay tuned.
What did you think of these two episodes of Veronica Mars? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Caralynn Lippo
Caralynn is a freelance writer and editor, but most importantly, she is a diehard TV addict. A few of her current favorites are Mr. Robot, You're the Worst, iZombie, and The Vampire Diaries. She also writes about TV for Romper, The TV Junkies, and TV Fanatic.