Veronica Mars Re-Watch: Mars vs. Mars (Season 1 Episode 14)

Veronica is not a heroine who gets things very, very wrong. Veronica Mars is typically all about our titular protagonist being cleverer than nearly everyone around her. It’s kind of her thing. Rarely does Veronica exhibit an extreme lack of judgment. “Mars vs. Mars” features one of those infrequent missteps for our favorite teen detective.

OK, maybe I’m overblowing this a little bit. Unfortunately, this episode has always stuck out to me negatively in a huge way for a few reasons.

For one, two of my favorite soon-to-be-big-star guest spots (of which there are many) happen in “Mars vs. Mars.” There’s pre-Gossip Girl Leighton Meester as mean girl Carrie Bishop and Parks and Recreation’s Adam Scott as sketchy “cool teacher” Mr. Rooks. They both do a fine job in their respective roles, although I’ll never not be creeped out by Mr. Leslie Knope being a teacher predator (albeit one of the floppy-hair variety).

The other reason this episode sticks out is because of how Veronica very nearly blows it. She’s uncharacteristically determined to think the worst of Carrie Bishop. Veronica, and the rest of the student body, love Mr. Rooks (he makes learning fun! Look at how he jovially snaps as he has the students answer history questions in a cool, Family Feud-like manner!), and for that reason she’s blinded to the truth.

But it also sticks at me that Veronica, someone who experienced slut-shaming and dismissal of her own sexual assault allegations firsthand, would be so dismissive of Carrie’s claims. Throughout the episode, you wait for the flashback that reveals why Veronica detests Carrie so much, but that never comes. Sure, Carrie is a gossip and kind of bitchy (see: gossiping about Veronica and Duncan’s breakup with Susan Knight in a flashback sequence), but she never does anything that really warrants Veronica joining in on the school-wide cruelty.

Veronica is set against her father Keith, as per the episode title, when he is hired by Carrie’s parents to find proof that Carrie’s claims of an affair are true. Veronica is kind of bratty to Keith, accusing him of participating in a witch hunt, which is a little bit melodramatic and silly. Keith, further solidifying the whole “cool dad” thing, backs off and allows Veronica to carry on her own parallel investigation trying to clear Mr. Rooks’ name.

And Veronica successfully does it! She explains away Carrie’s text evidence of an affair, she borrows Carrie’s permanent record to see that Mr. Rooks called in her parents for a meeting, she finds out that Carrie was at a track meet at the time she was supposedly with Rooks. All’s well and good, then, when Mr. Rooks is cleared—except Veronica drops by his house to return a cell phone and lo and behold, there’s the black silk sheets and Rolling Stones seduction jams that Carrie told her about. Oh, Mr. Rooks, you cad.

The twist that it was not Carrie, but rather Carrie’s BFF Susan Knight, who was the victim of Mr. Rooks’ seduction is an interesting one. It deepens Carrie’s character, for sure, and she and Veronica share a nice moment exchanging looks when Mr. Rooks packs up his stuff and resigns from the school.

Beyond the Mr. Rooks case, Veronica is working overtime during “Mars vs. Mars.” Aside from disproving Carrie’s claims (and then later re-proving them, in record time), she also assists Logan in uncovering whether his mother is really dead, and spares a few moments to investigate Duncan’s mystery medical condition. In the process, she also gains critical information about Abel Koontz. For a not particularly memorable episode, it sure packs a punch, plot-wise.

Easily the best part is the Veronica-Logan team-up. Prior to this, the two have not spent much time together (outside of what is glimpsed in flashbacks). They largely trade loaded barbs and insult one another. With Logan arriving at Veronica’s door to ask for her help at the end of “Lord of the Bling,” the next phase of their relationship is initiated.

Importantly, this development never feels contrived. It makes perfect sense that Logan would go to Veronica. He’s distraught over his mother’s death, he and Veronica were friends at once point, and he knows that she’s the best detective in town. Veronica, knowing the pain of losing a mother (albeit in a less final way), doesn’t hesitate to agree to help out, though she doesn’t hold out much hope for finding a truth that Logan will like.

The two are forced to spend time together, first chasing down leads about possible eyewitnesses to the crime. In the end, they seem to find video proof that Lynn Echolls actually jumped, and the story would appear to be resolved there—except that Veronica gets an alert that Lynn’s credit card was used, forcing the two to continue to work together to find out if Lynn truly is alive and just skipped town.

Jury’s out on what the video evidence of someone dropping like a stone off a bridge and into the water means, if Lynn is indeed alive.

My favorite part of these early Logan-Veronica scenes is how gently she treats him. There’s still that sarcastic banter, but she genuinely feels for him, continuously trying to calm him down and/or gently comfort him when they get pieces of bad news one after the other. I just adore how their dynamic begins to shift starting in “Mars vs. Mars.”

Veronica also takes a minute to steal a peek at Duncan’s medical records after she goes to his doctor. While there, she also snags Abel Koontz’s record (so convenient that those two have the same doctor, huh?).

She uncovers that Duncan has type 4 epilepsy, manifesting in violet fits and memory blackouts, and that Koontz has a terminal illness. She goes to the prison to confront Abel, revealing that she now knows he’s taking the fall for somebody else. The unspoken: it’s looking like that somebody else may be her sweet-but-terminally-boring ex, Duncan.

Other thoughts:

• “Sweet knees” as a cutesy nickname? Nice try at a cover, Carrie Bishop, but no. Just no.
• That trio of high school girls singing “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” by The Police at Carrie while she’s eating lunch is just a few beats too long to not be cringy. That’s such a weird, awkward moment. They sing the entire first verse!
• If you’ve seen the Veronica Mars movie, you know that Susan Knight and Carrie Bishop don’t exactly end up having very good lives. It’s kind of a bummer.
• For those that have watched the show before, we are very close to Season 1 Episode 18 and so you know what’s coming. I can barely contain my excitement, and my recap of that episode will probably be far too long and consist mostly of heart-eye emojis. Sorry not sorry.
• Deputy Leo is back for a hot sec to be adorable and for Veronica to apologize for using him. They are very cute together, and I enjoy them for the four minutes that they are in a relationship.

What did you think of this episode of Veronica Mars? Did Duncan really kill Lilly? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

 

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