Veronica Mars Re-Watch: Ruskie Business (Season 1 Episode 15)
Veronica Mars is known for being a snarky teenager who is wittier and often smarter than anyone else she’s in a room with. It’s what makes her a character we love.
And, that’s what Veronica Mars Season 1 Episode 15, “Ruskie Business,” is all about — love. Albeit a different sort of love than the type fans feel for the beloved series.
Love is in the air, and Veronica takes on the role of being its champion when two different women — her friend Meg and a client at her dad’s firm — ask the young Mars to find men they are interested in.
The client is a Russian woman who is looking for an American man she met online who regrets getting cold feet and leaving while Meg is trying to track down a mystery suitor who is sending her gifts and texts before the upcoming school dance.
While both cases have twists and turns typical of the noir series, they end with big surprises for the young detective. What’s nice about the shocking resolutions is that they remind viewers Veronica is a young detective who is on her own journey.
The teenagers of Neptune High are not much of a challenge for the titular heroine when she solves the cases they bring to her. We’re always entertained, but it’s a nice change of pace to pull the rug out from under Veronica because she is a teenager after all.
The Russian woman who hires the father-daughter PIs turns out to not be looking for her former love, but a man hiding out in witness protection brings that point home. All the love in the air tricked Veronica, and probably viewers, into believing her story.
Veronica’s brilliant and talented, but, if we’re honest, she doesn’t have much experience. She’s not old enough to.
As for Meg’s secret admirer, that revelation hit a bit closer to home. It turns out Veronica’s ex-boyfriend Duncan is the one sliding into Meg’s DMs. Well, the aught’s equivalent, of course.
Since this is a re-watch, it would be a crime not to mention that this episode is a very interesting one for those who have seen the series already. Keeping in with its theme of love, the hour features the past, present, and future of Veronica’s love life.
Representing the past is Duncan who, as mentioned above, is Veronica’s ex and Meg’s potential suitor. We even get a little cute flashback of a dance Duncan and Veronica attended in the past.
Their part of the drama viewers are thrown into when they meet Veronica and the rest of Neptune in the series premiere. The investigation into the death of Lily Kane, Veronica’s best friend and Duncan’s sister, keep them together and the awkward encounters keep us entertained.
“Ruskie Business” is also the beginning of Veronica’s romance with Deputy Leo D’Amato, so say hello to “the present.” After flirting with Veronica and helping her with cases, Lovely Leo took Veronica to the dance. They even end the night with a kiss.
Taking a lion share of Veronica’s attention though is the troublesome Logan Echolls. Following his mother’s alleged suicide, Logan hires Veronica to find her. Those who know what is coming up for the pair are fully aware that it’s the beginning of Veronica’s future.
Many of the episodes that precede “Ruskie Business” have Veronica and Logan battling it out. They begin the series as bitter rivals, but it all begins to thaw over the course of the season. Veronica choosing to help him is evidence of that.
During the course of their search, they find Logan’s sister Trina Echolls instead of his mother. While Trina’s a wild one and that’s interesting, her debut deserves special mention because the character is played by Alyson Hannigan.
The role came smack dab in between her playing Willow Rosenberg on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and joining CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother.
Moving back to Logan though, watching this episode again, knowing what’s coming, feels like the start of something. And, that’s because it actually is.
Exploring Veronica’s love life in one 40-something minute episode is one of the great things about rewatching shows that you love. Some shows give you problematic characters and arcs, but Veronica Mars gives us gems like these.
While the episode is all about love, in its final moments, “Ruskie Business” things take a darker turn for Veronica. Throughout the episode, she gets creepy calls with only breathing on the other end.
Turns out the calls are not the beginning Veronica’s own twisted love story. The calls are from the mother that left her behind, which means some old wounds are about to be opened.
But that’s a story for next time. See you then, marshmallows.
What do you think about this episode of Veronica Mars? Did you feel the love?
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Alamin Yohannes
Alamin is an aspiring writer, social media editor, and television enthusiast. While he has been a TV fan since the days of Martin, Living Single, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer, the introduction of Netflix and a rewatch of Grey's Anatomy kick things into high gear. One of his life goals is to find a Cul-de-Sac crew of his own and he'll never stop hoping for "Happy Endings" to return. Alamin may not love every television show, but he'll definitely catch any new show out. You can also usually find him talking about whatever he's currently watching on Twitter.