Veronica Mars Re-Watch: Donut Run (Season 2 Episode 11)
Duncan and his baby are on the run on Veronica Mars Season 2 Episode 11, “Donut Run,” and no, I’m not emotional about it, there’s just some dust in my eye. Don’t judge me.
Did I say baby? I must be mistaken, Duncan doesn’t have a baby!
Until he does. Truthfully, Meg’s surprise pregnancy is ridiculous. It’s the kind of twist that insults your intelligence and makes you question whether to keep watching as a result.
My friends, however, eagerly awaiting my arrival on Marshmallow Island, have instructed me to “just stick with it.” So much like Veronica, I’m not leaving Duncan’s side.
Much like her stubbornness, Veronica’s loyalty is unmatched. She plays everyone from her own father down to me and you AND puts herself in great danger simply to fulfill her promise to Meg.
She does all of this after finding out about her boyfriend’s surprise child and finding Kendall Casablancas in his shower. More power to you, girl.
Veronica goes so far to protect Duncan that she loses my trust in addition to Keith’s. Lamb’s surprise arrival to arrest her is infuriating — until she runs right into Duncan’s arms and shows that she’s been hiding him all along.
It’s impossible to give her the benefit of the doubt when she’s doing exactly what Lamb thinks. What part of kidnapping does she not get?
Granted, she may have been blinded by rage following Celeste Kane’s remark about finding “comfort knowing that the child isn’t [hers].”
Celeste just took a DNA test– turns out she’s 100% THAT BITCH. Damn.
Accomplice to kidnapping aside, the goodbye between Veronica and Duncan is perfect. Duncan’s “I love you” is a package of emotions beyond just what is stated—he is grateful for Veronica and always will be. Veronica, meanwhile, understands that running off with the baby is bigger than their relationship.
Plus, the baby’s name is Lily. If you need me, I’ll be off in the corner crying.
I’ve got to give credit where credit is due, though, and recognize that Veronica’s plan is clever. Looping in Vinny Van Lowe and driving Lamb in circles helps lighten the mood of a particularly somber hour.
Lamb is more of a puppy playing fetch than a Sheriff as Veronica strings him along with bad clues. His growing frustration as the hour goes on is simply hilarious because it couldn’t happen to a more deserving character.
Contrary to Sheriff Lamb, Van Lowe becomes infinitely more likable the moment we realize he is Duncan’s getaway driver because it shows that there is a reliable, trustworthy adult under all that quirk. Competent adults are a rare commodity in Neptune, so it’s comforting to know someone other than Keith can get things done.
If riding off into the Mexican sunset with his daughter is Duncan’s “exit,” that’s crap. I’d rather see Duncan leave over something mundane yet realistic than something that offers nothing more than shock value.
Duncan is by no means my favorite 09er, but no fictional character deserves a half-assed exit. The actors who work their hardest to bring us the shows we love deserve better.
Logan and Weevil’s story is unfortunately overshadowed by the importance of finding Duncan. They work well together, though, and their cooperation is much easier to stomach than the guns, threats and abductions from episodes prior.
I must admit, every time I hear the “Fighting Fitzpatricks,” I imagine some poor, unsuspecting PCHer stepping right onto the set of The Departed.
A good example of a poor, unsuspecting PCHer would be Gustavo Toombs, AKA Weevil’s predecessor and Felix’s older brother. Weevil mentions his disappearance so casually that it makes me want a spinoff dedicated solely to Neptune’s cold cases. Am I the only one alarmed by this story?
Weevil getting a neck tattoo makes me cringe at how much it must hurt, but the Felix and Molly Fitzpatrick revelation eradicates my empathy immediately.
A tattoo of Molly, Felix, really?!?
Okay, fine, I’m supposed to be focused on the dating thing. My bad. Felix fraternizing with the enemy is a very interesting and VERY West Side Story-esque twist.
I’m blown away by the Veronica Mars writers’ room and their ability to craft and weave such a complex mystery around a season of television. Every detail is so carefully placed that I would have loved being a fly on the wall before the season began.
This episode also explains what happened to Wallace in Chicago, but my two biggest takeaways from that are as follows:
- What is the point of the search engine Olympics?
- LeBron James was already in the NBA in 2006? I could have sworn it was later.
Okay, so I’m not a basketball fan.
What did you think of this episode of Veronica Mars? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Gina Zippilli
Gina is the co-host of Meet Us At Molly’s, the first-ever Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D. podcast. Outside of One Chicago, she has never met an ensemble-driven cop show, post-apocalyptic drama or true crime whodunit she has not liked.