Veronica Mars "Spit & Eggs" Review

*Update: My friends at The CW have informed me that last night's finale of Mystery 1 granted Veronica Mars their highest ratings ever in the key demo Adults 18-34 as well as season high's in all categories. Plus, last nights episode was the second highest rated the series has ever posted. Not too shabby.

So I was pretty harsh on my favorite show a day or two ago. You may have read it. I've had really high hopes for this season of Veronica Mars and have wanted it to succeed but I don't know if it's just me and where I'm at emotionally but this is just not doing it for me lately.

Tonight was the Fall finale of Veronica Mars' first mystery of the season. The Hearst College Rapist. It was a storyline that began back in Season 2 and one that gave Veronica quite the reputation before even enrolling.

All season, she's had to fight the frat boys at Pi Sig (especially the recently tighty-whitied Chip Diller), the femanazi's of the Lilith House, her hideously wigged TA, and the random folks that have thought she was a traitor, a conspirator, and in general just a nasty bitch.

Tonight marked the third time Veronica's been roofied in three years and the second time in three weeks. That's quite the record. It was also a lot of devious trouble to go through without intending to kill young Ms. Mars.

SPOILER ALERT:

The rapist and his accompice were idiots. Mercer and the Frak RA were working together in conjunction with Pi Sig parties (of which the Pi Sigs had no part) to rape the young Hearst coeds. Frak drove them home in the Safe Bus and gave Mercer their room number, master key and before you knew it, whammy... in the morning a freshly shorn head and a lifetime of mortifying memories.

My main issue with having Mercer be the rapist is that he and Frak RA really went through a lot of trouble to throw Veronica off their GHB'd scent. Did they ever have any real intention of either raping her or worse killing her? I mean, being drugged twice is pretty harsh if all you're trying to do is scare her or push her away. So why go through all the pomp and circumstance?

In the end their just two weenies about the get the living shit beat out of them by Logan (btw, his beating the police cruiser with a bat was incredibly funny) and then some jailtime. In my opinion what they did to Veronica was incredibly premeditated and with intent to kill. There needs to be ramifications for that. There needed to be a motive... Will we ever find out why Mercer did it or better, why Frak RA assisted? I heard Frak RA call Mercer "SIR" and I thought I heard Mercer call him "SLAVE" - what the frak is that all about? And how does a geeky RA that coins the catchphrase of the season "FRAK: The Profanity of the Future" do something so horrible? Bastard.



Oh and here's another thing that bothered me about Mercer being the big bad... Didn't we witness his revelatory scene prior to raping the girl before? Oh like maybe for the first time back in 1996 and then again in 1997? Does SCREAM 1 & 2 ring a bell? Mercer was majorly channeling Billy Loomis, Mrs. Loomis and Mickey. They just did it better and at least revealed a motive in the process of their unrealistic and uber-verbose tirade. Mercer revealed nothing. NOTHING. So what was the point?

Was this just one big exorcism for Veronica? Was this her way of getting over what Beaver did to her at Shelly Pomroy's party back in high school? Rape is a horrible hideous crime and one worth Veronica fighting but in the end I don't know that we learned anything or that it will have changed her in any way. So, Rob Thomas... what was the point?

Enough of my being down on a generally amazing show.

On to the goods!

I loved the Almost Famous-ish shot of Wallace and Mac at the frat party that then turned into a pretty scary and anxiety ridden scene of Veronica running through the Hearst halls all bloodied. Kristen Bell does scared really really well!

Dick mooning the Lilith celebratory float.

Logan: "He's a master-debator" So obvious, yet so perfect!

The LoVe breakup was harsh. It was much needed in my opinion as Veronica and Logan apart and struggling to get back together always makes for amazing television. KBell was unbelievable in her subtlety and pain. Jason Dohring played the wounded puppy role to perfection. I got mooshy at his "PAIN NOW" rationale.

Logan: "I'm here if you need anything... but you never need anything" AMAZING!

KBell's shower meltdown!

Piz's oblivious entrance after Veronica tells Wallace and Mac of the breakup.

Piz: "Hey gang, what's the word? is it avuncular?"

Dean O'Dell's storming Piz's radio show to announce he's over turning the abolishment of the greek system at Hearst. His quick entrance and exit were simply hysterical.

Dean O'Dell's choice of depressing music... Olivia Newton John's "Have You Never Been Mellow." I heart Olivia!

Veronica (to Dick and that whorey girlfriend of the TA): "Man, when I look at the two of you all I see is a petri-dish" Genius Veronica, simply genius!


Open Questions:
-Did Dean O'Dell kill his cheating wife or her boy toy Prof. Landry?
-Who shot Dean O'Dell dead?

I'm guessing both the wife and Landry are alive. As for Dead O'Dell, the obvious choices are his whore wife, Landry, any of the Lilith girls, the Cigar Man Mel (rich alum that persuaded him to re-admit the Fraternal Order at Hearst) or is it Richard Grieco?