Elena says: What do you think of the VM gossip?

Jen Star says: I don't know anymore. I'm kinda ready to let it go.

Elena says: I haven't liked this season. It's a relief when it's not on. The dialogue is so good though. I have trouble letting go, I always worry it'll get good after I stop watching.

Jen Star says: I wouldn't stop watching, but it's never a good sign if the creator doesn't have it in him to have a solid five-year arc for a series. Scrambling is never a good sign, and they've been scrambling since the end of season one.

Elena says: New writers perhaps? Maybe supporters like Joss and Stephen King should try their hand! That'd be interesting.

I really don't understand the "best show on TV" tag anymore. Wishful thinking?

Jen Star says: Or not knowing when you're beaten. Arrested Development could have gone on on Showtime (and, not to spoil it or anything, but Deadwood is only three seasons, with the creator bowing out), but the creator said, "I think we're done now." And I'd much rather get two-and-a-half seasons of an amazing show, than to get five of a mediocre one.

Jen Star says: VM should have realized after two seasons that the best way to keep the story moving was to kill someone close to her, and give her some baggage to work thru. Sassy teen detective only goes so far. Joss saw it with Buffy; I really don't know why Rob Thomas couldn't see it with VM.

Elena says: Of course there's a difference between reaching a natural end and just running out of steam... VM has more in it to tell, they just can't figure out what that is and how to do it. The college years are always the death of shows. (I did know that about Deadwood.)

I feel this way about Lost. They want to stretch it for seven seasons and it doesn't have it in it. I blame pressure from the networks.

Jen Star says: It's the public, tho, to a major degree. They want new episodes, and with a story like that, you can't do 24 episodes a season and still give things away. You'd run out of things to talk about one-third of the way in! That's why I love Heroes. They just pile it on! They don't even care if it makes sense!

Elena says: You're right. The gen pop has the attention span of a moron.

Heroes is so damn great.

Jen Star says: It really is.

Jen Star says: Hey! Maybe you can start watching BSG, then start watching Deadwood, and when you're done, you'll be ready for Firefly!

Elena says: Stranger things have happened... I wouldn't hold my breath tho!

So, it appears that the third (fourth) time's a charm for me. I totally made the TA for the dean's murder, and even figured out the motive (if not quite how we arrived there). I knew Tim was a ponce, but even I was unprepared for how dumb he was to go to Veronica for "help" proving Landry's innocence.

Plus, as my neighbour C pointed out, if he was listening in on Landry's cell conversations, wouldn't he already know that the professor was finished? Why kill the dean if the dean was already going to destroy Landry's career and future?

All in all, a great story arc. The secondary characters (Mindy, Landry, and even Bad-Wig Tim himself) were interesting and fun to follow around for six episodes. Veronica wasn't even harmed once in the execution of this mystery, which is also a pleasant change. Parker is lovely and sweet, and I think Logan likes her. (I couldn't tell—his marble-mouthiness made him nearly undecipherable this week.)

How many more weeks until the stand-alone mystery episodes begin?

Elena, stop reading now if you're not caught up.

Holy crap, they killed Lamb. I can't even believe it. My neighbour C and I gasped, and she said "No, not him!" (she claims she likes the witty banter, but I know it's his abs she's most attached to) and then we got all sad and quiet. I'll really miss the big dumb lug!

Tonight's Veronica Mars is perhaps my favourite of the season. It had everything; Veronica and Keith working together against the world; Lamb and Sachs; Logan and Parker hitting it off rather sexily; Mac and her animal-rights boytoy hittin' it; Weevil and Wallace somewhat nominally; and murder, murder, murder. It felt very first season, but in a shiny new way.

Also, I'm totally right about Tim the TA. He so did it.

I'm going out on a limb and calling it: Tim the TA killed Dean O'Dell. He was pissed that Veronica was a better scholar than him, and that she was taking all his glory. So, to get back at both the teacher and the dean (who wrote such a glowing letter of recommendation for Veronica), he killed the dean and framed his prof.

And he would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for that meddling kid!

I totally, totally called it! Man, I am so proud of me right now! Did you see how Logan dumped Veronica's dumped ass? Totally called it.

I think some other stuff happened, but I can't remember it very well. Probably from all the gloating I was doing.

Man, I so have Rob Thomas figured out!

Elena says: I watched VM. Oh MY GOD! Jen Star says: Totally, eh! I love Logan. He's so dumping her ass. Elena says: Poor Veronica. The preview looks scary! Elena says: I loved when she got GhB'd and then was missing hair. I exclaimed so hard I nearly choked on my tongue! Jen Star says: It was a good scene, eh? If I were Logan I'd be laying it all on the line to Keith. So what if she gets mad? I'd rather see her alive and hating me than dead and barely tolerating me. Elena says: It really, really was. I thought he should tell Keith too. She is being really naive. I'm no Logan lover, but the look on his face when she ignored his call. . . . Wow. Jen Star says: He should only look at things. It's when he starts to mumble that the love gets lost. Jen Star says: My love, that is. Elena says: Actually, you have a point. I wonder if I mute him if I'd like him better . . . hmm. I didn't understand what they were saying about the fake-rapes. That they were all fake or that just that one girl's was? Jen Star says: Just hers. The rest were not. My money's on the TA. Elena says: Really? Hmm. Who dies do you think? Jen Star says: Dunno. Him maybe? Elena says: I guess. Can't be a major player. It's been a good season so far. Although did you want to slap Veronica when she was being such a baby about Keith? Jen Star says: Meh. She was right; when it was Lianne it was terrible, but with him it's okay? The woman has children with her hubby. Elena says: Okay, be all logical about it. He's a pretty good guy though, she didn't have to be quite so terrible did she! Jen Star says: That seems to be her MO this season. Jen Star says: She's pretty nasty to everyone. Elena says: She has been hasn't she? Looks like you were right about Mystery #2 being Keith and his lover. He'll be paying for that one for a while. I love Vinnie. Jen Star says: Yeah, me too. Elena says: And his sac? Jen Star says: Eh? Elena says: You once accused me of loving Vinnie's sac. Jen Star says: Ah. Who do you think did it? Elena says: Who do I think did what? Jen Star says: Raped everyone. Jen Star says: Okay, I change my vote. The RA did it. Jen Star says: Oh, I don't know. Never mind. Jen Star says: I'll find out tomorrow. Elena says: The RA or the TA. Ha. I really have no idea. Hopefully it will blow our minds like Beaver did. Jen Star says: I doubt it.

Is it just me, or does Keith jumping into bed with another man's wife just reek of Mystery #2?

I'm callin' it.

Okay, I curse MSN.com for excluding Canada from its streaming of the Veronica Mars Season 3 premiere, but I knew if I looked long enough I would find a version I could watch. Bless Television Without Pity and their eager and intrepid (read: rabid and sometimes obsessed) posters.

The link is near the bottom of the page.

Update: I've seen it, and I have just two questions. First, how dumb is Keith that he'd call to check in on his daughter in front of a felon who has nothing to recommend him except his criminal girlfriend? And second, were we really not supposed to figure out that a girl as promiscuous as Parker was on the hit list?

Hope that was vague enough for you if you haven't seen the ep yet!

Yeah, yeah; I know I haven't posted in a bajillion years, but I've been busy, okay? Work is going to kill me one day, I swear.

Let's interrupt this pity party to mention that, like, Veronica Mars has her own official MySpace profile! And so does Logan! And Piz! And Mac! How fun!

Now let's just hope producers can keep it up, unlike the failed Veronica's Diary that UPN had running for about three months during the first season.

The month is slipping away from me. I've been on vacation since Wednesday, and have been keeping blissfully away from my computer. But since it's 10 degrees out there today (on Victoria Day, natch), I suppose I have time to get back online and tell y'all what I've been up to.

Flash back two weeks to Saturday the 6th. I told you I was going to watch Akeelah and the Bee with Elena. We did not. Instead, we got Dairy Queen and rented Derailed. It was terrible. We turned it off after about an hour, and in doing so, missed the shocking twist. I was okay with that.

I haven't watched the entire Gilmore Girls season finale yet. I was so unimpressed with the 20 minutes I did see that I can't bring myself to watch the rest. I can't wait to see what the new regime does to this show, because the last two years haven't really been worth watching.

I am thrilled that Veronica Mars made it to the CW Network. Hopefuly Gilmore Girls hasn't alienated too many of its fans, so that Veronica and Company will pickup on some of its lead-in audience.

I finished reading Charlaine Harris's latest two Southern Vampire books. They were good reads, but quick, quick, quick. Only one complaint about the last book, Definitely Dead. Did I miss a novella where Sookie's cousin Hadley died? Because I can't believe that Harris wouldn't write the scenes where Sookie met the Queen of Louisiana for the first time, especially if they took place in the manner described in this book. Very strange.

I've been listening to The Leaves's Angela Test a tonne lately. They sound like the Icelandic version of Coldplay, but that really hasn't stopped me from digging on them a bunch.

And that, pretty much, is that.

Who is this mysterious stranger who has been posting all this Aaron Echolls nonsense under my name? I've known it was Beaver from the start, I have!

Goddammit.

I loved last night's Veronica Mars so much that it kept me up late thinking about it. HOWEVER, what the fuck kind of travesty was Aaron's trial? I have been a witness at a criminal trial, and IT DOES NOT HAPPEN THAT WAY. Witnesses can't watch other people's testimony before they've testified. Defence attorneys can't bring up new evidence during witnesses' testimony. Unless Veronica had testified that she propositioned Aaron about the tapes, he couldn't have introduced that theory during cross examination. And the defendant sure as fuck doesn't get to testify first. Anyone who's even passed by Court TV, or watched coverage of the Scott Peterson or Michael Jackson trials, or has watched even a minute of one of the five Law & Orders would know that.

I am so angry that what has turned into a great twist—Aaron getting acquitted of murder (and, oh yeah, he rigged the bus crash)—was brought to fruition by such a stupid, arrogant plothole.

That said, Beaver so blackmailed Woody into staging that hotel scene and throwing the imalgamation vote. And the preview showing Aaron telling Veronica that he killed Lilly so she'd just shut up for once made me giddy.

Oh, and I don't know how he did it, but Aaron totally planted the chlamydia diagnosis so that his attorney could use it on the stand. Veronica never had it.

Well, it's that time of year again when Elena and I start speculating about whodunnit on Veronica Mars. Or, since I've already made my brash prediction that Aaron did it (again), time for us to talk ourselves into a theory that will ultmately be wrong, wrong, wrong.

Let's observe:

Elena says: I loved VM this week.

Jen Star says: Me too! I love Logan, even if Dohring is a Scientologist.

Jen Star says: I have a new theory: They say that Keith won't be in time to save Veronica from whoever is trying to get her (he’s stuck duking it out with Woody perhaps?), and that someone else does the rescuing. I think it will be Logan, who will use that gun the Casablancas gave him to SHOOT AND KILL HIS FATHER!

Jen Star says: It was soooo Aaron.

Elena says: Oooh. How very poetic! I don't remember the gun tho. . . . When did that happen?

Jen Star says: They went to the shooting range in ep 2 and Logan was all "I don't know how to shoot," and then when Big Dick wasn't looking, he absently aimed and hit the target dead-on. Then, when V was getting attacked at the River Styx, he threatened the Fitzpatricks with it.

Elena says: Oh yes. I so haven't been paying attention this season. And I didn't save the eps so I can't rewatch. Drat.

Jen Star says: I just can't imagine a reason it would be anyone but Aaron. Even if it is him, it would be such a twist and so satisfying!

Elena says: You're right, why bother with him this season when you can't have the Kanes involved. So he must be involved or else it's kind of a dead storyline. Lilly is an old issue.

Jen Star says: I think I'm really on to something. Of course, I thought I was on to something with Mama Mars, too.

Jen Star says: But this time I like to think I'm wiser to their tricks.

Elena says: I agree. I'm pretty sure you have it. I saw the Duncan angle last year, but I didn't see this coming.

Jen Star says: Yayyyyy!

Elena says: Yah, yah. All hail Jen Star! Hee. I wonder if in reruns I won't hate this season as much, perhaps I was overly harsh. . . .

Jen Star says: Those Duncan/baby episodes were a tough go.

Elena says: Yah. They were all for nothing. Really, what about the kid sister in the closet what the hell happened there?

Jen Star says: It's all coming back into play with the Lucky-being-bailed-out-by-the-Mannings thing.

Elena says: Oh really? Well that's good. I'll still miss Duncan he could have been a good character.

Jen Star says: You never liked Duncan! You just miss Jake.

Elena says: Actually I did like Duncan. Remember you were Logan and I was Duncan last season! I do miss Jake though! But I thought Duncan's blackouts were interesting. They could have recast Jake.

Jen Star says: They could have left V and D apart and not made him The Boyfriend, too. They could have done a lot of things. But they wanted him GONE, so this is what we got.

Elena says: Yah. Still it's too bad. Why did they want him gone? Celeste was a great character too. Money?

Jen Star says: I really don't know. They say they painted the character into a corner, but I think it might have been money, plus the Kane mystery was over so why have him there? Gia, Jackie, Kendall and Woody won't likely be around for season three (if there is one), for the same reason.

So, after weeks of silence, I am back to deliver my Official First Guess at who rigged the bus crash on Veronica Mars. Are you ready for it?

It was Aaron Echolls.

It's totally him! I mean, who else could it be? He's a bastardly psycho who has resources and means and connections—and a frigging Oscar! He beat his son, slept with all his friends' wives (tell me he didn't sleep with Kendall and I'll tell you you're ridiculously naïve), and murdered a teenage girl because she was trying to ruin his image. Dude is by far the most guilty of all the guilty-looking dudes we've met this year.

Let's face it: if it's not him, then it has to be Mayor Goodman. If it's Mayor Goodman, why are we bothering with the rest of the episodes? He's looked guilty for weeks. And if it's not Mayor Goodman, then it's someone obscure, like Kendall or the Fitzpatricks, whom we didn't even meet until eight or nine episodes into the season. That would just be cheating.

Let's not forget that we had eight months to stage the Lilly Kane murder trial. Why did the producers wait until now to do it unless it tied in with the bus crash? Why bring Hamlin back if it's just to have him sit in a courtroom and sneer at Keith?

Now that I've convinced you that it's Aaron, let's examine why and how: to get rid of Duncan and Veronica (and Logan?), so they couldn't testify against him. He tried, but failed, to kill Veronica to keep his Lilly-killing a secret. So he sat back, thought about it, and hired Curly to off his witnesses. If his own son died with them, well, Logan had already proven how little he cared for Daddy.

Curly, as a former stunt supervisor, would have been able to rig the explosion so that there was no residue after the bus was pulled from the sea, leaving the police to assume it was either an accident or driver error. And the Fitzpatricks will be able to attest to Curly being at the scene, as they were there too, for much cheekier reasons.

Curly's visit to the crash-site memorial was because he genuinely felt guilty about his crime. He didn't kill the right people, and he was wrecked about the whole thing. Which is why HE WROTE VERONICA'S NAME ON HIS HAND BEFORE HE JUMPED INTO THE SEA AND KILLED HIMSELF. He wanted Veronica to know that she was the intended victim, and wanted Keith to look into why. (Damn, that just came to me, but I love it!)

I'm not sure who planted the explosives in the hangar. Don Lamb perhaps? To make this charge stick?

At first, I'd thought that Kendall had something to do with this, but she is a total red herring. She's this year's Mama Mars (complete down to skipping town with a teenager's money in the finale—mark my words. Too bad Beaver's business is worthless, and she used Aaron's money to prop it up!).

She did, however, have more than lust to motivate her into Logan's bed. As we late-20s ladies know, nothing is creepier than dating a 17-year-old boy. She started sleeping with Logan soon after the grand jury refused to indict him on Felix's murder. The Fitzpatricks needed her, for whatever reason, to distract him while they set up Dr. Griffith to come forward. Did you notice that she stopped coming around as soon as the charges were brought back? Poor Logan. When Veronica tells him that yet another of his girlfriends was only using him, he's gonna want to join Curly in his watery grave.

And Mayor Goodman? He won't be guilty of the bus crash, but he is guilty of other things. He was to be the "outing of all outings" for our gay friend Peter, whom he diddled at Little League, like he did to Beaver. Which, really, is enough evil for one man.

So, with all this said, I expect I'm 100% wrong like I was last year.

I don't want to think less of Elena for not having watched the last three weeks of Veronica Mars until just before last night's episode, but it's impossible. She's drpping the ball, and I can't have it.

On that rather odd note, here is a transcript of our IM about the past four episodes. (Note how cleverly she weaves her desire to see Ken Marino's sack into the conversation.)

Elena says: I watched...

Jen Star says: And?

Elena says: I liked the three episodes I missed but found last night's pretty boring. I kind of missed why Thumper killed Felix, was it for the Fitzpatricks?

Jen Star says: Yeah. He wanted to take over the drug trade, so the Fitzpatricks made him do it to test his loyalty. I think.

Elena says: What did you think of last night’s?

Jen Star says: I liked it. Laughed aloud several times.

Elena says: We're not supposed to be surprised that Woody is involved in the bus crash tho right?

Jen Star says: If he is.

Jen Star says: You don't know that.

Jen Star says: He has to be a red herring. It's too obvious.

Elena says: Let's hope so. I found it unbelievable that no one mentioned that the hangar where the bomb was was owned by Woody and just being borrowed by what's his name.

Jen Star says: I'm sure Keith is holding onto that.

Jen Star says: Lamb is getting worse and worse, eh?

Elena says: He's great. I loved him and Madison. I also loved Logan and Hannah's storyline. What is Cordelia, oops, Kendall up to in the shower tho?

Jen Star says: Taking hair samples for Aaron.

Elena says: I knew it was for Aaron, but hair samples huh? To what end? To frame or prove Duncan killed Lilly?

Jen Star says: Frame him. Aaron did it. Rewatch the finale. And what was with Beaver? Is he gay? Is he still f-ed up about Veronica and the date-rape? Is he that emasculated by his brother? He was all kinds of weird. I said to [my neighbour] C that he's even more of a project than Logan. "High-school boys suck," was her response.

Elena says: Poor word choice on my part, should have said, “trying to prove” cause I don't doubt Aaron is guilty. I think both bro issues and date-rape issues but "good luck getting laid" was way harsh. Interesting.

Jen Star says: He didn't say that!

Jen Star says: He said "good luck in life."

Jen Star says: Haha!

Elena says: Oh yes he did, I went back and watched the captioning.

Jen Star says: NO!

Jen Star says: Holy CRAP!

Jen Star says: Harsh.

Elena says: Way harsh huh! He has some serious issues. What's his plan with Kendall and the business do you think?

Jen Star says: Not a clue. He's such a mystery. I think I'm starting to love him...

Elena says: I thought it was just savvy business but now I think it's much more. I liked Logan and Veronica dancing.

Jen Star says: It was such a tease tho. I think that's why the ratings have fallen. People want to see Logan and V together (and by people I mean teen girls—and me), and won't watch if they aren't, no matter how much it makes sense in a "he's bad for her" way.

Elena says: I enjoyed the tease. I don't want them dating again, but the scene was pretty good, the attraction tempered by the bad feelings. It was enjoyable.

Jen Star says: And I agree about LV. They need to be around one another more.

Elena says: Dick is fast becoming my fav. He's so funny.

Jen Star says: He's such a putz!

Jen Star says: I like him too, but favourite?

Elena says: Yah, I mean what with all the choice now? I still love Weevil but all he's doing now is violence which is boring.

Jen Star says: I like Vinnie Van Lowe the most.

Jen Star says: I'm barely kidding.

Elena says: I'd love to see him and V get together. I love him too!

Elena says: I didn't want to admit it tho!

Jen Star says: Eew! Not together!

Jen Star says: I don't ever want to see him naked!

Jen Star says: Yick!

Elena says: Um, eww. No naked. I didn't even want to see Logan naked. You don't think they'd be a kick together?

Jen Star says: I'd rather see her with Clarence Wiedman.

Elena says: Really? Huh.

Jen Star says: They were awesome together in Rat Saw God.

Jen Star says: He's very intense. I like that. Cornballs are fun to laugh at, but not to schtup.

Elena says: I don't disagree, but he's not even around. Why would he come back?

Jen Star says: He wouldn't necessarily. I'm just sayin'.

Elena says: Oh. I just think Vinnie and V would drive each other nuts and be a lot of fun to watch.

This week it's coming from Veronica Mars.

Cliff McCormack (After Logan snippily wonders what he's going to wear to court, then turns down a plea agreement from the state): "Oh, and if it helps you decide on your wardrobe, I'll be wearing an 'I'm with stupid' T-shirt."

HAH!

A longer post is coming soon, I promise. But in the meantime, I've just learned that Jason Dohring, my beloved Logan on Veronica Mars, is a second-generation Scientologist.

And there goes that fantasy.

Many thanks to the Talkbackers at AICN for the head's up.

Update: Apparently, everybody knew.

I've thought long and hard about why I'm not loving Veronica Mars as much this year. And I think I've figured it out.

Veronica Mars has lost its heart.

Veronica the character's always been a bitch. Logan has always been a prick. Duncan has always been ineffectual and distant. But beyond their bitchiness, prickiness and distance was Lilly. You knew that Veronica was being a bitch because her best friend was dead and her father crucified for screwing up the investigation. You knew Logan had no outlet for his anger, and attacked the one person he knew he could hurt.

And Duncan? Well, he thought he schtupped his sister. So, not so much about Lilly.

What does Veronica have to bitchy about these days? She's lying to her father all the time, treating Wallace like he's a handbag and taking Duncan's bullshit. All the 09ers tolerate her, and she doesn't even try to take Duncan out of that world or make the 09ers rethink their shitty attitudes. Is this really the same pint-sized heroine we knew and loved?

And I get it that the course of true LoVe never runs smoothly. But this season should have seen both Logan and Veronica learning from—or at least acknowledging—the events of last year. Yeah, sure, they had a failed relationship, but they both went through a lot of stuff together, and even if they aren't friends anymore they should remember that they used to really care about each other. Lately it's as if they're two strangers. Even Jackie and Veronica's barbs to one another have more heat than Veronica and Logan's half-assed insults.

Partly, it’s the vagueness of the bus crash. When it Lilly’s murder investigation took a week or two off, we always knew that it was on Veronica’s mind, because everywhere she looked she was being shunned. The bus crash doesn’t resonate with either the viewers or the characters the way Lilly’s murder did. Perhaps if they’d killed off some C-List high school kids, like Corny or Mandy or Wanda, instead of some teacher who couldn’t act and a bunch of kids we should have met (like the PCH kid) but never did, we’d care a bit more. But they didn’t, and so we don’t. At least Felix’s investigation involves people we know.

I never thought I'd say it, but I miss the high-school themed Mysteries of the Week. Why spend so much time creating interesting, three-dimensional characters like Dick and Beaver and Mac and Butters and Madison and Gia and Sean and Lizzie and even Jackie, if all you're going to do is ignore them? Why invest so much in creating a rich society if all you're going to do with it is tamper with juries and force only surviving parents to kidnap children that are legally theirs?

(On that note, are we really supposed to believe that Jake Kane—who, by the way, hired his former business partner to take a death penalty murder rap to save his son from the whiff of a criminal investigation—would allow his son to give up on school, being student body president, Triton senior management, a Future Business Leader of America and all around great student? No fucking way. They could have gotten that kid in a heartbeat if they'd wanted. I get that the show was done with the Duncan storyline, but don't treat us like we're stupid.)

I'm really looking forward to tonight's show, as we're finally getting back into the high school scene.

I thought this was what that press conference I was watching was about. (Thanks to TVTattle for the link.)

Wow. Big news for teen TV watchers like myself. Bigger than last night's election? Perhaps. . . .

Only four more days until a new Veronica Mars. UPN's got the preview up, and it's delightful. Check it.