Veronica Mars Recap: Charlie Don’t Surf

Title: Charlie Don’t Surf
Original Airdate: 10/24/06
Much to Veronica’s dismay, Keith has kindly invited Logan over for a Mars family dinner. With strict instructions to stay clear of any topic that could allude to having seen Veronica naked, Logan tries to be the perfect boyfriend in front of dear old dad. Not to say dinner didn’t go well, but it probably would have gone a bit better if Veronica wasn’t so insistent with her rules of what could and couldn’t be discussed. Anyone else think this scene seemed a bit off? Keith has essentially known Logan for many, many years now, and Logan has been at Veronica’s with Keith on a few occasions, but they are playing it off like the two had never met. I guess this scene was for the newbies. But come on, we are three eps in…throw the newbies in the deep end and let them learn how to swim.

Over at Hearst, Veronica is hoping to hang with Mac, but she isn’t around. Unfortunately a still bitter Parker is. She tries to slam the door in Veronica’s face, but obviously Parker doesn’t know who she’s dealing with. Veronica explains that she didn’t realize that Parker was being raped when she came into the room that night. Had she known she would have done things differently. And since Veronica was also drugged and raped, she might have an idea of what Parker is going through right now. Veronica tells Parker that she WILL find the rapist – it’s her main priority. The two look if they are starting to make a connection when Nich, the Editor of The Hearst Free Press, shows up unexpectedly to interview Parker about her rape. It seems that Nich wants to know if Parker saw any Pi Sig brothers at the party the night she was raped.

Yay Wallace is back (but only for one scene…WTF?). We miss you Wallace. Veronica’s BFF shares a news article linking Pi Sig to a large majority of the campus rapes. Veronica is intrigued and is looking forward to getting close to the Frat boys.
The one frat boy she wasn’t looking forward to getting close to was Mr. Dick Casablancas. You may recall that it was Dick that urged his little brother Beaver to rape Veronica during Season One. Although she has shown her clear dislike of Dick since then, I’ve always found her tolerance of him a bit strange considering the magnitude of what happened. That aside, Dick shows up at the Mars apartment and asks Veronica to do her “Veronica thing” and help clear the frat of any association of the latest rape of a girl named Clare. She agrees but only if she gets FULL, unrestricted access to all of Pi Sig, AND $1,500 upfront. Dick agrees and takes off. “Who knew that when opportunity knocked it would look like a horny surfer?!”

Off to the Pi Sig frat house she goes. “When entering a house full of accused rapists, a pant suit is a solid wardrobe choice. It says, move along – nothing to see here.” He he. May I live a good life so one day I can comeback as Veronica Mars. Roni is interviewing some of the frat brothers just as a mini anti-rape, anti-Pi Sig erupts outside. I know some more happened in this scene, but Dick Casablancas just emerged sans shirt, so forgive me if I lost my train of thought.

Continuing on with her investigation, Veronica finds out that Frat Boy Chip’s alibi the night of Clare’s rape happens to involve a fellow Pi Sig’s girlfriend an no boxers. Veronica talks to the little two-timing hussy, but she’s not all that helpful. Chip’s bruised hand does draw some suspicion, a suspicion that only escalates when she sees that Dick has a bruised hand of his own. Veronica tells Dick that the night of Clare’s rape, he showed up at Logan’s extremely drunk and claiming that he screwed up. Hmm. Veronica considers what this could mean – “Dick? A rapist? Two in the same household? Possibly. Quarterback seem to run in the Manning family.” Again he he.

Veronica’s wariness of Dick continues when Parker informs her that Dick showed up drunk on her doorstep the night before the rape. During their somewhat cool (as in cold – not as in hip or trendy) conversation, Parker also tells Veronica that Dick ran some girl out of a Pi Sign Haunted House and was calling her a bitch. So much for Parker and Roni having slumber parties and doing each other’s hair. Parker is a little pissed that she saw Veronica over at Pi Sig hanging with the boys…especially Dick. Veronica, all you have to do is let her know how Dick was involved the night of Shelley Palmroy’s party and she would once again have nothing

In the end, through a variety of Veronica-esque sleuthing moves, Roni is able to ascertain proof that Clare was NOT raped while at the Pi Sig house. Clare was photographed with a stranger at an ATM around 2am…long after she left the frat house. Who this stranger is and why he was with a drunk Clare three hours before her rape is still unclear. So while the Pi Sig guys are psyched to be cleared of the rape, Veronica’s sisterhood is none to happy with her for helping to clear the boys.

Meanwhile, Keith Mars has a little sleuthing of his own happening. Keith is working away in his office when a woman named Harmony Chase, whom Keith has met socially at parties, enters asking for his help in investing her husband whom she thinks is a big ‘ol cheater. Reunited and it feels so goooood. Yes, Harmony is played by none other than the fab Laura San Giacomo, who many of you might recall played Maya Gallo on Just Shoot Me opposite Enrico Colantoni. It’s good to have the kids back together again. Let’s just hope we don’t have to see David Spade in Neptune anytime soon.

Keith agrees to take on Harmony’s case and soon finds himself on staking out the husband to make sure he is indeed at work. Keith calls Harmony and says that her husband’s car hasn’t moved all night so it seems no tawdry acts are happening on this evening. The two continue to phone flirt, and just as Keith hangs up, he realizes that the husband wasn’t at his office all night, as he’s now exiting a car with a young blonde woman.

Keith summons Harmony to his office the next day to discuss his findings. She comes bearing a pizza and what I would guess to be the key to Keith’s heart. The two discuss her husband’s POSSIBLE infidelity, and the move on to flirting some more, only to be interrupted by the arrival of Veronica and Hottie McTottie

Later that night, Keith is back following Harmony’s husband. He manages to get his money shot…locked lips. Keith shares the photo with Harmony who is already planning how to kick the cheating bastard out. But Keith hasn’t quite shared all the facts. He lets her listen to the audio recording of the kiss, during which she hears her husband step away from the kiss stating that he has a wife and family. Looks like he’s not a cheat after all. Both Harmony and Keith seem a little disappointed that she won’t be single anytime soon. Harmony heads out and home to her husband…something tells me that’s not the last we are going to see of her though.

Over in the land of seriously hot, but seriously flawed boyfriends, Logan’s accountant informs him that his trust friend is evaporating…fast. Logan smells something fishy and asks Veronica to help him figure out if the bean counter is skimming off the top. Keith’s accountant determines that no one is stealing from Logan, but $10k a month is going to a fund called “Aaron’s Kidz”, a “charity” Logan clearly was not aware of.

Veronica follows the “Aaron’s Kidz” trail ‘o money and finds that it leads to one Charlie Stone – Logan’s brother. UH OH…

Ok, I’m going to have to interrupt this recap for a quick second to talk about the One Tree Hill promos. They keep showing some blonde guy stalking Peyton. Ok for those of you of a certain age, PLEASE tell me that I’m not crazy and the guy looks just like Billy Zabka of Karate Kid fame?! Seriously, I’ve seen the promo about ten times now and that’s all I can see. I keep yelling “sweep the leg”, but fake Billy Zabka can’t hear me through the TV. Ok back to Veronica, Logan and long lost Charlie.

Logan is clearly floored at the idea of having a brother out in the world. Logan reluctantly calls and leaves a message for Charlie (Charlie will hereto fore be known as ‘Long Lost Logan’ as he is portrayed by Matt Czuchry who plays Logan on Gilmore Girls. Confused? Too bad.) Logan and ‘Long Lost Logan’ share a drink at The Neptune Grand as Logan tells heartwarming stories about their dear old abusive, philandering murderer of a father. ‘Long Lost’ never knew Aaron, but he did know that Aaron was his father. Growing up NOT in the shadow of the Echolls name seems tohave done wonders for ‘Long Lost’. He’s a teacher – someone clearly doing good in the world. Logan seems smitten by his new big brother and seems genuinely happy to have family again. For you newbies, Logan does have a half-sister Trina, but she’s got her own issues these days. She’s busy trying to win her fiancé back on How I Met Your Mother, so you can understand why she’s not around much, right?

Meanwhile, the GMMR ladies are thanking The CW gods tonight because a scene in which Jason Dohring (Logan) and Matt Czuchry (Long Lost Logan) are sporting wet suits is immediately followed up by the two boys walking shirtless on the beach. Way to know your demographic CW. Bring it on.

While the new brothers are bonding easily, Veronica is a little weary. Veronica being Veronica heads over to Long Lost Logan’s school only to find that the real Charlie Stone looks nothing at all like Rory Gilmore’s boyfriend. Long Lost Logan isn’t who he says he is. He’s actually Norman Phipps, a reporter for Vanity Fair, and he’s doing a story on Logan. Wow…dude, posing as someone’s brother for an article? That’s pretty damn low. And Logan lets him know it with a swift, but impactful right hook. Veronica apologizes for bringing him into Logan’s life, but Logan just stares blankly at her and walks away.

Logan assumes that the real Charlie Stone (the teacher) was the guy that hired Phipps to go after Logan for the story, and in turn Logan outs Charlie during an appearance on Larry King. The next morning reporters swarm Charlie as he heads into his classroom. As it turns out, the real Charlie Stone…IS in fact Logan’s half brother, and he didn’t hire the reporter. Phipps tapped Charlie’s phone and that’s how he got to Logan. And in a touching scene, one where I am completely bewildered by the fact that Jason Dohring hasn’t blown up in the mainstream acting world, Logan tearfully bemoans his lack of family. He tries to call Charlie to apologize about the trouble he caused him, but Charlie doesn’t want to see to pick up the phone. Once again it’s Logan Echolls against the world.