Take 5: VERONICA MARS Top 5 Episodes
December 8, 2008 by Kath Skerry
It’s time for another installment of GiveMeMyRemote.com’s “Take 5”. With Each “Take 5”, members of Team GMMR pick their five favorite episodes of some of their favorite shows. After sharing their faves, we open up to you to tell us which episodes stand out as some of the best to YOU. There are no wrong answers, just a lot of fond memories.
In today’s “Take 5”, Tricia shares with us her favorite 5 episodes of one of my very favorite shows of all time – VERONICA MARS.
This is going to be good…I can just feel it. Over to you, Tricia.
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I saw my first episode of Veronica Mars about two years ago. It was the first episode of the third season. I was impressed but I had no idea how good the show really was until I watch the first two seasons on DVD a few months later. From that point on, I was absolutely addicted. Since then, I’ve watched every single episode of each and every season five times. I’ve gotten my friends and family addicted. My favorite shirt is the My Pretty Pony tee- shirt I ordered offline six months ago.
All this is why choosing just five episodes of Veronica Mars was nearly impossible for me. But, after much thought, I chose what I believe to be the top 5 episodes. I know some of these choices are going to be controversial so I’d love to hear your thoughts below.
5. Weapons of Class Destruction
This was the episode that kick-started one of the best TV romances ever: Logan and Veronica, or LoVe, as some like to call them. The episode starts off with Veronica’s suspicions being raised when a new classmate, Ben, starts showing some violent tendencies. Then there are the suspicious fire drills that Neptune High’s been having. Veronica does what she does best and discovers the school’s been receiving bomb threats. She follows Ben and discovers him storing fertilizer and guns in his cars. Logan interrupts the stakeout when he calls Veronica just as Ben takes the opportunity to jump in the car and demands that Veronica take him to the Camelot Motel. Veronica drops the phone, with Logan still on the line. Just as Veronica starts to panic, Logan appears and lays out Ben with a powerful Echolls punch. Soon after Veronica discovers that Ben is an undercover agent investigating another student at Neptune High. He asks Veronica to help and she accepts. And then something happens that makes this episode top 5 worth; Veronica kisses Logan in a scene the was full of so much chemistry that it gave me chills. The episode ends with Veronica figuring out that Ben was setting Norris up, but, honestly, who was really paying attention at that point? Veronica and Logan had finally realized that their chemistry was undeniable!
4. The Bitch is Back
Our number four episode is the series finale. It also marked the return of some key season one and two characters. A tape of Veronica and Piz made its way online somehow and Logan was the one to break it to Veronica. She, of course, is in denial, which is quickly followed by anger, which turns into revenge. She goes through the chain of people who received and sent the e- mail until she finally discovered the culprit; Gorya Sorokin. He leads Veronica to a secret society call The Castle. Veronica sneaks into a meeting only to discover that the one and only Jake Kane is in charge. This marks the first time we’ve seen Jake since the season 1 finale, and quite a bit has gone down since then. Jake’s is carrying quite the grudge against Veronica who he believes to be responsible for all of his family’s misfortunes. So when Jake discovers that Veronica stole his hard drive to discover the identities of the members of The Castle, Jake goes to the sheriff. The only problem is the sheriff happens to be Keith who’s took over for Lamb temporarily and is running against Vinnie for the post. Keith, of course, covers up for Veronica, and Jake calls the press even after Veronica threatens him with her newly acquired knowledge of the members of The Castle. Gorya Sorokin still needed to be taken care of however, and the nonviolent Piz wasn’t about to come to Veronica’s defense. Logan, however, was. He beat Gorya senseless in the cafeteria and then ended his series- long romance with Veronica with a lingering gaze that was seemingly returned. As far as endings go, this wasn’t the ideal one, but it was clear that Veronica and Logan would always be more than friends. I like to imagine that this was the beginning of another stage of their relationship. The ending scene of the series was Veronica going to cast her vote for Keith, and walking away from the camera down the street in the pouring rain to the tune of “It never rains in Southern California”.
3. Leave it to Beaver
I count this as one of Veronica’s bests because this is the episode where we finally find out the ‘who’ and ‘why’ regarding the murder of Lilly Kane. And it’s a shocker; Aaron Echolls, father of Logan, murdered her after she threatened to go public with their illicit and illegal affair. Everything about this episode is superb, from the plotlines, to the stunts, and the performances. Kristen Bell, in particular, churned out gut- wrenching, Emmy- worthy scenes, first when Veronica confronted Aaron for the murder of Lilly and then when she said goodbye to Lilly in the pool at the end. What’s always astonished me is that even though Lilly was dead a year before the first season took place, this is the episode that makes her death a reality for both the viewer and Veronica. There’s also one hell of a cliffhanger: Who was at Veronica’s door?
2. Donut Run
This episode is arguably the biggest game-changer of Veronica Mars. It’s also one of the saddest. Meg is dead and it’s looking like Duncan is going to lose custody of their daughter to Meg’s parents. Veronica and Duncan set up an elaborate scheme to get Duncan and the baby out of the country safely. Everyone from the FBI to Keith has to be fooled into thinking Veronica has nothing to do with it- otherwise she can say goodbye to a career in law enforcement. She and Duncan orchestrate a very public breakup and Veronica plays out the role of ditched girlfriend when the FBI and Lamb come knocking on her door for information. She gives them false info that leads them on a wild goose chase to a boat floating in the Pacific. All the while, Duncan and the baby have been stashed in the newly vacant apartment next to Veronica’s: she’s been passing them supplies via a hole in her bathroom cupboard. Enlisting the help of Vinnie, and Astrid, Celeste Kane’s assistant who happens to look like Veronica, the baby is smuggled to Mexico. Duncan, meanwhile, hides in Lambs trunk in order to get over the border. He and the baby, named Lilly of course, are reunited. Veronica and Duncan, however, are done for good. I was never as emotionally involved in their relationship as I was with Logan and Veronica’s but it’s a testament to the show that I also understood, and supported Veronica’s feelings for Duncan. Duncan’s departure ended the overarching love triangle that had been in place between Logan, Veronica, and Duncan since the first season. It also marked the departure of the Kane’s: Their next appearance would be in the series finale (excluding Duncan’s cameo in the season two finale, of course). It’s also worth mentioning that Lucy Lawless had an excellent guest role in this episode; she played a ruthless FBI agent on the hunt for Duncan. This episode also featured one of the most moving scenes of the series: when Veronica walks alone on the beach at the end of the episode after honoring her promise to the now dead Meg by keeping baby Lilly from her abusive parent’s grips even though it meant losing one of the most important people I her life permanently. As a side note I have a question for you guys: Do you think Celeste Kane was in on the scheme or not? It’s never stated that she is but I always took Astrid’s involvement to mean she is. Not liking your boss doesn’t seem like a strong enough reason to commit a federal offense to me.
1. Not Pictured
I know a lot of you are going to think this is a surprising choice, but for me it was the only one of the top 5 episodes that I was clear on going into this Take 5. If I had to pick a single episode to represent the show this would be it. The actual plot of this episode was compelling, fast- paced, and the twist at the end was shocking. This was the episode where Veronica discovered who was responsible for the bus crash that took seven of her classmates lives. After finding out that Woody was molesting the children on his little league team and that one of them had crashed the bus in order to prevent former team mates from going public with what happened to them, Veronica uses a team picture to whittle down possible suspect. And then she realizes one boy isn’t picture: Cassidy “Beaver” Casablancas. And then Veronica is forced to face the fact that not only did Beaver kill seven of her classmates but he also raped her at Shelly Pomroy’s end of the year party a few years before. Their confrontation on the roof where Beaver blows up the plane that Keith is supposed to be on and then jumps to his death is some of KB’s finest work from the series. And then there’s Logan who comes to Veronica’s defense on the roof and then is there for her during one of the worst nights of her life. But it’s not just the shocking twist that makes this number 1 material, but rather that this episode has a bit of everything that made Veronica such a great show. Some of the highlights included a funky flash- sideways to an alternate reality where Lilly was still alive and Logan and Veronica had gotten together anyway, an unexpected villain in the seemingly harmless Beaver Casablancas, a cameo by Duncan that revealed that he ordered Aaron Echoll’s death, and powerhouse performances by all of the actors. This episode also marked the beginning of LoVe’s happiest period and the high school graduation of Veronica, Logan, Weevil, Wallace, and co.
I’m anxious to hear what you guys think about my choices below. I also want to say, once again, that it was extremely hard to choose just five episodes. Some honorable mentions include the Pilot, Spit & Eggs, A Trip to the Dentist, and Veronica Mars: FBI (I know- not a real episode. It’s still superb and deserves the shout-out though.).
Even though Veronica ended over a year ago, it’s still setting a standard for TV that’s almost impossible to meet. Because, let’s face it, there’s never going to be another show quite like this one. As I write this I’m still holding out hope for a movie; I have faith that Rob Thomas will honor his promise to bring our girl to the big screen. Regardless of the show’s big- screen fate, it will still live on in our memories just as Lilly lived on in Veronica’s.
— posted by Tricia
Other Take 5’s…
Take 5: The West Wing
Take 5: Seinfeld
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Filed under Take 5, Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars is one of my favorite series also. Veronica is smart, pretty and snarky – a combination hard to resist.
One of my favorite through away scenes is when Veronica is at a frat party and a guy hits on her to get points for a frat contest. She dumps beer on him and then a few minutes later she sees him hitting on another girls and casually tasers him has she walks by.
However, your selections seem to highlight my only two problems with the series.
One is I hated LoVe. Logan was good as the psycho a******, but I could never believe that Veronica would fall for him – he was too good at being a psycho a*.
Second, Veronica was being rescued all the time. In season one it was only twice (if I recall) and one by Keith in the finale and once by Weevil from Logan (in the pilot I think). In seasons 2 and 3 it was common and Logan was the normal rescuer. Now I understand that VM is not the reincarnation of Buffy, but she is very smart. She would not continually get herself into these situations where she needed saving. They sometimes had to write her dumb (like in your choice #1) to put her in jeopardy. I am guessing the season 2 and 3 rescues were to give her reasons to reconnect with Logan, since otherwise she would be too smart to stay with him.
Tricia –
Not an easy task at all. I think a few of my top faves would differ from yours, but I think as soon as I picked my top 5 I would probably change my mind again.
“Not Pictured” would def be on the list. Every time I hear Veronica yell “he killed my father”, I just get the shivers. And the music in the rooftop scene is so haunting – just perfect.
“A Trip to the Dentist” is perhaps on of my faves. Again, Kristen Bell was perfection in the scene where Duncan tells Veronica that she is his sister. So much happened in that one episode. I’ve watched that one so many times I’ve lost count.
“M.A.D.” I love the scene where Logan and Veronica walk into the party and he stands up for his lady with all his classmates. This is also one of the first eps where we get a taste of not quite right Duncan.
“An Echolls Family Christmas” – The boys in their matching boxers? Enough said.
I love that your My Pretty Pony shirt is your favorite!
I feel like Donut Run is a controversial pick! Especially with those who never liked Duncan. Not that you shouldn’t pick it, by any means, just that it should be interesting to see how many people agree or disagree. My issue with that episode is that I always felt like it broke the rules of the show by having Veronica tricking even us, the audience, with her narration. Even though I know surprising the audience with what was really happening would have been impossible if she had narrated it like
That said… I do love Not Pictured, Weapons of Class Destruction, The Bitch is Back, and Leave It To Beaver. Ack. Can my Top 5 be more than 5? 😉
One of my all time faves is Clash of the Tritons. For one thing, it gave us, “Veronica Mars is smarter than me.” But it is also where we find out why Logan really turned on Veronica after Lilly’s death (sorry, John, I don’t think he’s truly a psychotic a**!) and we get to see Veronica’s reaction to it. I think it’s an important turning point for them even though I’m pretty sure they don’t interact at all in the episode.
I also really love You Think You Know Somebody. It was the episode that finally hooked me on the series so I think it deserves to be in my TOp 5.
But then An Echolls Family Christmas is great too. I like a lot scenes from season 2 but have a harder time picking entire episodes that I love but I have some strange love for Ain’t No Magic Mountain High Enough and I can’t really explain why. (I probably could but I’ve rambled on enough.)
Thanks for giving me a reason to think about VM today. 🙂
Ooh, Kath, A Trip to the Dentist definitely would be on my list. (Do I have more than 5 already??)
Your scene with Logan and Veronica at the party is actually from ATttD not MAD. In MAD she stands him up because she finds out he’s one of the people who had drugs at the party. (Love that last scene with Logan waiting on the boat all alone.)
Okay “MAD” is not “A Trip to the Dentist” (Thanks Rae). But I still love MAD so I’ll keep it on the list.
Looks like I need to go back and brush up on VM eps. ha ha
Rae, I completely understand your love for Ain’t no Magic Mountain High Enough. It just missed being an honorable mention for me. I decided that even though I love the episode there’s not enough action that contributed to the overall arch of the show. That said, I think it’s one of the best stand alone episodes of the show.
I also love the scene at the party in ATttD but I hate the ending of the episode- that’s why it didn’t make the top 5!
God i miss this show!!!
This is so fun – but it makes me sad!
I wouldn’t be able to pick just 5. But – I loved Mars Bars for the scenes with Veronica in jail, some great quotes – the Keith/Veronica dynamic at it’s best! Not much mention about Piz up there, but he was an amazing addition to S3, and started a whole new set of problems for Logan and Veronica.
I think everyone has to love Weapons of Class Destruction…I’ll never forget how shocked/hooked/slack jawed I was watching that Camelot Motel scene…I had no idea they were going to be together – and it was awesome.
It’s hard to find a show that is intriguing, makes you laugh and cry, and makes you care about the characters so much. And I cared, big time. I’m keeping my hopes up for a movie – if anyone can do it Rob Thomas can. 🙂
I screamed through the whole three seasons at the beginning of this past summer and promptly sent my DVDs to a friend who has yet to return them! I need them back! This sounds like holiday review session to me!
I have to agree with #1. It’s one of the episodes that gets me teary just thinking about the last 15 minutes.
I think I almost agree with your list. This would be mine
5. THE BITCH IS BACK
4. THE WRATH OF CON
3. A TRIP TO THE DENTIST
2. NOT PICTURED
1. LEAVE IT TO BEAVER/PILOT
Honorable mentions: LOOK WHO’S STALKING, M.A.D., SPIT & EGGS, RAT SAW GOD.
This actually should be a TAKE 10. This show is just too good to choose only 5
also, WEAPONS OF CLASS DESTRUCTION
I agree with your choices. Best, best! But I would like to give a little shout-out to Season 3. While the mystery was admittedly weak compared to season one and two, some of my favorite characters, such a the Dean, were introduced and I also loved some of the more unique plotlines, like the prisoner/guard experiment. Storylines like that are really what took Veronica Mars from mere steamy soap opera into something much more topical and smart. Come back, VM! I love you.
[…] Give Me My Remote’s Take 5 series rounds up the very best of Veronica Mars. They’ve got some stellar picks on their list and while I might take the time to quibble […]
i def agree with all your choices but i would have picked at least one more from season 1….another touching point from “not pictured” was when wallace tells veronica that “it was worth getting tied to the flag pole? then veronica looks on in class when he cleans out his locker. wallace was def a supporting character but so vital to the series.
I’m so glad you included Weapons of Class Destruction. That moment at the motel remains one of my most-loved TV moments ever. LoVe were MADE for each other – and it shows so clearly in that one scene
Oh yeah, A Trip to the Dentist is a great one too. You know, you could’ve selected just about any 5 eps and you would’ve been safe. VM is just great like that.
[…] In the latest installment of Take 5, GMMR looked back at the top 5 episodes of Veronica Mars. (Give Me My Remote) […]
[…] In the latest installment of Take 5, GMMR looked back at the top 5 episodes of Veronica Mars. (Give Me My Remote) […]
I agree with most of your list but I definitely would’ve replaced Season Three’s finale with “Spit and Eggs” and the awful “Donut Run” with “An Echolls Family Christimas,” arguably one of the best episodes of the series.
Four out of your five picks were written, co-written, or directed by Rob Thomas. Are you a related to Rob? 😉
My favorite episode is A Trip to the Dentist.
[…] Take 5: VERONICA MARS Top 5 Episodes […]
I just right this minute watched “Look Who’s Stalking”. When Veronica goes back to Logan’s room after his “epic” speech KILLS me. It totally freaking KILLS me! I remember seeing this moment when Rae did her moments from V Mars and even then out of context it killed me.
I must own this series and quit renting it from Netflix. This waiting game is way too rough!!
My Top 5 (not in order):
1. Spit and Eggs: when veronica figures out that mercer is the rapist, and she poses as carrie (the girl who took her older sisters ID and was given GHB) to save her from mercer. and arguably, the best part of this episode is when logan vandalizes a cop car with a bat just so he could smoke mercer in the jail cell.
2. Not Pictured: she finds out Beaver killed all the people on the bus, raped her, killed her father, but didn’t really kill her father. plus, she graduates from high school! and logan comes to her rescue. those lines “you’re not a killer veronica, give me the gun” and “he killed my father, he killed everyone on the bus, he raped me” just make my heart fall. besides you see wallace “as nostalgic as he gets” when he said it was worth getting taped to a pole </3
3. The Bitch is Back: enough said
4. Leave it to Beaver: amazing acting as always by kristen bell and the rest of the cast. every role played to perfection. i totally believed the fire scene, the fight between keith and aaron, everything. it was all totally amazing.
5. A Trip to the Dentist: kept me intrigued and i really felt for her. just soo amazing….
I MISS VM AND THERE BETTER BE A MOVIE!!!!
Gah this is hard. *pouts* VM was always so fantastic so… I think I have a pretty conclusive top 5 though.
First, the (insanely long) Honourable Mentions:
~ Pilot (1×01) – Epicest. Backstory. Ever
~ Clash of the Tritons (1×12) – the Lilly interviews, Lynn’s death, “Veronica Mars is smarter than me.”
~ Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner (2×07) – massive insight into the twistedness of Neptune, fascinating spin on Meg’s family, Lamb’s moment of decency.
~ Donut Run (2×11) – MASSIVE plotting, love the conclusion to Duncan’s story.
~ I Am God (2×18) – pivotal episode in the arc, beautiful dream sequences.
~ Happy Go Lucky (2×21) – insanely adrenaline-filled, massive pity for Lucky the Unlucky Psycho, love the Mac/Cassidy/Weevil comic subplot.
~ Spit & Eggs (3×09) – Breakneck pace and constant drama – and I found much love for Parker. Also: Logan. Crowbar. Police Car.
~ The Bitch Is Back (3×20) – Epic finale, VERY noir.
And now, the top 5:
5 – An Echolls Family Christmas (1×10)
One of the most vital clues – Aaron’s cheating – is smuggled into this awesomely ironic “so-not-your-average-Christmas-episode” tale. The poker case is fantastic to watch, and the final scene has one of the best VMVOs ever: “No, Veronica, there is not a Santa Claus.”
4 – Plan B (2×17)
Season 2’s B mystery is brought to a close, and for a rat, Thumper got the awesomest death ever – death by exploding stadium? You’re special. Again the vital clue is hidden where you don’t expect it, and the final scene with Weevil in the confessional is one of the best VM moments: “Forgive me father, for I have sinned.”
3 – A Trip To The Dentist (1×21)
Veronica investigates a very painful case – her rape – and finds out a lot, yet nothing at all. The differing perspectives create an interesting and slightly unstable narrative of what happened at Shelley’s, especially given hindsight, and KB and TD act the hell out of their confrontation at the house: “I loved you! And tried to shut you out of my life but it won’t go away!”
2 – Not Pictured (2×22)
You know, I’ve never actually been on a rollercoaster, but I think it may be a little like this. The action is utterly gutwrenching, the twist is both unexpected yet makes such perfect sense, and Kyle Gallner proves himself an actor for the ages. What he says before his death breaks my heart: “Why not?”
1 – Leave It To Beaver (1×22)
Damn. The Lily Kane murder case is wrapped up, the scary psychosis of Aaron Echolls in full view – the fridge scene was damn near terrifying – and massive pity for both Logan and Duncan – TD and JD both do great jobs; especially Duncan panicking after finding Veronica, and Logan on the beach. The scene with Veronica and the Lilly on the pool is probably my favourite VM moment ever: “You know how things are going to be now, right?”
It’s not entirely for certain. Particularly, I’m not entirely sure if I really prefer Not Pictured or A Trip To The Dentist, but for now I’m going with NP.
I just want to say, am I alone in loving “Like a Virgin”? I don’t remember if it introduces us to Mac or Meg, but they’re both in it and they’re both awesome. This is the episode that really hooked me. Also in season one, “Drinking the Kool-aide”. Not the greatest episode overall, but when you realize the kid’s been deprogrammed, it’s just tragic. Gotta say #1 is def “Best Pictured”. Hit the nail on the head!!!
One of my favourite shows as well. I didn’t watch the show when it was on the air initially (live in Canada and had no carrier the first season), so when I got the DVDs I watched the entire 1st season in 1 sitting – only pausing for food and bathroom breaks. It was damn difficult to avoid all the spoilers out there.
I definitely would have had A Trip To The Dentist on my list – likely #1 – and your #1 of Not Pictured as probably my #2. After that I’m not sure which I’d have included, but I think I’d have had The Pilot episode in my top 5.
A little off topic, but 3 of my favourite scenes over the course of the show (not sure the eps they were in off the top of my head) were:
1) the scene in which Keith is giving Veronica a present and it’s an envelope. Veronica playing with the envelope then asks with outright joy and excitement: “Is it a pony?” Easily my favourite scene in the history of the show. I love scenes like that when earlier little inside jokes are called back upon later on in a show (I think that a reason why VM is so fondly remembered and same with a show like Arrested Development);
2) the scene where Keith and Veronica talk about the paternity test results – one of the best parent/child relationships in the history of TV; and
3) when Veronica tells her dad about her results for the P.I. licensing exam and she’s bragging about how she outdid him, but he had in fact tricked her about his score so that he still had a higher result and called her a “slacker” (or something – sorry can’t remember exact wording) even though she had something like a 95 (and he was a 97 or something along those lines).
As you can tell my the above list, I was a huge fan of the Keith/Veronica relationship part of the show. I confess that normally I’m not a fan of parent/children relationships on “HS shows” but this is one my few exceptions (along with Lorelai/Rory on Gilmore Girls – probably the 2 best ever on tv).
my top five are….
1.) Echolls family Christmas. – I think this is where Logan started to be a little in awe of Veronica and her skills. The look on his face when she A.) cleared him of the charges and B.) when she was shuffling the cards
2.) A Trip to the dentist. – I found it very heart warming when Logan and Veronica stepped inside the lions den and he held out his hand to her, letting her know he was beside her and they would face it together.
3.Ahoy Mateys.- There were 4 things I loved about this episode. 1 we found out that when V loses her mind over the gun Logan has, regardless of Duncan, she was scared for Logan and still loved him 2. Despite the sarcastic wit coming out of Logans mouth, he would always protect Veronica. 3.)They have a deep sense of loyalty to each other regardless of their relationship status. 4.) the scene where the PCHers have Logan tied up and are threatening to shoot him. That scene was awesome and well acted by Jason Dohring.
4.) Ruskie Business. – It showed us that Logan does have feelings and he can be hurt. Watching him breakdown and cry, he LET Veronica hold him and console him That was a huge step for Logan. You can kinda see that he’s falling for Veronica in the scene at the dance when he’s drunk and Trina shows up.
5.) Hot Dogs- The scene where Aaron beats the snot out of Trinas bf is priceless. And logan lets loose and tells Veronica how he feels about Lilly and her. Great episode
I love this show. Still several years after it’s been cancelled. I can’t help it. The characters were unique and deeper than most. There are a couple things we the audience never got to see that really bug me. 1 we never got to see Logan and Veronica have FUN! I mean where Veronica wasn’t being untrusting or accusing Logan of something. Don’t get me wrong I loved Veronica and Logan together, but in season 3 she was constantly bitchy to him. Even when he wasn’t being snarky to her. Drove me nuts. 2. I don’t think Rob Thomas utilized the chemistry between Logan and Veronica to it’s fullest. I mean outside of the kissy faced twirling around they did, we never saw the raw passion we know they had. We saw hotter sex between Logan and Kendall!