Date of airing: April 18, 2006 (UPN)
Nielsen ratings information: 1.91 million viewers, 1.3/2 in Households, 0.9 rating with Adults 18-49
written by: Phil Klemmer
directed by: Jason Bloom
When it comes to investigating the bus crash, I liked this episode a
lot more than the previous one, thanks to the fact that this episode
went more directly into the investigation and even had Veronica and
Keith investigate it separately (yet unknowingly together). When it comes
to the Fitzpatricks versus the PCHers, this episode also happened to be
quite good, since I was not expecting the Fitzpatricks to be this
directly put on screen and turned into supervillains (at least when it comes to Liam). This episode was, in fact, the first serious one
this season that had the Fitzpatricks front and center, even if more
than half a season ago, Veronica was already smelling Liam’s breath
on her neck and figured him to be the puppetmaster behind the curtain. Still, this episode had the Fitzpatricks on screen and in
action, and the writers decided to expand on the Fitzpatricks storyline
by including Kendall in it. Finally, I might add, because she is a
more serious character with a much deeper agenda and more mysterious background now, as she has turned from a golddigger into a supervillain herself.
This episode almost made me forget the dreamy weirdness that was the previous episode. I loved that Veronica and Keith were teaming up to find out who crashed the bus, and I loved that the two didn’t even know in the beginning that they were working on the same case and following each other's clues independently and from opposite ends. When Veronica followed the green Barracuda (and it unexpectedly turned out to be Liam who was in that car), and she called her father for backup, consider me surprised that Keith was already in the house and about to face Liam and the barrel of his gun. And gosh darn, Veronica pretty much saved Keith’s life without knowing that she even would. How much are you going to believe in a higher power after Harry came to Veronica with a bit of work for her, which led her to the green Barracuda, to the gun in the glove compartment, and her decision to remove the bullet that ultimately saved her father's life? If all of that had not happened, Keith would be dead, and Veronica would essentially be an orphan. The writing of this season has been "hot damn," even if I have not been as happy about some of the story moves throughout the season.
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| I have no issue with dog killers getting arrowed to death by him. |
Kendall got a lot of backstory in this episode and I loved how she was turned into a villain here – one I do not believe would pull the trigger to blow up a bus (even if she had the most expensive of motives to do so), but one I would definitely believe would scheme her way to a murder. It might have somewhat come out of nowhere and maybe the writers just needed a fresh new villain to pass the time with, but it does add tension to the theory that Kendall might have blown up the bus and that she only did it because it was part of her long con, and her marriage to Richard Casablancas may have been part of that con.
Though that would not explain how and why Kendall was involved in the real estate scheme with her husband back then (or risk it to be blown to bits by alerting the authorities) – who knows, maybe she figured she could make some extra cash with real estate fraud before she decides to off Dick and Beaver and get even more money, but it would be kind of dumb for her to turn from a con artist who does not hesitate killing for money to a real estate fraudster. If you do the one thing, you will have the FBI at your house pretty quickly, but the other thing gives you some anonymity, so why would Kendall want to risk that? Nevertheless, seeing her together with Liam was great, and now the two share a story that could make things more thrilling for the narrative – the most notorious golddigger is together with the most notorious gangster? Now the Mars investigators have an entire family to consider being the bombers, which could make things a little more dangerous during the final three episodes of the season.
The rest of the episode was good enough. Weevil getting back to being the leader of the PCHers was an expected storytelling move, although I am a little pissed that he decided to simply go back to the club for the giggles, while his former friends, who pretty much betrayed him for Thumper, decided they were happy about his return and needed to celebrate it. Weevil could have mouthed off to his former gang members for letting him rot, but here he is, getting his PCHers out of a pickle with the Fitzpatricks, and everything is peachy again after that – no, I do not think so. But it does essentially end the Weevil/PCHers story for this season – we know who killed Felix, Weevil is back to where he was at the start of the season, and the only thing that was added to all of it was that the PCHers had another gang to fight against. The remaining episodes of the season can now focus on the bus crash.
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| With this screenshot, Liam Fitzpatrick becomes the supervillain of Neptune. |
And then there was the side plot of Wallace and Jackie getting back together for her last five weeks of life in Neptune. First of all, I am a bit saddened that Jackie is being prepared to exit the town (lucky her) because she has been a much better character since Wallace's return from Chicago, and I liked her a lot. But it was not really a story I had the hots for, although I am happy for the two lovebirds who seem to be happy around each other, especially after the bullcrap they have gone through during the beginning of the season. Besides that, Tessa Thompson has become cuter as the season went along (it probably helped that her character became nicer and friendlier), so naturally, I want to see her story finish with a happy end before she leaves for a French university.
