Veronica Mars: Donut Run
January 2nd 2007 02:07
Donut Run was a complex episode of Veronica Mars, although still entertaining. There were some problems, but on the whole the execution of the storyline was successful.
I enjoyed the kidnapping plotline, although it was quite convoluted. I found that I needed to view the episode a second time to truly understand it.
I was happy when Veronica (Kristin Bell) and Duncan (Teddy Dunn) broke up, although even then something about the way it was done didn't sit right. I like that the writers gave us subtle hints that something was amiss. I did also like the fact that last episode Veronica made a passing mention that her neighbours had been evicted, which was great foreshadowing as to Duncan's whereabouts this week.
I'm not exactly sure why Duncan chose not to try and win custody of the baby in court. I'm not particularly familiar with the laws of California, but I can't imagine it would have been too difficult for the wealthy biological father of an infant to gain custody. Still, I guess there could have been obstacles that exist in TV-land justice, or simply the obstacles that Duncan's parents put in place. I've chosen not to worry about this issue too much and instead focus on the plotline they did go with.
I did like that Veronica and Duncan managed to play Sheriff Lamb by having him inadvertently stowaway Duncan over the border. When I first saw Duncan in Mexico I was a bit concerned that he had the baby in his backpack - thankfully she was safely in with Private Investigator Vinnie Van Low (Ken Marino) and Astrid (Christie Fite), Celeste Kane's maid.
I'm not sure if trusting Vinnie was the brightest move; the very fact that he would defer to helping Duncan instead of Celeste does little for his credibility. I'm not exactly clear on Astrid's involvement - I understand that it was she who planted the tape recorder in Big Bear, but I'm not sure why she would be helping Duncan. I suppose it's possible that Astrid has become friendly with Duncan while working for Celeste (Lisa Thornhill); or that he offered her enough money to aid him.
I did find it was sweet that Duncan renamed the baby Lilly.
My biggest problem with the plotline is that there appears to be no real resolution to Duncan's character. He went out as somewhat of a hero, even if it was probably Veronica that arranged everything. However, Duncan's behaviour has been very strange this past season, and he appears to have been keeping a lot of secrets. Yet Veronica has had this trust of him all the way through, and for some inexplicable reason still seems to see him as the love of her life.
Perhaps it just doesn't make sense to me since I'm such a LoVe fan, but I just can't understand her adoration of him, despite the fact they never acted particularly happy together. It just doesn't sit well with me that Veronica would take such risks because of this undying love for him, as the episode made out. I will note that when Duncan said I love you to Veronica, she did not reiterate his sentiment. I would like to think that Veronica's actions were mostly because of her dying promise to Meg, though her moping at the end seemed to indicate otherwise. We actually finally got to see the fortune cookie that Duncan gave to Veronica in Normal is the Watchword, which states that 'True Love Stories Never Have Endings.' It seems a bit soppy to have won Veronica over, but she really does seem to be blinded when it comes to Duncan.
Interestingly enough, the numbers on the fortune cookie were 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42; while the apartment number that Duncan was hiding in was 108. These presence of these numbers is a shout-out to Lost.
I should definitely mention Lucy Lawless - it was great to see her in this role, although I sort of wished she would make some reference to Xena. Michael Muhney was hilarious this week as Sheriff Lamb. My favourite moment was when he was on his way down to Mexico, so self confident he was even checking himself out in the rear-view mirror.
There was some stellar work from Enrico Colantoni this week. It was heartbreaking to see Keith's reaction to Veronica's betrayal. In an episode all about trust, Keith's is not one Veronica wants to lose, and I think this will have a big impact on the upcoming episodes.
Nice to have some interaction between Veronica and Wallace (Percy Daggs III), as it was something I really missed during his absence. I did find it a bit upsetting that the only reason he returned to Neptune was because of the hit-and-run - had that not happened, would he have ever come back?
I absolutely love Logan (Jason Dohring) and Weevil (Francis Capra) working together. Despite all there differences, they make a great team. There was also some fantastic comic relief from Dick (Ryan Hansen) this week - the character is at his best when used this way.
Veronica Mars returns next Friday at 10.50pm on Network Ten.
*Screencap courtesy of Wikipedia, and used under Fair Dealing for identification and cirtical commentary.
I enjoyed the kidnapping plotline, although it was quite convoluted. I found that I needed to view the episode a second time to truly understand it.
I was happy when Veronica (Kristin Bell) and Duncan (Teddy Dunn) broke up, although even then something about the way it was done didn't sit right. I like that the writers gave us subtle hints that something was amiss. I did also like the fact that last episode Veronica made a passing mention that her neighbours had been evicted, which was great foreshadowing as to Duncan's whereabouts this week.
I'm not exactly sure why Duncan chose not to try and win custody of the baby in court. I'm not particularly familiar with the laws of California, but I can't imagine it would have been too difficult for the wealthy biological father of an infant to gain custody. Still, I guess there could have been obstacles that exist in TV-land justice, or simply the obstacles that Duncan's parents put in place. I've chosen not to worry about this issue too much and instead focus on the plotline they did go with.
I did like that Veronica and Duncan managed to play Sheriff Lamb by having him inadvertently stowaway Duncan over the border. When I first saw Duncan in Mexico I was a bit concerned that he had the baby in his backpack - thankfully she was safely in with Private Investigator Vinnie Van Low (Ken Marino) and Astrid (Christie Fite), Celeste Kane's maid.
I'm not sure if trusting Vinnie was the brightest move; the very fact that he would defer to helping Duncan instead of Celeste does little for his credibility. I'm not exactly clear on Astrid's involvement - I understand that it was she who planted the tape recorder in Big Bear, but I'm not sure why she would be helping Duncan. I suppose it's possible that Astrid has become friendly with Duncan while working for Celeste (Lisa Thornhill); or that he offered her enough money to aid him.
I did find it was sweet that Duncan renamed the baby Lilly.
My biggest problem with the plotline is that there appears to be no real resolution to Duncan's character. He went out as somewhat of a hero, even if it was probably Veronica that arranged everything. However, Duncan's behaviour has been very strange this past season, and he appears to have been keeping a lot of secrets. Yet Veronica has had this trust of him all the way through, and for some inexplicable reason still seems to see him as the love of her life.
Veronica moping over Duncan*
Interestingly enough, the numbers on the fortune cookie were 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42; while the apartment number that Duncan was hiding in was 108. These presence of these numbers is a shout-out to Lost.
I should definitely mention Lucy Lawless - it was great to see her in this role, although I sort of wished she would make some reference to Xena. Michael Muhney was hilarious this week as Sheriff Lamb. My favourite moment was when he was on his way down to Mexico, so self confident he was even checking himself out in the rear-view mirror.
There was some stellar work from Enrico Colantoni this week. It was heartbreaking to see Keith's reaction to Veronica's betrayal. In an episode all about trust, Keith's is not one Veronica wants to lose, and I think this will have a big impact on the upcoming episodes.
Nice to have some interaction between Veronica and Wallace (Percy Daggs III), as it was something I really missed during his absence. I did find it a bit upsetting that the only reason he returned to Neptune was because of the hit-and-run - had that not happened, would he have ever come back?
I absolutely love Logan (Jason Dohring) and Weevil (Francis Capra) working together. Despite all there differences, they make a great team. There was also some fantastic comic relief from Dick (Ryan Hansen) this week - the character is at his best when used this way.
Overall Rating
Veronica Mars returns next Friday at 10.50pm on Network Ten.
*Screencap courtesy of Wikipedia, and used under Fair Dealing for identification and cirtical commentary.
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Comment by KylieW
Celebrity Obsession
Having Sheriff Lamb carry Duncan over the border was genius. Very pleased with that. I also thought Lucy Lawless was great.
I really felt for Keith when he realised that Veronica had lied to him. But he still had her back. I think we'll see more of the ramifications of her lying to him in the upcoming episodes.
I'm really happy with Logan and Weevil's pairing too.
Can't wait to see what happens next week.
Comment by Nina
TV Babble