Veronica Mars: "Never Mind the Buttocks"
Oct. 14th, 2006 06:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sea_thoughtsSpoilers follow for anyone who hasn't yet seen Season 2.
Never Mind the Buttocks
I always appreciate episode titles that pun album titles instead of books or sayings, even if it's a title as famous as Never Mind the Bollocks, here's the Sex Pistols. Punning album titles seems more intelligent to me, because it takes more thought. And in this case, as with most VM episodes, the title actually had a purpose. (My favourite title is still "Donut Run".)
"Buttocks" reminded me of the doll I got as a posthumous Christmas present from my grandma. This doll was a matryoshka doll, and even if you don't know the word, you'll probably have heard of them: they are also known as 'nesting dolls', since each one comes apart to reveal a smaller one, and they get smaller and smaller, until you find the tiniest in the centre. This episode was a matryoshka doll: you started with the outside, a dog run over by a mysterious green Barracuda (nice symbolism there, tiny fish, fearsome reputation). This shell separated to reveal that someone inside this car had mooned Gina Goodman on the day of the bus crash (sorry? bus crash? when did that happen? I totally forgot). Frankly, whoever it was, good for them. Gina annoys the heck out of me and I am still mourning the lack of a great moment when Veronica interrupted Logan from telling her exactly what he thought of her. (I mean, jeez, Veronica. A guy can't carry around Mace. Let Logan deal with Gina in the only way he can: by telling her to piss off. Oh well, we got them dancing instead and not sniping at each other, which was nice.) And then we find out that the Barracuda belongs to a blind old lady - and that Liam Fitzpatrick is using it freely. And that Kendall is involved somehow. And that Kendall isn't really Kendall - she's Priscilla. Now, it tells you what I think of the name 'Kendall' when I say that I think that 'Priscilla' is an improvement. I loved finding out about Kendall's extrememly murky past: manslaughter and fraud on top of gold digging and being a grade-A bitch. Having said that: murder? I just can't see Kendall bothering to do that. One doll opens up to reveal another and another and another...
Then we have Weevil turning up to rescue the PCHers (could someone please tell me what those initials stand for?) from the Fitzpatricks with that old plaque from way back. (If this was an English series, there would be a complaint about portraying Irish descendants.) And the old lady is Liam Fitzpatrick's grandmother. And the dog owner's little brother was a PCH gang member behind on his payments, so the dog got run over. I loved all the little interconnections in this episode. Even though I wanted to hit Wallace over the head a few times. And Jackie is going to the Sorbonne? Since when? Does she even speak French? (Something pretty important for a university that's among the best in the world.) How out of the blue is this? I loved the ending of this episode: brother begging for his brother's life. It definitely carried on the idea of family that had been prevalent throughout the episode: Weevil rescuing his old gang; Veronica rescuing her dad; Kendall choosing the Fitzpatricks over her old family. It was also interesting that Veronica had her expectations confounded, although I could see why the brother didn't exactly care about getting beaten up 'more' as opposed to his brother being in prison: she always expects people to be selfish, so when someone makes a sacrifice, she doesn't know how to handle it. The only way she can handle it is to reciprocate and let go of her desire to deliver the truth.
I'm glad we're finally beginning to discover more about the crash, considering it's three episodes until the end.
Never Mind the Buttocks
I always appreciate episode titles that pun album titles instead of books or sayings, even if it's a title as famous as Never Mind the Bollocks, here's the Sex Pistols. Punning album titles seems more intelligent to me, because it takes more thought. And in this case, as with most VM episodes, the title actually had a purpose. (My favourite title is still "Donut Run".)
"Buttocks" reminded me of the doll I got as a posthumous Christmas present from my grandma. This doll was a matryoshka doll, and even if you don't know the word, you'll probably have heard of them: they are also known as 'nesting dolls', since each one comes apart to reveal a smaller one, and they get smaller and smaller, until you find the tiniest in the centre. This episode was a matryoshka doll: you started with the outside, a dog run over by a mysterious green Barracuda (nice symbolism there, tiny fish, fearsome reputation). This shell separated to reveal that someone inside this car had mooned Gina Goodman on the day of the bus crash (sorry? bus crash? when did that happen? I totally forgot). Frankly, whoever it was, good for them. Gina annoys the heck out of me and I am still mourning the lack of a great moment when Veronica interrupted Logan from telling her exactly what he thought of her. (I mean, jeez, Veronica. A guy can't carry around Mace. Let Logan deal with Gina in the only way he can: by telling her to piss off. Oh well, we got them dancing instead and not sniping at each other, which was nice.) And then we find out that the Barracuda belongs to a blind old lady - and that Liam Fitzpatrick is using it freely. And that Kendall is involved somehow. And that Kendall isn't really Kendall - she's Priscilla. Now, it tells you what I think of the name 'Kendall' when I say that I think that 'Priscilla' is an improvement. I loved finding out about Kendall's extrememly murky past: manslaughter and fraud on top of gold digging and being a grade-A bitch. Having said that: murder? I just can't see Kendall bothering to do that. One doll opens up to reveal another and another and another...
Then we have Weevil turning up to rescue the PCHers (could someone please tell me what those initials stand for?) from the Fitzpatricks with that old plaque from way back. (If this was an English series, there would be a complaint about portraying Irish descendants.) And the old lady is Liam Fitzpatrick's grandmother. And the dog owner's little brother was a PCH gang member behind on his payments, so the dog got run over. I loved all the little interconnections in this episode. Even though I wanted to hit Wallace over the head a few times. And Jackie is going to the Sorbonne? Since when? Does she even speak French? (Something pretty important for a university that's among the best in the world.) How out of the blue is this? I loved the ending of this episode: brother begging for his brother's life. It definitely carried on the idea of family that had been prevalent throughout the episode: Weevil rescuing his old gang; Veronica rescuing her dad; Kendall choosing the Fitzpatricks over her old family. It was also interesting that Veronica had her expectations confounded, although I could see why the brother didn't exactly care about getting beaten up 'more' as opposed to his brother being in prison: she always expects people to be selfish, so when someone makes a sacrifice, she doesn't know how to handle it. The only way she can handle it is to reciprocate and let go of her desire to deliver the truth.
I'm glad we're finally beginning to discover more about the crash, considering it's three episodes until the end.
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no subject
Date: 2006-10-15 05:54 am (UTC)PCH is short for Pacific Coast Highway. It would be where Weevil and his gang (well, back when they were a gang) would do a lot of pointless motorcycle driving and looking menacing. It's where they get their name from.
Oh, and a lot of the Irish descendants over here... got their Irish up about the portrayal of the Fitzpatricks. It was just like, "Hello, stereotypes! Top o' the morning to ya!"
Jackie was in French club, so she does speak French. That's why she was in the dunking booth, remember? But I will just say that your skepticism is valid and wait for the finale.
Any theories on who did it? ^^
no subject
Date: 2006-10-15 02:45 pm (UTC)Ah, thanks for the acronym explanation. Not something I would automatically know. And I'm... not surprised those people were pissed off. ^^; Of course, there probably are families like the Fitzpatricks all over the US, but there are also Irish descendants who are nothing like that. I found it interesting they were in California; from what I've seen of American demographics so far, most Irish families settled on the East Coast, especially around the New York area. I didn't think they'd moved beyond that.
Oh, that was why she was in the dunking booth... right. I missed that. Although, just because she was in French club, doesn't mean she speaks French. *lol*
I don't have any concrete theories on who did it, but I don't think Kendall did it, and I don't think Weevil did it. Oh, and I don't think Terrence Cook did it. I think Woody Goodman might have something to do with it (is that man's last name ironic or WHAT?).