Veronica Mars Season 03 Episode 14 - Mars, Bars [SPOILERS]

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

With Veronica in jail, the hunt for Josh Barry continues and the coach's wife hires Vinnie Van Lowe.

I know there are some Veronica fans around here, but we rarely put together a thread - but this episode deserved one!
Wow. that was a good episode - a lot of things going on at once, at least that's how it felt (well, two cases, two relationships, one career, one life?)

SPOILERS ahead. This is your last warning...

But - Sheriff Lamb dead? That... that can't be true! Which law-enforcement officer can we ridicule now? He can't just die like that - he needed to redeem or "smart up" before death...
Sometimes it really pays off to not read spoilers to much . But even if I had known someone was to die, I would never have thought of him.

Good Bye, Michael Muhney aka Sheriff Lamb...

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It was nice that Lamb got a moment of not being a joke prior to the end. I've always felt the show had a little too much fun at his expense -- Neptune has too much of a serious crime problem for absolute ineptitude in his office to have survived long. (More likely he would have been replaced with an unimaginative and politically-driven but somewhat effective cipher.)

I liked having the focus off Veronica this episode, as I think the supporting characters are very strong on this show, and they've really been overshadowed this season.

Part of me hopes we will see Logan regrowing his cajones starting with this episode, but I suspect we're just setting ourselves up for more angst. Realistically, a girl like Veronica doesn't like the wimps like Pizz or the one that Logan's turned into. Unfortunately, on this show, that means she's left with ... Dick. Ugh. Hopefully redemption is still possible.

 

[Fast Learner]

Another great episode. It's almost embarrassing to love this show, not because it's so great but because of the looks the ignorant give you when you mention it.

 

[wolff96]

I called it by 15 minutes into the episode.

When the Mars clan visits the station and Lamb actually LISTENED to them, I was shocked. He considered the evidence and re-opened the investigation.

Then, a few minutes later, he wasn't as rude and impolite to Veronica as he normally would have been (while she was in jail).

At about the 15-minute mark, I sat bolt upright on my couch and announced aloud -- to my empty living room -- "My god, they're trying to make him sympathetic! Lamb is doomed! He's going to die."

And then, of course, he did. I loved the bizarre nature of his last line -- "I smell bread". How random.

Also, Mac and her new beau... they seem happy and they're adorable together. So does that mean we'll find out next episode that he's a psychotic menace? Because I'm sick of them dumping on Mac. Girl deserves a break (and some good lovin'.)

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

It wasn't the first time Lamb listened to Veronica or Keith. He always ignored, blocked and ridiculed them as long as they couldn't provide any real evidence - but once he had it, he acted.
But maybe the "mark of death" was given even earlier - he got Veronica into his jail. That must have been one of the happiest moments in his life.

I hope Mac and her new guy (whathisname?) will have some fun time and don't have to split up to early. But realistically, can this really happen in a TV show?

I liked having the focus off Veronica this episode, as I think the supporting characters are very strong on this show, and they've really been overshadowed this season.

Yes, I agree. I love Veronica, but sometimes I think the supporting characters are shown to little - especially Wallace!

 

[Mistwell]

Great episode. Daddy is a sherrif again. Will Veronica take over Mars Investigations now?

 

[Cthulhudrew]

And then, of course, he did. I loved the bizarre nature of his last line -- "I smell bread". How random.

It'sa M*A*S*H (tv show) reference.

I still can't believe they killed him off. It just seems like a character that was wasted. They teased around doing interesting things with him- interesting other than just having him be the butt of all the jokes, that is- with a few moments this season and last season (in particular the staking out of the Manning home; he seemed to take the charges of child abuse very seriously, as opposed to so many other cases that crossd his desk.)

Plus, it just seemed such a throwaway. I could definitely see killing the character off, and even casually, but with everything else going on right now in Neptune, it just seemed an inopportune time (creatively) to do it, IMO.

I'll also echo Mustrum's note about Wallace being grossly underused (not to mention Weevil- was I the only one who wanted his job at Mars Investigations to work out?). The great supporting cast was always one of the big draws for me, and they've been very underused lately. What the heck was up with Dick's "I screwed up" moment to Logan at the end of Episode 1? We still don't know what that was all about (it seemed specific, but maybe it was just a general cry for help?)

The Logan/Parker budding romance(?) seemed a bit forced and rushed here- let's hope it's not all that it seems. And let's hope it doesn't push Veronica into the arms of (ugh!) Piz. That guy just bugs me- he seems like he'd be an okay character in his own right, but he's been too heavily played up (IMO) as the next love interest at the expense of any more organic character development.

 

[Fast Learner]

I think Weevil as supporting PI would have been really awesome, an still do. Definitely a bummer.

I would like to see Wallace more, but he's not that interesting to me anymore. Whatever happened to his mom, how did that end up?

I like Piz, and wish he and Veronica had gotten together ages ago. Alas. I still like Logan, but I've gotten very tired of his moping and of he and V's on-again-off-again relationship. I understand the basics of drama and all that, but bleh. The guy is actually good-hearted, acts in good-hearted ways nearly all the time, and keeps coming across as the bad guy in their relationship.

 

[Mistwell]

I believe both Weevil and Wallace are actor-based issues, not writer-based issues. Both had other things that caused scheduling conflicts and absence I think for a while.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

I believe both Weevil and Wallace are actor-based issues, not writer-based issues. Both had other things that caused scheduling conflicts and absence I think for a while.

I know that Francis Capra (Weevil) had some health issues that led to him not being as available (a minor skin condition- you can see it in a few episodes in the first part of the season); it's clearing up, and he's going to be around more from what I know.

A lot of the other characters (like Percy "Wallace" Daggs III) have issues that aren't, I don't think, related to actors being unavailable, but to the general financial status of the show. That is, they don't have enough money to pay for all of them to be on all the time. It's one of the reasons why Duncan's character was written off last season, and why they couldn't get Mac's character as a regular last season. Also one of the reasons why Michael Muhney (Sheriff Lamb) wasn't added as a regular until this season, despite the fact that he probably appeared more when he wasn't a credited castmember than he did when he was. I know that's one factor that played into another credited cast member being written out in season one (Sydney Poitier's teacher role from early in S1).

For all I know, that's why Lamb was written out now- I know that they've had to cut down on their stories this season (shortening one mystery and dropping one altogether) due to not being given a full 22 episodes, among other financial reasons.

But still, for all that, I want more Wallace and Lamb!!!!