All Around Righteous Dude

Episode 1.6: Return of the Kane. Original Airdate 11.2.04

"The tension between the 09ers and non-09ers comes to a head when the school elections appear to be rigged. Veronica helps Wanda, the underdog, campaign to beat Duncan, despite her feelings for him. Meanwhile, Logan clashes with his father, movie star Aaron Echolls, when he is caught in the press engaging in unruly behavior."

Zelda's Thoughts:

• Wow Logan rode a freaking scooter down to get the newspaper. What even.
• Oh look you guys it's HARRY HAMLIN. I love Harry Hamlin but boy do I hate Aaron Echolls.
• Ah we've been told Wallace's dad is dead. But we live in the future.
• The Marses doing Marlowe 40s jargon, I love it all. "Didja put the screws to him?" // "He sang like a canary."
• Keith: "Shouldn't we try something at the base of the food pyramid, you know, fruits or vegetables?" Veronica: 

• "Why would he have wanted to kill you?" // "Honestly! I was awesome, right?"
• Ugh I just. Duncan is such a bad actor and Logan is such a good actor, their scenes hurts sometimes.
• And just when I was liking - well, I wasn't liking Logan, not yet - look, it's the episode where he's running a hobo boxing match. Fuck you, Logan.
• Omg Aaron Echolls is Duncan Kane's celebrity endorsement, what GARBAGE. What self-aggrandizing garbage. They're succeeding in making me feel bad for Duncan.
• Gasp! Lilly's shoes - the ones used to incriminate Abel Koontz - were photographed in her bedroom on the night of the murder. What does it meeeeeean.
• Jane Lynch! Hi Jane Lynch! We like your game show. And you.
• "And for what possible reason would you have my student ID memorized?" Oh Wallace, it's like you don't know Veronica at all!
• "Please?" // "How hard was that?" YEAH VERONICA IF YOU WANT TO ADD TO THE STATS, YOU GOTTA ASK NICELY.
• OOOH DRAMATIC IRONY I SEE YOU. Flashback Veronica drew Duncan's name in a heart on Lilly's shoe. Lilly: "Oh yeah, now that's just creepy." Because incest, get it? Get it? INCEST AND DUNCAN. IT'S HIS FAVORITE PLOT.
• Gasp they're calling Wanda a narc! What could it meeeeeeean?
• Also, this rewatch was when I finally figured out why Logan stammers Wanda's name.
• "Say it, Veronica. What's my usual way?" // "You. Stand. Idly. By."
• Hint number two to Lilly/Weevil, courtesy of Wanda.
• Aaron Echolls sits in the dark next to a framed photograph of himself, then walks in front of a framed magazine cover of him and Lynn. The entire house is a monument to his vanity.
• It's horrific to see how small and young Logan instantly becomes when his father so much as touches him. More hints to Aaron's violent tendencies.
• And then. And then. He volunteers his dad to donate half a million dollars to the food bank, in order to call him out on his hypocrisy of signing on for movies he thinks are shit because they pay well.
• And then we see Logan picking out the belt for his dad to beat him with. While Lynn sits and drinks. This show. 

• "There's a couple of suckers ... in the bag, if you want them." Oh Veronica snark.
• And Duncan won the election. And Wanda's a narc. And Veronica didn't vote for her.
• And Duncan gets some credit - pirate points, even - for expanding the qualifications for Pirate Points to include more than the preppy clique stuff.
• Whoops Keith changed the combination on the safe. No more sneaky access to Lilly's file for Veronica.
• But here we get to what I love about the Marses. Veronica realizing Keith is onto her makes her come clean - to end their "own game of spy vs spy" - and now the two of them are - finally - working together on the case.

Daniel's Thoughts:

• Love meeting Logan’s parents. Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin are married in real life.
• Pirate points. The whole idea is so dumb.
• Where is Back-Up and why is he not begging for ice cream the way all dogs do.
• Lily Kane is so cool. I would have loved to see a prequel about Lilly kinda like Fire Walk with Me was to Twin Peaks. (Also, Amanda Seyfried was just in the Twin Peaks revival)
• Wanda Varner’s fashion choices, tho. Amazing.

• Ugh, the things Logan does is so repulsive.
• “All around Righteous Dude.” Omg.
• Veronica votes for Wanda…as I would have. TBH, I don’t remember my school elections at all.
• Man this show did class warfare so well.
• Hey, it’s Jane Lynch! And she hasn’t changed in like twenty years.
• She’s so good at being the mean teacher.
• I love that Veronica has Wallace’s student ID number. Even though Wallace is a little freaked by it.
• It’s actually pretty smart what the 09ers did. I definitely enjoyed my more artsy classes because of students who were in them.
• Madison Sinclair looks a lot like Paris Hilton.
• Duncan’s “usual way” as per Veronica: “Standing idly by”. He doesn’t initiation things, etc, but he stands by. That causes a lot of shit – people who just stand by and do nothing while evil is at large. A lot of that is happening now.
• I think there’s exactly one hallway at Neptune High.
• It’s nice, though, that Veronica has a flashback of Duncan not standing idly by. That at one point, he did make an effort to be a good person instead of just standing on the sidelines.
• Aaron Echolls pumping his own gas? Golly. Love his car though.
• “Dad told me on the way over that he’s donating half a million dollars to the Neptune food bank.” – Pretty underhanded, sure. But I mean, from a guy who just said he’s making 8 figures on his next film, half a mil isn’t terrible.
• Yet watching Logan choose a belt for his father to beat him with…man, that’s hard to watch.
• I mean the idea that Pirate points was only for sports, is kinda a problem with the faculty staff too.
• Love seeing Mr. Kane looking at Duncan all proud.
• But solving the case, Keith, is not just about you and your daughter and your respective happiness – it’s about getting justice for Lilly – who is the victim here. It’s about getting Abel Koontz off for a crime he didn’t commit.

Favorite Lines:

Zelda: 

Daniel: Veronica: Why would he have wanted to kill you? Lilly: Honestly. I was awesome, right?

Arc/Continuity:

Neptune Roll Call: Logan, Duncan, Wallace, Mallory Dent, Weevil
First Appearance: Lynn Echolls, Aaron Echolls, Madison Sinclair
Recurring: Jake Kane, Vice Principal Van Clemmons, Felix Toombs, Abel Koontz, Sheriff Don Lamb, Lilly Kane, Corny, Dick Casablancas, Deputy Jerry Sacks
Future Famous Person: Harry Hamlin (past), Lisa Rinna (past), Jane Lynch

Stats:

Dead Humans - 0
Backup Sighting - 0
Veronica Breaks In - 0
Veronica Tases Someone - 0
Mac Hacks - 0
Who's Your Daddy? - 0
Wallace Does Veronica a Favor - 1
Veronica Wants a Pony - 0
Logan Punches Someone - 0
Logan Hires Someone to Punch Someone Else - 1
Dick's Single Entendres - 0
Shenanigans Called - 0
VERONICA WAS RIGHT - 1 (the election was fixed)
VERONICA WAS WRONG - 1 (Logan didn't start the narc rumor)