Chicks Dig Scars and Acronyms

Episode 2.09: My Mother, the Fiend. Original Airdate 11.30.05

"After finding her mother's old permanent record at school, Veronica wonders how well she knew her mother at all, and decides to investigate her mother's school friends. Meanwhile, Trina takes the role of director in the school play, and while she has a confrontation with Kendall, Veronica has one with Celeste."

Daniel's Thoughts:

• Hey, Miss Hauser is back.  Oh man, it’s that thing that tv shows do in sex ed class that we never did.  But they’ve graduated from using an egg to using a baby doll that reacts to things.  Welcome to a rich kids' school. [We did the egg thing in middle school; by high school, they gave up on us. - Z]
• Seriously – the baby dolls have memory chips.  Some schools can’t get textbooks.
• Interesting that 1) Duncan is in this class now when he wasn’t in the last episode.  And Gia was in the last class and now isn’t.  2) That there’s an even number of men and women and how hetero-sexist to pair them up.
• And Beav meets Mac and…we want so hard to believe that this is the start of a beautiful friendship but Zelda and I know better.  But it was an aww moment at the time.
• Ugh, Trina Echolls is back.  Doesn’t she have to know how to act to teach acti- oh how naïve I am sometimes.
• Isn’t it convenient that Veronica’s detention led her to something about her mother?
• Uh oh.  Weevil, when the lights mysteriously go out, there’s something wrong.
• Too bad Wallace isn’t here to see Weevil taped up to a pole.  Why is this such a popular version of payback in Neptune?
• I like Mr. Vice Principal.
• Principal Allan: “I’m sure your mom turned into a terrific person.”  ….errrr.
• Ugh, Trina.  It’s just painful unnecessary torture.
• Willow scene.  Now it’s Cordelia’s turn.
• She’s still trying to get Duncan into bed.
• Why is Duncan not pushing her off his lap?  Oh there he goes.  I mean that should be immediate.
• OMG. Cordelia and Willow in one scene!

Buffy reunion!

• Wow, weirdly Alyson Hannigan is much better when her character is sparring with Charisma Carpenter.  Practice?  Strange.
• I love that this woman is still reliving her HS years sharing gossip with Veronica. 
• It’s nice and a little sad that Keith is still defending Lianne.
• Oh man, Trina doing Shakespeare.
• OMG Celeste (‘s assistant) still does Duncan's laundry.
• Man, Veronica is so relentless when it comes to Celeste.
• Hey, another Newspaper class teacher.
• There’s so much graffiti on the bathroom walls – but it feels so organized, it’s so weird.  And who is this "Big John Brown?"

• This website that Mac is making is so early 2000s.
• I love that everyone is calling her – “The Prom Baby”.
• How convennnieeent that there’s a mirror right where Veronica needs one in Trina’s hospital room. I don't recall there being mirrors in hospital rooms unless they're in the restroom.
• Aww, it’s nice how easily Trina accepts her mother, Mary.
• And it’s always nice for Veronica to find out that her mom was a nice person in high school.
• All the extras with no lines gaping at Principal whatshisname.  So good.
• Hey Clemmons set this whole thing up.  He’s so good and it’s fantastic how much he’s grown on me since the series started.  It’s amazing how much he’s grown on Veronica, too.
• And now he’s Principal Clemmons.

• Q: Why was Veronica called in to pick up Abel Koontz’s things? A: To see Meg is pregnant!  Gasp!
• And another Gasp!  Meg’s awake!

Zelda's Thoughts:

• aw damn Clemmons is taking Veronica's sneaky keys. But they were all we had left of Wallace! :(
• ugh Beaver and Mac are having their first scene together and I'm already ready to beat him up for when he hurts her
• I love that Clemmons - months later - punishes Veronica for breaking into his office, with the actual long-con intent of sparking her investigator brain to uncover Moorehead's skeleton in the closet. He's quite the Slytherin
• and whoops, it's time for Logan to take his revenge on Weevil
• fuck, I forgot that that revenge consisted of shame-taping him to the flagpole, like the PCHers usually do
• oh hey I've got a shenanigan! We walk into Trina supposedly holding either auditions or rehearsals and the room is filled with mostly guys. HAHAHAHA no that's not how high school theater works
• everything about Kendall hitting on Duncan is terrible
• oh look a Buffy reunion! Willow vs. Cordelia but now they're both empty headed bitcas.
• wow Trina cast herself as Ophelia
• ... why is there a skull on the stage. why is the stage the size of the stage at the Caffe Cino (that was an off-off-broadway reference, kids)
• why is contrivance, basically
• "You don't actually listen when I talk, do you?" I love the Marses
• le gasp Celeste Kane is here hi Celeste Kane
• I find it adorable (do I?) that Weevil and Logan agree to team up to find out who killed Felix, and seal the deal by beating the shit out of each other.

• No wonder people ship these two
• speaking of ships, Beaver and Mac are being cute and Mac's hair looks adorable and I HATE YOU BEAVER.

LOOK HOW ADORABLE SHE IS

• When I watch these scenes, I do wonder how much Kyle Gallner knew. I'm betting they told him zilch.
• le GASP the prom baby was LE GASP WILLOW ROSENBERG
• I love what a bad actor Veronica is in this fake scene with Trina
• I think this whole Trina-was-adopted is a biiiiiiiiit of a contrivey retcon. Didn't they just refer to her as Logan's stepsister last season? My memory is lazy.
• It is nice to be reminded that, after we suspected the worst, Lianne did have some redeeming qualities. She'd have to, to have Keith fall in love with her, after all.
• "Are you keeping a dead rat in our freezer or do we have a slam-dunk lawsuit against the processed food industry?"

• ugh Veronica, the rat under the seat in the bus was not a message for you. the bus crash wasn't about you. she probably thinks that song about being vain is about her, too.
• hahahaha Veronica recognizing Clemmons's plan: "You read Machiavelli this summer, didn't you?"
• dannnnnng, he already had the Principal Mr. Van Clemmons nameplate ready
• oh right, finally the reveal that Meg is preggers
• I'm excited about the pregnancy mostly bc Duncan's exit is a great twisty plot but also Duncan leaves

Lynda's Thoughts:

• Welcome to parenthood.  Ha.  Haha.  Oh Duncan.
• And here’s Mr Clemmons using what he’s learnt from Veronica.  She just got plaaaaayed.
• Clemmons is not messing around today!
• Oh damn, Veronica is finally seeing a real consequence to her cockiness.
• Mac and Cassidy meeting to work together is just bittersweet now.  I feel so sorry for Mac.
• And Veronica has to do admin work for detention.  (I’m actually a little jealous, I love organising so this seems like way more fun than any of my detentions!)
• Ooh Lianne was suspended with Mrs Hauser!
• Oh Mr Clemmons, you wily minx.
• It’s Weevil!
• Oh crap, it’s also Logan.
• Heh, Mrs Hauser is NOT a fan of Lianne Mars.  Join the club.
• I feel torn when I see Weevil taped to the flagpole.  Torn between feeling sorry for him and enjoying his sexy tortured look at Veronica.
• Ha, Veronica is practically Mr Clemmons’ puppet.
• Lianne was a fiend.  Yeah she was.
• V’s face when Mr Moorehead says she must had turned into a terrific person LOL
• I know we’re supposed to believe Lianne was nice between her school days and drunken cheque stealing days but she just never came across as someone who could land someone as nice as Keith.
• Trina!  Mwah!  Mwah!
• Actually, Alyson is quite funny here.  And I love her hair.
• And Cordelia Casablancas is back at the penthouse.  I’m still not convinced Duncan didn’t do anything with her that other time.
• I have to agree with Kendall, that doll IS creepy.
• Willow and Cordelia!
• “Rode hard, meet put away wet”
• “I’m guessing she’s the wet one”

• I keep thinking Lianne and Madison Sinclair are very similar people.
• Ooh, more baby drama!
• Aww, Keith looking after Veronica’s baby is sweet.
• Yeah, it’s hard loving a parent when you know they’ve been a really shitty person.
• Cassidy using Kendall’s thievery to get her to help him is the first real sign of his scheming ways.
• “You don’t actually listen when I talk, do you?”  I think her face says it all Keith!
• Aww Daddy Duncan.  “At least you brought the baby up this time” *snort*
• Oh hi Celeste.

• Well, that exchange got heated pretty quick!
• But V figuring Astrid out was even quicker.
• Aww, Cute and cheesy Logan who we don’t see much of lately.
• That outfit though.

• Aww, Weevil and Logan really do have the best bromance.
• I still can’t get over your high schools having their own security guards.  What a messed up country. [editor's note: Lynda lives in New Zealand]
• Mac and Cassidy geeking out should be so cute but it just makes me mad and sad.
• Ha, Veronica has her own fake sign for using Keith’s desk.  Nothing is sacred.

• PROM BABY IS TRINA WHAT
• Veronica really needs to check intel before sharing it as fact.
• But I really love that Trina is into doing V’s plan.
• But wait, Celeste isn’t Prom Mom!
• I might be reading too much into a very small moment but I think the last hug between Mary and Trina is genuine on Trina’s part.  She really did have shitty adoptive parents and I think even though Lunch Lady Doris was a horrifying thought for her at first, this is possibly one of the first moments of genuine, unselfish love she has ever been shown in her life.

• “What a difference a letter makes”.  Yes Veronica, it does.  Right, Duncan?
• OMG Trina dreamt she had movie star parents.  Veronica’s reaction is my reaction.

• GASP PROM DAD IS PRINCIPAL MOOREHEAD
• Oh yeah.  Bus crash.  And V assumes the rat was for her because of course she does.
• Vice Principal Clemmons, you sly old dog indeed.
• And all of Duncan’s secrets are about to be revealed.  OH BABY.

Crossfire!

Beaver: Mac!

D & Z: *uncomfortable sounds*

D: I wanna aww but oh.

Favorite Lines:

Daniel: "And I can't use magic right?" - Veronica, being assigned to organize the file room.

Zelda: "Are you keeping a dead rat in our freezer or do we have a slam-dunk lawsuit against the processed food industry?" - Veronica

Lynda: "Rode hard, meet put away wet." - Logan, introducing Willow and Cordelia

Arc/Continuity:

Neptune Roll Call: Duncan, Logan, Weevil, Beaver (Absent: Wallace, Dick, Jackie)

First Appearance: Astrid

Recurring: Deborah Hauser, Vice Principal Van Clemmons, Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie, Principal Alan Moorehead, Trina Echolls, Kendall Casablancas, Celeste Kane, Mrs. Murphy, Hector, Thumper, Meg Manning

Veronica's Alias: adult Veronica Mars P.I.

Logan's Nicknames: Rode Hard (Trina), Put Away Wet (Kendall)

Stats:

Dead Humans - 1 (confirmation that Abel Koontz is dead)

Backup Sighting - 0

Veronica Breaks In - 0

Veronica Tases Someone - 0

Mac Hacks - 0

Who's Your Daddy? - 0

Wallace Does Veronica a Favor - 0

Veronica Wants a Pony - 0

Logan Punches Someone - 2

Dick's Single Entendres - 0

Shenanigans Called - 1

VERONICA WAS RIGHT - 0

VERONICA WAS WRONG - 1 (Celeste wasn't the Prom Baby Mom)