There’s just two episodes of Veronica Mars left this season, and so many subplots to resolve. I’ve been thinking about the finale a lot because it’s a very dense show, and it expects a lot from its viewers — to remember lots of minor characters who have only appeared a few times, to remember small details from several different storylines, to keep track of who did what to whom. I want to be ready to fully enjoy it.
So, for those who care,
First up, the bus crash. Who did it, and why? Some theories:
- Terence Cook did it, to take out Ms. Dumas and prevent her from spilling the beans about his gambling problems. This is primary theory on the show, as Cook had motive and opportunity. But I think it’s unlikely to be the answer — why try to kill Ms. Dumas when he knew her manuscript was out there somewhere? Plus, how did he learn to build a bomb and hide it in a baseball? A sub-theory to this one is that Jackie did it, to protect her dad — but I find it even more unlikely that a teenager could figure out how to build a bomb and plant it on just the right bus at just the right time.
- Aaron Echolls did it (via Curly Moran), to take out Veronica. Again, unlikely, as taking out Veronica wouldn’t stop the case against him, and we recently learned that Logan was supposed to be on the trip too, so I doubt Aaron would take out his own son. But if it wasn’t Aaron, why did Curly’s dead body have VERONICA MARS written on his hand? And why was he laying flowers at the bus crash site just before his death?
- Woody Goodman, the mayor, did it. He certainly seems fishy and has many secrets…but why? Was he trying to take out Meg, because he is the other person she slept with besides Duncan? Was he going to be the “outing of all outings” that the gay kid on the bus said he was just about to make? Since he was on the phone with Gia just before the crash, and had access to explosives from the stadium site, and warned Gia to find another way home rather than the bus, it seems like he is a real suspect but I don’t know why.
- Kendall Casablancas did it, to take out both Dick and Beaver, and collect the insurance money. Could be…but I think she could have found a way to kill them both in a more reliable fashion…maybe?
- The Fitzpatricks did it, to take out the PCHer who was on the bus (Cervando), who was talking big about stealing from them. They’re so evil I feel they must be involved somehow.
That’s all my bus crash theories for now. Other things I want answered:
- Who will wrest control of Beaver’s new company — Beaver or Kendall? Are their investments really worth anything?
- Why did Beaver break up with Mac? Is there a dark story lurking behind there?
- Why was Lucky stalking Woody and Gia?
- Will Meg’s parents pay for the way they are treating their daughters?
- What did Aaron want with Cliff’s briefcase? If he is trying to frame Duncan and/or Logan, how did he get Lilly’s blood to put on that buried Oscar? Will the framing work?
- Will Veronica win the Kane scholarship? If so, where will she go to college?
- Who called Weevil and the other PCHers, to tell them that Curly Moran was the one who caused the bus crash? Did they want the PCHers to kill him, as part of a coverup?
There’s probably a hundred other things to cover, but that’s all I can think of for now. I’m looking forward to the conclusion!
TurtleHead 
Okay, I finally was able to complete watching the second season of Veronica Mars tonight!! I had messed up my Tivo settings and had lost most of the episodes from about March onwards, but UPN just finished its rerun of the season tonight.
I have to say that my six month break in the middle of the season was not a good thing. I think that I must have missed an episode in there, because occasionally there was a scene in the opening recap that just did not look familiar to me.
I think a lot of your questions were answered, except I don’t remember anything about the Kane scholarship — did I miss this? Also, when did we find out about Meg and Woody? (Maybe this was from the episode I missed?) Did the reason for Cliff’s briefcase’s theft become clear??
What did you think of the final episode? I found the whole Cassidy Casablancas thing a little hard to believe — not their best plot twist, I think. The whole episode seemed way too rushed to me.
Now I just have to find and watch a half season of Lost! I deleted all the 2006 episodes after I realized I wouldn’t soon get a chance to watch them. Now I think I might have some time, but I have to wait for the DVD to come out, I guess. It’s been really hard trying to avoid reading anything about what happened in the last half of last season. Did you think it was a good season? I know there was some controversy about it.
Man, I can’t believe you went back and found this post! That’s dedication :). And now that you mention it, they never did mention the Kane scholarship in the finale. I’m going to assume that she doesn’t get it, and thus is forced to stay at the local university with Wallace. Otherwise, she’d be off to NYC or somewhere on the East Coast and that’d be the end of the adorable father-daughter relationship that anchors the show.
I was totally totally wrong about the Meg/Woody thing. I thought that Meg must have slept with someone other than Duncan, in order for Veronica to get chylmidia (apologies for the bad spelling there). When we found out that Woody had been treated for the disease, I figured he was the one who passed it to Meg, then Meg to Duncan, and Duncan to Veronica. I totally did not get the whole Woody to Beaver to Veronica link. My bad.
And yes, I agree, the reason for Cliff’s briefcase being stolen is still not clear. It seems that the briefcase was lifted at Aaron Echoll’s bequest…but I’m not sure if this was to protect Logan, or, to get some dirt on Logan that could be used to blackmail Logan into not testifying against Aaron at his trial. Maybe that will come out next season.
Speaking of next season, they have only ordered 13 episodes, so unless its ratings really improve in the first half of the year, there will be a much smaller mystery this time around. I think they bit off too much with the bus crash thing and I totally didn’t buy Cassidy’s transformation from wounded, overlooked younger brother to heartless, evil, rapist/bomber/mastermind. They are going to start this season with the serial rapist storyline introduced when Veronica went to visit the university this past year (did you catch that episode? With the kids from Arrested Development on it?). It looks juicy…I hope for a full season order if all goes well.
And as for Lost, we did really enjoy it. We stopped watching it around February and had about 8 episodes on our PVR, and wound up watching them all in a row a few weeks ago. I found them to be just as gripping and emotionally involving as the first season — the final two episodes in particular are great. I guess I can understand people criticizing the show for growing the “mystery” all the time without ever providing any answers, but that doesn’t bother me…it just keeps getting more interesting.
Season 2 is already out on DVD, by the way. The new season doesn’t start until October 4, and then there will be six new episodes before a 10-week break, and then the final 18 episodes shown in the spring, repeat-free. So it’s a great time to get the DVDs and catch up, then watch the first six on your PVR, just in time for the rest of season 3 to start!
Plus they have cast some seriously hot dudes for next season. Seriously. Hot. Dudes. It’s a must-watch situation!
Hot Dudes like this one. And this one.
I know the ratings for VM are always kind of iffy, and now that UPN and the WB have merged (to form the CW), it has more competition for airspace. I did catch the episode with the serial rapist, but didn’t know it had the kids from Arrested Development. I think that they looked a little familiar to me, but I couldn’t place them. I still can’t believe that VM isn’t more popular than it is!
Too funny about your seriously. hot. dudes. Isn’t Matthew Fox just dreamy?
Okay, I was thinking “Lost Season 2 comes out in September”, but I guess I forgot that it’s, like, already September. In fact, according to my computer, it’s about half-way through the month! Hope they have it at the local video store …