EPISODE 12: “RASHARD AND WALLACE GO TO WHITE CASTLE”
This episode essentially sends Wallace and Weevil on opposite paths: the former begins the episode in a state of denial and uncertainty, but ends in a happier place, whereas the latter’s life seems to be going well until it all goes to hell at the end. For me, the biggest thing to come out of Wallace’s story is the fact that Jackie’s in on the Rashard plan, that she seems to be fine with Wallace dating the girl from a few episodes back; I haven’t been the biggest fan of her character thus far, but this episode makes her a bit more likable (which continues in the next episode).
As for Weevil, the scene at the end is pretty hard to watch, not just for the physical aspect, but also for the emotional aspect; we know that this is akin to his own family turning on him, and the most gut-wrenching part of it for him is the fact that his own philosophy is coming back to bite him in the ass. Because of his partnership of sorts with Logan, he’s now being cut out of his group, and he ends the episode in an extremely dark and uncertain place.
GRADE: B
EPISODE 13: “AIN’T NO MAGIC MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH”
This is a really fun episode! By structuring it around the carnival, the hour brings together many characters in the same location, and what we get is a very entertaining episode all about expectations vs. reality. For example, the carnival itself is supposed to be an enjoyable, carefree time, but if you look closer, you see theft and cheating and manipulation and revenge and dishonesty run amok. Ms. Hauser steals money from her students, the students lash out at Jackie, Dick is a real dick, and Logan flirts with Hannah–Jessy Schram, most recently seen in Mad Men–because her father is Dr. Griffith. In addition, when we move away from the carnival and toward the Keith-Terrence Cook interactions, we see some lofty expectations for Keith’s favorite ballplayer met with the harsh reality of the betting on baseball situation. However, it’s a nice moment when Keith decides to take the case because he still believes that Terrence didn’t do it.
GRADE: B+
OTHER THOUGHTS:
– “Look, Veronica. Can you just once save my ass without comment?” “No. Because saving your ass with comment just works better for me.”
-It’s kind of hard to keep up with all these bus crash theories. Apparently, a rat smell led to some 09ers getting off the bus?
-It’s also interesting to see in episode 12–especially after “Donut Run”–that Keith is willing to steal the tapes. We can see exactly where Veronica gets her traits from.
-Oh hey, a “Clash of the Tritons” callback! One of my favorite episodes.
-Jackie, that dunk tank does not look fun. Also, school…uh, not the best idea to have one of your students getting repeatedly dunked in cold water for several hours straight. Anyway, I love Wallace throwing the balls out of the carnival itself.
– “Lurking? You mean, standing while black?”
-We get a few scenes here and there every episode of Clemmons and Veronica interacting, but I never really realized until “Magic Mountain” just how much I enjoy their dynamic. Clemmons’s “This is an example of why I listen to some of my students” is a fantastic little moment in an already great episode.
Photo credit: Veronica Mars, UPN/CW
Polar Bears Watch TV 
Leave a Reply