Flashback to 'Mars!' Plus NBC Strikes a Deal with YouTube and a Famous K9 Passes

Remember when Veronica was dating Troy and we were all secretly hoping that it wouldn't work out so she could get back together with Duncan? And then as the first season of Veronica Mars progressed, that "hope" soon shifted to Logan, especially when we started to believe that there was a chance that Veronica and Duncan could be half siblings. Well, this week's Flashback Edition features that time when Veronica was trying to convince herself that she was over Duncan and totally into Troy. We're going to take a look at the third episode of the series, "Meet John Smith," and discover what makes this one another VM classic. The best part about "Meet John Smith" is the case that the title refers to because it's a surprising outcome that leads to a warm and fuzzy (Veronica style) resolution. One of Neptune High's younger students, Justin, asks Veronica to help him track down his long-lost father. Unbeknownst to her, that long-lost father is dead and Justin just wants to get closer to Veronica because he has a crush on her. Seems pretty open and shut, right? Not in the world of Mars. Veronica tracks down 440 possible John Smiths (Justin's father) and mails all of them scholarship letters from Stanford meant for Justin, thinking that Justin's father will call the number on the letter (Mars Investigations) to say that his son doesn't live there with him. When she learns that Justin was fooling her, she drops the case.


Everything changes when Justin gets a letter back from his father. Veronica begins the process of tracking down the real, alive John Smith for Justin. The investigation takes some twists and turns, but it's the discovery of John Smith that gives this episode its classic status. When Veronica finds him, she learns that he is now a woman and this is why Justin's mother told him that his father was dead. He had been visiting Justin regularly at the video store where he works. She was the frequent customer who always ordered special requests just so she could have a few minutes with her son. Justin has a hard time accepting the truth at first, but he begins to come around when he realizes how far his father drives just to see him. Elsewhere, we learn that Duncan has been taking some sort of psychiatric prescription. He abruptly decides to stop taking it, which leads to his leap off of the bleachers and his trip to the hospital. The doctor warns him that going cold turkey can lead to hallucinations, and Duncan begins seeing his dead sister Lilly. Meanwhile, Veronica is having her own hallucinations, but of the dreaming variety. She dreams that she and Duncan are getting hot and heavy in a car just as her alarm goes off. It seems we aren't the only ones holding out for that reconciliation! Finally, Veronica and Keith are on the outs for part of the episode because Veronica didn't drop her investigation into who Jake Kane was meeting at the motel in the pilot. She discovered that the car with Arizona plates belonged to her mother. Working Justin's case made her realize that she needed to track her mother down. She goes to the address in Arizona, but her mother is nowhere to be found. So it seemed that Jamie O'Neal was right, Veronica, there really is no Arizona. This episode, along with all of the first season outings, is available on the season 1 DVD set. To check it out for yourself, pick up your copy today. Or rent one through Netflix, or check your local library for a free borrowed copy. Veronica's second season is currently airing in reruns on UPN every Tuesday night. Tonight, Veronica and Duncan discover that Meg had been babysitting an abused child, and they work to uncover the victim. Check out the opening scene HERE! All of the screen caps in this edition are courtesy of VM-Caps.com.

*A programming note... Veronica Mars Flashback Edition will return in two weeks with thoughts on another classic episode. Sorry to be a network and preempt your fave shows, but next week is my special Emmy ballot leading up to the BIG official Emmy nominations announcement next Thursday!


QUICK CUTS

*NBC is teaming up with YouTube to offer exclusive content from its upcoming fall line-up. The network will get its own channel on the popular video site where it will promote its new shows and returning favorite The Office. Once the new season starts, the net will upload clips and promos for its late-night line-up. YouTube received several cease and desist letters from NBC after users uploaded content from Saturday Night Live last year, so the partnership brings the two media entities full circle. Along with offering video, NBC will be accepting some. The network plans to hold a contest that would allow YouTube users to submit their own promo for The Office. The winning promo will air on NBC in August. YouTube says its users stream as many as 70 million videos a day, making it one of the Internet's most popular sites.

*And finally, former Frasier canine sidekick Moose is dead. The Jack Russell terrier played Eddie for 9 seasons on the hit NBC comedy. He retired at the age of 10, and was replaced by a lookalike Jack Russell during the show's final two seasons. Moose died Thursday of old age. He was 16 1/2 years old.

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That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for #25-23 on PTR's list of The Best Episodes of the '05-'06 TV Season!! Tomorrow's foray into the top 25 features one funny Christmas, a crime that gives us a different point of view and skeletons in someone's closet. Plus, all the latest television news!


To get more television coverage, including the network's new fall schedules and a complete archive of the best of Pass the Remote with a photo gallery featuring pictures from the set of Veronica Mars, click on over to PassTheRemote.net.