Flashback to 'Mars!' Plus 'The Closer' and 'Duet' & 'Model' Contestants

No discussion on "classic" episodes of Veronica Mars would be complete without mentioning "Weapons of Class Destruction." After all, the episode is a must-see for any Veronica fan and it's all based on one pivotal scene. That's not to say that the rest of the episode is just a throwaway, in fact, it's rather the opposite. The main storyline is very engrossing in its own right, but that one scene between Veronica and Logan is what pushes this episode to classic status. While we were trying to figure out why Duncan suddenly dumped Veronica, we got this little gem that left us saying, "Duncan who?" As usual, all of the screencaps in this edition are courtesy of VM-Caps.com.


Veronica's case de jour deals with a doomsday plot and bomb threats at Neptune High that turns out to be a big joke designed to frame a former school bully. But, what makes this case really interesting is the undercover federal agent who uses Veronica to further frame the wrong Neptune student. Of course, Veronica doesn't know that the "student" is really an undercover agent, so she follows him and learns that he's buying fertilizer and carrying some pretty powerful weapons in the trunk of his car. When he catches her watching him, he gets in her car with her and tells her to drive to the Camelot Motel. Luckily for Veronica, she was on the phone with Logan at the time, and she left it off the hook so he could hear where the assumed bomb threat student is taking her. He heads them off and gives the "student" a nice shiner before all is revealed. This is when the federal agent recruits Veronica to help with his investigation. It seems that the prime suspect has a little crush on Veronica, giving her easy access to his house and garage for search purposes. Veronica agrees to take a look, but she turns up nothing until she gets back into her car and calls Mac. The prime suspect happens to have WiFi (wireless internet) because his father works for Kane Software, and Veronica wants to know if the signal can reach the neighbors. She notices that a former victim of this kid's bully tactics lives next store, and she puts two and two together. It's a good thing, too, because the federal agent decides to use the fertilizer and weapons that he purchased to frame his prime suspect the next day. But thanks to Veronica (and an interim school newspaper advisor who's willing to sacrifice her job for journalistic integrity), the truth comes out and the real guilty parties pay the price.


The scene that really put this episode on the map unfolds right after the federal agent recruits Veronica to help him. Logan was waiting outside the agent's room at the Camelot to make sure that Veronica wasn't harmed. She finally emerges and she walks over to him. After a brief conversation, she, without thinking, kisses him on the cheek. She then turns and begins to walk away shaking her head at her own action. Suddenly, Logan spins her around and the two engage in the real deal. Johnnie Ray, Tony Bennett and everyone who has sung those immortal words will insist that "a kiss is just a kiss," but I think it's safe to assume that they never caught this kiss because it was a gateway to one of the most passionate on-again/off-again romances in television history. This kiss (and the characters' subsequent "epic" relationship) works so well because of the intense chemistry between stars Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring. Of course, the kiss leaves them both a little confused at first, and neither wants to address it right away. They both seem to be a little thrown off kilter by the intensity that they have just unlocked. And they're not the only ones -- all us watching were equally thrown off, but also hanging by a moment waiting to see what would happen next. If you would like to watch this episode for yourself, pick up your S1 DVD set 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, you can catch 2 back-to-back episodes of this wonderful show. In the first hour, Veronica teams up with Weevil to bring Felix's murderer to justice. Check out the opening scene HERE! In the second hour, Veronica begins having dreams about the bus crash victims.


'The Closer' Has a Close Encounter of the Personal Kind
Question -- how long does it take for a put-together deputy chief to go from cool, calm and collected to sweaty, hot mess? In the case of Brenda Leigh Johnson, a matter of seconds if the lawyer at her deposition turns the tables on her personal life! Seriously, I think that was a new record. The moment that love letter surfaced, Brenda began shifting in her seat and sweating in her suit because she knew that if that letter got out, everyone would question her position and the authority that comes with it. The same record- setting slope from together to hot mess happened when Fritz came into her office and mentioned that he had spoken to Pope. You have to love the dichotomy that is Brenda Leigh Johnson. She can take on any suspect with the slightest of ease, but make her personal life public, and she's going to squirm Lilly Rush-style. Luckily for Brenda, Pope found her the sleaziest lawyer in town, who also happens to be the best, so her letter and her former relationship with Pope is sealed. The case wasn't as compelling this week as they have been recently (most likely due to the more personal stuff), and I had a feeling that the mailman was involved thanks to a recent episode of Psych where the phone repairman was responsible for a string of murders that appeared to be suicide. I also had the brother pegged after his shifty behavior in Brenda's office and his vague story about sending his sister home in a taxi. No matter, though, because I love when these shows give us a more vulnerable side to the characters that always seem so strong. It makes them more human. Kyra Sedgwick is particularly good at bringing a human element to Brenda each week.

QUICK CUTS

*Not to be upstaged by ABC's Dancing with the Stars roster announcement yesterday, Fox is announcing a roster of its own. The network revealed the names of the 8 celebrities who will compete in its new reality competition Celebrity Duets. The Simon Cowell produced singing contest will feature Lucy Lawless, Cheech Marin, WWE champ Chris Jericho, Olympic gymnast Carly Patterson, Alfonso Ribeiro, Jai Rodriguez (Queer Eye), Hal Sparks and Lea Thompson. Each celeb will be paired with a professional singer as they compete each week. Celebrity Duets premieres August 29th on Fox.

*And finally, the new CW network is releasing information about the 13 girls who will vie for the title of America's Next Top Model during its upcoming season. The contestants include a bookstore sales associate from Anaheim, CA; a photographer from Fargo, ND; a bank teller from Columbia, SC; a bartender from San Francisco, a fashion designer from San Francisco and a marketing rep from Chicago. The girls will compete for a new grand prize package that the network will reveal at a later date. The show promises tougher challenges for its upcoming 7th season. America's Next Top Model premieres September 20th on the new CW.

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That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow as we crack the Top 10 in PTR's Best Episodes of the Season! We'll take a look at an episode that sets a triple tragedy to a beautifully poignant song by The Fray, an intense season finale with shocking revelations and an episode that features a character coming to terms with his true self. 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.