PTR Abridged: Flashback to 'Mars!'

Even though I was hooked from the very first episode of Veronica Mars, it was the show’s 12th episode that turned me into a bona fide VM junkie. I’m sure it would have happened sooner had I actually watched the show when it first aired on UPN, but I was late to the party and caught my first VM episodes when UPN’s sister network CBS aired four over the summer last year. This week’s featured classic episode, “Clash of the Tritons,” was the third one in that series. Since I still don’t have any Internet access at my new place, and therefore am relying on WiFi hot spots, this edition of Pass the Remote will once again be shorter than usual and definitely more low-tech. Once my Internet access finally gets set up (hopefully next week), Pass the Remote will return to its full glory. In the meantime, here’s a look at another classic episode of the delightful Veronica Mars.

One of the elements that makes this episode of the teen detective series such a classic is the final showdown between Veronica and the always uppity Sheriff Lamb. After Veronica is accused of making and selling fake Ids, she is determined to uncover the real culprit and learn why he/she framed her for the deed. Lamb being Lamb automatically assumes that Veronica is guilty and he loves every minute of her moment of shame. Veronica being Veronica solves the mystery and gets the better of Lamb and loves every minute of his moment of embarrassment. Veronica decides to make her point by camping out in Lamb’s office while he has one of his “minions” drop a name and $250 into a mystery locker in order to receive their very own fake. She tells him that she won’t have time to “tamper with an official government document” (complete with air quotes) if she’s sitting in his office reading about putting an extra something in her step to turn all the guys’ heads from the latest issue of the hottest women’s magazine. After some time, Lamb gets his fake ID and his culprit, courtesy of Veronica. When the real felon comes into the police station and Veronica has him hand over the $250 in his wallet, she proves that it’s the same $250 that she gave Lamb by having Lamb read aloud what she wrote on one of the $100 bills: “Veronica Mars is smarter than me.” Of course, we all know that a truer statement has never been written (or read aloud by the egg-on-his-face sheriff), but Lamb is not ready to admit defeat. And really, would we want our Lamb any other way?

There are so many good things about this episode that I could go on and on for days, but some of the highlights include Veronica’s hilarious karaoke rendition of “One Way or Another,” a secret Neptune High society, a startling discovery regarding Weevil and the murdered Lilly Kane, a startling discovery about Duncan and a shocking ending that continues to keep fans wondering whether or not Lynn Echolls is really dead. It’s truly a classic episode of both the always classic Veronica Mars and all of television. If you would like 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, you can catch 2 back-to-back episodes of this wonderful show. In the first hour, Veronica investigates whether Wallace's new girlfriend has a runaway bride sister or if something more sinister befell the bride-to-be. Check out the opening scene HERE! In the second hour, Veronica helps her ex-boyfriend Troy after he gets accused of rape. The screen capture in this edition is courtesy of VM-Caps.com.


QUICK CUTS

*Since I have such limited access to the Internet, I won’t be covering all of the day’s top television news stories until I get my Internet hooked up. Be sure to click over to PassTheRemote.net to get all of the latest news.

That’s all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow as the countdown finally continues! We’re cracking the top 15 with an episode that pits science against faith, one that shows us how difficult addictions can be to shake and one that gives us some shocking consequences to following your heart. So, be sure to catch the next three episodes on the summer-long countdown of PTR’s Best Episodes of the Season!


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.