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dangermousieYes, I am still working on my monster Mal post. But for now, Veronica Mars.
I thought one of the best things in S1 of Veronica Mars was how the show managed to hide Aaron in plain sight.
He is always there, but he is defined through Logan. He is Logan's Dad. And Logan will always be more or less in the picture because he was Lilly's boyfriend. The show also gives Veronica an excuse to spend more and more time around him and to spend time on the Logan storyline, but Aaron is always in the background: first it's because Veronica takes on the search for Logan's mother. Then it's because she is dating Logan. Even at the Xmas party, she is there for Weevil and Duncan and Logan. So Aaron is always there but the focus is never on him. We learn that he can't say no to sex and has problems with violence but we don't pay undue attention to it because everyone in that town seems to have shady secrets and on the surface it looks like yet another morality tale of "riches don't get you happiness" or an attempt to flesh out Logan. But then it all fits perfectly.
I find his character utterly fascinating. Because he is a person who has no control over himself at all, and gets into a rage when his desires contradict themselves. They might be inconsistent put together, but that is because he only does what he wants at the time and doesn't think beyond. He wants a perfect career, so he neglects his family. He wants to have sex all the time with groupies, so he goes for all women, including his son's girlfriend. He wants a perfect family, so he tries to grill swordfish and give Logan a birthday party. He genuinly misses his wife at that moment but cause and action don't connect in his head. He wants too many things, all of them contradictory, but because he lives so in the moment of his wants, he can't deny a single one of them, even if they will wreck the others. And there is no one much to thwart him: he is powerful and famous and makes a lot of money for a lot of people. The only ones who really thwart him are the serving girl with the icepick and Veronica at the end. He can't bear to be thwarted.
He doesn't really see people as people. They are abstractions to him, defined by their roles. He doesn't see Lynn Echolls, a fading woman dependant on alcohol and pills. He sees "The Wife." He doesn't see Logan, who is a fucked-up young man because of his, Aaron's, actions. He sees "The Son." And they (and the rest) have to confirm to the roles they are playing in his head at the moment, or else. And if anything comes between him and what he wants, the image in his head, he lashes out. Woe betide you if you cross him. Lilly comes between him and his desire for a perfect career, so he kills her. Logan doesn't fit his image of a perfect family (or career) with his attitude so he beats him. Because they are not individuals to him outside of their relation to him. They have no intrinsic value.
The thing is, because it's this world in his head, he remembers things the way he wants them. Look at his different recollection of the events when he took Logan to the zoo for his 10th birthday. I am inclined to believe Logan's version of events (see below), but it's clear that Aaron sincerely convinced himself that Logan is just an ungrateful brat and he really was being a concerned father. He is not Snidely Whiplash, sitting in his little room going "hehehehe I slept with and killed my son's gf. Now I'll pretend to be good." He really compartmentalizes. He drives Veronica home one day, thanking her for being nice to his son one day and tries to burn her alive the next. It's the whole "what I want in that moment" thing. Btw, is it just me or was he subtly trying to pick her up too?
OK, on why I believe Logan's story and not Aaron's. I.e. I believe Logan when he says that on the way back when he spilled his milkshake, Aaron gave him a nosebleed. Well, for one thing, I am more inclined to believe the one who is not a murdering psychopath. But leaving that aside, it's because Logan is honest enough with himself, but Aaron demonstrates a remarkable ability to believe what he wants at the moment and shut out the incongruous evidence (see how he is being a grieving husband, completely forgetting he is the one who made Lynn kill herself). Now he is playing a good father role, and beating your 10 year old kid is really not fitting with that image. If Aaron wanted a perfect family outing and Logan spoiled it, yes, I can see Aaron being his trademark violent self. Kids require a lot of patience and understanding, and neither of those is something Aaron possesses. He does not like reality to intrude on his dreams. Moreover, that comment is not out of the blue. There is that "peek though my fingers" scene with the belts. It's not shot like a "tough love" scene, it's shot like an abuse scene, and certainly a man who regularly beats his 17 year old is capable of hitting a 10 year old. There is also the fact that Logan is hardly aching to be the "poster child for child abuse" (TM Michael from Roswell). He is not trying to get attention through "woe is me" sob stories, or even tell that to anyone. In fact, he clearly tries to hide that sort of thing (witness his horrified "no" when Trina is about to bring it up in front of Veronica). He is hardly making it up for the fun of it.
That actually brings me to a somewhat tangential line. I've read in some people's ljs that Lilly was sleeping with Aaron even though she knew he abused Logan. I don't know, did she? Sleeping with your bf's father is a seriously horrible thing to do, either way, but I doubt she knew about the abuse. Logan is hardly likely to talk on the subject (see above), and I doubt Aaron would beat Logan every day between tea and scones. He was on shoots a good deal, to start with. Much as I love the thought of h&c Logan, I doubt he has hideous scars. Those would be way hard to explain away. And whatever small marks he might have, I doubt Lilly was scrutinizing his skin in great detail. She doesn't strike me as "I will commit to memory every inch of you" type of girl. So skank ho? Yes. But I doubt she knew about the abuse. If she did, than that's just evil.
Btw, he wants to be famous always? Well, what is the first thing the guy who hits him says? "You are Aaron Echolls." Ironic payback is a bitch.
I thought one of the best things in S1 of Veronica Mars was how the show managed to hide Aaron in plain sight.
He is always there, but he is defined through Logan. He is Logan's Dad. And Logan will always be more or less in the picture because he was Lilly's boyfriend. The show also gives Veronica an excuse to spend more and more time around him and to spend time on the Logan storyline, but Aaron is always in the background: first it's because Veronica takes on the search for Logan's mother. Then it's because she is dating Logan. Even at the Xmas party, she is there for Weevil and Duncan and Logan. So Aaron is always there but the focus is never on him. We learn that he can't say no to sex and has problems with violence but we don't pay undue attention to it because everyone in that town seems to have shady secrets and on the surface it looks like yet another morality tale of "riches don't get you happiness" or an attempt to flesh out Logan. But then it all fits perfectly.
I find his character utterly fascinating. Because he is a person who has no control over himself at all, and gets into a rage when his desires contradict themselves. They might be inconsistent put together, but that is because he only does what he wants at the time and doesn't think beyond. He wants a perfect career, so he neglects his family. He wants to have sex all the time with groupies, so he goes for all women, including his son's girlfriend. He wants a perfect family, so he tries to grill swordfish and give Logan a birthday party. He genuinly misses his wife at that moment but cause and action don't connect in his head. He wants too many things, all of them contradictory, but because he lives so in the moment of his wants, he can't deny a single one of them, even if they will wreck the others. And there is no one much to thwart him: he is powerful and famous and makes a lot of money for a lot of people. The only ones who really thwart him are the serving girl with the icepick and Veronica at the end. He can't bear to be thwarted.
He doesn't really see people as people. They are abstractions to him, defined by their roles. He doesn't see Lynn Echolls, a fading woman dependant on alcohol and pills. He sees "The Wife." He doesn't see Logan, who is a fucked-up young man because of his, Aaron's, actions. He sees "The Son." And they (and the rest) have to confirm to the roles they are playing in his head at the moment, or else. And if anything comes between him and what he wants, the image in his head, he lashes out. Woe betide you if you cross him. Lilly comes between him and his desire for a perfect career, so he kills her. Logan doesn't fit his image of a perfect family (or career) with his attitude so he beats him. Because they are not individuals to him outside of their relation to him. They have no intrinsic value.
The thing is, because it's this world in his head, he remembers things the way he wants them. Look at his different recollection of the events when he took Logan to the zoo for his 10th birthday. I am inclined to believe Logan's version of events (see below), but it's clear that Aaron sincerely convinced himself that Logan is just an ungrateful brat and he really was being a concerned father. He is not Snidely Whiplash, sitting in his little room going "hehehehe I slept with and killed my son's gf. Now I'll pretend to be good." He really compartmentalizes. He drives Veronica home one day, thanking her for being nice to his son one day and tries to burn her alive the next. It's the whole "what I want in that moment" thing. Btw, is it just me or was he subtly trying to pick her up too?
OK, on why I believe Logan's story and not Aaron's. I.e. I believe Logan when he says that on the way back when he spilled his milkshake, Aaron gave him a nosebleed. Well, for one thing, I am more inclined to believe the one who is not a murdering psychopath. But leaving that aside, it's because Logan is honest enough with himself, but Aaron demonstrates a remarkable ability to believe what he wants at the moment and shut out the incongruous evidence (see how he is being a grieving husband, completely forgetting he is the one who made Lynn kill herself). Now he is playing a good father role, and beating your 10 year old kid is really not fitting with that image. If Aaron wanted a perfect family outing and Logan spoiled it, yes, I can see Aaron being his trademark violent self. Kids require a lot of patience and understanding, and neither of those is something Aaron possesses. He does not like reality to intrude on his dreams. Moreover, that comment is not out of the blue. There is that "peek though my fingers" scene with the belts. It's not shot like a "tough love" scene, it's shot like an abuse scene, and certainly a man who regularly beats his 17 year old is capable of hitting a 10 year old. There is also the fact that Logan is hardly aching to be the "poster child for child abuse" (TM Michael from Roswell). He is not trying to get attention through "woe is me" sob stories, or even tell that to anyone. In fact, he clearly tries to hide that sort of thing (witness his horrified "no" when Trina is about to bring it up in front of Veronica). He is hardly making it up for the fun of it.
That actually brings me to a somewhat tangential line. I've read in some people's ljs that Lilly was sleeping with Aaron even though she knew he abused Logan. I don't know, did she? Sleeping with your bf's father is a seriously horrible thing to do, either way, but I doubt she knew about the abuse. Logan is hardly likely to talk on the subject (see above), and I doubt Aaron would beat Logan every day between tea and scones. He was on shoots a good deal, to start with. Much as I love the thought of h&c Logan, I doubt he has hideous scars. Those would be way hard to explain away. And whatever small marks he might have, I doubt Lilly was scrutinizing his skin in great detail. She doesn't strike me as "I will commit to memory every inch of you" type of girl. So skank ho? Yes. But I doubt she knew about the abuse. If she did, than that's just evil.
Btw, he wants to be famous always? Well, what is the first thing the guy who hits him says? "You are Aaron Echolls." Ironic payback is a bitch.
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Date: 2005-10-04 07:51 pm (UTC)Also: I never thought of that. I never really knew what to think of Aaron, so I really do agree with this. Mmm, thought process.
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Date: 2005-10-04 07:54 pm (UTC)Heee, next time I'll add the x-posted sign. I usually do. *thwaps self*