Thoughts on characters of VM 2.10

[dangermousie]

Warning, Dangermousie was not a happy camper last night, so this is bound to be a bit ranty when I get to bits.

Last night's ep replaced S1's "Silence of the Lamb" as my least fave ep. SotL was not a bad episode, it just wasn't my thing in the least: serial killer thing never interested me. This? This was actively bad. Except for Logan.

This is basically character-related musing on Logan, Duncan, and Veronica.



OK, you know? The only scene in this ep I am ever going to rewatch is Logan sitting by himself in the hotel room, watching the tapes of his father having sex with his girlfriend and crying. Because? This is probably one of my favorite ever VM scenes, and if you think about Logan from the Pilot, with his car-bashing, and his snide comments and what not, could you ever imagine a scene like that? And the brilliance of it is that yes, Logan's changed somewhat from the Pilot, but the main difference wasn't change. It's just his character got revealed more.

And he's never seen the tapes before. Of course he'd watch them. He knows he shouldn't and it would only hurt, but it's impossible not to. I really hope this may allow him to move on sometime. Veronica got her closure through revenge. She is all about revenge and as soon as she got it (if she couldn't get it legally, she would have done something extra-legal), she could move on. Logan? His main thing was deep emotional hurt. And it was never going to be "yay, revenge" move on for him, because of who the killer was. Yes, Logan hates Aaron. But Aaron is still his father. Maybe actually seeing this on screen will allow him to finally give up on Aaron. Not in a "I hate you die die" way (he is already there) but in truly wiping him from his life by making him unimportant. One can hope.

What also struck me as interesting about that scene is that Logan uses the word "defiled" in regards to Lilly and that he calls her the love of his life. I think it's very indicative of Logan's mental state. Lilly was clearly not being defiled. She was a happy, willing participant, and if we forget "nothing but good about the dead" motto, someone who belonged on Jerry Springer. But Logan idealizes his lost love, the same way Veronica idealized Lianne and Duncan and Lilly. And I think he always will, or at least until his is much older, more mature, and hopefully more stable. If the tapes didn't knock Lilly off the pedestal Logan always puts the women he falls in love with, nothing, except time, will. And I liked that he called Lilly the love of his life. Because in the scheme of things? Veronica is not even close (not yet, at least). They dated for a couple of months and horrendously crashed and burned. It's not as if he has a stable relationship to fall back on. Lilly and he were together for years, and it's not as if loving Veronica brought him much less pain.

So yeah, Logan crying. At least one character is showing appropriate and understandable reaction to emotional stimuli. Because Pod Veronica's emotions don't make any more sense to me, and as for Duncan? Robots don't have any.

Oh, and now on to what I hated. Duncan. Or actually the way the writers write Duncan and TD acts him. Duncan is a giant black hole into which any passing charisma of his fellow actors falls and is lost forever. I am forced to believe that the writers really do intend us to see Duncan as a nice, if a bit too mild guy, who's had some bad luck, and they don't see the huge disconnect between that idea and what actually comes across on screen through actions and acting, i.e. a creepy, disturbing vibe of someone who might not kill puppies but is a horrible person nontheless (my husband, who is clearly not smitten by Logan's manly charms, thought after last night's ep that Duncan was an unmitigated louse). At this point, I'll settle for any explanation of Duncan, whether it's he secretly kills old ladies for kicks or he is a hidden heir of an alien race fated to save the Earth. I don't care. Just some explanation for this unexplainable, inconsistent mess of a character. But I am afraid that with Duncan what you see it what you get. The problem is, what you see makes no sense.

And the pity of it is, I have stopped liking Veronica, because she has turned into a pod person as well (and not in a Roswell sense. Mmmmmm....Max). When the show started, I had one character I loved, Veronica. Now I also have one character I love. And it's Logan. There are a number of characters I like (Wallace, Keith, Cassidy, Mac) but notably, Veronica's name isn't on the list. And there's trouble when you can't love or like or relate to the freaking main character. Because the show is not Logan Echolls and the Horrendously Bad Year (or Dozen). Or Sheriff Lamb and the Tasty Pecs. Or even Mac and Cassidy, Geeks in Love. It's Veronica Mars. And I've stopped understanding Veronica. Yes, I can fanwank that she doesn't rip into Duncan because she doesn't care much about him. But guess what? She thought she did. She thought he was good and honest and not knocking up and abandoning virgins (even Meg, far from asking for Duncan's help asks Veronica. Duncan, who asks a girl just out of a coma what to do). Shouldn't the disconnect be hitting? Shouldn't she be angry because of that? Say hi to Stepford, Veronica. When are you moving in?

The thing is, I am not even sure I want her with Logan any more. It's not enough for me to ship them because Logan might want her. Because I like Logan. And I like Wallace. And I don't want to inflict the Pod Veronica on either of them. The girl content with Robot Boy isn't ready for real relationships, whether it's love or friendship. They could trip on each other's lips in next ep and half a half-hour make-out session and guess what? It still won't help the fundamental problem. I am supposed to root for both characters, to want them both happy etc etc. But with Veronica? I can't understand the girl any more, I can't sympathize with her. So there is no pay-off, no understanding, and it makes shipping meaningless. Yes, I am sure Logan will woo her back or what not (no matter how much I wish he didn't. Neither of them is ready and she should make the first move in a relationship, with anyone, for once). But she is Veronica Mars after all. But why should I, as a viewer, care?

Veronica is never going to be a sweetheart. But she has plenty of other qualities to compensate for any possible lack, in the first season: her reluctant compassion, her gritty determination, her perseverance and strength of character, her utter inability to take crap from anybody. All of this seems out of the window this season. And so, why should I care about this new and unimproved Veronica. Why?

Comments

[strippedpink.livejournal.com]

he is a hidden heir of an alien race fated to save the Earth.

Oh God. Why did I just have the horrifying vision of a Veronica Mars/Roswell crossover? Gag.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Duncan and Tess could get together. Heeeee. I like them about equally.

[prime_meridian]

I can't begin to express how much I agree with everything you wrote above. In fact, I was planning a long-winded rant of my own, but you did it for me. So thanks for saving me the trouble. ;)

I spent the first few eps of the year gritting my teeth about the "black hole" effect Duncan was having on Veronica because I believed the writers were trying to make a point. Then over the last few eps my faith has slipped farther and farther and after last night? Pffft. Gone. And like you, it's the loss of my ability to understand and love the main character that has me unsettled.

I still love Logan. I boggled at his choice to degauss the tapes at first. But about a heart beat later I understood exactly why he made the decision he did, even if it was wrong. Because the writers and JD always show us exactly what is going on in his head. In fact I could just gush for nice long while on JD's acting in that scene last night, but why preach to the choir? And I LOVED that he did it to protect both Lilly's reputation, and his own image of her. I LOVED, that just like Veronica, he's clinging to a relationship that in his mind must seem infinitely better where/when he is now. BUT. Now I need to see him move on. And like you I'm not at all sure I want that to be with V anymore. I need to see him find a friend or two. I need to see someone (please Keith or Cliff) step up and be a role model for the boy. I need the writers to stop dumping on him every week, and take a step away from the non-stop melodrama. I know that V will get her due, since she's the lead character and all. But at this point, it's Logan that's keeping me the most invested in the show.

Speaking of which, I loathe the entire Duncan/Meg/baby storyline. I suspected Meg was preggers before last week, and was a bit perplexed that they actually went there last week. I thought maybe they were going somewhere good with it. But last night was so contrived and anti-climactic I can barely believe it unfolded on an ep of VM. And even if it leads to the event that has been hinted at by spoilers for months now...it still sucks.

And now that I've written a rant after all, I'll go away. :)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I need the writers to stop dumping on him every week, and take a step away from the non-stop melodrama.

Exactly. Yes, the guy is a woobie when he suffers and what not. But come on. He'd have to be a serial child murderer in a past life to get all the bad karma. I am buying all of these misfortunes because they all stem from Aaron, the whole nasty chain of them: the abuse, Mom's death, Lilly death, even his beating and murder accusation. But seriously, I am beginning to think the boy needs to be in severe therapy not a hotel. I buy it because Logan is such a complex character and JD is so good, but come on, no one's life can be such unmitigated gloom for so long without them jumping out of a nearby window and I don't want that for the poor guy.

But at this point, it's Logan that's keeping me the most invested in the show.


Exactly. And it's kind of weird for me because I am always the main character type of girl. I loved V in the first season. By now, my main desire is for someone to figuratively smack her across the face hard and repeatedly.

was so contrived and anti-climactic I can barely believe it unfolded on an ep of VM

Seriously. Any more cliches, and shoddy characterization and I might as well watch a soap. I really hope this ep is a fluke.

The wide disconnect between Duncan we do see and Duncan we are supposed to see according to VM people is mind-boggling.

[ch1pper.livejournal.com]

I am forced to believe that the writers really do intend us to see Duncan as a nice, if a bit too mild guy, who's had some bad luck, and they don't see the huge disconnect between that idea and what actually comes across on screen through actions and acting, i.e. a creepy, disturbing vibe of someone who might not kill puppies but is a horrible person nontheless (my husband, who is clearly not smitten by Logan's manly charms, thought after last night's ep that Duncan was an unmitigated louse).

This line made me choke on my lunch! Hee!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Always pleased to amuse :P

[ayn-rand-fan-13.livejournal.com]

I don't think Veronica is going to let Duncan off that easily. After the "I know, I'm amazing" line, they found out about Meg, went to the hospital, and we never saw Duncan after that. Now that Meg is gone, they're going to have to deal with this relationship.
I don't think Duncan is a boring character. I don't like him, at all, but I have to believe that the writers wanted him to be giving off this creepy vibe, because how could they not?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I honestly don't know. Her actions with Duncan seem so little in character.

Surely, getting a girl pregnant and never mentioning it is on the line of burning down a pool (and look what that got Logan). All it got Duncan is the kind of verbal chiding I'd give my husband if he didn't do the dishes as he promised. I could buy her letting it slide, if she was clearly shown to be head over heels with Duncan and giddy with passion (the way she was clearly off-kilter with Logan, and even a little with Troy). But I don't see an earth-shattering if codependent love there, something that makes one overlook a thing like this.

Yeah, she forgave Logan for body shots, but she had the aforementioned hormonal thing acting up, a very recent and indubitable proof of his loyalty and she did run out on him after I am sure in part because of this.

Duncan? I used to think the writers are going somewhere with this, but the longer it goes, the more I doubt. Joss Whedon likes the show? Well, Duncan is VM's Riley.

[cosmicviolet.livejournal.com]

even Meg, far from asking for Duncan's help asks Veronica.
Heh, even Meg can see that Duncan's useless. :p

She was a happy, willing participant, and if we forget "nothing but good about the dead" motto, someone who belonged on Jerry Springer.
Ha!

I think if we got to see a fraction of what's going on in Duncan's head as we do Logan's, it would go a lot further in explaining the character. That's part of where the disconnect you mention lies to me (great point, btw). But if the writers believe that there is nothing under the surface, that he's just a nice guy, then I guess we're not going to see that.

And as for Veronica, I have to have faith that thew old character we loved will come back at some point.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I really hope that the writers notice the disconnect, but I am sort of beginning to lose hope. I don't think there is anything there, whether because of bad writing or acting, or a combo of the two.

Can't wait to get old V back!