I wasn't attempting to defend, so much as explain. I don't think his behavior amounted to asshattery, but I do think both of them were wrong (but her actions in this episode were more outright breaches of trust).

You're right about his self-destructive bent, and I think that's going to be a recurring theme with these two, probably always. It's well established that he gambles (plays poker). But most of what he was made to look like he was doing (i.e. cheating or looking to) he wasn't doing. He was avoiding, and fading away. His treatment of her was unfair, and until the last scene, his handling of it was stupid (but completely in character, I think), given he does love her.

Her suspicion was not surprising, but I was surprised at how much thought she gave him. I sort of see Logan as someone Veronica could tell, "I wasn't thinking about you when you were here."

If she loves him (and I don't think she does), I don't think she knows it yet, although last night gave her an inkling that she does want to give their relationship a fair shot. As far as their levels of devotion to one another are concerned, I think he's the Riley and she's the Buffy.

Cereal: On the other hand, I coulda used another two episodes of Weevil & Mars, Private Investigators.

As I said, I'm hoping Keith will come around to employing Weevil on a piece-meal basis.

He's slipping into self-destructive behavior (skipping class, gambling)

A small point: I don't think he actually skipped class. We don't know that he did, obviously, since he refused to show Veronica his notes (rightly so, IMO). However, I think the point of that whole issue was to highlight how willing Veronica is to think that Logan is jerking her around.

She accepted *Dick's* word about the class being cancelled as gospel. He was walking through campus drinking a beer, he doesn't like her (which she knows), and yet she just took his word for it that class was cancelled and therefore her boyfriend (who's more reliable than Dick -- or, at least, isn't walking through campus with a 40-ouncer in one hand) MUST be lying to her.

Maybe Logan did skip class. We don't know. But I think the point of that scene was to show that Veronica is willing to immediately assume the worst about Logan, with no reason (because, seriously -- *Dick* as a credible source of information? no way).

What Cindy said.

Except this:

I think he's the Riley and she's the Buffy.

Are you trying to wound me, woman? I'd say he's Spike and she's Buffy, but I haven't actually give it much thought.

Also? I see Logan doing the traditional abused child thing -- he's acting out, behaving badly (I guess, I don't really see it as anything but the way he's always behaved), to see how far he can go before Veronica walks away. Sometimes that subconscious behavior, but it happens.

Plus, gambling is only self-destructive if you don't know how to stop, and we don't have evidence of that with Logan. And his academic record is, in my opinion, none of Veronica's business. He can skip class if he wants to. He's a big boy. (And it's not like she's a model student, either.)

Also also? What Teppy said about Dick.

I agree, Tep. I think we were supposed to think, along with V, that Logan was doing all sorts of things, and possibly looking to cheat, and then realize he hadn't been. I think we were supposed to realize most of her suspicions were unfounded.

I mean, clearly he was gambling and drinking, but that's nothing we don't know about Logan, and he's not a forty year old with a mortgage and kids, he's college freshman with money to burn. Indicative of character flaws? Hell yeah. Shocking behavior? Hardly.

Are you trying to wound me, woman? I'd say he's Spike and she's Buffy, but I haven't actually give it much thought.

I wasn't saying he was Riley-esque in character--I was just comparing their levels of love. I don't think V feels about Logan like Buffy did about Spike. Do you?

She accepted *Dick's* word about the class being cancelled as gospel. He was walking through campus drinking a beer, he doesn't like her (which she knows), and yet she just took his word for it that class was cancelled and therefore her boyfriend (who's more reliable than Dick -- or, at least, isn't walking through campus with a 40-ouncer in one hand) MUST be lying to her.

Yeah, that was lame. Especially since, what school actually has that rule? And, if they did, 5 minutes? Please. At least she should have questioned it.

Especially since, what school actually has that rule?

I think that every school has students who want to believe it. At my college, the "rule" was 5 minutes for TAs, 10 minutes for adjunct professors (i.e., non-PhDs, non-EdDs, etc.), and 15 minutes for full professors.

Now, no college in the world actually has such a rule on the books, but it keeps getting propagated as a college urban legend.

I don't think he actually skipped class.

It's been brought up repeatedly in every episode. He's skipping class.

The point being, it's terribly obvious Logan's gearing up to trash his own life, and that he's locking her into an alternating pattern of trying to make her jealous and push her away, and then trying to make it right and draw her back.

He knows he's doing it, and he knows it's making her crazy. And it's more than a wee bit abusive.

And it's not like she's a model student, either.

Err, actually, she pretty much is -- finished second in her class in high school, might have been first if she hadn't skipped out to see the Echols trial results. All of this while fighting crime. Don't get much more model than that.

It's been brought up repeatedly in every episode. He's skipping class.

I hadn't noticed it in the first 2 episodes. My bad.

The point being, it's terribly obvious Logan's gearing up to trash his own life

It's not terribly obvious to me.