X-posted from LJ:
- Structure This wasn't as stunning as the best flashback episodes of the previous season, the pilot and "A Trip to the Dentist" (1x21), but it had different constraints and I think it did fairly well with them. It had to bring new viewers up to speed on the first season, tell viewers new and old what had happened over the summer, perform the mystery of the week, and set up the mystery of the season. And "mystery" here is really a hold-all term I'm using not just for plot but for theme: it's already clear that Rob Thomas isn't done with the concept of class war and high-life corruption, and that he's still intrigued by the impact of economic and social power on political struggles.
The structure also gives us a sense of the emotional whiplash Veronica's living in, as well as a sense of her ambiguous feelings towards events. I don't think it's (just) an easy way to create or maintain suspense; we see very clearly what's most important and most fraught to Veronica.
- Veronica Two things about Veronica are clear from this episode: (1) she's not sure where she stands; (2) she wants to go back to as much of her past as she can.
She rejects the role of crusader for truth ("I don't do that any more," she tells the first kid to ask her for help), and is pulled in by personal loyalty to her best friend rather than any abstract desire for justice, exactly as she was drawn into investigating Lilly's murder; at the same time, personal desires and loyalties don't blind her to larger concerns or goals. It's telling that the immediate impetus for her break-up with Logan is that he still defines "right" as "loyalty to friends," without regard for who else gets hurt.
It's the impetus, but it's not the only reason: Duncan's making his interest clear before then, and her response is also clear; just listen to the special sweetness for him in her tone. She's also, wisely, wary of Logan's anger, impatience, violence, and poor impulse control, and possibly also wary of her own attraction to him; if I had to make a guess, I would say she's probably more sexually attracted to Logan but more emotionally engaged with Duncan. The differences in body language are fascinating -- we see her go farther with Logan (deeper kisses, making out in the car), but when she's with Duncan in public, she clings. When she's with Duncan, we don't see the Veronica we know best: headstrong, resourceful, smart, and smart-mouthed. We see sweetness and dependence. It's noteworthy that Duncan courts her by helping clean up at the café, by showing up every day, by being reliable, patient, and steady. Hell, it's noteworthy that he courts her. It's old-fashioned. It's a reversion to the safety and security of the past. It will not last.
- Duncan and Logan I don't watch this primarily as a show about romances, and I suspect it's going to prove disappointing for anyone who does. Or I almost hope it does, because so far I'm cautiously happy that they haven't forgotten Logan's an asshole, or that the story is about Veronica, not Logan; and I'm willing to be interested in his subplots so long as the writers remember that. Poor Duncan still gets less of a showing, but his function in this episode is largely to be the object of Veronica's desire; I hope that as the season goes on, we'll get to see more of his rage and fear and the fall-out of the last season on him.
- Meg They killed Meg! Those bastards! I'll miss her. I liked her sweet and I liked her bitter and I'm intrigued by the blondeness of her hair for more than one reason. She was recapitulating Veronica's progress, clearly, but it also means that someone might have been aiming the schoolbus sabotage at Veronica and thought she was safely on the bus; the bus and the shooting at Veronica and Logan in the car make two attempts on Veronica's life which don't appear to be direct attempts on Veronica. And may not have been; but it's something to keep in mind over the (continued...)