More thoughts...

This episode made me appreciate the stand-alone. I'm usually all about the long arc. I know renewal is all but out of the picture, but if the show came back in a stand-alone format next year, I think I'd enjoy it, a lot.

I liked the MotW, despite its political topic-iness. It saved itself, by making everyone's actions understandable. Nasir(?) wasn't promoting terrorism, just expressing himself, but he wasn't an innocent, in that he was here on an expired student visa, so he got the boot. The brother was understandably acting out of emotion rather than logic, and yet he was unreasonable enough when the Babylon Gardens' owners confronted him, that he wasn't a saint. The husband was a sexist in a sort of traditional way, but that didn't stop his wife from doing what she thought was right, and he came around. Besides, any resolution that has a Clemmons cameo, and Veronica shooting obnoxious teenagers with paint gun gets my vote. Veronica pretending to be Nasir's girlfriend was just icing on the cake, for me.

I thought Keith's fake-id/clean up the Sheriff's Office storyline was engaging, too. His reaction to Veronica was realistic, and he showed typical Keith Mars humor in drafting Wallace and "Stosh" as his undercover men, and making them drink near-beer. The new fake IDs he gifted them with, and their reactions were priceless, too. I also appreciated that Veronica was truly disturbed by the fact that she'd misused Keith's trust.

I loved the Logan/Veronica and Logan/Piz storyline. Logan is trying hard with Parker. He's making it a point not only to NOT revert to being shirty with Veronica when they're not a couple, but to make sure she doesn't feel alienated from Parker and Mac. I loved their good-natured snark, particularly: "How is it you have so many friends? You don't even like people." "And yet? They adore me." Oh hi, show! It was gracious and mature of Logan to admit to Veronica that he had girded himself for seeing her with a date. Similarly, Veronica was mature and gracious with both Parker and Logan.

I can buy into the cake, itself -- that it's something Parker wanted, and Logan, wanting to please her, was not above such a ludicrous gesture. Where it failed for me, was Parker giving Veronica the slice with Logan's face. That was just weird. If she's not (too) jealous of Veronica, and really wants to continue their friendship, doing such a thing would be sort of mean. If she is jealous, I can't see her letting Veronica have that piece. Veronica's reaction to seeing which slice she got was almost worth it, but not quite. I wish they'd done something else to get there -- maybe have Dick serving up the cake, or something.

Oh, I forgot. I had a little catch in my throat when Veronica took the flask from Dick, too. I thought she had second thoughts about drinking from any drink which had passed through his paws, but she was only wiping off the mouthpiece. I agree with Spadada, that we were just supposed to be seeing Veronica in need of some liquid courage. I just wish the writers had hung a lantern on A Trip to the Dentist, and had Veronica or Dick make some comment about it being GHB free, or something. It's a relatively small nit, but it was a tough visual to take in, at the moment. It took me out of the story. Dick saved it with his inept Casablanca quote, though.

I really liked what we saw of Bronson this season, until I saw Mac with Max. That was beautiful. OTP, baby. Enough said.

I enjoyed Logan sending the Swing Dancing Banana Fanna Fo Fanna thing guy Veronica's way. Just because he's encouraging her to find a consistently good guy doesn't mean he wants her to enjoy it too much, or have someone of whom he'd be jealous. Nice touch.

I loved Wallace laying down the law to Veronica, about Piz. I especially love Piz going All In (even though I think Logan and Veronica belong together). Their first kiss shot didn't bother me at all. The WOCD kiss was so very different, as were the (continued...)

( continues...) circumstances leading up to it, that there really was no comparison, in my mind. And? It's pretty camera work, man. I like Piz's little smile to himself, right after he left Veronica and before he told Wallace he was taking off. He finally mattered as a character. That's been a long time coming. Poor boy's gonna get his heart all broked someday, because he's just not right for Veronica in the long run.

I loved that Logan saw the second kiss from the elevator o'pain, even though I don't want to see him hurt. I also loved his mature reaction. I wish the ratings had been better for this episode. I wish this was the sort of episode we'd had at the beginning of the season, when they were trying to attract GG viewers. It worked so well. Welcome back, show. The hiatus was way too long.

Oh, AND! The bartender. He was the museum curator Dru ate in the, "Dru, save me some," scene of Becoming.

He was also the Chief in Rescue Me.

My only real nit was the cake. It was...weird, and I'm not sure it was worth it, just for Parker to give Veronica the piece with Logan's face. It was nearly so, though.

I read this and thought you were referring to the bar from the teaser and was confused. Then, I freed up some space in my brain, contextualised and understood -- cake like made from dough.

Whatever the talk of declining quality with this program, on an episode-to-episode basis, the level of craft involved in shaping things has, I think, been maintained since the pilot. I've gotten familiar with so it's less of a pleasant surprise but I guess I've gotten familiar with it because it's always there.

Also, this show needs to know when to relent with the pretty day players. How about peppering Hearst campus with a couple of goofy looking people, why would you not?

Well, the Swing-Dancing Banana Fanna man was a little goofy looking.

I dug it. In many of the same ways you guys dug it.

Go Piz! I'm tired of Logan. I want her to stop wanting Logan. I'm tired of Forever Loves on TV. I want her and Piz to fall madly in contrasting love. Maybe it's just cuz Piz is kinda like me, and I want to date Veronica.

Max/Mac is very happy-making.

Go Piz! I'm tired of Logan. I want her to stop wanting Logan. I'm tired of Forever Loves on TV.

I'm completely with you there. I really wish Logan would just be written off the show.

Besides, any resolution that has a Clemmons cameo, and Veronica shooting obnoxious teenagers with paint gun gets my vote.

Especially while quoting (at least in a FCC-friendly fashion) Pulp Fiction. But that whole scene was great.

Is that the Towelie reference everyone keeps mentioning? I saw Pulp Fiction, but I don't remember many lines from it.