VERONICA MARS: PILOT {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The first in this drama series which follows the exploits of a seventeen-year-old assistant private investigator intent on solving the town of Neptune's mysteries while simultaneously trying to negotiate the rough-and-tumble world of high school. In this episode, Veronica Mars arrives at school and assists new kid Wallace Fennel, who has been taped to the flagpole for being a "snitch," and heads off to a boring class. Later, at lunch, she broods over her former relationship with ex-boyfriend Duncan Kane as she observes him with his wealthy friends, including "psychotic jackass" Logan Echolls. Wallace joins her and is again threatened by Eli "Weevil" Navarro, head of the school's tough biker gang, but Veronica boldly stands up to him. Wallace explains that he called the police when he spotted two of Weevil's friends shoplifting from the mini-mart, adding that Deputy Sacks now has the store's security tape. After school, Veronica goes to work at her father Keith's office, where she receives a file from a lawyer for a case involving a stripper, Loretta Cancun, accused of vandalism, and is surprised to observe Celeste Kane, Duncan's mother, hiring Keith to find out if her husband Jake is cheating. Keith leaves for Texas on another case, warning Veronica to take "Backup" if she investigates the Kane case, and Veronica explains that Duncan's sister Lilly, her best friend, was murdered a year earlier. The case made headlines thanks to the Kanes' fame, and Keith, who was the sheriff at the time, suspected Jake of being involved. The grisly crime scene video was then leaked to the press, and another man, Abel Koontz, confessed to the crime, causing Keith to be run out of office.
As Veronica spies on Jake at a motel, she encounters Weevil's gang again and, with the help of her dog Backup, forces them to agree to leave Wallace alone for a week. The boys mock her, and she explains that she was drugged and raped at a party some time ago, but did not tell her father. At school, Logan teases her about her mother, who left eight months ago after the scandal following Lilly's death. Wallace decides that he wants to be Veronica's friend despite the rumors about her, and they hatch a plot to appease Weevil for good. At the same time, she examines her photos of Jake at the motel, but sees only a license plate and not the face of his companion. When Keith returns home, happy about the success of his Texas case, she shows him the evidence and he becomes upset, ordering her to drop the Kane case. Wallace and Veronica then plant a bong in Logan's locker, which is found and confiscated and which then catches fire at the sheriff's department. In the ensuing chaos, Veronica's friend Fireman Bill switches the security tape from the mini-mart and delivers it to Veronica. When Veronica looks up the license plate from the motel, she is shocked to learn that the car is registered to her own mother, but Keith lies when Veronica confronts him about it.
In court, Sacks, who was also rudely dismissive when Veronica attempted to report her rape, is stunned when the mini-mart surveillance tape instead features footage of him receiving sexual favors in exchange for allowing Loretta's nightclub to admit underage guests, and both her case and Weevil's friends' case are dismissed. Logan angrily damages Veronica's car in revenge for the bong trick, but Weevil, now on Veronica's side, intervenes and defends her. Veronica reminds him to leave Wallace alone for good, as he now has the real tape, and they form a tentative alliance. Later, Veronica finds that her father is still investigating Lilly's case, not believing that Koontz is the real killer, and is disturbed to find the photos of her mother's car in Lilly's file. She heads back to the motel to investigate, determined to uncover the truth and reunite her family. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: UPN
- DATE: September 22, 2004 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:39:42
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:85456
- GENRE: Drama, mystery/suspense
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, mystery/suspense; Drama, police/private detective; High school students
- SERIES RUN: UPN - TV series, 2004-2006; The CW - 2006-2007; Hulu - Internet series, 2019-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Joel Silver … Executive Producer
- Rob Thomas … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Jennifer Gwartz … Co-Executive Producer
- Danielle Stokdyk … Co-Executive Producer
- Paul Kurta … Producer
- Hans van Doornewaard … Associate Producer
- Mark Piznarski … Director
- Josh Kramon … Music by
- The Dandy Warhols … Theme Music by
- Kristen Bell … Cast, Veronica Mars
- Percy Daggs III … Cast, Wallace Fennel
- Teddy Dunn … Cast, Duncan Kane
- Jason Dohring … Cast, Logan Echolls
- Francis Capra … Cast, Eli 'Weevil' Navarro
- Sydney Tamiia Poitier … Cast, Mallory Dent
- Enrico Colantoni … Cast, Keith Mars
- Michael Muhney … Cast, Sheriff Don Lamb
- Corinne Bohrer … Cast, Lianne Mars
- Amanda Seyfried … Cast, Lilly Kane
- Lisa Thornhill … Cast, Celeste Kane
- Kyle Secor … Cast, Jake Kane
- Daran Norris … Cast, Cliff McCormack
- Brandon Hillcock … Cast, Deputy Sacks
- Brad Bufanda … Cast, Felix Toombs
- Patrick Wolff … Cast, Hector
- Tom McCafferty … Cast, Fireman Bill
- Duane Daniels … Cast, Van Clemmons
- Kirk Fogg … Cast, District Attorney
- Benito Paje … Cast, Phuong
- Randy Seidman … Cast, Clown
- Ruth Stehle … Cast, Mrs. White
- Linda Castro … Cast, Teacher #1
- Jonathan Chesner … Cast, Corny
- Mark Styles … Cast, Boy at Keyboard
- Zac Henry … Cast, Mouth
- Elvin Lai … Cast, Favorite Band Sucks T-Shirt
- Nicole Monica … Cast, Dance Team Advisor
- David E. Taylor … Cast, Steve
- Seraina Jacqueline … Cast, Inga
- Amber Ojeda … Cast, Cat In The Hat Raver
- Chris Wiley … Cast, Band Dork
- Heather Brittany … Cast, Pep Squader
- Joshua Levine … Cast, Pencil-necked Geek
- Annie Hinton … Cast, Judge
- Scott Barry … Cast, Tony