I loved the reference to Twelve Angry Men. I really liked this episode. It was a nice Christmas episode that has obviously laid some things out for the rest of the season. I think it was necessary to have Logan destroy the tapes. It adds another twist to the trial and makes me wonder if Aaron can really beat this. I won’t like that.

          The tapes were the big plot point of the episode and I still don’t know how I feel about Leo being the thief. I can understand that his sister is sick and needs special care, but it doesn’t seem at all like the Leo I know. And what was up with Keith? Why was he acting like a jackass? I would have expected Keith to be understanding. He didn’t even get angry when he went to Logan’s place. Logan was a mess though. He saw the most provocative and revealing tapes ever. How could he not want to steal them? I would steal the tapes too.

          You had to love the Keith/Lamb scenes. I kept laughing whenever Lamb stared at himself in the mirror. Talk about self-obsession. Lamb should start getting a hint that whenever his department is in trouble, Keith is always there to solve things. I got it. Lamb shouldn’t be in office. It would make everyone’s life so much easier. There were obviously some weak points in the system and I can’t understand why the tapes weren’t taken care of better. Moron Lamb should be the only one with the codes. It’s hard to admit, but it’s true. Why I’m devoting a whole paragraph to this is beyond me.

          I really liked the court case. I like how Veronica was chosen to be foreman and I like how Veronica stayed in that courtroom until the mystery was clearly solved. I was surprised though with Veronica’s sloppiness. I would think she would have caught on much earlier. If it wasn’t for the cute old lady sitting in the corner, the case would have been closed in a matter of instants. The usual underlying theme of the show was strongly present in this story. We had a mixed range of people from different backgrounds (as there usually are). I couldn’t stand the man facing Veronica, the “pro rich kids” CEO of some sort. I’m actually shocked he changed his mind. That to me felt a bit forced, but hey, that’s life. It’s Christmas, like he says.

          This year’s Mars Christmas was more elaborate. Veronica made a nice tree with some nice decorations. Sorry, I just love Christmas. Keith’s comment about Veronica’s “small chickens” was great. Colantoni and Bell have a rich chemistry that I hope will not get ruined. I’m feeling worried though. If the Echolls case gets out of hand, that could really drive the Mars family back through hell again. I don’t want that.

          Lastly, Meg died. Why did the producers do this to me? Seriously. They knew I loved Meg. I loved Meg. Veronica’s reaction to the news was powerful. She lost her Veronica-attitude and just fell apart. Now she has to fulfill Meg’s last wish: protect the child. I think Veronica is going to do a great job keeping the kid safe. Meg’s fear in her eyes thinking about the baby’s outcome was frightful. Her parents will tear the baby apart. Meg explained that her anger towards Veronica came from her knowing she was pregnant. That’s understandable. I forgive her. I still can’t believe she’s dead.

The Bus Crash Files

-          Meg is dead. The baby is still alive.

Quotable Quotes

-          Duncan: “This has nothing to do with us.”
Veronica: “Oh, no. Nothing. Your secret, illegitimate child gestating in the womb of your comatose ex-girlfriend affects neither you nor me.”

-          Veronica: “Oh crap! Jury duty.

-          Lamb: “You really should have done more to push fitness while you were here.”

Keith: “I was gonna get to that, but the crime-fighting got in the way.”

-          Keith: “I gotta hand it to you, Sachs. You stay on message like nobody's business. If not for the little perspiration problem, you'd make a great White House press secretary.”

-          Veronica: “Oh, hello. Which one are you? Blinky? Humpty? Zorro?”
Thumper: “The name is Thumper. Not that you really care.” Neither do I.

-          Logan: “I adore what your designer has done with the men's room. That Hefty bag over the busted urinal adds a delicious wabi-sabi feel.”

-          Keith: “You know, elf, we might not be the richest family in town, but we can afford normal-sized birds once a year or so.”

-          Keith (to Logan): “That’s Mr. Mars to you.” Father with ex-boyfriend.

-          Veronica (to Keith): “Did you change careers without consulting me. My dad the accountant—seriously less cool.”

-          Veronica (voice-over): “New Year’s eve. Someone needs to call it Same Year Old’s Eve because that new implying all that hope and promise—it’s not fooling anyone.

And then after seeing Wallace…

Veronica: “I’m a sucker. I’ll give this New Year’s a second chance.” She is a sucker.

Some Final Notes

-          Wallace is back. It’s been a long time. Is it me or does he look happier. He’s got some explaining to do.

-          Meg had planned to go live with her aunt. That letter came from her aunt.

-          Why did Thumper go see Veronica? Did he really think she would change her mind based on what he said?

-          I liked how the jury unanimously decided to have Veronica as foreman.

-          There was an introduction of a fictional college called Hearst College. The woman sitting in front of the grandma told Veronica about the school.

-          The “Muchas Gracias Bitch!” message on Veronica’s windshield was mean.

-          I just realized that Veronica is no longer part of the 09ers. I doubt her relationship with Duncan is going to last and I doubt they’ll want her back. That’s the way it should be.

-          We haven’t seen Jackie in a while and frankly, I’m happy.

Not bad. 3 stars

-          Next episode

-          Veronica Mars season 2

-          Veronica Mars main