Life is too short so live it up. There were some good things and some bad things about the episode. The good: Veronica learning to live it up. The bad: Keith deciding to run for office again. The Ugly: The addition of Jackie as a main character. I am enjoying watching Kristen Bell playing Veronica more than usual lately. Veronica is taking the bus crash hard, and I think she has to. She knows she could have died.

          That’s a hard thing to live with. Knowing that you should have died alongside all your friends is tough. I’m glad Meg survived though. She is in a coma, but any Meg is good for me. I have a crush on Meg. Big deal. I like the impact this tragedy is having on Veronica. That’s harsh, but we always see Veronica as a tough girl. Seeing a vulnerable “kid” get beat down by this whole story is surprising and refreshing also. Veronica, having heard about Doyle’s affair with his neighbour, finally learnt to live life. She ran into the Neptune Grand, took off her clothes, and just did it with Logan Duncan. I have to get used to this.

          It’s also important to examine the impact of the bus crash on Keith. We tend to forget that he would have lost a daughter if Veronica had in fact been in the bus. We saw how serious he was about everything. While watching an interview with the convenient store/ gas station front-desk clerk, his face changed. He asks Veronica what he would ever do without her. She of course replies with her usual sarcastic comments, but we get a feeling that she knows what her father is going through. We all do. That’s scary for a father. He has to live with the fact that on that particular day, his daughter’s body could have been lying in a coffin six feet under. Now I’m freaking myself out.

It was nice to watch Wallace fly solo on a mission. He has learned from the best and he really has proven to be Veronica’s apprentice. Of course, he has to fall for the bitchiest girl in the school, Jackie Cook. She is Terrence Cook’s daughter. Jackie seems to have lived in New York before her arrival to Neptune and she seems pissed at her father. What happened between him and her mother? Why is she in Neptune now when she should have been with her father before?

The Ed Doyle storyline was magnificent. He represents what’s wrong in the American judicial system. He is being labeled as the reason why the bus fell off the cliff. He supposedly wanted to commit suicide. He leaves behind two children with an abusive mother (rather a psycho) who treats them like crap. I really liked Jesse and I can understand her frustration. She has enjoyed flying under the radar. Now, she has to deal with her father’s betrayal and her mother’s problems at home. It’s hard for a young woman to realize her father had an affair with another woman. She is, in most ways, raising her brother. She tells her brother to not listen to their mother when she’s like this. Are these outbreaks recent? Has she been like this forever? Her mother has really been harsh. Her kid was in tears. I think Jesse should be keeping a closer eye on her mother.

The Bus Crash Files

-          Meg survived the bus crash. She is lying in a coma.

-          Ed Doyle was the driver of the school bus and supposedly committed suicide. It has been proven however that he had an affair with another woman and that he had every intention of leaving his wife.

-          There were no skid marks on the road.

-          The clerk’s testimony about Doyle purchasing a coin was misinterpreted. He didn’t have any change for a phone call and so he bought the cheapest thing to get change. He phoned Clara, his mistress.

Quotable Quotes

-          Jackie (to Duncan about Veronica): “You know you can do better.”

-          Keith: “Elections aren’t that easy Veronica.”

Veronica: “Sure they are. Couple of catchy bumper stickers, your mug shot posted on all the benches in Neptune. Done and done.”

-          Meg’s friend: “Do you think her face will look normal?” Should I call her friend?

-          Wallace: “Why do all the hot girls have a daddy complex?”

-          Wallace: “What are you doing?”

Veronica: “Remembering why I’m a misanthrope.”

-          Lamb: “What are you up to Veronica?”

Veronica: “Last question actually. ‘Why do you want this position?’ Honestly, and really tell me the truth, how much of an ass-kiss would I be if I admitted I wanted it to be close to you.”

-          Veronica: “If I died, go on Oprah and tell the world I liked kittens.” I loved this one.

-          Carla: “You look like your pictures.”

Jesse: “That’s why they’re called pictures.”

-          Duncan: “What are you thinking?”

Veronica: “You know I was trying to remember the over-and-under in the Ohio-Texas game.”

-          Logan (about Duncan): “If the cuddling was the best part, he did it wrong.”

Some Final Notes

-          Meg is unconscious. I’m glad she survived and I hope she comes out alive.

-          How rude was Jackie at the restaurant? Expect Veronica to try and create a wedge between her and Wallace.

-          Is it obvious to assume that Goodman was responsible for the bus crash? Is he just irrelevant?

-          Jackie taking her dad’s Porshe was something I would do. The Porshe getting hit by a car is also something that would happen to me.

-          Veronica’s excursion to the Sheriff’s office was hysterical. I’m surprised they still let her inside.

-          The suicide note seemed like a fake from the beginning. Ed Doyle was just having an affair. He wasn’t suicidal.

-          What was up with Ed Doyle’s wife? Should she be left with two children?

-          Veronica seeing Logan at the hotel was awkward. Duncan must have done something wrong because Veronica was not howling as much as Kendall was.

-          Cassidy found a condom wrapper under the sofa. That’s great.

-          Why was Veronica’s name on a dead man’s palm? Here’s my guess: She killed him. Ya right.

Good. 3 stars

-          Next episode

-          Veronica Mars season 2

-          Veronica Mars main