Following the delicious Lilly Kane Mystery and the not-quite-as-great Bus Crash Mystery, “Veronica Mars” Season 3 (2006-07, The CW) takes a different tack: The first nine episodes comprise the Campus Rape Mystery, the next six explore Who Killed Dean O’Dell and the final five are mostly standalones.
Multiple mysteries
There are few shows that cram as much good stuff into each episode — and therefore, each season — than “Veronica Mars.” This is especially true in the third and final year, when most of the cast returns, plus Piz (Chris Lowell) and Parker (Julia Gonzalo) join.
Ten actors are in the opening credits (which now play behind more of an adult noir version of “We Used to Be Friends,” befitting the college setting). Some characters are absent for long stretches, but because no screen time is ever wasted, I feel like everyone gets their due.
“Veronica Mars” Season 3 (2006-07)
CW, 20 episodes
Creator: Rob Thomas
Stars: Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni
While Season 3’s big cases are less memorable than the first two seasons (let’s face it: the Campus Rape Mystery was already done in a single episode the previous year), most of the best character stuff happens here.
The rollercoaster Veronica-Logan romance achieves epic status; meanwhile, Piz’s daring (and effective!) episode 16 kiss leads to a Team Piz that’s almost as passionate as Team Logan. We also get plenty of great Mac action, and Ryan Hansen shows he can do a poignant version of Dick Casablancas as well as he does the amusing, spoiled-rich-kid version.
It bowed out too soon, and with plenty of stories and relationships still to explore — which is why I’m excited about next year’s movie — but it certainly left the small screen at the top of its game. Here are my 10 favorite episodes from the final season:
1. “Postgame Mortem” (episode 13, written by Joe Voci)
In a bizarre but ingenious twist, Logan ends up taking care of an 11-year-old when her big sister splits for Vegas with Dick. It’s an ideal way to humanize Logan (a major accomplishment of Season 3, considering that he smashed Veronica’s headlights when we first met him!) and bring out his true feelings for Veronica.
2. “Papa’s Cabin” (15, John Enbom)
It might not hold together 100 percent, but the lecture-hall denouement of the Dean O’Dell case is delicious fun. Rather than being ahead of us like usual, Veronica puts the pieces together at the same time we do, like a great “Murder, She Wrote” episode (or how I imagine a great “MSW” episode in my mind’s eye).
3. “Mars, Bars” (14, Phil Klemmer and Enbom)
The image of Veronica behind bars is classic, but what makes this episode such an innocently fun romp is the scavenger hunt where Logan and Parker forge a connection. Plus, Mac and Bronson are cute together, even if they are doomed from the start.
4. “Poughkeepsie, Tramps and Thieves” (11, Diane Ruggiero)
A relationship between two new characters — Max (later boyfriend of Mac, of course) and his prostitute-with-a-heart-of-gold girlfriend — manages to take a viewer through the emotional rollercoaster as we see it through the eyes of Veronica and Logan.
5. “The Bitch is Back” (20, Rob Thomas and Ruggiero)
I wouldn’t have thought Logan could redeem himself for beating up Piz in the penultimate episode, but that smile after he pounds the rich jerk almost makes up for it. It’s a fittingly challenging case for Veronica Mars — and “Veronica Mars” — to go out on, and the hint that Keith will lose the election (backed by “It Never Rains in Southern California”) is an appropriately somber final note.
6. “Weevils Wobble But They Don’t Go Down” (19, Klemmer)
Veronica clears Weevil’s name in a gripping standalone case. The early evidence makes it almost impossible to conceive that he’s innocent, but Klemmer cleverly gets out of the corner. Plus, we get those great Dick scenes that actually aren’t played for laughs.
7. “President Evil” (5, Jonathan Moskin)
Vengeful Veronica is out in full force when presidents’-mask-wearing jewelry thieves take her beloved necklace that Lilly gave her.
8. “Debasement Tapes” (17, Enbom)
While the cynical rock star subplot is standard, the fact that Paul Rudd plays the character gives it a boost. And the melancholy pop-rock the producers find for the fictional musician is pitch-perfect.
9. “My Big Fat Greek Rush Week” (2, Ruggiero)
You gotta love a good (and all too rare) Veronica Goes Undercover episode. Here, she crashes a sorority and stumbles into moral gray areas about marijuana and the law.
10. “Spit & Eggs” (9, Thomas)
While not as great as some other case-cappers in the series, it is fun to see the whole gang together helping Veronica track down the campus rapist. Mac is in fine form at the party, sporting her “Ask Me About My STD” T-shirt.
What are your favorite episodes from Season 3? And what plot threads and/or character arcs do you hope are addressed in the 2014 movie?
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