Veronica Mars: This Episode is Cruelty-Free

Because the CW doesn't care about the State of the Union, so long as the president doesn't introduce legislation that will outlaw Chad Michael Murray forever, we get a new Veronica Mars this week. Ah, I missed that plucky girl detective. We're going headlong into the mystery of Dean O'Dell's death, now that Mrs. O'Dell has asked Keith to look into it. Initially he assumes it was suicide, but his suspicions are raised by the unopened bottle of 40-year-old scotch (…six weeks after his death, but okay, it's still sitting in his office). Keith is given further pause when Veronica reveals that the circumstances surrounding the death – fake suicide with clichéd note on computer – are exactly what she posited in her "perfect crime" paper for Landry. But because circumstances point so strongly to Landry, he couldn't possibly have done it. So the question becomes, who had access to Veronica's paper, but is not too obvious to have done it? (Veronica! Shame on you!)

Veronica's case this week centers on stolen lab animals, including a capuchin who's been the subject of extensive research and will have to die for that research to reach its conclusion. Naturally, all this points squarely to those pesky, vegan, unwashed, Free Waterfall animal rights hippies. Except they didn't really do it, so they come off as cool and well-scrubbed, including the leader, who is hot and likes Mac, so you know he has good taste. (As though to make up for the lack of Mac earlier in the season, this episode was a veritable Mac attack, with everyone's favorite helpful nerd getting tons of screen time and makeout time to boot. Yay Mac!) Veronica eventually turns her sights away from the animal rights group, but not before punking a thinly veiled Ted Nugent, and I mean really thinly veiled. Not exactly "Ned Tugent," but near as dammit. The thief, as it turns out, is one of the lab techs, who gave the monkey a name. I have to commend the writers for ending the story on a bittersweet note, with Oscar the monkey saved but another monkey brought in to take his place. It's a difficult issue, and a happy ending would have felt artificial.

Also in this episode, Parker and Dick try to get Veronica and Logan back into the dating game, with the sort of results you'd expect. Dick's plan involves drunk beach floozies (I know, that's his answer to everything), while Parker's involves parties attended primarily by the Loser Guy Brigade, Neptune Chapter. Veronica ends up chatting with Piz, who hints very strongly about how one should not waste one's time with people who aren't cute and awesome. Veronica thinks about what he said, and then goes to the Grand to plant one on Logan. Dammit, Veronica, he was talking about himself! Worst detective ever! And didn't Veronica and Logan just break up in the last episode? How many times are they going to break up and get back together again? I think they're already rivaling Ross and Rachel's record. I hate when TV couples can't decide if they want to be together or not. It may be realistic, but it also gets real old real fast.