Veronica Mars 1.02 'Credit Where Credit's Due'

‘Credit Where Credit’s due’ establishes the case-of-the-week formula that would become a staple of the show for its entire run, and while Paris Hilton’s appearance is questionable, it’s a solid second episode.

In the second episode of the series, ‘Credit Where Credit’s Due’ Veronica helps Weevil‘s grandmother when she is accused of committing credit card fraud. When he surrenders himself to protect her, Veronica uncovers evidence which leads her to believe the perpetrator may be someone closer to home.

Following an episodic formula religiously can work to the detriment of a series, to the point where episodes become completely predictable and interchangeable. While Veronica Mars follows one for most of its run, it never falls into that trap since every case is different from the last, and interwoven with whatever major on-going mystery she’s currently trying to solve. This episode gives us our first taste of Veronica’s case-of-the-week escapades and it proves that the show can bring enough variation in its weekly stories to keep things interesting.

While the case this week isn’t one of the most fascinating, what I loved was how we got to see more of the different classes interacting, in this case the pompous rich boys with the PCH’ers. Keeping all the social clicks occupied in a series can be challenging, especially given the myriad of them that there are, but this hour uses each of them effectively.

Obviously, the season-long mystery has to keep moving so people don’t get too bored. One might worry that there may not be enough to keep the momentum going all season, but the series lets more and more of the story out each week, effectively answering questions, and creating more to ensure there is enough stories left to last out the year.

On re-watching, I really noticed what an amazing character study the series is. The show has quite a lot happening but it always comes back to how each and every action effects Veronica personally, and the flash-backs help to address the circumstances surrounding her closed off persona and what made her the girl we see in the present. It’s this kind of storytelling that I think places it leaps and bounds ahead of many other shows of the same nature. The flashbacks this week aren’t the most insightful, but they make for great comparisons with present day Veronica.

8.5/10