Veronica Mars 2.05 'Blast from the Past'

‘Veronica Mars’ has always had the ability to skew a little bit more into one genre than the other. This episode is a bit more teen, than noir and while we’re presented with a big slap in the face for mis-trusting Veronica, the episode is again, bit of a step down from the stellar quality we’ve been used to during the first season.

In ‘Blast from the Past’ Veronica decides to set her misgivings aside and give Jackie and chance when she comes to Veronica for help. Keith and Lamb clash during the run up to the election and Veronica gets the clue she needs to pursue the truth behind the bus crash.

I’m all for teen dramas, when done right of course. Veronica Mars has always been able to balance both aspects of the show remarkably well during the course of it’ run, at least until network meddling gets the better of it, but here the youthful melodrama get’s things heading firmly in one direction. I’m not going to say it was all bad, it did it justice in the end, but what I like to see in a usually episode of ‘Mars is her do her usual sleuthing thing while dealing with all of her life drama in the mean-time. It seemed like throughout this episode, the PI stuff was less important than Wallace’s love life.

As a character Jackie tends to grow around Wallace, rarely is she given the chance to shine on her own. The growing bond between her and Veronica over the course of this season is an interesting sight to behold, but without her relationship with Wallace she really only fills the role of supporting character, never anything more. Wallace’s departure here doesn’t come as a surprise, and his change in attitude to everything is explored very well, with all the important people on his life letting him down. His presence, however small, is always missed whenever he takes time off from Neptune, and the four episode absence after this is particularly tough.

The bus crash is definitely more background that Lilly’s murder was, but we always see more aspects to it each week, however small these parts are. I’m not sure this season has held up as well as the first has, but I’m still really enjoying it this far.

7/10