Veronica Mars 2.11 Donut Run

It’s hard to be on the receiving end of the major punking. Just like Keith, the Mannings, the Kanes and even the FBI, we were played. The rushed quality of Duncan’ exit aside and you’ve got an amazing episode that continues to pull amazing twists and turns even after the big 30 minute reveal. It’s a stellar example of how well this show can turn a seemingly standard event into a potentially monumental one.

Since the pilot, it’s always felt like we were the only ones who knew the whole truth about Ronnie's intentions. Being on the receiving end of her deceit is a little degrading, isn’t it? Still, not only do the big twists continue to unfold throughout the episode, but it managed to get such a huge number of characters involved in story that was only ever driven by three or four major players; I loved that Astrid even had a part to play in Veronica’s scheme. Duncan naming the baby Lilly was a nice touch as well, almost a capper to all of the Kane drama that filled the past season and a half.

While his departure here came out of left field completely, Duncan and Veronica hatching a big plan to save his baby was almost the perfect ending to their teen romance. Not taking all the half brother/sister drama of the previous year into account, Veronica and Duncan’s relationship has been smooth sailing this season, so it could only be fitting that the end to their fling would be one where it’s down to totally external factors and not them at all. The chemistry wasn’t always there, and a lot of that is down to the lack of personality Duncan has, though he showed a lot more this year that last, but I liked the normality of them. Their goodbye is quick, but almost perfect.

This episode is overflowing with constant tricks and hidden agendas. Not only is the big kidnapping plot a complete foolery of the audience, but Logan and Weevil spend all their screen-time constantly conspiring to find out what really happened to Felix. The season’s mysteries always have a habit of constantly moving, regardless of the other major events that are happening in Neptune in the meantime, so it doesn’t take from the episode, only providing a minor distraction in the face of everything else.

It would be easy to nit-pick at how rushed this whole story was, but in reality it solved Thomas’s problem with going slightly over budget* by giving us an episode that is easily one of the strongest the series ever produced. Goodbye Duncan; forever bored into our hearts.

10/10

*The reason Teddy Dunn was written out this season was down to budgetary reasons, and plotting ones. Though the main reason he was dropped was down to an over-stretched budget, Rob Thomas felt like the Veronica/Duncan/Logan triangle had run its course and out of all the characters left, he was easy choice to write out.