"Cheatty Cheatty Bang Bang" was the third episode of the second season of Veronica Mars.
In this episode, Veronica investigates Kendall Casablancas at the request of her stepson, Cassidy "Beaver" Casablancas, and eventually finds some important information about Logan. Meanwhile, Veronica tries to help Wallace get a date with Jackie Cook.
Synopsis[]
Veronica attends a Future Business Leaders of America meeting to build up her résumé, headed by Ruchard "Dick" Casablancas, Sr. Dick Sr. teaches the class about Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), and encourages the class to invest in the REITs his company offers. After class, Beaver talks to Veronica about his step-mother's cheating and pays her $1,000 to catch a photo of her in the act. Keith asks Alicia to a romantic getaway in Chicago, and she accepts. Veronica asks Keith whether he is going to propose to Alicia, and he says no.
After finding "Veronica Mars" written on a dead body's palm, Sheriff Lamb takes Veronica in for questioning. The man is David "Curly" Moran, whom Veronica met briefly at the site of the bus crash.
Veronica researches both Kendall and her possible relationship to Curly Moran. Veronica tracks Kendall, and she talks to an unspecified man. They go to a cheap motel, and Veronica takes a picture. Jackie comes and sits at Veronica and Wallace's table. Veronica, in order to help Wallace out, invites him and Jackie on a double date to watch the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Beaver is not satisfied with the pictures, and Veronica requests more money for the "money shot;" a shot of Kendall in the act. Veronica goes to Curly's place of work, where she finds Curly's possessions, including a signed picture of Curly with Aaron Echolls.
In another FBLA class, Logan makes a snide remark to Duncan, and they end up fighting. Veronica, Duncan, Wallace, and Jackie go on their double date, and Jackie is dominating the conversation irritatingly. However, Duncan and Wallace both find her interesting. At the gym, Veronica talks to Kendall and manages to swap her iPod for one she had bugged with a hidden camera. She tracks Kendall to the beach, where she is meeting the same man at the Sandpiper, which Mr. Casablancas advertised as one of the real estate properties in his REIT. Veronica talks to the business teacher about real estate fraud and informs him that Mr. Casablancas is inflating his company's stock value by pretending his properties are luxurious condos when in reality they are low-end motels.
Keith and Alicia enjoy their date, but a police officer recognizes Alicia, calling her "Cher." The police officer finds Alicia's name in the phone book. Back in San Diego, Jackie walks into the coffee shop while Veronica is working with another man, but Jackie says nothing the next day with Wallace.
The modified iPod contained a camera which takes pictures every 15 seconds, and Logan is shirtless in several. Beaver storms out of the coffee shop with the photographic evidence of his step-mom's affair. Neither Beaver or Logan comes to school the next day.
Veronica visits Logan's house and tells him about the pictures, but he seems unafraid. Veronica sees a poster of one of Aaron's old movies hanging on a wall in Logan's house. Veronica notices that Curly Moran did the stunts on an Aaron Echolls film; a film with Aaron's trademark scene of a bus falling off a cliff.
Beaver tells Mr. Casablancas that he hired a private investigator to find Kendall. Dick Sr. realizes this means that his fraudulent activity is likely to have been discovered. Dick Sr. immediately tells his staff to shred all papers and flies away in a helicopter before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission gets there. With her newfound knowledge, Veronica tells Duncan that she believes that the bus crash was meant to kill her.
Arc significance[]
- In Chicago, a man sees Alicia and calls her "Cher" and "Cheri."
- The body on the beach was David "Curly" Moran. He was a mechanic who had been the stunt coordinator on Aaron Echolls' first big movie, The Long Haul.
- Beaver gets pictures of Logan and Kendall together and shows them to his dad, Dick Casablancas Sr., but his dad isn't concerned with it. Instead, Big Dick tells his employees to shred everything and leaves in a helicopter before the SEC arrive.
Cultural references[]
A variety of cultural references are made in the episode:
- "Cheatty Cheatty Bang Bang" is a reference to the film musical "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"
- Veronica uses the phrase "Excellent," referencing the catchphrase used by Mr. Burns in The Simpsons.
- When Sheriff Lamb questions Veronica about her relationship with David "Curly" Moran, she jokingly admits that they met while he was a roadie for Whitesnake and she was a backup singer for Boyz II Men.
- Veronica references the Infinite monkey theorem.
- Keith woos Alicia by paraphrasing "Fog".
- Veronica mentions Kenny G.
- Veronica compares Kendall to a Barbie doll.
- Veronica jokes that Kendall has broken her Atkins diet.
- Veronica's place of work is called "Java the Hut," a play on the Star Wars character Jabba the Hutt.
- The episode frequently references Pride and Prejudice.
- The business teacher references Warren Buffett.
- Logan sarcastically refers to Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
- Logan's inspirational quote of the day is from William Makepeace Thackeray.
- Logan uses a catchphrase from I Love Lucy.
Music[]
- "I Turn My Camera On" - Spoon
- "Smoke It" - The Dandy Warhols
Quotes[]
- Wallace: What're you lookin' at?
- Veronica: Just... tawdriness.
- Wallace: ...What're you lookin' at now?
- Veronica: The opposite of tawdriness. Wallace and his pudding cup.
- Mr. Pope: Now, you may invest your money any way you see fit, as long as it's legal.
- Dick: Dude, dog racing is totally legal.
- Mr. Pope: But hardly lucrative, as I recall from your performance last year.
- Wallace: Wh-- You met Jackie, right?
- Veronica: I didn't realize you were lunch buddies.
- Wallace: I'm going for lunch buddies with privileges. Help a brother out.
- Veronica: Well if you wanna play in her league, you'd better hide your little pudding.
- [Wallace grabs the pudding cup and hides it on the bench. He sees that Veronica is sceptical.]
- Wallace: Hey, I like her, okay? Retract claws.
- [Veronica holds out her hands, spreading her fingers.]
- Veronica: Claws, what claws?
- Logan: My very own guardian angel.
- Veronica: [frosty] Don't flatter yourself. The only reason I came here is so I won't have to feel responsible.
- Logan: Yeah, what, responsible for what?
- Veronica: For taking pictures of you and Kendall playing house. Don't take it the wrong way, Logan, it was a job, nothing more.
- [Veronica marches to the door]
- Logan: Right, and so you storm out in a burst of professionalism.
- [Veronica whirls back to face him, backing out of the room]
- Veronica: I suggest you start locking your doors.
Trivia[]
- Courtney Taylor-Taylor, Lead singer of The Dandy Warhols (who do the opening credits theme song "We Used to Be Friends") has a cameo as the singer of "Love Hurts" at the karaoke bar.
- Despite being credited, Francis Capra (Eli “Weevil” Navarro) does not appear in this episode.
- This episode had an estimated audience size of 3.03 million US viewers on its first airing.[1]
References[]
External links[]
- MI.net's Roundtable Review.
- Soulful Spike Society's Open Case.
- Television Without Pity Recap.