Episode Report Card Couch Baron: C+ | 5 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT Tuesday Night Lights
By Couch Baron | Season 3 | Episode 3 | Aired on 10.16.2006
Veronica leaves the library as a VMVO tells us that she's using the cell-phone tracker Keith bought her to track Logan's phone. She quickly locates him.
Cut to some guy glad-handing a bunch of students gambling. It's too bad it couldn't have been Terrence Cook, but he probably hasn't gone quite that far down in the world yet. I wouldn't be surprised to learn he's doing infomercials, though. Anyway, after far too much footage of the goings-on in the makeshift casino, the glad-hander sees that the blackjack dealer is showing a fifteen, and congratulates Logan on being in "the catbird's seat." However, the dealer pulls a six, and Logan asks if that's what they're calling the toilet these days. Well, based on the cats I've known, I'd have to say yes. Logan then sees Veronica, and as they lock eyes, he realizes that he is in fact the newest resident of Commode Boulevard.
Logan gets up and puts on his collared shirt over his t-shirt, knowing the fun's over, as the glad-hander introduces himself as "Mercer Hayes," and tells Veronica it's his room. Pleasantries over, Veronica asks Logan if this is why he stood her up. Logan tries to make like they didn't have firm plans, which...wasn't exactly what I took from their earlier exchange, and they start to get into a fight about Veronica tracing his phone, but Mercer tells them to take it outside, and then some stuttering guy asks Mercer if he's got a spread on that weekend's football game. Mercer obnoxiously mimics his stutter, tells him it's Hearst by four, and then proceeds with the business of booting the lovebirds out. Charming guy. I'm sure he and Veronica will be BFFs in no time at all.
Outside, Veronica and Logan quickly get into it, as Logan calls Veronica "Big Brother," and she snarkily asks him if he read 1984 in weightlifting class. He accuses her of judging him, and then tells her that he's going to Mexico with Dick and Mercer that weekend (Mercer, who runs the casino, is planning to be out of town when the football game is played and when the students are out of class and have the most free time to gamble? I. Don't. Think. So.) but promises to keep a journal of his "bad thoughts" in case she wants to stick his face in a cage of rats when he returns. At her look: "Sorry. 1984 is the only book I read." He leaves.
Okay, here's the thing. I understand this plotline is supposed to bring Veronica's trust issues to the surface. The problem is that her feelings weren't unreasonable. I mean, she expressed to Logan that she'd like it if they spent more -- for want of a better term -- quality time together. For all her relationship-based faults, that's a pretty clear and direct request, and even if Logan isn't into that, it at least deserves a direct answer. It does not deserve a phone call with admittedly conveniently contrived language to increase Veronica's insecurities. I mean, the "getting lucky" thing was just stupid -- like he'd call and tell her if he was hooking up with another girl -- but blowing her off that casually with the party sounds in the background? A lot of people thought Logan would never be that insensitive. I just don't think he'd be that guileless. Okay, you'd rather gamble than visit your girlfriend in the library. I don't completely buy that from Logan "Ours Is An Epic Love" Echolls, but he was hammered when he said that, so let's go with it. But do you have to blow her off quite that crudely? Sure, it's over the top for Veronica to have tracked him down the way she did, but...from Logan's message, she was entitled to conclude that her boyfriend wanted to be somewhere without her that night, at the very least, and that's kind of a shitty place to be, you know? It's kind of telling her she's not fun, and it's not that I completely disagree with that assessment, but I'm not the one dating her. People on the boards were saying that they didn't see what the big deal about Logan gambling was, but I think that's missing the point -- I don't believe that was Veronica's issue here at all. Think about this: if she hadn't tracked him down, but had asked him the next day what he did that night, would he have told her the truth? If no, that's a problem. And if yes, why didn't he just tell her what he was up to on the phone? I think if the point is for Veronica to Realize That She Has Deep Trust Issues, it would have been stronger to make her fears seem less rational. Anyway.