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Veronica Mars Season 1 Episode 6

Return of the Kane

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9.1

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 11/2/04

The tension between the 09ers and non-09ers comes to a head when the school elections appear to be rigged. Veronica helps Wanda, the underdog, campaign to beat Duncan, despite her feelings for him. Meanwhile, Logan clashes with his father, movie star Aaron Echolls, when he is caught in the press engaging in unruly behavior.moreless

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122

The Veronica Mars Season 1 Dossier: Episodes 1-8

Set your time machines for 2004: We're taking a closer look at one of TV's most beloved cult series.

By Price Peterson, Apr 11, 2012

Fan Episode Reviews (17)

Veronica looks into a possible fraudulent student election while Logan gets in trouble.

8.8

By JaCkKbAuEr2424, Jun 25, 2011

One thing I like about Veronica Mars, for good or bad, is the way that characters we expect to be good or bad can turn out to be the opposite. The writers know how to take characters that are usually jerks and give them redeeming qualities that don't seem contrived. Here, we get some more focus on Duncan Kane's relationship with his father and a first glimpse at the relationship between Logan's father and Logan himself. As it turns out, the rich kids of Neptune High School have some big shoes to fill in the form of their fathers.

The episode focuses heavily on a school president election, where a girl named Wanda claims she'll be running for President so she can make sure the less rich students in school will get the same privileges that the rich kids get. Hearing her little spiel early in the episode, it certainly seems like a noble quest to go upon. Veronica connects with Wanda, mostly because they used to hang out, but also because she can see some merit in what she says. So can most of the school. That's why it's strange when she ends up losing to Duncan Kane, a candidate who didn't even want to be nominated. Veronica suspects something is wrong and begins investigating a possible fraud.

Sure, the election plot takes up most of the air time, but perhaps the most interesting plot point was Logan's. I think everyone can agree that Logan is a jerk. Unlike Weevil, who is likable in the bad things he does, Logan just seems to be a spoiled brat. But after this episode, I think it can be agreed that he's more than just a brat; he's a slightly abused son who has had to put up with his father's fame for too long. That's why when we see Logan hiring homeless men to beat the crap out of each other for money, sure, it seems horrible when he gets in trouble, but it's clear that this never would've happened if he didn't have a more stable family, especially a father who wasn't self centered. As I mentioned before, Veronica Mars has done a good job of showing us different sides of characters. Last week, I complained about Troy being the bad guy, but I can't complain about Logan being seen in a semi-positive light because it actually works here.

I thought the sudden reveal that Wanda was a narc and wasn't really invested in running for President was sort of lame. The episode could've gone any number of ways, and we get another weird twist. I hope the show doesn't try to blind-side us with twists all the time because I think the show can work without them. However, I thought this was a good episode following the ridiculous episode that preceded it.moreless
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This episode was really sub-par. I still like the show but they need to do something about the stereotypes.

7.6

By Nissaxx, May 17, 2008

All in all I found the main mystery of the week lacking any energy or creativity. I don't watch Veronica Mars for these A plots but most of the time they are genuinely well thought out and don't bother me at all. What bugged me so much this time were the cliched characters, everyone from Wanda to that girl that messed with the votes. Secondly, I found the scenes in which we discovered the true nature of the relationship between Logan and his father really uneffective. Aaron Echolls managed to be completely unmenacing and I think the "belt" scene only made things worse with its absurdity. They really missed out on an opportunity to introduce great drama to the show and that's a shame.

Hope things pick up over the next few episodes.moreless
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Keeping the standered high.

9.5

By verbaldaggers, Apr 17, 2008

Return of the Kane is yet another Stella episode from Veronica Mars. Neptune High holds student council elections and the school it shocked when a rebellious student sick of the hypocrisy of the 09ers runs. This is the episode I started to warm to Logan, Jason Dohring is able to play him with so many different and subtle tones. This episode shows us there is more to the character then just the cocky best friend and starts him on a journey of redemption, the belt scene in the end is a particular stand out. The father son moments between Duncan and Logan and their fathers builds some needed sympathy for both dads. The story of the episode moves well and has enough twist and turn to keep it very interesting. The tension between the haves and have not's works well and is never over the top. Simply this episode is a high quality episode, just what I expect from Veronica Mars.moreless
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High School Presiden Elections turn out to be a great investigation theme for a great high school investihator!

9.2

By martooo_m, Apr 11, 2008

A typical high school oriented episode but with so much different plots and ideas that differ from the boring them of high school president elections.

Veronica decides to investigate the president elections because she thinks Duncan's victory is fake and her new friend would win because a lot of the students are for her.She finds that there is a manipulation in the votes.Actually she finds taht her new friend is also having some troubles and lying to Veronica.

Veronica is confused to vote for Duncan or her friend with postion as hers in the high school.This is actually a decision between the improovement of the poor kids'rights in the school and the continuing rivalry between the rich and the poor.

Amazing episode showing us how rude and good the high school life is and how unscrupulous the life is to the poor.moreless
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Veronica helps out the underdog; just what I like to see!

9.5

By Mikay, Feb 13, 2008

Veronica Mars has to be one of my favourite shows. Its clever plot lines, the trickles of detail, everything about the way Veronica goes about solving even the smallest of mysteries.

This particular episode stands out for me. We see Veronica stick up for Wallace in the Pilot episode, but here is a prime example of Veronica supporting the underdog. It isn't known that Duncan will run for Class President when Veronica decides to help Wanda, which just goes to show that she will help people for the right reasons, rather than just beating her ex-boyfriend; even if she does go on to vote for him.

I thought the storyline got a bit confusing towards the end. My friend and I couldn't completely agree on what had happened. But we decided upon the fact that Wanda wanted to become Class President so she could have drug-fuelled past wiped off her record for college, and so tarnishing Veronica's reputation in the process; Veronica wasn't happy. And so, this culminates in Veronica consoling Wanda after her defeat, but also letting her know that she didn't actually vote for her, after it was revealed about the drugs.

It's difficult to review former episodes after you have the hindsight of the entire series. I must have watched this episode for the first time around a year ago, and I remember thinking, "What a horrible character Logan is". But now I know that he will end up being lovely, and dating Veronica.. I cannot help but think that his badboy act of Season One was simply a coping strategy to either a) Get over Lilly's murder or b) Completely go off the rails because of his belt-snapping, movie star father whom it seems he has more than a frosty relationship with.

It was interesting to see this relationship between Echolls Snr. and Echolls Jnr.; a cold antithesis of the relationship that Veronica shares with her father, or even - to an extent - the relationship that Duncan shares with Jake Kane. Yet another layer added on top of the Veronica Mars casebook.

Overall, it was a great episode. The Mystery of the Week, although I enjoyed it first time around, did seem a little too simple: the swappings of the names, but it was subtle enough for me not to see it first time around. But this is episode six.. by the time Season Two and Three come around, most of the casual viewers are gone and Rob Thomas is free to go wild with intricate Mysteries of the Week. I love Veronica Mars, and it was sad to see its cancellation in 2007.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Enrico Colantoni	Keith Mars
Sydney Tamiia Poitier	Mallory Dent
Jason Dohring	Logan Echolls
Francis Capra	Eli "Weevil" Navarro
Percy Daggs III	Wallace Fennel
Kristen Bell	Veronica Mars

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Lisa Rinna	Lynn Echolls	Guest Star
Rachel Roth	Wanda Varner	Guest Star
Reginald Ballard	Homeless Vet	Guest Star
Harry Hamlin	Aaron Echolls	Recurring Role
Kyle Secor	Jake Kane	Recurring Role
Amanda Seyfried	Lilly Kane	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (2)
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- The photo that Veronica shows her father is supposed to be of the shoes in Lilly's bedroom, but you can see that it's actually a close-up of her face.
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- When Veronica is supposedly deciding whether to vote for Wanda or Duncan, the bubble is already filled in.
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QUOTES (8)
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- Veronica: Bravo, Logan. It's a new low. And just when the critics were having some doubts.
  Logan: Mmm. Must be talking about your, uh, narc friend, W-W-W-Wanda. (he laughs) Well isn't it time that you found another bad guy. Look, I just don't…have time to be responsible for every little thing that goes wrong in your life.
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- Veronica: My dad's gone a little nutty with all these father-daughter days.
  Wallace: Yeah, see me on the other hand, would love to go to the zoo with my dad.
  Veronica: Wallace, don't --
  Wallace: But he's dead, so...
  Veronica: Okay. I hate myself. Are you happy?
  Wallace: Um-hum.
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- Duncan: Please, Dad. All they do is sell candy and argue about prom decorations.
  Jake: Right, that's all they do now. Until the reign of Kane.
  Duncan: Oh dear God, may no one have just heard him say 'reign of Kane.'
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- Ms. Dent: I just find it difficult to believe that someone would try and tamper with student counsel election.
  Veronica: Well, you're new.
  Ms. Dent: (laughs) No one will let me forget it.
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- Veronica: I want to find out who this kid is and what art room he voted in.
  Wallace: Yeah, and I want a statue of myself in the main lobby, holding a musket and staring down danger. Since we're talking about stuff we want.
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- Wallace: For what possible reason do you have my student ID number memorized?
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- Veronica: Why are you here?
  Lilly: Don't you watch any horror movies? My soul is doomed to walk the earth until justice has been served.
  Veronica: Really?
  Lilly: Yeah, that and, as kind of as a side project, I dispense fashion advice.
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- Veronica: If Lilly's ghost is gonna haunt me until justice has been served, I'd better get my ass in gear.
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NOTES (3)
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- Music:
  "Ventura Highway" by America
  "Bandido" by Banda La Estrella
  "Feel Alright" by Red Onions
  "I'm In A Way" by Rite Flyers
  "Still In Love Song" by The Stills
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- Harry Hamlin (Aaron Echolls) and Lisa Rinna (Lynn Echolls) are married in real life. They have been together since March 1997 and have two children together.
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- The opening credit sequence was not played in this episode. The main cast was credited after the first commercial break. On the DVD, the opening credits are restored.
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ALLUSIONS (7)
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- Veronica: Fair and balanced, that's me.
  
  While talking to her journalism teacher about possible student council election fraud, and investigating the ballots, Veronica steals Fox News Channel's slogan "Fair & Balanced" as her own.
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- Duncan: Student council giveth, student council taketh away.
  "The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away" is the oft-quoted Biblical passage on Job's suffering as God and Satan play dare, double-dare with his soul. As is oft the case, the words are misquoted, as the actual King James version is "the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away."
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- Wanda: And you're not allowed to breathe my air. Go! Shoo! Return to Xanadu.
  
  Xanadu is a musical movie (1980) with Olivia Newton-John, where she played gorgeous blonde and Gene Kelly fell in love with her.
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- Logan: (when confronted about the 'narc' graffiti) W-W-W-W-Wanda!
  
  Reference to the film A Fish Called Wanda in which Michael Palin's character has a stutter.
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- Episode Title: The Return of the Kane
  The name of this episode is a play on the Lord of the Rings movie title Return of the King.
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- Veronica: You're in luck, Philip Marlowe.
  
  The fictional private investigator Philip Marlowe starred in the books written by Raymond Chandler, and appeared first in The Big Sleep published in 1939. The radio detective drama, Adventures of Philip Marlowe (1947-1951) featured in its heyday Gerald Mohr as the hard-boiled detective 'Philip Marlowe', his voice perfectly carrying off the blood, guts and thunder frequenting the storylines. His opening to the show was one of the most memorable: "Get this and get it straight. Crime is a sucker's road, and those who travel it end up in the gutter, the prison, or an early grave."
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- Veronica: Like our own game of Spy vs. Spy.
  
  Veronica is referring to the Mad Magazine short comic "Spy vs. Spy" in which a white and a black cartoon spy are continually trying to kill or get the better hand of the other -- without any results.
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