Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) starts off by giving a recap of the events that led her to become a teenage private detective (from the 2004-2007 TV series). After her best friend Lilly Kane (Amanda Seyfried) was murdered, Veronica undertook her own investigation to cope. Her father Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni), the sheriff, falsely accused Lilly's father, the richest and most powerful man in town, of the murder. When Mr. Kane was proven to be innocent, and another man was arrested and confessed to the crime, Mr. Kane retaliated by bribing, intimidating, and persuading (not necessarily in that order) the mayor and city council to remove Keith from his position as sheriff. As a result, both Keith's and Veronica's reputations were irreversibly damaged, leaving both of them outcasts in this class-divided town where the wealthy and powerful control everything and everyone. Veronica's mother left town as a result of being ostracized, and neither Keith or Veronica ever saw her again. The person who became the most cruel to Veronica was Lilly's boyfriend Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring), angry at his girlfriend's death, but his feelings brought him and Veronica closer and later separated them. Keith would go on to open his own detective agency, Mars Investigations, where Veronica would work with him during and after school. She would leave her town of Neptune, California at age 19 to attend college. The new her, as she says people would think of her, is a marshmallow.We cut to the present day and opening up with Veronica at a job interview at a law firm in New York City, Truman-Mann. Gayle Buckley (Jamie Lee Curtis) questions her about her credentials and life back in California as a detective. Veronica admits it cost her a few relationships and says she is done with that life.Veronica visits her boyfriend Stosh "Piz" Piznarski (Chris Lowell) at his job at the radio station. She mentions getting messages from her old school friend Wallace Fennel (Percy Daggs III) about going back for a high school reunion. She then sees on TV a news report that pop star Bonnie DeVille, a.k.a. Carrie Bishop (Andrea Estrella), has been found dead in the bathtub of her home. When she walks outside, Veronica sees newspapers and hears more reports that accuse Logan of being involved in what is presumably a homicide. Sheriff Dan Lamb (Jerry O'Connell) firmly believes Logan is guilty after seeing a video in which he threatens Carrie.Logan calls Veronica while she is at Truman-Mann. She declines the call until he rings her up again, forcing her to answer. Logan tells her he needs her help. She reluctantly agrees to help him find a lawyer and flies back to Neptune where Logan greets her at the airport wearing his naval officer uniform. He drives her to her father's office, surprising him as she intended. He knows she's there to help Logan.That evening, Keith drives Veronica through town and comes across the new deputy and his partners apprehending taggers. One guy runs and the deputy tases him. Keith records the event on his phone just as some bikers arrive on the scene. Keith threatens to go public with the video unless the deputy releases the taggers.At home, Veronica is visited by Wallace and Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie (Tina Majorino). Wallace has been promoted to JV coach at the school and Mac is working at Kane Software. They later sit outside and have some beers.The next day, Veronica goes to Logan's house and is greeted by his buddy Dick Casablancas (Ryan Hansen). She sees Logan watching a sex tape on Perez Hilton of him and Carrie. He didn't know he was being filmed. A lawyer, J.C. Borden (Eddie Jemison), comes in to discuss Logan's case. Borden tries to come up with a story that would make Logan look good since the media is focusing on the notion that a son of a movie star may have electrocuted his pop star girlfriend.That evening, Logan takes Veronica to a bar where Karaoke Night is taking place. A girl named Ruby Jetson (Gaby Hoffmann) goes up to sing Carrie's songs. She is booed at as she sings. Logan shows Veronica a message from a Bonnie DeVille fan stating "Every ending brings a new beginning. Now we can be together." He received it ten minutes after Carrie was killed, and they suspect it could be Ruby, especially after she was caught hiding in Carrie's closet.Logan walks Veronica home. She gives her condolences to him over Carrie. He admits he wasn't a very good boyfriend to Carrie, but more of a sponsor. He doesn't think he's gonna get through this so soon. He kisses Veronica's head and leaves. She enters her home and sees a TMZ report on Logan still being a free man. Veronica digs into a box labeled "Accessories" with her camera and other sleuthing equipment to get back into the game and prove Logan's innocence.Veronica rides with Logan as they drive up to Ruby's place. Logan believes she planted a camera in some flowers that recorded him having sex with Carrie since Ruby delivered them during a party. Veronica asks why he went to her house after she was apparently hooking up with another guy. Logan tells her how Carrie's burglar alarm went off and he would later find her in the tub dead.Veronica watches one of Carrie's music videos as Bonnie DeVille, which she notices is about drowning. She asks her dad for a memory stick for her camera. He asks her if she knows what she's doing, warning him of a darkness in Logan. Veronica is sure of what she's doing.The next morning, Veronica travels to Ruby's home and poses as a talent scout to an old woman to get into Ruby's computer and get pictures regarding Carrie. She looks through her yearbook and finds out that Ruby was really a girl named Della Pugh. The police arrive since the old woman's son-in-law called. Veronica is taken in by Deputy Sacks (Brandon Hillock).Veronica is bailed out at the station. Sheriff Lamb comes in to mock her, but Keith threatens him and tells him to back off. Ruby comes in and poses as Veronica's friend and asks her for a favor in exchange for not pressing charges.Logan drives Ruby, dressed like Bonnie DeVille, to an event at the 09er nightclub, with Veronica acting as the designated driver. The press is there heckling Logan. A few guys at the bar try hitting on Veronica. Ruby asks her why she broke into her house, prompting Veronica to press her about the email Logan got and Ruby being in Carrie's closet. Veronica then gets a call from Gayle, offering her the job at Truman-Mann. Veronica accepts, but she must start Monday. She goes back to the booth with Logan and Ruby. Ruby suggests that Carrie's dad killed her after she fired him as her manager. Carrie had a tattoo on her hand that meant "serendipity", which was the name of her dad's company. Veronica says he was in London. Ruby's last theory is that something from Carrie's past came back to haunt her. She thinks that Carrie had sex with a priest in Catholic school, which is why her last album was titled "Confessionals". Veronica and Logan drive Ruby home and then take a drive together.The next day, Wallace and Mac come over to Veronica's house to show her a video of Carrie performing at the high school talent show with her best friend Susan Knight (Christine Lakin), who is also dead. Wallace shows Veronica a video of Ruby in her Della Pugh days performing the girls' duet herself and getting booed. The two friends then rope Veronica into joining them at the high school reunion, even having Piz flown out to Neptune.At the reunion, Veronica runs into old classmates Madison Sinclair (Amanda Noret), Gia Goodman (Krysten Ritter), and Weevil Navarro (Francis Capra), the former biker-turned-family man. Madison presents an "In Memorandum" slideshow. When it gets to Carrie, Logan is called a murderer by several attendees. It gets to Susan Knight, with a picture of her and Carrie next to a boat with the name Serendipity. Veronica runs to Logan and tells him that and then determines that Carrie's song about drowning meant that something happened on that boat. She thinks somebody killed Carrie to get her to stop going on about Susan's death. Back inside the school, Madison shows Veronica's sex tape to everybody, just as Piz shows up. Mac runs out to call Veronica back inside. Logan sees it and starts a fight. Piz, Dick, Weevil and Wallace jump in the fight. Veronica grabs a lighter to set off the sprinklers. Madison goes to chastise her for ruining the reunion. Veronica responds by punching her in the face.Veronica and Piz join Wallace and Mac at an after party. Although she's dancing, Veronica is trying to scope out anybody with information. She goes to Dick to ask him what happened to Susan on Carrie's dad's boat. He says she went missing after everybody got drunk. She also asks Lou "Cobb" Cobbler (Martin Starr) and Luke Halderman (Sam Huntington), since they were on the boat as well. Luke also happens to be engaged to Gia now.Meanwhile, Weevil is driving home from the reunion and comes across his former biker gang circling a woman in a van. He goes to help her out, but she is startled and she shoots him. The woman turns out to be Celeste Kane (Lisa Thornhill), the late Lilly's snobbish mother.Veronica bids Piz farewell as he takes the taxi back to the airport. Keith tells Veronica that Celeste shot Weevil. They go the hospital and are told that Celeste claimed self-defense after he approached her van with a 9mm Beretta and said "Time to party." They see a crime scene photo with a gun planted in Weevil's hand (clearly planted by the town's dirty cops to protect the wealthy Kane family from scandal and prosecution). Veronica plans to go ask the gang kids for information, but Keith tells her to leave the case to him.Veronica calls Sheriff Lamb, posing as a news reporter to gain information on Susan's drowning. She then travels to nearby San Diego and meets with Leo D'Amato (Max Greenfield), the former Neptune police deputy who is now a police detective working with the San Diego PD, who at first does not recognize her. She presents him with the case file of Susan's death. The meeting leads Veronica to believe someone on the Serendipity killed Carrie. She goes to Logan's place and sees Dick going through a slideshow of pics from the reunion. When they get to the pic of the 'In Memorandum' with Carrie and Susan near the boat, Veronica takes out a police photo for comparison. It depicts an anchor, which she thinks was used to push Susan's body to the bottom. She gets a text from Mac about a new video of Carrie on Perez Hilton. It's her at a makeup table arguing with another guy. Dick also shows her a hidden camera video of James Franco trying on skinny jeans.Veronica gets to meet with Franco through his assistant. She gets him and the assistant to set up a meeting with somebody over celebrity videos. At the Neptune Amusement Pier, Veronica meets the potential buyer who is Vinnie Van Lowe (Ken Marino), another PI. He takes Veronica to his van where he gives her some footage of Carrie. She shows it to Logan, depicting Carrie in her last days. Gia is in one of the videos on the day Carrie died. They figure out that Gia lured Logan to Carrie's home that night.Veronica and Logan meet with Lamb at the police station. Veronica believes Gia left an opening for Luke to come in and murder Carrie and then set up an alibi at the 09er. The intent was to shut Carrie up over Susan's death and frame Logan. Lamb doesn't care about this story and is still set on getting Logan convicted.Veronica calls Piz to tell him that there's too much going on for her to return. He thinks it's time for the two of them to call it quits.Keith tells Veronica that Truman-Mann is moving on without her since she's been constantly declining their calls. He gets a call and then leaves to meet with Sacks, who tells him there is corruption within Lamb's department over protecting the town's idle rich, and he is willing to testify. The two of them notice they're being watched by a shadowy figure and they drive away, only for a truck to plow into them. Logan runs by and pulls Keith out before the truck hits the car again. Veronica runs to her dad's side. Keith is taken to the hospital where it's determined he has multiple injuries, and Sacks was dead on arrival. Logan takes her home and leaves her a message for her to call him when she wakes up. Veronica gets up and tells him not to go. She walks up to him and kisses him. They start to get intimate.To take her mind off her dad, Veronica sets out to prove that Gia and Luke are guilty. She sends flowers to Gia's home and calls her with audio clips of Carrie's voice while watching from a distance on her camera. Gia freaks out and calls someone. Veronica calls Logan, who tells her that Luke walked into a bathhouse. She then sees Cobb entering Gia's apartment to comfort her. Cobb kisses Gia's neck and they go the bedroom to have sex.Later that evening, after Cobb leaves, Veronica goes to Gia's apartment. Meanwhile, Cobb is approached by an old man who claims to have heard him having sex with Gia. Cobb goes to his apartment and listens to the radio and overhears Veronica talking to Gia.Veronica picks up a tablet on the table that belonged to Carrie. Veronica confronts Gia about the possible murder, but Gia maintains her alibi. She shows her the video of Gia sending a message with the camera recording from the tablet. Gia admits that nine years earlier on the boat, she and her friends went to Cobb looking for drugs, only for him to make them bring him along and they were too drunk to care. Susan started crying about a baby she had given up and was later found by Carrie, barely breathing. She later found her friend dead. Gia admits Cobb came up with the idea to weigh Susan's body down with the anchor. They later received a picture of them dumping Susan's body into the water. Gia says that Cobb moved across the street to keep an eye on her since he was in love with her. She walks to the window, thinking he is watching, and she gets shot in the stomach by Cobb perched on the roof of the building as a sniper. Veronica hides and calls 911 for help as she watches Gia breath her last.Cobb comes into the apartment holding a gun. He plays music loudly to distract from any further gunshots. Veronica sends a text to her dad saying she loves him. She distracts Cobb by calling Gia's phone and then tases him in the leg. She makes a run for it, but finds the building exits locked. Cobb follows her to the basement where she knocks him out with a golf club.Cobb is arrested for Susan's and Gia's murders. Logan is exonerated from the crime, and he returns to active duty in the Navy, promising to return to Veronica. Lamb's conversation with Veronica is exposed to the media, forcing him to arrest Cobb and making him a new pariah. Keith recovers from his injuries, as does Weevil. The latter meets with Veronica at Mars Investigations over the gun being planted. As he leaves, Veronica sees him rejoining his biker friends. Veronica is somewhat disappointed that Weevil, now alienated then ever with life and the town, has abandoned his straight and narrow road and has gone back to being an outlaw biker.In the final shot, it is shown that Veronica has decided to stay in Neptune to take over the private investigator business with Mac as her assistant. In a final voice-over, Veronica accepts that this is who she is and this is what she does.
entertaining