"Mars vs. Mars" was the fourteenth episode of the first season of Veronica Mars.
In this episode, Veronica and her father Keith take opposing sides when Veronica's world history teacher, Mr. Rooks is accused of sexual assault on a student.
Synopsis[]
Immediately after the previous episode, Logan appears at Veronica's door and asks Veronica to help find his mother, Lynn, whom he believes is alive. Veronica agrees to help out. The next day in class, Veronica participates in a fun and unorthodox world history review with a teacher, Mr. Rooks. However, the fun is disrupted when Carrie Bishop tells the teacher that she's not pregnant and that he can "have [his] key back." Veronica talks to the teacher, but he denies that he ever touched Carrie. Meanwhile, Wallace steals Carrie's school file while Veronica asks Duncan for the name of his practitioner, wanting to find out what medication he was taking. Veronica angrily confronts Carrie about her lying. Veronica walks into Mars Investigations, when she learns that Keith has been hired by Carrie's parents, pitting father and daughter against each other. Later, Cliff McCormack fake interviews the woman who saw Lynn's suicide, and Logan blows up at her upon learning that she is lying for the publicity.
Veronica visits Mr. Rooks's home, where she finds out the details of the parent-teacher conference a few months earlier: it was simply about grades on the midterm paper. However, Mr. Rooks does not have a lawyer for the hearing. Keith presents some increased evidence for his side to Veronica. Logan gives a tabloid newspaper to Veronica, which states that Lynn Echolls is still alive. Veronica interviews the woman who wrote the story, but the woman turns out to be a crazed fan. Logan is finally convinced that his mother is dead. Weevil tells Veronica about a freshman who is proclaiming that he has million dollar evidence that proves Lynn Echolls jumped.
Veronica talks to Mr. Rooks about his previous firing (which Keith attributed to sexual assault). Veronica tells Carrie about the fault in her story—that she was actually at a track meet the day she claimed to have been assaulted by Mr. Rooks. Veronica steals Duncan's medical records and finds out that Abel Koontz shared a doctor with the Kane's. At the school hearing, Mr. Rooks is acquitted when Carrie's text message evidence is debunked after Veronica shows that it is incredibly easy to create fake text messages.
Veronica visits Mr. Rooks's house, where she notices several of the details that Carrie mentioned about his house are true. Veronica researches Duncan's medication, which she finds is used to treat a form of epilepsy which can cause violent fits and memory blackouts. Duncan researches the winner of the Extemporaneous Speaking Competition, a competition which Mr. Rooks was involved in, and Veronica visits her. It turns out that the winner, Susan, was impregnated by Mr. Rooks while they were having a relationship. However, Carrie tried to make her story known. Veronica encourages Susan to report Mr. Rooks to the superintendent. Later, Mr. Rooks resigns and Veronica apologizes to Carrie for the vitriol she showed towards her.
Weevil brings the freshman who talked about Lynn to Logan and Veronica. The boy was shooting a movie near the bridge, and has a video that shows body falling from the bridge at 4:37 PM, exactly the time Lynn probably jumped from the bridge. However, a few minutes later, Veronica notices that one of Lynn's credit cards has just been used. Veronica talks to Abel Koontz, and she reveals a key piece of information: Abel Koontz was dying, so he decided to go to jail because he's going to die anyway, suggesting that he's a proxy for an unknown person.
Arc significance[]
- Veronica finds out that Mr. Rooks did have an affair with a student, just not with Carrie Bishop. The affair was with her friend, Susan Knight. She was pregnant and didn't want to press charges against him, so Carrie took matters into her own hands.
- Veronica finds a video that apparently shows Lynn Echolls falling from the bridge and shows it to Logan, but then gets a report that one of Lynn's credit cards has been used.
- Veronica finds out that Abel Koontz is dying.
- Veronica finds out that Duncan has type IV epilepsy.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Kristen Bell as Veronica Mars
- Percy Daggs III as Wallace Fennel
- Teddy Dunn as Duncan Kane
- Jason Dohring as Logan Echolls
- Francis Capra as Eli "Weevil" Navarro
- Sydney Tamiia Poitier as Mallory Dent
- Enrico Colantoni as Keith Mars
Guest Stars[]
- Daran Norris as Cliff McCormack
- Leighton Meester as Carrie Bishop
- Max Greenfield as Leo D'Amato
- Christian Clemenson as Abel Koontz
- Christine Lakin as Susan Knight
- Lisa Long as Jessica Fuller
- Adam Scott as Chuck Rooks
Music[]
- "Tulips" - Bloc Party
- "Worried About You" - The Rolling Stones
- "Don't Stand So Close to Me" - The Police
Quotes[]
- [Veronica works on breaking Carrie Bishop's story.]
- Veronica: So? That doesn't prove anything. I could write down that I met Kid Rock every weekend at the Hedonism Lodge for sensual massage and smoothies, but that doesn't make it true.
- [Veronica sets off a blue-dye packet in a trap her father set for her.]
- Veronica: This is not funny! I need to see that diary! She's lying. I know it. I can feel it with every fiber of my being.
- Keith: Honey, you don't have to get all blue in the face.
- Veronica: Oh, you're patronizing me?
- Keith: To be fair, I am your patron.
- Weevil: If you're lookin' for my trophy, it's back by auto shop.
- Veronica: Lube job? Or… can you get a medal in stealing hubcaps?
- Weevil: Is this 1970? Rims, baby.
- Veronica: So you got a trophy for a rim job?
- Weevil: Forget it. Look, I got some information for you.
- Veronica: Finally, a Deep Throat to call my own.
- Weevil: I'm not gonna touch that one...
Trivia[]
- All three of the primary "players" in the main plot--the teacher, Mr. Rooks; his accuser, Carrie Bishop; and the student with whom Mr. Rooks actually had the affair, Susan Knight--are named after chess pieces.
- The song that the 09ers sing to torment Carrie Bishop is "Don't Stand So Close to Me" by The Police.