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Wallace Fennel is Veronica's best friend and occasional partner in investigations.

Biography[]

Before Neptune[]

Wallace was raised in Cleveland as the son of Alicia and Hank Fennel. Unbeknownst to Wallace, Hank was not, in fact, his biological father but had put his name on Wallace's birth certificate the day he proposed to Alica. Wallace's brother, Darrell was born to the couple when Wallace was 10-11 year old. Wallace considered himself one of the cool kids at his school in Cleveland. At some point prior to Wallace's Junior year of high school, Hank Fennel passed away and was buried in Cleveland. Wallace cried for him for months. Eventually Alica Fennel got a job at Kane Software and Wallace, his mother and brother moved to Neptune for Wallace's Junior year.  Alicia viewed the move as a fresh start for the family. Wallace is a Sagittarius and, by his Freshman year of College considered Chicago, Illinois [1] to be his hometown.


Best Friend and Assistant of Veronica Mars[]

Wallace quickly becomes Veronica's best friend after he transfers to Neptune High. They first meet when Veronica cuts him down from the Neptune High flagpole after he had been duct-taped to it by Eli "Weevil" Navarro. Deciding that Veronica was a better friend than any of the 09ers or jocks who simply laughed while he was taped to the flagpole, he began sitting with her at lunch. The two became fast friends when Veronica helped get him out of trouble with the PCH biker gang.

After befriending Veronica, he starts helping her in many cases. Because he is an office aide at Neptune High, Veronica often asks for "favors" in order to see school records and gain information on other students. He also gives her tardy slips and occasionally provides bits of key knowledge which helped Veronica in her investigations. When not working as her liaison into the school files, he is most often seen driving the getaway car (literally), providing distractions so Veronica could sneak around unseen, or planting bugged items around Neptune.

He is, arguably, the best basketball player on the Neptune Pirates basketball team. When one of his teammates steals the team mascot in an attempt to keep Wallace from playing so he could be a starter instead. (Betty and Veronica)

Wallace usually helps Veronica out of feelings of friendship, although on occasion she needs to promise a little something extra—perhaps the answers to a test. Typically, he does not ask why she needs his help or what she is doing with the information he passes on to her. He trusts her almost unquestioningly. But he is always there for her, and Wallace is the one person Veronica truly opens up to about her rape. (A Trip to the Dentist)

Initially, Wallace's mother is skeptical about letting him associate with Veronica, whom she thinks is a bad influence. However, things smooth over when Veronica's father Keith kicks out the Fennels' dead-beat tenant (Like A Virgin). Alicia even begins seeing Keith romantically, which causes a bit of initial discomfort for Wallace and Veronica, though they eventually support and accept their parents' relationship. Nevertheless, the relationship doesn't last.

When Wallace finds out that the man who raised him wasn't his father and that his biological father is still alive, he tries to confide in Veronica. When the tension between Veronica and Wallace's new girlfriend, Jackie Cook, escalates to the point where Jackie pulls a huge prank, Veronica intends to get revenge. Wallace begs her not to, and the core of their relationship is shaken. Even though Veronica doesn't intend to do anything, she and Jackie get into a fight at the school dance. That, along with the revelation about his father, leads Wallace to leave town to go live with his biological father in Chicago.

While in Chicago, he was a passenger in an SUV that was involved in a hit-and-run on a homeless man. Looking to escape his troubles, he returns to Neptune and re-enters Veronica's life. When he is framed for the accident back in Chicago, he has to work with Veronica to prove that he is innocent. He and Veronica eventually reconcile and become best friends again.

Though he has started dating Jane Kuhne, he still had feelings for Jackie and tries to rekindle their relationship. Jackie doesn't want to steal another girl's boyfriend, however. After Wallace properly breaks up with Jane, he and Jackie begin dating again. Things get serious until Jackie tells Wallace she is leaving to go to France and attend the Sorbonne. After Jackie's father treats her harshly, she leaves early, leaving only a note for Wallace. It turns out that Jackie is in fact in Brooklyn, now working at a diner with her mother. She also has a two-year-old child whom Jackie's mother is raising. Wallace comes to find her, but she breaks up with him because she has to try to be a parent like her father wasn't, and stay in New York.

After graduation from Neptune High, Wallace joins Veronica at Hearst College. His roommate is Stosh "Piz" Piznarski. At first, Wallace attempts to pursue both a major in Mechanical Engineering and his position as a starter on the basketball team. After getting caught cheating on an exam, however, Wallace decides to quit basketball for the semester to focus on his studies, even if it means losing his starting position. When Wallace returns to the team during the next semester, he earns back his starting position.

After Freshman Year at Hearst[]

After Veronica decides to transfer to Stanford University following her Freshman year, Wallace stayed on at Hearst, eventually taking Hearst's basketball team to the conference finals the year he graduates.

Following his graduation Wallace earned his teaching credential and joined the faculty at his alma mater, Neptune High, as a physics teacher and coaches of first the Frost-Soph, and then the JV Basketball teams. He gives Veronica Delia Pugh's permanent file while she was investigating the murder of Bonnie Deville (Carrie Bishop). During the reunion, he is one of the first people to take action when Madison Sinclair plays Veronica and Piz's sex tape for all of the attendees. He turns off the projector and defends Piz when he's getting jumped by the 09ers.

After Veronica's Return[]

In the years between Veronica's return to Neptune and the Sea Sprite Bombings, Wallace meets and marries Shae and the two have a son they name Noah. Wallace's best friend Veronica, becomes Noah's unofficial "Auntie". The family moves to a house in the '09 zip code shortly before the bombings. Wallace was offered, and decides to take, the position of Varsity Basketball Coach at the newly built Kane High School shortly before its dedication.

Interests[]

Wallace enjoys basketball, "building things," "quality music," family, friends, and flying. He enjoys the Zoo and prefers the big cats to the monkey house.

Notable Skills[]

  • Proficient basketball player

Working with Veronica, Wallace has developed amateur sleuth skills which include:

  • Amateur tracking
  • Gathering contacts
  • Working bugging/surveillance equipment

Quotations[]

  • "Why do all the hottest girls always have a daddy complex?"
  • "You can't take the cool outta me. Look — pocket protector and I'm still full of pimp juice!"
  • "Hacky-sack: the final arena of unquestioned white domination."
  • "It's been two weeks. That's like a decade in high school years."
  • "My first college party: drinking piña coladas with a dude and talking about math."
  • "Maybe I smoked so much ganja I don't even remember it."
  • "Don't ask me, man. I stopped trying to figure her out day one." (on Veronica)
  • "Veronica - "And you would be?" Wallace - "Evil Wallace. And I know Veronica Mars doesn't hang with the evil and morally bankrupt."
  • "Good, 'cause I always get stuck blowing up the pity balloons." (When told not to throw Veronica a pity party)
  • "So when Logan said "jump," did you actually say the words, "How high?" or was there just an understanding that you would achieve max verticality?"

Appearances[]

Notable skills[]

  • Proficient basketball player

Working with Veronica, Wallace has developed amateur sleuth skills which include:

  • Amateur tracking
  • Gathering contacts
  • Working bugging/surveillance equipment

Photo Gallery[]

References[]

  1. http://www.myspace.com/vmarswallace MySpace.com - Wallace - 20 - Garçon - Neptune, CALIFORNIA - www.myspace.com/vmarswallace
  • Veronica Mars: The Complete First Season, Warner Home Video, 2005, UPC 01256972774.
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