From The TV IV

Driver Ed is the second episode of the second season of Veronica Mars, and is the twenty-fourth episode overall. The search for the circumstances that involved the school bus crash intensifies, as the bus driver's family is led to believe that their husband and father have committed suicide after the police find a supposed suicide note on the computer. Meanwhile, Wallace helps Jackie find out who dented her car.

Starring: Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars), Percy Daggs III (Wallace Fennel), Teddy Dunn (Duncan Kane), Jason Dohring (Logan Echolls), Francis Capra (Eli "Weevil" Navarro (credit only)), Ryan Hansen (Richard "Dick" Casablancas), Kyle Gallner (Cassidy "Beaver" Casablancas), Tessa Thompson (Jackie Cook)

And: Enrico Colantoni (Keith Mars)

Special Appearance By: Kevin Smith (Duane Anders)

Guest Stars: Jeffrey Sams (Terrence Cook), Michael Muhney (Sheriff Don Lamb), David Starzyk (Richard "Big Dick" Casablancas, Sr.), Ari Graynor (Jessie Doyle), Gregory Thirloway (Jeff Cotter), Kristin Dattilo (Carla Cotter)

With: Charisma Carpenter as Kendall Casablancas

And: Steve Guttenberg as Woody Goodman

Co-Stars: Brandon Hillock (Deputy Sacks), Adam Bitterman (Man in Loud Hawaiian Shirt), Lee Ann Kim (Reporter #1), Lauren Krause (Reporter #2), Sarah Vincelett (Shelby), Erin Noyd (Southie Player #1), Elijah Anderson (09er Kid), Melissa Reneé Martin (09er Girl), Kathleen Parker (Mrs. Stewart), Lindsey Tusing (Beth), Amber Ojeda (Cathy), Miko Hughes (Stoner Dude #1), Valorie Curry (Jane Kuhne), Marty Ryan (Bernie), Lisa Pedace (Randi Doyle), Michael Len (Bruno)

Contents 1 Plot Overview 2 Notes 2.1 Mystery of the Week 2.2 School Bus Disaster 2.3 Music 3 Arc Advancement 3.1 Happenings 3.2 Characters 3.3 Referbacks 4 Trivia 4.1 The Show 4.2 Behind the Scenes 4.3 Allusions and References 4.4 Memorable Moments 5 Quotes 6 Reviews

[edit] Plot Overview

[edit] Notes

[edit] Mystery of the Week

[edit] School Bus Disaster

• At the scene of the crime, the police found no evidence of a struggle to keep the bus on the road (i.e. skidmarks).
• The school bus driver, Ed Doyle, is being looked at heavily by the police as a suicide, but his daughter has enlisted Veronica into attempting to find evidence that he didn't kill himself. She is pulled off the case when the sheriff finds a suicide note saved on his computer.
• Unsatisfied with the quick judgement, Veronica persues the call that Doyle made at the convenience store. The call was placed to Carla Cotter, a woman he was having an affair with and planned to leave his family for.
• A man washes up on the beach with "Veronica Mars" written on his palm.

[edit] Music

Artist	Song	Where
The Who	Magic Bus	Convenience Store
Pixies	Where Is My Mind?	The Mars House
The Format	On Your Porch	Duncan's House

[edit] Arc Advancement

[edit] Happenings

[edit] Characters

• Meg: It is revealed that Meg survived the school bus crash but is now in a coma and is on life support.
• Keith: Woody Goodman has asked Keith to run for sheriff again. He initially declines the offer but after seeing Sheriff Lam's incompetance in dealing with the Doyle case, he reconsiders and decides to run.
• Wallace: Wallace meets Jackie Cook, daughter to Terrance Cook, who is also introduced in this episode. He solves the case of who hit her car and didn't leave insurance information and starts up a romance.

[edit] Referbacks

[edit] Trivia

[edit] The Show

• Gone Fishing: Francis Capra does not appear in this episode.
• Fashionably Late: Tessa Thompson makes her first appearance in this episode as Jackie Cook, despite being credited since the previous episode, Normal Is the Watchword.

[edit] Behind the Scenes

• Special Credit: Kevin Smith is credited with "special appearance by."

[edit] Allusions and References

• Clerks: Kevin Smith playing the clerk of the convenience store is a reference in itself. Clerks was a film written and directed by Smith in 1992, about two shiftless convenience store clerks named Dante and Randal. Although the film doesn't have a real plot as such, it does follow several themes like Randal's disdain for the customers and Dante's inability to stand up and spit in their faces. Smith's bit bragging about being on TV is a reference to his self-description as "a press whore."

• Close to You: Veronica recites a lyric from (They Long to Be) Close to You, a song performed by The Carpenters in 1970. The song was written by Burt Bacharach & Hal David and appeared on the album of the same name. The rest of the lyric is "just like me they long to be, close to you."

Veronica: Why do birds suddenly appear every time you're near?

[edit] Memorable Moments

• The convenience store clerk chatting up Veronica about his television appearance.
• Veronica leaving the hotel room only to see Logan leaving another room opposite of hers.
• A man washed up on the beach with Veronica Mars written on his hand.

[edit] Quotes

[edit] Reviews

• Overall Grade: B with 2 reviews
• Review Breakdown: A+: 0 A: 0 A-: 0 B+: 1 B: 1 B-: 0 C+: 0 C: 0 C-: 0 D: 0 F: 0

1. Not the strongest VM episode ever. The plot was fine, and the Kevin Smith cameo was really funny, but the acting, especially in the first half was very subpar. Teddy Dunn gives yet another lackluster performance. He might be doing it on purpose so that the audience understands Veronica is with the "safe" guy, but it's hard to keep giving them the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only subpar performance. Even Kristen Bell had some weak scenes, very unlike her. The new Wallace love interest is a bitch, but we all hated Logan at one point too. I have faith that the writers will find a way to redeem her. The mini-mystery of the episode was handled well, and Veronica's reluctance to help was something of an interesting subplot. We haven't really hit the ground running on the season mystery, but last season, the first 10 or so episodes had only bits and pieces of the season-long mystery while focusing more on the characters themselves. Hopefully by Christmas time we'll have a better understanding of where the major mystery is going. Grade: B --mangler103 14:22, 12 Oct 2005 (EDT)
2. Your run-of-the-mill above-average Veronica Mars episode. It seems like this season is taking an episode or two to find its footing, which isn't as bad as it seems, since these episode are still really well-done. Like mangler, there's some issues with the acting, namely Teddy Dunn and Tessa Thompson. It's hard to be focused on the episode when they deliver erratic performances. Needless to say, the episode was pretty good, even if some of the clues were a bit of a stretch, and the ending more than makes up for any foibles the episode may have had. Grade: B+ --Wizardryo 01:25, 13 Oct 2005 (EDT)