Original subtitles

Previously on Veronica Mars, Duncan Cain, son of software billionaire Jake

Cain. He used to be my boyfriend.

Then one day... I've got a secret.

A good one. Duncan, what happened?

Where's Lily?

Does your dad still think that Lily's father did this? That it was Duncan's

sister? Your friend?

My dad's belief that Jake Cain was the murderer became a moot point.

An emergency recall election removed him from office.

A month after dad lost his job, mom split for good.

It's been eight months since I've seen my mother.

Sarah Kramer.

You are gay.

The girl's a mannequin.

She's in my chem class.

She smells good.

Yeah, she's cute in a Hilary Duff, Meek with the Gallery of Teen People kind of

way. She's not hot.

Her?

Who, Veronica Mars?

Yeah. She comes into the video store.

You do know her dad's a private detective?

Seriously? No, in a movie. Yes, seriously.

She works with him.

Eight and a half.

That's my final offer.

She's that smoking and a private eye?

It's got to make her at least a nine.

Guess what I'm doing this weekend.

I'm guessing it involves auto-eroticism.

Close. I will be cruising the marina in my dad's Sabre 386.

That's a luxury sailboat. You know, wind through my hair, strokes blasting

through the speakers.

And with any luck, a wide-eyed, impressionable vixen by my side.

Impressionable, me?

Ha! Whoa, whoa, whoa.

I said impressionable, not you.

You know, you might want to check your ego at the door there, missy.

Thanks, man.

The weird thing about going to high school with your ex is they're

inescapable. Everywhere you turn, there they are.

Beautiful day, huh?

Beautiful, lazy day.

Gonna get off that raft anytime soon?

What? Listen, I was, uh, I was thinking about next summer.

And my friend Ron Curtis, he's an advisor for Senator Rake in Washington.

He's got an internship that is opening in his office.

I think that you should write him a letter and you should express your

interest in politics.

You could tell them about your campaign for the student government.

You could tell them about all of these different things that you do.

You know, you could tell them what you did for Schwarzenegger.

So I got a call from your guidance counselor today and she wants to see me.

Any idea what for?

Nope.

Have you been playing nice with the other children?

You know, Dad, I'm old school.

An eye for an eye.

I think that's actually Old Testament.

Come on.

No help? You're not going to give me any idea what to expect?

Honestly, I haven't a clue.

Can I ask you a question?

What do you think Mom was doing at the Camelot Motel with Jake Kane two weeks

ago?

I told you to stay away from that case.

I just don't understand. She's only in Arizona. Why haven't you been looking?

Veronica, please.

How about those Padres?

I just want to see him passionate about something.

As long as it's something you're passionate about.

No.

Anything.

You know, he's not going to get into a good college without some defining

interests. I think we could be a little more patient, Jake.

We all lost Lily, and we all miss her.

But that doesn't mean we stop living our lives.

Any more liquid soap?

Check underneath the sink.

I'm going to go to the library, okay? Don't wait up.

Where are you going, sweetie?

Just over to Shelly's.

Okay, well, please be back before 11.

School tomorrow.

A long time ago, we used to be friends, but I haven't thought of you

lately at all.

Come on now, sugar.

Bring it on, bring it on, yeah.

Just let me know.

We used to be friends a long time ago.

We used to be friends.

Excellent recommendation, as always.

Thank you. Oh, yeah.

Kevin Spacey is so amazing in this.

And you should check out Body Heat.

He's late.

I'll see you. Rent it if you want to rent it. I'm just saying I'm not going

to watch it. There's only so many times a girl can watch a slap shot, you know

what I'm saying? So, um, is it true your dad's a P.I.? That's what it says on the

sign. And you work with him?

Sometimes.

Can I talk to you about something?

Sure.

It's kind of private.

Find me at school tomorrow.

I got the cowboys, too, just in case we need a backup.

Duncan,

this is me reminding you to take your pill.

Darling, there's absolutely no shame in taking antidepressants.

I don't know anyone who hasn't needed them at some point in their lives.

I know it's been rough since your sister died.

Plus, you've only been on them for, what, six months?

Just give a little more time.

Oh, so you'll be home for dinner?

Yeah, sure thing, Mom. Good.

Hey, what's going on?

Let's go out.

Finally, the girl comes to her senses.

Did you hook up with Shelly last night?

Uh, she's a talker.

She's a talker, you know.

Turns out she has conflicted feelings towards a new stepmom and color scheme

the woman's chosen for the family record. I hate it when they talk. Yeah,

I know. Hey, have you noticed that the new kid in town has been all over your

trailer park ex?

Let it be, Logan.

Okay, you know what, man, you be the fool on the hill.

See if I care.

Dude, you don't look so hot.

You okay?

Never better.

Okay.

That girl is seriously whack.

I don't think I'm supposed to be in here. You want to talk?

Yeah. Do you think you could help find someone for me?

Who?

My father. He ran out about ten years ago, and I haven't heard from him since.

Sounds like a winner.

Are you sure you want to find him?

Well, yeah.

But mainly, I just gotta know what happened to him, you know? Why now? Why

haven't you looked for him before?

Well, um, my mom got laid off a couple months ago. And she's working these two

really crappy jobs.

And I'm working, too.

And we barely get by.

What can you tell me about him?

Well, I haven't seen him since I was about six or so.

Okay, can you get me a picture?

Mom destroyed them all.

Last known address?

I was born in L.A., so we lived there until I was about two.

Can you get your hands on a social security number?

No. Date of birth?

Uh-uh.

All right, the name. Can we manage that?

It's John.

Smith.

Mr. Mars, hi. Thank you for coming in. It's James, yeah.

I was a little surprised by your call. Oh, I don't want you to worry.

Veronica's an excellent student.

I think she's amazing.

She's got a great mind.

So why exactly am I here?

Um...

Well, we've noticed a dramatic change in her over the last year.

She's, um, she's late a lot. She has attitude with certain teachers.

She falls asleep in class.

And socially, she seems to be a bit isolated.

Yeah.

Yeah, she's gone through a rough year.

I know. I know how close she was with Lily Kane.

I'd say Veronica's doing pretty well, given the circumstances.

Where are you going with all this? Look, if you find this difficult, and many

single fathers of daughters do, I would be more than happy to talk to her. No.

No. I can handle it. Thank you for the heads up.

Anytime.

A life coach.

Didn't we just have a discussion about our son's lack of focus?

You're right. Let's get him an astrologist, too. Maybe a past-life

consultant. Throw in a Pilates coach if yours can free up some time.

Raise your glasses, everyone. I'd like to make a toast.

To Molly.

Molly. Who's Molly?

Our old dog, the lab.

Yes, sweet old Molly. God rest her soul.

But, boy, could that dog catch a Frisbee?

If only she had the good sense not to whiz in our flowerbed, she'd still be

with us. Duncan, honey, it's been six years. When are you going to let this

go? I'm sure she was placed in a very happy home.

To Molly.

The best friend a boy could have.

You going to study group later?

Oh, dude, I can't.

I'm going to hook up with Veronica Marsh.

Yeah, and I'm going parasailing with Halle Berry.

No, I'm serious.

She's working this case for me.

She didn't help me find my missing dad.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't your dad die like seven years ago?

Well, then I guess it's going to take her a long time to find him.

Oh, yeah.

Hello, you've reached the administration office of the Stanford Summer Program.

No one's here to take your call right now, but leave us a message and we'll

call you back.

Sorry.

Keith Morris.

Hi, sir. Wallace Vanell.

Wallace is a friend of mine.

Take that, high school guidance counselor.

Well, hello, Wallace.

Now, what's going on here?

Helping a kid at school locate his deadbeat dad, the somewhat

inconveniently named John Smith.

But I've narrowed the field down to 440 John Smiths, so I'm sending each of them

a letter addressed to his son congratulating him on a scholarship.

And I figure if our John Smith has any conscience at all, he'll see the name of

his son, open the letter, and call to say he's got the wrong address.

Part of me is proud.

And let's just leave it at that.

Oh, I used one of the dedicated phone lines. I hope that's all right. We're

going to trace all the calls that come in.

So how did she rope you into this?

She promised me all the answer keys.

She's promised to be my friend.

I'd have held out for a better offer.

I'll be in my office.

Hey, would you do me a favor?

Why did all the hair on the back of my neck just stick up?

It's not that big of a deal. Just... The next time you're in the administration's

office, could you borrow my permanent file?

I want to see what that counselor is telling Dad.

Oh, yeah, no big deal. I can get expelled for that.

Morning, darling.

The pill's on the counter.

Don't forget it.

Great. Thanks.

Sophia?

I'll be out for a few hours. While I'm gone, I'd like you to take care of...

You called your geometry teacher a jackass?

That's totally taken out of context. Let me see it.

Hold up, Grabby.

I'm discovering a whole new side of you.

Damn, Ms. Applebaum loved her some Veronica Mars.

Veronica Mars is a complete angel and a joy to have in class every day.

Mrs. Applebaum, that file goes to the second grade?

Kindergarten.

Oh, sweet.

You wrote your teacher a poem.

Okay, yes, I was a kiss-ass. You've outed me now. Can I see it?

So, uh, any leads yet?

We should know something by next week.

Hey, I got something for you.

I just burned a few songs for you.

It has the new 311 on there.

Thanks.

You know, I just thought if you're on a stakeout or something, you might need

something to get you through the night.

Yeah, okay.

Later.

He brought you a mixtape. Shut up.

Hey, do me a favor.

Please be kidding. Get me his file.

So we get the idea to make it onto America's Funniest Home Videos with this

fake shark plan. Oh, my God, I remember that. That was you?

The plan was to cut off the dorsal fin, nail it to a board, strap the board to

my back, and have me swim around the public beach.

And Duncan's gonna stand on the shore and videotape the mob scene.

But it never happens.

I'm swimming out there for, like, 15 minutes. No one even notices.

You guys were idiots.

Yes, yes, we were.

Finally, the lifeguard.

He spots me.

The Claude pulls out a rifle.

Okay, lucky for me, Duncan spots him. He goes sprinting towards the lifeguard

tower. He was bawling his eyes out, I might add. So he's running, he's

shouting, he's saying, no, no, no, don't shoot, that's my friend, that's my

friend.

Saved my life.

That's one way of looking at it.

I'm kind of tired of this song.

I would have expected sex had that worked.

Had that worked, you would have gotten it.

Try it again.

Check.

Let me see your phone.

What are you doing?

It is now booty call enabled.

In case I need a little late night action.

Action. Investment advice.

Whatever.

So... I should really get home.

I'd invite you over, but it's a school night and my dad owns a handgun.

He says he can look into a guy's eyes and tell his true intentions, which I

know sounds like a myth, but I... Ah,

okay then.

And a good night to you, madam.

How was your date?

Oh, you know.

Lousy conversation, but the sex was fantastic.

That's not funny.

I don't know.

I'm pretty sure it was.

Brain?

Check. Dead sexy?

Check. Devilish charm?

Check.

Formidable Scrabble opponent?

Who cares?

What's wrong with you, Veronica?

What are you waiting for?

Veronica.

What did you just call me?

Justin's permanent file.

You might want to take a look at that.

Why, is it gonna self-destruct in five seconds?

I need to talk to Justin.

Alone.

See you guys.

Explain this.

My evaluation from first grade? Yeah.

Read it to me.

Justin shows talent in his finger painting and other arts and crafts

projects. Further down.

For the past several months, Justin has been moody and withdrawn.

His behavior is not surprising in light of his father's recent death.

Everything you told me was a lie, Justin. You wasted my time.

That drives me crazy.

And you owe me $150 in postage.

Excuse me.

Are you Justin Smith?

Yeah. This came for you.

Thanks.

It's the scholarship letter that you sent out.

And there's a note.

It's from my father.

Someone to see you.

Describe this someone.

White male, pint-sized, desperate, not having a good day.

Hey.

So, I bicycled all the way over here.

I just wanted to say I'm sorry.

You could have saved it till tomorrow.

So, I showed my mom the letter. She got all mad.

Made me promise not to try and find my dad.

So he really is alive.

My mom actually said I was better off this way.

Thinking he was dead.

Maybe you were.

I mean, I have a dad somewhere out there in the world.

How can I not try and find out what happened to him?

It would kill me.

Let me see the letter again.

The letter Justin received from his long-lost dad bore a San Diego postmark.

Of the 440 John Smiths out there, only three were in San Diego.

Come in.

I... I couldn't help it over here.

Yeah, sorry.

No, it's not that.

It's just that I never want you to think your mom's the villain in all this.

Isn't she?

No, it's not that simple.

Yeah, it is.

The hero is the one that stays, and the villain is the one that splits.

I don't think that's a healthy perspective.

It's healthier than me pining away every day, praying she'll come home.

The truth was, I'd figured out exactly where my mother was staying.

But I wasn't about to tell him that.

Wait up.

Don't run, Veronica. People might think that you're desperate.

That would be a step up, reputation-wise.

I guess that all depends on who you're asking.

I thought your boy Toy Troy was going to join us for happy hour this afternoon.

You don't suppose that he got waylaid by Veronica, do you?

Grasshopper too slow for Kung Fu Master.

If you can take the flask out of my hand, then you will be new master.

Wait,

wait, wait.

Guys. Check it out, guys.

Six guys.

Bleachers.

Jump in when you're feeling this, okay?

Summer lovin' had me up last.

He's gotten into you, man. Hey, check it out.

Whoa.

Whoa, man.

I think I might have given you the wrong impression.

I had a really great time.

I just... It's just that you need more. And, you know, you get to fill in the

blank here.

A, time. B, space.

He needs to go to the hospital. Hey, Duncan, open your mouth.

This will help.

Come on.

He's going.

Hey, Duncan.

Death-defying stunt, gushing head wound.

You're the man, brother.

And I almost stuck the landing.

I'm sure you don't want to see that.

Thanks, I got it.

Put your seatbelt on.

Hold the towel tighter.

Remember how things used to be?

You mean between us? Or before Lily died?

Or two weeks ago, before your friend took an interest in me?

Prana? Not really, no.

Do you want your girlfriend to stay in here with you?

Oh, I'm not his girl. Yeah.

Yeah, that's cool.

Well, here you are.

Veronica, meet again.

What are the odds?

Veronica brought me in.

Thank you, Veronica.

I think I can handle it from here.

Okay, I have stuff to do anyway, so...

He's...

off a bleacher?

Well...

Everything is fine.

There's no fractures.

Nothing that a few stitches won't fix.

I still don't understand how this happened, Duncan.

What possessed you to jump off a set of bleachers?

Dad, can I talk with Dr. Levine for a minute?

By myself?

Of the 440 John Smiths out there, only three were in San Diego.

My mission, find and photograph them.

Of course, Justin hadn't seen his father since he was six.

There was no guarantee he could ID him. Hey, are you sure you don't have any

pictures of your dad?

I don't think so.

My mom cut them out of all of them.

But I could take a look.

Excuse me.

Can I call you back?

Yeah, just bring me whatever you have.

Bye.

Last time I was in, you mentioned body heat.

Do you have that on DVD?

Looks like I'd have to special order it.

All right. Sounds good.

Ultimately, it is your decision, and you should do what's right for you.

But I have to warn you.

Going cold turkey off antidepressants can have some serious side effects.

I mean, you're likely to feel nauseous.

Yeah.

Plenty of that. It's also possible that you'll suffer from hallucinations.

And particularly vivid dreams.

And this could go on for weeks.

Some people find that unnerving.

It's worth it.

Hey. Hi.

Hey, thanks for making the time to see me.

I owe you an apology.

I was abrupt and defensive the other day.

Well, on a defensive parent scale of one to ten, I'd say three. So don't worry

about it.

And you're right. I think Veronica does need someone to talk to, and I'm afraid

that in this case that I'm not equipped to be that person.

I would be happy to talk to her. Thank you. Yeah.

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Would you mind?

Sure, yeah. Can you hang on? I'm going to take this.

Oh, hi.

Yeah, okay. Can I call you right back?

Fine. Thank you.

Thank you so much. I'm a coffee addict.

Sheriff Morris, you always had my vote.

I picked up all the John Smiths at their home addresses and

followed them until I got decent shots.

Here's the first one.

He's a veterinarian and married.

And there's a swing set in the back, so I'm guessing he's got kids.

No, it's definitely not him.

Okay.

John Smith number two.

single and coaches high school basketball.

No, it's not him either.

Mom always turns off the radio when they play Brown Eyed Handsome Man because it

reminds her of dad.

And these guys' eyes are green.

It's not him.

Finally, John Smith number three.

Yeah, that could be him.

Do you have any pictures without the sunglasses?

He had them on the whole time.

So what does this guy do?

I followed him from the junkyard to the pawn shop to the racetrack.

Sweet.

My best guess would be petty criminal.

Well, can we go back there?

I mean, I know if I could see him up close, I could ID him. I don't think so.

Come on. One way or the other, I'd know.

Get a kid a break.

All right, fine.

Meet me in my car after school. But remember, I'm the one in charge, and

you'll do as I say.

You should have seen her before charm school.

I promise.

Wait, hey.

I brought you the best pictures I have of Dad.

In this one, you can actually see his hand.

Wow, your mom really hated him, didn't she?

Yeah. Cool cars.

Mom says he was obsessed with them.

Hey, what did John Smith III drive?

A Sebring convertible.

All right, I'll see you guys after school.

That's him, right in front of the Honda.

Here he goes.

You're gonna lose him. I'm not gonna lose him.

Lay low.

Try not to look too conspicuous.

Hey! Excuse me. Excuse me. Hey.

You need something, bro?

No. I'm sorry.

I just thought you were somebody else.

It's not him.

What are you doing?

Let me see the letter again.

It's the exact same handwriting.

Yo,

bro, how can you watch this crap? It could not be more boring.

Ugh, what the hell?

Lily?

Yeah, what? You forgot about me already?

What are you... You know, it makes absolutely no sense.

My disappearance.

Murder. Whatever, how it supposedly went down.

So bogus, right?

But here's the thing.

The truth is gonna come out.

What are you talking about?

Clue in, donut.

It doesn't add up. You know that deep down inside. I wish you'd just admit it

to yourself.

Break out of your stupor.

Wake up.

What's this?

It's a taser, and it's dangerous. Put it back.

I'm coming with you. No, I need you to stay in the car.

A classic car, perhaps?

A Hyundai Sonata? I don't think it qualifies as a classic.

What the hell are you doing?

Stay right there. I'm calling the police.

You're not going to do that. I followed you, and I know what you do.

What I do?

I'm a parole officer.

What?

Why would you be following me?

I'm a friend of your son's, and he just wants to see you.

I don't have a son.

Don't move.

Are you trying to tell me you're not John Smith?

Oh, my God.

You're a woman.

I don't believe this.

This is hard, I know.

I wish you could have found a way to tell you.

Did you also know? I thought you were dead since I was 11.

No.

I'm not surprised. Your mother threatened she would say that.

In your little visits to the video store?

What's that all about, huh?

I wanted to see you.

Can you understand that?

I wanted to see for myself that you were all right.

Well, I'm not actually okay.

I'm not.

Turns out my mom's a liar.

And my father is a circus freak. Justin, maybe we should go.

Oh, this is something I had to do. This is who I am.

Come on, Brooke.

Let's get out of here.

It was nice meeting everyone.

90 miles.

What's 90 miles?

It's the distance your dad travels every week to see you for a few seconds.

Look my mom's been missing too and honestly, I would give anything To feel

that she cared enough about me to do that

She

wasn't going to find me I was gonna have to find her I've decided to drive to

Arizona after school if the roads are clear. I can make it there in four hours

Tragedy blows through your life like a tornado, uprooting everything, creating

chaos. You wait for the dust to settle and then you choose.

You can live in the wreckage and pretend it's still the mansion you remember.

Hey, how's her head?

Better.

Or you can crawl from the rubble and slowly rebuild.

Hey, I didn't know you came here. Yeah, I just discovered this place.

Yeah, me too.

Oh, how have we missed each other?

Hey, Justin, did you special order body heat for someone?

Because after disaster strikes, the important thing is that you move on.

Right.

Hello?

Julia?

It's Justin.

Hey, listen, that copy of body heat you wanted came in.

No, it's fine.

Yeah, I work here every Saturday.

It's great.

Okay.

I'll see you then.

Bye.

But if you're like me, you just keep chasing the storm.

Can I help you?

I'm looking for Leanne Mars.

Veronica?

I'm Adriana.

A college friend of your mom's. I feel like I know you. Your mother talks about

you all the time.

Where is she?

She left a couple weeks ago.

Well, did she say where she was going?

No.

Don't lie to me.

I need to know.

Where is she?

She thought your father might come looking for her, and she knows I'm no

good at keeping secrets.

Doesn't she care about me?

You're all she cares about.

Mark me down as skeptical.

The problem with chasing the storm is that it wears you down, breaks your

spirit.

Even the experts agree a girl needs closure.

I'm outside your house

It's

about time