1.01 "Pilot"

Aired Sep 22, 2004

Summary

So, you think your life sucks? Boo freaking hoo. Was your best friend murdered? Did your boyfriend break up with you without a word of explanation? Was your dad forced to leave his job as sheriff in disgrace? Were you suddenly a social pariah, shunned by all your former friends? Did your mom skip town on you? Were you drugged and raped, then mocked when you tried to report it? If you answered yes to all of these questions, then congratulations! Your name is Veronica Mars, and it sucks to be you. Good thing you're awesome and just made a new friend that you cut down from a flagpole, because it's going to be a long year.

Important Parts

• Veronica Mars used to be part of the popular crowd, but is now a social pariah.

• Wallace Fennel, duct-taped to a flagpole by the local biker gang for getting two of their members arrested for shoplifting, is cut down by Veronica. She makes a deal with Weevil, the gang's leader, to leave Wallace alone if she gets his bikers off the hook.

• Duncan Kane, son of software billionaire Jake Kane, used to be Veronica's boyfriend, but he dumped her without warning or explanation.

• Lilly Kane, Duncan's sister and Veronica's best friend, was murdered almost a year ago. Veronica's father Keith was the sheriff at the time and accused Lilly's father Jake — a revered figure in Neptune — of the murder. Keith was subsequently removed from office by a recall election.

• Abel Koontz, a disgruntled former employee of Kane Software, was later arrested, and he confessed to killing Lilly. Her shoes and backpack were found on his houseboat.

• Lianne Mars, Veronica's mother, skipped town after Keith decided to become a private investigator rather than leave Neptune in disgrace. She hasn't been heard from in eight months.

• Celeste Kane, Lilly and Duncan's mother, hires Keith to find out if her husband is cheating on her. Veronica follows Jake to a seedy motel and later discovers evidence that the woman he was meeting was Lianne Mars.

• After her fall from social grace, Veronica attended an 09er party to prove that she wasn't affected by their rejection. Someone handed her a drink containing a roofie, and she woke up the next morning without her underwear. When she tried to report the rape, Sheriff Lamb, the man who replaced her father in office, mocked her and refused to take her accusation seriously.

• Veronica discovers that her father is still investigating Lilly's murder.