Spoilers for “Debasement Tapes” below.

Things that happened

I spend an hour worshipping special guest star Paul Rudd, as he shows up and anchors this episode with consistent hilarity that does not quit. For most of the hour, anyway.

My Friend Paul plays an aging rockstar who was once part of a duo called My Pretty Pony. They had a few memorable hits, but then his bandmate died, and now Paul spends all his time touring about and playing their old songs against backing tapes of his dead friend. It is kind of tragic. But less than it would be normally, as Paul is a raging asshole.

It’s almost glorious. He spends his time in Neptune attempting to tip with his own autograph on a napkin, turning down his potential internet hook-up because she’s too old, hitting on Veronica, fielding calls with aplomb on Piz’s radio show and, in one memorable scene, skinny dipping. He then gets arrested (public lewdness) and spends his time in Neptune County jail arguing with Keith about the rockerness of The Beatles.

It’s a tour de force performance and adds up to some great laugh-out-loud moments.

The rest of the episode, though, is mostly just kind of weird. In a plot that makes clear that this show really is getting away from the complicated mysteries, this week’s mystery is The Strange Case of the Misplaced Luggage.

Paul Rudd has lost the contents of his bag containing the backing vocals, which has put the entire concert he plans to perform at Hearst in jeopardy. Piz is freaked, because he’s the one tasked with watching Paul and making sure everything goes smoothly, and so he enlists Veronica to help him find the tapes.

The resolution is half-assed and, honestly, a little insulting to Veronica’s PI skills. After a big red herring wherein we’re led to believe that a religious organization known as Semites for the Saviour — they’re protesting the concert for some reason — is behind the theft, we eventually learn that there was no theft. Paul just took the wrong bag when he left the airport. And Veronica, apparently, never asked to look at the bag, because that’s so like her to avoid looking at the goddamn crime scene.

Anyway, Veronica and Piz retrieve the contents of the bag and are on their way back to Neptune when the concert starts. But on the drive back they happen to listen to some of Paul Rudd’s new material, and discover that it is actually good. And so they pretend to get stuck in traffic, necessitating that Paul Rudd play the new songs. The crowd ends up loving them and there’s a sickeningly-sweet scene of redemption for all involved at the end of the episode.

Speaking of Veronica and Piz, after last week’s dual make-out session things are a little bit awkward. Despite jumping him in the hallway, Veronica isn’t sold on dating the poor guy, and is worried Piz is going to be all puppy-dog-eyed and make it harder for her to go back to being just friends. Except he actually isn’t awkward at all, really, surprising Veronica with his good-guy maturity as they hunt for Paul Rudd’s tapes. After they have some conversational connections in the car, Veronica seems to be warming up to the big lug, and they hold hands at the concert. Which is like the equivalent of first base when you’re in the fifth grade.

In B-plot news, Keith gets a visit from Deputy Leo, the lovable lunk from the first season with the giant lantern jaw. He’s been working security at a local sporting goods store, and has noticed the Fitzpatricks getting close to the business. Criminally close. Keith and Leo stake out the sporting goods store on the night the robbery looks to go down, and manage to catch the Fitzpatricks loading stolen goods into the truck alongside their new accomplice, Vinnie Van Lowe. In a big black fake mustache. After some confusion, Vinnie admits that the manager of the store hired him, and that he’s locked the thieves inside the store, thus stopping the robbery all by himself. With a little assist, of course, from his big black fake mustache.

Keith’s initially pretty happy about this rare burst of competency from Mr. Van Lowe. But when Vinnie decides to use Keith’s printed recommendation as a platform for his campaign for Neptune County Sheriff, Keith’s smile does a 180. Looks like Keith might get screwed out of the Sheriff position again.

And, in C-plot news, Logan needs to develop a detailed business plan for one of his classes. With Mac’s help, he decides to launch a site wherein users rate asses. Mac enlists Max to help with some of the seedier details, as he’s all about the evil blackhat SEO-style tactics, apparently. The site looks really impressive, and Logan actually gets into the business side of things, but unfortunately his professor can’t get over the fact that his business is about asses and doesn’t let him finish his presentation. Logan looks sad.

Also, Mac realizes that that hippie guy is totally wrong for her. Anyone who plays Ultimate Frisbee is wrong for anyone, in my opinion. So she dumps him and seems to have her sights set on Max, who seems way more Unreal Tournament than Ultimate Frisbee.

Things that were good

• Paul Rudd. But you probably gathered that. But this is clearly the kind of character he was born to play, and it’s a pity he so frequently gets cast as boring nice-guy types. He’s hilarious.
• It’s nice to see characters like Leo pop back in. Given the show’s tonal shift, I’m glad they’re not completely shying away from continuity and previous-season references.
• I’m digging the new Logan and Mac friendship. They’re playing off each other really well. I liked his whole plot in general, as it gave Logan a plot that wasn’t about him and a girl (directly), something that hasn’t happened for a good long while.
• I still miss Sheriff Lamb, but more screen time for Vinnie is a nice stop-gap substitute.
• Can I say Paul Rudd again?

Things that were not so good

• The mystery. If you can call it that. “Oh, you just mixed up your bag at the airport” is not a satisfying conclusion in a show like this. And they didn’t even give us a good Keith-centric mystery to make up for it.
• Without the mysteries, this show feels a whole lot different. It’s a lot like every other teen-centric drama. The writing and dialogue is still far far better than stuff like One Tree Hill, of course, but that’s not really enough to elevate this to the otherworldly status it once enjoyed.
• The sentimental endings, like with the concert, really seem forced. Like mega-forced. Come on, give us more real-world cynicism!

Worth watching if…

…you are a giant Paul Rudd fan. And if you’re not a giant Paul Rudd fan, this episode just might do it for you. It’s a great showcase for his comedic talents. It is not, however, a good showcase for Veronica Mars. A step up from last week, sure, but I’m not exactly loving this new direction.

In Five Words

Paul Rudd Is My Mentor

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