Logan gets in an elevator at the Neptune Grand, and Veronica walks in behind him. Logan guesses she's there to see Duncan, and mentions how much he's been moping around. Veronica claims Duncan is upset over not being able to see his baby, and Logan tries to bait her about that, but gets no reply. Inside Duncan and Logan's suite, Logan sits on the couch in the living room, and Veronica starts towards Duncan's bedroom, but stops when she sees Kendall coming out of the shower, wearing only a towel. Veronica, stunned, asks what Kendall is doing there, and Kendall snarks she was invited. Veronica storms off; Logan makes a remark about Kendall, but she tells him he's going to call her late at night to have sex, and she's not interested in that anymore.
The next day, outside of Neptune High, Dick approaches Veronica. He heard about what happened from Logan, and he tells Veronica to let it go, especially since Kendall is willing to do things Veronica wouldn't. Veronica brushes Dick off when she sees Duncan approaching. She asks Duncan where he was, and tells him about seeing Kendall in his shower. Duncan claims Kendall probably got his and Logan's rooms mixed up, but Veronica is not having any of it and is furious about it. Duncan brings up how Meg had his baby and he's not allowed to see his own child, making Veronica snap that she's sick of hearing about Meg, making Duncan accuse Veronica of thinking only of herself. Both of them have been talking loudly enough to attract attention from other students, and Veronica shouts that she, not Meg, is Duncan's girlfriend. Duncan, letting out a breath, says, "Not anymore." He storms off, and Veronica looks gutted.
Later, at the Mars apartment, Veronica puts on the soundtrack to The Virgin Suicides and lies down on her bed. Keith hears the music as he's making a sandwich, but doesn't say anything. A little bit later, Veronica listlessly walks into the kitchen, fixes a bowl of cereal for herself, and walks back to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Keith, who's reading the paper and sitting with Backup, watches but again doesn't say anything. Early the next morning, when Keith wakes up, he can still hear the music. He goes to Veronica's bedroom and knocks on her door. She apologizes for having the music on so loud but doesn't say anything else. Keith comes into her bedroom and asks if everything's okay. Veronica admits she and Duncan broke up, which Keith already figured out, and he gently asks if there's anything he can do. Veronica says no and thanks him.
At the Neptune Grand, Weevil and Logan are discussing who stabbed Felix. Weevil says he's narrowed it down to two of the PCHers, Bootsy and Hector, since they were the only two left on the bridge, according to Thumper. Weevil also mentions the guilty party is working for the Fitzpatricks and selling drugs for them; Logan says he'll figure out who it is.
Back at the Mars apartment, Veronica is still moping, and Backup is licking her face. Wallace comes into her bedroom and tells her to stop wallowing in misery, as well as to take a shower. Veronica sardonically notes he's only doing this because he wants Veronica to come to his basketball game the next night. Keith calls for Veronica from the living room. When Veronica walks out, she sees Lamb and another deputy. Keith tells her Duncan is missing, and Lamb accuses Duncan of stealing Meg's baby and Veronica of being an accessory to the crime. He arrests Veronica.
At the sheriff's department, after being forced into a police lineup, Veronica joins Keith and Cliff in an interrogation room. Cliff mentions a jewel merchant in L.A. picked her out of the lineup, claiming she sold earrings that belonged to Celeste Kane. Lamb thinks Veronica did so to help finance Duncan's kidnapping. Veronica tries to snark at Lamb's thinking abilities, but Keith emotionally tells her to stop joking. Veronica admits she sold the earrings, but it was to hire a lawyer so Duncan could sue for custody. She also denies knowing they were Celeste's earrings, though she admits she figured it out. Keith emphatically tells her to cooperate fully with Lamb.
A little later, Veronica goes into Lamb's office, and Celeste and Vinnie Van Lowe are there as well. Vinnie sunnily greets her, while Celeste tells Lamb she wants Veronica prosecuted fully for the theft of her earrings, and that Veronica knows where Duncan is. Lamb kindly but firmly tells Celeste he has a handle on the investigation, and asks her and Vinnie to leave. Veronica sarcastically notes Celeste is hoping for Lamb's competence this time, and Celeste responds how glad she is the baby isn't Veronica's. When Celeste and Vinnie leave, Lamb gives her a pad and pen, and asks her to write down all info she can think of that might lead to Duncan. Veronica, in all seriousness, asks Lamb if he thinks the baby is better off with Duncan or the Mannings, but Lamb says he should never have let her and Duncan go in the first place, and reminds Veronica she'll be charged as an accessory unless she cooperates fully. Veronica reluctantly starts writing.
At the Neptune Grand, Dick and Logan are playing video volleyball. Logan asks Dick to try and score some ecstasy from the PCHers, and Dick agrees.
Back at the sheriff's department, Veronica finishes writing, and tells Lamb it's everything she can think of. She walks out of the office, but as she's about to leave the building, Vinnie stops her. He offers to split the reward Celeste is offering if Veronica will tell him where Duncan is. Veronica says she has no idea, wouldn't tell Vinnie even if she did know, and calls Vinnie out for attempting to bug her. Vinnie reminds her he's going to find Duncan with or without her help.
The next day, in a Neptune High computer class, Veronica looks up Wallace on her computer to answer a question involving the school basketball team. To her surprise, she discovers Wallace, contrary to his claim about coming back to play for Neptune because the Chicago school he was at wasn't accepting new players, was in fact playing in Chicago and was doing well.
A little later, in the hallway, Dick tells Logan one of the PCHers turned him down flat, but Hector sold him ten hits. Logan good-naturedly ribs Dick for not getting his money's worth (Dick said Hector gave him the "09er discount", charging him double), but takes the box of drugs from him. He writes Hector's name on it, walks down the hallway, and "accidentally" bumps into Weevil. After he and Logan glare at each other and Logan walks off, Weevil looks at the box Logan passed to him.
Meanwhile, at the Mexico/California border, a border officer tells Lamb he hasn't seen Duncan or a baby yet, and all that the search has accomplished is slowing down border traffic. He asks Lamb to cut down the searches, but Lamb says he doesn't think Duncan has left yet, though he says he'll consider it. Sachs interrupts to tell Lamb the FBI is there, and Lamb hangs up. He tells Sachs to show the FBI in, and makes a big show of pretending to read some papers on his desk. Agents Morris (Lucy Lawless) and Wills (C.S. Keys) come in, and Lamb greets them. Morris tells Lamb emphatically that it's the FBI's investigation, and they'll only allow Lamb to work with them as long as he understands that. Lamb looks pissed, but agrees.
Outside Lamb's office, Veronica approaches and asks to see Lamb. A deputy (Marcello Thedford) tells Veronica Lamb is with the FBI. As Veronica sits down to wait, the deputy mentions he moonlights as a bouncer at Club Thin, and can get Veronica in. He knocks on Lamb's door and tells him Veronica is there. Lamb tells the deputy to put Veronica in an interrogation room. He warns Morris about Veronica, but Morris breezily says she can handle Veronica. They go into the interrogation room, where Veronica is reading a magazine, and she snarks about Nick and Jessica and their divorce. Morris sarcastically notes they may need snipers and copters to deal with Veronica. Lamb introduces the FBI agents to Veronica, and she says Duncan had a dotmac account that allowed him to back up his computer. Lamb points out Veronica left out this information, but Veronica admits she only just thought of it, and came straight to him. Wills goes to get a warrant, and Sachs tells Lamb border patrol is back on the phone. Veronica says Duncan hates Mexico, but Lamb tells border patrol to continue the search. He tells Veronica to wait in the hall, and she reluctantly leaves. Once Lamb and Agent Morris are alone, Lamb acts as if he'd be good enough to join the FBI, but when he goes through his "qualifications," Morris tells him the "big fish, small pond" act he has is one he should stick with.
That night, at the PCHer meeting place, Weevil accuses Hector of working with the Fitzpatricks, but Hector denies it, saying he bought the drugs from an 09er selling drugs. Thumper accuses Hector of lying, but Hector says his sister worked with the guy's dad.
Back at the sheriff's department, Sachs calls Veronica back to the interrogation room. Agents Morris and Wills have gotten into Duncan's computer (the password was "Meg Kane" spelled backwards), and Morris asks Veronica about Duncan's sailing ability. Veronica admits Duncan had sailed his whole life, and Morris mentions Duncan purchased a boat. Lamb says again he knew Duncan was heading to Mexico. Sachs interrupts, telling them the Coast Guard has the boat. Lamb transfers the call to interrogation and puts it on speaker phone so they can hear the Coast Guard, but it turns out the boat's abandoned, though there's dirty diapers and empty food cans. Lamb wonders if Duncan killed himself and the baby, but Veronica says Duncan is still on the run.
The next morning, Veronica is leaving her apartment complex when she notices a van parked on the street. She opens the side door and greets Vinnie, who's staking her out. She gives Vinnie an envelope addressed to Duncan and marked "Personal and Confidential", and asks Vinnie to give it to Duncan if he finds him. Naturally, when Veronica leaves, Vinnie opens the envelope.
In the boys' bathroom at Neptune High, Sean Friedrich is there, looking shaggier than he did before. Weevil comes in, reminding him of the poker game. He asks Sean if he gets his drugs from the Fitzpatricks, but Sean denies it, saying he's not that stupid. Sean leaves, and Logan, who was hiding in a bathroom stall, says he believes Sean. He also asks Weevil if maybe Felix was the one involved with the Fitzpatricks, but Weevil says they killed Felix's brother, so it wouldn't be likely.
At lunch, Veronica tells Wallace about how she found out about his basketball exploits in Chicago. Wallace sighs and admits he and his teammate Rashard Rucker (whom Wallace calls the best high school player in the country) went to a party, and when they left, Rashard, who was driving even though he'd had a few drinks, hit a wino. Rashard panicked, and instead of calling the police, went to his uncle, his agent, and they covered it up. Wallace couldn't live with it, and so he left, and he didn't tell Veronica because she would have stayed and he's embarrassed he didn't. A little later, Veronica is walking back into school when she gets a phone call from Duncan. She tells him to turn himself in, but Duncan says this is the only way he'll get to keep the baby, and after they go back and forth like this, Duncan eventually hangs up.
Back at the sheriff's department, the FBI have been tracing the call, and they figure out Duncan's in a town called Big Bear. Lamb wants to come along, but Morris brushes him off.
At her apartment complex, Veronica passes by her apartment, and, checking to see if anyone's watching, opens up the apartment next door. She goes in and is greeted by Duncan, who embraces her. Inside the apartment, which is covered with plastic, is the baby, and Veronica takes a moment to admire her. Veronica and Duncan tell each other they're doing the right thing, and she says Lamb and the FBI have bought all of the false clues Veronica and Duncan left. She tells Duncan he needs to leave with the baby, and reminds him they can't see or contact each other ever again, but Duncan tells her to stop. He tells Veronica he loves her, and she tearfully says, "You better." They kiss each other.
Back at the sheriff's department, Sachs tells Lamb they got a hit on Veronica's ATM card at a hotel in Mexico. Lamb smugly says he knew it all the time, and looks forward to showing up the FBI by bringing Duncan in himself.
At the Mars Apartment, Keith goes into the bathroom only to discover it's out of toilet paper. He goes to Veronica's bathroom and grabs a fresh roll from her cabinet, but as he's about to leave, he notices a hole in the wall to the next apartment. He discovers a box of diapers and starts seething. He searches Veronica's room and discovers both Grace's punishment journal and Meg's e-mails. He calls Veronica on her cell, and when he gets her voicemail, manages to contain his anger and asks Veronica to contact him ASAP.
In the Neptune High parking lot, Wallace and a teammate are walking along when Wallace gets called by Ernie Sayers (D. Elliot Woods), a reporter for a Chicago paper. Sayers brings up the hit-and-run accident and asks Wallace what he's going to do about it. Wallace looks uncomfortable.
Lamb drives into Mexico to the hotel where Veronica's ATM card was used. He passes Duncan's picture around, but the clerk tells him he hasn't seen Duncan, and suggests Lamb try a restaurant down the road.
Back at the Mars apartment, Veronica goes to her bedroom but stops when she sees Keith sitting at her desk. Keith emotionally tells her he wouldn't survive with Veronica in prison. Veronica, shaken, brings up the e-mails, and says she and Duncan had to do it. Keith, however, angrily tells Veronica she played him, and as much as he loves her, he doesn't think he can ever trust her again. As Veronica looks on, devastated, there's a knock on the door. It's the FBI; Morris tells Keith they have a warrant to search the apartment. Morris mentions they didn't find anyone in Big Bear, but a "cute young blonde" had been looking at a model unit apartment, and they found a mini-cassette player; Duncan's phone call with Veronica had been pre-recorded. Wills opens the cupboard in Veronica's bathroom, briefly causing Veronica to panic, but tinfoil is now covering the hole. It's clear Keith has gotten rid of the evidence. Veronica gives Keith a grateful look, and Keith offers the agents coffee.
At a tattoo parlor, Weevil is getting work done when the tattoo artist remembers how Felix wanted to tattoo a girl's name onto himself. He has photos of the two together and shows Weevil photos of Felix and the girl together kissing. He asks Weevil who the girl is as Felix was serious about her; Weevil recognizes her as Molly Fitzpatrick.
Back in Mexico, an American surfer tells Lamb he saw Duncan and directed him to a train station, but Duncan didn't have a baby. Lamb thanks him and leaves, even though the surfer says he's not actually sure it was Duncan. As Lamb is driving away, he passes three backpackers hitchhiking for a ride. He drives over some railroad tracks and the trunk door pops open. Lamb stops the car to close the trunk, seeing empty water bottles and food packets inside, along with a device that enabled the trunk to be opened from the inside. Lamb realizes he's been played and looks furious.
Meanwhile, one of the backpackers, who has a full beard and is wearing a cowboy hat, flags down a truck. It's Duncan, in disguise, and inside the truck are Vinnie and Astrid, who's holding the baby. Duncan hands over $30 thousand to Vinnie, who chortles that Duncan pays better than Celeste, and Duncan takes off his disguise. Astrid mentions how the baby was clinging to her and didn't want to let go. Duncan tells her the baby likely thinks she's Veronica. Astrid replies, "So does the FBI." She gives Duncan the baby and smiles at her; Duncan greets the baby, whom he's renamed Lilly. They pass by Lamb on the road and Duncan puts on his cowboy hat.
Back at the Mars apartment, Veronica looks forlorn. She looks at the fortune Duncan had left her when they got back together. It reads, "True love stories never have endings".
It should be noted that, next to the season finale, this episode has been the most hotly debated of the second season, with some viewers enjoying both the plot twists and Duncan's send-off, while others finding Veronica and Duncan's Xanatos Gambit too complicated and full of Retcon.
This episode contains examples of:
- Call-Back: Sean Friedrich. Also, when Vinnie leaves the sheriff's office, he gives Veronica the same gesture he did in "Kanes and Abels". Finally, the border patrol officer Lamb talks to is the same one from "You Think You Know Somebody".
- Complexity Addiction: Veronica and Duncan, plus the show's writers, definitely succumb to it here.
- Emo Teen: Veronica puts on a fine show of one.
- Foreshadowing: Wallace's story about his teammate's hit-and-run will become important in the next episode, as will the picture of Felix and Molly Fitzpatrick. Also, the pen Vinnie tried to plant on Veronica is from a bowling league, which will figure in a later episode.
- I Resemble That Remark!:Dick: The one they call Bootsy told me no, and went on to suggest I perform sexual intercourse upon my own person.Logan: Hm. Doesn't he understand? If you could do that, you'd never come to school.Dick: Boy, that's the truth.
- Insult Backfire:Logan: You're not real complicated, are you, Dick?Dick: Try not to be.
- Put on a Bus: Duncan, of course. Also, Celeste and Astrid.
- Shout-Out: At the beginning in the elevator, when Logan sees Veronica has just come from work, he says, "Hi, ho." When Veronica bristles, he claims he meant, "Heigh-ho, it's off to work you go." He then goes on to refer to Duncan as "Mopey", with Veronica calling Logan "Sleazy" in response.
- When Wallace interrupts Veronica's moping, she's listening to "I Don't Want to Wait." Rob Thomas worked as a writer on the show.
- When Veronica finds out Vinnie is staking her out in a van, she greets him, "Morning, Sam," and he responds, "Morning, Ralph."
- When Veronica is on the phone with "Duncan", she stands in front of a bulletin board, and you can see a poster behind her for Teenage Women Of Propriety. TWOP also is the acronym for Television Without Pity.
- Many fortune-cookie fortunes have "lucky numbers" listed on them. The ones on the fortune Duncan gave Veronica are The Numbers from Lost.
- Tempting Fate:Lamb: Before we go in there, you should probably know something about Veronica Mars. We need to be careful with this one. She's... slippery.Morris: Sheriff, we have interrogated Al Qaeda members at Gitmo. I think we can handle a teenage girl.Cue Lamb giving a knowing smile.
- Wham Episode: two of Veronica's most stable relationships - with Duncan, and with her dad - change irrevocably.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Keith gives an emotional one to Veronica, chewing her out for deceiving him and risking a prison sentence to help Duncan kidnap his baby and escape the FBI. Veronica insists she had to, to which he says she didn't bother to think about him in the scenario she's sent to prison; Keith wouldn't "be able to survive without [his daughter]" as losing her would simply break him. He then tells her that while he will always love her, he doesn't think he'll ever be able to trust her again. Veronica's heartbroken expression at hearing this sells the scene.
