Debasement Tapes

"Debasement Tapes" is episode 17 of season 3 of the television show Veronica Mars.

Plot

Piz is put in charge of escorting his idol, Desmond Fellows, a singer/musician from a 1990's pop band who arrives on the Hearst campus to perform at a benefit concert for the radio station. Fellows' back-up vocals and tracks go missing, and Piz recruits Veronica to help locate them. Veronica leaves the cafeteria to meet Desmond and Piz at the Neptune Grand, only to engage in an awkward elevator ride with Logan Echolls. While on the elevator, Logan inadvertently asks if she cheated on him with Piz when she was staying in Wallace's dorm room. Veronica replies, "nothing happened." As the elevator doors opens, Piz is standing there waiting for Veronica. Logan is obviously discomforted by this.

Veronica quizzes Desmond about the missing tapes, only to have Desmond try to hit on her. When Desmond asks how old she is, Veronica responds, "I'm eleven." They narrow the search down to a fan Desmond mistakenly invited to his hotel room. It's turns out, she is a Chinese Language teacher at Hearst. She doesn't have the tapes after all, and Veronica has to start all over.

Veronica finds out that Desmond had the wrong backpack and his backpack is in Los Angeles. Veronica and Piz discover Desmond Fellow's new material with his backup tracks. After hearing the music, Piz decides to tell Desmond that they are stuck in traffic, and to play his new material until they get to the club. Desmond decides to play his solo music, and the fans love it. Piz and Veronica both get to his concert in time to watch it beginning to end. After Desmond starts his concert, Veronica tells Piz "Piznarski, you're one nice guy." To which Piz reacts with a disappointed grin. Veronica then holds Piz's hand throughout the concert. Piz is visibly ecstatic.

After a weekend of hard work, Logan quizzes Mac about Veronica's love life. Mac, who is obviously put off by this, answers Logan by saying "Veronica's letting Piz down easy." Logan responds by noting that Veronica slept in the same room as Piz during a brief quarrel. Mac replies, "No more talk of Veronica's love life...Ever." And tells Logan that he is stupid to think that Veronica would ever cheat on him. Keith believes he will be running unopposed in the race for Sheriff, until an unlikely candidate throws his hat into the ring (Vinnie Van Lowe).

Arc significance

Veronica sees a new side of Piz when he tricks Desmond into playing his own new material. She likes what she sees, and the episode ends with the two holding hands.
Mac breaks up with Bronsen after spending the weekend working with Max.
Vinnie Van Lowe will be running against Keith Mars in the special election for Sheriff.

Music

"Life Is Good" - Junk
"Power" - Shapes of Race Cars
"Payday" - Cotton Mather
"No Emotion" - Idlewild
"Don't Take My Sunshine Away" - Sparklehorse

Quotes and trivia

Women whom Desmond Fellows claims to have bedded include Drew Barrymore, Rose McGowan and Jennifer Love Hewitt "twice".
This episode was watched by 1.95 million viewers.
Keith and Desmond argue about The Beatles, in which Keith references several Beatles songs, such as "Hey Jude" and "Get Back". Veronica walks in and tells Keith to "Let it Be", a reference to another Beatles song and subsequent title of the album it was released in.
The title of the episode is a probable reference to the title of the Bob Dylan and The Band album titled The Basement Tapes, or possibly to the 1992 Biff Bang Pow album of the same title.
An exhausted Mac exclaims "...the next time and last time i run will be to chase down and kill the inventor of Ultimate Frisbee." Ultimate Frisbee was invented and named by Joel Silver, the executive producer of the show.

External links

MI.net's Roundtable Review.
Television Without Pity Recap.