MONDO EXTRAS

RT: I wouldn't agree that that math works out, though. I don't think that the things that are ingrained in us change. I would love to sit and watch that scene with you, because I think she's maybe brusque and in a hurry at worst, but something she scraped off her shoe? That's what I mean when I say it's a snowball -- it's people looking, searching out an example of meanness. I'm actually dealing with a cut right now where Veronica's in a vulnerable position, and a little girl asks her a question, and [Veronica's] a hair sharp with her. And I like that line reading, I think it's the right note to play, I think it's what Veronica Mars is. I will hear about how she was mean to the little girl, and it drives me fucking nuts that that's even entering my mind now. Because for me, it's a slow evolution -- [in] Scene 1 of the pilot [the originally shot pilot, not the aired pilot -- CB], Veronica says she's never getting married and now people are having trouble with her having trust issues with Logan? She spends her formative years taking pictures through motel windows of people philandering -- it's hard for her to get into a monogamous relationship.

CB: Yeah. I've actually liked the Logan/Veronica relationship this season. I knew it was unlikely to last, but they've had some nice functional moments.

RT: Yeah, and I could easily see...the winds could change, if we go five seasons. In my mind, is there a epic journey for these two characters? Do I feel, personally, that they have a future in store? Yes, unless something comes along...that isn't set in stone, but I recognize, watching the two of them on screen, that they're good together, and they are certainly written in a way in which, if they could ever solve their dilemmas and their hang-ups, you could see them being an amazing couple. But dramatically, it's not interesting for me for it to be an easy road, or for there to be easy problems to overcome. I'm interested in the dilemmas and problems.

At this point, Rob and I discuss the gray morality and the ins and outs of certain upcoming plotlines. I'm not at liberty to reveal them until they've aired, but it's really good stuff, so I will make that part of the interview available in a future recap.

RT: The thing is, though, we're not losing audience. As I said, I'm pleased with the quality of the show. I know that people have so much invested in the characters, that the decisions I make, whether it's to keep Logan and Veronica together or break them up, affect people. They will react either pro or con. But you gotta keep following your own gut about what is interesting, what you enjoy seeing on screen. And absolutely, there have been mistakes and things I regret, but I would say I regret [most] in Season 1, although I chalk a lot of that up to learning the show, myself. I know when we're at our best, and it's not when people are pulling guns. I mean, clearly the Dean O'Dell murder is a gun murder, and from time to time, the guns are necessary. But smart and edgy is one thing, and campy is another. When I feel we're campy, I feel we're failing...like with the E-string strangler. When we have a B-story serial killer, with girls in peril, tackling the killer...I think those should be special occasions. I don't think we can do that in our standard B stories; at least with our A stories we've built to it. I don't regret the action-thriller sequences in "Spit And Eggs" because I think we earned them. The E-string strangler gives me douche chills when I think about it. And you know, we didn't know what the show was, what can our show handle, what do we do well.