Play It Again, Dick – Episode 5

Finally! The day has come and filming for Private Dick begins!

After reading the first script (and already in costume – did he not get the script until the day of filming?), Jason confronts Ryan about the script being all about Dick instead of about Dick and Logan like Ryan had led him to believe.  Ryan tries to play it off but Jason points out several instances where Dick gets the spotlight.  My favorite part was when Jason explains that “Dick rolls up in a motorcycle but my mom drops me off. My mom is dead. Did you ever watch the show?”  If any of the other PiAD episodes weren’t an indicator, this goes to show the quality of what we’re coming upon for Private Dick.

Jason quits and the behind the scenes camera man asks Ryan about recasting the roll. Lucky for him, the big dance number mentioned in the previous episode shoots today and he easily replaces Jason with the choreographer, Gaston LaFromboise (Robert Buckley). Meanwhile, Jason tells the BTS crew that he’ll just let Ryan cool down a bit and then he’ll come back.

From there, we finally see a clip from Private Dick.  In a quick exchange, Dick and Logan (now being played by Gaston wearing Logan’s naval uniform) explain that at this point in time Logan and Veronica have broken up, Dick and Logan are going to Duncan Kane’s funeral because he was eaten by a great white shark, and that their whole graduating class from Neptune High are at the island B&B to be at the memorial service.  This is actually a pretty believable storyline for Veronica Mars circa 2006.

The camera pans out to show the crew filming the scene we just saw. Jason is in the crowd and sadly walks away.

Back to Private Dick, Dick is at the memorial service and we see that all the women are just wearing bikinis and veils. Weevil comes up and greets Dick, then proceeds to quote Jorge Luis Borges.  Dick replies by quoting “Shake Ya Ass” by Mystikal – hello, year 2000!

Weevil goes up to the podium to give Duncan’s eulogy. Pseudo-Logan explains that Weevil has become a sort of community leader since high school.  When the camera pans those seated for the memorial, we see Wallace, Clint, and the random girl from the last couple of episodes (I hope she gets a real storyline later). We also get a glimpse of Madison Sinclair bawling.

When Weevil finishes and leaves the podium, he’s crying and puts on some sunglasses to cover his tears.  Dick realizes that they’re his own pair of Steve McQueen sunglasses and that Weevil had stolen them. Dick goes after Weevil and after some pretty spectacular pretend door kicking, he finds Weevil dead on the ground and no sunglasses to be found.  It ends with pseudo-Logan’s parting words: “Blow to the scene to come.”

The episode ends with the BTS crew interviewing Ken Marino, who is now credited as the co-writer to Private Dick, explaining that “blow” is actually a script writing term used as a joke place holder.  With a slight look of disappointment and disbelief, he realizes no one even noticed the mistake.

After watching this episode, I never realized just how much the world needed Ryan Hansen doing a voice over while speaking in a lower register.  There are only three more episodes left and unless things have changed, there are still a few more guest stars who are suppose to make an appearance (Kyle Gallner anyone?).  Also the rest of the pilot to film. I’m still waiting for on screen martial art and dance sequences.  Maybe next week.

You can watch the episode here through CW Seed. Read about episode 4 here. Each episode will be released once a week until all eight episodes are posted.