Opinion
20 Years Ago, ‘Veronica Mars’ Gave Us the Best Unexpected First Kiss in TV History
Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) and Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) were never supposed to happen. Their epic romance wasn’t part of the initial plan for Veronica Mars. But Bell and Dohring’s chemistry was so undeniable that the teen neo-noir drama shifted course in the first season.
At the start of the series, Veronica and Logan were in “enemies” territory with each other. Logan was pretty cruel to Veronica, and they volleyed barbs at each other like it was nothing. She was made a pariah out of her former friend group, including Logan, in the wake of her father accusing billionaire Jake Kane (Kyle Secor), her boyfriend Duncan’s father, of being involved in the death of his daughter, Lilly Kane (Amanda Seyfried). Veronica and Logan couldn’t stand each other in the aftermath of Lilly’s murder, but there was always something in their eyes when they looked at each other.
Veronica saw Logan’s emotionally vulnerable side for the first time when he hired her to find his mother (Lisa Rinna). After he learned his mother was dead, he broke down in Veronica’s arms. Veronica had a knack for pushing people away, but she didn’t hesitate to let Logan in when he needed her. Logan and Veronica’s chemistry continued to simmer like a pot of water on medium heat until Season 1 Episode 18, “Weapons of Class Destruction,” which aired on April 11, 2005. That’s when LoVe boiled over — and changed the show forever.
Veronica was investigating a student named Ben (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) after a series of bomb threats at the school. She was on the phone with Logan when Ben got in her car and told her to drive to The Camelot Inn. Logan’s protectiveness went into high gear, and he raced to the motel to make sure Veronica was safe. Ben turned out to be a federal agent, but Logan didn’t know that until after he punched the guy.
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Logan waited outside while Veronica got the information she needed from Ben. When she left the room, Logan asked if she was okay. She murmured a “yes” and quickly kissed Logan on the lips. She shook her head, almost like she couldn’t believe it, and started to walk away. Logan pulled her back for a truly epic kiss, set to “Momentary Thing” by Somethings Happens.
There have been plenty of great TV kisses through the years, but the magic of Veronica and Logan’s first kiss was its spontaneity. There was no build-up, no subtle hints, it just happened. When I first watched this episode years ago, the kiss was so unexpected I thought it was a dream.
The unpredictability of LoVe’s first kiss in Season 1 has continued to set it apart from other notable TV lip locks. Creator Rob Thomas and his team could have easily continued down the original path of the Veronica and Duncan (Teddy Dunn) endgame, but they knew Veronica and Logan were lightning in a bottle. That kind of chemistry is rare and must be explored.
Veronica Mars mastered the art of flawed characters. All of them were messy and undeniably human. Even Veronica wasn’t immune to vulnerabilities. She was a great sleuth, but she loved to flirt with danger — and danger in human form was Logan Echolls. He was the guy she knew her dad (Enrico Colantoni) would hate. (Taylor Swift‘s “But Daddy I Love Him” is so LoVe coded)
Once she started to peel back Logan’s layers and realized he wasn’t just some arrogant, privileged nepo baby, she couldn’t resist. Veronica never needed a hero, but she liked that Logan could lose control over her. The events just before their kiss was her first taste of the lengths Logan would go for her.
Veronica and Logan’s first kiss took them both (and fans) by surprise. Once it happened, they knew there was no going back. They both wanted the epic, all-consuming love, one that could ruin lives and end in bloodshed, no matter how much they tried to deny it.
Did you love Logan and Veronica together? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Veronica Mars, All Seasons, Streaming Now, Hulu
