Entertainment

He's Getting a 'Veronica Mars' Spinoff!

by Celeste Mora

Don't tell Logan, because Dick Casablancas is getting his very own Veronica Mars spin-off. The series, which is aptly titled Play It Again, Dick, will be co-written and produced by Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas, making it an official part of the Neptune canon. The show centers on the actor Ryan Hansen, who played Dick in the original Mars series, trying to get his character a spin-off series in a flurry of meta references and Hollywood jokes. It has been picked up by the CW's online-only channel, CW Seed, and is slated to release later this summer, which means Marshmallows can beat the heat by hiding out inside with a laptop and a hope that Ryan Hansen can get Dick Casablancas a TV deal.

Rob Thomas has picked a great start for what will hopefully be a string of V Mars spin-off miniseries. While Logan Echolls and Duncan Kane spent much of the original three seasons trying to wrestle with death and teenage life, it seemed like Dick's emotional development always got the short end of the surfboard. If Ryan Hansen expects to get Dick a sequel in Play It Again, Dick, here are some of Dick's issues that they will have to revisit.

He's Rapey...and We All Know It

In case you forgot, it was Dick who gave Madison Sinclair a drink laced with GHB at Shelley Pomroy's party, which she handed off to Veronica. And he pushed Beaver into the room with Veronica, encouraging him to rape Veronica. The story of Veronica's assault may be one of the more realistic accounts on television, but Dick never got his comeuppance on the show for orchestrating the situation which led to a rape. Ryan is going to have a hard time selling a rapey protagonist to a (fictional) contemporary producer, so he's going to have to address Dick's contributions to rape culture.

He Might Be an Alcoholic

Instead of developing Dick's character in Season 3, Rob Thomas chose to give him frat brothers and a drinking problem. Any series that focuses on Dick in depth would have to discuss his early college drinking, homelessness, and either maintenance as a functional alcoholic or recovery of some kind. It will be interesting to see if Rob Thomas chooses to put a little of Dick's addiction into Ryan's character as well.

He Has Serious Family Issues

Richard Casablancas's fraud charges and subsequent departure from the country left Dick in more than one awkward situation with his step mom, younger brother, and impending pile of bills. Although Dick was broken up about his dad's exile, he could have had contact with him in the years before his return, and their relationship would be complicated in the faux sequel.

But Dick's daddy issues pale in comparison to his problems with Cassidy/Beaver, who was molested as a child, then blew up a helicopter containing his rapist before jumping off a building. Oh, and he raped and almost killed Veronica Mars. Dick mourned his brother's loss in the original series, but Ryan definitely has more dark material to build on for Dick's spin-off.