Logan Echolls

As the door closes on our privileged observance of the life of Logan Echolls, it is time to take stock of what we have witnessed, for it is nothing less than marvelous. From obligatory psychotic jackass to poor little rich boy with a death wish to a young man rediscovering himself, Logan's personal journey has been as epic as the love he bears for Veronica Mars.

The first time Veronica was cast out, Logan, her former friend, was at the heart of her tormentors, masking his own pain by lashing out with a viciousness that far outweighed her sins. Blaming Veronica for the loss of his first love enabled Logan to deal with the harsh reality behind the glittering façade of his life — Lilly's inconsistency; his mother's alcohol- and drug-induced stupor and neglect; his philandering, abusive father. This was the boy who could smash headlights and organize bum fights and salt licks, but even then there was something deeper, something that explained why he was a bully but not a coward as he stood alone against Weevil and his bikers, preferring a beating than to apologize to the girl he thought he hated.

A grudging respect for Veronica's pertinacity and his refusal to accept his mother's suicide led Logan to her door. When trouble struck, which was often, it became a well-worn path. Passion followed, but it was bright and brief, for both were damaged and flawed, and Neptune was still a dark place.

His impetuous, destructive streak turned on himself. He lived dangerously, baiting the bikers who hated him and indulging in an adulterous affair as befit the son of Aaron Echolls. Falsely accused of murder, Logan took another leaf from his father's book when he manipulated the wheels of justice to escape charges. Unlike Aaron, who walked free without qualm, Logan and the innocent girl he seduced paid a heavy price. Drinking and casual sex kept him anesthetized for a while, but they couldn't block out his deep feelings for Veronica, to whom he was so attuned that he could save her life on the roof of the Neptune Grand.

Reconciliation with her marked a fresh start, and they had months of contentment. It couldn't last because Logan's learned hedonism warred with Veronica's unrealistic expectations. Her refusal to accept that he had any right to ask that she curb her own dangerous proclivities led to his ending their relationship because he couldn't be what she wanted him to be. It was a sign of maturity, but the pain of it was intense, and he fell back on casual sex as an ineffective panacea. When she flew into his arms again, he couldn't resist, but his actions during their time apart came back to haunt him when Veronica couldn't get past his sleeping with the person that most encapsulated, fairly or not, those she hated — Madison Sinclair. It was over and Logan grieved.

On the face of it, they both moved on to new partners, but there is no denying that those relationships lacked the passion and fervor they'd shared. Logan's overriding need to protect Veronica saw the end of Parker with little regret. His beating of Veronica's new boyfriend in the blind heat of anger marked the last act of the impetuous jackass. It was then that Logan grew up, for he learned the difference between irresponsible reaction and taking a stand. He apologized to Piz, without hesitation or sarcasm, for the wrong he had inflicted. He apologized to Veronica, who'd told him it was over in no uncertain terms, without hope or expectation of winning her back. But most importantly, when faced with the one who had done her harm, whose family connections could mean his death sentence, he doled out punishment with joie de vivre, content that he was doing right. He didn't even need Veronica's reaction to validate it, but in her stare there's no doubt that she too recognizes, approves, and still loves.

"Whoever you are, you're gonna die."
"Yeah, someday."

Who he is is Logan Echolls. He is going to die someday, but not today and life is good.