Leave It to Beaver (Veronica Mars)

"Leave It to Beaver"
Veronica Mars episode
After solving the murder of her best friend Lilly Kane, Veronica dreams about their reunion. Veronica's final promise to Lilly is that she could never forget about her.
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 22
Directed by	Michael Fields
Story by	Rob Thomas
Teleplay by	Rob Thomas Diane Ruggiero
Production code	2T5721
Original air date	May 10, 2005
Guest appearance(s)
Amanda Seyfried as Lilly Kane Erica Gimpel as Alicia Fennel Corinne Bohrer as Lianne Mars Lisa Thornhill as Celeste Kane Daran Norris as Cliff McCormack Michael Muhney as Don Lamb Kyle Gallner as Cassidy Casablancas Ryan Hansen as Dick Casablancas Jennifer Gareis as Deborah Collins Steve Rankin as Lloyd Blankenship Harry Hamlin as Aaron Echolls Kyle Secor as Jake Kane
Episode chronology
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List of Veronica Mars episodes

"Leave It to Beaver" is the twenty-second and final episode of the first season of the American television series Veronica Mars. Series creator Rob Thomas wrote the story, and collaborated with Diane Ruggiero to write the teleplay. The season finale was directed by Michael Fields, and was first aired on May 10, 2005 in the United States on UPN.

The finale concludes the storyline of Lilly Kane's murder, as Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) finally discovers the identity of the murderer after investigating the mystery with her father Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni) throughout the season. Thomas said that the finale was more ambitious than the average episode, requiring a larger budget and more filming than usual. "Leave It to Beaver" was watched by 2.99 million American viewers on its original airing. Critical reaction to the episode was generally positive, and several critics praised Thomas' use of red herrings.

The first season revolves around Veronica's investigation of her best friend Lilly's murder. Prior to the murder, Veronica was dumped by her boyfriend, Duncan Kane (Teddy Dunn), who was also Lilly's brother. After Lilly was killed, Veronica's father, County Sheriff Keith Mars, accused Lilly's father, popular software billionaire Jake Kane (Kyle Secor), of being involved in the murder. This provoked Neptune's wrath and Keith's ousting as sheriff in a recall election. Veronica's mother, Lianne Mars (Corinne Bohrer), developed a drinking problem and left town. Veronica's "09er" friends—wealthy students from the fictional 90909 ZIP code—forced her to choose between them and her father; Veronica chose her father.