Lord of the Pi's
Written by executive producer Diane Ruggiero and directed by Steve Gomer, the episode premiered on The CW on November 21, 2006.
The series depicts the adventures of Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) as she deals with life as a college student while moonlighting as a private detective.
In this episode, Veronica and Keith (Enrico Colantoni) look into the mysterious disappearance of a wealthy heiress and college board trustee, Selma Rose (Patty Hearst).
The pair eventually find her in hiding in order to avoid a complex scam in which her husband would cheat her out of money in a divorce settlement.
Meanwhile, Veronica investigates and eventually finds out some startling information related to the radical feminist Lilith House—that they faked several of the rapes supposedly perpetrated by the Hearst serial rapist.
"Lord of the Pi's" was viewed by 2.57 million viewers in its initial airing and received a polarized reaction from television critics, with commentators being divided over Kristen Bell's performance, Hearst's appearance, and the plot twist that the feminist Lilith House faked several rapes.
Logan (Jason Dohring) requests that Veronica stop looking into the serial rapist case, but she refuses and they fight.
The Hearst board of trustees is going to decide whether or not to shut down the fraternities, but an important member, Selma Rose, goes missing in the middle of the party.
Dean O'Dell (Ed Begley, Jr.) immediately believes that she's gone missing, asking Veronica and Keith to help.
Selma tells the pair why she has "disappeared": Mr. Rose is trying to scam her for more money and has blackmailed her with knowledge of a lesbian affair with her dog walker.
Veronica discusses the girl who fell off the roof, and she attempted suicide when the Pi Sigs mistreated her.
[3] The episode features a guest appearance by Patty Hearst, a wealthy heiress and famous kidnapping victim.
[1] Hearst had heard of Veronica Mars and seen several episodes prior to her appearance; nevertheless, she still needed to talk to Thomas about the series and her character before agreeing to guest star, commenting that she discovered that the character's background was not exceedingly similar to her own life, as "Selma's situation is nothing like anything I've had to deal with.
However, she stated that she would accept if given the opportunity, and she particularly enjoyed working with Kristen Bell, Enrico Colantoni, and Ed Begley, Jr.[7] On the day of the episode's airing, Hearst expected that most Veronica Mars fans would not remember her kidnapping and the subsequent events, stating "I won't be a distraction for them.
He called it "the best so far of season three, as it did a nice job of going back and forth between the mystery of the week, the ongoing rape storyline, and Veronica's personal issues, with each aspect well-represented.
Keith McDuffee of AOL TV thought that the episode raised more questions than it answered: such as "[the Lilith House girls] seem to accept that several rapes were faked, and then Veronica seems to just leave without that question being answered," arguing that the abrupt ending to the scene constituted an out-of-character moment (she should have acted more negatively).
"[18] Tanner Stransky, writing for Entertainment Weekly, enjoyed some aspects of the episode and disliked others.
