Written by series creator Rob Thomas and directed by John T. Kretchmer, the episode premiered on The CW on October 3, 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 transitions to life at Hearst College, meeting several new people and reconnecting with several acquaintances from Neptune High.
In addition, Keith (Enrico Colantoni) trails Kendall Casablancas (Charisma Carpenter) in the aftermath of receiving a large sum of money from her in "Not Pictured" before learning that she is actually a target of the Fitzpatricks.
At the end of the episode, one of Veronica's newfound friends, Parker Lee (Julie Gonzalo) becomes the next victim of the Hearst serial rapist.
Eric Goldman of IGN thought that the episode "proves that the show is as clever and witty as ever",[1] while Rowan Kaiser of The A.V.
Veronica talks about Piz's problem at the concert, and three kids say that they saw a white girl who was faking being fat.
Veronica signs up for the mentoring program in criminology class, and she notices that one of the kids at the concert has a criminal record.
Veronica sleeps on Mac's couch one night, and the next morning, they awaken to find that Parker has been raped, her head shaved.
Paul Maguire, the spokesman for The CW, said that the series was picked up because "the critics are behind it and our research has consistently shown that Gilmore shared more audience commonality with Veronica than with any other show from UPN, except Top Model".
With regards to "Welcome Wagon", Thomas stated that he "wanted episode one this year to not rely much on past knowledge."
The previous summer, when asked about her role in season 3, Carpenter responded that she would be performing "a little more of the same, with a really, really interesting twist.
"[12] "Welcome Wagon" sees the promotion of four actors to star billing, two of whom, Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie (Tina Majorino) and Don Lamb (Michael Muhney), had previously served as recurring characters, and two of whom, Stosh "Piz" Piznarski (Chris Lowell) and Parker Lee (Julie Gonzalo) make their first appearance in the episode.
Thomas revealed that Majorino was going to be a series regular the previous summer, a move that pleased many fans.
"[14] Muhney was told that he would be a series regular in season 3 the previous February, only a few days after his wedding.
Muhney was very pleased to be a series regular, comparing his status to becoming a family member in the show rather than "someone who comes over for dinner occasionally.
"[15] Piz (Chris Lowell) was named after the director of the show's pilot episode, Mark Piznarski.
Thomas called Piz a "Lloyd Dobler mold" and "a middle-class kid from a Portland suburb who has too many words coming out of his mouth most of the time.
[…] The more exposition-heavy aspects of the premiere mean the episode isn't a true standout for the series, but that's understandable, given what it's trying to accomplish."
He went on to state that the episode featured more "lighthearted" content before what he predicted would be a return to more dramatic elements.
[1] Price Peterson, writing for TV.com, gave a positive review, stating, "Great first episode back…There was a lot to accomplish in setting up the new environment and characters, but it still felt really organic to the series as a whole."
Club, gave a mixed review of the episode, commenting on the show's increasing focus on rape.