| "Welcome Wagon" | |
|---|---|
| Veronica Mars episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | John Kretchmer |
| Written by | Rob Thomas |
| Production code | 3T5801 |
| Original air date | October 3, 2006 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Welcome Wagon" is the season premiere of the third season of the American mystery television series Veronica Mars, and the forty-fifth episode overall. 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. Meanwhile, a student named Piz (Chris Lowell) gets his belongings stolen, and Veronica helps him. 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.
"Welcome Wagon" is the first episode of Veronica Mars to air on The CW as opposed to UPN. In order to attract new viewers, Thomas and the crew decided to make several changes to the show, including altering the theme song and the show's narrative structure, beginning with this episode. In contrast to previous seasons, which involved one major season-long mystery, the show's writers planned to have three consecutive mysteries play out over the course of the third season.
The episode also sees the introduction of series regulars Stosh "Piz" Piznarski and Parker Lee as well as the promotion of Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie and Don Lamb to series regular status. Upon airing, the episode received 3.36 million viewers and received mixed to positive reviews. 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. Club was critical of the show's increasing focus on rape.[2]