Regarding a Post made about my Son Brad Bufanda (He played "Felix" on Veronica Mars)
Hello
I just came across your beautiful words from November 2017, on the passing of my Son Brad.
I was very touched by what you said.
Thank you for your kindness.
Brad’s Mom Robin
Moderator’s Note: On behalf of the Veronica Mars fandom, please accept our heartfelt sympathies on the loss of your loved one. Our thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
School bully Lloyd Offler targets Louis as his next victim. Meanwhile, Ren’s hair is accidentally dyed blonde!
First off, I just want to say that I'm dedicating this review to Brad Bufanda, the actor who played Lloyd. It was brought to my attention on Instagram that he just recently passed away on November 1st. He was 34. Very strange timing because this episode was next on my list already and I was working on the review as I found out. My heart kinda sank. I feel really weird segueing into my regular, light-hearted style now after the fact -- but I figure it's actually better to keep things light during darker times. So yeah. Let's do this!
This one opens with one of the most incredible things ever: a flying squirrel. Not an actual flying squirrel of course, but a mechanical one that Louis and Twitty rigged to scare Tom -- who happens to have an extremely specific and strange fear of flying squirrels. I wonder what instilled that fear? lol. How many squirrels have you seen flyin' around out there?
This bit used to have me in stitches. Tom’s terrified scream is something you have to hear for yourself.
Just then, some guy named Lloyd Offler approaches them and starts yelling at Louis for giving him "hard looks." Like, excuse me? I'll never understand how bullies pick their victims. Louis is the best, leave him alone. I know that Louis, Tawny, and Tom are supposed to be outcasts of sorts (leaving out Twitty because we’ve seen that he’s actually pretty popular)... But still. Louis is cool imo. Lloyd walks away, but not before letting Louis know that he’s on his radar now. Great.
~Radar~
Cut to the subplot. Ren volunteers her hair to the “Future Beauticians” Club, and let me tell you... I had such an ah-ha moment when I was re-watching this episode. For whatever reason, I always thought the club was called the Future PETITIONS club. Ruby says the name so fast it’s hard to understand. I was always so confused, like... What the heck is that? What petitions? And what do they have to do with dyeing hair? And then it hit me. I kid you not, it was like the skies opened up! "Beauticians” obviously makes so much more sense, lol.
To Ren’s horror, her hair turns out platinum blonde. Ruby has a flashback to the moment it all went wrong. We see that mid-gossip, she was distracted and poured soda into the dye mixture instead of whatever else she was supposed to use. I always felt personally responsible for this accident because she starts off the gossip with "So, I'm talkin' to Brittany..." Don't drag me into this, Ruby.
At least it was “natural” soda.
Ren is furious at first but soon notices that her hair is garnering attention. So she starts strutting down the hall to a "Walking on Sunshine" rip off.
This is another situation like the "Staying Alive" rip off in Stevens Genes. From memory, I would've bet money that the actual "Walking on Sunshine" was used here!! But nope. I'm still fascinated by how the brain can be tricked like that. Girls are staring at Ren with jealousy now and guys are checking her out... including Louis -- who doesn’t recognize her at first. It’s highly disturbing.
“hey, blondie... how u doin?” - Louis stop. Ignoring the fact that it’s Ren, it’s so weird to see Louis attempt to hit on someone. *shivers with disgust* I take back what I said about him being cool.
At lunch, the gang is laughing about how Lloyd’s name is spelled with two L’s. “Maybe he pronounces it La-Loyd?” Tawny jokes. Louis dies of laughter and says “...And my name’s La-Louis” so sarcastically. IT GETS ME EVERY TIME. Shia is so full of joy here and the whole scene has such an organic feel to it. You get the sense that these are real friends at school having a laugh. It’s contagious and warms my heart.
So pure.
Suddenly.......... this iMovie “suspense” sound effect plays twice as Lloyd appears hovering behind Louis asking “You having a good time, La-Louis?” Why are these double L jokes so funny to me?! Oh my god. Lloyd picks up Louis’ sandwich, licks it dramatically, and puts it back on his tray. Nice guy! Louis tries to reason with him, but Lloyd refuses and says “See you in shop class” ominously.
During shop class Louis is so afraid of what Lloyd might do, he’s quite literally shaking like a leaf. Twitty tries to reassure him by saying the teacher is nearby and won’t let anything happen to him. But then the teacher is all “I’m gonna step out of the room for a minute and I will take my time.” This is so good. Now that they’re alone, Lloyd snatches away Louis' “shelf” project and puts it in the hutch he's constructing. This is a great bit though because Louis decides to face Lloyd then and apologize (even though he did nothing wrong.) It’s really nice. Louis is so sincere and mature here. Lloyd seemingly accepts the apology... but then stuffs Louis into the hutch as well. (see cover photo)
Tom politely confronts Lloyd insisting he let Louis out of the hutch, before he says “I’m sorry it’s come to this...” and randomly goes completely black belt on Lloyd to everyone's shock. Then again, was it to everyone’s shock? Because their classmates emerged from their workstations, conveniently holding up wood for Tom to break lol. I love how the teacher walks back in while Tom is kickin’ around like he’s Jackie Chan, and has one of those “f this, I’m out” moments:
This show’s humor was way ahead of its time.
Louis is beyond shocked and it always cracks me up when Tom calmly helps Louis out of the hutch and whispers “Come on, buddy.” I don’t know what it is... but it’s just so freaking funny. There’s this hilarious ~zen~ music playing as well which is the icing on the cake. There’s a great line later that day when Louis starts evaluating the situation: “If Tom was the biggest wimp at school, and he saved MY butt? That means I’M THE BIGGEST WIMP AT SCHOOL.” ....true tho. Twitty mentions our good ol’ buddy Pete who everyone apparently prays to on this show when he says “Who would’ve known he was an honest to Pete, second degree black belt?!” lol.
To wrap up Ren’s plot, because not too much else happens: She basically becomes an overtly stereotypical blonde overnight. Constantly saying “oh muh gosh!,” reading fashion magazines during class, and blowing off her commitments to roller skate in the house instead.
Okay, is she curling her hair now? or did they honestly think we wouldn’t notice that Ren’s hair magically became curly after it was dyed blonde. Who picked this wig?
She also went out and got a whole new wardrobe to go with her hair or something?! Because these clothes she’s wearing do not seem like stuff she already had in her closet. Ruby rounds up a bunch of blondes from LJH and holds a mini intervention for Ren -- telling her that she’s giving blondes a bad name. And that’s pretty much it! Ruby dyes her hair back to normal.
I love how Ruby left her “a little souvenir” of blonde! I’ve been dyeing one small section of my hair blonde for years now, so this always makes me happy lol. Look at how much body Ren’s “hair” has when she’s blonde and how flat it is when she’s back to normal lol.... seems legit. I also definitely owned that yellow and blue striped top that girl on the left is wearing.
Back to Louis’ drama. Tom is outside casually practicing his martial arts when Louis approaches him with some hot chocolate from Doris. Tom’s so ~in the zone~ that he almost roundhouse kicks Louis in the face. I needed to gif it:
Louis tells Tom that he wants to be just like him, he wants to learn how to fight. Tom agrees to teach Louis ~his ways~ and I swear this is one of my favorite bits EVERRRRRRR. There’s no way I’m typing all of this out. You have to feast your eyes on the greatness yourself:
“Louis... did I mention it takes 9 years to learn my ways?” - This show is absolute GOLD, I do not care what anyone says.
Who knew Fred Meyers could actually do all of that, though?! So yeah, after telling Lloyd he’d fight him, even though he can’t fight -- Tom tells Louis his only option is to “find his inner strength and harness it.” And Louis, being the actual genius he is, takes that advice quite literally. I also love how Louis just says “meet me in the alley at 7″ .......which alley, bro? Ya also gotta love that “The Rock” reference. (”If you smell what Louis is cookin’!”) This show really did pick the BEST things to reference when it came to pop culture. It feels like Dwayne Johnson is everywhere these days!
The last big scene of the episode is the alley sequence, and I love it so much. Louis has Beans and Twitty secretly help him work a harness he rigged to fly around like some crazy martial arts master just to freak Lloyd out and avoid fighting altogether. It starts off pretty hilarious (Louis literally does the macarena as a “kung fu” move) but then it gets serious for a minute and it’s perfect. Of course, it all goes down in flames and Lloyd sees the wire. It feels so satisfying to reach the heart of a bully. It's great when you start to see Lloyd feel bad about how he’s treated Louis and I freaking love how Louis gives in, but at the same time -- stands up for himself. He tells Lloyd to beat him up, almost pressuring him to do so -- which obviously makes Lloyd NOT want to beat him up. It's great.
“I’ve come to the realization that if I’m gonna get hit, I’m gonna get hit. You know what you’re gonna wanna do? Get some towels. ‘Cause I’m a bleeder.” - Yesss, Louis.
This leads to one of my favorite little exchanges in the series. Lloyd immediately becomes a huge softie and wants to know how Louis pulled off the harness trick and they quickly start bonding over engineering. Lloyd is all "I didn't know you were into mechanical stuff!" And Louis says "Yeah, dude. I am. But you were too busy putting me in your hutch." - I'm sooo glad they actually had Louis say that engineering is something he's into! Because otherwise, his inventions come across as nothing but wacky things that only exist to support the gags he pulls with no further explanation. Idk. It's such a short moment, but it makes me so happy every time!!! Louis even gives Lloyd a quick rundown of the materials he used to rig the harness and idk man, it just makes me smile. I LOVE THIS CHARACTER SO MUCH. (I also just noticed that the flying squirrel gag was solid foreshadowing for this harness rig.)
I always get a little sad that Lloyd didn't become a bit of a recurring character for the rest of the season or something. This final scene between them has a ~beginning of a beautiful friendship~ sort of vibe. Lloyd invites Louis to check out his home workshop and ugh it’s so nice. We hardly ever see Louis with any friends outside of his core group, let alone someone else who shares his love of engineering, so maybe that’s why this scene always hits me.
I really like this episode for some reason. Always have. Like, A LOT. I think it’s because of the big showdown in shop class. And Louis wanting to learn martial arts from Tom. And the flying squirrel. And Louis and Lloyd in the alley. It's all amazing. And Ren’s plot is pretty fun, too. This is just an awesome episode all around.
Rest in Peace, Brad Bufanda.
Thanks for reading! And please contribute to the conversation below if ya like.
Veronica Mars star Brad Bufanda takes his own life at 34 | Brad Bufanda
Actor Bradley Bufanda, known for his role in the television show "Veronica Mars," was found dead early Wednesday of what authorities say was suicide.
Bufanda starred in Veronica Mars, which featured Kristen Bell in the title role, between 2004 and 2006.
TMZ reports that Bufanda leapt from a building in Los Angeles.
Brad Bufanda, an actor who had a supporting role in "Veronica Mars," died in Los Angeles on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, according to multiple news sources.
Suicide has been reported as the cause of death.
Brad Bufanda, best known for his work on Veronica Mars, has died, his rep, Kirsten Solem, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
The actor, who appeared on seasons one and two of Veronica Mars, was just 34.Actor Brad Bufanda was found dead early Wednesday morning after committing suicide in Los Angeles.
Bufanda's body was found laying on the sidewalk around 1 a.m on Wednesday.
The actor, sometimes known as Brad Joseph, was 34.
How tragic, 34-year-old Brad Bufanda has died.An actor best known for his roles on the small screen has died at far too young an age Brad Bufanda of Veronica Mars died on Wednesday, November 1.
Television is a fun and exciting medium, but it is not exempt from real-life tragedy.
Former Veronica Mars and Malcolm in the Middle star, Brad Bufanda has tragically taken his own life at the age of just 34.
Actor Brad Bufanda, known for playing PCH biker gang member Felix Toombs on UPN's Veronica Mars, died early Wednesday.
Actor Brad Bufanda, perhaps best known for a recurring role on "Veronica Mars." has taken his own life.
TMZ reported Bufanda's body was found early Wednesday morning.
Bufanda played one of the PCH biker gang members, Felix Toombs, on the first two seasons of Veronica Mars.
The former child star was best known for his portrayal of Felix Toombs in the teen drama.
The 34-year-old's body was found early Wednesday morning, after he jumped off a building in Los Angeles.
Veronica Mars star Brad Bufanda takes his own life at 34 | Brad Bufanda
TMZ reported Bufanda's body was found early Wednesday morning.
Brad Bufanda, an actor who had a supporting role in "Veronica Mars," died in Los Angeles on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, according to multiple news sources.
Bufanda starred in Veronica Mars, which featured Kristen Bell in the title role, between 2004 and 2006.
Actor Brad Bufanda, known for playing PCH biker gang member Felix Toombs on UPN's Veronica Mars, died early Wednesday.
Bufanda played one of the PCH biker gang members, Felix Toombs, on the first two seasons of Veronica Mars.
Actor Brad Bufanda was found dead early Wednesday morning after committing suicide in Los Angeles.
The 34-year-old's body was found early Wednesday morning, after he jumped off a building in Los Angeles.The actor, sometimes known as Brad Joseph, was 34.
Actor Bradley Bufanda, known for his role in the television show "Veronica Mars," was found dead early Wednesday of what authorities say was suicide.
Actor Brad Bufanda, perhaps best known for a recurring role on "Veronica Mars." has taken his own life.
Former Veronica Mars and Malcolm in the Middle star, Brad Bufanda has tragically taken his own life at the age of just 34.How tragic, 34-year-old Brad Bufanda has died.
Bufanda's body was found laying on the sidewalk around 1 a.m on Wednesday.
An actor best known for his roles on the small screen has died at far too young an age Brad Bufanda of Veronica Mars died on Wednesday, November 1.
The former child star was best known for his portrayal of Felix Toombs in the teen drama.
Brad Bufanda, who played Felix Toombs on the first 2 seasons of Veronica Mars, committed suicide on Wednesday at the age of 34.
TMZ reports that Bufanda leapt from a building in Los Angeles.
The actor, who appeared on seasons one and two of Veronica Mars, was just 34.
Brad Bufanda, known for playing Felix Toombs on the first two seasons of Veronica Mars, died early Wednesday after jumping off a Los Angeles building, police said.
Television is a fun and exciting medium, but it is not exempt from real-life tragedy.
