I know you can't say much ...

Question: I know you can't say much about the Veronica Mars premiere, but I was wondering if the new mystery is revealed in the first two episodes, and if so, is it worthy of our Nancy Drew?

Answer: The first mystery was revealed last season, silly. Remember the little matter of the Hearst rapist? Well, the razor-obsessed culprit is still at large, and in the premiere, he (or she?) makes his (or her?) first mistake when, um, it, attacks someone close to Veronica. Speaking of the show's first mystery, Rob Thomas broke some semi-big news to me at Monday's bash. "I'm going to direct [and write] Episode 9, which is the finale of the first mystery." The episode features a new character Rob describes as "the most powerful, frightening, scariest alumni of Hearst College, and I'm trying to get [exec producer] Joel Silver to play it." The second (and very much top-secret) mystery, meanwhile, will be introduced at the end of that same episode, at which point the show will take a seven-week break (on screen and off) before returning in January.