Logan Echolls

**Logan Echolls** is the son of Aaron and Lynn Echolls, and the husband of Kitty Kane. Formerly Duncan Kane's best friend, he is a snarky, witty 09er who ranges from being hostile to deeply caring.

He was dating Duncan's sister and Veronica's best friend, Lilly Kane, on and off for two years until she was murdered during their sophomore year, and he later finds out that the killer was his A-list actor father, Aaron Echolls. Veronica's choices to support her father, in his theory that one of the Kane family members was behind Lilly's death at the time leave Logan feeling betrayed and he takes to bullying her.

When his mother commits suicide during his junior year, Kitty assists him in confirming her death.

Logan overcomes much of his inner turmoil after becoming a Naval Intelligence Officer, and begins seeing a therapist regularly.

## Biography

### Background

Described as Neptune High's "obligatory psychotic jackass" by Veronica (Pilot), Logan was originally one of the school's main bullies and a nemesis for Veronica.

The abused son of superstar movie actor Aaron Echolls, Logan was the on-again, off-again boyfriend of the deceased Lilly Kane and close friends with Veronica Mars and her then-boyfriend Duncan Kane. Logan's life is torn apart when Lilly is murdered and Keith Mars publicly accuses Jake Kane, father of Lilly and Duncan, of the crime. Logan is horrified by the accusation, and when Veronica refuses to renounce her father, Logan quickly moves to blackball Veronica from the popular "09er" crowd. Logan's hatred for Veronica subsides with time, and the two become friends eventually.

Logan is the youngest child in the Echolls family. His older, adopted sister Trina left the family to pursue an acting career with little success.

While Logan loves his mother Lynn, his relationship with his abusive father Aaron is largely hostile. Intimations of Aaron's abuse begin to emerge partway through Season One when he punishes Logan for embarrassing him by whipping him with a belt. Some episodes later, Logan's sister Trina sarcastically refers to Logan's claims of other abuses at Aaron's hands, including being burned with cigarettes and having his nose broken—claims which, despite Trina's skepticism, Veronica has reason to believe are true. Nonetheless, Logan's feelings toward his father are made ambiguous by the inherent parent-child bond, Logan's unusually deep capacity for love and loyalty, and Aaron's own complex character, which includes intermittent (and generally self-serving) attempts to support his children, and some degree of parental protectiveness (as seen, for instance, when he beats up one of Trina's abusive boyfriends).

Logan receives little comfort from his mother, who turns to pills to distract herself from her husband's adultery and violence. Logan hides his dysfunctional home life from his friends at school, where he acts out his frustrations by bullying weaker students and flaunting his status as a member of the wealthy '09er community in front of less affluent students.

### Relation to Family Crisis

Ultimately, the Echolls family self-destructs when one of Aaron's sexual conquests, having seen him having sex with another woman, stabs Aaron at a Christmas party, leading to the exposure of his chronic infidelity. In reaction, Logan's mother Lynn leaks stories of Aaron's other affairs to further damage his public image and, when Aaron confronts her, vows to divorce him. When Aaron retaliates by threatening to use all of his resources to destroy Lynn's life if she leaves him, she drives to the Coronado Bridge and jumps off, to her apparent death.

His wife's suicide shames Aaron so much that he retires from acting and concentrating on trying to save his disintegrating relationship with his son (although it is implied that this behavior is only an attempt to get money from Logan, whom Lynn left all of her money to). This uncharacteristic attempt at kindness fails, however, when Veronica reveals that Aaron had murdered Logan's girlfriend, Lilly Kane, in an attempt to retrieve tapes that he had made of himself and Lilly having sex.

After trying to kill Veronica, Aaron goes on trial and, with help from con artist turned '09er trophy wife Kendall Casablancas, mounts a successful defense. The defense blames Duncan for his sister's murder, denies the affair between Aaron and Lilly, and accuses Veronica of lying about Aaron's attempt to kill her. Logan himself has bolstered the defense case by having bought the sex tapes, which had been stolen and put up for bid by a sheriff's deputy, and erased them to prevent them being posted on the Internet. Despite both Logan's and Veronica's testimony regarding the content of the tapes, their evidence is discredited, and Aaron acquitted.

Once acquitted, Aaron makes a last-ditch effort to reconcile with his son by forcibly reminding Logan that, as a free man, he now controls the family fortune (Logan had gained power of attorney over his father's wealth while Aaron was awaiting trial). Ominously, Aaron threatens to cut off his wayward son's finances, but never has a chance to carry out his threat. Duncan Kane, furious that his sister's murderer had gotten away with the crime, arranges for Aaron to be murdered by Clarence Wiedman (the head of security for Kane Software) in his hotel room.

### College Years

During his freshman year at Hearst College, Logan learns that he has an older half-brother; his father's illegitimate child from an affair with a flight attendant. Logan discovers his half-brother when he gets help from Veronica to investigate the disappearance of trust money left to him after Aaron's death. Aaron's relationship with Charlie is only through an agreement of payment that was set up through a children’s foundation — which is used as a front to keep Charlie's identity a secret from the public.

Logan eventually agrees to meet with his long-lost half-brother. However, Logan has been tricked by a reporter who knew of the love child and acted as Charlie to get the insider's scoop for a *Vanity Fair* article; the story is ultimately dropped when Logan makes a pre-emptive appearance on *Larry King Live* and announces the scandal. Logan's *real* half-brother ignores all of Logan's calls, angered that Logan exposed him to media scrutiny and destroyed what normal life he may have had.