I wonder what makes a show watchable to some people? I will give a new show three looks before I can decide (usually, although in the case of Dresden Files, one look was enough). 30 Rock got multiple looks. It felt like a train wreck for a few shows and then somewhere around show 5, it turned into a handsome princess. How fortunate.
Veronica Mars is one of those shows you desperately wished others would watch. Granted, I love snarkiness more than the next person, but the dialogue alone is worth the cost of admission. I love watching characters and relationships develop and VM does this better than most. It is hip and cool without having to point it out to the viewer and though there are definitely some "made for tv" teen drama involved, there is enough grit to satisfy some of the Marlowe lovers as well.
Given that its lead in is Gilmore Girls and considering the ill fated Aerie commercials that aired to get girls more into the show (thereby scaring away any heterosexual male and some homosexuals and a few girls at that), CW's marketing of the show has been horrible. Now, I'm sure that pictures of V all casual-glammed up is worth looking at, but they gave no hint of the show. The show is part mystery, part character study. It is not Nancy Drew. Just like Joss Whedon's Buffy was a take on the lives and loves and growing pains of high school students, but with a twist, this is Rob Thomas' take on the same. The high school situations persist, but the mystery, aye, that's the true essence of the show. When I heard that Joss Whedon (known for Buffy, Firefly (my favourite), and Angel) said that Veronica Mars was the best show on television, I had to watch it and I came away from that one episode unimpressed. I stayed that way until I watched the first season on video in one sitting. When I watched that random episode on Whedon's word, I was underwhelmed and slightly confused. What was an 09er? Who was she dating? Why were rich kids getting pizza? Why did the officials of the school make such horrible mistakes? It could not be communicated in that one episode. It took the season. You had to watch for the story, but you loved to watch because it was good.
Veronica Mars is on hiatus and though the murder of Dean O'Dell is solved and the loss of Sheriff Lamb is much lamented (he was a great grey character), I find that I am anxious for a 4th season. Veronica Mars is not a viewer darling. For those of us who like mysteries and having them solved, this is a fantastic show. My husband doesn't watch it because he hates shows set in high school or high school like atmospheres. Hearst College still maintains that high school-esque feel. Yet it is hard for me to describe how that one element matters so little in the makeup of the show.
Now I hear that there is confusion about a 4th season. Will it come back as a college drama? Will it be canceled? Will it skip 4 years into the future when Veronica works for the FBI? Who knows. While it will be interesting to see how Rob Thomas writes this show so that it doesn't become a procedural, I would much like to see Veronica 4 years out, interacting with others outside of her circle of friends and enemies. Watching Veronica start something new has been interesting. My favourite episode from season 3 is still the first one, where even the theme song change was interesting. I used to skip through the theme song, but now I enjoy listening to it. I know I may be in the minority opinion, but I liked season 3 more than season 2. For my view, it would be a shame if the show didn't come back. I love Kristen Bell as Veronica and Enrico Colantoni as Keith Mars. If the show doesn't come back, it will be interesting to see what those two do.
If you are a Veronica Mars fan (even if you weren't blown away by this season) you can check out E!'s Watch With Kristen blog for information about how to make your voice heard and maybe keep the CW from canceling V.
Do it for the children. And the slightly obsessed. And me.
Thank you.
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5 comments:
I'd rather see VM go now than attempt this new format. I don't watch Veronica Mars for Veronica, in fact I think she's the weakest link. So the idea of a show with just Veronica and none of the characters we've gotten used to makes me feel a little sick.
Who is the strongest link, in your opinion? How did you feel about Sheriff Lamb's demise? Who do you watch Veronica Mars for?
I think the ensemble is what makes it work. When Veronica is in a relationship the show is a disaster. In 3 years she has experienced 0 growth.
I honestly don't know why I watch it anymore. How sad is that? I think Jason Dohring does amazing work week after week but the writers have had a difficult time incorporating him this season without a)Making him Duncan 2.0 or b)Making any plot he has that isn't about Veronica feel natural. Same for Keith really.
My problem with the show is that Rob Thomas obviously had his season 1 arc planned meticulously but when it came to seasons 2 and 3 he's obviously been scrambling. It shows and I'm not fond of it at all.
cool blog...did a story with Veronica Webb -- of course totally not connected to Veronica Mars -- but www.nextthingsnext.com
tvdork - I might have disagreed with you had I not been going through season one all over again. While I think that the disorganization is evident, because it hasn't been as blatant as Gilmore Girls has been and because I still do actually like Veronica, I had pushed it to the side. I still like the show and I really like Veronica's character. I believe her character has grown, although it might be a bit negatively. She is much harsher than in previous seasons and the fact that we can't see right through her (like we could in season one) shows that she is growing more and more pessimistic. I think that while Jason Dohring does do a good job playing Logan, his character type is better as antagonist - not so much as the pro... Well, I take that back. Season 1&2 working with Weevil (although not making it truly protagonist) did put him in a less harsh light, but I truly enjoyed the hateful spats versus the post-coital bliss that he's had this season with Veronica. The episode where they break up and the episodes following were probably some the the best this season (besides episode one, in my opinion). And, after all, I don't know if I want to see this characters outside of Veronica. I personally like their interaction with her, for better or for worse, but I do agree that there is more of a scramble element to the last two seasons. I think it would probably have more to do with changing things because the funding from the studios was cut, which meant people couldn't be there, which meant rewrite. Of course, it's easy to make excuses because I still like the show.
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