Veronica Mars
—Review by Darrel Manson
—Photos
—About this Series
—Spiritual Connections
The early teasers for Veronica Mars suggested that it would be a cross between Nancy Drew and Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. I've never been much of a fan of Nancy Drew, but for a new Buffy-esque show, I'm willing to give it a chance.
The show is set in an upscale Southern California beach community. Veronica is in high school with lots of rich snobs. Actually, she used to be part of that crowd. All that changed when her best friend (her boyfriend’s sister) was killed. Veronica’s father, the sheriff, botched the investigation, made enemies, and was removed from office. He now works as a private investigator and Veronica helps out along the way.
Veronica is now an outcast. Her former friends have dumped her; her mother has abandoned her family. Veronica is very much alone, but also very capable at getting to the bottom of things and solving mysteries. However, the mysteries that really matter to her, what happened to her friend and where her mother is, are beyond her.
We keep seeing hints that imply the circumstances of the killing are not as they seemed to be. There are secrets in this town of tony houses and fancy cars. Will Veronica be able to uncover them?
Of course, Veronica is not Buffy (who could be?), but there are some similarities. Like Buffy, she is an outsider, very gifted, and tough (but tender). She is beginning to acquire her own little “Scooby Gang� to help her. But the real similarity is the battle between good and evil.
In Buffy, that battle took place in a supernatural realm. The good and evil were cosmic. For Veronica, the evil is not from some cosmic evil, it grows from within people (which is far more sinister.) Buffy was always saving the world (literally); Veronica saves people that no one else really cares about.
So far, the episodes are a bit uneven. Relationships still need to be developed. Occasionally, there is an episode that does very little to move the meta-plot along, instead focusing only on a little minor mystery. Buffy relied on having a meta-plot that moved through the season, while Nancy Drew could get by with solving a mystery every week. In that sense, this is a bit of a combination of the two. It needs, however, to concentrate more on being Buffy in this way, and less on being Nancy.
3 Comments:
I, too, am a huge fan of Buffy and was eager to check out Veronica Mars. I've been quite impressed, thus far. The writers never give out any more information than necessary. They're willing to let a story thread remain unresolved until it's absolutely necessary to tie it up. While this is somewhat unorthodox for a network series, it's excellent storytelling.
I can't wait to see where it ends up.
I took up VM the first season because of the promos; I've never been one for TV since getting older -- junk for the most part. By the thrid episode of VM I was hooked, a certifiable 'junkie'.
What intrigues me the most is the writing -- smart, 'noir' ish, and it doesn't talk down to you by giving constant, long winded explications to bring the viewer up to speed if they've missed something -- the recaps at the beginning of the episode do a good job of that, giving relevant information. I saw Rob Thomas in an interview who said that he writes the way people would want to speak, which I think is a good answer. Sadly, thanks to the declining standards in education these days, most teens today can't speak nearly as well in ordinary situations, let alone rattle off the witty one liners and cultural references with the ease VM does. I love to just listen to them talk. There are things in the show that I don't like -- once in a while they'll throw in a pro homosexul reference or plot, for example -- but the show doesn't dwell on those things, so I can take it for what it is.
The mysteries as well keep my interest, becasue they are slowly investigate and discovered, and don't veer off into incredulity. I didn't watch Buffy, mostly in part because I don't like the occult angle it takes (for reasons too long to go into here.) What I like about VM is the fact that it takes place in the real world, with real people who have real problems that aren't easily solved, at least all at once. Most satisfying is the fact that Veronica is still on the outs after last season, and still suffers the consequences of her and her father's actions from the past. I hope this show stays on the air for a long time.
I JUST WANT TO SAY I LOVE VERONICA MARS. ALL THE GUYS ARE SO GOOD LOOKING...HAHAHHA
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