I absolutely love turning people on to the fantastic movies, TV shows, and books that are among my favorites. Even Katie has taken up my suggestions on a handful of occasions, and I am thrilled that she too now counts herself a fan of Harry Potter, Gilmore Girls, and any other number of random movies and musicals I’ve pushed on her. So when Katie asked me to guest blog while she was off on her jaunt across Europe, I decided that it only made sense for me to take this opportunity to champion another favorite of mine: “Veronica Mars.”
Sometimes I feel as though I should speak of “Veronica Mars” in hushed, reverent tones. I almost don’t want too many people to declare their love for it, though it’s certainly what this show deserves! But knowing just how great it is, and how few people appreciate it – it’s like some special, undiscovered secret that I get to share with what feels like only a handful of other people. It feels like a special treasure that’s best if kept secret. Of course, that doesn’t keep me from pushing the DVDs into the hands of my co-workers, twisting my sister’s arm (cross-country, might I add!) to find a copy to watch, or taking up this precious space in Katie’s blog to advocate the show! I just can’t help it, and like I said, it’s what this show deserves!
“Veronica Mars” sadly came to an end in 2007 after only three seasons on UPN and then the CW. The incomparable Kristen Bell stars as the title character, a high school student who, at the start of the show, has recently lost her mom, friends, and social status. The catalyst for these changes in her life can all be traced to the overarching mystery of season one: the murder of Veronica’s best friend, Lily Kane. Each episode is constructed around a mystery of the week, as well as further clues and information regarding Lily’s murder. This “film noir” show is simultaneously brilliant, heartbreaking, and completely hilarious.
Veronica is an amazing character: driven, resourceful, clever, confident, and – my particular favorite – never without a smart and sassy comeback. But she’s been through a lot, and consequently has become a hardened and damaged character, sometimes quick to judge and nearly always reflexively defensive of the people she comes into contact with. But she doesn’t want to be pitied or felt sorry for – something like that would make her appear soft, and the only way Veronica can make it through her difficult life is to remain unapproachable and overly tough, lest someone should slip under her carefully constructed armor and see that she indeed has a heart under there. As her best friend Wallace puts it,
“Oh no you don’t. You really think I’m gonna let you get away with that? That might play with the masses. But underneath that angry young women shell, there’s a slightly less angry young woman who’s just dying to bake me something. You’re a marshmallow, Veronica Mars, a Twinkie.”
It was my friend Joey who first said that “the dialogue is Gilmore-esque,” and I quite agree. As a huge fan of “Gilmore Girls,” I have no qualms in comparing the quick-witted repartee of Lorelai and Rory to that of Veronica and pretty much every other character on the show. Her relationship with her father, private investigator Keith Mars, is definitely a change from “Gilmore,” though no less sweet, and certainly no less clever.
Keith: Honey, you don’t have to get all blue in the face.
Veronica: You’re patronizing me?
Keith: To be fair, I am your patron.
The genius of “Veronica Mars” elevates it above almost every other show I love. It’s a smart series that doesn’t beat you over the head with its own IQ. On the contrary- so much of the times, “Veronica” flies so far under that radar that you don’t even recognize its smart perfection until you turn and look back on the mystery of the week, or even over the whole season. As I re-watch episodes from seasons past, I find clues and nuggets of brilliance sprinkled throughout that I never picked up on or fully appreciated.
Despite its criminal cancellation after just three seasons, “Veronica Mars” raked in a ridiculous amount of incredible critical raves, including from other writers, like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” creator Joss Whedon, who said that “Mars” was the “Best. Show. Ever. Seriously, I’ve never gotten more wrapped up in a show I wasn’t making, and maybe even more than those…These guys know what they’re doing on a level that intimidates me. It’s the Harry Potter of shows.” And writer/director Kevin Smith said it was “hands-down, the best show on television right now, and proof that TV can be far better than cinema.” As a huge movie fan, that one speaks volumes to me!
The core of the show is of course its title character, and I find myself simultaneously feeling sorry for Veronica, but also wanting to be her. Beneath the layers of cynicism, distrust, and biting verbal poison, Veronica is a hurting and, at times, very vulnerable teenager who is motivated by her desire for justice, her penchant for sticking up for the underdog, and, above all, love for the family and friends that continue to stick by her. Well, you know what they say: Veronica Mars, she’s a marshmallow.
Oh, I loved Veronica Mars too! I couldn’t bear to watch its last season because I knew it would eventually canceled. However, to comfort myself, I just think of how Kristen Bell is more popular now because the cancellation gave her opportunities like Heroes and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Now, everybody can know how brilliant she is. =) R.I.P. Veronica Mars. You have good taste in shows.
I loved your post and you hit the nail right on the head for why this show was an amazing work of fiction that desevered better than it got. Congrats on the excellent work. http://mendie22.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/a-personal-favorite-veronica-mars/