So, finally got on the whole VM band-wagon, watching the first two seasons in a marathon viewing session.
Find myself a bit underwhelmed by the second season, although not so much that I didn't enjoy it. First season seemed to have a much stronger single episode narrative, whereas the second season seemed to rely much more on soap opera... even in the single-episode mysteries.
Such as, the first episode I ever watched (which convinced me the show wasn't for me) involved the search for the daughter of the guy who falsely confessed to the murder of her best friend in season one... yeah, that's accessible in the Bizarro World.
And the boring ex-boyfriend... they basically repeated his first-season story, only adding a kidnapping this time around. He breaks up with Veronica and covertly takes off to Latin America. Okay, they repeated the same arc with crazy asshole boyfriend, too... he's an ass to Veronica, then they hook up. Third season will definitely not be the charm if they come back around again.
And I'm really hoping they let the Lily Kaine murder stuff drop, although I doubt they are. Looks like Harry Hamlin really didn't do it, putting the Kaine boy back in play... but why would Hamlin cover up his murder... so it will look like crazy boyfriend did it... until the assumed dead mother turns out not to be dead and it looks like she did it... until we learn that... ummm, Steve Guttenburg did it... yeah, that's it
Then in Season Four, we find out the dog did it.
Fun show, I just hope the single episode stories are stronger and less entrenched with the soap opera in Season Three.
_________________ I reserve the right to be spectacularly wrong.
I dig this show. Most of the credit goes to the casting and especially to Kristen Bell. She carries the show effortlessly. And she aint too hard on the eyes either, know what I'm sayin'?
I agree that the second season was not as strong as the first, but I still think it's better than 80% of the garbage they pass off on us on a regular basis.
_________________ "Ordinarily, I agree with Chris" - Uncle Twitchy
It's a good show if you start at the beginning... as I found out trying to start on it mid-season last year, it's one of the most newbie unfriendly shows on the air. It can be downright unpenetrable at times, and the back story is very convoluted.
That structure will probably doom it before too long. After the brilliant first season, I was hoping the second season structure would be just as self-contained, but the show doesn't seem to be willing to let go of the first big mystery. Cool, if you've watched it from the start, but not the bestest way to grow an audience.
_________________ I reserve the right to be spectacularly wrong.
The new season is supposed to focus on shorter arcs, rather than one big mystery for the whole season. Hopefully this will make the show more accessible for new viewers.
Serial dramas seem to be the big thing right now... but I think it's such a hard format to succeed with, unless you come out strong at the start.
Veronica Mars gets compared with Buffy a lot, and Buffy did do the season-long arc thing... but it had steady growth over the first few seasons, because it was a pretty accessible show for a good long time. Lost is certainly uber-plotted, but I haven't noticed them being uber-fascinated with older story arcs. I just don't recall too many times in which I thought, "if I hadn't watched the pilot, I'd be so confused now." 24 is a bit of an oddity, because it manages to increase its ratings with every season, but (unless it changed dramatically since the second season, which was the last I watched it), they seem to focus almost entirely over the problem at hand with minimal mentions of previous seasons. The Shield has often demonstrated a serious short-term memory, only revisiting the shocking first episode this past season.
I think the moral of the story is: learn to drop your old story arcs and only revisit them if you have something cool in mind. I think a viewer should be able to start up and feel in teh swing of things after a few episodes.
_________________ I reserve the right to be spectacularly wrong.
I can't not lavish praise on any Veronica Mars thread. Except I haven't finished watching year two yet, so I'm not reading any of these posts above me.
I'll just blanket agree with each and every one of you and laud your exceptional taste. You rock!
So was Barbara Eden. Didn't stop HER from lookin foxy!
Not sure I understand where you're going with this one Mark. Are you saying Kristen Bell is NOT foxy? I mean you can't possibly be saying that. If that IS in fact what you mean, then consider yourself banned.
If, on the other hand, you simply meant that she was hot as well, then you are still banned for stating the obvious.
_________________ "Ordinarily, I agree with Chris" - Uncle Twitchy
So was Barbara Eden. Didn't stop HER from lookin foxy!
Not sure I understand where you're going with this one Mark. Are you saying Kristen Bell is NOT foxy? I mean you can't possibly be saying that. If that IS in fact what you mean, then consider yourself banned.
If, on the other hand, you simply meant that she was hot as well, then you are still banned for stating the obvious.
Kristen Bell is WAY foxy.
_________________ "I'm right 97% of the time. Who cares about the other 4%?"
I'm guessing the rape case is going to be the big storyline (or did I hear they were going to do shorter cases this year?)... wasn't quite expecting it, so this week's episode just felt incomplete. I'm waiting for the big reveal and get nothing, just a downer ending with the sorority house. Usually they make the Big Case the B-plot, while another less substantial case gets the A-plot. Structure issues aside, great fun... although I still don't cotton to the whole Veronica/Logan relationship, as they're much better as adversaries. It was good that there was one person who wasn't the slightest bit intimidated by Veronica and gave her shit. Still have Sheriff Lamb, but it's not like she comes into constant contact with him.
_________________ I reserve the right to be spectacularly wrong.
It's a miracle this series even got a second season. Someone at UPN really must have believed in this show. Third season debut is well above last season's ratings (when it was 145th out of 156 shows) and it's good to see them hitting a lot less Continuity this year... they had a pretty good jumping on point this season.
_________________ I reserve the right to be spectacularly wrong.
The Politically Correct Democratic Peoples' Republic of New Jersey
Bannings:
2 merit badges from a/c street
I think the few CBS airings of some episodes gave it the wider exposure it needed to show people what a great show it is. At least that's what happened in my home.
Veronica Mars might be looking at a quick graduation from Hearst College. The fate of the CW's cult favorite remains uncertain, but if the show returns for a fourth season in the fall, it might find the young sleuth in a different setting. "Veronica Mars" creator Rob Thomas has come up with an idea to fast-forward a couple of years and have Mars studying at the FBI Academy. (As a freshman at Hearst College, Mars (Kristen Bell) has been taking criminology classes and been looking to do an internship at the FBI.) Thomas is filming a trailer for the alternative fourth season of the Warner Bros. TV/Silver Pictures show, which will be submitted to the CW. The network's executives ultimately will decide whether to pick up the series for another season and, if they do, whether to stick to the drama's current plot line or go with the new version. If Mars goes to the FBI Academy next season, it will be a third backdrop for the character, who began her P.I. adventures while in high school.
I currently prefer whatever options keeps the show on the air.
If the series progresses this way, I think Logan, Dick, and Wallace will vanish (or maybe appear in flashbacks/ special episodes.)
Mac may stay as a techical advisor.
Keith can stay as sheriff, and get into fights with his daughter over jurisdiction.
Could be very cool. If it's as good as Whedon's new Buffy series, I'll be very happy. Ideally it would be set in high school, but I'm not sure how they'd make that work.
And I'm already picking the new Supergirl artist to draw it.
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