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NO MYSTERY HERE --
"VERONICA MARS" IS SMASHING
Feb. 4, 2005
"Here's what you do," says Veronica Mars, outlining the secret of a successful high school life to a fellow student on the new TV series that shares her name. "You get tough. You get even."
That may sound a bit too cynical coming from a smart, endearing, cute-as-a-button teenager. But life has been a rough go for Veronica ever since her best friend, Lilly Kane, was brutally murdered one October night. Her father Keith was ousted as sheriff for fingering Lilly's dad (and millionaire software magnate) Jake Kane for the crime. Her popular high school friends dropped her from their social circle. Her boyfriend, Lilly's brother Duncan, dumped her. And her mother mysteriously went missing.
She continues trying to lead the life of a normal 17-year-old, but it's just so darn hard when you're busy solving crimes with your dad, who now works as the local private investigator. Plus, there's the hazy notion in the back of your mind that Lilly's murder is not what it seems and her death may be part of a much larger conspiracy involving the city of Neptune's most powerful people.
What's a girl to do except take matters into her own hands, unravel the mystery of her friend's murder and bring the real killer to justice?
"Veronica Mars," UPN's Nancy-Drew-for-a-new-millennium drama, is easily one of the best new shows of the season. Interestingly, it didn't start out that way, proving what TV critics and fans have complained about for more than a decade now -- that networks often cancel shows too soon, never allowing them to find their creative wings.
Unlike ABC's "Lost," which was great out of the gate this past fall, "Veronica" started off shaky -- a jumbled mishmash of detective story clichés and "90210"-esque high school drama. It featured an appealing lead in Kristen Bell but gave her an uneven supporting cast that changed slightly from week to week.
At one point in the first episode, some witty bits earned a few good laughs before the show suddenly (and none too seamlessly) launched a subplot involving the rape of the show's titular character. It was jarring, as were early single-episode whodunits that didn't make any more sense at the show's end than they did at the first commercial break. If "Veronica Mars" was on Fox, I guarantee it would have been canceled by its sixth episode.
But UPN had faith and stuck with the show, the writers continued sharpening creator Rob Thomas' original concept, and by the time your calendar flipped over to 2005, "Veronica Mars" had firmly established itself as not-to-be-missed-for-any-reason television.
Occasionally, and if you look hard enough, you'll still find some glitches. (Why was local movie star Aaron Echolls stabbed in a cliffhanger at the end of one episode, but up running around with barely a problem in the next?) And yet, there's no need to nit-pick when there are so many reasons why "Veronica" makes for a supremely entertaining 60 minutes.
For starters, Veronica's funny-yet-touching kinship with her pop (played by Enrico Colantoni, one of the few cast members who actually clicked from day one), makes for TV's most-winning father-daughter relationship. When Veronica is falsely accused of making fake drivers' licenses for fellow students, she's quick to point out that the case against her is "fuzzy and circumstantial."
"You know the odd thing?" Keith asks an observer to this conversation. "Those were also her very first words."
That's a good laugh there. But beneath the jokes is an incredible sense of trust. Where most high-school shows place kids in a constant state of rebellion against their parents, Veronica and Keith gain strength because each relies heavily on the other. These two aren't just family -- they're a team.
And it's a good team to be on, especially when considering the
alternative -- going against Veronica. Bad idea. This girl has no qualms about infiltrating her school's secret society or digging up all kinds of shocking dirt on her classmates' parents.
And she does it with a smile, which, as delivered by Bell, will immediately melt you where you stand. Bell was outstanding last year as a conniving con artist on two episodes of HBO's gritty western "Deadwood." But even that couldn't prepare you for how much she shines as "Veronica."
This is the perfect melding of actor and character, and the result is a heroine who is the spiritual successor to a now-retired vampire slayer named Buffy. (Blond hair? Check. Quick with the puns? Check. A knack for taking on seemingly insurmountable odds and still making it look like the right decision? Check.) And the rest of the show's cast is finally catching up now that the writers have found the right combination of supporting characters.
Best of all, the mystery that Veronica finds herself trying to piece together only gets better as the twisting plot grows thicker. What started as a generic who-killed-the-girl? conundrum has become an even more rewarding guessing game than what's happening over on "Lost." Why did creepy Abel Koontz admit to Lilly's murder when he's not the one who killed her? Did Duncan break it off with Veronica because he's her half-brother? And, most importantly, who's at the heart of this dark riddle, secretly pulling all the strings?
Tuning in to see Veronica sleuth her way toward the answer solves one mystery: Why wouldn't you want to watch a show about a teenage detective extraordinaire?
The solution: There's no reason not to. So please start watching. Now.
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