User Reviews

Never watching Veronica Mars prior to the buzz about the shortly to be released movie in 2014 I was bemused by the story of a semi-short lived series whose fans funded the movie. There must be something pretty good here, right? So, I just watched the pilot and my ruminations will be only on that realizing it is only fair to not judge the series, simply the pilot. Right off, there's the character of Veronica as brought to life by Kristen Bell. Bell is instantly likable and the idea of a teenage private eye is good if not entirely original, or even terribly believable. Bell is so right for the role it works well, using her voice-over narration moves the story as if the viewer is right in her shoes. Add the funky and picturesque fictional beach town of Neptune (I think?) and this could be drivel is already better than it should be.

The story goes Veronica's fall from grace was due to her father, the sheriff, bumbling the investigation of a billionaires deceased daughter. That deceased teen happened to be Veronica's best friend putting her in a wonky situation among super judgemental rich kids and their parents. The father now being a down private eye with Veronica rushing in to, more or less, save the day. Veronica is sort of a tough little gal as we soon learn. She has had to become a survivor early as not only her best friend was murdered, but her dad lost his job, her mom couldn't take it and left, and...Oh, she was a victim of the date rape drug at a party. As proof of her "never say never" to backing down there's a scene where she handles, quite casually, a budding motorcycle gang not so friendly intentions.

Now, there's a growing elephant in this room and it's the believability factor. Adults usually pack up the tents for a lot less but, Veronica is somehow empowered. There's the rub: you have to get on board and forget the lack of realism for the ride. Bell's Mars characterization is so well suited it demands the viewer to "roll with it". Veronica is a great underdog survivor, independent and embracing outcasts such as her friend Wallace (intentional name irony?). She stands alone...And, really carries the series plain and simple. So, even though there's lameness within the plot, there's some good entertainment out of the gate straight away. In other words, I want to see more.

Veronica: "You want to know how I lost my virginity? So do I."

Veronica Mars is an adult in teenage clothing. Small and young, she is also smart and emotionally strong. But even though she's tough -- and Veronica can be very tough -- she is extremely vulnerable.

She has weathered some serious stuff: rape, the death of her best friend, the breakup of her parents, the loss of her home and social status. All of her so-called friends have turned against her. Rejected everywhere, Veronica refuses to be a victim. She won't go away quietly, but she keeps her distance so she won't get hurt again. This distance, along with her exceptional talent for investigation, makes her an astute observer of human nature.

What jumped out at me in the pilot episode was that Veronica has enemies everywhere and constantly experiences threats, a lot of which are sexual. Weevil propositioned her at school by referring to the size of his member; Veronica countered by telling him sarcastically to whip it out, an amazingly courageous tack. Weevil and his gang cornered her outside the Camelot motel; Veronica countered successfully with her taser and her attack dog. Logan made sexual slurs and attacked her car with a tire iron. Sheriff Don Lamb actually made fun of her when she reported her rape. What was amazing was that Veronica stayed strong. She did something about it.

And she has a support system. Her father, the very lovable Keith Mars, is the former sheriff who has also suffered the slings and arrows of Neptune's outrageous fortune. But even he has secrets. Even he lied to Veronica, and she didn't know why.

In this pilot, Veronica, super detective, helped her new friend Wallace, another victim of Neptune High. Wallace is astute and figured Veronica out very quickly: "Underneath that 'angry young woman' 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." Wallace is probably just what he appears to be, but there's a general theme of people being not what they seem to be.

Weevil, for example, was at first a serious threat. He victimized Wallace, and made nasty sexual threats toward Veronica. But in the end, he rode to Veronica's rescue. In saving Wallace with her clever evidence-switching ploy, Veronica also saved Weevil. Why?

Logan Echolls, son of a movie star, is also a huge contradiction. Veronica described Logan as a "psychotic jackass." Logan, holding that tire iron, appeared very threatening. Would he have hurt Veronica if Weevil and his gang hadn't shown up? Who can tell? Logan isn't just Mr. Violence, though. In a flashback, he appeared deeply upset about his girlfriend Lilly's death. And he showed courage; he didn't fold when Weevil was hurting him.

Duncan, Veronica's former boyfriend and murder victim Lilly's brother, is an enigma. All we learned about him was that he broke up with Veronica, and didn't tell her why.

Unanswered questions:

-- Who killed Lilly Kane? Keith didn't think it was Abel Koontz. The last thing Lilly said to Veronica was, "I've got a secret. A good one." What was it?

-- Who drugged and raped Veronica at Shelly Pomroy's party?

-- Why did Duncan break up with Veronica?

-- Why did Keith and Lianne Mars break up? Where is Lianne? Why did she meet Jake Kane at a hotel?

-- Why did Keith lie to Veronica about Lianne's license plate? And why is a photo of it in Keith's Lilly Kane murder file?

I don't usually rate pilots, but this one was excellent. Four out of four stars,

Billie Doux

If you don't believe me, try, the next time the pilot is broadcast.

They'll need the viewers anyway since Veronica mars has been dead last on UPN since this awful premiere episode.

Why was it bad, you ask... Let's take one example: a student is found tied and tortured on the flag mast of the school. The reaction of the students? Boredom. The reaction of the teachers? None. The reaction of the parents? None again.

And all that with the tone of the episode so earnestly trying to convince you that this is a realistic show.

What nonsense!! Ever since, Veronica Mars has been hyped constantly, shown on CBS, renewed "for its potential" and has yet to get any audience traction.

The only mystery in that show is what does Joel Silver have on the CBS brass?