Veronica Mars

[iainjclark]

I'm really enjoying Veronica Mars. I've watched four episodes so far (up to 'The Wrath of Con') and it's a very good and inventive show. And yet... I'm struggling slightly to understand the massive and unreserved adoration everyone seems to be heaping on the show. And I do mean everyone.

Maybe my expectations were hyped up too high by all the great reviews. I don't know. It's just... it's a good show - very good, even: great characters, edgy, witty, and the cast are great - but it's also "just" another High School show about a Quirky Loner with a group of Quirky Friends ^(tm).

It's certainly a strong, non-formulaic example of its type - far better than superficially similar fare like Smallville or Roswell - and it has the potential to do something bold and revelatory, but I think I may be suffering from Quirky High School Fatigue. The most interesting part of the series is the ongoing Twin Peaks style plot about the Local Murder which Changed Everything ^(tm), but even that is merely interesting at the moment.

I *am* enjoying it, and to be fair I've only seen four episodes. I'll definitely continue to watch because it's an above average, intelligent drama with sparks of real darkness; the kind that you start off liking and end up loving with a fiery passion, without ever knowing where you crossed the line. Or maybe we'll end up just being friends.

So am I missing something? Are my standards too high? Has my wrongheadedness finally strangled my remaining shreds of good judgement and made a bid for freedom? Convince me. In a non-spoilering way, obviously. :-)

Comments

[pikelet.livejournal.com]

This is more or less exactly the reaction I had to Firefly, Carnivale and... that other one that people made me watch that was about something daft. I forget what, now.

You're not alone :)

[mattia.livejournal.com]

Yes, but you're clearly wrong about both Firefly (particuarly Firefly) and Carnivale.

[veggiesu.livejournal.com]

I'm confused. Do you not have the Firefly love?

[iainjclark.livejournal.com]

*scoffs* No, that would be impossible. Clearly he does love Firefly, but hasn't realised it yet.

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, I've just watched the season finale. All I can muster by way of argument is: guh.

[wg.livejournal.com]

The season finale broke me. Haven't had that much of an emotional reaction to a show in quite a while.

Not sure I can help Iain, as we watched the first 10 eps over 3 consecutive evenings, and I was by then as hooked as an exceedingly hooked thing. Just continue with it and enjy :)

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

On reflection, I think 'A Trip to the Dentist' actually broke me more. The season finale was very good, but not perfect.

[mattia.livejournal.com]

I'm a mere two eps ahead of you, but I'm really, really liking it. Probably because frankly, I've missed a really good High School Show about a Quirky Loner, etc. For me, right now, that's pretty much enough. I stopped watching Smallville ages ago (watched S1, bits of S2), I still quite like Roswell from time to time, but again, by the end, I barely cared, and frankly, since 'Buffy's early years, nothing's come nearly as close to fulfilling the promise of 'quirky High School TV show' as this has. Major difference is that this isn't a genre show, but it almost hardly matters. The writing, performances, characters so far are strong, like you say. Name a singular non ME show of this vague 'type' that you could say the same thing about. I gotta say that I went into this more or less cold; didn't hear much buzz about the show, only recently decided 'what the heck, get a hold of some episodes', sat down, watched the pilot (at almost midnight), and before I knew it, I was 6 episodes in. I've now re-watched the first three, and it's still good stuff.

Right now I'm loving it, although rationally, I know there's not really a very good reason to right at this very moment. It speaks to me in a way no TV show has in a very, very long time, on pure gut level. Ultimately, I find that engaging TV is about the characters almost more than the story; if they don't gel, the story can be fantastic, and chances are I'll still be bored by it. So far, 'Veronica Mars' is hitting all the right notes, and I love the quirky little show for it.

I'd say leave the preconceptions by the roadside (insofar as that's possible), and go watch s'more of it. You're 4 eps in, fer crying out loud ;-)