thoughts on Veronica Mars

[rusty_halo]

I watched the first season of Veronica Mars this weekend.

I'm definitely in favor of watching whole seasons of television at once. It reduces frustration immensely; you don't have weeks to speculate and wonder and come up with amazing scenarios in your head that the show could never live up to. You just take the show for what it is, which is a lot more satisfying.

So, yeah, the show is okay. I don't see all the wonderfulness that you guys have been raving about, though. But I didn't hate it, and there were some aspects that I really enjoyed. I don't adore Veronica, but I like her infinitely better than I ever liked Buffy. She takes responsibility for her own actions instead of whining and blaming circumstance. And she sees the world for what it is, instead of chasing some ridiculous fantasy of "romance" and "normal." I respect her, whereas I never respected Buffy. The ending of Veronica Mars is never going to be "Yay, Veronica can go to the mall and buy shoes!" Thank god.

I like that Veronica is clever and technologically astute. She's got a lot of traditional "sidekick" qualities; she's more Willow than Buffy, more Chloe than Lana. I *really* like the idea of putting those qualities into a lead character, instead of sticking to a boring princess type.

The show actually reminded me vividly of the Christopher Pike books I used to read as a kid. They were also set in California high schools and dealt with similar class issues. And mysteries. Actually the similarity was really striking; a couple of times it was almost like seeing a Pike book acted out. (Like "Remember Me" or "Master of Murder." Weird.)

And I guess I can add Logan Echolls to my list of favorite fucked-up bad boy characters. I pretty much found myself watching only for him, almost from the beginning. How sad is it that I can predict exactly how I'll feel about a show just from glimpsing a few LJ posts on my friends' list? Well, that and anytime jennyo bitches about a character, I can almost guarantee I'll love him. :P

The animosity toward Logan kind of astounds me, actually. All he ever did was act like a rich teenager with a fucked-up family. Every time he's had to make a major moral choice, he does the right thing--he's practically a saint when it comes to the big issues. I'm not even going to bother reading TWoP; I have no patience for those judgmental unsympathetic assholes who will be ranting about him. ("Apologist"? Please. How about "compassionate human being"?) The show keeps setting you up to think that Logan has done something awful, and then it turns out that, oh, actually, he hasn't. I guess some people see only surface, though.

Actually, Logan reminded me most strongly of Jaime Lannister. Both rich, powerful, born to privilege, with unbelievably fucked-up families. It's wonderful watching Jaime break away from his corrupt family and start making his own ethical choices. And, y'know, compared to Jaime, Logan really is a saint; the first thing Jaime does in A Song of Ice and Fire is throw a seven year old kid off a tower to protect his incestuous affair with his sister. If I'm defending him, Logan is sort of a no-brainer.

I'm not sure if I'll watch next season. Well, I probably will, for Logan. But the re-emergence of Veronica's creepy boring ex-boyfriend (Duncan?) is not something I'm looking forward to. If they go with that lame old love triangle thing, I'll definitely not bother.

It weirded me out that they were playing the Garbage song "Bad Boyfriend" during a bunch of Logan scenes. I'm having bad Marti Noxon flashbacks, here. He counts as a "bad boy," I guess, 'cause of the whole fucked up family/abused kid/tendency toward violent outbursts thing, but as a boyfriend, he was pretty much a saint. A bad boyfriend wouldn't have stood up to his asshole friends for mocking Veronica... or told her the truth about giving drugs to Duncan even though she could've hated him for it... or shown pretty much constant concern for her happiness.

I don't really like the mystery of the week stuff, either. This is more of a personal preference than a complaint; I stopped watching X-Files because I got so bored of the monster of the week episodes. (Well, that and the arc, which was what I really cared about, got so stupid that I stopped caring.) I get really invested in certain stories, to the extent that I really can't focus on anything else, and find anything else distracting and irritating. So I hope that next season will have a similar season-long arc, because too much mystery of the week stuff will put me to sleep. (And I guess it also doesn't help that I figured out nearly all of the mysteries right away, and waiting for the characters to catch up is boring.)

Oh, um, those who say that the show is an ensemble... are you kidding? Every character exists in relation to Veronica. I suspect that this would drive me crazy if I cared enough about the show to bother investing in it.

One thing I did realize, which is interesting, is that I watch for characters, not plots or ships really. Well, okay, I knew that, but what I also realized is that really, I watch for one character. I'm sort of fantasy-object monogamous that way, I guess. I watched BtVS for Spike, I watched QaF for Brian Kinney, I watched Highlander for Methos, I watched Smallville for Lex, and I watched Veronica Mars for Logan. I think this is what has me drifting away from television as a medium, actually... it's not really set up for that kind of focus on one character. (Well, it is, but I've never found myself drawn to a lead character. Mainstream television doesn't make leads out of the type of character I like.)

Also... I like the actress who plays Veronica. She's really very good at capturing the complexity of the character--her strength, her damage, her cynicism, and her youth. But just a general plea to the gods of television: let's have a show about a young woman who isn't tiny and blond, okay? Please? Speaking as one of the many non-tiny, non-blond young women on the planet.

Hey, so is anyone out there writing Logan slash? :)

Comments

[soundingsea.livejournal.com]

Jaime Lannister! What a great comparison. And somehow I'm not in the slightest surprised that you love Logan.

There is, indeed, Logan slash - a little of it, anyhow. We've linked a few on vm_fic, with a new post anticipated tomorrow.

If they put Veronica with Duncan short-term, I bet she ends up with Logan in the longer term. But honestly, I'd be much happier to see Logan with Weevil. >:)

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Oooh, awesome. I will check out the Logan slash. I was definitely feeling the subtext between him and Weevil. :)

[ww1614.livejournal.com]

How sad is it that I can predict exactly how I'll feel about a show just from glimpsing a few LJ posts on my friends' list? Well, that and anytime jennyo bitches about a character, I can almost guarantee I'll love him. :P

Hee!

The animosity toward Logan kind of astounds me, actually. All he ever did was act like a rich teenager with a fucked-up family. Every time he's had to make a major moral choice, he does the right thing--he's practically a saint when it comes to the big issues....

It weirded me out that they were playing the Garbage song "Bad Boyfriend" during a bunch of Logan scenes. I'm having bad Marti Noxon flashbacks, here. He counts as a "bad boy," I guess, 'cause of the whole fucked up family/abused kid/tendency toward violent outbursts thing, but as a boyfriend, he was pretty much a saint. A bad boyfriend wouldn't have stood up to his asshole friends for mocking Veronica... or told her the truth about giving drugs to Duncan even though she could've hated him for it... or shown pretty much constant concern for her happiness.

LOL, see my LJ fo the bitching.

Loved this post, even if you don't love VM quite the way I do.

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's hilarious. Look at you, starting kerfuffles! ;)

I didn't realize that VM/BtVS comparisons were such a hot button issue. Um, there are about a zillion parallels--shows centered around life in a California high school, focused on a small blond heroine who doesn't quite fit in, two main romantic interests, one a stoic boring passive type, and one a bit dangerous, who our heroine hated and yet is drawn to....

And yeah, I put Logan on my "archetype I adore" list, along with Spike, Lex, Methos, Jaime Lannister, Brian Kinney, etc. All sort of damaged and fucked-up and angsty, and witty and funny and cynical, and strong underneath, and the interesting thing for me is seeing them rise above their circumstances and make the right ethical choices when you don't expect them to. (And also they're pretty when they suffer.) I mean, there are variations there, but they're all fairly similar. So, yeah, Logan and Spike aren't the same, but it's perfectly within reason to compare and contrast the two. They fulfill similar archetypes and similar positions in relation to the show and heroine. Anyone who freaks out at you for comparing the two is just being, well, kind of ridiculous.

Oh, yeah, and that bad boyfriend thing? So lame. (I actually couldn't even get into that song when I was listening to the new Garbage album, precisely because it kept giving me flashbacks to that damn Marti Noxon quote.) Now, if RT meant it ironically, or to reflect Veronica's point of view while thinking Logan was an evil killer, that's fine. But if he thinks it's an actual representation of who Logan is and of how he relates to Veronica... ugh. It's such an old argument I'm not even going to bother; BtVS has permanently soured me on this. I am NOT going to watch another show feeling constantly at odds with the writers and the intended direction.

[queenofattolia.livejournal.com]

It weirded me out that they were playing the Garbage song "Bad Boyfriend" during a bunch of Logan scenes. I'm having bad Marti Noxon flashbacks, here. He counts as a "bad boy," I guess, 'cause of the whole fucked up family/abused kid/tendency toward violent outbursts thing, but as a boyfriend, he was pretty much a saint. A bad boyfriend wouldn't have stood up to his asshole friends for mocking Veronica... or told her the truth about giving drugs to Duncan even though she could've hated him for it... or shown pretty much constant concern for her happiness.

Heh. See ww1614's recent post (and attendant discussion) about this very thing. What's galling is that Rob Thomas himself thought this song was "perfect for Veronica and Logan." All together now: WTF?!

You're lucky that you're still so dispassionate about VM -- I was completely into it and am now so disillusioned I want to start weeping. Talk about squandered promise. Honestly, I think it's going to devolve into just another teen soap like The OC or One Tree Hill (or, worse, Dawson's Creek) next year, which is definitely not what I signed up for.

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the "bad boyfriend" thing is definitely a warning sign.

I'd stay away from it if it's already upsetting you this much. Read fic or something. ;) That's actually sort of what I've been doing with Queer as Folk... I didn't like the Brian/Justin direction the show took, so I've just been reading Brian/Michael fanfic and, as far as I'm concerned, Brian/Michael IS canon. It's a story; it's all in our heads, after all, and we can make it whatever we want for ourselves.

[jerrymcl89.livejournal.com]

I don't adore Veronica, but I like her infinitely better than I ever liked Buffy. She takes responsibility for her own actions instead of whining and blaming circumstance. And she sees the world for what it is, instead of chasing some ridiculous fantasy of "romance" and "normal."

Actually, what I like about the show is the fact that Veronica starts out the season chasing just that - romanticizing Duncan, longing for her place among the popular kids, and vowing to reunite her parents without regard to what they want. But unlike Buffy, she has the capacity to learn.

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Veronica has some of the naivete that you'd expect from a 17 year old kid, and watching her grow is part of what's interesting. She's also started out a lot more skeptical than Buffy, since she'd already suffered whereas most of Buffy's suffering happened onscreen. And, yeah, Buffy had a sort of willful blindness... after she stabbed Angel and sent him to hell, she was still drawing hearts around his name on notebooks, and after he dumped her horrendously, she fell for Parker and then Riley... Veronica, in contrast, seems to learn from each of these situations and you can see changes in her behavior to reflect that. She's not likely to spend seven years repeating the same mistakes.

[ladycat777.livejournal.com]

Heya -- did you watch on CD's? If so, who did you get them from? Got a friend who wants to indulge and I didn't keep my tivo'd copies :(

[valancy.livejournal.com]

ladyvalany on AIM if you want to dl them from me. :)

[valancy.livejournal.com]

LOL er, ladyvalancy

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

I got most of them from tvtorrents.com actually.

[chenanceou.livejournal.com]

Still not crazy about the show, but I liked what you have to say. Plus everybody likes to have people they like agree with them ;)

I have a favour to ask - remember the stores in the Village you rec'ed to me? I forgot the name and my oldest will be there for a week. If you have the time can you give me some pointers? Thanks!

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :)

I rec'ed stores? When? Goth stores? I guess the best place to go is St Mark's Place (effectively 8th Street) between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. Tons of awesome stores around there (Trash & Vaudeville especially). You can also keep walking along 8th street toward 6th avenue, and you'll encounter a bunch of cool stores. (Is that what you were asking?)

[chenanceou.livejournal.com]

Yep. Religious Sex (it came to me in the middle of dinner and I can't tell you how the girls looked at me when I called it out nowhere). And yes, goth stores. She's into that thing (even though she's the Emily Strange version of me).

Thank you so much!

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Ah, cool. Religious Sex is gone (heartbreakingly), but Trash & Vaudeville is great. And there's a store similar to Religious Sex (but cheaper!) if you keep walking along 8th street, right before you get to 6th ave, on the north side of the street. (And hey, if she goes there, tell her to stop at Gobo!)

[darkravine.livejournal.com]

Veronica Mars was an immediate obsession for me ... I think because of all the things you said about Buffy. I can actually respect her, relate to her, in a way that Buffy didn't immediately allow. I always found it hard writing for Buffy - she just didn't appeal to me. I understood her in some sort of dark, unhealthy part of my mind, but I honestly didn't want to know her.

Logan is the reason I watch VM as well. Although VM herself is engaging, and real to me, Logan is the most entertaining character. The one with the most shit to deal with. Although Veronica maintains that she is the most "wronged" with regards to her social standing, I think she has no idea what's coming up for Logan next.

It's kind of sad I watch the self-titled shows for characters that are not mentioned in said-titled shows, but I think RT knows what he's doing. Joss left a bad taste in my mouth after the final season. But I've learned RT has a tendency to give the fans what "they need", in a way that actually turns out to be what "they want" at the same time.

Give it another season. After all, I'm of the firm opinion that although Buffy was "good" first season, it didn't really bloom until 2nd. :)

[cindergal.livejournal.com]

I like Veronica Mars, but I'm not as obsessed as many of those on my FL are. Logan is, of course, my favorite character. We seem to share an affection for that particular archetype. ;-)

As for this: But just a general plea to the gods of television: let's have a show about a young woman who isn't tiny and blond, okay? You really should give Farscape a go. :-)

[10zlaine.livejournal.com]

throw a seven year old kid off a tower to protect his incestuous affair with his sister.

Do they expound on this more? (just curious) It's more than that, though, isn't it? It's about keeping the Lannisters on the throne so the kids aren't bastards?

::grumbles at self for leaving book III home::

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

It's more than that, though, isn't it? It's about keeping the Lannisters on the throne so the kids aren't bastards?

Jaime's an interesting guy. You''ll have to read Storm of Swords and find out. >:)

[10zlaine.livejournal.com]

I just read my first "jaime" chapter (just started the book this morning), and totally-yeah--He's going to be a lot of fun to read!

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Oooh, kickass. Let me know what you think as you read along. :)