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Veronica Mars/ Television analysis
May. 17th, 2007 09:52 pmSo I hadn't been watching this season of Veronica Mars because I don't get television reception. But then recently I figured out that I could watch recent episodes on the CW website, which reminded me enough of the wonders of Veronica Mars that I started purchasing individual episodes of VM from Amazon Unbox. I very much dislike paying to watch the episodes twice, first via the one-offs and then by paying for the DVD set, but sometimes the $6 for three episodes is worth it.
Thus far I've watched the first six episodes of Season three and the latest two. I've started to enjoy it very much. I was very much hoping that season three of VM would be like season four of Buffy: the loopy college years season, flimsy plots but fun to be had nevertheless. In the arc of the Buffy storyline, the silly college year season was sandwiched on either side by the gritty business of navigating middle adolescence beforehand and the confusion of fumbling through the first few years of adulthood after.* VM would be redeemed by a solid, high quality fourth season, and preferably several more seasons to come. But instead it looks like Veronica Mars is going to end on a low note, its most inept season yet.
*There are more parallels to be made: season one of Veronica Mars defined VM as a show and as a character as season two (Buffy's first full season) defined Buffy as a show and as a character. Veronica's search for Lily's killer, and her investigation of the characters and motives of everyone around her, created her defining (mostly platonic) passions and obsessions while Buffy's love affair with Angel created out her defining (largely romantic) passions and obsessions. Season one of VM and season two of Buffy were about the protagonist's fight for their own identity. And then, for both characters and shows, the following season had the main character coming out more into their communities. Sure, their individual struggles were foremost, and both characters were accused by their friends of being self-absorbed, but the seasons nevertheless represented the protagonists learning to relax a little more and coming to terms with themselves and their place in their community. Of course, when I think of the central character struggle the protagonist goes through in VM season three and Buffy season four, I'm coming up blank. Probably the all-important decision that every woman who lives in a TV show has to make between good boys (Riley, Piz) and bad boys (Angel, Logan). To Buffy and VM's credit as feminist shows, they also throw in a third possibility: sexual aggressors/assholes (Parker, the rapist). And yet, romantic and sexual decision making is not quite as universal or compelling a character arc as coming of age.
Thus far I've watched the first six episodes of Season three and the latest two. I've started to enjoy it very much. I was very much hoping that season three of VM would be like season four of Buffy: the loopy college years season, flimsy plots but fun to be had nevertheless. In the arc of the Buffy storyline, the silly college year season was sandwiched on either side by the gritty business of navigating middle adolescence beforehand and the confusion of fumbling through the first few years of adulthood after.* VM would be redeemed by a solid, high quality fourth season, and preferably several more seasons to come. But instead it looks like Veronica Mars is going to end on a low note, its most inept season yet.
*There are more parallels to be made: season one of Veronica Mars defined VM as a show and as a character as season two (Buffy's first full season) defined Buffy as a show and as a character. Veronica's search for Lily's killer, and her investigation of the characters and motives of everyone around her, created her defining (mostly platonic) passions and obsessions while Buffy's love affair with Angel created out her defining (largely romantic) passions and obsessions. Season one of VM and season two of Buffy were about the protagonist's fight for their own identity. And then, for both characters and shows, the following season had the main character coming out more into their communities. Sure, their individual struggles were foremost, and both characters were accused by their friends of being self-absorbed, but the seasons nevertheless represented the protagonists learning to relax a little more and coming to terms with themselves and their place in their community. Of course, when I think of the central character struggle the protagonist goes through in VM season three and Buffy season four, I'm coming up blank. Probably the all-important decision that every woman who lives in a TV show has to make between good boys (Riley, Piz) and bad boys (Angel, Logan). To Buffy and VM's credit as feminist shows, they also throw in a third possibility: sexual aggressors/assholes (Parker, the rapist). And yet, romantic and sexual decision making is not quite as universal or compelling a character arc as coming of age.
