Veronica Mars

season three just v v bad

looks rubbish at first watch and for a while after, but then the revisionists will come along and it will actually be better.

It's like the whole thing is in a holding pattern - nothing ever changes. Veronica and Logan are together - they break up - they're together - they angst over it - will they break up - Pizz looks hopeful - Pizz looks hurt. There's nothing tying it all together, and every episode seems like it could be the same (except for the woeful rape mystery they began with) I really don't think the writers know what to do.

There were loads of highs and lows before - you always knew a good episode wold come along, or at least something with lots of twists and mystery and intrigue... now it's just like a dull hum in the background, and a twisty story about a monkey. And, does anyone care? There's no real narrative thread and even the Cyrus murder was barely there.

This is totally dif to Buffy season 4, cos that at least had some sense of direction and change - maybe in ways people didn't like, but it was going somewhere. This show seems to be ambling slowly, ever so slowly, to a nothing conclusion - and the fact they're ending the season with five one offs seems to be indicative of that.

keith asking veronica where weevil was scene > veronica & mac's first PHAT meeting scene > keith & weevil in the dean's office scene > veronica & mac's second PHAT meeting scene > veronica arriving home to find keith standing in silence worrying about the dean's scotch scene

and the fact they're ending the season with five one offs seems to be indicative of that.

That isn't their fault. the network won't give them the two final episodes, at least not in enough time to properly set up the final arc I assume.

I'd take more new stuff, more Wallace for sure, more anything, I'd like to see them trying something - just to fill all this empty space they seem to have going on.

the mystery of the week is that a monkey and some rats have been stolen from a medical research lab on campus. Veronica enlists Mac to go undercover with the campus PETA-esque animal rights group ("PHAT") to find out if they liberated the animals. that turns out to be a dead-end, but the leader of the group, an Adrian Grenier lookalike, takes a liking to Mac, and after various roadblocks, they set up a first date and kiss (aw!) this is significant because of Mac being all gunshy because of Beaver last year. it turns out one of the labworkers liberated the monkey himself, and Veronica doesn't rat him out, but her attempt to save the monkey's life (the subjects of research are all eventually killed so they can be autopsied) proves futile, as the scientist in charge just decides to special order another monkey.

Logan and Veronica mope about each other separately all episode. Logan has meaningless sex with a girl we're meant to find trashy. there's a conversation between Veronica and Piz about not being willing to date just anyone and it seems like they might be on the very boring road to hookup, but instead, in the next scene, Veronica shows up on Logan's door, they look all stricken roadkill at each other for like an hour and then start making out. (most annoying moment of the episode in my eyes.)

I think that's it. scenes from next week indicate even more Logan Veronica drama in exactly the same mold as the goddamn rest of the season.

But generally, S3 is bumming me out.

From what I've heard it's more likely to be post-college, Veronica and Keith trying to make a go of it as a mismatched father and daughter detective duo. Which would be no great shame. I don't know if I've ever been so upset by a tv show as I was at the end of series 2 when it looked like Keith might have been blown out of the sky by the little guy. So, yeah, he should stay.

No matter how bad it gets, I'll keep watching for "tell me he plays the piano."

The only way to salvage this and any future seasons is to kill the Logan-Veronica relationship.

OTM. Also, more Vinnie Van Lowe.

I haven't seen this episode yet.

I mean, Bell can make a whole lot of stuff seem convincingly awesome, but then there are certain things that are just ... and then she hits them so valiantly and confidently anyway.